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Sample records for imaging centers icmics

  1. Color Image Encryption Using Three-Dimensional Sine ICMIC Modulation Map and DNA Sequence Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wenhao; Sun, Kehui; He, Yi; Yu, Mengyao

    Derived from Sine map and iterative chaotic map with infinite collapse (ICMIC), a three-dimensional hyperchaotic Sine ICMIC modulation map (3D-SIMM) is proposed based on a close-loop modulation coupling (CMC) method. Based on this map, a novel color image encryption algorithm is designed by employing a hybrid model of multidirectional circular permutation and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) masking. In this scheme, the pixel positions of image are scrambled by multidirectional circular permutation, and the pixel values are substituted by DNA sequence operations. The simulation results and security analysis show that the algorithm has good encryption effect and strong key sensitivity, and can resist brute-force, statistical, differential, known-plaintext and chosen-plaintext attacks.

  2. A fast image encryption algorithm based on chaotic map

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Wenhao; Sun, Kehui; Zhu, Congxu

    2016-09-01

    Derived from Sine map and iterative chaotic map with infinite collapse (ICMIC), a new two-dimensional Sine ICMIC modulation map (2D-SIMM) is proposed based on a close-loop modulation coupling (CMC) model, and its chaotic performance is analyzed by means of phase diagram, Lyapunov exponent spectrum and complexity. It shows that this map has good ergodicity, hyperchaotic behavior, large maximum Lyapunov exponent and high complexity. Based on this map, a fast image encryption algorithm is proposed. In this algorithm, the confusion and diffusion processes are combined for one stage. Chaotic shift transform (CST) is proposed to efficiently change the image pixel positions, and the row and column substitutions are applied to scramble the pixel values simultaneously. The simulation and analysis results show that this algorithm has high security, low time complexity, and the abilities of resisting statistical analysis, differential, brute-force, known-plaintext and chosen-plaintext attacks.

  3. PACS for imaging centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farnsworth, T J

    2003-01-01

    PACS can be a difficult and confusing decision for any radiology provider, but it can be an even more dynamic question for an outpatient imaging center. Every center represents a unique situation and requires a specialized solution. Typically, most of what is said and discussed about PACS concentrates on solutions and requirements for hospital radiology facilities. Administrators of imaging centers have different problems from hospital administrators, and they need different answers. For imaging centers, the financial justification for PACS may be less immediate than for hospitals. The first thing that must be understood is that no PAC system can make a typical imaging center completely filmless, at least not for quite a while. A hospital has the ability to dictate to its internal referring physicians how a radiological study is delivered, whereas in an imaging center environment, the roles are very much reversed. Once the justification are made for the financial viability of PACS in an imaging center, the next question is how to finance the acquisition of PACS. The decision will depend on how you cost justify your PACS, as well as the shape of your business model, and it will come to a decision between capital purchase or contracting with an application service provider, or ASP. Historically, in the hospital-dominated marketplace, PAC systems have been treated as capital acquisitions. However, for most imaging center, owning the system is more of a problem than a benefit. ASPs increasingly represent a successful alternative for imaging centers. One of the biggest things to consider with PACS is how to store all of those images. There are typically two options, on-site and off-site, with a new "hybrid" option surfacing more recently. Each option has benefits for the user, but the benefits of off-site storage are increasing as the technology advances. Some of the benefits are data security and access. Other issues to address are HIPAA compliance, standardized

  4. PACS strategy for imaging centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bedel, Victoria; Zdanowicz, Mark

    2004-01-01

    Picture archiving and communications systems (PACS) have been available in imaging centers for many years, but they often were less functional, were not well integrated into patient information systems, and lacked the network backbone to implement a system. As modalities are replaced and technology improves, the ability and time for an imaging center to acquire, integrate, and utilize PACS has arrived. However, each imaging center must determine why it should invest in PACS. A business plan is the fundamental need. Each imaging center must understand its target market, growth rate, and staffing plans. Additional considerations lie in current and future modality availability, the need for offsite delivery of images and reports, and the potential need for remote transmission of images. These issues must be identified and prioritized. A multidisciplinary team is essential. The most successful PACS implementation begins with complete involvement from all levels. The team should be comprised of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose, set of performance goals, and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable. The team must jointly decide on the project's objectives. These objectives fall under 4 categories: clinical, service, financial, and performance. PACS must be considered a tool to help accomplish each objective. The imaging center must determine its top priorities, then translate them into a technology "wish list." The center can then list those pieces of technology that are most important and prioritize them. There are even more considerations for connecting multiple imaging centers. The team must create a comprehensive request for proposal (RFP) and determine the vendors that will receive the document. Once the RFP responses have been received and the vendor has been selected, an effective training plan must be executed. Training plans should be competency-based, ensuring comfort and competency among all staff. Upon

  5. University of Vermont Center for Biomedical Imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bernstein, Dr. Ira [University of Vermont and State Agricultural College

    2013-08-02

    This grant was awarded in support of Phase 2 of the University of Vermont Center for Biomedical Imaging. Phase 2 outlined several specific aims including: The development of expertise in MRI and fMRI imaging and their applications The acquisition of peer reviewed extramural funding in support of the Center The development of a Core Imaging Advisory Board, fee structure and protocol review and approval process.

  6. Building an imaging center: laying the foundation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foreman, M Shane; Geise, Jon D; Reed, Mary A

    2005-01-01

    In Spring 2003, Central Louisiana Imaging, Inc. (CLII), an 11-member radiology group, decided to create a properly configured freestanding imaging center. Before moving forward with the project, CLII conducted extensive market research and learned the following: CLII's ability to draw patients from a broad geography (central Louisiana) would work in its favor While the defined market was shrinking slightly and made up of middle-income households, the population was fairly well insured and aging at a rate comparable to the nation. Given an aging population and advances in technology, market demand for imaging was projected to grow despite the shrinking population. There were opportunities to differentiate on quality technology, service offering, and customer service; the sophistication and positioning of competitors is more important than the sheer number of competitors. CLII's relationship with key referring physicians was likely portable and would translate into volume within the new center. The group measured each potential service or modality against 5 evaluation criteria to determine whether a market opportunity existed: demographic fit, projected market demand, competitive positioning, "anchor service," and synergy with CLII's strategy. Once the market opportunity was confirmed and the service offering was set, CLII completed a 5-year proforma in order to project cash flows, capital costs, and the anticipated return on investment. CLII opened the imaging center in September 2004. Ten months into opeations, the center was a measurable success. The levels, and break-even by month 4, volumes are currently at year 2 levels, and the center recently added nuclear medicine and its second magnetic resonance imaging system-11 months ahead of schedule.

  7. [Imaging center - optimization of the imaging process].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Busch, H-P

    2013-04-01

    Hospitals around the world are under increasing pressure to optimize the economic efficiency of treatment processes. Imaging is responsible for a great part of the success but also of the costs of treatment. In routine work an excessive supply of imaging methods leads to an "as well as" strategy up to the limit of the capacity without critical reflection. Exams that have no predictable influence on the clinical outcome are an unjustified burden for the patient. They are useless and threaten the financial situation and existence of the hospital. In recent years the focus of process optimization was exclusively on the quality and efficiency of performed single examinations. In the future critical discussion of the effectiveness of single exams in relation to the clinical outcome will be more important. Unnecessary exams can be avoided, only if in addition to the optimization of single exams (efficiency) there is an optimization strategy for the total imaging process (efficiency and effectiveness). This requires a new definition of processes (Imaging Pathway), new structures for organization (Imaging Center) and a new kind of thinking on the part of the medical staff. Motivation has to be changed from gratification of performed exams to gratification of process quality (medical quality, service quality, economics), including the avoidance of additional (unnecessary) exams. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

  8. Strategic planning for radiology: opening an outpatient diagnostic imaging center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leepson, Evan

    2003-01-01

    Launching a new diagnostic imaging center involves very specific requirements and roadmaps, including five major areas of change that have a direct impact on planning: Imaging and communication technology Finances and reimbursement Ownership structure of imaging entities Critical workforce shortages Imaging is moving outside radiology First, planning must focus on the strategic level of any organization, whether it is a multi-national corporation or a six-person radiology group. Think of all organizations as a triangle with three horizontal levels: strategic, managerial and operational. The strategic level of decision-making is at the top of the triangle, and here is where planning must take place. For strategic planning to work, there must be focused time and energy spent on this activity, usually away from the reading room and imaging center. There are five planning strategies, which must have the explicit goal of developing and growing the imaging center. The five strategies are: Clinical and quality issues, Governance and administration, Technology, Relationships, Marketing and business development. The best way to plan and implement these strategies is to create work groups of radiologists, technologists, and administrative and support staff. Once the group agrees on the strategy and tactic, it takes responsibility for implementation. Embarking on the launch of a new outpatient diagnostic imaging center is no small undertaking, and anyone who has struggled with such an endeavor can readily attest to the associated challenges and benefits. Success depends on many things, and one of the most important factors relates to the amount of time and the quality of effort spent on strategic planning at the outset. Neglecting or skimping on this phase may lead to unforeseen obstacles that could potentially derail the project.

  9. Hospital image and the positioning of service centers: an application in market analysis and strategy development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, S M; Clark, M

    1990-09-01

    The research confirms the coexistence of different images for hospitals, service centers within the same hospitals, and service programs offered by each of the service centers. The images of individual service centers are found not to be tied to the image of the host facility. Further, service centers and host facilities have differential rankings on the same service decision attributes. Managerial recommendations are offered for "image differentiation" between a hospital and its care centers.

  10. Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science Center for Computational Imaging XNAT: A multimodal data archive and processing environment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harrigan, Robert L; Yvernault, Benjamin C; Boyd, Brian D; Damon, Stephen M; Gibney, Kyla David; Conrad, Benjamin N; Phillips, Nicholas S; Rogers, Baxter P; Gao, Yurui; Landman, Bennett A

    2016-01-01

    The Vanderbilt University Institute for Imaging Science (VUIIS) Center for Computational Imaging (CCI) has developed a database built on XNAT housing over a quarter of a million scans. The database provides framework for (1) rapid prototyping, (2) large scale batch processing of images and (3) scalable project management. The system uses the web-based interfaces of XNAT and REDCap to allow for graphical interaction. A python middleware layer, the Distributed Automation for XNAT (DAX) package, distributes computation across the Vanderbilt Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education high performance computing center. All software are made available in open source for use in combining portable batch scripting (PBS) grids and XNAT servers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. STRUCTURE TENSOR IMAGE FILTERING USING RIEMANNIAN L1 AND L∞ CENTER-OF-MASS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jesus Angulo

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Structure tensor images are obtained by a Gaussian smoothing of the dyadic product of gradient image. These images give at each pixel a n×n symmetric positive definite matrix SPD(n, representing the local orientation and the edge information. Processing such images requires appropriate algorithms working on the Riemannian manifold on the SPD(n matrices. This contribution deals with structure tensor image filtering based on Lp geometric averaging. In particular, L1 center-of-mass (Riemannian median or Fermat-Weber point and L∞ center-of-mass (Riemannian circumcenter can be obtained for structure tensors using recently proposed algorithms. Our contribution in this paper is to study the interest of L1 and L∞ Riemannian estimators for structure tensor image processing. In particular, we compare both for two image analysis tasks: (i structure tensor image denoising; (ii anomaly detection in structure tensor images.

  12. Outpatient imaging center valuations: do you need a fair-market value analysis?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koonsman, G S

    2001-01-01

    Typically, outpatient diagnostic imaging centers are formed as partnerships between radiologists, radiologists and hospitals, and/or radiologists and diagnostic imaging center management companies. As a result of these partnership structures, the question of equity valuation frequently arises. It is not only important to understand when an independent valuation would be required, but also what "type" of valuation needs to be performed. The type of valuation may vary based upon the use of the valuation. In partnerships that involve hospitals and physicians, the federal anti-kickback statutes (fraud and abuse laws) require that all transactions between referring physicians and hospitals be consummated at fair-market value. In addition, tax-exempt hospitals that enter into partnerships with physicians are required to enter into those transactions at fair-market value or risk losing their tax-exempt status. Fair-market value is also typically the standard of value that all partnerships strive to conduct equity transactions with shareholders. Qualifications required by those who perform independent fair-market value opinions include: Proper business valuation training and focus on valuations as a primary business Focus on the healthcare industry and specifically on the valuation of diagnostic imaging centers In order to perform a reasonable business valuation analysis, the appraiser must have access to a significant amount of financial, operational and legal information. The analyst must be able to understand the history of the imaging center as well as the projected future of the center. Ultimately, a valuation is a measurement of the estimated future cash flows of the center--risk adjusted--in order to quantify the present value of those cash flows.

  13. MRI quality assurance using the ACR phantom in a multi-unit imaging center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ihalainen, Toni M.; Kuusela, Linda J.; Savolainen, Sauli E.; Loennroth, Nadja T.; Peltonen, Juha I.; Uusi-Simola, Jouni K.; Timonen, Marjut H.; Sipilae, Outi E.

    2011-01-01

    Background. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) instrumentation is vulnerable to technical and image quality problems, and quality assurance is essential. In the studied regional imaging center the long-term quality assurance has been based on MagNET phantom measurements. American College of Radiology (ACR) has an accreditation program including a standardized image quality measurement protocol and phantom. The ACR protocol includes recommended acceptance criteria for clinical sequences and thus provides possibility to assess the clinical relevance of quality assurance. The purpose of this study was to test the ACR MRI phantom in quality assurance of a multi-unit imaging center. Material and methods. The imaging center operates 11 MRI systems of three major manufacturers with field strengths of 3.0 T, 1.5 T and 1.0 T. Images of the ACR phantom were acquired using a head coil following the ACR scanning instructions. Both ACR T1- and T2-weighted sequences as well as T1- and T2-weighted brain sequences in clinical use at each site were acquired. Measurements were performed twice. The images were analyzed and the results were compared with the ACR acceptance levels. Results. The acquisition procedure with the ACR phantom was faster than with the MagNET phantoms. On the first and second measurement rounds 91% and 73% of the systems passed the ACR test. Measured slice thickness accuracies were not within the acceptance limits in site T2 sequences. Differences in the high contrast spatial resolution between the ACR and the site sequences were observed. In 3.0 T systems the image intensity uniformity was slightly lower than the ACR acceptance limit. Conclusion. The ACR method was feasible in quality assurance of a multi-unit imaging center and the ACR protocol could replace the MagNET phantom tests. An automatic analysis of the images will further improve cost-effectiveness and objectiveness of the ACR protocol

  14. Research on auto-calibration technology of the image plane's center of 360-degree and all round looking camera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Shaojun; Xu, Xiping

    2015-10-01

    The 360-degree and all round looking camera, as its characteristics of suitable for automatic analysis and judgment on the ambient environment of the carrier by image recognition algorithm, is usually applied to opto-electronic radar of robots and smart cars. In order to ensure the stability and consistency of image processing results of mass production, it is necessary to make sure the centers of image planes of different cameras are coincident, which requires to calibrate the position of the image plane's center. The traditional mechanical calibration method and electronic adjusting mode of inputting the offsets manually, both exist the problem of relying on human eyes, inefficiency and large range of error distribution. In this paper, an approach of auto- calibration of the image plane of this camera is presented. The imaging of the 360-degree and all round looking camera is a ring-shaped image consisting of two concentric circles, the center of the image is a smaller circle and the outside is a bigger circle. The realization of the technology is just to exploit the above characteristics. Recognizing the two circles through HOUGH TRANSFORM algorithm and calculating the center position, we can get the accurate center of image, that the deviation of the central location of the optic axis and image sensor. The program will set up the image sensor chip through I2C bus automatically, we can adjusting the center of the image plane automatically and accurately. The technique has been applied to practice, promotes productivity and guarantees the consistent quality of products.

  15. Current use of imaging and electromagnetic source localization procedures in epilepsy surgery centers across Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mouthaan, Brian E; Rados, Matea; Barsi, Péter; Boon, Paul; Carmichael, David W; Carrette, Evelien; Craiu, Dana; Cross, J Helen; Diehl, Beate; Dimova, Petia; Fabo, Daniel; Francione, Stefano; Gaskin, Vladislav; Gil-Nagel, Antonio; Grigoreva, Elena; Guekht, Alla; Hirsch, Edouard; Hecimovic, Hrvoje; Helmstaedter, Christoph; Jung, Julien; Kalviainen, Reetta; Kelemen, Anna; Kimiskidis, Vasilios; Kobulashvili, Teia; Krsek, Pavel; Kuchukhidze, Giorgi; Larsson, Pål G; Leitinger, Markus; Lossius, Morten I; Luzin, Roman; Malmgren, Kristina; Mameniskiene, Ruta; Marusic, Petr; Metin, Baris; Özkara, Cigdem; Pecina, Hrvoje; Quesada, Carlos M; Rugg-Gunn, Fergus; Rydenhag, Bertil; Ryvlin, Philippe; Scholly, Julia; Seeck, Margitta; Staack, Anke M; Steinhoff, Bernhard J; Stepanov, Valentin; Tarta-Arsene, Oana; Trinka, Eugen; Uzan, Mustafa; Vogt, Viola L; Vos, Sjoerd B; Vulliémoz, Serge; Huiskamp, Geertjan; Leijten, Frans S S; Van Eijsden, Pieter; Braun, Kees P J

    2016-05-01

    In 2014 the European Union-funded E-PILEPSY project was launched to improve awareness of, and accessibility to, epilepsy surgery across Europe. We aimed to investigate the current use of neuroimaging, electromagnetic source localization, and imaging postprocessing procedures in participating centers. A survey on the clinical use of imaging, electromagnetic source localization, and postprocessing methods in epilepsy surgery candidates was distributed among the 25 centers of the consortium. A descriptive analysis was performed, and results were compared to existing guidelines and recommendations. Response rate was 96%. Standard epilepsy magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols are acquired at 3 Tesla by 15 centers and at 1.5 Tesla by 9 centers. Three centers perform 3T MRI only if indicated. Twenty-six different MRI sequences were reported. Six centers follow all guideline-recommended MRI sequences with the proposed slice orientation and slice thickness or voxel size. Additional sequences are used by 22 centers. MRI postprocessing methods are used in 16 centers. Interictal positron emission tomography (PET) is available in 22 centers; all using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG). Seventeen centers perform PET postprocessing. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) is used by 19 centers, of which 15 perform postprocessing. Four centers perform neither PET nor SPECT in children. Seven centers apply magnetoencephalography (MEG) source localization, and nine apply electroencephalography (EEG) source localization. Fourteen combinations of inverse methods and volume conduction models are used. We report a large variation in the presurgical diagnostic workup among epilepsy surgery centers across Europe. This diversity underscores the need for high-quality systematic reviews, evidence-based recommendations, and harmonization of available diagnostic presurgical methods. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 International League Against Epilepsy.

  16. Automated daily quality control analysis for mammography in a multi-unit imaging center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sundell, Veli-Matti; Mäkelä, Teemu; Meaney, Alexander; Kaasalainen, Touko; Savolainen, Sauli

    2018-01-01

    Background The high requirements for mammography image quality necessitate a systematic quality assurance process. Digital imaging allows automation of the image quality analysis, which can potentially improve repeatability and objectivity compared to a visual evaluation made by the users. Purpose To develop an automatic image quality analysis software for daily mammography quality control in a multi-unit imaging center. Material and Methods An automated image quality analysis software using the discrete wavelet transform and multiresolution analysis was developed for the American College of Radiology accreditation phantom. The software was validated by analyzing 60 randomly selected phantom images from six mammography systems and 20 phantom images with different dose levels from one mammography system. The results were compared to a visual analysis made by four reviewers. Additionally, long-term image quality trends of a full-field digital mammography system and a computed radiography mammography system were investigated. Results The automated software produced feature detection levels comparable to visual analysis. The agreement was good in the case of fibers, while the software detected somewhat more microcalcifications and characteristic masses. Long-term follow-up via a quality assurance web portal demonstrated the feasibility of using the software for monitoring the performance of mammography systems in a multi-unit imaging center. Conclusion Automated image quality analysis enables monitoring the performance of digital mammography systems in an efficient, centralized manner.

  17. The relationship among image, satisfaction and loyalty – innovative factor of competitiveness for shopping centers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioana-Nicoleta Abrudan

    2015-05-01

    Full Text Available Currently, most markets are characterized by high competition among shopping centers. Under these circumstances, the evolution in the competitiveness and performance of the centers is increasingly linked to the success in the innovation of current activities, which is aimed at improving their image and increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The purpose of the present research is to study the influence of innovation activities through the image components on behavioural loyalty, mediated by satisfaction (affective loyalty and conative loyalty. The authors aim to investigate, using a questionnaire survey among the customers of Cluj-Napoca shopping centers, the relationship among the components of image and satisfaction and the various types of loyalty. The conclusions of the structural equations modelling reveal that most components of the image (assortment, price, loyalty policy, décor, service and communication directly and positively influence satisfaction, and that satisfaction and conative loyalty mediate the relationship between image and behavioural loyalty. The results reveal important managerial implications from the point of view of innovative actions of shopping centers, which can contribute to attracting and keeping customers, these contributing not only to creating loyal patrons, but also to increasing their competitiveness and to achieving better positioning.

  18. Applied high-speed imaging for the icing research program at NASA Lewis Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Slater, Howard; Owens, Jay; Shin, Jaiwon

    1992-01-01

    The Icing Research Tunnel at NASA Lewis Research Center provides scientists a scaled, controlled environment to simulate natural icing events. The closed-loop, low speed, refrigerated wind tunnel offers the experimental capability to test for icing certification requirements, analytical model validation and calibration techniques, cloud physics instrumentation refinement, advanced ice protection systems, and rotorcraft icing methodology development. The test procedures for these objectives all require a high degree of visual documentation, both in real-time data acquisition and post-test image processing. Information is provided to scientific, technical, and industrial imaging specialists as well as to research personnel about the high-speed and conventional imaging systems will be on the recent ice protection technology program. Various imaging examples for some of the tests are presented. Additional imaging examples are available from the NASA Lewis Research Center's Photographic and Printing Branch.

  19. A User-Centered Cooperative Information System for Medical Imaging Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gomez, Enrique J.; Quiles, Jose A.; Sanz, Marcos F.; del Pozo, Francisco

    1998-01-01

    Presents a cooperative information system for remote medical imaging diagnosis. General computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) problems addressed are definition of a procedure for the design of user-centered cooperative systems (conceptual level); and improvement of user feedback and optimization of the communication bandwidth in highly…

  20. The trochlear pre-ossification center: a normal developmental stage and potential pitfall on MR images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaimes, Camilo [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Jimenez, Mauricio [Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Marin, Diana [Miami Children' s Hospital, Department of Radiology, Miami, FL (United States); Ho-Fung, Victor; Jaramillo, Diego [The Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    2012-11-15

    The hypertrophic changes that occur in the cartilage of an epiphysis prior to the onset of ossification are known as the pre-ossification center. Awareness of the appearance of the pre-ossification center on MR images is important to avoid confusing normal developmental changes with pathology. The purpose of this study was to determine the characteristics of the trochlear pre-ossification center on MR imaging and examine age and gender differences. We retrospectively analyzed MR images from 61 children. The trochleas were categorized into three types on the basis of signal intensity (SI). Trochlear types were compared to age and gender. There was no significant difference between the ages of boys and girls. Type 1 trochleas showed homogeneous SI on all pulse sequences. Type 2 trochleas demonstrated a focus of high SI in the epiphyseal cartilage on fat-suppressed water-sensitive sequences, with high or intermediate SI on gradient-echo images (pre-ossification center). Type 3 trochleas showed low SI on fat-suppressed water-sensitive sequences and gradient-echo images. Thirty-seven trochleas were described as type 1, sixteen as type 2 and eight as type 3. ANOVAs confirmed a statistically significant difference in the age of children with type 3 trochleas and those with types 1 and 2 (P < 0.001). Spearman rank correlations determined a positive relationship between trochlear type and age of the children (r = 0.53). Development-related changes in the trochlea follow a predictable pattern. The signal characteristics of the pre-ossification center likely reflect normal chondrocyte hypertrophy and an increase in free water in the matrix. (orig.)

  1. The relationship among image, satisfaction and loyalty – innovative factor of competitiveness for shopping centers

    OpenAIRE

    Abrudan, Ioana-Nicoleta; Plaias, Ioan; Dabija, Dan-Cristian

    2015-01-01

    Currently, most markets are characterized by high competition among shopping centers. Under these circumstances, the evolution in the competitiveness and performance of the centers is increasingly linked to the success in the innovation of current activities, which is aimed at improving their image and increasing customer satisfaction and loyalty. The purpose of the present research is to study the influence of innovation activities through the image components on behavioural loyalty, mediate...

  2. Defining the medical imaging requirements for a rural health center

    CERN Document Server

    2017-01-01

    This book establishes the criteria for the type of medical imaging services that should be made available to rural health centers, providing professional rural hospital managers with information that makes their work more effective and efficient. It also offers valuable insights into government, non-governmental and religious organizations involved in the planning, establishment and operation of medical facilities in rural areas. Rural health centers are established to prevent patients from being forced to travel to distant urban medical facilities. To manage patients properly, rural health centers should be part of regional and more complete systems of medical health care installations in the country on the basis of a referral and counter-referral program, and thus, they should have the infrastructure needed to transport patients to urban hospitals when they need more complex health care. The coordination of all the activities is only possible if rural health centers are led by strong and dedicated managers....

  3. SU-F-J-177: A Novel Image Analysis Technique (center Pixel Method) to Quantify End-To-End Tests

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wen, N; Chetty, I [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, MI (United States); Snyder, K [Henry Ford Hospital System, Detroit, MI (United States); Scheib, S [Varian Medical System, Barton (Switzerland); Qin, Y; Li, H [Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Michigan (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To implement a novel image analysis technique, “center pixel method”, to quantify end-to-end tests accuracy of a frameless, image guided stereotactic radiosurgery system. Methods: The localization accuracy was determined by delivering radiation to an end-to-end prototype phantom. The phantom was scanned with 0.8 mm slice thickness. The treatment isocenter was placed at the center of the phantom. In the treatment room, CBCT images of the phantom (kVp=77, mAs=1022, slice thickness 1 mm) were acquired to register to the reference CT images. 6D couch correction were applied based on the registration results. Electronic Portal Imaging Device (EPID)-based Winston Lutz (WL) tests were performed to quantify the errors of the targeting accuracy of the system at 15 combinations of gantry, collimator and couch positions. The images were analyzed using two different methods. a) The classic method. The deviation was calculated by measuring the radial distance between the center of the central BB and the full width at half maximum of the radiation field. b) The center pixel method. Since the imager projection offset from the treatment isocenter was known from the IsoCal calibration, the deviation was determined between the center of the BB and the central pixel of the imager panel. Results: Using the automatic registration method to localize the phantom and the classic method of measuring the deviation of the BB center, the mean and standard deviation of the radial distance was 0.44 ± 0.25, 0.47 ± 0.26, and 0.43 ± 0.13 mm for the jaw, MLC and cone defined field sizes respectively. When the center pixel method was used, the mean and standard deviation was 0.32 ± 0.18, 0.32 ± 0.17, and 0.32 ± 0.19 mm respectively. Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that the center pixel method accurately analyzes the WL images to evaluate the targeting accuracy of the radiosurgery system. The work was supported by a Research Scholar Grant, RSG-15-137-01-CCE from the American

  4. Breast Imaging: How We Manage Diagnostic Technology at a Multidisciplinary Breast Center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alejandro Tejerina Bernal

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper discusses the most important aspects and problems related to the management of breast cancer imaging, at a center specialized in breast pathology. We review the established and emerging diagnostic techniques, their indications, and peculiarities: digital mammography, CAD systems, and the recent digital breast tomosynthesis, ultrasound and complementary elastography, molecular imaging techniques, magnetic resonance imaging, advanced sequences (diffusion, and positron emission mammography (PEM. The adequate integration and rational management of these techniques is essential, but this is not always easy, in order to achieve a successful diagnosis.

  5. Assessment of diabetic teleretinal imaging program at the Portland Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsan, Grace L; Hoban, Keely L; Jun, Weon; Riedel, Kevin J; Pedersen, Amy L; Hayes, John

    2015-01-01

    We conducted a retrospective chart review of 200 diabetic patients who had teleretinal imaging performed between January 1, 2010, and January 1, 2011, at Portland Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center outpatient clinics to assess the effectiveness of the diabetic teleretinal imaging program. Twenty patients (10%) had diabetic retinopathy. Ninety percent of the available teleretinal imaging studies were of adequate quality for interpretation. In accordance with local VA policy at that time, all teleretinal imaging patients should have been referred for a dilated retinal examination the following year. Image readers referred 97.5% of the patients to eye clinics for subsequent eye examinations, but the imagers scheduled appointments for only 80% of these patients. The redundancy rate, i.e., patients who had an eye examination within the past 6 mo, was 11%; the duplicate recall rate, i.e., patients who had a second teleretinal imaging performed within 1 yr of the eye examination, was 37%. Rates of timely diabetic eye examinations at clinics with teleretinal imaging programs, particularly when teleretinal imaging and eye clinics were colocated at the same community-based outpatient clinic, were higher than those without a teleretinal imaging program. We concluded that the Portland VA Medical Center's teleretinal imaging program was successful in increasing the screening rate for diabetic retinopathy.

  6. Time Spent by Breast Imaging Radiologists to Perform Value-Added Activities at an Academic Cancer Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collado-Mesa, Fernando; Klevos, Geetika; Arheart, Kristopher; Banks, James; Yepes, Monica; Net, Jose

    2017-04-01

    Health care reform in the United States has generated a paradigm shift in the practice of radiology aimed at increasing the degree of patient-centered care. We conducted a study to quantify the amount of time breast imaging radiologists spend on value-added activities at an academic comprehensive cancer center located in Miami, Florida, and accredited by the American College of Radiology as a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence. A prospective, observational study was conducted during a period of 20 consecutive workdays. Three participating breast imaging radiologists maintained a real-time log of each activity performed. A generalized linear model was used to perform a 1-way analysis of variance. An alpha level of .05 was used to determine statistical significance. The average daily time dedicated to these activities was 92.1 minutes (range, 56.4-132.2). The amount of time significantly differed among breast imaging radiologists and correlated with their assigned daily role (P value-added activities to help improve patients' experience across the continuity of their care. We propose that similar studies be conducted at other institutions to better assess the magnitude of this finding across different breast imaging care settings.

  7. Impact of a program of diagnostic imaging quality control in mammography centers of the Federal District, Brazil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Correa, Rosangela da Silveira; Ferreira, Rubemar de Souza [Centro Regional de Ciencias Nucleares do Centro-Oeste (CRCN/CNEN-CO), Abadia de Goias, GO (Brazil)]. E-mail: rcorrea@cnen.gov.br; Peixoto, Joao Emilio [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil); Silver, Lynn Dee [New York Health Department, New York, NY (United States); Dias, Cintia Melazo [Comissao Nacional de Energia Nuclear (Diplan/CNEN), Braslia, DF (Brazil). Distrito do Planalto Central; Nogueira, Maria do Socorro [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Hwang, Suy Ferreira [Centro Regional de Ciencias Nucleares do Nordeste (CRCN/CNEN-NE), Recife, PE (Brazil)

    2008-03-15

    Objective: The present study was aimed at evaluating the quality and the impact of an intervention involving inspection and education in mammography centers of the Federal District, Brazil. Materials and methods: Forty one mammography centers in the Federal District were studied in the period between 2000 and 2002. The intervention involved an initial inspection followed by a training activity and notification of mammography centers by the Federal District Sanitary Vigilance authority. The imaging quality was compared before and after the intervention. Results: None of the 36 centers which completed the study reached more than 90% compliance with the standard imaging quality prior to the interventions, whereas ten were above 90% afterwards. Major improvements were observed in chassis maintenance, breast compression and visualization of microcalcifications. Conclusion: Despite the availability of a great number of mammography centers in the Federal District, most of them did not meet the required quality standards. The intervention has shown to be effective for improving the imaging quality, however a continued action is required to solve the remaining problems and increase the impact of the program. (author)

  8. The Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi) database

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Gitte M.; Jensen, Peter S.; Erritzoe, David

    2016-01-01

    We here describe a multimodality neuroimaging containing data from healthy volunteers and patients, acquired within the Lundbeck Foundation Center for Integrated Molecular Brain Imaging (Cimbi) in Copenhagen, Denmark. The data is of particular relevance for neurobiological research questions rela...... currently contains blood and in some instances saliva samples from about 500 healthy volunteers and 300 patients with e.g., major depression, dementia, substance abuse, obesity, and impulsive aggression. Data continue to be added to the Cimbi database and biobank....

  9. MO-FG-204-09: High Spatial Resolution and Artifact-Free CT Bone Imaging at Off-Centered Positions: An Application of Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, G; Li, K; Gomez-Cardona, D; Budde, A; Hsieh, J

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: Although the anatomy of interest should be positioned as close as possible to the isocenter of CT scanners, off-centering may be inevitable during certain exams in clinical practice such as lumbar spine and elbow imaging. Off-centering degrades image sharpness, generates streak artifacts, and sometimes creates blooming artifacts due to truncation. The purpose of this work was to investigate whether the use of model-based image reconstruction (MBIR) can alleviate the negative impacts of off-centering to achieve high quality CT bone imaging. Methods: Both an anthropomorphic phantom and an ex vivo swine elbow sample were scanned at centered and off-centered positions using clinical CT bone scan protocols. The magnitude of off-centering was determined from localizer radiographs. Both FBP and MBIR reconstructions were performed. For FBP, both standard and Bone Plus kernels commonly used in bone imaging were used. Objective assessment of image sharpness, noise standard deviation, and noise nonuniformity were performed. Additionally, we retrospectively analyzed human subject data acquired under off-centered conditions as a validation study. Results: In FBP images of the phantom, off-centering by 10 cm led to a 14% increase in noise (p<1e-3) and a 68% increase in noise nonuniformity (p<0.02). A visible drop in bone sharpness was observed. In contrast, no significant difference in the noise magnitude or the noise nonuniformity between the centered and off-centered MBIR images was found. The image sharpness of off-centered MBIR images outperformed that of FBP images reconstructed with the Bone Plus kernel. In images of the swine elbow off-centered by 20 cm, not only was the noise and spatial resolution performance improved by MBIR, truncation artifacts were also elliminated. The human subject study generated similar results, in which the visibility of the off-centered lumbar spine was significantly improved. Conclusion: High quality CT bone imaging at off-centered

  10. Cloud Image Data Center for Healthcare Network in Taiwan.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Shao-Jen; Lai, Lai-Shiun; Gotcher, Donald; Wu, Hsin-Hung; Xu, Yeong-Yuh; Yang, Ching-Wen

    2016-04-01

    This paper investigates how a healthcare network in Taiwan uses a practical cloud image data center (CIDC) to communicate with its constituent hospital branches. A case study approach was used. The study was carried out in the central region of Taiwan, with four hospitals belonging to the Veterans Hospital healthcare network. The CIDC provides synchronous and asynchronous consultation among these branches. It provides storage, platforms, and services on demand to the hospitals. Any branch-client can pull up the patient's medical images from any hospital off this cloud. Patients can be examined at the branches, and the images and reports can be further evaluated by physicians in the main Taichung Veterans General Hospital (TVGH) to enhance the usage and efficiency of equipment in the various branches, thereby shortening the waiting time of patients. The performance of the CIDC over 5 years shows: (1) the total number of cross-hospital images accessed with CDC in the branches was 132,712; and (2) TVGH assisted the branches in keying in image reports using the CIDC 4,424 times; and (3) Implementation of the system has improved management, efficiency, speed and quality of care. Therefore, the results lead to the recommendation of continuing and expanding the cloud computing architecture to improve information sharing among branches in the healthcare network.

  11. Final Report - DOE Center for Laser Imaging and Cancer Diagnostics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alfano, Robert R.; Koutcher, Jason A.

    2002-10-31

    This Final Report summarizes the significant progress made by the researchers, students and staff of the Center for Laser Imaging and Cancer Diagnostics (CLICD) from January 1998 through May 2002. During this period, the Center supported several projects. Most projects were proposed initially, some were added subsequently as their relevance and importance to the DOE mission became evident. DOE support has been leveraged to obtain continuing funding for some projects. Leveraged funds come from various sources, including NIH, Army, NSF and the Air Force. The goal of the Center was to develop laser-based instruments for use in the detection and diagnosis of major diseases, with an emphasis on detection and diagnosis of various cancers. Each of the supported projects is a collaborative effort between physicists and laser scientists and the City College of New York and noted physicians, surgeons, pathologists, and biologists located at medical centers in the Metropolitan area. The participating institutions were: City College of New York Institute for Ultrafast Lasers and Spectroscopy, Hackensack University Medical Center, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and New York Eye and Ear Institute. Each of the projects funded by the Center is grouped into one of four research categories: a) Disease Detection, b) Non-Disease Applications, c) New Diagnostic Tools, and, d) Education, Training, Outreach and Dissemination. The progress achieved by the multidisciplinary teams was reported in 51 publications and 32 presentations at major national conferences. Also, one U.S. patent was obtained and six U.S. patent applications have been filed for innovations resulting from the projects sponsored by the Center.

  12. Trends in the Use of Medical Imaging to Diagnose Appendicitis at an Academic Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Repplinger, Michael D; Weber, Andrew C; Pickhardt, Perry J; Rajamanickam, Victoria P; Svenson, James E; Ehlenbach, William J; Westergaard, Ryan P; Reeder, Scott B; Jacobs, Elizabeth A

    2016-09-01

    To quantify the trends in imaging use for the diagnosis of appendicitis. A retrospective study covering a 22-year period was conducted at an academic medical center. Patients were identified by International Classification of Diseases-9 diagnosis code for appendicitis. Medical record data extraction of these patients included imaging test used (ultrasound, CT, or MRI), gender, age, and body mass index (BMI). The proportion of patients undergoing each scan was calculated by year. Regression analysis was performed to determine whether age, gender, or BMI affected imaging choice. The study included a total of 2,108 patients, including 967 (43.5%) females and 599 (27%) children (imaging used for the diagnosis of appendicitis decreased over time (P medical center, CT use increased more than 20-fold. However, no statistically significant trend was found for increased use of ultrasound or MRI. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of structural magnetic resonance imaging data in a two-center study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chalavi, Sima; Simmons, Andrew; Dijkstra, Hildebrand; Barker, Gareth J; Reinders, AAT Simone

    2012-01-01

    Multi-center magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies present an opportunity to advance research by pooling data. However, brain measurements derived from MR-images are susceptible to differences in MR-sequence parameters. It is therefore necessary to determine whether there is an interaction between the sequence parameters and the effect of interest, and to minimise any such interaction by careful choice of acquisition parameters. As an exemplar of the issues involved in multi-center studies, we present data from a study in which we aimed to optimize a set of volumetric MRI-protocols to define a protocol giving data that are consistent and reproducible across two centers and over time. Optimization was achieved based on data quality and quantitative measures, in our case using FreeSurfer and Voxel Based Morphometry approaches. Our approach consisted of a series of five comparisons. Firstly, a single-center dataset was collected, using a range of candidate pulse-sequences and parameters chosen on the basis of previous literature. Based on initial results, a number of minor changes were implemented to optimize the pulse-sequences, and a second single-center dataset was collected. FreeSurfer data quality measures were compared between datasets in order to determine the best performing sequence(s), which were taken forward to the next stage of testing. We subsequently acquired short-term and long-term two-center reproducibility data, and quantitative measures were again assessed to determine the protocol with the highest reproducibility across centers. Effects of a scanner software and hardware upgrade on the reproducibility of the protocols at one of the centers were also evaluated. Assessing the quality measures from the first two datasets allowed us to define artefact-free protocols, all with high image quality as assessed by FreeSurfer. Comparing the quantitative test and retest measures, we found high within-center reproducibility for all protocols, but lower

  14. A new concept for medical imaging centered on cellular phone technology.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yair Granot

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available According to World Health Organization reports, some three quarters of the world population does not have access to medical imaging. In addition, in developing countries over 50% of medical equipment that is available is not being used because it is too sophisticated or in disrepair or because the health personnel are not trained to use it. The goal of this study is to introduce and demonstrate the feasibility of a new concept in medical imaging that is centered on cellular phone technology and which may provide a solution to medical imaging in underserved areas. The new system replaces the conventional stand-alone medical imaging device with a new medical imaging system made of two independent components connected through cellular phone technology. The independent units are: a a data acquisition device (DAD at a remote patient site that is simple, with limited controls and no image display capability and b an advanced image reconstruction and hardware control multiserver unit at a central site. The cellular phone technology transmits unprocessed raw data from the patient site DAD and receives and displays the processed image from the central site. (This is different from conventional telemedicine where the image reconstruction and control is at the patient site and telecommunication is used to transmit processed images from the patient site. The primary goal of this study is to demonstrate that the cellular phone technology can function in the proposed mode. The feasibility of the concept is demonstrated using a new frequency division multiplexing electrical impedance tomography system, which we have developed for dynamic medical imaging, as the medical imaging modality. The system is used to image through a cellular phone a simulation of breast cancer tumors in a medical imaging diagnostic mode and to image minimally invasive tissue ablation with irreversible electroporation in a medical imaging interventional mode.

  15. ACCURACY COMPARISON OF ALGORITHMS FOR DETERMINATION OF IMAGE CENTER COORDINATES IN OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    N. A. Starasotnikau

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Accuracy in determination of coordinates for image having simple shapes is considered as one of important and significant parameters in metrological optoelectronic systems such as autocollimators, stellar sensors, Shack-Hartmann sensors, schemes for geometric calibration of digital cameras for aerial and space imagery, various tracking systems. The paper describes a mathematical model for a measuring stand based on a collimator which projects a test-object onto a photodetector of an optoelectronic device. The mathematical model takes into account characteristic noises for photodetectors: a shot noise of the desired signal (photon and a shot noise of a dark signal, readout and spatial heterogeneity of CCD (charge-coupled device matrix elements. In order to reduce noise effect it is proposed to apply the Wiener filter for smoothing an image and its unambiguous identification and also enter a threshold according to brightness level. The paper contains a comparison of two algorithms for determination of coordinates in accordance with energy gravity center and contour. Sobel, Pruitt, Roberts, Laplacian Gaussian, Canni detectors have been used for determination of the test-object contour. The essence of the algorithm for determination of coordinates lies in search for an image contour in the form of a circle with its subsequent approximation and determination of the image center. An error calculation has been made while determining coordinates of a gravity center for test-objects of various diameters: 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 pixels of a photodetector and also signalto-noise ratio values: 200, 100, 70, 20, 10. Signal-to-noise ratio has been calculated as a difference between maximum image intensity of the test-object and the background which is divided by mean-square deviation of the background. The accuracy for determination of coordinates has been improved by 0.5-1 order in case when there was an increase in a signal-to-noise ratio. Accuracy

  16. Evaluation of an improved technique for automated center lumen line definition in cardiovascular image data

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gratama van Andel, Hugo A.F.; Meijering, Erik; Vrooman, Henri A.; Stokking, Rik; Lugt, Aad van der; Monye, Cecile de

    2006-01-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate a new method for automated definition of a center lumen line in vessels in cardiovascular image data. This method, called VAMPIRE, is based on improved detection of vessel-like structures. A multiobserver evaluation study was conducted involving 40 tracings in clinical CTA data of carotid arteries to compare VAMPIRE with an established technique. This comparison showed that VAMPIRE yields considerably more successful tracings and improved handling of stenosis, calcifications, multiple vessels, and nearby bone structures. We conclude that VAMPIRE is highly suitable for automated definition of center lumen lines in vessels in cardiovascular image data. (orig.)

  17. Patient-centered image and data management in radiation oncology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steil, Volker; Schneider, Frank; Kuepper, Beate; Wenz, Frederik; Lohr, Frank; Weisser, Gerald

    2009-01-01

    Background: recent changes in the radiotherapy (RT) workflow through the introduction of complex treatment paradigms such as intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) and, recently, image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) with their increase in data traffic for different data classes have mandated efforts to further integrate electronic data management for RT departments in a patient- and treatment-course-centered fashion. Methods: workflow in an RT department is multidimensional and multidirectional and consists of at least five different data classes (RT/machine data, patient-related documents such as reports and letters, progress notes, DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) image data, and non-DICOM image data). Data has to be handled in the framework of adaptive feedback loops with increasing frequency. This is in contrast to a radiology department where mainly DICOM image data and reports have to be widely accessible but are dealt with in a mainly unidirectional manner. When compared to a diagnostic Radiology Information System (RIS)/Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS), additional legal requirements have to be conformed to when an integrated electronic RT data management system is installed. Among these are extended storage periods, documentation of treatment plan approval by physicians and physicist, documentation of informed consent, etc. Conclusion: since the transition to a paper- and filmless environment in medicine and especially m radiation ''neology is unavoidable this review discusses these issues and suggests a possible hardware and organizational architecture of an RT department information system under control of a Hospital Information System (HIS), based on combined features of genuine RT Record and Verify (R and V) Systems, PACS, and Electronic Medical Records (EMR). (orig.)

  18. Soft X-ray imaging by optically stimulated luminescence from color centers in lithium fluoride

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bonfigli, F. [ENEA, C.R. Frascati, Via E. Fermi, 45, 00044 Frascati (Rome) (Italy)], E-mail: bonfigli@frascati.enea.it; Almaviva, S.; Baldacchini, G.; Bollanti, S.; Flora, F.; Lai, A.; Montereali, R.M. [ENEA, C.R. Frascati, Via E. Fermi, 45, 00044 Frascati (Rome) (Italy); Nichelatti, E. [ENEA, C.R. Casaccia, Via Anguillarese 301, 00060 S.Maria di Galeria (Rome) (Italy); Tomassetti, G.; Ritucci, A.; Reale, L. [Universita de L' Aquila e INFN, Dip. di Fisica, Coppito, L' Aquila (Italy); Faenov, A. Ya.; Pikuz, T.A. [MISDC of VNIIFTRI Mendeleevo, Moscow region, 141570 (Russian Federation); Larciprete, R. [ISC-CNR, Sezione Montelibretti, Via Salaria, Km. 29.3, 00016 Monterotondo Scalo (Rome) (Italy); Gregoratti, L.; Kiskinova, M. [Sincrotrone Trieste, S. S. 14, Km. 163.5, 34012 Basovizza (TS) (Italy)

    2007-07-15

    An innovative X-ray imaging detector based on Optically Stimulated Luminescence from color centers in lithium fluoride is presented. Regular photoluminescent patterns produced on LiF samples by different intense X-ray sources, like synchrotrons, laser plasma sources and a capillary discharge laser have been investigated by a Confocal Laser Scanning Microscope. The use of a LiF-based imaging plate for X-ray microscopy is also discussed showing microradiographies of small animals.

  19. Variations in PET/CT methodology for oncologic imaging at U.S. academic medical centers: an imaging response assessment team survey.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Graham, Michael M; Badawi, Ramsey D; Wahl, Richard L

    2011-02-01

    In 2005, 8 Imaging Response Assessment Teams (IRATs) were funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as supplemental grants to existing NCI Cancer Centers. After discussion among the IRATs regarding the need for increased standardization of clinical and research PET/CT methodology, it became apparent that data acquisition and processing approaches differ considerably among centers. To determine the variability in detail, a survey of IRAT sites and IRAT affiliates was performed. A 34-question instrument evaluating patient preparation, scanner type, performance approach, display, and analysis was developed. Fifteen institutions, including the 8 original IRATs and 7 institutions that had developed affiliate IRATs, were surveyed. The major areas of variation were (18)F-FDG dose (259-740 MBq [7-20 mCi]) uptake time (45-90 min), sedation (never to frequently), handling of diabetic patients, imaging time (2-7 min/bed position), performance of diagnostic CT scans as a part of PET/CT, type of acquisition (2-dimensional vs. 3-dimensional), CT technique, duration of fasting (4 or 6 h), and (varying widely) acquisition, processing, display, and PACS software--with 4 sites stating that poor-quality images appear on PACS. There is considerable variability in the way PET/CT scans are performed at academic institutions that are part of the IRAT network. This variability likely makes it difficult to quantitatively compare studies performed at different centers. These data suggest that additional standardization in methodology will be required so that PET/CT studies, especially those performed quantitatively, are more comparable across sites.

  20. Assessment of inpatient multimodal cardiac imaging appropriateness at large academic medical centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Remfry, Andrew; Abrams, Howard; Dudzinski, David M; Weiner, Rory B; Bhatia, R Sacha

    2015-11-14

    Responding to concerns regarding the growth of cardiac testing, the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF) published Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC) for various cardiac imaging modalities. Single modality cardiac imaging appropriateness has been reported but there have been no studies assessing the appropriateness of multiple imaging modalities in an inpatient environment. A retrospective study of the appropriateness of cardiac tests ordered by the inpatient General Internal Medicine (GIM) and Cardiology services at three Canadian academic hospitals was conducted over two one-month periods. Cardiac tests characterized were transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), transesophageal echocardiography (TEE), single-photon emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (SPECT), and diagnostic cardiac catheterization. Overall, 553 tests were assessed, of which 99.8% were classifiable by AUC. 91% of all studies were categorized as appropriate, 4% may be appropriate and 5% were rarely appropriate. There were high rates of appropriate use of all modalities by GIM and Cardiology throughout. Significantly more appropriate diagnostic catheterizations were ordered by Cardiology than GIM (93% vs. 82%, p = imaging modalities in this multi-centered study on Cardiology and GIM inpatients in the acute care setting. The rate of appropriate ordering was high across all imaging modalities. We recommend further work towards improving appropriate utilization of cardiac imaging resources focus on the out-patient setting.

  1. Management role of surgical center nurses: perceptions by means of images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camila Dalcól

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available The objective of this study was to analyze the perceptions of surgical center nurses concerning their work environment and management role. Qualitative study conducted with 10 nurse supervisors in public and private hospitals, by means of individual projective interviews, from February to August 2013. The interviews were transcribed and submitted to content analysis. The results allowed analysis of the perceptions of nurses by means of images, such as: strategist, chameleon, conductor, flagship, owl head, and superhero. Regarding the environment, they described images associated with purposes and physical characteristics of the unit, highlighting it as the heart of the hospital. Regarding the management role, the images were associated with leadership, decision-making, adaptation, flexibility, teamwork and supervision. The results showed that nurses had a proactive but sometimes idealized view of their performance. It is of utmost importance that they reflect on their role and try to give their performance higher visibility.

  2. Differentiating os acromiale from normally developing acromial ossification centers using magnetic resonance imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winfeld, Matthew [Children' s National Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Washington, DC (United States); Rosenberg, Zehava Sadka; Wang, Annie; Bencardino, Jenny [New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY (United States)

    2015-05-01

    Acromial fusion may not be complete until age 18-25, making it questionable to diagnose os acromiale in adolescents. Os acromiale may exist in adolescents and can be differentiated from a developing acromial ossification center based on MRI findings. A total of 128 MRIs of the shoulder were randomly and blindly reviewed retrospectively by two musculoskeletal radiologists. The MRIs consisted of two groups: (1) 56 of os acromiale in adults (25-74 years old, mean, 50) and (2) 72 consecutive of adolescents (12-17 years old, mean, 14.5). The following were assessed at the interface between the distal acromion and os acromiale/developing ossification center(s): presence of os acromiale vs. developing acromion, orientation, margins, and edema within and adjacent to it. Fifty-one adults and 49 adolescents were included. Exclusions were due to poor image quality or confounding findings (n = 7) or complete acromial fusion (n = 21 adolescents). Utilizing accepted definitions of os acromiale, all adult cases (100 %) were accurately diagnosed as os acromiale, with transverse interface orientation and irregular margins (94 %, R = 0.86, p < 0.00001). Forty-five (92 %) adolescent cases were accurately diagnosed as normally developing acromion with arched interface and lobulated margins (92 %, R = 0.92, p < 0.000001). Four (8 %) adolescent cases were diagnosed as having os acromiale, with transverse orientation and irregular margins. Thirty-five (69 %) and 46 (90 %) adults had marrow and interface edema, respectively. Six (12 %) and eight (16 %) adolescents had marrow and interface edema, respectively, including the four concluded to be os acromiale. Adolescents may have imaging findings consistent with os acromiale. The diagnosis of os acromiale should be based on imaging features and not limited by age. (orig.)

  3. Differentiating os acromiale from normally developing acromial ossification centers using magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winfeld, Matthew; Rosenberg, Zehava Sadka; Wang, Annie; Bencardino, Jenny

    2015-01-01

    Acromial fusion may not be complete until age 18-25, making it questionable to diagnose os acromiale in adolescents. Os acromiale may exist in adolescents and can be differentiated from a developing acromial ossification center based on MRI findings. A total of 128 MRIs of the shoulder were randomly and blindly reviewed retrospectively by two musculoskeletal radiologists. The MRIs consisted of two groups: (1) 56 of os acromiale in adults (25-74 years old, mean, 50) and (2) 72 consecutive of adolescents (12-17 years old, mean, 14.5). The following were assessed at the interface between the distal acromion and os acromiale/developing ossification center(s): presence of os acromiale vs. developing acromion, orientation, margins, and edema within and adjacent to it. Fifty-one adults and 49 adolescents were included. Exclusions were due to poor image quality or confounding findings (n = 7) or complete acromial fusion (n = 21 adolescents). Utilizing accepted definitions of os acromiale, all adult cases (100 %) were accurately diagnosed as os acromiale, with transverse interface orientation and irregular margins (94 %, R = 0.86, p < 0.00001). Forty-five (92 %) adolescent cases were accurately diagnosed as normally developing acromion with arched interface and lobulated margins (92 %, R = 0.92, p < 0.000001). Four (8 %) adolescent cases were diagnosed as having os acromiale, with transverse orientation and irregular margins. Thirty-five (69 %) and 46 (90 %) adults had marrow and interface edema, respectively. Six (12 %) and eight (16 %) adolescents had marrow and interface edema, respectively, including the four concluded to be os acromiale. Adolescents may have imaging findings consistent with os acromiale. The diagnosis of os acromiale should be based on imaging features and not limited by age. (orig.)

  4. Quantitative and qualitative assessment of structural magnetic resonance imaging data in a two-center study

    OpenAIRE

    Chalavi Sima; Simmons Andrew; Dijkstra Hildebrand; Barker Gareth J; Reinders AAT Simone

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Background Multi-center magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies present an opportunity to advance research by pooling data. However, brain measurements derived from MR-images are susceptible to differences in MR-sequence parameters. It is therefore necessary to determine whether there is an interaction between the sequence parameters and the effect of interest, and to minimise any such interaction by careful choice of acquisition parameters. As an exemplar of the issues involved in ...

  5. Variability in prostate and seminal vesicle delineations defined on magnetic resonance images, a multi-observer, -center and -sequence study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nyholm, Tufve; Jonsson, Joakim; Söderström, Karin

    2013-01-01

    and approximately equal for the prostate and seminal vesicles. Large differences in variability were observed for individual patients, and also for individual imaging sequences used at the different centers. There was however no indication of decreased variability with higher field strength. CONCLUSION: The overall......BACKGROUND: The use of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging as a part of preparation for radiotherapy is increasing. For delineation of the prostate several publications have shown decreased delineation variability using MR compared to computed tomography (CT). The purpose of the present work....... Two physicians from each center delineated the prostate and the seminal vesicles on each of the 25 image sets. The variability between the delineations was analyzed with respect to overall, intra- and inter-physician variability, and dependence between variability and origin of the MR images, i...

  6. Local experience on radionuclide myocardial imaging in the Philippines at the Philippine Heart Center for Asia

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Villacorta, E.V.

    1977-01-01

    The Nuclear Medicine Department of the Philippine Heart Center has introduced the detection of coronary heart disease through myocardiac perfusion imaging. The cardiovascular procedures are availed of free-of-charge to registered PHCA patients excepting for the costly TI-201 imaging. In summary, coronary perfusion in imaging should be an integral part of coronary arteriography. Barring the expensive cost of TI-120, myocardial perfusion imaging is ideal for detection of coronary heart disease. Experience shows better sensitivity of TI-201 than exercise ECG for detection of ischemia. Another non-invasive procedure for the detection of acute infarction is the radionuclide imaging using a bone radiopharmaceutical Tc99m prophosphate. In conclusion, acute infarct imaging is a valuable adjunct to ECG and enzyme studies. (RTD)

  7. SU-E-J-109: Testing the KV Imaging Center Congruence with Radiation Isocenter of Small MLC and SRS Cone Field On Two Machines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu,; Chen, Y; Yu, Y; Liu, H [Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: Orthogonal kV image pairs are used for target localization when fiducial markers are implanted. CBCT is used to verify cone SRS setup. Therefore it is necessary to evaluate the isocenter congruence between radiation fields and kV imaging center. This study used a simple method to evaluate the isocenter congruence, and compared the results for MLC and cone fields on two different Linacs. Methods: Varian OBI block was attached on the couch. It has a central 1mm BB with markers on three surfaces to align with laser. KV and MV images were taken at four cardinal angles. A 3x3cm2 MLC field and a 20mm cone field were irradiated respectively. On each kV image, the distance from BB center to the kV graticule center were measured. On the MV image of MLC field, the center of radiation field was determined manually, while for cone field, the Varian AM maintenance software was used to analyze the distance between BB and radiation field. The subtraction of the two distances gives the discrepancy between kV and radiation centers. Each procedure was repeated on five days at Trilogy and TrueBeam respectively. Results: The maximum discrepancy was found in the longitudinal direction at 180° gantry angel. It was 1.5±0.1mm for Trilogy and 0.6±0.1mm for TrueBeam. For Trilogy, although radiation center wobbled only 0.7mm and image center wobbled 0.8mm, they wobbled to the opposite direction. KV Pair using gantry 180° should be avoided in this case. Cone vs. kV isocenter has less discrepancy than MLC for Trilogy. Conclusion: Radiation isocenter of MLC and cone field is different, so is between Trilogy and TrueBeam. The method is simple and reproducible to check kV and radiation isocenter congruence.

  8. SU-E-J-109: Testing the KV Imaging Center Congruence with Radiation Isocenter of Small MLC and SRS Cone Field On Two Machines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu,; Chen, Y; Yu, Y; Liu, H

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: Orthogonal kV image pairs are used for target localization when fiducial markers are implanted. CBCT is used to verify cone SRS setup. Therefore it is necessary to evaluate the isocenter congruence between radiation fields and kV imaging center. This study used a simple method to evaluate the isocenter congruence, and compared the results for MLC and cone fields on two different Linacs. Methods: Varian OBI block was attached on the couch. It has a central 1mm BB with markers on three surfaces to align with laser. KV and MV images were taken at four cardinal angles. A 3x3cm2 MLC field and a 20mm cone field were irradiated respectively. On each kV image, the distance from BB center to the kV graticule center were measured. On the MV image of MLC field, the center of radiation field was determined manually, while for cone field, the Varian AM maintenance software was used to analyze the distance between BB and radiation field. The subtraction of the two distances gives the discrepancy between kV and radiation centers. Each procedure was repeated on five days at Trilogy and TrueBeam respectively. Results: The maximum discrepancy was found in the longitudinal direction at 180° gantry angel. It was 1.5±0.1mm for Trilogy and 0.6±0.1mm for TrueBeam. For Trilogy, although radiation center wobbled only 0.7mm and image center wobbled 0.8mm, they wobbled to the opposite direction. KV Pair using gantry 180° should be avoided in this case. Cone vs. kV isocenter has less discrepancy than MLC for Trilogy. Conclusion: Radiation isocenter of MLC and cone field is different, so is between Trilogy and TrueBeam. The method is simple and reproducible to check kV and radiation isocenter congruence

  9. Design and Verification of Remote Sensing Image Data Center Storage Architecture Based on Hadoop

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, D.; Zhou, X.; Jing, Y.; Cong, W.; Li, C.

    2018-04-01

    The data center is a new concept of data processing and application proposed in recent years. It is a new method of processing technologies based on data, parallel computing, and compatibility with different hardware clusters. While optimizing the data storage management structure, it fully utilizes cluster resource computing nodes and improves the efficiency of data parallel application. This paper used mature Hadoop technology to build a large-scale distributed image management architecture for remote sensing imagery. Using MapReduce parallel processing technology, it called many computing nodes to process image storage blocks and pyramids in the background to improve the efficiency of image reading and application and sovled the need for concurrent multi-user high-speed access to remotely sensed data. It verified the rationality, reliability and superiority of the system design by testing the storage efficiency of different image data and multi-users and analyzing the distributed storage architecture to improve the application efficiency of remote sensing images through building an actual Hadoop service system.

  10. Eating behavior and body image perception of pregnant women attending a high-risk outpatient center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Raquel Guimarães Nobre

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To investigate the eating behavior and body image perception in pregnant women attending a high-risk outpatient center. Methods: A quantitative, cross-sectional, observational study conducted with 28 overweight pregnant women attending the first consultation in the nutrition outpatient center of a maternity hospital in Fortaleza-CE, from December 2010 to February 2011. It has been used a pre-established form containing data on the characterization of the sample (socioeconomic, obstetric, and nutritional, the BES (Binge Eating Scale to assess binge eating and BSQ (Body Shape Questionnaire to assess the severity or absence of body image disorder. The variables were presented as mean ± standard deviation and simple frequency and percentage. The Pearson’s correlation was used to verify the relation between body image and binge eating, considering p <0.05. Results: The pregnant women studied had a mean age of 29.4 ± 6.3 years and mean gestational age of 24.6 ± 8.2 weeks. It was found a prevalence of 71.5% (n=20 of body image disorder and 17.8% (n=5 of binge eating. It was also observed a direct and significant correlation between the body image perception and the degree of binge eating (r=0.4358, p=0.020. Conclusion: The high rate of body image disorder positively related to a significant binge eating indicates an unfavorable adjustment of this group of pregnant women to alterations in weight and body shape and size, which are inherent to pregnancy, standing out as group that needs special attention by the professional team. doi:10.5020/18061230.2014.p256

  11. Comparison of semi-automated center-dot and fully automated endothelial cell analyses from specular microscopy images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maruoka, Sachiko; Nakakura, Shunsuke; Matsuo, Naoko; Yoshitomi, Kayo; Katakami, Chikako; Tabuchi, Hitoshi; Chikama, Taiichiro; Kiuchi, Yoshiaki

    2017-10-30

    To evaluate two specular microscopy analysis methods across different endothelial cell densities (ECDs). Endothelial images of one eye from each of 45 patients were taken by using three different specular microscopes (three replicates each). To determine the consistency of the center-dot method, we compared SP-6000 and SP-2000P images. CME-530 and SP-6000 images were compared to assess the consistency of the fully automated method. The SP-6000 images from the two methods were compared. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) for the three measurements were calculated, and parametric multiple comparisons tests and Bland-Altman analysis were performed. The ECD mean value was 2425 ± 883 (range 516-3707) cells/mm 2 . ICC values were > 0.9 for all three microscopes for ECD, but the coefficients of variation (CVs) were 0.3-0.6. For ECD measurements, Bland-Altman analysis revealed that the mean difference was 42 cells/mm 2 between the SP-2000P and SP-6000 for the center-dot method; 57 cells/mm 2 between the SP-6000 measurements from both methods; and -5 cells/mm 2 between the SP-6000 and CME-530 for the fully automated method (95% limits of agreement: - 201 to 284 cell/mm 2 , - 410 to 522 cells/mm 2 , and - 327 to 318 cells/mm 2 , respectively). For CV measurements, the mean differences were - 3, - 12, and 13% (95% limits of agreement - 18 to 11, - 26 to 2, and - 5 to 32%, respectively). Despite using three replicate measurements, the precision of the center-dot method with the SP-2000P and SP-6000 software was only ± 10% for ECD data and was even worse for the fully automated method. Japan Clinical Trials Register ( http://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr/index/htm9 ) number UMIN 000015236.

  12. Survey of Compliance with Radiation Protection Standards in Diagnostic Imaging Centers of Khuzestan Province in 2015

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    farshid mahmoudi

    2017-03-01

    rooms in 32 diagnostic imaging centers in Khuzestan Province, Iran, 2015. The centers were chosen through random cluster sampling method. The data were obtained using open-ended interview and a checklist designed based on the recommendations of the International Commission for Radiation Protection and Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. Results: The compliance rates with regard to radiology room, radiology equipment, darkroom, and radiographer’s protection were 80.76%, 80.47%, 69.28%, and 93.12%, respectively. Maximum and minimum rates of compliance with the standards were related to performance of the cassette tray (100% and hopper status (25%, respectively. Comparison of public and private imaging centers in terms of safety standards showed no significant differences (P>0.05.Conclusion: The observance of the radiation protection standards in Khuzestan Province was in a relativly desirable condition. However, there are some shortcomings in compliance with the principles of protection in the darkroom. In this regard, with recommend adopting protection measures such as timelyreplacement of processing solution, appropriate ventilation of darkroom, provisionof protection equipment and appliances, and protection training required for entering the darkroom.

  13. Analysis of the image of pion-emitting sources in the source center-of-mass frame

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ren, Yanyu; Feng, Qichun; Huo, Lei; Zhang, Jingbo; Liu, Jianli; Tang, Guixin [Harbin Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, Harbin, Heilongjiang (China); Zhang, Weining [Harbin Institute of Technology, Department of Physics, Harbin, Heilongjiang (China); Dalian University of Technology, School of Physics and Optoelectronic Technology, Dalian, Liaoning (China)

    2017-08-15

    In this paper, we try a method to extract the image of pion-emitting source function in the center-of-mass frame of the source (CMFS). We choose identical pion pairs according to the difference of their energy and use these pion pairs to build the correlation function. The purpose is to reduce the effect of ΔEΔt, thus the corresponding imaging result can tend to the real source function. We examine the effect of this method by comparing its results with real source functions extracted from models directly. (orig.)

  14. Estimation of center line and diameter of brain blood vessel using three-dimensional blood vessel matching method with head three-dimensional CTA image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maekawa, Masashi; Shinohara, Toshihiro; Nakayama, Masato; Nakasako, Noboru

    2010-01-01

    To support and automate the brain blood vessel disease diagnosis, a novel method to obtain the center line and the diameter of a blood vessel is proposed with a three-dimensional head computed tomographic angiography (CTA) image. Although the line thinning processing with distance transform or gray information is generally used to obtain the blood vessel center line, this method is not essentially one to obtain the center line and tends to yield extra lines depending on CTA images. In this study, the center line of the blood vessel is obtained by tracing the vessel. The blood vessel is traced by sequentially estimating the center point and direction of the blood vessel. The center point and direction of the blood vessel are estimated by taking the correlation between the blood vessel and a solid model of the blood vessel that is designed by considering noise influence. In addition, the vessel diameter is also estimated by correlating the blood vessel and the blood vessel model of which the diameter is variable. The validity of the proposed method is confirmed by experimentally applied the proposed method to an actual three-dimensional head CTA image. (author)

  15. Development of an image processing system at the Technology Applications Center, UNM: Landsat image processing in mineral exploration and related activities. Final report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Budge, T.K.

    1980-09-01

    This project was a demonstration of the capabilities of Landsat satellite image processing applied to the monitoring of mining activity in New Mexico. Study areas included the Navajo coal surface mine, the Jackpile uranium surface mine, and the potash mining district near Carlsbad, New Mexico. Computer classifications of a number of land use categories in these mines were presented and discussed. A literature review of a number of case studies concerning the use of Landsat image processing in mineral exploration and related activities was prepared. Included in this review is a discussion of the Landsat satellite system and the basics of computer image processing. Topics such as destriping, contrast stretches, atmospheric corrections, ratioing, and classification techniques are addressed. Summaries of the STANSORT II and ELAS software packages and the Technology Application Center's Digital Image Processing System (TDIPS) are presented

  16. Acute cervical spine injuries: prospective MR imaging assessment at a level 1 trauma center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katzberg, R W; Benedetti, P F; Drake, C M; Ivanovic, M; Levine, R A; Beatty, C S; Nemzek, W R; McFall, R A; Ontell, F K; Bishop, D M; Poirier, V C; Chong, B W

    1999-10-01

    To determine the weighted average sensitivity of magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the prospective detection of acute neck injury and to compare these findings with those of a comprehensive conventional radiographic assessment. Conventional radiography and MR imaging were performed in 199 patients presenting to a level 1 trauma center with suspected cervical spine injury. Weighted sensitivities and specificities were calculated, and a weighted average across eight vertebral levels from C1 to T1 was formed. Fourteen parameters indicative of acute injury were tabulated. Fifty-eight patients had 172 acute cervical injuries. MR imaging depicted 136 (79%) acute abnormalities and conventional radiography depicted 39 (23%). For assessment of acute fractures, MR images (weighted average sensitivity, 43%; CI: 21%, 66%) were comparable to conventional radiographs (weighted average sensitivity, 48%; CI: 30%, 65%). MR imaging was superior to conventional radiography in the evaluation of pre- or paravertebral hemorrhage or edema, anterior or posterior longitudinal ligament injury, traumatic disk herniation, cord edema, and cord compression. Cord injuries were associated with cervical spine spondylosis (P < .05), acute fracture (P < .001), and canal stenosis (P < .001). MR imaging is more accurate than radiography in the detection of a wide spectrum of neck injuries, and further study is warranted of its potential effect on medical decision making, clinical outcome, and cost-effectiveness.

  17. A study on change in the center frequency depending on the fat content and on change in the fat saturation image with the use of a self-manufactured phantom depending on the center frequency adjustment method in an MRI breast scan

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Chang-Bok; Dong, Kyung-Rae; Gho, Hee-Jin; Chung, Woon-Kwan; Joo, Kyu-Ji; Kim, Young-Jae

    2013-12-01

    This study examined the changes in the center frequency according to the fat content the using a self-manufactured phantom. In addition, the change in the fat saturation image according to when the center frequency was applied automatically or adjusted manually was analyzed to determine the importance of a manual adjustment of the center frequency. Distilled water and animal fat were solidified in a 10-ml syringe to manufacture nine phantoms for each condition (18 in total). A MR scanner at 1.5 Tesla was used to obtain a T1-weighted three dimensional fast low-angle shot (T1 3D FLASH) dynamic fat saturation image according to the spectral attenuated inversion recovery(SPAIR) method. The images obtained were classified into the following before analyzing the center frequencies for each image: Test A (image where fat was not saturated), Test B (image where fat was saturated in an automatic adjustment of the center frequency), and Test C (image where fat was saturated in a manual adjustment of the center frequency). The signal intensity (SI) values of water, fat and background were measured to calculate the signal to noise ratio (SNR) before examining the difference in the SNRs of water and fat (SNR difference = water SNR — fat SNR). The mean center frequency in Tests A, B and C was 63.631179 MHz when the fat content was 70% or lower. The mean center frequency for Tests A and B was 63.631002 MHz when the fat content was 80% or higher, which was 226 Hz lower than that for Test C (63.631228 MHz). The water SIs of Tests A, B and C with increasing fat content showed a pattern of change similar to that of the fat SIs of Tests A and C. On the other hand, the fat SI of Test B was similar to that of Test A when the fat content was 80%, which showed a large difference in change. The water SNRs of Tests A, B and C, and the fat SNR and SNR differences of Tests A and C showed similar changes according to the fat content. The difference between the fat SNR and the SNR of Test B

  18. Center of mass detection via an active pixel sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yadid-Pecht, Orly (Inventor); Minch, Brad (Inventor); Pain, Bedabrara (Inventor); Fossum, Eric (Inventor)

    2006-01-01

    An imaging system for identifying the location of the center of mass (COM) in an image. In one aspect, an imaging system includes a plurality of photosensitive elements arranged in a matrix. A center of mass circuit coupled to the photosensitive elements includes a resistive network and a normalization circuit including at least one bipolar transistor. The center of mass circuit identifies a center of mass location in the matrix and includes: a row circuit, where the row circuit identifies a center of mass row value in each row of the matrix and identifies a row intensity for each row; a horizontal circuit, where the horizontal circuit identifies a center of mass horizontal value; and a vertical circuit, where the vertical circuit identifies a center of mass vertical value. The horizontal and vertical center of mass values indicate the coordinates of the center of mass location for the image.

  19. Improving surface and defect center chemistry of fluorescent nanodiamonds for imaging purposes--a review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagl, Andreas; Hemelaar, Simon Robert; Schirhagl, Romana

    2015-10-01

    Diamonds are widely used for jewelry owing to their superior optical properties accounting for their fascinating beauty. Beyond the sparkle, diamond is highly investigated in materials science for its remarkable properties. Recently, fluorescent defects in diamond, particularly the negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV(-)) center, have gained much attention: The NV(-) center emits stable, nonbleaching fluorescence, and thus could be utilized in biolabeling, as a light source, or as a Förster resonance energy transfer donor. Even more remarkable are its spin properties: with the fluorescence intensity of the NV(-) center reacting to the presence of small magnetic fields, it can be utilized as a sensor for magnetic fields as small as the field of a single electron spin. However, a reproducible defect and surface and defect chemistry are crucial to all applications. In this article we review methods for using nanodiamonds for different imaging purposes. The article covers (1) dispersion of particles, (2) surface cleaning, (3) particle size selection and reduction, (4) defect properties, and (5) functionalization and attachment to nanostructures, e.g., scanning probe microscopy tips.

  20. Feasibility and resolution limits of opto-magnetic imaging of neural network activity in brain slices using color centers in diamond

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karadas, Mürsel; Wojciechowski, Adam M.; Huck, Alexander

    2018-01-01

    We suggest a novel approach for wide-field imaging of the neural network dynamics of brain slices that uses highly sensitivity magnetometry based on nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. Invitro recordings in brain slices is a proven method for the characterization of electrical neural activi...... cell. Our results suggest that imaging of slice activity will be possible with the upcoming generation of NV magnetic field sensors, while single-shot imaging of planar cell activity remains challenging....

  1. Imaging a non-singular rotating black hole at the center of the Galaxy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamy, F.; Gourgoulhon, E.; Paumard, T.; Vincent, F. H.

    2018-06-01

    We show that the rotating generalization of Hayward’s non-singular black hole previously studied in the literature is geodesically incomplete, and that its straightforward extension leads to a singular spacetime. We present another extension, which is devoid of any curvature singularity. The obtained metric depends on three parameters and, depending on their values, yields an event horizon or not. These two regimes, named respectively regular rotating Hayward black hole and naked rotating wormhole, are studied both numerically and analytically. In preparation for the upcoming results of the Event Horizon Telescope, the images of an accretion torus around Sgr A*, the supermassive object at the center of the Galaxy, are computed. These images contain, even in the absence of a horizon, a central faint region which bears a resemblance to the shadow of Kerr black holes and emphasizes the difficulty of claiming the existence of an event horizon from the analysis of strong-field images. The frequencies of the co- and contra-rotating orbits at the innermost stable circular orbit (ISCO) in this geometry are also computed, in the hope that quasi-periodic oscillations may permit to compare this model with Kerr’s black hole on observational grounds.

  2. Breast Imaging Utilizing Dedicated Gamma Camera and (99m)Tc-MIBI: Experience at the Tel Aviv Medical Center and Review of the Literature Breast Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Even-Sapir, Einat; Golan, Orit; Menes, Tehillah; Weinstein, Yuliana; Lerman, Hedva

    2016-07-01

    The scope of the current article is the clinical role of gamma cameras dedicated for breast imaging and (99m)Tc-MIBI tumor-seeking tracer, as both a screening modality among a healthy population and as a diagnostic modality in patients with breast cancer. Such cameras are now commercially available. The technology utilizing a camera composed of a NaI (Tl) detector is termed breast-specific gamma imaging. The technology of dual-headed camera composed of semiconductor cadmium zinc telluride detectors that directly converts gamma-ray energy into electronic signals is termed molecular breast imaging. Molecular breast imaging system has been installed at the Department of Nuclear medicine at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv in 2009. The article reviews the literature well as our own experience. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Seismological Imaging of Melt Production Regions Beneath the Backarc Spreading Center and Volcanic Arc, Mariana Islands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wiens, Douglas; Pozgay, Sara; Barklage, Mitchell; Pyle, Moira; Shiobara, Hajime; Sugioka, Hiroko

    2010-05-01

    We image the seismic velocity and attenuation structure of the mantle melt production regions associated with the Mariana Backarc Spreading Center and Mariana Volcanic Arc using data from the Mariana Subduction Factory Imaging Experiment. The passive component of this experiment consisted of 20 broadband seismographs deployed on the island chain and 58 ocean-bottom seismographs from June, 2003 until April, 2004. We obtained the 3D P and S wave velocity structure of the Mariana mantle wedge from a tomographic inversion of body wave arrivals from local earthquakes as well as P and S arrival times from large teleseismic earthquakes determined by multi-channel cross correlation. We also determine the 2-D attenuation structure of the mantle wedge using attenuation tomography based on local and regional earthquake spectra, and a broader-scale, lower resolution 3-D shear velocity structure from inversion of Rayleigh wave phase velocities using a two plane wave array analysis approach. We observe low velocity, high attenuation anomalies in the upper mantle beneath both the arc and backarc spreading center. These anomalies are separated by a higher velocity, lower attenuation region at shallow depths (< 80 km), implying distinct magma production regions for the arc and backarc in the uppermost mantle. The largest magnitude anomaly beneath the backarc spreading center is found at shallower depth (25-50 km) compared to the arc (50-100 km), consistent with melting depths estimated from the geochemistry of arc and backarc basalts (K. Kelley, pers. communication). The velocity and attenuation signature of the backarc spreading center is narrower than the corresponding anomaly found beneath the East Pacific Rise by the MELT experiment, perhaps implying a component of focused upwelling beneath the spreading center. The strong velocity and attenuation anomaly beneath the spreading center contrasts strongly with preliminary MT inversion results showing no conductivity anomaly in the

  4. Ambient radiation monitoring at a PET/CT imaging center within a nuclear medicine department

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lai, Y.C.; Chen, Y.W.; Chuang, Y.W.

    2006-01-01

    Full text of publication follows: Potential environmental dose rates in a patient waiting room at the PET/CT Imaging Center within our Nuclear Medicine Department (N.M.D.) are evaluated by both of the computer modeling method and real-time monitoring in practical settings. The maximum dose rate is directly read from a peak dose-rate frozen-up, digital gamma G-M survey meter. The design basis of our PET/CT Imaging Center facility has assumed a maximum total of five 18 FDG-patients presented at any given time either in an Am or a Pm session according to two separated drug batch delivering runs. Due to the relatively high gamma energy of 511 keV emitted by the F- 18 labeled compound, we have remodeled our facility with a 0.5-cm thick Pb wall and larger space separations between rooms that include a PET/CT scan room, two separated 18 FDG i.v. injection rooms, and a delayed-phase patient waiting room. Patient could normally complete two separate PET/CT scan runs, if a delayed-phase scan is needed, within three hours time frame from an initial dose of 370 MBq (10 mCi) that has a physical half-live of 110 minutes for an F-18 labeled compound. When all the needed scans are finished, the patient is released from our PET/CT Imaging Center that has to follow the radiation safety guideline of less than 50 mSv/hr (5 m R/hr) at one meter distance. During typical operation, each drug i.v. injection room or the scan room is restricted to one patient access only. As a worst case scenario, the maximum ambient dose rate may only occur when two or more delayed phase patients would stay in the PET/CT waiting room that is excluded for other non-PET patient use. Theoretically using a computer discrete-ordinate integrating methods, dose rates at one meter distance from a mid-point geometry, based on a simulated 10 mCi F-18 point, line or volumetric source (assuming 170 cm in height and 20 cm in radius of homogeneous water media), can also be calculated to give values of 5.71, 4.73 and 3

  5. Comparative analysis of MR imaging, Ictal SPECT and EEG in temporal lobe epilepsy: a prospective IAEA multi-center study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zaknun, John J. [University Hospital of Innsbruck, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Innsbruck (Austria); International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nuclear Medicine Section, Division of Human Health, Vienna (Austria); IAEA, Nuclear Medicine Section, Division of Human Health, Wagramer Strasse 5, P.O. Box 100, Wien (Austria); Bal, Chandrasekhar [All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Department of Nuclear Medicine, New Delhi (India); Maes, Alex [Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven (Belgium); AZ Groeninge, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Kortrijk (Belgium); Tepmongkol, Supatporn [Chulalongkorn University, Nuclear Medicine Division, Department of Radiology, Bangkok (Thailand); Vazquez, Silvia [Instituto de Investigaciones Neurologicas, FLENI, Department of Radiology, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Dupont, Patrick [Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven (Belgium); Dondi, Maurizio [Ospedale Maggiore, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Bologna (Italy); International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Nuclear Medicine Section, Division of Human Health, Vienna (Austria)

    2008-01-15

    MR imaging, ictal single-photon emission CT (SPECT) and ictal EEG play important roles in the presurgical localization of epileptic foci. This multi-center study was established to investigate whether the complementary role of perfusion SPECT, MRI and EEG for presurgical localization of temporal lobe epilepsy could be confirmed in a prospective setting involving centers from India, Thailand, Italy and Argentina. We studied 74 patients who underwent interictal and ictal EEG, interictal and ictal SPECT and MRI before surgery of the temporal lobe. In all but three patients, histology was reported. The clinical outcome was assessed using Engel's classification. Sensitivity values of all imaging modalities were calculated, and the add-on value of SPECT was assessed. Outcome (Engel's classification) in 74 patients was class I, 89%; class II, 7%; class III, 3%; and IV, 1%. Regarding the localization of seizure origin, sensitivity was 84% for ictal SPECT, 70% for ictal EEG, 86% for MRI, 55% for interictal SPECT and 40% for interictal EEG. Add-on value of ictal SPECT was shown by its ability to correctly localize 17/22 (77%) of the seizure foci missed by ictal EEG and 8/10 (80%) of the seizure foci not detected by MRI. This prospective multi-center trial, involving centers from different parts of the world, confirms that ictal perfusion SPECT is an effective diagnostic modality for correctly identifying seizure origin in temporal lobe epilepsy, providing complementary information to ictal EEG and MRI. (orig.)

  6. Comparative analysis of MR imaging, Ictal SPECT and EEG in temporal lobe epilepsy: a prospective IAEA multi-center study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zaknun, John J.; Bal, Chandrasekhar; Maes, Alex; Tepmongkol, Supatporn; Vazquez, Silvia; Dupont, Patrick; Dondi, Maurizio

    2008-01-01

    MR imaging, ictal single-photon emission CT (SPECT) and ictal EEG play important roles in the presurgical localization of epileptic foci. This multi-center study was established to investigate whether the complementary role of perfusion SPECT, MRI and EEG for presurgical localization of temporal lobe epilepsy could be confirmed in a prospective setting involving centers from India, Thailand, Italy and Argentina. We studied 74 patients who underwent interictal and ictal EEG, interictal and ictal SPECT and MRI before surgery of the temporal lobe. In all but three patients, histology was reported. The clinical outcome was assessed using Engel's classification. Sensitivity values of all imaging modalities were calculated, and the add-on value of SPECT was assessed. Outcome (Engel's classification) in 74 patients was class I, 89%; class II, 7%; class III, 3%; and IV, 1%. Regarding the localization of seizure origin, sensitivity was 84% for ictal SPECT, 70% for ictal EEG, 86% for MRI, 55% for interictal SPECT and 40% for interictal EEG. Add-on value of ictal SPECT was shown by its ability to correctly localize 17/22 (77%) of the seizure foci missed by ictal EEG and 8/10 (80%) of the seizure foci not detected by MRI. This prospective multi-center trial, involving centers from different parts of the world, confirms that ictal perfusion SPECT is an effective diagnostic modality for correctly identifying seizure origin in temporal lobe epilepsy, providing complementary information to ictal EEG and MRI. (orig.)

  7. Separating twin images and locating the center of a microparticle in dense suspensions using correlations among reconstructed fields of two parallel holograms.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ling, Hangjian; Katz, Joseph

    2014-09-20

    This paper deals with two issues affecting the application of digital holographic microscopy (DHM) for measuring the spatial distribution of particles in a dense suspension, namely discriminating between real and virtual images and accurate detection of the particle center. Previous methods to separate real and virtual fields have involved applications of multiple phase-shifted holograms, combining reconstructed fields of multiple axially displaced holograms, and analysis of intensity distributions of weakly scattering objects. Here, we introduce a simple approach based on simultaneously recording two in-line holograms, whose planes are separated by a short distance from each other. This distance is chosen to be longer than the elongated trace of the particle. During reconstruction, the real images overlap, whereas the virtual images are displaced by twice the distance between hologram planes. Data analysis is based on correlating the spatial intensity distributions of the two reconstructed fields to measure displacement between traces. This method has been implemented for both synthetic particles and a dense suspension of 2 μm particles. The correlation analysis readily discriminates between real and virtual images of a sample containing more than 1300 particles. Consequently, we can now implement DHM for three-dimensional tracking of particles when the hologram plane is located inside the sample volume. Spatial correlations within the same reconstructed field are also used to improve the detection of the axial location of the particle center, extending previously introduced procedures to suspensions of microscopic particles. For each cross section within a particle trace, we sum the correlations among intensity distributions in all planes located symmetrically on both sides of the section. This cumulative correlation has a sharp peak at the particle center. Using both synthetic and recorded particle fields, we show that the uncertainty in localizing the axial

  8. Considering a pedagogy of adress through the time image: a philosophical, curational and pedagogic project centered on artium’s collection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Trafí-Prats

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available The article analyzes the foundations and research process of a curatorial-pedagogic project centered on reactivating ARTIUM’s Collection (Vitoria, Spain. In this process art and pedagogy are seen as scenes of address, or spaces of production of difference between the positions that the cultural, museum, curricular text offers, and the responses given by its interpreters, students, viewers. Different moments of this research process are discussed, including: 1 The reactivation of the expressive languages of ARTIUMartworks through a Deleuzian image theory and a pedagogy of address, 2 the production of a dilemmatic museum space centered on producing knowledge from visitors’ memories, experiences and subjectivities, 3 the activation of this space through a Laboratory of Logics of Vision, 4 the production of visual narratives experimenting with the concept of image-time by the participants in such Laboratory.

  9. Poison control center - Emergency number (image)

    Science.gov (United States)

    For a poison emergency call 1-800-222-1222 anywhere in the United States. This national hotline number will let you ... is a free and confidential service. All local poison control centers in the U.S. use this national ...

  10. Infrared imaging spectroscopy of the Galactic center - Distribution and motions of the ionized gas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Herbst, T. M.; Beckwith, S. V. W.; Forrest, W. J.; Pipher, J. L.

    1993-01-01

    High spatial spectral resolution IR images of the Galactic center in the Br-gamma recombination line of hydrogen were taken. A coherent filament of gas extending from north of IRS 1, curving around IRS 16/Sgr A complex, and continuing to the southwest, is seen. Nine stellar sources have associated Br-gamma emission. The total Br-gamma line flux in the filament is approximately 3 x 10 exp -15 W/sq m. The distribution and kinematics of the northern arm suggest orbital motion; the observations are accordingly fit with elliptical orbits in the field of a central point of mass.

  11. The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Digital Imaging Network, Picture Archival and Communication System, and Radiology Information System.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldszal, A F; Brown, G K; McDonald, H J; Vucich, J J; Staab, E V

    2001-06-01

    In this work, we describe the digital imaging network (DIN), picture archival and communication system (PACS), and radiology information system (RIS) currently being implemented at the Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health (NIH). These systems are presently in clinical operation. The DIN is a redundant meshed network designed to address gigabit density and expected high bandwidth requirements for image transfer and server aggregation. The PACS projected workload is 5.0 TB of new imaging data per year. Its architecture consists of a central, high-throughput Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) data repository and distributed redundant array of inexpensive disks (RAID) servers employing fiber-channel technology for immediate delivery of imaging data. On demand distribution of images and reports to clinicians and researchers is accomplished via a clustered web server. The RIS follows a client-server model and provides tools to order exams, schedule resources, retrieve and review results, and generate management reports. The RIS-hospital information system (HIS) interfaces include admissions, discharges, and transfers (ATDs)/demographics, orders, appointment notifications, doctors update, and results.

  12. Magnetic resonance imaging appearance of soft-tissue metastases: our experience at an orthopedic oncology center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sammon, Jennifer; Jain, Abhishek; Bleakney, Robert; Mohankumar, Rakesh

    2017-01-01

    To assess the prevalence and magnetic resonance imaging appearance of metastasis presenting as a soft-tissue mass. A retrospective chart review was performed on 51 patients who presented to an orthopedic oncology center with soft-tissue masses, with a histology-proven diagnosis of soft-tissue metastasis, over a 14-year period. Their magnetic resonance imaging, primary origin, and follow-up have been assessed. Soft-tissue metastasis was identified in patients ranging from 18 to 85 years old. Most (80%) of the masses were located deep to the deep fascia. In our cohort of patients, melanoma was the most common primary malignancy contributing to soft-tissue metastasis (21.8%). Among soft-tissue metastasis from solid organs, breast and lung were the most frequent (9.1% each). Five patients had soft-tissue metastases from an unknown primary. Imaging diagnosis of soft-tissue metastases is challenging as it can demonstrate imaging appearances similar to primary soft-tissue sarcoma. The presence of a known malignancy may not be evident in everyone, and even if available, histopathology will be necessary for diagnosis if this is the only site of recurrence/metastasis to differentiate from a primary soft-tissue sarcoma. Moreover, soft-tissue metastasis may be the initial presentation of a malignancy. Primary malignancies with soft-tissue metastasis carry a poor prognosis; hence, prompt diagnosis and management in essential. (orig.)

  13. Magnetic resonance imaging appearance of soft-tissue metastases: our experience at an orthopedic oncology center

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sammon, Jennifer; Jain, Abhishek; Bleakney, Robert; Mohankumar, Rakesh [Mount Sinai Hospital and University of Toronto, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging, Joint Department of Medical Imaging, Toronto, Ontario (Canada)

    2017-04-15

    To assess the prevalence and magnetic resonance imaging appearance of metastasis presenting as a soft-tissue mass. A retrospective chart review was performed on 51 patients who presented to an orthopedic oncology center with soft-tissue masses, with a histology-proven diagnosis of soft-tissue metastasis, over a 14-year period. Their magnetic resonance imaging, primary origin, and follow-up have been assessed. Soft-tissue metastasis was identified in patients ranging from 18 to 85 years old. Most (80%) of the masses were located deep to the deep fascia. In our cohort of patients, melanoma was the most common primary malignancy contributing to soft-tissue metastasis (21.8%). Among soft-tissue metastasis from solid organs, breast and lung were the most frequent (9.1% each). Five patients had soft-tissue metastases from an unknown primary. Imaging diagnosis of soft-tissue metastases is challenging as it can demonstrate imaging appearances similar to primary soft-tissue sarcoma. The presence of a known malignancy may not be evident in everyone, and even if available, histopathology will be necessary for diagnosis if this is the only site of recurrence/metastasis to differentiate from a primary soft-tissue sarcoma. Moreover, soft-tissue metastasis may be the initial presentation of a malignancy. Primary malignancies with soft-tissue metastasis carry a poor prognosis; hence, prompt diagnosis and management in essential. (orig.)

  14. Image-guided chemoport insertion by interventional radiologists: A single-center experience on periprocedural complications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yaacob, Yazmin; Nguyen, Dang V; Mohamed, Zahiah; Ralib, A Razali A; Zakaria, Rozman; Muda, Sobri

    2013-01-01

    To report our early experience in image-guided chemoport insertions by interventional radiologists. This was a cross-sectional study conducted in a tertiary center with 161 chemoport insertions done from June 2008 to June 2010. The chemoports were inserted either at the angiography suite or at the mobile operation theater unit. Ninety percent of the chemoports had right internal jugular vein (IJV) as the entry site. Other entry sites included the left IJV, subclavian veins and the inferior vena cava. Immediate and early complications were recorded. All insertions were performed under image guidance with the aid of ultrasound and fluoroscopy. The technical success rate was 99.4%. In terms of immediate complications, there were only two cases of arterial puncture that resolved with local compression. No pneumothorax or air embolism was documented. Twenty-six early complications were recorded. The most common early complication was catheter blockage (12/161; 7.4%), followed by catheter-related infection (9/161; 5.6%). Other complications were catheter malposition, venous thrombosis and catheter dislodgement or leak. A total of 11 (6.8%) chemoports had to be removed within 30 days; most of them were due to infections that failed to respond to systemic antibiotic therapy. In terms of place of procedure, there were no significant differences in complication rates between the angiography suite and the mobile operation theater unit. Image-guided chemoport insertion by interventional radiologist gives low periprocedural complication rates. Using right IJV as the entry site, the image guidance gives good success rate with least complication

  15. Central nervous system imaging in childhood Langerhans cell histiocytosis – a reference center analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porto, Luciana; Schöning, Stefan; Hattingen, Elke; Sörensen, Jan; Jurcoane, Alina; Lehrnbecher, Thomas

    2015-01-01

    The aim of our study was (1) to describe central nervous system (CNS) manifestations in children with Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH) based on images sent to a reference center and meeting minimum requirements and (2) to assess the inter-rater agreement of CNS-MRI results, which represents the overall reproducibility of this investigation. We retrospectively reviewed brain MRI examinations in children with LCH, for which MRI minimum requirements were met. Abnormalities were rated by two experienced neuroradiologists, and the inter-rater agreement was assessed. Out of a total of 94 imaging studies, only 31 MRIs met the minimum criteria, which included T2w, FLAIR, T1w images before/after contrast in at least two different section planes, and thin post contrast sagittal slices T1w through the sella. The most common changes were osseous abnormalities, followed by solid enlargement of the pineal gland, thickened enhancing stalk and signal changes of the dentate nucleus. Whereas inter-rater agreement in assessing most of the CNS lesions was relatively high (κ > 0.61), the application of minimum criteria often did not allow to evaluate the posterior pituitary. The diversity of radiological protocols from different institutions leads to difficulties in the diagnosis of CNS abnormalities in children with LCH. Although the inter-rater agreement between neuroradiologists was high, not all the LCH manifestations could be completely ruled out when using the minimum criteria. Brain MRIs should therefore follow LCH guideline protocols and include T1 pre-gadolinium sagittal images, and be centrally reviewed in order to improve the comparison of clinical trials

  16. An application of image processing techniques in computed tomography image analysis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    McEvoy, Fintan

    2007-01-01

    number of animals and image slices, automation of the process was desirable. The open-source and free image analysis program ImageJ was used. A macro procedure was created that provided the required functionality. The macro performs a number of basic image processing procedures. These include an initial...... process designed to remove the scanning table from the image and to center the animal in the image. This is followed by placement of a vertical line segment from the mid point of the upper border of the image to the image center. Measurements are made between automatically detected outer and inner...... boundaries of subcutaneous adipose tissue along this line segment. This process was repeated as the image was rotated (with the line position remaining unchanged) so that measurements around the complete circumference were obtained. Additionally, an image was created showing all detected boundary points so...

  17. Cellular Imaging | Center for Cancer Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Innovative imaging methods developed and refined within CCR revealed atomic-level structures of biological molecules and unveiled dynamic views of a cell’s interior that are driving the design of new treatments and diagnostics for cancer.

  18. Detection of a compact radio source near the center of a gravitational lens: quasar image or galactic core

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorenstein, M.V.; Shapiro, I.I.; Cohen, N.L.

    1983-01-01

    By use of a new, very sensitive interferometric system, a faint, compact radio source has been detected near the center of the galaxy that acts as the main part of a gravitational lens. This lens forms two previously discovered images of the quasar Q0957 + 561, which lies in the direction of the constellation Ursa Major. The newly detected source has a core smaller than 0.002 arc second in diameter with a flux density of 0.6 +- 0.1 millijansky at the 13-centimeter wavelength of the radio observations. This source could be the predicted third image of the transparent gravitational lens, the central core of the galaxy, or some combination of the two. It is not yet possible to choose reliably between these alternatives

  19. 2011 Las Conchas Post Fire Center Index

    Data.gov (United States)

    Earth Data Analysis Center, University of New Mexico — This data set consists of photo centers of raw aerial images representing multi-spectral (red, green, blue, near-infrared) digital aerial imagery of the Las Conchas...

  20. Automated vessel shadow segmentation of fovea-centered spectral-domain images from multiple OCT devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jing; Gerendas, Bianca S.; Waldstein, Sebastian M.; Simader, Christian; Schmidt-Erfurth, Ursula

    2014-03-01

    Spectral-domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SD-OCT) is a non-invasive modality for acquiring high reso- lution, three-dimensional (3D) cross sectional volumetric images of the retina and the subretinal layers. SD-OCT also allows the detailed imaging of retinal pathology, aiding clinicians in the diagnosis of sight degrading diseases such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and glaucoma.1 Disease diagnosis, assessment, and treatment requires a patient to undergo multiple OCT scans, possibly using different scanning devices, to accurately and precisely gauge disease activity, progression and treatment success. However, the use of OCT imaging devices from different vendors, combined with patient movement may result in poor scan spatial correlation, potentially leading to incorrect patient diagnosis or treatment analysis. Image registration can be used to precisely compare disease states by registering differing 3D scans to one another. In order to align 3D scans from different time- points and vendors using registration, landmarks are required, the most obvious being the retinal vasculature. Presented here is a fully automated cross-vendor method to acquire retina vessel locations for OCT registration from fovea centred 3D SD-OCT scans based on vessel shadows. Noise filtered OCT scans are flattened based on vendor retinal layer segmentation, to extract the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) layer of the retina. Voxel based layer profile analysis and k-means clustering is used to extract candidate vessel shadow regions from the RPE layer. In conjunction, the extracted RPE layers are combined to generate a projection image featuring all candidate vessel shadows. Image processing methods for vessel segmentation of the OCT constructed projection image are then applied to optimize the accuracy of OCT vessel shadow segmentation through the removal of false positive shadow regions such as those caused by exudates and cysts. Validation of segmented vessel shadows uses

  1. Research on imaging, sensing, and characterization of cells at Research Center for Applied Sciences (RCAS), Academia Sinica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsai, Hui-Chen; Chang, Chun-Fang; Chen, Bi-Chang; Cheng, Ji-Yen; Chu, Chih-Wei; Han, Hsieh-Cheng; Hatanaka, Koji; Hsieh, Tung-Han; Lee, Chau-Hwang; Lin, Jung-Hsin; Tung, Yi-Chung; Wei, Pei-Kuen; Yang, Fu-Liang; Tsai, Din Ping

    2015-12-01

    Development of imaging, sensing, and characterization of cells at Research Center for Applied Sciences (RCAS) of Academia Sinica in Taiwan is progressing rapidly. The research on advanced lattice light sheet microscopy for temporal visualization of cells in three dimensions at sub-cellular resolution shows novel imaging results. Label-free observation on filopodial dynamics provides a convenient assay on cancer cell motility. The newly-developed software enables us to track the movement of two types of particles through different channels and reconstruct the co-localized tracks. Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) for detecting urinary microRNA for diagnosis of acute kidney injury demonstrates excellent sensitivity. A fully automated and integrated portable reader was constructed as a home-based surveillance system for post-operation hepatocellular carcinoma. New microfluidic cell culture devices for fast and accurate characterizations prove various diagnosis capabilities.

  2. Imaging trends in suspected appendicitis-a Canadian perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Victoria F; Patlas, Michael N; Katz, Douglas S

    2017-06-01

    The purpose of our study was to assess trends in the imaging of suspected appendicitis in adult patients in emergency departments of academic centers in Canada. A questionnaire was sent to all 17 academic centers in Canada to be completed by a radiologist who works in emergency radiology. The questionnaires were sent and collected over a period of 4 months from October 2015 to February 2016. Sixteen centers (94%) responded to the questionnaire. Eleven respondents (73%) use IV contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) as the imaging modality of choice for all patients with suspected appendicitis. Thirteen respondents (81%) use ultrasound as the first modality of choice in imaging pregnant patients with suspected appendicitis. Eleven respondents (69%) use ultrasound (US) as the first modality of choice in patients younger than 40 years of age. Ten respondents (67%) use ultrasound as the first imaging modality in female patients younger than 40 years of age. When CT is used, 81% use non-focused CT of the abdomen and pelvis, and 44% of centers use oral contrast. Thirteen centers (81%) have ultrasound available 24 h a day/7 days a week. At 12 centers (75%), ultrasound is performed by ultrasound technologists. Four centers (40%) perform magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in suspected appendicitis in adult patients at the discretion of the attending radiologist. Eleven centers (69%) have MRI available 24/7. All 16 centers (100%) use unenhanced MRI. Various imaging modalities are available for the work-up of suspected appendicitis. Although there are North American societal guidelines and recommendations regarding the appropriateness of the multiple imaging modalities, significant heterogeneity in the first-line modalities exist, which vary depending on the patient demographics and resource availability. Imaging trends in the use of the first-line modalities should be considered in order to plan for the availability of the imaging examinations and to consider plans for

  3. Quantitative assessment of dynamic PET imaging data in cancer imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    2012-11-01

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

  4. Marketing and Community Mental Health Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferniany, Isaac W.; Garove, William E.

    1983-01-01

    Suggests that a marketing approach can be applied to community mental health centers. Marketing is a management orientation of providing services for, not to, patients in a systematic manner, which can help mental health centers improve services, strengthen community image, achieve financial independence and aid in staff recruitment. (Author)

  5. Astigmatic single photon emission computed tomography imaging with a displaced center of rotation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, H.; Smith, M.F.; Stone, C.D.; Jaszczak, R.J.

    1998-01-01

    A filtered backprojection algorithm is developed for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging with an astigmatic collimator having a displaced center of rotation. The astigmatic collimator has two perpendicular focal lines, one that is parallel to the axis of rotation of the gamma camera and one that is perpendicular to this axis. Using SPECT simulations of projection data from a hot rod phantom and point source arrays, it is found that a lack of incorporation of the mechanical shift in the reconstruction algorithm causes errors and artifacts in reconstructed SPECT images. The collimator and acquisition parameters in the astigmatic reconstruction formula, which include focal lengths, radius of rotation, and mechanical shifts, are often partly unknown and can be determined using the projections of a point source at various projection angles. The accurate determination of these parameters by a least squares fitting technique using projection data from numerically simulated SPECT acquisitions is studied. These studies show that the accuracy of parameter determination is improved as the distance between the point source and the axis of rotation of the gamma camera is increased. The focal length to the focal line perpendicular to the axis of rotation is determined more accurately than the focal length to the focal line parallel to this axis. copyright 1998 American Association of Physicists in Medicine

  6. Paroxysmal occipital discharges suppressed by eye opening: Spectrum of clinical and imaging features at a tertiary care center in India

    OpenAIRE

    Bhavna Kaul; Garima Shukla; Vinay Goyal; Achal Srivastava; Madhuri Behari

    2012-01-01

    Background: Paroxysmal occipital discharges (PODs) demonstrating the phenomena of fixation-off sensitivity have classically been described in childhood epilepsies with occipital paroxysms. Aim: We attempted to delineate the demographic, clinical and imaging characteristics of patients whose interictal electroencephalograms (EEGs) showed occipital discharges with fixation-off sensitivity at our center. Materials and Methods: During the period between 2003 and 2005, patients whose interictal EE...

  7. SU-E-J-137: Image Registration Tool for Patient Setup in Korea Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator Center

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, M; Suh, T [Department of Biomedical Engineering, Research Institute of Biomedical Engineering, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cho, W [Borame Medical Center, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jung, W [Korea Institute of Radiological & Medical Sciences, Seoul, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-06-15

    Purpose: A potential validation tool for compensating patient positioning error was developed using 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registration. Methods: For 2D/3D registration, digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images were applied. The ray-casting algorithm is the most straightforward method for generating DRR. We adopted the traditional ray-casting method, which finds the intersections of a ray with all objects, voxels of the 3D-CT volume in the scene. The similarity between the extracted DRR and orthogonal image was measured by using a normalized mutual information method. Two orthogonal images were acquired from a Cyber-Knife system from the anterior-posterior (AP) and right lateral (RL) views. The 3D-CT and two orthogonal images of an anthropomorphic phantom and head and neck cancer patient were used in this study. For 3D/3D registration, planning CT and in-room CT image were applied. After registration, the translation and rotation factors were calculated to position a couch to be movable in six dimensions. Results: Registration accuracies and average errors of 2.12 mm ± 0.50 mm for transformations and 1.23° ± 0.40° for rotations were acquired by 2D/3D registration using an anthropomorphic Alderson-Rando phantom. In addition, registration accuracies and average errors of 0.90 mm ± 0.30 mm for transformations and 1.00° ± 0.2° for rotations were acquired using CT image sets. Conclusion: We demonstrated that this validation tool could compensate for patient positioning error. In addition, this research could be the fundamental step for compensating patient positioning error at the first Korea heavy-ion medical accelerator treatment center.

  8. SU-E-J-137: Image Registration Tool for Patient Setup in Korea Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, M; Suh, T; Cho, W; Jung, W

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: A potential validation tool for compensating patient positioning error was developed using 2D/3D and 3D/3D image registration. Methods: For 2D/3D registration, digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) and three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) images were applied. The ray-casting algorithm is the most straightforward method for generating DRR. We adopted the traditional ray-casting method, which finds the intersections of a ray with all objects, voxels of the 3D-CT volume in the scene. The similarity between the extracted DRR and orthogonal image was measured by using a normalized mutual information method. Two orthogonal images were acquired from a Cyber-Knife system from the anterior-posterior (AP) and right lateral (RL) views. The 3D-CT and two orthogonal images of an anthropomorphic phantom and head and neck cancer patient were used in this study. For 3D/3D registration, planning CT and in-room CT image were applied. After registration, the translation and rotation factors were calculated to position a couch to be movable in six dimensions. Results: Registration accuracies and average errors of 2.12 mm ± 0.50 mm for transformations and 1.23° ± 0.40° for rotations were acquired by 2D/3D registration using an anthropomorphic Alderson-Rando phantom. In addition, registration accuracies and average errors of 0.90 mm ± 0.30 mm for transformations and 1.00° ± 0.2° for rotations were acquired using CT image sets. Conclusion: We demonstrated that this validation tool could compensate for patient positioning error. In addition, this research could be the fundamental step for compensating patient positioning error at the first Korea heavy-ion medical accelerator treatment center

  9. Aftermath of World Trade Center Attack

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-01-01

    This true-color image was taken by the Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) aboard the Landsat 7 satellite on September 12, 2001, at roughly 11:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Savings Time. Visit the NASA home page for photos from the space station and MODIS, and GlobalSecurity.org for images from other satellites. Image courtesy USGS Landsat 7 team, at the EROS Data Center.

  10. Imaging Sciences Workshop Proceedings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Candy, J.V.

    1996-11-21

    This report contains the proceedings of the Imaging Sciences Workshop sponsored by C.A.S.LS., the Center for Advanced Signal & Image Sciences. The Center, established primarily to provide a forum where researchers can freely exchange ideas on the signal and image sciences in a comfortable intellectual environment, has grown over the last two years with the opening of a Reference Library (located in Building 272). The Technical Program for the 1996 Workshop include a variety of efforts in the Imaging Sciences including applications in the Microwave Imaging, highlighted by the Micro-Impulse Radar (MIR) system invented at LLNL, as well as other applications in this area. Special sessions organized by various individuals in Speech, Acoustic Ocean Imaging, Radar Ocean Imaging, Ultrasonic Imaging, and Optical Imaging discuss various applica- tions of real world problems. For the more theoretical, sessions on Imaging Algorithms and Computed Tomography were organized as well as for the more pragmatic featuring a session on Imaging Systems.

  11. Importance of Grid Center Arrangement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pasaogullari, O.; Usul, N.

    2012-12-01

    In Digital Elevation Modeling, grid size is accepted to be the most important parameter. Despite the point density and/or scale of the source data, it is freely decided by the user. Most of the time, arrangement of the grid centers are ignored, even most GIS packages omit the choice of grid center coordinate selection. In our study; importance of the arrangement of grid centers is investigated. Using the analogy between "Raster Grid DEM" and "Bitmap Image", importance of placement of grid centers in DEMs are measured. The study has been conducted on four different grid DEMs obtained from a half ellipsoid. These grid DEMs are obtained in such a way that they are half grid size apart from each other. Resulting grid DEMs are investigated through similarity measures. Image processing scientists use different measures to investigate the dis/similarity between the images and the amount of different information they carry. Grid DEMs are projected to a finer grid in order to co-center. Similarity measures are then applied to each grid DEM pairs. These similarity measures are adapted to DEM with band reduction and real number operation. One of the measures gives function graph and the others give measure matrices. Application of similarity measures to six grid DEM pairs shows interesting results. These four different grid DEMs are created with the same method for the same area, surprisingly; thirteen out of 14 measures state that, the half grid size apart grid DEMs are different from each other. The results indicated that although grid DEMs carry mutual information, they have also additional individual information. In other words, half grid size apart constructed grid DEMs have non-redundant information.; Joint Probability Distributions Function Graphs

  12. Development of the image registration program for portal and DRR images in radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watanabe, Hiroyuki; Ito, Takeshi; Nakazeko, Kazuma; Tachibana, Atsuhi; Hashimoto, Takeyuki; Shinohara, Hiroyuki

    2012-01-01

    In this article, the authors propose an image registration program of portal images and digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) images used as simulation images for external beam radiation therapy planning. First, the center of the radiation field in a portal image taken using a computed radiograhy cassette is matched to the center of the portal image. Then scale points projected on a DRR image and the portal image are deleted, and the portal image with the radiation field is extracted. Registration of the DRR and portal images is performed using mutual information as the registration criterion. It was found that the absolute displacement misregistrations in two directions (x, y) were 1.2±0.7 mm and 0.5±0.3 mm, respectively, and rotation disagreement about the z axis 0.3±0.3deg. It was concluded the proposed method was applicable to image registration of portal and DRR images in radiation therapy. (author)

  13. Design and implementation of the Molecular Imaging Unit for large animais at the National Center for Cardiovascular Research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lopez, G.; Delgado Alberquilla, R.; Moreno Lopez, J.; Escudero Toro, R.

    2011-01-01

    in this paper describes the most iraportant imaging techniques to be used with the latest equipment as well as the future of PET-MRI combination, its application in research on large animals and the implications for the design of the units, shielding calculation management, sources of radiation and waste. This has reguired value and integrate the specific requirements of a research center in terms of bio security, care of large animals (pigs), health status of animals in an environment of highly demanding conditions PR.

  14. The Effect of Depo Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA) on Cerebral Food Motivation Centers: A Pilot Study using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Basu, Tania; Bao, Pinglei; Lerner, Alexander; Anderson, Lindsey; Page, Kathleen; Stanczyk, Frank; Mishell, Daniel; Segall-Gutierrez, Penina

    2016-10-01

    The primary objective is to examine activation of food motivation centers in the brain before and 8 weeks after depo medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA) administration. This prospective experimental pilot study examined the effects of DMPA on food motivation centers utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in eight nonobese, ovulatory subjects. fMRI blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal was measured using a 3-Tesla Scanner while participants viewed images of high-calorie foods, low-calorie foods and nonfood objects. fMRI scans were performed at baseline and 8 weeks after participants received one intramuscular dose of DMPA 150 mg. fMRI data were analyzed using the FMRIB Software Library. Changes in adiposity and circulating leptin and ghrelin levels were also measured. There was a greater BOLD signal response to food cues in brain regions associated with food motivation (anterior cingulate gyrus, orbitofrontal cortex) 8 weeks after DMPA administration compared to baseline (z>2.3, pmotivation may guide the development of interventions to prevent weight gain in DMPA users. These data support a neural origin as one of the mechanisms underlying weight gain in DMPA users and may guide future research examining weight gain and contraception. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. An improved algorithm of laser spot center detection in strong noise background

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Le; Wang, Qianqian; Cui, Xutai; Zhao, Yu; Peng, Zhong

    2018-01-01

    Laser spot center detection is demanded in many applications. The common algorithms for laser spot center detection such as centroid and Hough transform method have poor anti-interference ability and low detection accuracy in the condition of strong background noise. In this paper, firstly, the median filtering was used to remove the noise while preserving the edge details of the image. Secondly, the binarization of the laser facula image was carried out to extract target image from background. Then the morphological filtering was performed to eliminate the noise points inside and outside the spot. At last, the edge of pretreated facula image was extracted and the laser spot center was obtained by using the circle fitting method. In the foundation of the circle fitting algorithm, the improved algorithm added median filtering, morphological filtering and other processing methods. This method could effectively filter background noise through theoretical analysis and experimental verification, which enhanced the anti-interference ability of laser spot center detection and also improved the detection accuracy.

  16. Towards protein-crystal centering using second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kissick, David J.; Dettmar, Christopher M. [Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States); Becker, Michael [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Mulichak, Anne M. [Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Cherezov, Vadim [The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037 (United States); Ginell, Stephan L. [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Battaile, Kevin P.; Keefe, Lisa J. [Hauptman–Woodward Medical Research Institute, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Fischetti, Robert F. [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439 (United States); Simpson, Garth J., E-mail: gsimpson@purdue.edu [Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907 (United States)

    2013-05-01

    The potential of second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for automated crystal centering to guide synchrotron X-ray diffraction of protein crystals has been explored. The potential of second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for automated crystal centering to guide synchrotron X-ray diffraction of protein crystals was explored. These studies included (i) comparison of microcrystal positions in cryoloops as determined by SHG imaging and by X-ray diffraction rastering and (ii) X-ray structure determinations of selected proteins to investigate the potential for laser-induced damage from SHG imaging. In studies using β{sub 2} adrenergic receptor membrane-protein crystals prepared in lipidic mesophase, the crystal locations identified by SHG images obtained in transmission mode were found to correlate well with the crystal locations identified by raster scanning using an X-ray minibeam. SHG imaging was found to provide about 2 µm spatial resolution and shorter image-acquisition times. The general insensitivity of SHG images to optical scatter enabled the reliable identification of microcrystals within opaque cryocooled lipidic mesophases that were not identified by conventional bright-field imaging. The potential impact of extended exposure of protein crystals to five times a typical imaging dose from an ultrafast laser source was also assessed. Measurements of myoglobin and thaumatin crystals resulted in no statistically significant differences between structures obtained from diffraction data acquired from exposed and unexposed regions of single crystals. Practical constraints for integrating SHG imaging into an active beamline for routine automated crystal centering are discussed.

  17. Towards protein-crystal centering using second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kissick, David J.; Dettmar, Christopher M.; Becker, Michael; Mulichak, Anne M.; Cherezov, Vadim; Ginell, Stephan L.; Battaile, Kevin P.; Keefe, Lisa J.; Fischetti, Robert F.; Simpson, Garth J.

    2013-01-01

    The potential of second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for automated crystal centering to guide synchrotron X-ray diffraction of protein crystals has been explored. The potential of second-harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy for automated crystal centering to guide synchrotron X-ray diffraction of protein crystals was explored. These studies included (i) comparison of microcrystal positions in cryoloops as determined by SHG imaging and by X-ray diffraction rastering and (ii) X-ray structure determinations of selected proteins to investigate the potential for laser-induced damage from SHG imaging. In studies using β 2 adrenergic receptor membrane-protein crystals prepared in lipidic mesophase, the crystal locations identified by SHG images obtained in transmission mode were found to correlate well with the crystal locations identified by raster scanning using an X-ray minibeam. SHG imaging was found to provide about 2 µm spatial resolution and shorter image-acquisition times. The general insensitivity of SHG images to optical scatter enabled the reliable identification of microcrystals within opaque cryocooled lipidic mesophases that were not identified by conventional bright-field imaging. The potential impact of extended exposure of protein crystals to five times a typical imaging dose from an ultrafast laser source was also assessed. Measurements of myoglobin and thaumatin crystals resulted in no statistically significant differences between structures obtained from diffraction data acquired from exposed and unexposed regions of single crystals. Practical constraints for integrating SHG imaging into an active beamline for routine automated crystal centering are discussed

  18. A new automatic algorithm for quantification of myocardial infarction imaged by late gadolinium enhancement cardiovascular magnetic resonance: experimental validation and comparison to expert delineations in multi-center, multi-vendor patient data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Engblom, Henrik; Tufvesson, Jane; Jablonowski, Robert; Carlsson, Marcus; Aletras, Anthony H; Hoffmann, Pavel; Jacquier, Alexis; Kober, Frank; Metzler, Bernhard; Erlinge, David; Atar, Dan; Arheden, Håkan; Heiberg, Einar

    2016-05-04

    Late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) using magnitude inversion recovery (IR) or phase sensitive inversion recovery (PSIR) has become clinical standard for assessment of myocardial infarction (MI). However, there is no clinical standard for quantification of MI even though multiple methods have been proposed. Simple thresholds have yielded varying results and advanced algorithms have only been validated in single center studies. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop an automatic algorithm for MI quantification in IR and PSIR LGE images and to validate the new algorithm experimentally and compare it to expert delineations in multi-center, multi-vendor patient data. The new automatic algorithm, EWA (Expectation Maximization, weighted intensity, a priori information), was implemented using an intensity threshold by Expectation Maximization (EM) and a weighted summation to account for partial volume effects. The EWA algorithm was validated in-vivo against triphenyltetrazolium-chloride (TTC) staining (n = 7 pigs with paired IR and PSIR images) and against ex-vivo high resolution T1-weighted images (n = 23 IR and n = 13 PSIR images). The EWA algorithm was also compared to expert delineation in 124 patients from multi-center, multi-vendor clinical trials 2-6 days following first time ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (n = 124 IR and n = 49 PSIR images). Infarct size by the EWA algorithm in vivo in pigs showed a bias to ex-vivo TTC of -1 ± 4%LVM (R = 0.84) in IR and -2 ± 3%LVM (R = 0.92) in PSIR images and a bias to ex-vivo T1-weighted images of 0 ± 4%LVM (R = 0.94) in IR and 0 ± 5%LVM (R = 0.79) in PSIR images. In multi-center patient studies, infarct size by the EWA algorithm showed a bias to expert delineation of -2 ± 6 %LVM (R = 0.81) in IR images (n = 124) and 0 ± 5%LVM (R = 0.89) in

  19. SU-F-J-114: On-Treatment Imagereconstruction Using Transit Images of Treatment Beams Through Patient and Thosethrough Planning CT Images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, H; Cho, S; Cheong, K; Jung, J; Jung, S; Kim, J; Yeo, I

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To reconstruct patient images at the time of radiation delivery using measured transit images of treatment beams through patient and calculated transit images through planning CT images. Methods: We hypothesize that the ratio of the measured transit images to the calculated images may provide changed amounts of the patient image between times of planning CT and treatment. To test, we have devised lung phantoms with a tumor object (3-cm diameter) placed at iso-center (simulating planning CT) and off-center by 1 cm (simulating treatment). CT images of the two phantoms were acquired; the image of the off-centered phantom, unavailable clinically, represents the reference on-treatment image in the image quality of planning CT. Cine-transit images through the two phantoms were also acquired in EPID from a non-modulated 6 MV beam when the gantry was rotated 360 degrees; the image through the centered phantom simulates calculated image. While the current study is a feasibility study, in reality our computational EPID model can be applicable in providing accurate transit image from MC simulation. Changed MV HU values were reconstructed from the ratio between two EPID projection data, converted to KV HU values, and added to the planning CT, thereby reconstructing the on-treatment image of the patient limited to the irradiated region of the phantom. Results: The reconstructed image was compared with the reference image. Except for local HU differences>200 as a maximum, excellent agreement was found. The average difference across the entire image was 16.2 HU. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of a method of reconstructing on-treatment images of a patient using EPID image and planning CT images. Further studies will include resolving the local HU differences and investigation on the dosimetry impact of the reconstructed image.

  20. SU-F-J-114: On-Treatment Imagereconstruction Using Transit Images of Treatment Beams Through Patient and Thosethrough Planning CT Images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, H; Cho, S [KAIST, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Cheong, K [Hallym University Sacred Heart Hospital, Anyang (Korea, Republic of); Jung, J [East Carolina University Greenville, NC (United States); Jung, S [Samsung Medical Cener, Gangnam-gu, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, J [Yonsei Cancer Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Yeo, I [Loma Linda University Medical Center, Loma Linda, CA (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: To reconstruct patient images at the time of radiation delivery using measured transit images of treatment beams through patient and calculated transit images through planning CT images. Methods: We hypothesize that the ratio of the measured transit images to the calculated images may provide changed amounts of the patient image between times of planning CT and treatment. To test, we have devised lung phantoms with a tumor object (3-cm diameter) placed at iso-center (simulating planning CT) and off-center by 1 cm (simulating treatment). CT images of the two phantoms were acquired; the image of the off-centered phantom, unavailable clinically, represents the reference on-treatment image in the image quality of planning CT. Cine-transit images through the two phantoms were also acquired in EPID from a non-modulated 6 MV beam when the gantry was rotated 360 degrees; the image through the centered phantom simulates calculated image. While the current study is a feasibility study, in reality our computational EPID model can be applicable in providing accurate transit image from MC simulation. Changed MV HU values were reconstructed from the ratio between two EPID projection data, converted to KV HU values, and added to the planning CT, thereby reconstructing the on-treatment image of the patient limited to the irradiated region of the phantom. Results: The reconstructed image was compared with the reference image. Except for local HU differences>200 as a maximum, excellent agreement was found. The average difference across the entire image was 16.2 HU. Conclusion: We have demonstrated the feasibility of a method of reconstructing on-treatment images of a patient using EPID image and planning CT images. Further studies will include resolving the local HU differences and investigation on the dosimetry impact of the reconstructed image.

  1. Knowledge of the Costs of Diagnostic Imaging: A Survey of Physician Trainees at a Large Academic Medical Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vijayasarathi, Arvind; Duszak, Richard; Gelbard, Rondi B; Mullins, Mark E

    2016-11-01

    To study the awareness of postgraduate physician trainees across a variety of specialties regarding the costs of common imaging examinations. During early 2016, we conducted an online survey of all 1,238 physicians enrolled in internships, residencies, and fellowships at a large academic medical center. Respondents were asked to estimate Medicare national average total allowable fees for five commonly performed examinations: two-view chest radiograph, contrast-enhanced CT abdomen and pelvis, unenhanced MRI lumbar spine, complete abdominal ultrasound, and unenhanced CT brain. Responses within ±25% of published amounts were deemed correct. Respondents were also asked about specialty, postgraduate year of training, previous radiology education, and estimated number of imaging examinations ordered per week. A total of 381 of 1,238 trainees returned complete surveys (30.8%). Across all five examinations, only 5.7% (109/1,905) of responses were within the correct ±25% range. A total of 76.4% (291/381) of all respondents incorrectly estimated every examination's cost. Estimation accuracy was not associated with number of imaging examinations ordered per week or year of training. There was no significant difference in cost estimation accuracy between those who participated in medical school radiology electives and those who did not (P = .14). Only 17.5% of trainees considered their imaging cost knowledge adequate. Overall, 75.3% desire integration of cost data into clinical decision support and/or computerized physician order entry systems. Postgraduate physician trainees across all disciplines demonstrate limited awareness of the costs of commonly ordered imaging examinations. Targeted medical school education and integration of imaging cost information into clinical decision support / computerized physician order entry systems seems indicated. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. "Infotonics Technology Center"

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fritzemeier, L. [Infotonics Technology Center Inc., Canandaigua, NY (United States); Boysel, M. B. [Infotonics Technology Center Inc., Canandaigua, NY (United States); Smith, D. R. [Infotonics Technology Center Inc., Canandaigua, NY (United States)

    2004-09-30

    During this grant period July 15, 2002 thru September 30, 2004, the Infotonics Technology Center developed the critical infrastructure and technical expertise necessary to accelerate the development of sensors, alternative lighting and power sources, and other specific subtopics of interest to Department of Energy. Infotonics fosters collaboration among industry, universities and government and operates as a national center of excellence to drive photonics and microsystems development and commercialization. A main goal of the Center is to establish a unique, world-class research and development facility. A state-of-the-art microsystems prototype and pilot fabrication facility was established to enable rapid commercialization of new products of particular interest to DOE. The Center has three primary areas of photonics and microsystems competency: device research and engineering, packaging and assembly, and prototype and pilot-scale fabrication. Center activities focused on next generation optical communication networks, advanced imaging and information sensors and systems, micro-fluidic systems, assembly and packaging technologies, and biochemical sensors. With targeted research programs guided by the wealth of expertise of Infotonics business and scientific staff, the fabrication and packaging facility supports and accelerates innovative technology development of special interest to DOE in support of its mission and strategic defense, energy, and science goals.

  3. Practice Patterns Analysis of Ocular Proton Therapy Centers: The International OPTIC Survey

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hrbacek, Jan; Mishra, Kavita K.; Kacperek, Andrzej; Dendale, Remi; Nauraye, Catherine; Auger, Michel; Herault, Joel; Daftari, Inder K.; Trofimov, Alexei V.; Shih, Helen A.; Chen, Yen-Lin E.; Denker, Andrea; Heufelder, Jens; Horwacik, Tomasz; Swakoń, Jan; Hoehr, Cornelia; Duzenli, Cheryl; Pica, Alessia; Goudjil, Farid; Mazal, Alejandro

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: To assess the planning, treatment, and follow-up strategies worldwide in dedicated proton therapy ocular programs. Methods and Materials: Ten centers from 7 countries completed a questionnaire survey with 109 queries on the eye treatment planning system (TPS), hardware/software equipment, image acquisition/registration, patient positioning, eye surveillance, beam delivery, quality assurance (QA), clinical management, and workflow. Results: Worldwide, 28,891 eye patients were treated with protons at the 10 centers as of the end of 2014. Most centers treated a vast number of ocular patients (1729 to 6369). Three centers treated fewer than 200 ocular patients. Most commonly, the centers treated uveal melanoma (UM) and other primary ocular malignancies, benign ocular tumors, conjunctival lesions, choroidal metastases, and retinoblastomas. The UM dose fractionation was generally within a standard range, whereas dosing for other ocular conditions was not standardized. The majority (80%) of centers used in common a specific ocular TPS. Variability existed in imaging registration, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rarely being used in routine planning (20%). Increased patient to full-time equivalent ratios were observed by higher accruing centers (P=.0161). Generally, ophthalmologists followed up the post–radiation therapy patients, though in 40% of centers radiation oncologists also followed up the patients. Seven centers had a prospective outcomes database. All centers used a cyclotron to accelerate protons with dedicated horizontal beam lines only. QA checks (range, modulation) varied substantially across centers. Conclusions: The first worldwide multi-institutional ophthalmic proton therapy survey of the clinical and technical approach shows areas of substantial overlap and areas of progress needed to achieve sustainable and systematic management. Future international efforts include research and development for imaging and planning software upgrades

  4. Practice Patterns Analysis of Ocular Proton Therapy Centers: The International OPTIC Survey

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hrbacek, Jan, E-mail: Jan.hrbacek@psi.ch [Center for Proton Therapy, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen (Switzerland); Mishra, Kavita K. [Ocular Tumor Proton Therapy Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Kacperek, Andrzej [National Proton Therapy Centre, Clatterbridge Cancer Centre, Bebington (United Kingdom); Dendale, Remi; Nauraye, Catherine; Auger, Michel [Centre de Protonthérapie d' Orsay, Institut Curie, Orsay (France); Herault, Joel [Centre Lacassagne, Nice (France); Daftari, Inder K. [Ocular Tumor Proton Therapy Program, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California (United States); Trofimov, Alexei V.; Shih, Helen A.; Chen, Yen-Lin E. [F. H. Burr Proton Therapy Center, Department of Radiation Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts (United States); Denker, Andrea [Protons for Therapy, Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Heufelder, Jens [BerlinProtonen am HZB, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin (Germany); Horwacik, Tomasz; Swakoń, Jan [Institute of Nuclear Physic, Polish Academy of Sciences, Krakow (Poland); Hoehr, Cornelia; Duzenli, Cheryl [BC Cancer Agency – TRIUMF, Vancouver (Canada); Pica, Alessia [Center for Proton Therapy, Paul Scherrer Institute, Villigen (Switzerland); Goudjil, Farid; Mazal, Alejandro [Centre de Protonthérapie d' Orsay, Institut Curie, Orsay (France); and others

    2016-05-01

    Purpose: To assess the planning, treatment, and follow-up strategies worldwide in dedicated proton therapy ocular programs. Methods and Materials: Ten centers from 7 countries completed a questionnaire survey with 109 queries on the eye treatment planning system (TPS), hardware/software equipment, image acquisition/registration, patient positioning, eye surveillance, beam delivery, quality assurance (QA), clinical management, and workflow. Results: Worldwide, 28,891 eye patients were treated with protons at the 10 centers as of the end of 2014. Most centers treated a vast number of ocular patients (1729 to 6369). Three centers treated fewer than 200 ocular patients. Most commonly, the centers treated uveal melanoma (UM) and other primary ocular malignancies, benign ocular tumors, conjunctival lesions, choroidal metastases, and retinoblastomas. The UM dose fractionation was generally within a standard range, whereas dosing for other ocular conditions was not standardized. The majority (80%) of centers used in common a specific ocular TPS. Variability existed in imaging registration, with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) rarely being used in routine planning (20%). Increased patient to full-time equivalent ratios were observed by higher accruing centers (P=.0161). Generally, ophthalmologists followed up the post–radiation therapy patients, though in 40% of centers radiation oncologists also followed up the patients. Seven centers had a prospective outcomes database. All centers used a cyclotron to accelerate protons with dedicated horizontal beam lines only. QA checks (range, modulation) varied substantially across centers. Conclusions: The first worldwide multi-institutional ophthalmic proton therapy survey of the clinical and technical approach shows areas of substantial overlap and areas of progress needed to achieve sustainable and systematic management. Future international efforts include research and development for imaging and planning software upgrades

  5. Center for Coastline Security Technology, Year-2

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Glegg, Stewart; Glenn, William; Furht, Borko; Beaujean, P. P; Frisk, G; Schock, S; VonEllenrieder, K; Ananthakrishnan, P; An, E; Granata, R

    2007-01-01

    ...), the Imaging Technology Center, the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, and the University Consortium for Intermodal Transportation Safety and Security at Florida Atlantic University...

  6. 78 FR 4419 - Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-22

    ...: Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, Biomedical Imaging and Engineering Area Review. Date... . Name of Committee: Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, Member Conflict: Nanotechnology...

  7. First PET Center in Mexico: the power of molecular imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Avila R, M.A.

    2001-01-01

    Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging technique modality. It represents the forefront of medical images and was developed as a quantitative technique for imaging biochemical and physiological processes in the human body. PET is unique because it produces images of the body's basic biochemistry or function. Traditional diagnostic techniques such as x-rays, CT scans or MRI, produce images of the body's anatomy or structure. The premise with these techniques is that the change in anatomy or structure that occurs with disease can be seen. However, biochemical processes are also altered with disease and may occur before there is a change gross anatomy. PET is an imaging technique that is used to visualize some of these processes. The development of PET as we know it today began in 1974 with the development of a single ring detector system by Phelps et al. Today, over 350 PET scanners are in use in the world, mainly in the USA (over 140), Europe (particularly in the Anglo-Saxon countries and France) and Japan. Many of these facilities also have their own cyclotron to produce the positron emitters. In the Southern hemisphere, only Australia, Argentina. and recently Mexico, have a very small number of PET facilities. (Author)

  8. First PET Center in Mexico: the power of molecular imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Avila R, M.A. [Unidad PET, Facultad de Medicina, UNAM (Mexico)

    2001-09-01

    Positron Emission Tomography (PET) is a non-invasive diagnostic imaging technique modality. It represents the forefront of medical images and was developed as a quantitative technique for imaging biochemical and physiological processes in the human body. PET is unique because it produces images of the body's basic biochemistry or function. Traditional diagnostic techniques such as x-rays, CT scans or MRI, produce images of the body's anatomy or structure. The premise with these techniques is that the change in anatomy or structure that occurs with disease can be seen. However, biochemical processes are also altered with disease and may occur before there is a change gross anatomy. PET is an imaging technique that is used to visualize some of these processes. The development of PET as we know it today began in 1974 with the development of a single ring detector system by Phelps et al. Today, over 350 PET scanners are in use in the world, mainly in the USA (over 140), Europe (particularly in the Anglo-Saxon countries and France) and Japan. Many of these facilities also have their own cyclotron to produce the positron emitters. In the Southern hemisphere, only Australia, Argentina. and recently Mexico, have a very small number of PET facilities. (Author)

  9. Design and simulation of a totally digital image system for medical image applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Archwamety, C.

    1987-01-01

    The Totally Digital Imaging System (TDIS) is based on system requirements information from the Radiology Department, University of Arizona Health Science Center. This dissertation presents the design of this complex system, the TDIS specification, the system performance requirements, and the evaluation of the system using the computer-simulation programs. Discrete-event simulation models were developed for the TDIS subsystems, including an image network, imaging equipment, storage migration algorithm, data base archive system, and a control and management network. The simulation system uses empirical data generation and retrieval rates measured at the University Medical Center hospital. The entire TDIS system was simulated in Simscript II.5 using a VAX 8600 computer system. Simulation results show the fiber-optical-image network to be suitable; however, the optical-disk-storage system represents a performance bottleneck

  10. Hepatitis B virus (image)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hepatitis B is also known as serum hepatitis and is spread through blood and sexual contact. It is ... population. This photograph is an electronmicroscopic image of hepatitis B virus particles. (Image courtesy of the Centers for ...

  11. [Evaluating the maturity of IT-supported clinical imaging and diagnosis using the Digital Imaging Adoption Model : Are your clinical imaging processes ready for the digital era?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Studzinski, J

    2017-06-01

    The Digital Imaging Adoption Model (DIAM) has been jointly developed by HIMSS Analytics and the European Society of Radiology (ESR). It helps evaluate the maturity of IT-supported processes in medical imaging, particularly in radiology. This eight-stage maturity model drives your organisational, strategic and tactical alignment towards imaging-IT planning. The key audience for the model comprises hospitals with imaging centers, as well as external imaging centers that collaborate with hospitals. The assessment focuses on different dimensions relevant to digital imaging, such as software infrastructure and usage, workflow security, clinical documentation and decision support, data exchange and analytical capabilities. With its standardised approach, it enables regional, national and international benchmarking. All DIAM participants receive a structured report that can be used as a basis for presenting, e.g. budget planning and investment decisions at management level.

  12. Radiological imaging features and clinicopathological correlation of hemosiderotic fibrolipomatous tumor: experience in a single tertiary cancer center

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    O' Driscoll, Dearbhail; Athanasian, Edward; Hameed, Meera; Hwang, Sinchun [Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY (United States)

    2015-05-01

    To determine the imaging features of hemosiderotic fibrolipomatous tumor (HFLT), which has a propensity towards local recurrence and the potential to transform into myxoinflammatory fibroblastic sarcoma (MIFS). The study included 8 patients with a diagnosis of HFLT and imaging at a tertiary cancer center. Imaging studies included radiographs (n = 2), ultrasound (n = 3), and MRI (n = 16). Imaging features were evaluated including location, calcification, sonographic echogenicity, vascular flow, size, border, signal characteristics, contrast enhancement, and blooming on MRI. The HFLT was located in the ankle/foot in 4 out of 8 and was subcutaneous in 8 out of 8, ranging in size from 2 to 18 cm. Histology at initial diagnosis was HFLT in 5 out of 8 and HFLT with MIFS in 3 out of 8. None was calcified on radiography. On ultrasound 2 out of 3 were heterogeneously echogenic with ≥10 foci of vascular flow. Two out of 8 patients had MRI only at local recurrence. The tumor border was infiltrative in 4 out of 6 at initial diagnosis and in 2 patients with MRI at recurrence only. Fat and septae were present in 7 out of 8 at initial diagnosis and at recurrence. Signal intensity was iso-/hypointense to muscle on T1-weighted sequences in more than two thirds of the tumor in 4 out of 7 and hyperintense to muscle in at least one third of the tumor on fluid-sensitive sequences in 6 out of 8. Contrast enhancement was heterogeneous in 7 out of 7; blooming in two thirds of the tumor on gradient-echo sequence MRI indicated hemorrhage. The HFLT commonly presents as a mass with an infiltrative border, interspersed fat and septations at initial diagnosis and local recurrence on MRI regardless of histology of HFLT alone or with MIFS. Hemosiderin deposits may be detected as blooming on gradient-echo sequences. (orig.)

  13. Breast Imaging: The Face of Imaging 3.0.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayo, Ray Cody; Parikh, Jay R

    2016-08-01

    In preparation for impending changes to the health care delivery and reimbursement models, the ACR has provided a roadmap for success via the Imaging 3.0 (®)platform. The authors illustrate how the field of breast imaging demonstrates the following Imaging 3.0 concepts: value, patient-centered care, clinical integration, structured reporting, outcome metrics, and radiology's role in the accountable care organization environment. Much of breast imaging's success may be adapted and adopted by other fields in radiology to ensure that all radiologists become more visible and provide the value sought by patients and payers. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Analysis of PET hypoxia imaging in the quantitative imaging for personalized cancer medicine program

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yeung, Ivan; Driscoll, Brandon; Keller, Harald; Shek, Tina; Jaffray, David; Hedley, David

    2014-01-01

    Quantitative imaging is an important tool in clinical trials of testing novel agents and strategies for cancer treatment. The Quantitative Imaging Personalized Cancer Medicine Program (QIPCM) provides clinicians and researchers participating in multi-center clinical trials with a central repository for their imaging data. In addition, a set of tools provide standards of practice (SOP) in end-to-end quality assurance of scanners and image analysis. The four components for data archiving and analysis are the Clinical Trials Patient Database, the Clinical Trials PACS, the data analysis engine(s) and the high-speed networks that connect them. The program provides a suite of software which is able to perform RECIST, dynamic MRI, CT and PET analysis. The imaging data can be assessed securely from remote and analyzed by researchers with these software tools, or with tools provided by the users and installed at the server. Alternatively, QIPCM provides a service for data analysis on the imaging data according developed SOP. An example of a clinical study in which patients with unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma were studied with dynamic PET-FAZA for hypoxia measurement will be discussed. We successfully quantified the degree of hypoxia as well as tumor perfusion in a group of 20 patients in terms of SUV and hypoxic fraction. It was found that there is no correlation between bulk tumor perfusion and hypoxia status in this cohort. QIPCM also provides end-to-end QA testing of scanners used in multi-center clinical trials. Based on quality assurance data from multiple CT-PET scanners, we concluded that quality control of imaging was vital in the success in multi-center trials as different imaging and reconstruction parameters in PET imaging could lead to very different results in hypoxia imaging. (author)

  15. SU-E-J-219: Quantitative Evaluation of Motion Effects On Accuracy of Image-Guided Radiotherapy with Fiducial Markers Using CT Imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ali, I; Oyewale, S; Ahmad, S; Algan, O [University of Oklahoma Health Sciences, Oklahoma City, OK (United States); Alsbou, N [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ada, OH (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: To investigate quantitatively patient motion effects on the localization accuracy of image-guided radiation with fiducial markers using axial CT (ACT), helical CT (HCT) and cone-beam CT (CBCT) using modeling and experimental phantom studies. Methods: Markers with different lengths (2.5 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm) were inserted in a mobile thorax phantom which was imaged using ACT, HCT and CBCT. The phantom moved with sinusoidal motion with amplitudes ranging 0–20 mm and a frequency of 15 cycles-per-minute. Three parameters that include: apparent marker lengths, center position and distance between the centers of the markers were measured in the different CT images of the mobile phantom. A motion mathematical model was derived to predict the variations in the previous three parameters and their dependence on the motion in the different imaging modalities. Results: In CBCT, the measured marker lengths increased linearly with increase in motion amplitude. For example, the apparent length of the 10 mm marker was about 20 mm when phantom moved with amplitude of 5 mm. Although the markers have elongated, the center position and the distance between markers remained at the same position for different motion amplitudes in CBCT. These parameters were not affected by motion frequency and phase in CBCT. In HCT and ACT, the measured marker length, center and distance between markers varied irregularly with motion parameters. The apparent lengths of the markers varied with inverse of the phantom velocity which depends on motion frequency and phase. Similarly the center position and distance between markers varied inversely with phantom speed. Conclusion: Motion may lead to variations in maker length, center position and distance between markers using CT imaging. These effects should be considered in patient setup using image-guided radiation therapy based on fiducial markers matching using 2D-radiographs or volumetric CT imaging.

  16. SU-E-J-219: Quantitative Evaluation of Motion Effects On Accuracy of Image-Guided Radiotherapy with Fiducial Markers Using CT Imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ali, I; Oyewale, S; Ahmad, S; Algan, O; Alsbou, N

    2014-01-01

    Purpose: To investigate quantitatively patient motion effects on the localization accuracy of image-guided radiation with fiducial markers using axial CT (ACT), helical CT (HCT) and cone-beam CT (CBCT) using modeling and experimental phantom studies. Methods: Markers with different lengths (2.5 mm, 5 mm, 10 mm, and 20 mm) were inserted in a mobile thorax phantom which was imaged using ACT, HCT and CBCT. The phantom moved with sinusoidal motion with amplitudes ranging 0–20 mm and a frequency of 15 cycles-per-minute. Three parameters that include: apparent marker lengths, center position and distance between the centers of the markers were measured in the different CT images of the mobile phantom. A motion mathematical model was derived to predict the variations in the previous three parameters and their dependence on the motion in the different imaging modalities. Results: In CBCT, the measured marker lengths increased linearly with increase in motion amplitude. For example, the apparent length of the 10 mm marker was about 20 mm when phantom moved with amplitude of 5 mm. Although the markers have elongated, the center position and the distance between markers remained at the same position for different motion amplitudes in CBCT. These parameters were not affected by motion frequency and phase in CBCT. In HCT and ACT, the measured marker length, center and distance between markers varied irregularly with motion parameters. The apparent lengths of the markers varied with inverse of the phantom velocity which depends on motion frequency and phase. Similarly the center position and distance between markers varied inversely with phantom speed. Conclusion: Motion may lead to variations in maker length, center position and distance between markers using CT imaging. These effects should be considered in patient setup using image-guided radiation therapy based on fiducial markers matching using 2D-radiographs or volumetric CT imaging

  17. Molecular electronics of a single photosystem I reaction center: Studies with scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, I.; Lee, J.W.; Warmack, R.J.; Allison, D.P.; Greenbaum, E. [Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (United States)

    1995-03-14

    Thylakoids and photosystem I (PSI) reaction centers were imaged by scanning tunneling microscopy. The thylakoids were isolated from spinach chloroplasts, and PSI reaction centers were extracted from thylakoid membranes. Because thylakoids are relatively thick nonconductors, they were sputter-coated with Pd/Au before imaging. PSI photosynthetic centers and chemically platinized PSI were investigated without sputter-coating. They were mounted on flat gold substrates that had been treated with mercaptoacetic acid to help bind the proteins. With tunneling spectroscopy, the PSI centers displayed a semiconductor-like response with a band gap of 1.8 eV. Lightly platinized (platinized for 1 hr) centers displayed diode-like conduction that resulted in dramatic contrast changes between images taken with opposite bias voltages. The electronic properties of this system were stable under long-term storage. 42 refs., 7 figs.

  18. Building an outpatient imaging center: A case study at genesis healthcare system, part 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yanci, Jim

    2006-01-01

    In the second of 2 parts, this article will focus on process improvement projects utilizing a case study at Genesis HealthCare System located in Zanesville, OH. Operational efficiency is a key step in developing a freestanding diagnostic imaging center. The process improvement projects began with an Expert Improvement Session (EIS) on the scheduling process. An EIS session is a facilitated meeting that can last anywhere from 3 hours to 2 days. Its intention is to take a group of people involved with the problem or operational process and work to understand current failures or breakdowns in the process. Recommendations are jointly developed to overcome any current deficiencies, and a work plan is structured to create ownership over the changes. A total of 11 EIS sessions occurred over the course of this project, covering 5 sections: Scheduling/telephone call process, Pre-registration, Verification/pre-certification, MRI throughput, CT throughput. Following is a single example of a project focused on the process improvement efforts. All of the process improvement projects utilized a quasi methodology of "DMAIC" (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, and Control).

  19. Synthetic Aperture Imaging in Medical Ultrasound

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nikolov, Svetoslav; Gammelmark, Kim; Pedersen, Morten

    2004-01-01

    with high precision, and the imaging is easily extended to real-time 3D scanning. This paper presents the work done at the Center for Fast Ultrasound Imaging in the area of SA imaging. Three areas that benefit from SA imaging are described. Firstly a preliminary in-vivo evaluation comparing conventional B...

  20. Development of quality control and instrumentation performance metrics for diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging instruments in the multi-center clinical environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keene, Samuel T.; Cerussi, Albert E.; Warren, Robert V.; Hill, Brian; Roblyer, Darren; Leproux, AnaÑ--s.; Durkin, Amanda F.; O'Sullivan, Thomas D.; Haghany, Hosain; Mantulin, William W.; Tromberg, Bruce J.

    2013-03-01

    Instrument equivalence and quality control are critical elements of multi-center clinical trials. We currently have five identical Diffuse Optical Spectroscopic Imaging (DOSI) instruments enrolled in the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN, #6691) trial located at five academic clinical research sites in the US. The goal of the study is to predict the response of breast tumors to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in 60 patients. In order to reliably compare DOSI measurements across different instruments, operators and sites, we must be confident that the data quality is comparable. We require objective and reliable methods for identifying, correcting, and rejecting low quality data. To achieve this goal, we developed and tested an automated quality control algorithm that rejects data points below the instrument noise floor, improves tissue optical property recovery, and outputs a detailed data quality report. Using a new protocol for obtaining dark-noise data, we applied the algorithm to ACRIN patient data and successfully improved the quality of recovered physiological data in some cases.

  1. Impact on Quality When Pediatric Urgent Care Centers Are Staffed With Radiology Technologists.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kan, J Herman; Orth, Robert C; Yen, Terry A; Schallert, Erica K; Zhang, Wei; Donnelly, Lane F

    2018-02-02

    The proliferation of pediatric urgent care centers has increased the need for diagnostic imaging support, but the impact of employing radiology technologists at these centers is not known. The purpose of this study was to evaluate radiographic impact and quality at urgent care centers with and without radiology technologists. A retrospective case-control study was conducted comparing 235 radiographic examinations (study) performed without and 83 examinations (control) performed with a radiology technologist at the authors' pediatric urgent care centers. Studies were evaluated for quality using a five-point, Likert-type scale (1 = poor, 5 = best) regarding field of view, presentation, and orthogonal view orientation. Studies were also evaluated for the incidence of positive results, need for repeat imaging, and discrepancies between initial study and follow-up. Imaging quality comparisons between study and control groups were statistically different for field of view (3.98 versus 4.29, P = .014), presentation (4.39 versus 4.51, P = .045), and orthogonal view orientation (4.45 versus 4.69, P = .033). The incidence of repeat imaging was similar (4.7% versus 2.4%, P = 0.526), as well as the discrepancy rates (3.4 versus 2.4%, P = 1.00). The incidence of abnormal radiographic findings for the study and control groups was similar (40.9% versus 34.9%, P = .363). Radiography is an important triage tool at pediatric urgent care centers. It is imperative to have optimal radiographic imaging for accurate diagnosis, and imaging quality is improved when radiology technologists are available. If not feasible or cost prohibitive, it is important that physicians be given training opportunities to bridge the quality gap when using radiographic equipment and exposing children to radiation. Copyright © 2018 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Characteristics and performance of a micro-MOSFET: An 'imageable' dosimeter for image-guided radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rowbottom, Carl G.; Jaffray, David A.

    2004-01-01

    The performance and characteristics of a miniature metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (micro-MOSFET) detector was investigated for its potential application to integral system tests for image-guided radiotherapy. In particular, the position of peak response to a slit of radiation was determined for the three principal axes to define the co-ordinates for the center of the active volume of the detector. This was compared to the radiographically determined center of the micro-MOSFET visible using cone-beam CT. Additionally, the angular sensitivity of the micro-MOSFET was measured. The micro-MOSFETs are clearly visible on the cone-beam CT images, and produce no artifacts. The center of the active volume of the micro-MOSFET aligned with the center of the visible micro-MOSFET on the cone-beam CT images for the x and y axes to within 0.20 mm and 0.15 mm, respectively. In z, the long axis of the detector, the peak response was found to be 0.79 mm from the tip of the visible micro-MOSFET. Repeat experiments verified that the position of the peak response of the micro-MOSFET was reproducible. The micro-MOSFET response for 360 deg. of rotation in the axial plane to the micro-MOSFET was ±2%, consistent with values quoted by the manufacturer. The location of the active volume of the micro-MOSFETs under investigation can be determined from the centroid of the visible micro-MOSFET on cone-beam CT images. The CT centroid position corresponds closely to the center of the detector response to radiation. The ability to use the cone-beam CT to locate the active volume to within 0.20 mm allows their use in an integral system test for the imaging of and dose delivery to a phantom containing an array of micro-MOSFETs. The small angular sensitivity allows the investigation of noncoplanar beams

  3. Molecular image in biomedical research. Molecular imaging unit of the National Cancer Research Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Perez Bruzon, J.; Mulero Anhiorte, F.

    2010-01-01

    This article has two basic objectives. firstly, it will review briefly the most important imaging techniques used in biomedical research indicting the most significant aspects related to their application in the preclinical stage. Secondly, it will present a practical application of these techniques in a pure biomedical research centre (not associated to a clinical facility). Practical aspects such as organisation, equipment, work norms, shielding of the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) Imaging Unit will be shown. This is a pioneering facility in the application of these techniques in research centres without any dependence or any direct relationship with other hospital Nuclear Medicine services. (Author) 7 refs.

  4. Artifacts in magnetic resonance imaging of the head

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Iwama, Toru; Andoh, Takashi; Sakai, Noboru; Yamada, Hiromu [Gifu Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine; Funakoshi, Takashi; Akiyama, Shigeru; Yoshida, Kakuro

    1989-08-01

    The results of 505 magnetic resonance (MR) imaging examinations of the head disclosed several different types of artifact. Various artifacts observed with two-dimentional Fourier transformation are described and illustrated. All images were obtained with a 0.5 Tesla superconducting MR imager. About 70% of all images contained artifacts. Phase encoding artifacts due to motion or flow were most frequently observed. Center, 'zipper,' truncation, radiofrequency, and ferromagnetic artifacts and contrast error on inversion recovery (IR) images were noted less frequently. Phase encoding artifacts and contrast errors on IR images totally degraded the images, and 'zipper' artifacts were regional. Center artifacts resembled small infarctions, and ferromagnetic artifacts sometimes mimicked hematmas. It is important to recognize these artifacts and to devise methods to avoid their influence on the region of interest. (author).

  5. Image reconstruction design of industrial CT instrument for teaching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zou Yongning; Cai Yufang

    2009-01-01

    Industrial CT instrument for teaching is applied to teaching and study in field of physics and radiology major, image reconstruction is an important part of software on CT instrument. The paper expatiate on CT physical theory and first generation CT reconstruction algorithm, describe scan process of industrial CT instrument for teaching; analyze image artifact as result of displacement of rotation center, implement method of center displacement correcting, design and complete image reconstruction software, application shows that reconstructed image is very clear and qualitatively high. (authors)

  6. Space Radar Image of Sydney, Australia

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-01-01

    This spaceborne radar image is dominated by the metropolitan area of Australia's largest city, Sydney. Sydney Harbour, with numerous coves and inlets, is seen in the upper center of the image, and the roughly circular Botany Bay is shown in the lower right. The downtown business district of Sydney appears as a bright white area just above the center of the image. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is a white line adjacent to the downtown district. The well-known Sydney Opera House is the small, white dot to the right of the bridge. Urban areas appear yellow, blue and brown. The purple areas are undeveloped areas and park lands. Manly, the famous surfing beach, is shown in yellow at the top center of the image. Runways from the Sydney Airport are the dark features that extend into Botany Bay in the lower right. Botany Bay is the site where Captain James Cook first landed his ship, Endeavour, in 1770. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) on April 20, 1994, onboard the space shuttle Endeavour. The area shown is 33 kilometers by 38kilometers (20 miles by 23 miles) and is centered at 33.9 degrees south latitude, 151.2 degrees east longitude. North is toward the upper left. The colors are assigned to different radar frequenciesand polarizations as follows: red is L-band, vertically transmittedand horizontally received; green is C-band, vertically transmitted and horizontally received; and blue is C-band, vertically transmittedand received. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italianand United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. #####

  7. ASTER 2002-2003 Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Kansas Data Access and Support Center — The Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID):2002-2003 consists of image data gathered by three sensors. The first image data are terrain-corrected, precision...

  8. MODIS 2002-2003 Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Kansas Data Access and Support Center — The Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID):2002-2003 consists of image data gathered by three sensors. The first image data are terrain-corrected, precision...

  9. Subjective matters: from image quality to image psychology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fedorovskaya, Elena A.; De Ridder, Huib

    2013-03-01

    From the advent of digital imaging through several decades of studies, the human vision research community systematically focused on perceived image quality and digital artifacts due to resolution, compression, gamma, dynamic range, capture and reproduction noise, blur, etc., to help overcome existing technological challenges and shortcomings. Technological advances made digital images and digital multimedia nearly flawless in quality, and ubiquitous and pervasive in usage, provide us with the exciting but at the same time demanding possibility to turn to the domain of human experience including higher psychological functions, such as cognition, emotion, awareness, social interaction, consciousness and Self. In this paper we will outline the evolution of human centered multidisciplinary studies related to imaging and propose steps and potential foci of future research.

  10. NEAR-IR TWO PHOTON MICROSCOPY IMAGING OF SILICA NANOPARTICLES FUNCTIONALIZED WITH ISOLATED SENSITIZED Yb(III) CENTERS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lapadula, Giuseppe; Bourdolle, Adrien; Allouche, Florian; Conley, Matthew P.; Maron, Laurent; Lukens, Wayne W.; Guyot, Yannick; Andraud, Chantal; Brasselet, Sophie; Copé; ret, Christophe; Maury, Olivier; Andersen, Richard A.

    2013-01-12

    Bright nano objects emitting in the near infrared with a maximal cross section of 41.4 x 103 GM (Goppert Mayer), were prepared by implanting ca. 180 4,4 diethylaminostyryl 2,2 bipyridine (DEAS) Yb(III) complexes on the surface of 12 nm silica nanoparticles. The surface complexes ([DEAS Ln SiO2], Ln =Y,Yb) were characterized using IR, solid state NMR, UV Vis, EXAFS spectroscopies in combination with the preparation and characterization of similar molecular analogues by analytical techniques (IR, solution NMR, UV Vis, X ray crystallography) as well as DFT calculations. Starting from the partial dehydroxylation of the silica at 700 C on high vacuum having 0.8 OH.nm 2, the grafting of Ln(N(SiMe3)2)3 generate ≤SiO Ln(N(SiMe3)2)2, which upon thermal step and coordination of the DEAS chromophore yields (≤SiO)3Ln(DEAS). Surface and molecular analogues display similar properties, in terms of DEAS binding constants absorption maxima and luminescence properties (intense emission band assigned to a ligand centered CT fluorescence and life time) in the solid state, consistent with the molecular nature of the surface species. The densely functionalized nanoparticles can be dispersed via ultra-sonication in small ca. 15-20 nm aggregates (1 to 6 elementary particles) that were detected using two photon microscopy imaging at 720 nm excitation, making them promising nano objects for bio imaging.

  11. Quantitative description of the morphology and ossification center in the axial skeleton of 20-week gestation formalin-fixed human fetuses using magnetic resonance images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chabert, Steren; Villalobos, Manuel; Ulloa, Patricia; Salas, Rodrigo; Tejos, Cristian; San Martin, Sebastian; Pereda, Jaime

    2012-03-01

    Human tissues are usually studied using a series of two-dimensional visualizations of in vivo or cutout specimens. However, there is no precise anatomical description of some of the processes of human fetal development. The purpose of our study is to develop a quantitative description of the normal axial skeleton by means of high-resolution three-dimensional magnetic resonance (MR) images, collected from six normal 20-week-old human fetuses fixed in formaldehyde. Fetuses were collected after spontaneous abortion and subsequently fixed with formalin. They were imaged using a 1.5 T MR scanner with an isotropic spatial resolution of 200 µm. The correct tissue discrimination between ossified and cartilaginous bones was confirmed by comparing the images achieved by MR scans and computerized axial tomographies. The vertebral column was segmented out from each image using a specially developed semi-automatic algorithm. Vertebral body dimensions and inter-vertebral distances were larger in the lumbar region, in agreement with the beginning of the ossification process from the thoracolumbar region toward the sacral and cephalic ends. In this article, we demonstrate the feasibility of using MR images to study the ossification process in formalin-fixed fetal tissues. A quantitative description of the ossification centers of vertebral bodies and arches is presented. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  12. New Mexico Center for Isotopes in Medicine

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Burchiel, Scott W.

    2012-12-13

    The purpose of the New Mexico Center for Isotopes in Medicine (NMCIM) is to support research, education and service missions of the UNM College of Pharmacy Radiopharmaceutical Sciences Program (COP RSP) and the Cancer Research and Treatment Center (CRTC). NMCIM developed and coordinated unique translational research in cancer radioimaging and radiotherapy agents based on novel molecules developed at UNM and elsewhere. NMCIM was the primary interface for novel radioisotopes and radiochemistries developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) for SPECT/PET imaging and therapy. NMCIM coordinated the use of the small animal imaging facility with the CRTC provided support services to assist investigators in their studies. NMCIM developed education and training programs that benefited professional, graduate, and postdoctoral students that utilized its unique facilities and technologies. UNM COP RSP has been active in writing research and training grants, as well as supporting contract research with industrial partners. The ultimate goal of NMCIM is to bring new radiopharmaceutical imaging and therapeutic agents into clinical trials that will benefit the health and well being of cancer and other patients in New Mexico and the U.S.

  13. A configuração da imagem de um shopping center na percepção de consumidores locais La configuración de la imagen de un centro comercial en la percepción de los consumidores locales The image configuration of a shopping center in the perception of local consumers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriel Sperandio Milan

    2013-04-01

    (11,55% y la dimensión cognitiva (6,68% lo que indica que sus respectivos atributos fueron evocados con menos frecuencia por los consumidores.The present study consists in identifying the image of a Shopping Center in the perspective of local consumers. Images are understood as a being organized as a net of meanings or schemes, which are arranged around a few central elements, socially accepted and shared. Identifying the mental image that consumers have regarding Shopping Center is relevant to direct marketing strategies and actions. Starting from exploratory research was used Method of Image Configuration (MCI, already tested and validated research instrument for identification of images in organizations, products, services and brands, we configured, within a sample of 400 consumers, which is the collective image of consumers on the Shopping Center under study. With base on the Central Nucleus Theory, was identified the attributes and dimensions (cognitive, emotional, functional and symbolic related to images formed by the consumers. The results were displayed in the Graphic of Image Configuration (GCI, which presents the attributes that make up the shopping images, the proximity of these attributes with the Central Image and the size they belong. By the results, the Shopping Center image is more closely linked to functional elements, or the physical features it offers, and symbolic elements, or the meaning that the Shopping Center represents and conveys to consumers. Therefore, the most salient dimensions were the functional dimension (48.06% and the symbolic dimension (33.71% representing over 80% of VT (Total Value of the attributes most remembered and readily evoked. From this, one might think that these two dimensions are the attributes most representative of the common understanding of the interviewers about the Shopping Center. The dimensions less salient were the emotional dimension (11.55% and the cognitive dimension (6.68% indicating that their respective

  14. [Surface coils for magnetic-resonance images].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rodríguez-González, Alfredo Odón; Amador-Baheza, Ricardo; Rojas-Jasso, Rafael; Barrios-Alvarez, Fernando Alejandro

    2005-01-01

    Since the introduction of magnetic resonance imaging in Mexico, the development of this important medical imaging technology has been almost non-existing in our country. The very first surface coil prototypes for clinical applications in magnetic resonance imaging has been developed at the Center of Research in Medical Imaging and Instrumentation of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Iztapalapa (Metropolitan Autonomous University, Campus Iztapalapa). Two surface coil prototypes were built: a) a circular-shaped coil and b) a square-shaped coil for multiple regions of the body, such as heart, brain, knee, hands, and ankles. These coils were tested on the 1.5T imager of the ABC Hospital-Tacubaya, located in Mexico City. Brain images of healthy volunteers were obtained in different orientations: sagittal, coronal, and axial. Since images showed a good-enough clinical quality for diagnosis, it is fair to say that these coil prototypes can be used in the clinical environment, and with small modifications, they can be made compatible with almost any commercial scanner. This type of development can offer new alternatives for further collaboration between the research centers and the radiology community, in the search of new applications and developments of this imaging technique.

  15. A robust Hough transform algorithm for determining the radiation centers of circular and rectangular fields with subpixel accuracy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Du Weiliang; Yang, James [Department of Radiation Physics, University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center, 1515 Holcombe Blvd, Unit 94, Houston, TX 77030 (United States)], E-mail: wdu@mdanderson.org

    2009-02-07

    Uncertainty in localizing the radiation field center is among the major components that contribute to the overall positional error and thus must be minimized. In this study, we developed a Hough transform (HT)-based computer algorithm to localize the radiation center of a circular or rectangular field with subpixel accuracy. We found that the HT method detected the centers of the test circular fields with an absolute error of 0.037 {+-} 0.019 pixels. On a typical electronic portal imager with 0.5 mm image resolution, this mean detection error was translated to 0.02 mm, which was much finer than the image resolution. It is worth noting that the subpixel accuracy described here does not include experimental uncertainties such as linac mechanical instability or room laser inaccuracy. The HT method was more accurate and more robust to image noise and artifacts than the traditional center-of-mass method. Application of the HT method in Winston-Lutz tests was demonstrated to measure the ball-radiation center alignment with subpixel accuracy. Finally, the method was applied to quantitative evaluation of the radiation center wobble during collimator rotation.

  16. Center of Excellence for Laser Applications in Medicine, Microlaser Microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Webb, R. H.

    2003-01-17

    The Center of Excellence for Laser Applications in Medicine at the Schepens Eye Research Institute (SERI) is a Center for: A core group of researchers who support each other and their various projects for real-time medical imaging and diagnostics in contiguous space at SERI. Clinical collaborators who participate in the core research at SERI, MEEI, and local ophthalmology practices, and at associated sites around the world. Industrial partners who transfer our technology to commercial products that will reach clinical usage everywhere. Students, post-doctoral associates and medical fellows who work with us and learn how to practice real-time medical imaging and diagnostics.

  17. Improvement on image quality of single photon ECT with converging collimator system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murayama, Hideo; Nohara, Norimasa; Tanaka, Eiichi

    1986-01-01

    Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with converging collimator system was proposed to improve quality of reconstructed images. The collimator system was designed to enhance sensitivity at the center region of field-of-view, where the probability photons escape the attenuating medium is smaller than at the off-center region. In order to evaluate efficiency of the improvement on image quality, the weighting function of projection, which is defined as relative sensitivity to the average on the lateral sampling of projection, was adopted to the image reconstruction algorithm of Radial Post Correction method. Statistical mean square noise in a reconstructed image was formulated in this method. Simulation studies using typical weighting function showed that center-enhanced weighting function brings effective improvement on image quality, especially, at the center region of cold area surrounded by annularly distributed activity. A new SPECT system was proposed as one example of the converging collimator systems. The system is composed of four gamma cameras with four fan-beam collimators, which have different focal distances one another. Simple simulation studies showed that the proposed system has reasonable center-enhanced weighting function, and the image quality based on the proposed system was fairly improved as compared with one based on uniform weighting function at the center region of the field-of-view. (author)

  18. Nitrogen-Vacancy color center in diamond-emerging nanoscale applications in bioimaging and biosensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Balasubramanian, Gopalakrishnan; Lazariev, Andrii; Arumugam, Sri Ranjini; Duan, De-Wen

    2014-06-01

    Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) color center in diamond is a flourishing research area that, in recent years, has displayed remarkable progress. The system offers great potential for realizing futuristic applications in nanoscience, benefiting a range of fields from bioimaging to quantum-sensing. The ability to image single NV color centers in a nanodiamond and manipulate NV electron spin optically under ambient condition is the main driving force behind developments in nanoscale sensing and novel imaging techniques. In this article we discuss current status on the applications of fluorescent nanodiamonds (FND) for optical super resolution nanoscopy, magneto-optical (spin-assisted) sub-wavelength localization and imaging. We present emerging applications such as single molecule spin imaging, nanoscale imaging of biomagnetic fields, sensing molecular fluctuations and temperatures in live cellular environments. We summarize other current advances and future prospects of NV diamond for imaging and sensing pertaining to bio-medical applications. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Automatic medical image annotation and keyword-based image retrieval using relevance feedback.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ko, Byoung Chul; Lee, JiHyeon; Nam, Jae-Yeal

    2012-08-01

    This paper presents novel multiple keywords annotation for medical images, keyword-based medical image retrieval, and relevance feedback method for image retrieval for enhancing image retrieval performance. For semantic keyword annotation, this study proposes a novel medical image classification method combining local wavelet-based center symmetric-local binary patterns with random forests. For keyword-based image retrieval, our retrieval system use the confidence score that is assigned to each annotated keyword by combining probabilities of random forests with predefined body relation graph. To overcome the limitation of keyword-based image retrieval, we combine our image retrieval system with relevance feedback mechanism based on visual feature and pattern classifier. Compared with other annotation and relevance feedback algorithms, the proposed method shows both improved annotation performance and accurate retrieval results.

  20. Phased implementation of AT and T PACS at Duke University Medical Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stockbridge, C.; Ravin, C.E.

    1986-01-01

    ''Help me communicate more quickly and more effectively with referring clinicians''. This request was the driving behind the installation of the AT and T CommView System at Duke. The CommView System is a type of Digital Image Management System and Picture Archival Communication System whose chief purpose is to deliver interpolated diagnostic images to referring clinicians and attending physicians. The system acquires electronic images from modalities in a diagnostic imaging facility, stores these images in computer managed patient files and distributes these on demand over fiber optic cable to Display Consoles. The CommView System was designed at AT and T Bell Labs; it uses fiber optic ribbon cable between buildings fused to multistrand lightguide building cables to distribute images, typically around a medical center or campus at data transfer rates of 40 Mbps. This paper gives the rationale used in designing a start-up network and placing the initial equipment for a field of the AT and T CommView System in the Radiology Department of Duke University Medical Center

  1. SU-E-J-237: Image Feature Based DRR and Portal Image Registration

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, X; Chang, J [NY Weill Cornell Medical Ctr, NY (United States)

    2014-06-01

    Purpose: Two-dimensional (2D) matching of the kV X-ray and digitally reconstructed radiography (DRR) images is an important setup technique for image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT). In our clinics, mutual information based methods are used for this purpose on commercial linear accelerators, but with often needs for manual corrections. This work proved the feasibility that feature based image transform can be used to register kV and DRR images. Methods: The scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) method was implemented to detect the matching image details (or key points) between the kV and DRR images. These key points represent high image intensity gradients, and thus the scale invariant features. Due to the poor image contrast from our kV image, direct application of the SIFT method yielded many detection errors. To assist the finding of key points, the center coordinates of the kV and DRR images were read from the DICOM header, and the two groups of key points with similar relative positions to their corresponding centers were paired up. Using these points, a rigid transform (with scaling, horizontal and vertical shifts) was estimated. We also artificially introduced vertical and horizontal shifts to test the accuracy of our registration method on anterior-posterior (AP) and lateral pelvic images. Results: The results provided a satisfactory overlay of the transformed kV onto the DRR image. The introduced vs. detected shifts were fit into a linear regression. In the AP image experiments, linear regression analysis showed a slope of 1.15 and 0.98 with an R2 of 0.89 and 0.99 for the horizontal and vertical shifts, respectively. The results are 1.2 and 1.3 with R2 of 0.72 and 0.82 for the lateral image shifts. Conclusion: This work provided an alternative technique for kV to DRR alignment. Further improvements in the estimation accuracy and image contrast tolerance are underway.

  2. Ontology-based, Tissue MicroArray oriented, image centered tissue bank

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Viti Federica

    2008-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Tissue MicroArray technique is becoming increasingly important in pathology for the validation of experimental data from transcriptomic analysis. This approach produces many images which need to be properly managed, if possible with an infrastructure able to support tissue sharing between institutes. Moreover, the available frameworks oriented to Tissue MicroArray provide good storage for clinical patient, sample treatment and block construction information, but their utility is limited by the lack of data integration with biomolecular information. Results In this work we propose a Tissue MicroArray web oriented system to support researchers in managing bio-samples and, through the use of ontologies, enables tissue sharing aimed at the design of Tissue MicroArray experiments and results evaluation. Indeed, our system provides ontological description both for pre-analysis tissue images and for post-process analysis image results, which is crucial for information exchange. Moreover, working on well-defined terms it is then possible to query web resources for literature articles to integrate both pathology and bioinformatics data. Conclusions Using this system, users associate an ontology-based description to each image uploaded into the database and also integrate results with the ontological description of biosequences identified in every tissue. Moreover, it is possible to integrate the ontological description provided by the user with a full compliant gene ontology definition, enabling statistical studies about correlation between the analyzed pathology and the most commonly related biological processes.

  3. Assessment of panoral radiograph quality in a dental treatment center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hana Abdul-Wahab

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose: The quality of orthopantogram (OPG images is primarily a function of patient positioning during image capture. The purpose of the investigation was to evaluate the quality of digital panoral radiographic images obtained by using the same imaging device in a large dental treatment center on the basis of the radiography technician operator securing the image. Materials and Methods: Three hundred OPGs radiographs taken on a Kodak 8000C Digital Panoramic and Cephalometric System device in a large dental treatment center comprised the sample. The most recent OPGs beginning at May 2010 through 2007 were selected for three radiography technicians until subgroups of 100 OPGs per technician were obtained. Each panoral was evaluated by two investigators for 21 OPG image errors. Results: Mean panoral total score was 14.71 and mean grade was 2.41 for the entire sample indicating a “good” quality. Significant differences were found among technicians for 3 of 21 panoral fault variables. The relative contribution to inferior OPG quality was greatest for the following positioning faults in rank order: Gazebo effect (11.3%, condyles pushed out (11.0%, unclear nasal structures (10.0%, airspace over U6s (9.5%, and condyles image top (9.0%. Conclusions: There were no significant differences among technicians for overall quality indicators (total score and grade. However, statistically significant differences among the three technicians were found for image error wide anterior teeth, Gazebo effect, and unclear nasal structures.

  4. Imaging of melorheostosis : emphasis on MR imaging findings

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Chang Hyon; Lee, Sang Kwon; Kim, Jong Yeol; Shin, Tae Bum; Kim, Young Whan; Pak, Hyo Yong; Kim, Yong Joo; Kang, Duk Sik [College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Taegu (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Yeong Hwan [College of Medicine, Catholic University of Taegu-Hyosung, Taegu (Korea, Republic of); Byun, Kyung Hwan [Kumi CHA General Hospital, College of Medicine, Pochon CHA University, Kumi (Korea, Republic of)

    2000-02-01

    To evaluate the usefulness of various radiographic imaging modalities in the diagnosis and characterization of melorheostosis. We retrospectively evaluated the plain film (n=3D8), computed tomographic (CT) imaging (n=3D5) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (n=3D5) findings of eight patients with melorheostosis diagnosed by bone biopsy (n=3D4) and characteristic radiographic findings (n=3D8). MR images were obtained with a 1.5-T scanner focused on the region of maximal radiographic abnormality. Pulse sequences include T1-weighted SE. T2-weighted fast SE (n=3D5) and postcontrast imaging (n=3D4). In order to define subtle enhancement of the lesions, subtraction MR images were obtained in one case. Imaging findings were analyzed with particular emphasis on the distribution lesions along the sclerotome, differential radiographic findings between diaphyseal and metaepiphyseal lesions of the long bones, as seen on plain radiographs, and the density and signal characteristics of hyperostotic lesions, as seen on CT and MR images. Characteristic distribution along the sclerotome was identified in five of eight cases mainly along C6 and 7 (n=3D2) and L3, 4 and 5 (n=3D3) sclerotomes. In diaphyseal melorherostosis (8/8), a characteristic finding, i.e., a wax flowing down from the candle, was identified on plain radiographs. In all three patients with metaepiphyseal melorheostosis (3/8), multiple round or oval hyperostotic lesions were seen in the epipysis and metaphysis of the long bones. On CT, the marrow cavity was partly obliterated by hyperostotic lesions in all five patients with endosteal hyperostosis. Among these, central ground glass opacity with a sclerotic rim was seen in three patients. Periosteal hyperostosis was seen in two of five cases, being visualized as irregular excrescence in the periosteal region and surrounding soft tissue. Individual hyperostosis was visualized as hypointense on T1-weighted images and as a hyperintense center with a surrounding

  5. Curent requirements for image management in radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Steil, V.; Schneider, F.; Wenz, F.; Lohr, F.; Roehner, F.; Weisser, G.

    2012-01-01

    Treatment techniques of increasing complexity such as dynamic/rotational techniques mandate digital management and increasingly image guidance. This constantly increases requirements for image management and archiving. This article discusses the current status of these requirements and will present potential image administration strategies. Fundamentals of image administration and storage/archiving are presented (DICOM Standard, radiotherapy-specific issues) along the typical patient pathway (demographic data, radiotherapy treatment planning, signatures/approval of plan and image data, archiving of plan and image data). Different strategies for image management are presented (archiving centered on individual application vs. integral approach with central archiving in a DICOM-RT-PACS governed by a radiation oncology information system (ROCIS)). Infrastructural requirements depending on the amount of image data generated in the department are discussed. Application-centered image management provides access to image data including all relevant RT-specific elements. This approach, however, is not migration-safe, requires significant administrative work to ensure a redundancy level that protects against data loss and does not provide datasets that are linked to respective therapeutic interventions. Therefore, centralized image management and archiving that links images to patients and individual steps in the treatment pathway within a standardized DICOM(-RT) environment is preferable despite occasional problems with visualization of specific data elements. (orig.)

  6. Meeting report--Imaging the Cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moreau, Violaine; Cordelières, Fabrice P; Poujol, Christel; Sagot, Isabelle; Saltel, Frédéric

    2015-11-01

    Every two years, the French Society for Cell Biology (SBCF) organises an international meeting called 'Imaging the Cell'. This year, the 8th edition was held on 24-26 June 2015 at University of Bordeaux Campus Victoire in the city of Bordeaux, France, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Over the course of three days, the meeting provided a forum for experts in different areas of cell imaging. Its unique approach was to combine conventional oral presentations during morning sessions with practical workshops at hosting institutes and the Bordeaux Imaging Center during the afternoons. The meeting, co-organised by Violaine Moreau and Frédéric Saltel (both INSERM U1053, Bordeaux, France), Christel Poujol and Fabrice Cordelières (both Bordeaux Imaging Center, Bordeaux, France) and Isabelle Sagot (Institut de Biochimie et Génétique Cellulaires, Bordeaux, France), brought together about 120 scientists including 16 outstanding speakers to discuss the latest advances in cell imaging. Thanks to recent progress in imaging technologies, cell biologists are now able to visualise, follow and manipulate cellular processes with unprecedented accuracy. The meeting sessions and workshops highlighted some of the most exciting developments in the field, with sessions dedicated to optogenetics, high-content screening, in vivo and live-cell imaging, correlative light and electron microscopy, as well as super-resolution imaging. © 2015. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

  7. Trends in Publications in Radiology Journals Designated as Relating to Patient-Centered Care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosenkrantz, Andrew B; Rawson, James V

    2017-05-01

    To assess trends in publications in radiology journals designated as dealing with patient-centered care. PubMed was searched for articles in radiology journals for which the article's record referenced patient-centered/patient-centric care. Among these, original research articles were identified and assigned major themes. Trends were assessed descriptively. A total of 115 articles in radiology journals designated as dealing with patient-centered care were identified, including 40 original research articles. The number of articles annually ranged from 0 to 4 in 2000-2008, 5 to 9 in 2010-2012, 14 to 15 in 2013-2014, and 25 in 2015. Only four radiology journals had published more than one of the original research articles. Original research articles' most common themes were: optimization of patients' access to reports and images (n=7); patients' examination experience (5); image evaluation (n=4); radiologists meeting with patients (n=4); improving patients' knowledge of imaging (n=3); examination wait times/efficiency (n=3); examination utilization/appropriateness (n=3); and IT enhancements (n=3). A total of 13 of 40 original research articles solicited opinions from patients. One study involved patients in educating trainees regarding patient-centered care. No study involved patients in system-level decisions regarding health care design and delivery. Articles dealing with patient-centered care in radiology are increasing, though they remain concentrated in a limited number of journals. Though major themes included image/report access, patient experiences, and radiologists meeting with patients, many studies dealt with less clearly patient-centric topics such as examination interpretation, while inclusion of patients in systems design was lacking. Further research in radiology is encouraged to target a broader range of ideals of patient-centered care, such as diversity, autonomy, and compassion, and to incorporate greater patient engagement. Copyright © 2016

  8. High-resolution single photon planar and spect imaging of brain and neck employing a system of two co-registered opposed gamma imaging heads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Majewski, Stanislaw [Yorktown, VA; Proffitt, James [Newport News, VA

    2011-12-06

    A compact, mobile, dedicated SPECT brain imager that can be easily moved to the patient to provide in-situ imaging, especially when the patient cannot be moved to the Nuclear Medicine imaging center. As a result of the widespread availability of single photon labeled biomarkers, the SPECT brain imager can be used in many locations, including remote locations away from medical centers. The SPECT imager improves the detection of gamma emission from the patient's head and neck area with a large field of view. Two identical lightweight gamma imaging detector heads are mounted to a rotating gantry and precisely mechanically co-registered to each other at 180 degrees. A unique imaging algorithm combines the co-registered images from the detector heads and provides several SPECT tomographic reconstructions of the imaged object thereby improving the diagnostic quality especially in the case of imaging requiring higher spatial resolution and sensitivity at the same time.

  9. Super-resolution processing for pulsed neutron imaging system using a high-speed camera

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ishizuka, Ken; Kai, Tetsuya; Shinohara, Takenao; Segawa, Mariko; Mochiki, Koichi

    2015-01-01

    Super-resolution and center-of-gravity processing improve the resolution of neutron-transmitted images. These processing methods calculate the center-of-gravity pixel or sub-pixel of the neutron point converted into light by a scintillator. The conventional neutron-transmitted image is acquired using a high-speed camera by integrating many frames when a transmitted image with one frame is not provided. It succeeds in acquiring the transmitted image and calculating a spectrum by integrating frames of the same energy. However, because a high frame rate is required for neutron resonance absorption imaging, the number of pixels of the transmitted image decreases, and the resolution decreases to the limit of the camera performance. Therefore, we attempt to improve the resolution by integrating the frames after applying super-resolution or center-of-gravity processing. The processed results indicate that center-of-gravity processing can be effective in pulsed-neutron imaging with a high-speed camera. In addition, the results show that super-resolution processing is effective indirectly. A project to develop a real-time image data processing system has begun, and this system will be used at J-PARC in JAEA. (author)

  10. Time-motion analysis of factors affecting patient throughput in an MR imaging center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    O'Donohue, J.; Enzmann, D.R.

    1986-01-01

    The high cost of MR imaging makes efficient use essential. In an effort to increase patient throughput, attention has been focused on shortening the imaging time through reductions in matrix size and number of excitations, and through the use of newer ''fast imaging'' techniques. Less attention has been given to other time-consuming aspects not directly related to imaging time. The authors undertook a time-motion study using a daily log of minute-by-minute activities associated with an MR imaging examination. The times required for the following components of the examination were measured: total study time, examination set-up time, intrastudy physician ''image review'' time, and interstudy patient turnover time. The time lost to claustrophobic reactions, patients' failure to appear for scheduled examinations, unanticipated patient care (sedation, reassurance), and equipment malfunction was also analyzed. Actual imaging time accounted for a relatively small proportion (42%) of total study time. Other factors such as intrastudy image review time (15%), interstudy patient turnover time (11%), and time lost due to claustrophobic reactions, patients' failure to appear for scheduled examinations, and equipment malfunction contributed significantly to the total study time. Simple solutions to these problems can contribute greatly to increasing patient throughput

  11. Center for X-Ray Optics, 1992

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1993-08-01

    This report discusses the following topics: Center for X-Ray Optics; Soft X-Ray Imaging wit Zone Plate Lenses; Biological X-Ray microscopy; Extreme Ultraviolet Lithography for Nanoelectronic Pattern Transfer; Multilayer Reflective Optics; EUV/Soft X-ray Reflectometer; Photoemission Microscopy with Reflective Optics; Spectroscopy with Soft X-Rays; Hard X-Ray Microprobe; Coronary Angiography; and Atomic Scattering Factors

  12. Risks of propofol sedation/anesthesia for imaging studies in pediatric research: eight years of experience in a clinical research center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kiringoda, Ruwan; Thurm, Audrey E; Hirschtritt, Matthew E; Koziol, Deloris; Wesley, Robert; Swedo, Susan E; O'Grady, Naomi P; Quezado, Zenaide M N

    2010-06-01

    To quantify the incidence of adverse events associated with anesthesia given for research-driven imaging studies and to identify risk factors for those events in pediatric research subjects. Retrospective cohort study. National Institutes of Health Clinical Center. Children and adolescents enrolled in clinical research protocols who required anesthesia for research-related imaging studies from January 2000 to September 2008. Propofol sedation/anesthesia. The occurrence of respiratory, cardiovascular, and all anesthesia-related adverse events that required intervention while receiving anesthetics for research-driven imaging studies and other noninvasive procedures. We identified 607 children who received 1480 propofol anesthetic procedures for imaging studies. Seventy percent of anesthetics were given to subjects with severe diseases and significant disabilities (American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status [ASA] III). Anesthesia had a mean (SD) duration of 115 (55) minutes, and in 12.5% of procedures, an airway device was necessary. There were 98 notable respiratory, cardiovascular, and other events in 79 anesthetic procedures, a rate of 534 per 10 000 anesthetic procedures with 1 or more adverse events. There was no long-lasting morbidity or mortality. The ASA classification (odds ratio [OR], 2.92; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24-6.88), anesthetic effect duration (OR, 1.46; 95% CI, 1.25-1.70), and presence of airway abnormalities (OR, 4.41; 95% CI, 1.60-12.12) were independently associated with adverse events during anesthetic use. In our clinical research sample of high-risk children who received sedation/anesthesia by an anesthesiologist, we observed a low incidence of adverse events and no long-term complications. Risk factors for adverse events included higher ASA classification, increasing anesthetic duration, and presence of airway abnormalities.

  13. Hybridizing Differential Evolution with a Genetic Algorithm for Color Image Segmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. V. V. Krishna

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a hybrid of differential evolution and genetic algorithms to solve the color image segmentation problem. Clustering based color image segmentation algorithms segment an image by clustering the features of color and texture, thereby obtaining accurate prototype cluster centers. In the proposed algorithm, the color features are obtained using the homogeneity model. A new texture feature named Power Law Descriptor (PLD which is a modification of Weber Local Descriptor (WLD is proposed and further used as a texture feature for clustering. Genetic algorithms are competent in handling binary variables, while differential evolution on the other hand is more efficient in handling real parameters. The obtained texture feature is binary in nature and the color feature is a real value, which suits very well the hybrid cluster center optimization problem in image segmentation. Thus in the proposed algorithm, the optimum texture feature centers are evolved using genetic algorithms, whereas the optimum color feature centers are evolved using differential evolution.

  14. Plan for radiological security at a university health center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Huiaman Mendoza, G.M.; Sanchez Riojas, M.M.; Felix JImenez, D.

    1998-01-01

    This work shows a radiological security plan applied to a Basic Radiological Service at a university health center. Factors taken into account were installation designs, equipment operation parameters, work procedures, image system and responsibilities

  15. Silicon-Vacancy Color Centers in Nanodiamonds: Cathodoluminescence Imaging Marker in the Near Infrared

    OpenAIRE

    Zhang, Huiliang; Aharonovich, Igor; Glenn, David R.; Schalek, R.; Magyar, Andrew P.; Lichtman, Jeff W.; Hu, Evelyn L.; Walsworth, Ronald L.

    2013-01-01

    We demonstrate that nanodiamonds fabricated to incorporate silicon-vacancy (Si-V) color centers provide bright, spectrally narrow, and stable cathodoluminescence (CL) in the near-infrared. Si-V color centers containing nanodiamonds are promising as non-bleaching optical markers for correlated CL and secondary electron microscopy, including applications to nanoscale bioimaging.

  16. Quantitative perfusion imaging in magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zoellner, F.G.; Gaa, T.; Zimmer, F.; Ong, M.M.; Riffel, P.; Hausmann, D.; Schoenberg, S.O.; Weis, M.

    2016-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recognized for its superior tissue contrast while being non-invasive and free of ionizing radiation. Due to the development of new scanner hardware and fast imaging techniques during the last decades, access to tissue and organ functions became possible. One of these functional imaging techniques is perfusion imaging with which tissue perfusion and capillary permeability can be determined from dynamic imaging data. Perfusion imaging by MRI can be performed by two approaches, arterial spin labeling (ASL) and dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) MRI. While the first method uses magnetically labelled water protons in arterial blood as an endogenous tracer, the latter involves the injection of a contrast agent, usually gadolinium (Gd), as a tracer for calculating hemodynamic parameters. Studies have demonstrated the potential of perfusion MRI for diagnostics and also for therapy monitoring. The utilization and application of perfusion MRI are still restricted to specialized centers, such as university hospitals. A broad application of the technique has not yet been implemented. The MRI perfusion technique is a valuable tool that might come broadly available after implementation of standards on European and international levels. Such efforts are being promoted by the respective professional bodies. (orig.) [de

  17. Radial MR images of the knee

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hewes, R.C.; Miller, T.R.

    1988-01-01

    To profile optimally each portion of the meniscus, the authors use the multiangle, multisection feature of a General Electric SIGNA 1.5-T imager to produce radial images centered on each meniscus. A total of 12-15 sections are imaged at 10 0 -15 0 intervals of each meniscus, yielding perpendicular images of the entire meniscus, comparable with the arthrographic tangential views. The authors review their technique and demonstrate correlation cases between the radial gradient recalled acquisition in a steady state sequences, sagittal and coronal MR images, and arthrograms. Radial images should be a routine part of knee MR imaging

  18. Positron emission tomography: Physics, instrumentation, and image analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Porenta, G.

    1994-01-01

    Positron emission tomography (PET) is a noninvasive diagnostic technique that permits reconstruction of cross-sectional images of the human body which depict the biodistribution of PET tracer substances. A large variety of physiological PET tracers, mostly based on isotopes of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine is available and allows the in vivo investigation of organ perfusion, metabolic pathways and biomolecular processes in normal and diseased states. PET cameras utilize the physical characteristics of positron decay to derive quantitative measurements of tracer concentrations, a capability that has so far been elusive for conventional SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography) imaging techniques. Due to the short half lives of most PET isotopes, an on-site cyclotron and a radiochemistry unit are necessary to provide an adequate supply of PET tracers. While operating a PET center in the past was a complex procedure restricted to few academic centers with ample resources. PET technology has rapidly advanced in recent years and has entered the commercial nuclear medicine market. To date, the availability of compact cyclotrons with remote computer control, automated synthesis units for PET radiochemistry, high-performance PET cameras, and userfriendly analysis workstations permits installation of a clinical PET center within most nuclear medicine facilities. This review provides simple descriptions of important aspects concerning physics, instrumentation, and image analysis in PET imaging which should be understood by medical personnel involved in the clinical operation of a PET imaging center. (author)

  19. Image-guided cryoablation for the treatment of painful musculoskeletal metastatic disease: a single-center experience

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prologo, J.D. [Emory University Hospital, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Division of Interventional Radiology and Image-Guided Medicine, Atlanta, GA (United States); Passalacqua, Matthew; Patel, Indravadan; Bohnert, Nathan [University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Cleveland, OH (United States); Corn, David J. [University Hospitals Case Medical Center, Departments of Radiology and Biomedical Engineering, Cleveland, OH (United States)

    2014-11-15

    The role of image-guided thermal ablation techniques for the nonoperative local management of painful osseous metastatic disease has expanded during recent years, and several advantages of cryoablation in this setting have emerged. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate and report a single-center experience of CT-guided percutaneous cryoablation in the setting of painful musculoskeletal metastatic disease. This study was approved by the institutional review board and is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Electronic medical records of all patients who underwent percutaneous image-guided palliative cryoablation at our institution were reviewed (n = 61). An intent-to-treat analysis was performed. Records were reviewed for demographic data and anatomical data, primary tumor type, procedure details, and outcome - including change in analgesic requirements (expressed as morphine equivalent dosages), pain scores (utilizing the clinically implemented visual analog scale), subsequent therapies (including radiation and/or surgery), and complications during the 24 h following the procedure and at 3 months. Patients were excluded (n = 7) if data were not retrospectively identifiable at the defined time points. Fifty-four tumors were ablated in 50 patients. There were statistically significant decreases in the median VAS score and narcotic usage at both 24 h and 3 months (p < 0.000). Six patients (11 %) incurred complications related to their therapy. Two patients had no relief at 24 h, of which both reported worsened pain at 3 months. One patient had initial relief but symptom recurrence at 3 months. Four patients went on to have radiation therapy of the ablation site at some point following the procedure. CT-guided cryoablation is a safe, effective, reproducible procedural option for the nonoperative local treatment of painful musculoskeletal metastatic disease. (orig.)

  20. Image-guided cryoablation for the treatment of painful musculoskeletal metastatic disease: a single-center experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Prologo, J.D.; Passalacqua, Matthew; Patel, Indravadan; Bohnert, Nathan; Corn, David J.

    2014-01-01

    The role of image-guided thermal ablation techniques for the nonoperative local management of painful osseous metastatic disease has expanded during recent years, and several advantages of cryoablation in this setting have emerged. The purpose of this study is to retrospectively evaluate and report a single-center experience of CT-guided percutaneous cryoablation in the setting of painful musculoskeletal metastatic disease. This study was approved by the institutional review board and is compliant with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Electronic medical records of all patients who underwent percutaneous image-guided palliative cryoablation at our institution were reviewed (n = 61). An intent-to-treat analysis was performed. Records were reviewed for demographic data and anatomical data, primary tumor type, procedure details, and outcome - including change in analgesic requirements (expressed as morphine equivalent dosages), pain scores (utilizing the clinically implemented visual analog scale), subsequent therapies (including radiation and/or surgery), and complications during the 24 h following the procedure and at 3 months. Patients were excluded (n = 7) if data were not retrospectively identifiable at the defined time points. Fifty-four tumors were ablated in 50 patients. There were statistically significant decreases in the median VAS score and narcotic usage at both 24 h and 3 months (p < 0.000). Six patients (11 %) incurred complications related to their therapy. Two patients had no relief at 24 h, of which both reported worsened pain at 3 months. One patient had initial relief but symptom recurrence at 3 months. Four patients went on to have radiation therapy of the ablation site at some point following the procedure. CT-guided cryoablation is a safe, effective, reproducible procedural option for the nonoperative local treatment of painful musculoskeletal metastatic disease. (orig.)

  1. Predicting behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia with pattern classification in multi-center structural MRI data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sebastian Meyer

    2017-01-01

    Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that MRI, a widespread imaging technology, can individually identify bvFTD with high accuracy in multi-center imaging data, paving the road to personalized diagnostic approaches in the future.

  2. Forest Imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    1992-01-01

    NASA's Technology Applications Center, with other government and academic agencies, provided technology for improved resources management to the Cibola National Forest. Landsat satellite images enabled vegetation over a large area to be classified for purposes of timber analysis, wildlife habitat, range measurement and development of general vegetation maps.

  3. Digital cine-imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Masuda, Kazuhiro

    1992-01-01

    Digitization of fluoroscopic images has been developed for the digital cine imaging system as a result of the computer technology, television technology, and popularization of interventional radiology. Present digital cine imaging system is able to offer images similar to cine film because of the higher operatability and better image quality with the development of interventional radiology. As a result, its higher usefulness for catheter diagnosis examination except for interventional radiology was reported, and the possibility of having filmless cine is close to becoming a reality. However several problems have been pointed out, such as spatial resolution, time resolution, storage and exchangeability of data, disconsolidated viewing functions, etc. Anyhow, digital cine imaging system has some unresolved points and lots the needs to be discussed. The tendency of digitization is the passage of the time and we have to promote a study for more useful digital cine imaging system in team medical treatment which centers on the patients. (author)

  4. Adaptive optics retinal imaging with automatic detection of the pupil and its boundary in real time using Shack-Hartmann images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Castro, Alberto; Sawides, Lucie; Qi, Xiaofeng; Burns, Stephen A

    2017-08-20

    Retinal imaging with an adaptive optics (AO) system usually requires that the eye be centered and stable relative to the exit pupil of the system. Aberrations are then typically corrected inside a fixed circular pupil. This approach can be restrictive when imaging some subjects, since the pupil may not be round and maintaining a stable head position can be difficult. In this paper, we present an automatic algorithm that relaxes these constraints. An image quality metric is computed for each spot of the Shack-Hartmann image to detect the pupil and its boundary, and the control algorithm is applied only to regions within the subject's pupil. Images on a model eye as well as for five subjects were obtained to show that a system exit pupil larger than the subject's eye pupil could be used for AO retinal imaging without a reduction in image quality. This algorithm automates the task of selecting pupil size. It also may relax constraints on centering the subject's pupil and on the shape of the pupil.

  5. Paroxysmal occipital discharges suppressed by eye opening: spectrum of clinical and imaging features at a tertiary care center in India.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaul, Bhavna; Shukla, Garima; Goyal, Vinay; Srivastava, Achal; Behari, Madhuri

    2012-01-01

    Paroxysmal occipital discharges (PODs) demonstrating the phenomena of fixation-off sensitivity have classically been described in childhood epilepsies with occipital paroxysms. We attempted to delineate the demographic, clinical and imaging characteristics of patients whose interictal electroencephalograms (EEGs) showed occipital discharges with fixation-off sensitivity at our center. During the period between 2003 and 2005, patients whose interictal EEGs showed PODs were included in the study. A detailed history, clinical examination and EEG findings along with imaging characteristics were analyzed. Of the 9,104 interictal EEGs screened during the study period, 11 patients (6 females and 5 males) aged between 5 and 17 years were identified to have PODs with fixation-off sensitivity. Five had history of generalized tonic-clonic seizures. Three patients could be classified under Panayiotopoulos syndrome; the remaining 8 (72.2%) patients had symptomatic epilepsy. This study suggests that the phenomenon of fixation-off sensitivity is found not only in patients of idiopathic focal epilepsies, but also in a substantial number of patients of symptomatic epilepsy. The high proportion of symptomatic epilepsy with phenomenon of fixation-off sensitivity may be related to the referral pattern.

  6. Radar Image, Hokkaido, Japan

    Science.gov (United States)

    2000-01-01

    The southeast part of the island of Hokkaido, Japan, is an area dominated by volcanoes and volcanic caldera. The active Usu Volcano is at the lower right edge of the circular Lake Toya-Ko and near the center of the image. The prominent cone above and to the left of the lake is Yotei Volcano with its summit crater. The city of Sapporo lies at the base of the mountains at the top of the image and the town of Yoichi -- the hometown of SRTM astronaut Mamoru Mohri -- is at the upper left edge. The bay of Uchiura-Wan takes up the lower center of the image. In this image, color represents elevation, from blue at the lowest elevations to white at the highest. The radar image has been overlaid to provide more details of the terrain. Due to a processing problem, an island in the center of this crater lake is missing and will be properly placed when further SRTM swaths are processed. The horizontal banding in this image is a processing artifact that will be removed when the navigation information collected by SRTM is fully calibrated. This image was acquired by the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour, launched on February 11, 2000. SRTM used the same radar instrument that comprised the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) that flew twice on the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994. SRTM was designed to collect three-dimensional measurements of the Earth's surface. To collect the 3-D data, engineers added a 60-meter-long (200-foot) mast, installed additional C-band and X-band antennas, and improved tracking and navigation devices. The mission is a cooperative project between the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and the German and Italian space agencies. It is managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA, for NASA's Earth Science Enterprise, Washington, DC. Size: 100 by 150 kilometers (62

  7. Groupwise registration of MR brain images with tumors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tang, Zhenyu; Wu, Yihong; Fan, Yong

    2017-09-01

    A novel groupwise image registration framework is developed for registering MR brain images with tumors. Our method iteratively estimates a normal-appearance counterpart for each tumor image to be registered and constructs a directed graph (digraph) of normal-appearance images to guide the groupwise image registration. Particularly, our method maps each tumor image to its normal appearance counterpart by identifying and inpainting brain tumor regions with intensity information estimated using a low-rank plus sparse matrix decomposition based image representation technique. The estimated normal-appearance images are groupwisely registered to a group center image guided by a digraph of images so that the total length of ‘image registration paths’ to be the minimum, and then the original tumor images are warped to the group center image using the resulting deformation fields. We have evaluated our method based on both simulated and real MR brain tumor images. The registration results were evaluated with overlap measures of corresponding brain regions and average entropy of image intensity information, and Wilcoxon signed rank tests were adopted to compare different methods with respect to their regional overlap measures. Compared with a groupwise image registration method that is applied to normal-appearance images estimated using the traditional low-rank plus sparse matrix decomposition based image inpainting, our method achieved higher image registration accuracy with statistical significance (p  =  7.02  ×  10-9).

  8. Scientific and technical photography at NASA Langley Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidhazy, Andrew

    1994-01-01

    As part of my assignment connected with the Scientific and Technical Photography & Lab (STPL) at the NASA Langley Research Center I conducted a series of interviews and observed the day to day operations of the STPL with the ultimate objective of becoming exposed first hand to a scientific and technical photo/imaging department for which my school prepares its graduates. I was also asked to share my observations with the staff in order that these comments and observations might assist the STPL to better serve its customers. Meetings with several individuals responsible for various wind tunnels and with a group that provides photo-optical instrumentation services at the Center gave me an overview of the services provided by the Lab and possible areas for development. In summary form these are some of the observations that resulted from the interviews and daily contact with the STPL facility. (1) The STPL is perceived as a valuable and almost indispensable service group within the organization. This comment was invariably made by everyone. Everyone also seemed to support the idea that the STPL continue to provide its current level of service and quality. (2) The STPL generally is not perceived to be a highly technically oriented group but rather as a provider of high quality photographic illustration and documentation services. In spite of the importance and high marks assigned to the STPL there are several observations that merit consideration and evaluation for possible inclusion into the STPL's scope of expertise and future operating practices. (1) While the care and concern for artistic rendition of subjects is seen as laudable and sometimes valuable, the time that this often requires is seen as interfering with keeping the tunnels operating at maximum productivity. Tunnel managers would like to shorten down-time due to photography, have services available during evening hours and on short notice. It may be of interest to the STPL that tunnel managers are

  9. Laser Imaging Video Camera Sees Through Fire, Fog, Smoke

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Under a series of SBIR contracts with Langley Research Center, inventor Richard Billmers refined a prototype for a laser imaging camera capable of seeing through fire, fog, smoke, and other obscurants. Now, Canton, Ohio-based Laser Imaging through Obscurants (LITO) Technologies Inc. is demonstrating the technology as a perimeter security system at Glenn Research Center and planning its future use in aviation, shipping, emergency response, and other fields.

  10. Broadband, large-area microwave antenna for optically detected magnetic resonance of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sasaki, Kento; Monnai, Yasuaki; Saijo, Soya; Fujita, Ryushiro; Ishi-Hayase, Junko; Itoh, Kohei M., E-mail: kitoh@appi.keio.ac.jp; Abe, Eisuke, E-mail: e-abe@keio.jp [School of Fundamental Science and Technology, Keio University, 3-14-1 Hiyoshi, Kohoku-ku, Yokohama 223-8522 (Japan); Watanabe, Hideyuki [Correlated Electronics Group, Electronics and Photonics Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba Central 5, 1-1-1, Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8565 (Japan)

    2016-05-15

    We report on a microwave planar ring antenna specifically designed for optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. It has the resonance frequency at around 2.87 GHz with the bandwidth of 400 MHz, ensuring that ODMR can be observed under external magnetic fields up to 100 G without the need of adjustment of the resonance frequency. It is also spatially uniform within the 1-mm-diameter center hole, enabling the magnetic-field imaging in the wide spatial range. These features facilitate the experiments on quantum sensing and imaging using NV centers at room temperature.

  11. FNTD radiation dosimetry system enhanced with dual-color wide-field imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akselrod, M.S.; Fomenko, V.V.; Bartz, J.A.; Ding, F.

    2014-01-01

    At high neutron and photon doses Fluorescent Nuclear Track Detectors (FNTDs) require operation in analog mode and the measurement results depend on individual crystal color center concentration (coloration). We describe a new method for radiation dosimetry using FNTDs, which includes non-destructive, automatic sensitivity calibration for each individual FNTD. In the method presented, confocal laser scanning fluorescent imaging of FNTDs is combined with dual-color wide field imaging of the FNTD. The calibration is achieved by measuring the color center concentration in the detector through fluorescence imaging and reducing the effect of diffuse reflection on the lapped surface of the FNTD by imaging with infra-red (IR) light. The dual-color imaging of FNTDs is shown to provide a good estimation of the detector sensitivity at high doses of photons and neutrons, where conventional track counting is impeded by track overlap. - Highlights: • New method and optical imaging head was developed for FNTD used at high doses. • Dual-color wide-field imaging used for color center concentration measurement. • Green fluorescence corrected by diffuse reflection used for sensitivity correction. • FNTD dose measurements performed in analog processing mode

  12. LORIS: A web-based data management system for multi-center studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Samir eDas

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available LORIS (Longitudinal Online Research and Imaging System is a modular and extensible web-based data management system that integrates all aspects of a multi-center study: from heterogeneous data acquisition (imaging, clinical, behavior, genetics to storage, processing and ultimately dissemination. It provides a secure, user-friendly, and streamlined platform to automate the flow of clinical trials and complex multi-center studies. A subject-centric internal organization allows researchers to capture and subsequently extract all information, longitudinal or cross-sectional, from any subset of the study cohort. Extensive error-checking and quality control procedures, security, data management, data querying and administrative functions provide LORIS with a triple capability (i continuous project coordination and monitoring of data acquisition (ii data storage/cleaning/querying, (iii interface with arbitrary external data processing pipelines. LORIS is a complete solution that has been thoroughly tested through the full life cycle of a multi-center longitudinal project# and is now supporting numerous neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration research projects internationally.

  13. IMPLEMENTASI MANAJEMEN PEMASARAN DALAM RANGKA MEMBANGUN CITRA (IMAGE MASYARAKAT TERHADAP PUSKESMAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ristrini Ristrini

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available In autonomy era, public health center demanded become customer-driven government that paying attention on needsand wants their peoples, emphasize service satisfaction aspect. Therefore, health centers shall be more focus on marketing concept than selling concept. To be marketing concept accepted and can be operated by public health center, then should be done marketing encompassed: (1 marketing was applicable to their specific situation and (2 health center manager must be educates to recognize the scope and complexity of marketing. Health center marketing management implementation done through steps, that were (1 health center marketing plan, (2 health center marketing organization, (3 health center marketing implementation, and (4 health center marketing control. Health center marketing through some variables that were: paramedic workers, building and room, facilities, equipment and medication, activity result and service process. Health center manager and staffs must be understanding about marketing concept, internal marketing and interactive marketing incomposing its marketing strategies. The task of health center manager in creating service excellence strategy in increasing people image on health center, be more satisfaction result-oriented. Key words: marketing management, community image, health center marketing

  14. Breast Imaging Second Opinions Impact Surgical Management.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spivey, Tara Lynn; Carlson, Kjirsten Ayn; Janssen, Imke; Witt, Thomas R; Jokich, Peter; Madrigrano, Andrea

    2015-07-01

    Breast surgeons often see women for second opinions for abnormalities found on breast imaging. For second opinions, these images are submitted for review and interpretation by dedicated breast imagers. This study evaluated the conformity of results among interpretation of imaging submitted from outside hospitals both from tertiary care centers, as well as community programs, in an attempt to evaluate the utility of this practice for the sake of clinical management and resource utilization. A retrospective chart review was conducted on all breast patients that submitted outside imaging films for the years 2011 to 2013 at Rush University Medical Center (RUMC). The radiologic diagnosis and each patient's proposed management plan was collected and evaluated for concordance between the outside institutions and RUMC. A total of 380 patients who presented for second opinions with an interpretation of outside exams were evaluated. In 47.4 % [95 % confidence interval (CI) 42.4-52.4] of cases there was distinct variance in radiologic impression. For 53.5 % (95 % CI 48.4-58.5) of patients, there was a change in recommended management plan, which included recommendations for either additional imaging or need for additional biopsy. In total, this changed the overall surgical management in 27.1 % (95 % CI 22.8-31.9) of cases. In six patients, the reinterpretation of outside imaging detected new malignancies not previously identified. Overall, 83.7 % (95 % CI 79.7-87.1) of patients who submitted imaging from outside institutions chose to complete the remainder of their treatment at RUMC. The practice of second opinion review changed overall definitive management at our specialty center in more than one in four cases. In addition, the review identified six previously unrecognized malignancies. Given this data, the practice of second opinions and interpretation of outside exams should continue despite the additional resources required.

  15. Contributions on biomedical imaging, with a side-look at molecular imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winkler, G.

    2004-05-01

    This report is intended as a brief introduction to the emerging scientific field of biomedical imaging. The breadth of the subject is shown and future fields of research are indicated, which hopefully will serve as a guide to the identification of starting points for the research in 'Biomedical and/or Molecular Imaging' at the GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health. The report starts with a brief sketch of the history. Then a - necessarily incomplete - list of research topics is presented. It is organized in two parts: the first one addresses medical imaging, and the second one is concerned with biological point aspects of the matter. (orig.) [de

  16. Patient-centered outcomes research in radiology: trends in funding and methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Christoph I; Jarvik, Jeffrey G

    2014-09-01

    The creation of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund and the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) through the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 presents new opportunities for funding patient-centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) in radiology. We provide an overview of the evolution of federal funding and priorities for CER with a focus on radiology-related priority topics over the last two decades, and discuss the funding processes and methodological standards outlined by PCORI. We introduce key paradigm shifts in research methodology that will be required on the part of radiology health services researchers to obtain competitive federal grant funding in patient-centered outcomes research. These paradigm shifts include direct engagement of patients and other stakeholders at every stage of the research process, from initial conception to dissemination of results. We will also discuss the increasing use of mixed methods and novel trial designs. One of these trial designs, the pragmatic trial, has the potential to be readily applied to evaluating the effectiveness of diagnostic imaging procedures and imaging-based interventions among diverse patient populations in real-world settings. Copyright © 2014 AUR. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Landsat TM and ETM+ 2002-2003 Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Kansas Data Access and Support Center — The Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID):2002-2003 consists of image data gathered by three sensors. The first image data are terrain-corrected, precision...

  18. Automatic solar image motion measurements. [electronic disk flux monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Colgate, S. A.; Moore, E. P.

    1975-01-01

    The solar seeing image motion has been monitored electronically and absolutely with a 25 cm telescope at three sites along the ridge at the southern end of the Magdalena Mountains west of Socorro, New Mexico. The uncorrelated component of the variations of the optical flux from two points at opposite limbs of the solar disk was continually monitored in 3 frequencies centered at 0.3, 3 and 30 Hz. The frequency band of maximum signal centered at 3 Hz showed the average absolute value of image motion to be somewhat less than 2sec. The observer estimates of combined blurring and image motion were well correlated with electronically measured image motion, but the observer estimates gave a factor 2 larger value.

  19. 76 FR 6486 - Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-04

    ...: Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel; RFA Panel: Topics in Bacterial Pathogenesis. Date... Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel; Neurodegeneration, Trauma, Immunology and Imaging. Date: March 7-8... 6487

  20. 75 FR 32956 - Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-10

    ...: Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, Member Conflict: Bone and Cartilage Biology. Date... Review Special Emphasis Panel, Small Business: Cell Biology and Molecular Imaging. Date: June 30, 2010...

  1. Routine Cross-Sectional Head Imaging Before Electroconvulsive Therapy: A Tertiary Center Experience.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajedi, Payam I; Mitchell, Jason; Herskovits, Edward H; Raghavan, Prashant

    2016-04-01

    Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is generally contraindicated in patients with intracranial mass lesions or in the presence of increased intracranial pressure. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of incidental abnormalities on routine cross-sectional head imaging, including CT and MRI, that would preclude subsequent ECT. This retrospective study involved a review of the electronic medical records of 105 patients (totaling 108 imaging studies) between April 27, 2007, and March 20, 2015, referred for cranial CT or MRI with the primary indication of pre-ECT evaluation. The probability of occurrence of imaging findings that would preclude ECT was computed. A cost analysis was also performed on the practice of routine pre-ECT imaging. Of the 105 patients who presented with the primary indication of ECT clearance (totaling 108 scans), 1 scan (0.93%) revealed findings that precluded ECT. None of the studies demonstrated findings that indicated increased intracranial pressure. A cost analysis revealed that at least $18,662.70 and 521.97 relative value units must be expended to identify one patient with intracranial pathology precluding ECT. The findings of this study demonstrate an extremely low prevalence of findings that preclude ECT on routine cross-sectional head imaging. The costs incurred in identifying a potential contraindication are high. The authors suggest that the performance of pre-ECT neuroimaging be driven by the clinical examination. Copyright © 2016 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Rickets on MR images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ecklund, K.; Jaramillo, D.; Doria, A.S.

    1999-01-01

    Background. The pathologic changes at the physis in patients with rickets have been well demonstrated histologically. Radiographs can depict only the associated osseous abnormalities. Patients and methods. We report two children in whom MR imaging demonstrated rachitic changes in the physeal cartilage beyond the well-recognized bony features. Results. The striking appearance of the physes and the physes of the secondary ossification centers confirm that MR imaging can successfully evaluate the cartilaginous structures of the developing skeleton. Conclusion. Though MR imaging is clearly unnecessary for the diagnosis of rickets, it is important that the typical features are not misinterpreted as other pathology. (orig.)

  3. 75 FR 4576 - Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-28

    ...: Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, Academic-Industry Partnership in Cancer Imaging.... Place: Ritz Carlton Hotel, 1150 22nd Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037. Contact Person: Fouad A. El...

  4. Atomic resolution images of graphite in air

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Grigg, D.A.; Shedd, G.M.; Griffis, D.; Russell, P.E.

    1988-12-01

    One sample used for proof of operation for atomic resolution in STM is highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG). This sample has been imaged with many different STM`s obtaining similar results. Atomic resolution images of HOPG have now been obtained using an STM designed and built at the Precision Engineering Center. This paper discusses the theoretical predictions and experimental results obtained in imaging of HOPG.

  5. Radiometric corrections of the vignetting effect in aerial digital images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Andrés L. G. Jaime

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Monitoring agriculture cultures by aerial remote sensing present high potential of application. Despite of that potential, some problems still have been detected. One of them is the vignetting effect. This phenomenon introduces error in DN as far away as geometric image center the target is, according to the cos4Theta law. To study this effect it was adopted the procedure that computes Equation - Equação. If these values increase with the distances from images geometric center then the vignetting effect increases proportionally. The study was carried out analyzing the DN of white plate targets in aerial images in two dates 02/11/2001 and 11/04/2002. The white plate targets were distributed in the field and could be seen around the images geometric center, in different distances. In the aerial images the DN from the plates were extracted according to the cos4Theta law and compared to several distances in conformity to Equation - Equação. The results showed that the effect was observed in the first (02/11/2001 images, but not in later (11/04/2002 images. That difference can be explained by the different atmospheric haze and sensor-illumination source geometry. On the other hand when the experiment was performed at ground level the vignetting effect was identified. Therefore the effect exists and can be modeled.

  6. Planning for the Mercy Center for Breast Health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olivares, V Ed

    2002-01-01

    During the last months of 2000, administrators at the Mercy San Juan Medical Center in Carmichael, Calif., convened a steering committee to plan the Mercy Center for Breast Health. The Steering Committee was composed of the director of ancillary and support services, the oncology clinical nurse specialist, the RN manager of the oncology nursing unit, the RN surgery center manager, and me, the manager of imaging services. The committee was responsible for creating a new business with five specific objectives: to position the Center as a comprehensive diagnostic and resource center for women; to generate physician referrals to the Breast Center through various vehicles; to create awareness of the Breast Center's capabilities among area radiologists; to create awareness of the Breast Center among employees of six sister facilities; to create "brand awareness" for the Mercy Center for Breast Health among referring physicians and patients who could use competing centers in the area. The Steering Committee's charter was to design a center with a feminine touch and ambience and to provide a "one-stop shopping" experience for patients. A major component of the Breast Center is the Dianne Haselwood Resource Center, which provides patients with educational support and information. The Steering Committee brought its diverse experience and interests to bear on arranging for equipment acquisition, information and clerical systems, staffing, clinic office design, patient care and marketing. Planning the Mercy Center for Breast Health has been a positive challenge that brought together many elements of the organization and people from different departments and specialties to create a new business venture. Our charge now is to grow and to live up to our vision of offering complete breast diagnostic, education and support services in one location.

  7. Space radar image of Mauna Loa, Hawaii

    Science.gov (United States)

    1995-01-01

    This image of the Mauna Loa volcano on the Big Island of Hawaii shows the capability of imaging radar to map lava flows and other volcanic structures. Mauna Loa has erupted more than 35 times since the island was first visited by westerners in the early 1800s. The large summit crater, called Mokuaweoweo Caldera, is clearly visible near the center of the image. Leading away from the caldera (towards top right and lower center) are the two main rift zones shown here in orange. Rift zones are areas of weakness within the upper part of the volcano that are often ripped open as new magma (molten rock) approaches the surface at the start of an eruption. The most recent eruption of Mauna Loa was in March and April 1984, when segments of the northeast rift zones were active. If the height of the volcano was measured from its base on the ocean floor instead of from sea level, Mauna Loa would be the tallest mountain on Earth. Its peak (center of the image) rises more than 8 kilometers (5 miles) above the ocean floor. The South Kona District, known for cultivation of macadamia nuts and coffee, can be seen in the lower left as white and blue areas along the coast. North is toward the upper left. The area shown is 41.5 by 75 kilometers (25.7 by 46.5 miles), centered at 19.5 degrees north latitude and 155.6 degrees west longitude. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/ X-SAR) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on its 36th orbit on October 2, 1994. The radar illumination is from the left of the image. The colors in this image were obtained using the following radar channels: red represents the L-band (horizontally transmitted and received); green represents the L-band (horizontally transmitted, vertically received); blue represents the C-band (horizontally transmitted, vertically received). The resulting color combinations in this radar image are caused by differences in surface roughness of the lava flows. Smoother flows

  8. A comparative study on PET and SPECT image formation systems for a proper scanner choice in a considered PET center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Santos, G.R. dos; Oliveira, A. de; Oliveira, C.L. de

    2001-01-01

    Full text: In the last twenty years, the conjunction of technology and research had provided exceptional conditions for improvements on the quality of life, specially on nuclear medicine. In this area, the developed technology is being applied, making available better diagnoses and therapy to a variety of diseases. Since then the short-lived radionuclides were available only in the large physics research centers. The increasing clinical applications have led to the rapid rise in the number of compact cyclotrons throughout the world. All medical cyclotrons currently are suitable for sustaining programs for PET research and clinical application. To date, up to 122 medical cyclotrons have been established worldwide, and Brazil is about to install a new dedicated cyclotron (RDS111 from CTI), to its first PET Center, in Rio de Janeiro. Also the number of scanners worldwide has increased, mainly those based on the positrons emission and annihilation. The better result gotten in the final contrast of the object imposes a comparative study and analysis of the image formation process, either in a system based on a Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT), as well as on Positron Emission Tomography (PET.) This comparative study should at least follow same increasing rates of the new devices with technological advances. That kind of study can be helpful on the decision of what type of scan should be the proper one, to a PET Center, on a specific region. Obviously, many other parameters are involved in that decision, and this discussion and analyses are the main subject of the present work. The objective is to make available a realistic comparative scenario. Many of the new devices have been introduced making progresses. As an example, in the new PET scanners, the reduction of examination time, and the remarkable improvement on the diagnoses based on images. As a consequence, we have a broadening on application, better performance, and making possible the

  9. Some Aspects of Crystal Centering During X-ray High-throughput Protein Crystallography Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaponov, Yu. A.; Matsugaki, N.; Sasajima, K.; Igarashi, N.; Wakatsuki, S.

    A set of algorithms and procedures of a crystal loop centering during X-ray high-throughput protein crystallography experiment has been designed and developed. A simple algorithm of the crystal loop detection and preliminary recognition has been designed and developed. The crystal loop detection algorithm is based on finding out the crystal loop ending point (opposite to the crystal loop pin) using image cross section (digital image column) profile analysis. The crystal loop preliminary recognition procedure is based on finding out the crystal loop sizes and position using image cross section profile analysis. The crystal loop fine recognition procedure based on Hooke-Jeeves pattern search method with an ellipse as a fitting pattern has been designed and developed. The procedure of restoring missing coordinate of the crystal loop is described. Based on developed algorithms and procedures the optimal auto-centering procedure has been designed and developed. A procedure of optimal manual crystal centering (Two Clicks Procedure) has been designed and developed. Developed procedures have been integrated into control software system PCCS installed at crystallography beamlines Photon Factory BL5A and PF-AR NW12, KEK.

  10. Stimulated emission depletion microscopy resolves individual nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arroyo-Camejo, Silvia; Adam, Marie-Pierre; Besbes, Mondher; Hugonin, Jean-Paul; Jacques, Vincent; Greffet, Jean-Jacques; Roch, Jean-François; Hell, Stefan W; Treussart, François

    2013-12-23

    Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in nanodiamonds are highly promising for bioimaging and sensing. However, resolving individual NV centers within nanodiamond particles and the controlled addressing and readout of their spin state has remained a major challenge. Spatially stochastic super-resolution techniques cannot provide this capability in principle, whereas coordinate-controlled super-resolution imaging methods, like stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, have been predicted to fail in nanodiamonds. Here we show that, contrary to these predictions, STED can resolve single NV centers in 40-250 nm sized nanodiamonds with a resolution of ≈10 nm. Even multiple adjacent NVs located in single nanodiamonds can be imaged individually down to relative distances of ≈15 nm. Far-field optical super-resolution of NVs inside nanodiamonds is highly relevant for bioimaging applications of these fluorescent nanolabels. The targeted addressing and readout of individual NV(-) spins inside nanodiamonds by STED should also be of high significance for quantum sensing and information applications.

  11. Photochemistry and reactions of OH- defects and F centers in alkali halides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morato, S.P.; Luety, F.

    1978-01-01

    Aditively colored KCl:OH - crystals showed under a combined UV and VIS irradiation, a nearly complete and irreversible destruction of all F centers and visible absorption in the crystal. Only upon heating the crystal above 650 0 C the F center coloration becomes partially restored. The photodissociation of the OH - (under UV light) together with the photoionization of the F center (under VIS light) produces a not effects where all the F centers are converted into U centers. These photoreactions produces high contrast visible images that are completely stable under light at RT. Besides the optical information storage aspect of this effect these photoreaction s can also be used for controlled production of Usub(A) centers if the crystal also contains a foreign metallic impurity such a Na + ion [pt

  12. Space Radar Image of Wenatchee, Washington

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-01-01

    This spaceborne radar image shows a segment of the Columbia River as it passes through the area of Wenatchee, Washington, about 220 kilometers (136 miles) east of Seattle. The Wenatchee Mountains, part of the Cascade Range, are shown in green at the lower left of the image. The Cascades create a 'rain shadow' for the region, limiting rainfall east of the range to less than 26 centimeters (10 inches) per year. The radar's ability to see different types of vegetation is highlighted in the contrast between the pine forests, that appear in green and the dry valley plain that shows up as dark purple. The cities of Wenatchee and East Wenatchee are the grid-like areas straddling the Columbia River in the left center of the image. With a population of about 60,000, the region produces about half of Washington state's lucrative apple crop. Several orchard areas appear as green rectangular patches to the right of the river in the lower right center. Radar images such as these can be used to monitor land use patterns in areas such as Wenatchee, that have diverse and rapidly changing urban, agricultural and wild land pressures. This image was acquired by Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) onboard the space shuttle Endeavour on October 10, 1994. The image is 38 kilometers by 45 kilometers (24 miles by 30 miles) and is centered at 47.3 degrees North latitude, 120.1 degrees West longitude. North is toward the upper left. The colors are assigned to different radar frequencies and polarizations of the radar as follows: red is L-band, horizontally transmitted and received; green is L-band, horizontally transmitted, vertically received; and blue is C-band, horizontally transmitted, vertically received. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian, and United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth.

  13. Nuclear medicine: the Philippine Heart Center experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cancino, E.L.

    1994-01-01

    The following is a report of a three (3) months on-the-job training in Nuclear Medicine at the Nuclear Medicine Department of the Philippine Heart Center. The hospital has current generation nuclear medicine instruments with data processor and is capable of a full range of in vivo and in vitro procedures. Gamma camera is the principal instrument for imaging in nuclear medicine used in the Philippine Heart Center. Thyroid scanning procedure is being performed with these instruments. Also the cardiovascular procedures, the pulmonary, skeletal, renal and hepatobiliary procedures were being performed with the use of gamma camera. Special emphasis is on nuclear cardiology since the PHC attends primarily to cardiovascular patients. (auth.)

  14. Reduction of radiation exposure and image quality using dose reduction tool on computed tomography fluoroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakabe, Daisuke; Tochihara, Syuichi; Ono, Michiaki; Tokuda, Masaki; Kai, Noriyuki; Nakato, Kengo; Hashida, Masahiro; Funama, Yoshinori; Murazaki, Hiroo

    2012-01-01

    The purpose of our study was to measure the reduction rate of radiation dose and variability of image noise using the angular beam modulation (ABM) on computed tomography (CT) fluoroscopy. The Alderson-Rando phantom and the homemade phantom were used in our study. These phantoms were scanned at on-center and off-center positions at -12 cm along y-axis with and without ABM technique. Regarding the technique, the x-ray tube is turned off in a 100-degree angle sector at the center of 12 o'clock, 10 o'clock, and 2 o'clock positions during CT fluoroscopy. CT fluoroscopic images were obtained with tube voltages, 120 kV; tube current-time product per reconstructed image, 30 mAs; rotation time, 0.5 s/rot; slice thickness, 4.8 mm; and reconstruction kernel B30s in each scanning. After CT scanning, radiation exposure and image noise were measured and the image artifacts were evaluated with and without the technique. The reduction rate for radiation exposure was 75-80% with and without the technique at on-center position regardless of each angle position. In the case of the off-center position at -12 cm, the reduction rate was 50% with and without the technique. In contrast, image noise remained constant with and without the technique. Visual inspection for image artifacts almost have the same scores with and without the technique and no statistical significance was found in both techniques (p>0.05). ABM is an appropriate tool for reducing radiation exposure and maintaining image-noise and artifacts during CT fluoroscopy. (author)

  15. Compression for radiological images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Dennis L.

    1992-07-01

    The viewing of radiological images has peculiarities that must be taken into account in the design of a compression technique. The images may be manipulated on a workstation to change the contrast, to change the center of the brightness levels that are viewed, and even to invert the images. Because of the possible consequences of losing information in a medical application, bit preserving compression is used for the images used for diagnosis. However, for archiving the images may be compressed to 10 of their original size. A compression technique based on the Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) takes the viewing factors into account by compressing the changes in the local brightness levels. The compression technique is a variation of the CCITT JPEG compression that suppresses the blocking of the DCT except in areas of very high contrast.

  16. Stimulated emission depletion microscopy resolves individual nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond nanocrystals.

    OpenAIRE

    Arroyo Camejo, S.; Adam, M.; Besbes, M.; Hugonin, J.; Jaques, V.; Greffet, J.; Roch, J.; Hell, S.; Treussart, F.

    2013-01-01

    Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers in nanodiamonds are highly promising for bioimaging and sensing. However, resolving individual NV centers within nanodiamond particles and the controlled addressing and readout of their spin state has remained a major challenge. Spatially stochastic super-resolution techniques cannot provide this capability in principle, whereas coordinate-controlled super-resolution imaging methods, like stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, have been predicted ...

  17. Rickets on MR images

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ecklund, K.; Jaramillo, D. [Department of Radiology, Children`s Hospital, Boston, MA (United States); Doria, A.S. [Department of Radiology, Instituto da Crianca - Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo (Brazil)

    1999-09-01

    Background. The pathologic changes at the physis in patients with rickets have been well demonstrated histologically. Radiographs can depict only the associated osseous abnormalities. Patients and methods. We report two children in whom MR imaging demonstrated rachitic changes in the physeal cartilage beyond the well-recognized bony features. Results. The striking appearance of the physes and the physes of the secondary ossification centers confirm that MR imaging can successfully evaluate the cartilaginous structures of the developing skeleton. Conclusion. Though MR imaging is clearly unnecessary for the diagnosis of rickets, it is important that the typical features are not misinterpreted as other pathology. (orig.) With 6 figs., 6 refs.

  18. The effect of the observer vantage point on perceived distortions in linear perspective images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Todorović, Dejan

    2009-01-01

    Some features of linear perspective images may look distorted. Such distortions appear in two drawings by Jan Vredeman de Vries involving perceived elliptical, instead of circular, pillars and tilted, instead of upright, columns. Distortions may be due to factors intrinsic to the images, such as violations of the so-called Perkins's laws, or factors extrinsic to them, such as observing the images from positions different from their center of projection. When the correct projection centers for the two drawings were reconstructed, it was found that they were very close to the images and, therefore, practically unattainable in normal observation. In two experiments, enlarged versions of images were used as stimuli, making the positions of the projection centers attainable for observers. When observed from the correct positions, the perceived distortions disappeared or were greatly diminished. Distortions perceived from other positions were smaller than would be predicted by geometrical analyses, possibly due to flatness cues in the images. The results are relevant for the practical purposes of creating faithful impressions of 3-D spaces using 2-D images.

  19. An NV-Diamond Magnetic Imager for Neuroscience

    Science.gov (United States)

    Turner, Matthew; Schloss, Jennifer; Bauch, Erik; Hart, Connor; Walsworth, Ronald

    2017-04-01

    We present recent progress towards imaging time-varying magnetic fields from neurons using nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond. The diamond neuron imager is noninvasive, label-free, and achieves single-cell resolution and state-of-the-art broadband sensitivity. By imaging magnetic fields from injected currents in mammalian neurons, we will map functional neuronal network connections and illuminate biophysical properties of neurons invisible to traditional electrophysiology. Furthermore, through enhancing magnetometer sensitivity, we aim to demonstrate real-time imaging of action potentials from networks of mammalian neurons.

  20. Improved Calibration Shows Images True Colors

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Innovative Imaging and Research, located at Stennis Space Center, used a single SBIR contract with the center to build a large-scale integrating sphere, capable of calibrating a whole array of cameras simultaneously, at a fraction of the usual cost for such a device. Through the use of LEDs, the company also made the sphere far more efficient than existing products and able to mimic sunlight.

  1. Automated and simultaneous fovea center localization and macula segmentation using the new dynamic identification and classification of edges model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onal, Sinan; Chen, Xin; Satamraju, Veeresh; Balasooriya, Maduka; Dabil-Karacal, Humeyra

    2016-01-01

    Abstract. Detecting the position of retinal structures, including the fovea center and macula, in retinal images plays a key role in diagnosing eye diseases such as optic nerve hypoplasia, amblyopia, diabetic retinopathy, and macular edema. However, current detection methods are unreliable for infants or certain ethnic populations. Thus, a methodology is proposed here that may be useful for infants and across ethnicities that automatically localizes the fovea center and segments the macula on digital fundus images. First, dark structures and bright artifacts are removed from the input image using preprocessing operations, and the resulting image is transformed to polar space. Second, the fovea center is identified, and the macula region is segmented using the proposed dynamic identification and classification of edges (DICE) model. The performance of the method was evaluated using 1200 fundus images obtained from the relatively large, diverse, and publicly available Messidor database. In 96.1% of these 1200 cases, the distance between the fovea center identified manually by ophthalmologists and automatically using the proposed method remained within 0 to 8 pixels. The dice similarity index comparing the manually obtained results with those of the model for macula segmentation was 96.12% for these 1200 cases. Thus, the proposed method displayed a high degree of accuracy. The methodology using the DICE model is unique and advantageous over previously reported methods because it simultaneously determines the fovea center and segments the macula region without using any structural information, such as optic disc or blood vessel location, and it may prove useful for all populations, including infants. PMID:27660803

  2. Towards Portable Large-Scale Image Processing with High-Performance Computing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huo, Yuankai; Blaber, Justin; Damon, Stephen M; Boyd, Brian D; Bao, Shunxing; Parvathaneni, Prasanna; Noguera, Camilo Bermudez; Chaganti, Shikha; Nath, Vishwesh; Greer, Jasmine M; Lyu, Ilwoo; French, William R; Newton, Allen T; Rogers, Baxter P; Landman, Bennett A

    2018-05-03

    High-throughput, large-scale medical image computing demands tight integration of high-performance computing (HPC) infrastructure for data storage, job distribution, and image processing. The Vanderbilt University Institute for Imaging Science (VUIIS) Center for Computational Imaging (CCI) has constructed a large-scale image storage and processing infrastructure that is composed of (1) a large-scale image database using the eXtensible Neuroimaging Archive Toolkit (XNAT), (2) a content-aware job scheduling platform using the Distributed Automation for XNAT pipeline automation tool (DAX), and (3) a wide variety of encapsulated image processing pipelines called "spiders." The VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure have housed and processed nearly half-million medical image volumes with Vanderbilt Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education (ACCRE), which is the HPC facility at the Vanderbilt University. The initial deployment was natively deployed (i.e., direct installations on a bare-metal server) within the ACCRE hardware and software environments, which lead to issues of portability and sustainability. First, it could be laborious to deploy the entire VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure to another HPC center with varying hardware infrastructure, library availability, and software permission policies. Second, the spiders were not developed in an isolated manner, which has led to software dependency issues during system upgrades or remote software installation. To address such issues, herein, we describe recent innovations using containerization techniques with XNAT/DAX which are used to isolate the VUIIS CCI medical image data storage and processing infrastructure from the underlying hardware and software environments. The newly presented XNAT/DAX solution has the following new features: (1) multi-level portability from system level to the application level, (2) flexible and dynamic software

  3. Evaluation of IsoCal geometric calibration system for Varian linacs equipped with on-board imager and electronic portal imaging device imaging systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Song; Du, Weiliang; Balter, Peter; Munro, Peter; Jeung, Andrew

    2014-05-08

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy and reproducibility of the IsoCal geometric calibration system for kilovoltage (kV) and megavoltage (MV) imagers on Varian C-series linear accelerators (linacs). IsoCal calibration starts by imaging a phantom and collimator plate using MV images with different collimator angles, as well as MV and kV images at different gantry angles. The software then identifies objects on the collimator plate and in the phantom to determine the location of the treatment isocenter and its relation to the MV and kV imager centers. It calculates offsets between the positions of the imaging panels and the treatment isocenter as a function of gantry angle and writes a correction file that can be applied to MV and kV systems to correct for those offsets in the position of the panels. We performed IsoCal calibration three times on each of five Varian C-series linacs, each time with an independent setup. We then compared the IsoCal calibrations with a simplified Winston-Lutz (WL)-based system and with a Varian cubic phantom (VC)-based system. The maximum IsoCal corrections ranged from 0.7 mm to 1.5 mm for MV and 0.9 mm to 1.8 mm for kV imagers across the five linacs. The variations in the three calibrations for each linac were less than 0.2 mm. Without IsoCal correction, the WL results showed discrepancies between the treatment isocenter and the imager center of 0.9 mm to 1.6 mm (for the MV imager) and 0.5 mm to 1.1 mm (for the kV imager); with IsoCal corrections applied, the differences were reduced to 0.2 mm to 0.6 mm (MV) and 0.3 mm to 0.6 mm (kV) across the five linacs. The VC system was not as precise as the WL system, but showed similar results, with discrepancies of less than 1.0 mm when the IsoCal corrections were applied. We conclude that IsoCal is an accurate and consistent method for calibration and periodic quality assurance of MV and kV imaging systems.

  4. Image Classification Based on Convolutional Denoising Sparse Autoencoder

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuangshuang Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Image classification aims to group images into corresponding semantic categories. Due to the difficulties of interclass similarity and intraclass variability, it is a challenging issue in computer vision. In this paper, an unsupervised feature learning approach called convolutional denoising sparse autoencoder (CDSAE is proposed based on the theory of visual attention mechanism and deep learning methods. Firstly, saliency detection method is utilized to get training samples for unsupervised feature learning. Next, these samples are sent to the denoising sparse autoencoder (DSAE, followed by convolutional layer and local contrast normalization layer. Generally, prior in a specific task is helpful for the task solution. Therefore, a new pooling strategy—spatial pyramid pooling (SPP fused with center-bias prior—is introduced into our approach. Experimental results on the common two image datasets (STL-10 and CIFAR-10 demonstrate that our approach is effective in image classification. They also demonstrate that none of these three components: local contrast normalization, SPP fused with center-prior, and l2 vector normalization can be excluded from our proposed approach. They jointly improve image representation and classification performance.

  5. Lensless high-resolution photoacoustic imaging scanner for in vivo skin imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ida, Taiichiro; Iwazaki, Hideaki; Omuro, Toshiyuki; Kawaguchi, Yasushi; Tsunoi, Yasuyuki; Kawauchi, Satoko; Sato, Shunichi

    2018-02-01

    We previously launched a high-resolution photoacoustic (PA) imaging scanner based on a unique lensless design for in vivo skin imaging. The design, imaging algorithm and characteristics of the system are described in this paper. Neither an optical lens nor an acoustic lens is used in the system. In the imaging head, four sensor elements are arranged quadrilaterally, and by checking the phase differences for PA waves detected with these four sensors, a set of PA signals only originating from a chromophore located on the sensor center axis is extracted for constructing an image. A phantom study using a carbon fiber showed a depth-independent horizontal resolution of 84.0 ± 3.5 µm, and the scan direction-dependent variation of PA signals was about ± 20%. We then performed imaging of vasculature phantoms: patterns of red ink lines with widths of 100 or 200 μm formed in an acrylic block co-polymer. The patterns were visualized with high contrast, showing the capability for imaging arterioles and venues in the skin. Vasculatures in rat burn models and healthy human skin were also clearly visualized in vivo.

  6. Silica nanoparticle-based dual imaging colloidal hybrids: cancer cell imaging and biodistribution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lee H

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Haisung Lee,1 Dongkyung Sung,2 Jinhoon Kim,3 Byung-Tae Kim,3 Tuntun Wang,4 Seong Soo A An,5 Soo-Won Seo,6 Dong Kee Yi4 1Molecular Diagnostics, In Vitro Diagnostics Unit, New Business Division, SK Telecom, 2Department of Life Sciences, Graduate School of Korea University, 3Interdisciplinary Graduate Program of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Samsung Medical Center, 4Department of Chemistry, Myongji University, Seoul, 5Department of Bionanotechnology, Gachon Medical Research Institute, Gachon University, Seongnam, 6Medical Device Development Center, Daegu-Gyeongbuk Medical Innovation Foundation, Daegu, Republic of Korea Abstract: In this study, fluorescent dye-conjugated magnetic resonance (MR imaging agents were investigated in T mode. Gadolinium-conjugated silica nanoparticles were successfully synthesized for both MR imaging and fluorescence diagnostics. Polyamine and polycarboxyl functional groups were modified chemically on the surface of the silica nanoparticles for efficient conjugation of gadolinium ions. The derived gadolinium-conjugated silica nanoparticles were investigated by zeta potential analysis, transmission electron microscopy, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. MR equipment was used to investigate their use as contrast-enhancing agents in T1 mode under a 9.4 T magnetic field. In addition, we tracked the distribution of the gadolinium-conjugated nanoparticles in both lung cancer cells and organs in mice. Keywords: dual bioimaging, MR imaging, silica colloid, T1 contrast imaging, nanohybrid

  7. Increase in Utilization of Afterhours Medical Imaging: A Study of Three Canadian Academic Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhry, Shivani; Dhalla, Irfan; Lebovic, Gerald; Rogalla, Patrik; Dowdell, Timothy

    2015-11-01

    The objectives of our study were to assess trends in afterhours medical imaging utilization for emergency department (ED) and inpatient (IP) patient populations from 2006-2013, including analysis by modality and specialty and with adjustment for patient volume. For this retrospective study, we reviewed the number of CT, MRI, and ultrasound studies performed for the ED and IP patients during the afterhours time period (5pm - 8am on weekdays and 24 hours on weekends and statutory holidays) from 2006-2013 at three different Canadian academic hospitals. We used the Jonckheere-Terpstra (JT) test to determine statistical significance of imaging and patient volume trends. A regression model was used to examine whether there was an increasing trend over time in the volume of imaging tests per 1000 patients. For all three sites from 2006-2013 during the afterhours time period: There was a statistically significant increasing trend in total medical imaging volume, which also held true when the volumes were assessed by modality and by specialty. There was a statistically significant increasing trend in ED and IP patient volume. When medical imaging volumes were adjusted for patient volumes, there was a statistically significant increasing trend in imaging being performed per patient. Afterhours medical imaging volumes demonstrated a statistically significant increasing trend at all three sites from 2006-2013 when assessed by total volume, modality, and specialty. During the same time period and at all three sites, the ED and IP patient volumes also demonstrated a statistically significant increasing trend with more medical imaging, however, being performed per patient. Copyright © 2015 Canadian Association of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Fundus imaging with a nasal endoscope

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P Mahesh Shanmugam

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Wide field fundus imaging is needed to diagnose, treat, and follow-up patients with retinal pathology. This is more applicable for pediatric patients as repeated evaluation is a challenge. The presently available imaging machines though provide high definition images, but carry the obvious disadvantages of either being costly or bulky or sometimes both, which limits its usage only to large centers. We hereby report a technique of fundus imaging using a nasal endoscope coupled with viscoelastic. A regular nasal endoscope with viscoelastic coupling was placed on the cornea to image the fundus of infants under general anesthesia. Wide angle fundus images of various fundus pathologies in infants could be obtained easily with readily available instruments and without the much financial investment for the institutes.

  9. Hubble Space Telescope Image of Omega Nebula

    Science.gov (United States)

    2002-01-01

    This sturning image, taken by the newly installed Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), is an image of the center of the Omega Nebula. It is a hotbed of newly born stars wrapped in colorful blankets of glowing gas and cradled in an enormous cold, dark hydrogen cloud. The region of nebula shown in this photograph is about 3,500 times wider than our solar system. The nebula, also called M17 and the Swan Nebula, resides 5,500 light-years away in the constellation Sagittarius. The Swan Nebula is illuminated by ultraviolet radiation from young, massive stars, located just beyond the upper-right corner of the image. The powerful radiation from these stars evaporates and erodes the dense cloud of cold gas within which the stars formed. The blistered walls of the hollow cloud shine primarily in the blue, green, and red light emitted by excited atoms of hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, and sulfur. Particularly striking is the rose-like feature, seen to the right of center, which glows in the red light emitted by hydrogen and sulfur. As the infant stars evaporate the surrounding cloud, they expose dense pockets of gas that may contain developing stars. One isolated pocket is seen at the center of the brightest region of the nebula. Other dense pockets of gas have formed the remarkable feature jutting inward from the left edge of the image. The color image is constructed from four separate images taken in these filters: blue, near infrared, hydrogen alpha, and doubly ionized oxygen. Credit: NASA, H. Ford (JHU), G. Illingworth (USCS/LO), M. Clampin (STScI), G. Hartig (STScI), the ACS Science Team, and ESA.

  10. Role of Sonographic Imaging in Occupational Therapy Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-01-01

    Occupational therapy practice is grounded in the delivery of occupation-centered, patient-driven treatments that engage clients in the process of doing to improve health. As emerging technologies, such as medical imaging, find their way into rehabilitation practice, it is imperative that occupational therapy practitioners assess whether and how these tools can be incorporated into treatment regimens that are dually responsive to the medical model of health care and to the profession’s foundation in occupation. Most medical imaging modalities have a discrete place in occupation-based intervention as outcome measures or for patient education; however, sonographic imaging has the potential to blend multiple occupational therapy practice forms to document treatment outcomes, inform clinical reasoning, and facilitate improved functional performance when used as an accessory tool in direct intervention. Use of medical imaging is discussed as it relates to occupational foundations and the professional role within the context of providing efficient, effective patient-centered rehabilitative care. PMID:25871607

  11. Imaging Sciences Workshop, Proceedings, November 15-16, 1995

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Candy, J.V.

    1995-11-01

    Welcome to the Imaging Sciences Workshop sponsored by C.A.S.I.S., the Center for Advanced Signal & Image Sciences. Many programs at LLNL use advanced signal and image processing techniques, and the Center was established to encourage the exchange of ideas and to promote collaboration by individuals from these programs. This Workshop is an opportunity for LLNL personnel and invited speakers from other organizations not only to present new work, but, perhaps more importantly, to discuss problems in an informal and friendly setting. This year marks the opening of the CASIS Reference Library in Building 272, and we encourage all attendees to stop by for a look and to make use of it in the future. The Technical Program covers a wide variety of applications at LLNL including physical systems for collecting data and processing techniques for recovering and enhancing images. We hope that you enjoy the presentations, and we encourage you to participate in the discussions. Thanks for attending.

  12. Scientific and technical photography at NASA Langley Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davidhazy, Andrew

    1994-12-01

    As part of my assignment connected with the Scientific and Technical Photography & Lab (STPL) at the NASA Langley Research Center I conducted a series of interviews and observed the day to day operations of the STPL with the ultimate objective of becoming exposed first hand to a scientific and technical photo/imaging department for which my school prepares its graduates. I was also asked to share my observations with the staff in order that these comments and observations might assist the STPL to better serve its customers. Meetings with several individuals responsible for various wind tunnels and with a group that provides photo-optical instrumentation services at the Center gave me an overview of the services provided by the Lab and possible areas for development. In summary form these are some of the observations that resulted from the interviews and daily contact with the STPL facility. (1) The STPL is perceived as a valuable and almost indispensable service group within the organization. This comment was invariably made by everyone. Everyone also seemed to support the idea that the STPL continue to provide its current level of service and quality. (2) The STPL generally is not perceived to be a highly technically oriented group but rather as a provider of high quality photographic illustration and documentation services. In spite of the importance and high marks assigned to the STPL there are several observations that merit consideration and evaluation for possible inclusion into the STPL's scope of expertise and future operating practices. (1) While the care and concern for artistic rendition of subjects is seen as laudable and sometimes valuable, the time that this often requires is seen as interfering with keeping the tunnels operating at maximum productivity. Tunnel managers would like to shorten down-time due to photography, have services available during evening hours and on short notice. It may be of interest to the STPL that tunnel managers are

  13. MR imaging of benign peripheral nerve sheath tumors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Soederlund, V.; Goeranson, H.; Bauer, H.C.F.

    1994-01-01

    In a retrospective, nonblind review of MR imaging of 15 benign peripheral nerve neoplasms in 13 patients, the signal pattern of the tumors (including contrast-enhanced images) and stage were assessed. One lesion was subcutaneous, 9 intramuscular, 2 intermuscular and 3 extracompartmental. One lesion was located to the trunk, 5 to the upper extremity and 9 to the lower. The signal on T1-weighted spin-echo images was homogeneous isointense compared to adjacent muscle in 11 lesions and in 2 slightly hyper- and in 2 slightly hypointense. T2-weighted spin-echo images, acquired in all but one examination, showed a hyperintense signal, homogeneous in 8 and centrally inhomogeneous in 6 lesions. Postcontrast T1-weighted images of 11 lesions, showed a strong signal, with an inhomogeneous enhancement in the center of the lesion similar to that obtained in T2-weighted images. In 2 cases there were signal characteristics indicating bleeding in the tumor. In one lesion both the nonenhanced and contrast-enhanced T1-weighted images showed a hypointense signal in the tumor center suggestive of intramuscular myxoma. All lesions were well delineated without reactive edema. In all cases, anatomic tumor location was correctly assessed. Although the findings were not pathognomonic for neurinoma, MR imaging provided valuable information confirming the clinical and cytologic assessments. (orig.)

  14. Imaging button battery ingestions and insertions in children: a 15-year single-center review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pugmire, Brian S.; Trout, Andrew T. [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Cincinnati, OH (United States); Lin, Tom K.; Pentiuk, Scott [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Division of Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition, Cincinnati, OH (United States); De Alarcon, Alessandro; Hart, Catherine K. [Cincinnati Children' s Hospital Medical Center, Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology, Cincinnati, OH (United States); University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Cincinnati, OH (United States)

    2017-02-15

    Recent studies have shown an increase in morbidity associated with button battery ingestions in children. To perform a comprehensive, imaging-focused review of all patients with confirmed button battery ingestions/insertions imaged at our institution in the last 15 years. Radiology reports from Jan. 1, 2000, to July 12, 2015, were searched for the terms ''battery'' and ''batteries.'' Confirmed cases of battery ingestion/insertion for which images were available were reviewed. Cases were reviewed for imaging studies performed, imaging findings, patient demographics, clinical history and management. Two pediatric gastroenterologists reviewed endoscopic images and graded mucosal injuries in selected cases. Two hundred seventy-six cases were reviewed. All patients were imaged with radiography, 19 with fluoroscopy (6.8%), and 4 with CT (1.4%). Batteries retained in the esophagus (n = 27, 9.8%) were larger in diameter on average than those that had passed distally (22.1 ± 3.3 mm vs. 13.7 ± 1.6 mm, P<0.0001). Battery diameter ≥20 mm was associated with esophageal impaction (P<0.0001) and higher grade esophageal injury (P<0.0001). Mean battery diameter was greater for patients with grade 1 or higher mucosal injury than for patients with no mucosal injury (22.1 ± 2.1 mm vs. 14.7 ± 4.5 mm, P<0.0001). Sixteen percent (4/25) of patients with grade ≥1 esophageal injury had batteries in the stomach on initial imaging. Five patients (1.8%) had serious clinical complications (e.g., esophageal perforation, tracheoesophageal fistula). Button batteries >20mm in diameter warrant increased clinical scrutiny due to higher likelihood and severity of injury. Implementation of recent pediatric gastroenterology societal guidelines will likely lead to a substantial increase in the number of CT and MRI examinations. (orig.)

  15. Space Radar Image of Harvard Forest

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-01-01

    This is a radar image of the area surrounding the Harvard Forest in north-central Massachusetts that has been operated as a ecological research facility by Harvard University since 1907. At the center of the image is the Quabbin Reservoir, and the Connecticut River is at the lower left of the image. The Harvard Forest itself is just above the reservoir. Researchers are comparing the naturally occurring physical disturbances in the forest and the recent and projected chemical disturbances and their effects on the forest ecosystem. Agricultural land appears dark blue/purple, along with low shrub vegetation and some wetlands. Urban development is bright pink; the yellow to green tints are conifer-dominated vegetation with the pitch pine sand plain at the middle left edge of the image appearing very distinctive. The green tint may indicate pure pine plantation stands, and deciduous broadleaf trees appear gray/pink with perhaps wetter sites being pinker. This image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) aboard the space shuttle Endeavour. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and the United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. The image is centered at 42.50 degrees North latitude and 72.33 degrees West longitude and covers an area of 53 kilometers 63 by kilometers (33 miles by 39 miles). The colors in the image are assigned to different frequencies and polarizations of the radar as follows: red is L-band horizontally transmitted and horizontally received; green is L-band horizontally transmitted and vertically received; and blue is C-band horizontally transmitted and horizontally received.

  16. A Total Information Management System For All Medical Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouimette, Donald; Nudelman, Sol; Ramsby, Gale; Spackman, Thomas

    1985-09-01

    A PACS has been designed for the University of Connecticut Health Center to serve all departments acquiring images for diagnosis, surgery and therapy. It incorporates a multiple community communications architecture to provide complete information management for medical images, medical data and departmental administrative matter. The system is modular and expandable. It permits an initial installation for radiology and subsequent expansion to include other departments at the Health Center, beginning with internal medicine, surgery, ophthalmology and dentistry. The design permits sufficient expansion to offer the potential for accepting the additional burden of a hospital information system. Primary parameters that led to this system design were based on the anticipation that departments in time could achieve generating 60 to 90% of their images suited to insertion in a PACS, that a high network throughput for large block image transfers would be essen-tial and that total system reliability was fundamental to success.

  17. Lossy image compression for digital medical imaging systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilhelm, Paul S.; Haynor, David R.; Kim, Yongmin; Nelson, Alan C.; Riskin, Eve A.

    1990-07-01

    Image compression at rates of 10:1 or greater could make PACS much more responsive and economically attractive. This paper describes a protocol for subjective and objective evaluation of the fidelity of compressed/decompressed images to the originals and presents the results ofits application to four representative and promising compression methods. The methods examined are predictive pruned tree-structured vector quantization, fractal compression, the discrete cosine transform with equal weighting of block bit allocation, and the discrete cosine transform with human visual system weighting of block bit allocation. Vector quantization is theoretically capable of producing the best compressed images, but has proven to be difficult to effectively implement. It has the advantage that it can reconstruct images quickly through a simple lookup table. Disadvantages are that codebook training is required, the method is computationally intensive, and achieving the optimum performance would require prohibitively long vector dimensions. Fractal compression is a relatively new compression technique, but has produced satisfactory results while being computationally simple. It is fast at both image compression and image reconstruction. Discrete cosine iransform techniques reproduce images well, but have traditionally been hampered by the need for intensive computing to compress and decompress images. A protocol was developed for side-by-side observer comparison of reconstructed images with originals. Three 1024 X 1024 CR (Computed Radiography) images and two 512 X 512 X-ray CT images were viewed at six bit rates (0.2, 0.4, 0.6, 0.9, 1.2, and 1.5 bpp for CR, and 1.0, 1.3, 1.6, 1.9, 2.2, 2.5 bpp for X-ray CT) by nine radiologists at the University of Washington Medical Center. The CR images were viewed on a Pixar II Megascan (2560 X 2048) monitor and the CT images on a Sony (1280 X 1024) monitor. The radiologists' subjective evaluations of image fidelity were compared to

  18. 64Cu-PSMA-617 PET/CT Imaging of Prostate Adenocarcinoma: First In-Human Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grubmüller, Bernhard; Baum, Richard P; Capasso, Enza; Singh, Aviral; Ahmadi, Yasaman; Knoll, Peter; Floth, Andreas; Righi, Sergio; Zandieh, Shahin; Meleddu, Carlo; Shariat, Shahrokh F; Klingler, Hans Christoph; Mirzaei, Siroos

    2016-10-07

    The prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a cell surface protein, which is overexpressed in nearly all cases of prostate cancer (PCa). PET imaging with 68 Ga-PSMA-HBED-CC has recently found widespread application in the diagnosis of recurrent PCa. In this study, the diagnostic potential of 64 Cu-labeled PSMA ligand (PSMA-617) PET in patients with PCa has been investigated. The study was conducted simultaneously at two nuclear medicine centers, Austria (Vienna, Center 1) and Germany (Bad Berka, Center 2). The patients (n = 29) included in this study were referred for PET (Center 1, 21 patients) or PET/CT (Center 2, 8 patients) imaging with either a high suspicion of recurrent disease or for possible surgical or PSMA radioligand therapy planning. PET images of the whole body were performed at 1 hour p.i. and additional images of the pelvis at 2 hours p.i. In 23 of 29 patients, at least one focus of pathological tracer uptake suspicious for primary disease in the prostate lobe or recurrent disease was detected. Among healthy organs, the salivary glands, kidneys, and liver showed the highest radiotracer uptake. Lesions suspicious for PCa were detected with excellent contrast as early as 1 hour p.i. with high detection rates even at low prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels. The preliminary results of this study demonstrate the high potential of 64 Cu-PSMA ligand PET/CT imaging in patients with recurrent disease and in the primary staging of selected patients with progressive local disease. The acquired PET images showed an excellent resolution of the detected lesions with very high lesion-to- background contrast. Furthermore, the long half-life of 64 Cu allows distribution of the tracer to clinical PET centers that lack radiochemistry facilities for the preparation of 68 Ga-PSMA ligand (satellite concept).

  19. X-ray microscopy resource center at the Advanced Light Source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meyer-Ilse, W.; Koike, M.; Beguiristain, R.; Maser, J.; Attwood, D.

    1992-07-01

    An x-ray microscopy resource center for biological x-ray imaging vvill be built at the Advanced Light Source (ALS) in Berkeley. The unique high brightness of the ALS allows short exposure times and high image quality. Two microscopes, an x-ray microscope (XM) and a scanning x-ray microscope (SXM) are planned. These microscopes serve complementary needs. The XM gives images in parallel at comparable short exposure times, and the SXM is optimized for low radiation doses applied to the sample. The microscopes extend visible light microscopy towards significantly higher resolution and permit images of objects in an aqueous medium. High resolution is accomplished by the use of Fresnel zone plates. Design considerations to serve the needs of biological x-ray microscopy are given. Also the preliminary design of the microscopes is presented. Multiple wavelength and multiple view images will provide elemental contrast and some degree of 3D information

  20. Speckle imaging of globular clusters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sams, B.J. III

    1990-01-01

    Speckle imaging is a powerful tool for high resolution astronomy. Its application to the core regions of globular clusters produces high resolution stellar maps of the bright stars, but is unable to image the faint stars which are most reliable dynamical indicators. The limits on resolving these faint, extended objects are physical, not algorithmic, and cannot be overcome using speckle. High resolution maps may be useful for resolving multicomponent stellar systems in the cluster centers. 30 refs

  1. 99mTc-MDP bone imaging Legg-Calve'-Perthes disease

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nam, Kyung Jin; Lee, Sun Wha; Kim, Eun Kyung; Kim, Soon Yong [School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    1983-03-15

    The pathology of Legg-Calve'-Perthes disease be can described as a vascular disturbance leading to necrosis and subsequent revascularization of the femoral epiphyseal ossification center. The regional distribution of bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals in the skeleton can depend on a number of factors, but bone blood flow is a major physiological determinant of regional skeletal uptake of Tc-99m polyphosphate and bone imaging may thus be used for the detection of areas with both decreased and increased vascular supply. The authors analyzed the scintigraphic findings of 14 cases of Legg-Calve'-Perthes disease at Kyung Hee University Hospital from Mar. '81 to Oct. '82. The results were as follows: 1. Scintigraphy revealed area of absent radioactivity in 14 cases; lateral 2/3 portion of the femoral epiphyseal ossification center was involved in 9 cases among 14 cases, and also increased radioactivity in epiphyseal ossification center, epiphyseal plate, or proximal metaphysis of femur were associated in 7 cases. 2. Three cases had radiographically normal hip, whereas scintigraphy reviewed distinctly absent radioactivity in femoral epiphyseal ossification center. 3. Magnification of hip imaging using a pinhole collimator provided good definition of presence and extent of pathologic defect or uptake in epiphyseal ossification center, epiphyseal plate, and metaphysis. Bone imaging provided earlier and more accurate information concerning the extent of the necrotic and revascularization process of Legg-Calve'-Perthes disease than the radiographys alone.

  2. Automatic measurement of images on astrometric plates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ortiz Gil, A.; Lopez Garcia, A.; Martinez Gonzalez, J. M.; Yershov, V.

    1994-04-01

    We present some results on the process of automatic detection and measurement of objects in overlapped fields of astrometric plates. The main steps of our algorithm are the following: determination of the Scale and Tilt between charge coupled devices (CCD) and microscope coordinate systems and estimation of signal-to-noise ratio in each field;--image identification and improvement of its position and size;--image final centering;--image selection and storage. Several parameters allow the use of variable criteria for image identification, characterization and selection. Problems related with faint images and crowded fields will be approached by special techniques (morphological filters, histogram properties and fitting models).

  3. In Vivo Imaging of Tissue Physiological Function using EPR Spectroscopy | NCI Technology Transfer Center | TTC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) is a technique for studying chemical species that have one or more unpaired electrons.  The current invention describes Echo-based Single Point Imaging (ESPI), a novel EPR image formation strategy that allows in vivo imaging of physiological function.  The National Cancer Institute's Radiation Biology Branch is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in in-licensing an in vivo imaging using Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) to measure active oxygen species.

  4. ImTK: an open source multi-center information management toolkit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alaoui, Adil; Ingeholm, Mary Lou; Padh, Shilpa; Dorobantu, Mihai; Desai, Mihir; Cleary, Kevin; Mun, Seong K.

    2008-03-01

    The Information Management Toolkit (ImTK) Consortium is an open source initiative to develop robust, freely available tools related to the information management needs of basic, clinical, and translational research. An open source framework and agile programming methodology can enable distributed software development while an open architecture will encourage interoperability across different environments. The ISIS Center has conceptualized a prototype data sharing network that simulates a multi-center environment based on a federated data access model. This model includes the development of software tools to enable efficient exchange, sharing, management, and analysis of multimedia medical information such as clinical information, images, and bioinformatics data from multiple data sources. The envisioned ImTK data environment will include an open architecture and data model implementation that complies with existing standards such as Digital Imaging and Communications (DICOM), Health Level 7 (HL7), and the technical framework and workflow defined by the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) Information Technology Infrastructure initiative, mainly the Cross Enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) specifications.

  5. Stern-Center Potsdam; Stern-Center Potsdam

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Anon.

    1999-07-01

    The ''Stern-Center Potsdam'' is a star-shaped shopping mall in the city center. [German] Das Stern-Center in Potsdam bietet als Einkaufszentrum vor den Toren Berlins Platz fuer eine Vielzahl von Geschaeften. Die sternfoermige Gebaeudestruktur des Centers bildet den Mittelpunkt des Stadtviertels 'Am Stern'. (orig.)

  6. Salient man-made structure detection in infrared images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Dong-jie; Zhou, Fu-gen; Jin, Ting

    2013-09-01

    Target detection, segmentation and recognition is a hot research topic in the field of image processing and pattern recognition nowadays, among which salient area or object detection is one of core technologies of precision guided weapon. Many theories have been raised in this paper; we detect salient objects in a series of input infrared images by using the classical feature integration theory and Itti's visual attention system. In order to find the salient object in an image accurately, we present a new method to solve the edge blur problem by calculating and using the edge mask. We also greatly improve the computing speed by improving the center-surround differences method. Unlike the traditional algorithm, we calculate the center-surround differences through rows and columns separately. Experimental results show that our method is effective in detecting salient object accurately and rapidly.

  7. Geocoding of SAR Image Using the Orbit and Attitude Determination of RADARSAT

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jin Wook So

    1998-06-01

    Full Text Available The Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR image and the Digital Elevation Model (DEM of an target area are put into use to generate three dimensional image map. An method of image map generation is explained. The orbit and attitude determination of satellite makes it possible to model signal acquisition configuration precisely, which is a key to mapping image coordinates to geographic coordinates of concerned area. An application is made to RADARSAT in the purpose of testing its validity. To determine the orbit, zero Doppler range is used. And to determine the attitude, Doppler centroid frequency, which is the frequency observed when target is in the center of antenna's view, is used. Conventional geocoding has been performed on the basis of direct method(mapping image coordinates to geographic coordinates, but in this research the inverse method (mapping from geographic coordinates to image coordinates is taken. This paper shows that precise signal acquisition modeling based on the orbit and attitude determination of satellite as a platform leads to a satellite-centered accurate geocoding process. It also shows how to model relative motion between spaceborne radar and target. And the relative motion is described in ECIC (earth-centered initial coordinates using Doppler equation and signal acquisition geometry.

  8. Teleradiology support for maternal and newborn health in II level perinatal centers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stratulat, P.; Gamurari, Inesa; Caraus, Tatiana; Curteanu, Ala

    2013-01-01

    Telemedicine can be defined as the use of electronic signals to transfer medical information from one system to another. The emergence and development of teleradiology occurred due to the needs of optimal allocation of resources. The effectiveness of medical care is being increasing simply by the fact that an expert radiologist or other specialist can view patient images from his working place without losing his precious time for traveling. Teleradiology solution offers a range of advantages: reducing the presence of specialists on call, rapid obtaining of second opinions, medical centers interconnection etc.In our study we will focus on the teleradiology activity. A prospective study of consulted cases was conducted via teleradiology; there were applied two basic methods of transmitting information. In 01.01.2012 to 31.12.2012 there were totally examined 393 children and consulted 430 radiological images, of them - through Skype - 102 children and 199 images via iPath platform. Successful implementation of teleradiology within telemedicine has improved the quality of diagnosis in cases treated in the pilot centers. (authors)

  9. Space Radar Image of Maui, Hawaii

    Science.gov (United States)

    1994-01-01

    This spaceborne radar image shows the 'Valley Island' of Maui, Hawaii. The cloud-penetrating capabilities of radar provide a rare view of many parts of the island, since the higher elevations are frequently shrouded in clouds. The light blue and yellow areas in the lowlands near the center are sugar cane fields. The three major population centers, Lahaina on the left at the western tip of island, Wailuku left of center, and Kihei in the lower center appear as small yellow, white or purple mottled areas. West Maui volcano, in the lower left, is 1800 meters high (5900 feet) and is considered extinct. The entire eastern half of the island consists of East Maui volcano, which rises to an elevation of 3200 meters (10,500 feet) and features a spectacular crater called Haleakala at its summit. Haleakala Crater was produced by erosion during previous ice ages rather than by volcanic activity, although relatively recent small eruptions have produced the numerous volcanic cones and lava flows that can be seen on the floor of the crater. The most recent eruption took place near the coast at the southwestern end of East Maui volcano in the late 1700s. Such a time frame indicates that East Maui should be considered a dormant, rather than an extinct volcano. A new eruption is therefore possible in the next few hundred years. The multi-wavelength capability of the SIR-C radar also permits differences in the vegetation cover on the middle flanks of East Maui to be identified. Rain forests appear in yellow, while grassland is shown in dark green, pink and blue. Radar images such as this one are being used by scientists to understand volcanic processes and to assess potential threats that future activity may pose to local populations. This image was acquired by Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SIR-C/X-SAR) onboard the space shuttle Endeavour on April 16, 1994. The image is 73.7 kilometers by 48.7 kilometers (45.7 miles by 30.2 miles) and is centered at 20

  10. The role of camera-bundled image management software in the consumer digital imaging value chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, Milton; Mundkur, Anuradha; Balasubramanian, Ashok; Chirania, Virat

    2005-02-01

    This research was undertaken by the Convergence Center at the Syracuse University School of Information Studies (www.digital-convergence.info). Project ICONICA, the name for the research, focuses on the strategic implications of digital Images and the CONvergence of Image management and image CApture. Consumer imaging - the activity that we once called "photography" - is now recognized as in the throes of a digital transformation. At the end of 2003, market researchers estimated that about 30% of the households in the U.S. and 40% of the households in Japan owned digital cameras. In 2004, of the 86 million new cameras sold (excluding one-time use cameras), a majority (56%) were estimated to be digital cameras. Sales of photographic film, while still profitable, are declining precipitously.

  11. Vector magnetic field microscopy using nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Maertz, B.J.; Wijnheijmer, A.P.; Fuchs, G.D.; Nowakowski, M.E.; Awschalom, D.D.

    2010-01-01

    The localized spin triplet ground state of a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond can be used in atomic-scale detection of local magnetic fields. Here we present a technique using ensembles of these defects in diamond to image fields around magnetic structures. We extract the local magnetic field

  12. Wrist ultrasonography of ossification centers during the adolescent growth spurt

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nessi, Renato; Zaffaroni, Roberto; Lazzerini, Francesco; Garattini, Giovanna; Bazzini, Elena

    1997-01-01

    High-resolution ultrasound (US) of the hand and wrist was compared with radiography in 26 patients (mean age: 11.4 years) to be submitted to orthodontic therapy. US scans were targeted on the ossification centers critical for the growth spurt, namely the pisiform and abductor sesamoid bones of the metacarpophalaneal joint of the thumb and the cartilage of the distal phalanx of the third finger. All images were retrospectively reviewed on a double-blind basis by two independent observers who gave a conspicuity score to each structure of interest. All the scores were submitted to statistical analysis with the Wilcoxon test. US images clearly demonstrated the initial appearance of the ossification centers of the pisiform and sesamoid bones. These structures appeared as hyperechoic spots causing marked acoustic shadowing. The persistence of the phalangeal cartilage was depicted as a thin rim interrupting the hyperechoic cortical profile of the bone. Us results were statistically equivalent to radiographic findings in the pisiform. A statistically significant difference between the two techniques was found in the third finger cartilage because its profile was poorly depicted on some US images. To conclude, wrist US is proposed as a simple and valuable radiation-free support examination for the follow-up of skeletal maturation in adolescents to be submitted to orthodontic therapy

  13. Spatial power-spectra from Yohkoh soft X-ray images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martens, Petrus C. H.; Gomez, Daniel O.

    1992-01-01

    We analyze three sequences of images from active regions, and a full disk image obtained by Yohkoh's Soft X-ray Telescope. Two sequences are from a region at center disk observed through different filters, and one sequence is from the limb. After Fourier-transforming the X-ray intensity of the images we find nearly isotropic power-spectra with an azimuthally integrated slope of -2.1 for the center disk, and -2.8 for the limb images. The full-disk picture yields a spectrum of -2.4. These results are different from the active region spectra obtained with the Normal Incidence X-ray Telescope which have a slope of the order of -3.0, and we ascribe this to the difference in temperature response between the instruments. However, both the SXT and NIXT results are consistent with coronal heating as the end result of a downward quasistatic cascade (in lengthscales) of free magnetic energy in the corona, driven by footpoint motions in the photosphere.

  14. Method of center localization for objects containing concentric arcs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuznetsova, Elena G.; Shvets, Evgeny A.; Nikolaev, Dmitry P.

    2015-02-01

    This paper proposes a method for automatic center location of objects containing concentric arcs. The method utilizes structure tensor analysis and voting scheme optimized with Fast Hough Transform. Two applications of the proposed method are considered: (i) wheel tracking in video-based system for automatic vehicle classification and (ii) tree growth rings analysis on a tree cross cut image.

  15. Improvements in Off-Center Focusing in an X-ray Streak Camera

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDonald, J W; Weber, F; Holder, J P; Bell, P M

    2003-01-01

    Due to the planar construction of present x-ray streak tubes significant off-center defocusing is observed in both static and dynamic images taken with one-dimensional resolution slits. Based on the streak tube geometry curved photocathodes with radii of curvature ranging from 3.5 to 18 inches have been fabricated. We report initial off-center focusing performance data on the evaluation of these ''improved'' photocathodes in an X-ray streak camera and an update on the theoretical simulations to predict the optimum cathode curvature

  16. Questionnaire survey of ultrasonography at centers equipped for detailed breast cancer screening

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiraiwa, Misaki; Endo, Tokiko; Morita, Takako; Niwa, Tae; Oiwa, Mikinao; Nishida, Chikako

    2012-01-01

    To ascertain the current status of ultrasonography in mammographic (MG) screening at centers equipped for detailed examination and to clarify the related issues, a questionnaire was sent to 181 centers, exclusive of those providing only medical check-ups, recognized by the Central Committee for Quality Control of Mammographic Screening in 7 prefectures of Chubu District. Of the 99 centers that returned the questionnaire (response rate, 54.7%), 82 answered ''yes'' to the use of breast ultrasound in clinical practice, in which the actual state of breast ultrasonography was analyzed. Examinations were performed by doctors alone at 24 centers, doctors and non-doctors at 40, and non-doctors alone at 18. Examinations by doctors were performed in doctors' offices at 28 centers, in inspection rooms at 26 and both at 10, frequently as outpatient examinations in 51 centers (79.7%). The mean duration of examination was 9.8 min for the first examination of a symptomatic patient, 7.5 min for follow-up, 9.6 min for the first examination of an asymptomatic patient, and 7.6 min for follow-up. For non-doctors, the respective times were 16.7, 14.4, 14.7, and 14.2 min, respectively. Non-doctors performing examinations alone (87.9%) and with insufficient MG information (50.0%) took a longer time. Frequently, the image was read only by doctors (65.5%), employing static images (93.3%). Qualified specialist doctors and technologists accounted for 16.2%, and the rate of participation in training by the Japan Association of Breast and Thyroid Sonology (JABTS) was 24.7%. Based on the present questionnaire, conditions of breast ultrasonography for mild MG abnormalities still appear to be inadequate. (author)

  17. Image quality characteristics for virtual monoenergetic images using dual-layer spectral detector CT: Comparison with conventional tube-voltage images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakabe, Daisuke; Funama, Yoshinori; Taguchi, Katsuyuki; Nakaura, Takeshi; Utsunomiya, Daisuke; Oda, Seitaro; Kidoh, Masafumi; Nagayama, Yasunori; Yamashita, Yasuyuki

    2018-05-01

    To investigate the image quality characteristics for virtual monoenergetic images compared with conventional tube-voltage image with dual-layer spectral CT (DLCT). Helical scans were performed using a first-generation DLCT scanner, two different sizes of acrylic cylindrical phantoms, and a Catphan phantom. Three different iodine concentrations were inserted into the phantom center. The single-tube voltage for obtaining virtual monoenergetic images was set to 120 or 140 kVp. Conventional 120- and 140-kVp images and virtual monoenergetic images (40-200-keV images) were reconstructed from slice thicknesses of 1.0 mm. The CT number and image noise were measured for each iodine concentration and water on the 120-kVp images and virtual monoenergetic images. The noise power spectrum (NPS) was also calculated. The iodine CT numbers for the iodinated enhancing materials were similar regardless of phantom size and acquisition method. Compared with the iodine CT numbers of the conventional 120-kVp images, those for the monoenergetic 40-, 50-, and 60-keV images increased by approximately 3.0-, 1.9-, and 1.3-fold, respectively. The image noise values for each virtual monoenergetic image were similar (for example, 24.6 HU at 40 keV and 23.3 HU at 200 keV obtained at 120 kVp and 30-cm phantom size). The NPS curves of the 70-keV and 120-kVp images for a 1.0-mm slice thickness over the entire frequency range were similar. Virtual monoenergetic images represent stable image noise over the entire energy spectrum and improved the contrast-to-noise ratio than conventional tube voltage using the dual-layer spectral detector CT. Copyright © 2018 Associazione Italiana di Fisica Medica. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. KCC1: First Nanoparticle developed by KAUST Catalysis Center

    KAUST Repository

    Basset, Jean-Marie

    2010-08-01

    KCC1 is the first Nanoparticle developed by KAUST Catalysis Center. Director of KAUST Catalysis Center, Dr. Jean-Marie Basset, Senior Research Scientist at KCC, Dr. Vivek Polshettiwar, and Dr. Dongkyu Cha of the Advanced Nanofabrication Imaging & Characterization Core Laboratory discuss the details of this recent discovery. This video was produced by KAUST Visualization Laboratory and KAUST Technology Transfer and Innovation - Terence McElwee, Director, Technology Transfer and Innovation - IP@kaust.edu.sa This technology is part of KAUST\\'s technology commercialization program that seeks to stimulate development and commercial use of KAUST-developed technologies. For more information email us at ip@kaust.edu.sa.

  19. 76 FR 45402 - Advisory Committee; Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Committee; Re-Establishment

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-07-29

    .... FDA-2010-N-0002] Advisory Committee; Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Committee; Re- Establishment... (FDA) is announcing the re- establishment of the Medical Imaging Drugs Advisory Committee in FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. This rule amends the current language for the Medical Imaging...

  20. Center for X-Ray Optics, 1986

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1987-07-01

    The Center for X-Ray Optics has made substantial progress during the past year on the development of very high resolution x-ray technologies, the generation of coherent radiation at x-ray wavelengths, and, based on these new developments, had embarked on several scientific investigations that would not otherwise have been possible. The investigations covered in this report are topics on x-ray sources, x-ray imaging and applications, soft x-ray spectroscopy, synchrotron radiation, advanced light source and magnet structures for undulators and wigglers

  1. Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID) 2004-2005

    Data.gov (United States)

    Kansas Data Access and Support Center — The Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID) 2004-2005 consists of terrain-corrected, precision rectified spring, summer, and fall Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM)...

  2. Deeply trapped electrons in imaging plates and their utilization for extending the dynamic range

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohuchi, Hiroko; Kondo, Yasuhiro

    2010-01-01

    The absorption spectra of deep centers in an imaging plate (IP) made of BaFBr 0:85 I 0:15 :Eu 2+ have been studied in the ultraviolet region. Electrons trapped in deep centers are considered to be the cause of unerasable and reappearing latent images in IPs over-irradiated with X-rays. Deep centers showed a dominant peak at around 320 nm, followed by two small peaks at around 345 and 380 nm. By utilizing deeply trapped electrons, we have attempted to extend the dynamic range of an IP. The IP was irradiated by 150-kV X-rays with doses from 8.07 mGy to 80.7 Gy. Reading out the latent image by the stimulation of Eu 2+ luminescence with a 633-nm He-Ne laser light from a conventional Fuji reader showed a linear relationship with irradiated dose up to 0.8 Gy, but then becoming non-linear. After fully erasing with visible light, unerasable latent images were read out using 635-nm semi-conductor laser light combined with a photon-counting detection system. The dose-response curve so obtained gave a further two orders of magnitude extending the dynamic range up to 80.7 Gy. Comprehensive results indicate that electrons supplied from deep centers to the F centers provided the extended dynamic range after the F centers became saturated. Based on these facts, a model of the excitation of deeply trapped electrons and PSL processes is proposed.

  3. Superresolving Black Hole Images with Full-Closure Sparse Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crowley, Chelsea; Akiyama, Kazunori; Fish, Vincent

    2018-01-01

    It is believed that almost all galaxies have black holes at their centers. Imaging a black hole is a primary objective to answer scientific questions relating to relativistic accretion and jet formation. The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is set to capture images of two nearby black holes, Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way galaxy roughly 26,000 light years away and the other M87 which is in Virgo A, a large elliptical galaxy that is 50 million light years away. Sparse imaging techniques have shown great promise for reconstructing high-fidelity superresolved images of black holes from simulated data. Previous work has included the effects of atmospheric phase errors and thermal noise, but not systematic amplitude errors that arise due to miscalibration. We explore a full-closure imaging technique with sparse modeling that uses closure amplitudes and closure phases to improve the imaging process. This new technique can successfully handle data with systematic amplitude errors. Applying our technique to synthetic EHT data of M87, we find that full-closure sparse modeling can reconstruct images better than traditional methods and recover key structural information on the source, such as the shape and size of the predicted photon ring. These results suggest that our new approach will provide superior imaging performance for data from the EHT and other interferometric arrays.

  4. Clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) reduce costs in the management of isolated splenic injuries at pediatric trauma centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gutierrez, Ivan M; Zurakowski, David; Chen, Qiaoli; Mooney, David P

    2013-02-01

    The American Pediatric Surgical Association Trauma Committee proposed the use of a clinical practice guideline (CPG) for the non-operative management of isolated splenic injuries in 1998. An analysis was conducted to determine the financial impact of CPGs on the management of these injuries. The Pediatric Health Information System database, which contains data from 44 children's hospitals, was used to identify children who sustained a graded isolated splenic injury between June 2005 and June 2010. Demographics, length of stay (LOS), readmission rates, and laboratory, imaging, procedural, and total cost data were determined for all hospitals verified as a pediatric trauma center by the American College of Surgeons and/or designated by their local authority. Comparisons were made between facilities self-identifying as having a splenic injury management CPG and those without a CPG. Children (1,154) with isolated splenic injuries (grades 1-4) were cared for in 26 pediatric trauma centers: 20 with a CPG and 6 without (non-CPG). Median costs were significantly lower at CPG than non-CPG centers for imaging (US $163 vs. US $641, P splenic injuries at a pediatric trauma center results in significantly reduced imaging, laboratory, and total hospital costs independent of patient age, gender, grade, and LOS.

  5. Close the Textbook & Open "The Cell: An Image Library"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saunders, Cheston; Taylor, Amy

    2014-01-01

    Many students leave the biology classroom with misconceptions centered on cellular structure. This article presents an activity in which students utilize images from an online database called "The Cell: An Image Library" (http://www.cellimagelibrary. org/) to gain a greater understanding of the diversity of cellular structure and the…

  6. Magnetic resonance imaging of single rice kernels during cooking

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Mohoric, A.; Vergeldt, F.J.; Gerkema, E.; Jager, de P.A.; Duynhoven, van J.P.M.; Dalen, van G.; As, van H.

    2004-01-01

    The RARE imaging method was used to monitor the cooking of single rice kernels in real time and with high spatial resolution in three dimensions. The imaging sequence is optimized for rapid acquisition of signals with short relaxation times using centered out RARE. Short scan time and high spatial

  7. Nanoscopic Manipulation and Imaging of Liquid Crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosenblatt, Charles S. [Case Western Reserve Univ., Cleveland, OH (United States)

    2014-02-04

    This is the final project report. The project’s goals centered on nanoscopic imaging and control of liquid crystals and surfaces. We developed and refined techniques to control liquid crystal orientation at surfaces with resolution as small as 25 nm, we developed an optical imaging technique that we call Optical Nanotomography that allows us to obtain images inside liquid crystal films with resolution of 60 x 60 x 1 nm, and we opened new thrust areas related to chirality and to liquid crystal/colloid composites.

  8. BOLD magnetic resonance imaging in nephrology

    OpenAIRE

    Hall ME; Jordan JH; Juncos LA; Hundley WG; Hall JE

    2018-01-01

    Michael E Hall,1,2 Jennifer H Jordan,3 Luis A Juncos,1,2 W Gregory Hundley,3 John E Hall2 1Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA; 2Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Cardiovascular Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA Abstract: Magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, a non-invasive modality that provides ana...

  9. Images of the laser entrance hole from the static x-ray imager at NIF.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, M B; Jones, O S; Meezan, N B; Milovich, J L; Town, R P; Alvarez, S S; Beeler, R G; Bradley, D K; Celeste, J R; Dixit, S N; Edwards, M J; Haugh, M J; Kalantar, D H; Kline, J L; Kyrala, G A; Landen, O L; MacGowan, B J; Michel, P; Moody, J D; Oberhelman, S K; Piston, K W; Pivovaroff, M J; Suter, L J; Teruya, A T; Thomas, C A; Vernon, S P; Warrick, A L; Widmann, K; Wood, R D; Young, B K

    2010-10-01

    The static x-ray imager at the National Ignition Facility is a pinhole camera using a CCD detector to obtain images of Hohlraum wall x-ray drive illumination patterns seen through the laser entrance hole (LEH). Carefully chosen filters, combined with the CCD response, allow recording images in the x-ray range of 3-5 keV with 60 μm spatial resolution. The routines used to obtain the apparent size of the backlit LEH and the location and intensity of beam spots are discussed and compared to predictions. A new soft x-ray channel centered at 870 eV (near the x-ray peak of a 300 eV temperature ignition Hohlraum) is discussed.

  10. Information sharing guidebook for transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-01

    This guidebook provides an overview of the mission and functions of transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers. The guidebook focuses on the types of information these centers produce and manage and how the sh...

  11. Information sharing guidebook for transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-06-01

    This guidebook provides an overview of the mission and functions of transportation management centers, emergency operations centers, and fusion centers. The guidebook focuses on the types of information these centers produce and manage and how the sh...

  12. Practical Considerations for Clinical PET/MR Imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galgano, Samuel; Viets, Zachary; Fowler, Kathryn; Gore, Lael; Thomas, John V; McNamara, Michelle; McConathy, Jonathan

    2018-01-01

    Clinical PET/MR imaging is currently performed at a number of centers around the world as part of routine standard of care. This article focuses on issues and considerations for a clinical PET/MR imaging program, focusing on routine standard-of-care studies. Although local factors influence how clinical PET/MR imaging is implemented, the approaches and considerations described here intend to apply to most clinical programs. PET/MR imaging provides many more options than PET/computed tomography with diagnostic advantages for certain clinical applications but with added complexity. A recurring theme is matching the PET/MR imaging protocol to the clinical application to balance diagnostic accuracy with efficiency. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. A MURI Center for Intelligent Biomimetic Image Processing and Classification

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-11-01

    times, labeled "plage" or "open space" or "natural", the system learns to associate multiple classes with a given input. Testbed image examples have shown...brain color perception and category learning. Commentary on "Coordinating perceptually grounded categories through language " by Luc Steels and Tony...Symposium on Computational Intelligence (ISCI), Kosice, Slovakia, June 2002. 9. Carpenter, G.A., Award from the Slovak Artificial Intelligence Society, 2002

  14. Book Review: Instagram and contemporary image, Lev Manovich

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carla Barrio Romera

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Book Review: Instagram and contemporary image, Lev Manovich, California Institute for Telecommunication and Information & The Graduate Center, City University of New York (CUNY, Cultural Analytics Lab, 2017, http://manovich.net/index.php/projects/instagram-and-contemporary-image, Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International Creative Commons license, 148 págs.

  15. X-Ray Processing of ChaMPlane Fields: Methods and Initial Results for Selected Anti-Galactic Center Fields

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hong, JaeSub; van den Berg, Maureen; Schlegel, Eric M.; Grindlay, Jonathan E.; Koenig, Xavier; Laycock, Silas; Zhao, Ping

    2005-12-01

    We describe the X-ray analysis procedure of the ongoing Chandra Multiwavelength Plane (ChaMPlane) Survey and report the initial results from the analysis of 15 selected anti-Galactic center observations (90degusing custom-developed analysis tools appropriate for Galactic sources but also of general use: optimum photometry in crowded fields using advanced techniques for overlapping sources, rigorous astrometry and 95% error circles for combining X-ray images or matching to optical/IR images, and application of quantile analysis for spectral analysis of faint sources. We apply these techniques to 15 anti-Galactic center observations (of 14 distinct fields), in which we have detected 921 X-ray point sources. We present logN-logS distributions and quantile analysis to show that in the hard band (2-8 keV) active galactic nuclei dominate the sources. Complete analysis of all ChaMPlane anti-Galactic center fields will be given in a subsequent paper, followed by papers on sources in the Galactic center and bulge regions.

  16. Preparing diagnostic 3D images for image registration with planning CT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tracton, Gregg S.; Miller, Elizabeth P.; Rosenman, Julian; Chang, Sha X.; Sailer, Scott; Boxwala, Azaz; Chaney, Edward L.

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: Pre-radiotherapy (pre-RT) tomographic images acquired for diagnostic purposes often contain important tumor and/or normal tissue information which is poorly defined or absent in planning CT images. Our two years of clinical experience has shown that computer-assisted 3D registration of pre-RT images with planning CT images often plays an indispensable role in accurate treatment volume definition. Often the only available format of the diagnostic images is film from which the original 3D digital data must be reconstructed. In addition, any digital data, whether reconstructed or not, must be put into a form suitable for incorporation into the treatment planning system. The purpose of this investigation was to identify all problems that must be overcome before this data is suitable for clinical use. Materials and Methods: In the past two years we have 3D-reconstructed 300 diagnostic images from film and digital sources. As a problem was discovered we built a software tool to correct it. In time we collected a large set of such tools and found that they must be applied in a specific order to achieve the correct reconstruction. Finally, a toolkit (ediScan) was built that made all these tools available in the proper manner via a pleasant yet efficient mouse-based user interface. Results: Problems we discovered included different magnifications, shifted display centers, non-parallel image planes, image planes not perpendicular to the long axis of the table-top (shearing), irregularly spaced scans, non contiguous scan volumes, multiple slices per film, different orientations for slice axes (e.g. left-right reversal), slices printed at window settings corresponding to tissues of interest for diagnostic purposes, and printing artifacts. We have learned that the specific steps to correct these problems, in order of application, are: Also, we found that fast feedback and large image capacity (at least 2000 x 2000 12-bit pixels) are essential for practical application

  17. BOLD magnetic resonance imaging in nephrology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hall ME

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Michael E Hall,1,2 Jennifer H Jordan,3 Luis A Juncos,1,2 W Gregory Hundley,3 John E Hall2 1Department of Medicine, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA; 2Department of Physiology and Biophysics, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS, USA; 3Department of Internal Medicine, Section on Cardiovascular Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA Abstract: Magnetic resonance (MR imaging, a non-invasive modality that provides anatomic and physiologic information, is increasingly used for diagnosis of pathophysiologic conditions and for understanding renal physiology in humans. Although functional MR imaging methods were pioneered to investigate the brain, they also offer powerful techniques for investigation of other organ systems such as the kidneys. However, imaging the kidneys provides unique challenges due to potential complications from contrast agents. Therefore, development of non-contrast techniques to study kidney anatomy and physiology is important. Blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD MR is a non-contrast imaging technique that provides functional information related to renal tissue oxygenation in various pathophysiologic conditions. Here we discuss technical considerations, clinical uses and future directions for use of BOLD MR as well as complementary MR techniques to better understand renal pathophysiology. Our intent is to summarize kidney BOLD MR applications for the clinician rather than focusing on the complex physical challenges that functional MR imaging encompasses; however, we briefly discuss some of those issues. Keywords: functional MRI, kidney, oxygenation, chronic kidney disease 

  18. Technical guidance for the development of a solid state image sensor for human low vision image warping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderspiegel, Jan

    1994-01-01

    This report surveys different technologies and approaches to realize sensors for image warping. The goal is to study the feasibility, technical aspects, and limitations of making an electronic camera with special geometries which implements certain transformations for image warping. This work was inspired by the research done by Dr. Juday at NASA Johnson Space Center on image warping. The study has looked into different solid-state technologies to fabricate image sensors. It is found that among the available technologies, CMOS is preferred over CCD technology. CMOS provides more flexibility to design different functions into the sensor, is more widely available, and is a lower cost solution. By using an architecture with row and column decoders one has the added flexibility of addressing the pixels at random, or read out only part of the image.

  19. Target recognition of log-polar ladar range images using moment invariants

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xia, Wenze; Han, Shaokun; Cao, Jie; Yu, Haoyong

    2017-01-01

    The ladar range image has received considerable attentions in the automatic target recognition field. However, previous research does not cover target recognition using log-polar ladar range images. Therefore, we construct a target recognition system based on log-polar ladar range images in this paper. In this system combined moment invariants and backpropagation neural network are selected as shape descriptor and shape classifier, respectively. In order to fully analyze the effect of log-polar sampling pattern on recognition result, several comparative experiments based on simulated and real range images are carried out. Eventually, several important conclusions are drawn: (i) if combined moments are computed directly by log-polar range images, translation, rotation and scaling invariant properties of combined moments will be invalid (ii) when object is located in the center of field of view, recognition rate of log-polar range images is less sensitive to the changing of field of view (iii) as object position changes from center to edge of field of view, recognition performance of log-polar range images will decline dramatically (iv) log-polar range images has a better noise robustness than Cartesian range images. Finally, we give a suggestion that it is better to divide field of view into recognition area and searching area in the real application.

  20. Imaging algorithms and CT protocols in trauma patients: survey of Swiss emergency centers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hinzpeter, R.; Alkadhi, Hatem; Boehm, T.; Boll, D.; Constantin, C.; Del Grande, F.; Fretz, V.; Leschka, S.; Ohletz, T.; Broennimann, M.; Schmidt, S.; Treumann, T.; Poletti, P.A.

    2017-01-01

    To identify imaging algorithms and indications, CT protocols, and radiation doses in polytrauma patients in Swiss trauma centres. An online survey with multiple choice questions and free-text responses was sent to authorized level-I trauma centres in Switzerland. All centres responded and indicated that they have internal standardized imaging algorithms for polytrauma patients. Nine of 12 centres (75 %) perform whole-body CT (WBCT) after focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) and conventional radiography; 3/12 (25 %) use WBCT for initial imaging. Indications for WBCT were similar across centres being based on trauma mechanisms, vital signs, and presence of multiple injuries. Seven of 12 centres (58 %) perform an arterial and venous phase of the abdomen in split-bolus technique. Six of 12 centres (50 %) use multiphase protocols of the head (n = 3) and abdomen (n = 4), whereas 6/12 (50 %) use single-phase protocols for WBCT. Arm position was on the patient's body during scanning (3/12, 25 %), alongside the body (2/12, 17 %), above the head (2/12, 17 %), or was changed during scanning (5/12, 42 %). Radiation doses showed large variations across centres ranging from 1268-3988 mGy*cm (DLP) per WBCT. Imaging algorithms in polytrauma patients are standardized within, but vary across Swiss trauma centres, similar to the individual WBCT protocols, resulting in large variations in associated radiation doses. (orig.)

  1. Imaging algorithms and CT protocols in trauma patients: survey of Swiss emergency centers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hinzpeter, R.; Alkadhi, Hatem [University Hospital Zurich, Institute of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Zurich (Switzerland); Boehm, T. [Kantonsspital Graubuenden, Department of Radiology, Chur (Switzerland); Boll, D. [University Hospital Basel, Department of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Basel (Switzerland); Constantin, C. [Spital Wallis, Department of Radiology, Visp (Switzerland); Del Grande, F. [Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Department of Radiology, Lugano (Switzerland); Fretz, V. [Kantonsspital Winterthur, Institute of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Winterthur (Switzerland); Leschka, S. [Kantonsspital St Gallen, Division of Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, Gallen (Switzerland); Ohletz, T. [Kantonsspital Aarau, Department of Radiology, Aarau (Switzerland); Broennimann, M. [University Hospital Bern, Department of Diagnostic, Interventional and Pediatric Radiology, Bern (Switzerland); Schmidt, S. [Lausanne University Hospital, Department of Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology, Lausanne (Switzerland); Treumann, T. [Luzerner Kantonsspital, Institute of Radiology, Luzern 16 (Switzerland); Poletti, P.A. [Geneva University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Geneve (Switzerland)

    2017-05-15

    To identify imaging algorithms and indications, CT protocols, and radiation doses in polytrauma patients in Swiss trauma centres. An online survey with multiple choice questions and free-text responses was sent to authorized level-I trauma centres in Switzerland. All centres responded and indicated that they have internal standardized imaging algorithms for polytrauma patients. Nine of 12 centres (75 %) perform whole-body CT (WBCT) after focused assessment with sonography for trauma (FAST) and conventional radiography; 3/12 (25 %) use WBCT for initial imaging. Indications for WBCT were similar across centres being based on trauma mechanisms, vital signs, and presence of multiple injuries. Seven of 12 centres (58 %) perform an arterial and venous phase of the abdomen in split-bolus technique. Six of 12 centres (50 %) use multiphase protocols of the head (n = 3) and abdomen (n = 4), whereas 6/12 (50 %) use single-phase protocols for WBCT. Arm position was on the patient's body during scanning (3/12, 25 %), alongside the body (2/12, 17 %), above the head (2/12, 17 %), or was changed during scanning (5/12, 42 %). Radiation doses showed large variations across centres ranging from 1268-3988 mGy*cm (DLP) per WBCT. Imaging algorithms in polytrauma patients are standardized within, but vary across Swiss trauma centres, similar to the individual WBCT protocols, resulting in large variations in associated radiation doses. (orig.)

  2. Sub-word image clustering in Farsi printed books

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soheili, Mohammad Reza; Kabir, Ehsanollah; Stricker, Didier

    2015-02-01

    Most OCR systems are designed for the recognition of a single page. In case of unfamiliar font faces, low quality papers and degraded prints, the performance of these products drops sharply. However, an OCR system can use redundancy of word occurrences in large documents to improve recognition results. In this paper, we propose a sub-word image clustering method for the applications dealing with large printed documents. We assume that the whole document is printed by a unique unknown font with low quality print. Our proposed method finds clusters of equivalent sub-word images with an incremental algorithm. Due to the low print quality, we propose an image matching algorithm for measuring the distance between two sub-word images, based on Hamming distance and the ratio of the area to the perimeter of the connected components. We built a ground-truth dataset of more than 111000 sub-word images to evaluate our method. All of these images were extracted from an old Farsi book. We cluster all of these sub-words, including isolated letters and even punctuation marks. Then all centers of created clusters are labeled manually. We show that all sub-words of the book can be recognized with more than 99.7% accuracy by assigning the label of each cluster center to all of its members.

  3. The analysis of image feature robustness using cometcloud

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xin Qi

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The robustness of image features is a very important consideration in quantitative image analysis. The objective of this paper is to investigate the robustness of a range of image texture features using hematoxylin stained breast tissue microarray slides which are assessed while simulating different imaging challenges including out of focus, changes in magnification and variations in illumination, noise, compression, distortion, and rotation. We employed five texture analysis methods and tested them while introducing all of the challenges listed above. The texture features that were evaluated include co-occurrence matrix, center-symmetric auto-correlation, texture feature coding method, local binary pattern, and texton. Due to the independence of each transformation and texture descriptor, a network structured combination was proposed and deployed on the Rutgers private cloud. The experiments utilized 20 randomly selected tissue microarray cores. All the combinations of the image transformations and deformations are calculated, and the whole feature extraction procedure was completed in 70 minutes using a cloud equipped with 20 nodes. Center-symmetric auto-correlation outperforms all the other four texture descriptors but also requires the longest computational time. It is roughly 10 times slower than local binary pattern and texton. From a speed perspective, both the local binary pattern and texton features provided excellent performance for classification and content-based image retrieval.

  4. Sharpening spots: correcting for bleedover in cDNA array images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Therneau, Terry; Tschumper, Renee C; Jelinek, Diane

    2002-03-01

    For cDNA array methods that depend on imaging of a radiolabel, we show that bleedover of one spot onto another, due to the gap between the array and the imaging media, can be a major problem. The images can be sharpened, however, using a blind convolution method based on the EM algorithm. The sharpened images look like a set of donuts, which concurs with our knowledge of the spotting process. Oversharpened images are actually useful as well, in locating the centers of each spot.

  5. Magmatic activity beneath the quiescent Three Sisters volcanic center, central Oregon Cascade Range, USA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wicks, Charles W.; Dzurisin, Daniel; Ingebritsen, Steven; Thatcher, Wayne; Lu, Zhong; Iverson, Justin

    2002-04-01

    Images from satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) reveal uplift of a broad ~10 km by 20 km area in the Three Sisters volcanic center of the central Oregon Cascade Range, ~130 km south of Mt. St. Helens. The last eruption in the volcanic center occurred ~1500 years ago. Multiple satellite images from 1992 through 2000 indicate that most if not all of ~100 mm of observed uplift occurred between September 1998 and October 2000. Geochemical (water chemistry) anomalies, first noted during 1990, coincide with the area of uplift and suggest the existence of a crustal magma reservoir prior to the uplift. We interpret the uplift as inflation caused by an ongoing episode of magma intrusion at a depth of ~6.5 km.

  6. Iowa Water Center | Iowa Water Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Home Iowa State University Extension Iowa Water Center Submitted by mollyd on April 24, 2012 - 09 :42 Advancing the state of water knowledge and management The Iowa Water Center is a part of a nationwide network of university-based water centers created to encourage interdisciplinary water research

  7. User-Centered Design through Learner-Centered Instruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altay, Burçak

    2014-01-01

    This article initially demonstrates the parallels between the learner-centered approach in education and the user-centered approach in design disciplines. Afterward, a course on human factors that applies learner-centered methods to teach user-centered design is introduced. The focus is on three tasks to identify the application of theoretical and…

  8. Processing Chains for Desis and Enmap Imaging Spectroscopy Data: Similarities and Differences

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storch, T.; Müller, R.

    2017-10-01

    The Earth Observation Center (EOC) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) realizes operational processors for DESIS (DLR Earth Sensing Imaging Spectrometer) and EnMAP (Environmental Mapping and Analysis Program) high-resolution imaging spectroscopy remote sensing satellite missions. DESIS is planned to be launched in 2018 and EnMAP in 2020. The developmental (namely schedule, deployment, and team) and functional (namely processing levels, algorithms in processors, and archiving approaches) similarities and differences of the fully-automatic processors are analyzed. The processing chains generate high-quality standardized image products for users at different levels taking characterization and calibration data into account. EOC has long lasting experiences with the airborne and spaceborne acquisition, processing, and analysis of hyperspectral image data. It turns out that both activities strongly benefit from each other.

  9. Recombination luminescence from H centers and conversion of H centers into I centers in alkali iodides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berzina, B.J.

    1981-01-01

    The study is aimed at the search for H-plus-electron centers of luminescence and the investigation of the conversion of H- into I centers by the luminescence of H-plus-electron centers in alkali iodide crystals. KI, RbI and NaI crystals were studied at 12 K. H and F centers were created by irradiation with ultraviolet light corresponding to the absorption band of anion excitons. Then the excitation of electron centers by red light irradiation was followed. The spectra of stimulated recombination luminescence were studied. The luminescence of H-plus- electron centers had been observed and the conclusion was made that this center was formed on immobile H centers. In case of stable H centers the optically stimulated conversion of H centers into I centers occurs. The assumption is advanced on the spontaneous annihilation of near placed unstable F, H centers which leads to the creation of H-plus-electron luminescence centers and to the spontaneous H-I-centers conversion [ru

  10. An Efficient Evolutionary Based Method For Image Segmentation

    OpenAIRE

    Aslanzadeh, Roohollah; Qazanfari, Kazem; Rahmati, Mohammad

    2017-01-01

    The goal of this paper is to present a new efficient image segmentation method based on evolutionary computation which is a model inspired from human behavior. Based on this model, a four layer process for image segmentation is proposed using the split/merge approach. In the first layer, an image is split into numerous regions using the watershed algorithm. In the second layer, a co-evolutionary process is applied to form centers of finals segments by merging similar primary regions. In the t...

  11. Alternative Fuels Data Center: How Do Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Work

    Science.gov (United States)

    vehicles. Hydrogen car image Key Components of a Hydrogen Fuel Cell Electric Car Battery (auxiliary): In an Using Hydrogen? Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Work Using Hydrogen? to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: How Do Fuel Cell Electric Vehicles Work Using Hydrogen? on Facebook Tweet about

  12. 75 FR 7486 - Center for Scientific Review; Notice of Closed Meetings

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-02-19

    ... Business: Cell Biology and Molecular Imaging. Date: March 11, 2010. Time: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Agenda: To... Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, Small Business: Developmental Biology and Aging. Date: March 2-3... . Name of Committee: Center for Scientific Review Special Emphasis Panel, Member Conflict: Cancer...

  13. Ambient radiation levels in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging center

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Santana, Priscila do Carmo; Oliveira, Paulo Marcio Campos de; Mamede, Marcelo; Silveira, Mariana de Castro; Aguiar, Polyanna; Real, Raphaela Vila, E-mail: pridili@gmail.com [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil); Silva, Teogenes Augusto da [Centro de Desenvolvimento da Tecnologia Nuclear (CDTN/CNEN-MG), Belo Horizonte, MG (Brazil)

    2015-01-15

    Objective: to evaluate the level of ambient radiation in a PET/CT center. Materials and methods: previously selected and calibrated TLD-100H thermoluminescent dosimeters were utilized to measure room radiation levels. During 32 days, the detectors were placed in several strategically selected points inside the PET/CT center and in adjacent buildings. After the exposure period the dosimeters were collected and processed to determine the radiation level. Results: in none of the points selected for measurements the values exceeded the radiation dose threshold for controlled area (5 mSv/ year) or free area (0.5 mSv/year) as recommended by the Brazilian regulations. Conclusion: in the present study the authors demonstrated that the whole shielding system is appropriate and, consequently, the workers are exposed to doses below the threshold established by Brazilian standards, provided the radiation protection standards are followed. (author)

  14. Sensitivity of an eight-element phased array coil in 3 Tesla MR imaging: a basic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hiratsuka, Yoshiyasu; Miki, Hitoshi; Kikuchi, Keiichi; Kiriyama, Ikuko; Mochizuki, Teruhito; Takahashi, Shizue; Sadamoto, Kazuhiko

    2007-01-01

    To evaluate the performance advantages of an 8-element phased array head coil (8 ch coil) over a conventional quadrature-type birdcage head coil (QD coil) with regard to the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and image uniformity in 3 Tesla magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. We scanned a phantom filled with silicon oil using an 8 ch coil and a QD coil in a 3T MR imaging system and compared the SNR and image uniformity obtained from T(1)-weighted spin echo (SE) images and T(2)-weighted fast SE images between the 2 coils. We also visually evaluated images from 4 healthy volunteers. The SNR with the 8 ch coil was approximately twice that with the QD coil in the region of interest (ROI), which was set as 75% of the area in the center of the phantom images. With regard to the spatial variation of sensitivity, the SNR with the 8 ch coil was lower at the center of the images than at the periphery, whereas the SNR with the QD coil exhibited an inverse pattern. At the center of the images with the 8 ch coil, the SNR was somewhat lower, and that distribution was relatively flat compared to that in the periphery. Image uniformity varied less with the 8 ch coil than with the QD coil on both imaging sequences. The 8 ch phased array coil was useful for obtaining high quality 3T images because of its higher SNR and improved image uniformity than those obtained with conventional quadrature-type birdcage head coil.

  15. User-centered virtual environment assessment and design for cognitive rehabilitation applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fidopiastis, Cali Michael

    Virtual environment (VE) design for cognitive rehabilitation necessitates a new methodology to ensure the validity of the resulting rehabilitation assessment. We propose that benchmarking the VE system technology utilizing a user-centered approach should precede the VE construction. Further, user performance baselines should be measured throughout testing as a control for adaptive effects that may confound the metrics chosen to evaluate the rehabilitation treatment. To support these claims we present data obtained from two modules of a user-centered head-mounted display (HMD) assessment battery, specifically resolution visual acuity and stereoacuity. Resolution visual acuity and stereoacuity assessments provide information about the image quality achieved by an HMD based upon its unique system parameters. When applying a user-centered approach, we were able to quantify limitations in the VE system components (e.g., low microdisplay resolution) and separately point to user characteristics (e.g., changes in dark focus) that may introduce error in the evaluation of VE based rehabilitation protocols. Based on these results, we provide guidelines for calibrating and benchmarking HMDs. In addition, we discuss potential extensions of the assessment to address higher level usability issues. We intend to test the proposed framework within the Human Experience Modeler (HEM), a testbed created at the University of Central Florida to evaluate technologies that may enhance cognitive rehabilitation effectiveness. Preliminary results of a feasibility pilot study conducted with a memory impaired participant showed that the HEM provides the control and repeatability needed to conduct such technology comparisons. Further, the HEM affords the opportunity to integrate new brain imaging technologies (i.e., functional Near Infrared Imaging) to evaluate brain plasticity associated with VE based cognitive rehabilitation.

  16. Laser imaging for clinical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Houten, John P.; Cheong, Wai-Fung; Kermit, Eben L.; King, Richard A.; Spilman, Stanley D.; Benaron, David A.

    1995-03-01

    Medical optical imaging (MOI) uses light emitted into opaque tissues in order to determine the interior structure and chemical content. These optical techniques have been developed in an attempt to prospectively identify impending brain injuries before they become irreversible, thus allowing injury to be avoided or minimized. Optical imaging and spectroscopy center around the simple idea that light passes through the body in small amounts, and emerges bearing clues about tissues through which it passed. Images can be reconstructed from such data, and this is the basis of optical tomography. Over the past few years, techniques have been developed to allow construction of images from such optical data at the bedside. We have used a time-of-flight system reported earlier to monitor oxygenation and image hemorrhage in neonatal brain. This article summarizes the problems that we believe can be addressed by such techniques, and reports on some of our early results.

  17. POSTREALITY REPRESENTATION OF DESIGN OF THE BUILDING OF THE GOVERNMENT CENTER OF BADUNG REGENCY, BALI

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    I Gede Mugi Raharja

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available ABSTRACT Postreality representation of design of the Building of the Government Center of Badung Regency is interesting to explore as it is designed using the most recent simulation. This study is intended to understand the form of representation, the process of the deconstruction of representation, and the meaning of the postreality representation of design of the Building of the Government Center of Badung Regency. As part of cultural studies, this study is a qualitative one. The theory of virtual space design, the theory of simulation, and the theory of deconstruction were eclectically used in the present study. The data were collected through observation, interview, and library research. The results of the study showed that the postreality representation of the design of the Building of the Government Center of Badung Regency represented the image of chronoscope, the image of the Government of Badung Regency, the appreciation of traditional architecture, hybrid of design, semiotization of design. The deconstruction process of the postreality representation of the design of the Building of the Government Center of Badung Regency represented the deconstruction of space and power. The postreality representation of design of the Building of the Government Center of Badung Regency implied the scientific and technological meaning. The meaning of the postreality representation of the Building of the Government Center of Badung Regency is implied from the integration of the computer technology and the field of fine arts and design.

  18. Breast-specific gamma-imaging: molecular imaging of the breast using 99mTc-sestamibi and a small-field-of-view gamma-camera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Elizabeth A; Phan, Trinh D; Blanchard, Deborah A; Miley, Abbe

    2009-12-01

    Breast-specific gamma-imaging (BSGI), also known as molecular breast imaging, is breast scintigraphy using a small-field-of-view gamma-camera and (99m)Tc-sestamibi. There are many different types of breast cancer, and many have characteristics making them challenging to detect by mammography and ultrasound. BSGI is a cost-effective, highly sensitive and specific technique that complements other imaging modalities currently being used to identify malignant lesions in the breast. Using the current Society of Nuclear Medicine guidelines for breast scintigraphy, Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital began conducting BSGI, breast scintigraphy with a breast-optimized gamma-camera. In our experience, optimal imaging has been conducted in the Breast Center by a nuclear medicine technologist. In addition, the breast radiologists read the BSGI images in correlation with the mammograms, ultrasounds, and other imaging studies performed. By modifying the current Society of Nuclear Medicine protocol to adapt it to the practice of breast scintigraphy with these new systems and by providing image interpretation in conjunction with the other breast imaging studies, our center has found BSGI to be a valuable adjunctive procedure in the diagnosis of breast cancer. The development of a small-field-of-view gamma-camera, designed to optimize breast imaging, has resulted in improved detection capabilities, particularly for lesions less than 1 cm. Our experience with this procedure has proven to aid in the clinical work-up of many of our breast patients. After reading this article, the reader should understand the history of breast scintigraphy, the pharmaceutical used, patient preparation and positioning, imaging protocol guidelines, clinical indications, and the role of breast scintigraphy in breast cancer diagnosis.

  19. X-ray image processing software for computing object size and object location coordinates from acquired optical and x-ray images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tiwari, Akash; Tiwari, Shyam Sunder; Tiwari, Railesha; Panday, Lokesh; Panday, Jeet; Suri, Nitin

    2004-01-01

    X-ray and Visible image data processing software has been developed in Visual Basic for real time online and offline image information processing for NDT and Medical Applications. Software computes two dimension image size parameters from its sharp boundary lines by raster scanning the image contrast data. Code accepts bit map image data and hunts for multiple tumors of different sizes that may be present in the image definition and then computes size of each tumor and locates its approximate center for registering its location coordinates. Presence of foreign metal and glass balls industrial product such as chocolate and other food items imaged out using x-ray imaging technique are detected by the software and their size and position co-ordinates are computed by the software. Paper discusses ways and means to compute size and coordinated of air bubble like objects present in the x-ray and optical images and their multiple existences in image of interest. (author)

  20. Development of PET in Latin America. Experience of the first PET-Cyclotron Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tutor, C.A.; Frias, L.

    2002-01-01

    Aim: Describe the experience of the first PET-Cyclotron Center in Latin America. Demonstrate the viability of running a PET Center in Argentina despite the economic crisis. Materials and Methods: For this study, we used a UGM/GE Quest 250 PET scan, a RDS 112 cyclotron and a Radiosynthesis Laboratory installed at the (FUESMEN) Nuclear Medicine School Foundation, located in Mendoza City, in the middle-west of Argentina. From January 1999 to March 2002, 741 studies were obtained, 731 were 18 FluorDeoxyGlucose-PET studies and 10 phantoms for calibration purposes. We used acquisition and imaging processing standard protocols, as well as research protocols designed according to the pathology under investigation. To better correlate anatomical and functional images, we used fusion techniques with (CT) Computed Tomography in some (WB) whole-body PET scans. Results: A total of 731 patients were retrospectively analyzed and classified according to statistics variables such as: 1-sex: 317 women and 414 men, 2-type of scan: 439 WB cases, 267 brain studies and 25 cardiac. From this data we divided them as PET indications and resulted in 17 cases as healthy volunteers, 422 oncological cases, 267 neurological studies and 25 cardiac for myocardial viability. According to the origin they were classified as patients coming from Mendoza 544, Buenos Aires 112, other argentine provinces 60 and foreign (Chile, Brazil and Uruguay) 15 cases. In terms of billing, 181 studies were done free of charge, 95 under research protocols were also done free of charge and 451 were charged. Conclusion: Not only the economical and political factors play an important role limiting the advances of PET Imaging in Latin America, but also the lack of a neighboring cyclotron that circumscribe many hospitals to have access to the radiopharmaceutical agent. FUESMEN was established in 1991 by three governmental entities: the (CONEA) National Commission of Atomic Energy, the (UNC) National University of Cuyo and

  1. Image Understanding Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    1981-09-30

    Reconnaissance des Formes et Intelligence Artificielle , Sept. 1981, Nancy, France. [11] T.C. Henderson and B. Bhanu, "Extraction of Planar Faces from...34Semantic Description of Aerial Images Using Stochastic Labeling," IEEE Trans. on Pattern Recognition and Machine Intelligence , Nov. 1981. [2] R. Ohlander...Tenenbaum, "MSYS: A System for Reasoning About Scenes," Tech. Note 121, Artificial Intelligence Center, SRI Intl., Menlo Park, CA, 1976. [7]. D. Marr

  2. Stellar Forensics with Striking Image from Chandra

    Science.gov (United States)

    2007-10-01

    A spectacular new image shows how complex a star's afterlife can be. By studying the details of this image made from a long observation by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, astronomers can better understand how some stars die and disperse elements like oxygen into the next generation of stars and planets. At a distance of about 20,000 light years, G292.0+1.8 is one of only three supernova remnants in the Milky Way known to contain large amounts of oxygen. The image shows a rapidly expanding, intricately structured, debris field that contains, along with oxygen, other elements such as neon and silicon that were forged in the star before it exploded. Hard X-ray Image of G292.0+1.8 Hard X-ray Image of G292.0+1.8 "We are finding that, just like snowflakes, each supernova remnant is complicated and beautiful in its own way," said Sangwook Park of Penn State who led the work, released in conjunction with the "8 Years of Chandra" symposium in Huntsville, Ala. The new, deep Chandra image - equaling nearly 6 days worth of observing time - shows an incredibly complex structure. Understanding the details of G292.0+1.8 is especially important because astronomers have considered it to be a "textbook" case of a supernova created by the death of a massive star. Chandra X-ray Image of G292.0+1.8 Chandra X-ray Image of G292.0+1.8 By mapping the distribution of X-rays in different energy bands, the Chandra image traces the distribution of chemical elements ejected in the supernova. The results imply that the explosion was not symmetrical. For example, blue (silicon and sulfur) and green (magnesium) are seen strongly in the upper right, while yellow and orange (oxygen) dominate the lower left. These elements light up at different temperatures, indicating that the temperature is higher in the upper right portion of G292.0+1.8. Slightly below and to the left of the center of G292.0+1.8 is a pulsar, a dense, rapidly rotating neutron star that remained behind after the original star

  3. Target plane imaging system for the Nova laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swift, C.D.; Bliss, E.S.; Jones, W.A.; Reeves, R.J.; Seppala, L.G.; Shelton, R.T.; VanArsdall, P.J.

    1985-01-01

    The Nova laser, in operation since December 1984, is capable of irradiating targets with light at 1.05 μm, 0.53 μm, and 0.35 μm. Correct alignment of these harmonic beams uses a system called a target plane imager (TPI). It is a large microscope (four meters long, weighing one thousand kilograms) that relays images from the target chamber center to a video optics module located on the outside of the chamber. Several modes of operation are possible including: near-field viewing and far-field viewing at three magnifications and three wavelengths. In addition, the entire instrument can be scanned in X,Y,Z to examine various planes near chamber center. Performance of this system and its computer controls will be described

  4. Mammographic image enhancement using wavelet transform and homomorphic filter

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    F Majidi

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Mammography is the most effective method for the early diagnosis of breast cancer diseases. As mammographic images contain low signal to noise ratio and low contrast, it becomes too difficult for radiologists to analyze mammogram. To deal with the above stated problems, it is very important to enhance the mammographic images using image processing methods. This paper introduces a new image enhancement approach for mammographic images which uses the modified mathematical morphology, wavelet transform and homomorphic filter to suppress the noise of images. For performance evaluation of the proposed method, contrast improvement index (CII and edge preservation index (EPI are adopted. Experimental results on mammographic images from Pejvak Digital Imaging Center (PDIC show that the proposed algorithm improves the two indexes, thereby achieving the goal of enhancing mammographic images.

  5. fMRI of the motor speech center using EPI

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yu, In Kyu; Chang, Kee Hyun; Song, In Chan; Kim, Hong Dae; Seong, Su Ok; Jang, Hyun Jung; Han, Moon Hee; Lee, Sang Kun

    1998-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the feasibility of functional MR imaging (fMRI) using the echo planar imaging (EPI) technique to map the motor speech center and to provide the basic data for motor speech fMRI during internal word generations. This study involved ten young, healthy, right-handed volunteers (M:F=8:2; age: 21-27); a 1.5T whole body scanner with multislice EPI was used. Brain activation was mapped using gradient echo single shot EPI (TR/TE of 3000/40, slice numbers 6, slice thicknesses mm, no interslice gap, matrix numbers 128 x 128, and FOV 30 x 30). The paradigm consisted of a series of alternating rest and activation tasks, repeated eight times. During the rest task, each of ten Korean nouns composed of two to four syllables was shown continuously every 3 seconds. The subjects were required to see the words but not to generate speech, whereas during the activation task, they were asked to internally generate as many words as possible from each of ten non-concrete one-syllabled Korean letters shown on the screen every 3 seconds. During an eight-minute period, a total of 960 axial images were acquired in each subject. Data were analyzed using the Z-score (p<0.05), and following color processing, the activated signals were overlapped on T1-weighted images. The location of the activated area, mean activated signal intensity were evaluated. The results of this study indicate that in most subjects, fMRI using EPI can effectively map the motor speech center. The data obtained may be useful for the clinical application of fMRI. (author). 34 refs., 3 tabs., 5 figs

  6. Change in Image Quality According to the 3D Locations of a CBCT Phantom.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jae Joon Hwang

    Full Text Available A patient's position changes in every CBCT scan despite patient alignment protocols. However, there have been studies to determine image quality differences when an object is located at the center of the field of view (FOV. To evaluate changes in the image quality of the CBCT scan according to different object positions, the image quality indexes of the Alphard 3030 (Alphard Roentgen Ind., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan and the Rayscan Symphony (RAY Ind., Ltd., Suwon, Korea were measured using the Quart DVT_AP phantom at the center of the FOV and 6 peripheral positions under four types of exposure conditions. Anterior, posterior, right, left, upper, and lower positions 1 cm offset from the center of the FOV were used for the peripheral positions. We evaluated and compared the voxel size, homogeneity, contrast to noise ratio (CNR, and the 10% point of the modulation transfer function (MTF10% of the center and periphery. Because the voxel size, which is determined by the Nyquist frequency, was within tolerance, other image quality indexes were not influenced by the voxel size. For the CNR, homogeneity, and MTF10%, there were peripheral positions which showed considerable differences with statistical significance. The average difference between the center and periphery was up to 31.27% (CNR, 70.49% (homogeneity, and 13.64% (MTF10%. Homogeneity was under tolerance at some of the peripheral locations. Because the CNR, homogeneity, and MTF10% were significantly affected by positional changes of the phantom, an object's position can influence the interpretation of follow up CBCT images. Therefore, efforts to locate the object in the same position are important.

  7. Prevalence and Severity of Off-Centering During Diagnostic CT: Observations From 57,621 CT scans of the Chest, Abdomen, and/or Pelvis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akin-Akintayo, Oladunni O; Alexander, Lauren F; Neill, Rebecca; Krupinksi, Elizabeth A; Tang, Xiangyang; Mittal, Pardeep K; Small, William C; Moreno, Courtney C

    2018-02-23

    To determine distances between patient centroid and gantry isocenter during CT imaging of the chest, abdomen, and/or pelvis, and to evaluate differences based on patient gender, scan region, patient position, and gantry aperture. A water phantom and an anthropomorphic phantom were imaged in the centered position in the CT gantry and at several off-centered positions. Additionally, data from 57,621 adult chest, abdomen, and/or pelvic CT acquisitions were evaluated. Data were analyzed with an analysis of variance using the centroid-to-isocenter data as the dependent variable and the other parameters as independent variables. The majority of patient acquisitions (83.7% (48271/57621)) were performed with the patient's centroid positioned below isocenter (mean 1.7 cm below isocenter (SD 1.8 cm); range 12.1 cm below to 7.8 cm above isocenter). Off-centering in the x-axis was less severe (mean 0.01 cm left of isocenter (SD 1.6 cm)). Distance between centroid and isocenter in the y-axis did not differ as a function of sex but did differ based on scan region, patient position, and gantry aperture. Off-centering is common during CT imaging and has been previously demonstrated to impact dose and image quality. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Ambient radiation levels in positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Santana, Priscila do Carmo; de Oliveira, Paulo Marcio Campos; Mamede, Marcelo; Silveira, Mariana de Castro; Aguiar, Polyanna; Real, Raphaela Vila; da Silva, Teógenes Augusto

    2015-01-01

    Objective To evaluate the level of ambient radiation in a PET/CT center. Materials and Methods Previously selected and calibrated TLD-100H thermoluminescent dosimeters were utilized to measure room radiation levels. During 32 days, the detectors were placed in several strategically selected points inside the PET/CT center and in adjacent buildings. After the exposure period the dosimeters were collected and processed to determine the radiation level. Results In none of the points selected for measurements the values exceeded the radiation dose threshold for controlled area (5 mSv/year) or free area (0.5 mSv/year) as recommended by the Brazilian regulations. Conclusion In the present study the authors demonstrated that the whole shielding system is appropriate and, consequently, the workers are exposed to doses below the threshold established by Brazilian standards, provided the radiation protection standards are followed. PMID:25798004

  9. Single-cell magnetic imaging using a quantum diamond microscope.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glenn, D R; Lee, K; Park, H; Weissleder, R; Yacoby, A; Lukin, M D; Lee, H; Walsworth, R L; Connolly, C B

    2015-08-01

    We apply a quantum diamond microscope for detection and imaging of immunomagnetically labeled cells. This instrument uses nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond for correlated magnetic and fluorescence imaging. Our device provides single-cell resolution and a field of view (∼1 mm(2)) two orders of magnitude larger than that of previous NV imaging technologies, enabling practical applications. To illustrate, we quantified cancer biomarkers expressed by rare tumor cells in a large population of healthy cells.

  10. Magnetic resonance imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    1988-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a new and innovative technique that affords anatomic images in multiple planes and that may provide information about tissue characterization. The magnetic resonance images are obtained by placing the patient or the area of interest within a powerful, highly uniform, static magnetic field. Magnetized protons (hydrogen nuclei) within the patient align like small magnets in this field. Radiofrequency pulses are then used to create an oscillating magnetic field perpendicular to the main field. Magnetic resonance images differ from those produced by x-rays: the latter are associated with absorption of x-ray energy while magnetic resonance images are based on proton density and proton relaxation dynamics. Proton characteristics vary according to the tissue under examination and reflect its physical and chemical properties. To resolve issues regarding safety and efficacy, the Warren Grant Magnuson Clinical Center and the Office of Medical Applications of Research of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a consensus conference about MRI Oct 26 through 28, 1987. At the NIH, the Consensus Development Conference brings together investigators in the biomedical sciences, clinical investigators, practicing physicians, and consumer and special interest groups to make a scientific assessment of technologies, including drugs, devices, and procedures, and to seek agreement on their safety and effectiveness

  11. The Role of Computers in Research and Development at Langley Research Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wieseman, Carol D. (Compiler)

    1994-01-01

    This document is a compilation of presentations given at a workshop on the role cf computers in research and development at the Langley Research Center. The objectives of the workshop were to inform the Langley Research Center community of the current software systems and software practices in use at Langley. The workshop was organized in 10 sessions: Software Engineering; Software Engineering Standards, methods, and CASE tools; Solutions of Equations; Automatic Differentiation; Mosaic and the World Wide Web; Graphics and Image Processing; System Design Integration; CAE Tools; Languages; and Advanced Topics.

  12. Development of a EUV Test Facility at the Marshall Space Flight Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Edward; Pavelitz, Steve; Kobayashi, Ken; Robinson, Brian; Cirtain, Johnathan; Gaskin, Jessica; Winebarger, Amy

    2011-01-01

    This paper will describe a new EUV test facility that is being developed at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) to test EUV telescopes. Two flight programs, HiC - high resolution coronal imager (sounding rocket) and SUVI - Solar Ultraviolet Imager (GOES-R), set the requirements for this new facility. This paper will discuss those requirements, the EUV source characteristics, the wavelength resolution that is expected and the vacuum chambers (Stray Light Facility, Xray Calibration Facility and the EUV test chamber) where this facility will be used.

  13. Imaging of pediatric great vessel stents: Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A M den Harder

    Full Text Available Complications might occur after great vessel stent implantation in children. Therefore follow-up using imaging is warranted.To determine the optimal imaging modality for the assessment of stents used to treat great vessel obstructions in children.Five different large vessel stents were evaluated in an in-vitro setting. All stents were expanded to the maximal vendor recommended diameter (20mm; n = 4 or 10mm; n = 1, placed in an anthropomorphic chest phantom and imaged with a 256-slice CT-scanner. MRI images were acquired at 1.5T using a multi-slice T2-weighted turbo spin echo, an RF-spoiled three-dimensional T1-weighted Fast Field Echo and a balanced turbo field echo 3D sequence. Two blinded observers assessed stent lumen visibility (measured diameter/true diameter *100% in the center and at the outlets of the stent. Reproducibility of diameter measurements was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient for reliability and 95% limits of agreement for agreement analysis.Median stent lumen visibility was 88 (IQR 86-90% with CT for all stents at both the center and outlets. With MRI, the T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence was preferred which resulted in 82 (78-84% stent lumen visibility. Interobserver reliability and agreement was good for both CT (ICC 0.997, mean difference -0.51 [-1.07-0.05] mm and MRI measurements (ICC 0.951, mean difference -0.05 [-2.52 --2.41] mm.Good in-stent lumen visibility was achievable in this in-vitro study with both CT and MRI in different great vessel stents. Overall reliability was good with clinical acceptable limits of agreement for both CT and MRI. However, common conditions such as in-stent stenosis and associated aneurysms were not tested in this in-vitro study, limiting the value of the in-vitro study.

  14. Imaging of pediatric great vessel stents: Computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging?

    Science.gov (United States)

    den Harder, A M; Suchá, D; van Hamersvelt, R W; Budde, R P J; de Jong, P A; Schilham, A M R; Bos, C; Breur, J M P J; Leiner, T

    2017-01-01

    Complications might occur after great vessel stent implantation in children. Therefore follow-up using imaging is warranted. To determine the optimal imaging modality for the assessment of stents used to treat great vessel obstructions in children. Five different large vessel stents were evaluated in an in-vitro setting. All stents were expanded to the maximal vendor recommended diameter (20mm; n = 4 or 10mm; n = 1), placed in an anthropomorphic chest phantom and imaged with a 256-slice CT-scanner. MRI images were acquired at 1.5T using a multi-slice T2-weighted turbo spin echo, an RF-spoiled three-dimensional T1-weighted Fast Field Echo and a balanced turbo field echo 3D sequence. Two blinded observers assessed stent lumen visibility (measured diameter/true diameter *100%) in the center and at the outlets of the stent. Reproducibility of diameter measurements was evaluated using the intraclass correlation coefficient for reliability and 95% limits of agreement for agreement analysis. Median stent lumen visibility was 88 (IQR 86-90)% with CT for all stents at both the center and outlets. With MRI, the T2-weighted turbo spin echo sequence was preferred which resulted in 82 (78-84%) stent lumen visibility. Interobserver reliability and agreement was good for both CT (ICC 0.997, mean difference -0.51 [-1.07-0.05] mm) and MRI measurements (ICC 0.951, mean difference -0.05 [-2.52 --2.41] mm). Good in-stent lumen visibility was achievable in this in-vitro study with both CT and MRI in different great vessel stents. Overall reliability was good with clinical acceptable limits of agreement for both CT and MRI. However, common conditions such as in-stent stenosis and associated aneurysms were not tested in this in-vitro study, limiting the value of the in-vitro study.

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ebstein, S.M.

    1987-01-01

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

  16. Screening for diabetic retinopathy in rural area using single-field, digital fundus images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruamviboonsuk, Paisan; Wongcumchang, Nattapon; Surawongsin, Pattamaporn; Panyawatananukul, Ekchai; Tiensuwan, Montip

    2005-02-01

    To evaluate the practicability of using single-field, 2.3 million-pixel, digital fundus images for screening of diabetic retinopathy in rural areas. All diabetic patients who regularly attended the diabetic clinic at Kabcheang Community Hospital, located at 15 kilometers from the Thailand-Cambodia border, were appointed to the hospital for a 3-day diabetic retinopathy screening programme. The fundi of all patients were captured in single-field, 45 degrees, 2.3 million-pixel images using nonmydriatic digital fundus camera and then sent to a reading center in Bangkok. The fundi were also examined through dilated pupils by a retinal specialist at this hospital. The grading of diabetic retinopathy from two methods was compared for an exact agreement. The average duration of single digital fundus image capture was 2 minutes. The average file size of each image was 750 kilobytes. The average duration of single image transmission to a reading center in Bangkok via satellite was 3 minutes; via a conventional telephone line was 8 minutes. Of all 150 patients, 130 were assessed for an agreement between dilated fundus examination and digital fundus images in diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy. The exact agreement was 0.87, the weighted kappa statistics was 0.74. The sensitivity of digital fundus images in detecting diabetic retinopathy was 80%, the specificity was 96%. For diabetic macular edema the exact agreement was 0.97, the weighted kappa was 0.43, the sensitivity was 43%, and the specificity was 100%. The image capture of the nonmydriatic digital fundus camera is suitable for screening of diabetic retinopathy and single-field digital fundus images are potentially acceptable tools for the screening. The real-time image transmission via telephone lines to remote reading center, however, may not be practical for routine diabetic retinopathy screening in rural areas.

  17. Ant Colony Clustering Algorithm and Improved Markov Random Fusion Algorithm in Image Segmentation of Brain Images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guohua Zou

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available New medical imaging technology, such as Computed Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI, has been widely used in all aspects of medical diagnosis. The purpose of these imaging techniques is to obtain various qualitative and quantitative data of the patient comprehensively and accurately, and provide correct digital information for diagnosis, treatment planning and evaluation after surgery. MR has a good imaging diagnostic advantage for brain diseases. However, as the requirements of the brain image definition and quantitative analysis are always increasing, it is necessary to have better segmentation of MR brain images. The FCM (Fuzzy C-means algorithm is widely applied in image segmentation, but it has some shortcomings, such as long computation time and poor anti-noise capability. In this paper, firstly, the Ant Colony algorithm is used to determine the cluster centers and the number of FCM algorithm so as to improve its running speed. Then an improved Markov random field model is used to improve the algorithm, so that its antinoise ability can be improved. Experimental results show that the algorithm put forward in this paper has obvious advantages in image segmentation speed and segmentation effect.

  18. Changes of signal intensity on precontrast magnetic resonance imaging in spontaneously regressed lumbar disc herniation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Okushima, Yuichiro; Chiba, Kazuhiro; Matsumoto, Morio; Maruiwa, Hirofumi; Nishizawa, Takashi; Toyama, Yoshiaki

    2001-01-01

    To see whether the MRI images can give a criterion for conservative therapy of the lumbar disc herniation, time changes of the images were retrospectively studied on 41 cases of spontaneous regression. They had the imaging diagnosis 3 times in average until regression with GE Signa equipment (1.5T). Images were evaluated by 2 experts. Certain cases accompanying the brightness change were seen during the process of regression. The period leading to the disappearance of melosalgia and to the regression tended to be short in cases with the brighter pulp center than disc and/or with less bright pulp verge than center. Further studies were thought necessary for clear conclusion. (K.H.)

  19. Neutron Imaging at LANSCE—From Cold to Ultrafast

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ronald O. Nelson

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, neutron radiography and tomography have been applied at different beam lines at Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE, covering a very wide neutron energy range. The field of energy-resolved neutron imaging with epi-thermal neutrons, utilizing neutron absorption resonances for contrast as well as quantitative density measurements, was pioneered at the Target 1 (Lujan center, Flight Path 5 beam line and continues to be refined. Applications include: imaging of metallic and ceramic nuclear fuels, fission gas measurements, tomography of fossils and studies of dopants in scintillators. The technique provides the ability to characterize materials opaque to thermal neutrons and to utilize neutron resonance analysis codes to quantify isotopes to within 0.1 atom %. The latter also allows measuring fuel enrichment levels or the pressure of fission gas remotely. More recently, the cold neutron spectrum at the ASTERIX beam line, also located at Target 1, was used to demonstrate phase contrast imaging with pulsed neutrons. This extends the capabilities for imaging of thin and transparent materials at LANSCE. In contrast, high-energy neutron imaging at LANSCE, using unmoderated fast spallation neutrons from Target 4 [Weapons Neutron Research (WNR facility] has been developed for applications in imaging of dense, thick objects. Using fast (ns, time-of-flight imaging, enables testing and developing imaging at specific, selected MeV neutron energies. The 4FP-60R beam line has been reconfigured with increased shielding and new, larger collimation dedicated to fast neutron imaging. The exploration of ways in which pulsed neutron beams and the time-of-flight method can provide additional benefits is continuing. We will describe the facilities and instruments, present application examples and recent results of all these efforts at LANSCE.

  20. Determination of mango fruit from binary image using randomized Hough transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rizon, Mohamed; Najihah Yusri, Nurul Ain; Abdul Kadir, Mohd Fadzil; bin Mamat, Abd. Rasid; Abd Aziz, Azim Zaliha; Nanaa, Kutiba

    2015-12-01

    A method of detecting mango fruit from RGB input image is proposed in this research. From the input image, the image is processed to obtain the binary image using the texture analysis and morphological operations (dilation and erosion). Later, the Randomized Hough Transform (RHT) method is used to find the best ellipse fits to each binary region. By using the texture analysis, the system can detect the mango fruit that is partially overlapped with each other and mango fruit that is partially occluded by the leaves. The combination of texture analysis and morphological operator can isolate the partially overlapped fruit and fruit that are partially occluded by leaves. The parameters derived from RHT method was used to calculate the center of the ellipse. The center of the ellipse acts as the gripping point for the fruit picking robot. As the results, the rate of detection was up to 95% for fruit that is partially overlapped and partially covered by leaves.

  1. A center-median filtering method for detection of temporal variation in coronal images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Plowman Joseph

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Events in the solar corona are often widely separated in their timescales, which can allow them to be identified when they would otherwise be confused with emission from other sources in the corona. Methods for cleanly separating such events based on their timescales are thus desirable for research in the field. This paper develops a technique for identifying time-varying signals in solar coronal image sequences which is based on a per-pixel running median filter and an understanding of photon-counting statistics. Example applications to “EIT waves” (named after EIT, the EUV Imaging Telescope on the Solar and Heliospheric Observatory and small-scale dynamics are shown, both using 193 Å data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA on the Solar Dynamics Observatory. The technique is found to discriminate EIT waves more cleanly than the running and base difference techniques most commonly used. It is also demonstrated that there is more signal in the data than is commonly appreciated, finding that the waves can be traced to the edge of the AIA field of view when the data are rebinned to increase the signal-to-noise ratio.

  2. Image restoration techniques using Compton backscatter imaging for the detection of buried land mines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wehlburg, Joseph C.; Keshavmurthy, Shyam P.; Watanabe, Yoichi; Dugan, Edward T.; Jacobs, Alan M.

    1995-06-01

    Earlier landmine imaging systems used two collimated detectors to image objects. These systems had difficulty in distinguishing between surface features and buried features. Using a combination of collimated and uncollimated detectors in a Compton backscatter imaging (CBI) system, allows the identification of surface and buried features. Images created from the collimated detectors contain information about the surface and the buried features, while the uncollimated detectors respond (approximately 80%) to features on the surface. The analysis of surface features are performed first, then these features can be removed and the buried features can be identified. Separation of the surface and buried features permits the use of a globbing algorithm to define regions of interest that can then be quantified [area, Y dimension, X dimension, and center location (xo, yo)]. Mine composition analysis is also possible because of the properties of the four detector system. Distinguishing between a pothole and a mine, that was previously very difficult, can now be easily accomplished.

  3. Imaging systems for medical diagnostics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krestel, E.

    1990-01-01

    This book provides physicians and clinical physicists with detailed information on today's imaging modalities and assists them in selecting the optimal system for each clinical application. Physicists, engineers and computer specialists engaged in research and development and sales departments will also find this book to be of considerable use. It may also be employed at universities, training centers and in technical seminars. The physiological and physical fundamentals are explained in part 1. The technical solutions contained in part 2 illustrate the numerous possibilities available in X-ray diagnostics, computed tomography, nuclear medical diagnostics, magnetic resonance imaging, sonography and biomagnetic diagnostics. (orig.)

  4. Recent image processing in nuclear medicine using the Shimadzu SCINTIPAC-2400

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wani, Hidenobu; Hosoba, Minoru; Ban, Ryuichi

    1985-01-01

    The recent image processing in nuclear medicine using the Shimadzu SCINTIPAC-2400 is described. First, the Fourier domain filters have been developed to improve the quality of the multi planary images of SPECT. The technique of this filtering is applied to the original projection images obtained by rotating gamma camera. The investigated filters are simple 9 points smoothing, Butterworth filters to improve the signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and Wiener filter to restore the blurred images. All the filtering process except 9 points smoothing are operated in the frequency domain using two dimensional FFT, and it takes 15 seconds to process a 64x64 matrix image. The Wiener filter combined with the Butterworth filter seems to have produced desirable results from the point of supressing the noise and enhancing the contrast. Secondly, a fully automated practical method has been developed to detect the left ventricle (LV) contour from the gated pool images. The ejection fraction and volume curve can be computed accurately without operator intervention. The characteristics of the method are summarized as follows: 1. The optimal design of the filter that works on the Fourier domain, can be achieved to improve the S/N. 2. The new algorithm using cosine and sine transform images has been developed for separating the ventricle from the atrium and defining the center of LV. 3. The contrast enhancement by the optimized square filter. 4. The radial profiles are generated from the center of LV and smoothed by the fourth order Fourier series approximation. The crossing point with the local threshold level searched from the center of LV is defined as the edge. 5. The LV contour is obtained by connecting all points of the edge defined on the radial profiles by fitting them to the Fourier function. (author)

  5. Correction for patient and organ movement in SPECT: application to exercise thallium-201 cardiac imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Geckle, W.J.; Frank, T.L.; Links, J.M.; Becker, L.C.

    1988-01-01

    We describe a technique for correction of artifacts in exercise 201 Tl single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images arising from abrupt or gradual translational movement of the heart during acquisition. The procedure involves the tracking of the center of the heart in serial projection images using an algorithm which we call diverging squares. Each projection image is then realigned in the x-y plane so that the heart center conforms to the projected position of a fixed point in space. The shifted projections are reconstructed using the normal filtered backprojection algorithm. In validation studies, the motion correction procedure successfully eliminated movement artifacts in a heart phantom. Image quality was also improved in over one-half of 36 exercise thallium patient studies. The corrected images had smoother and more continuous left ventricular walls, greater clarity of the left ventricular cavity, and reduced streak artifacts. Rest injected or redistribution images, however, were often made worse, due to reduced heart to liver activity ratios and poor tracking of the heart center. Analysis of curves of heart position versus projection angle suggests that translation of the heart is common during imaging after exercise, and results from both abrupt patient movements, and a gradual upward shift of the heart. Our motion correction technique appears to represent a promising new approach for elimination of movement artifacts and enhancement of resolution in exercise 201 Tl cardiac SPECT images

  6. Detection of cyst using image segmentation and building knowledge-based intelligent decision support system as an aid to telemedicine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janet, J.; Natesan, T. R.; Santhosh, Ramamurthy; Ibramsha, Mohideen

    2005-02-01

    An intelligent decision support tool to the Radiologist in telemedicine is described. Medical prescriptions are given based on the images of cyst that has been transmitted over computer networks to the remote medical center. The digital image, acquired by sonography, is converted into an intensity image. This image is then subjected to image preprocessing which involves correction methods to eliminate specific artifacts. The image is resized into a 256 x 256 matrix by using bilinear interpolation method. The background area is detected using distinct block operation. The area of the cyst is calculated by removing the background area from the original image. Boundary enhancement and morphological operations are done to remove unrelated pixels. This gives us the cyst volume. This segmented image of the cyst is sent to the remote medical center for analysis by Knowledge based artificial Intelligent Decision Support System (KIDSS). The type of cyst is detected and reported to the control mechanism of KIDSS. Then the inference engine compares this with the knowledge base and gives appropriate medical prescriptions or treatment recommendations by applying reasoning mechanisms at the remote medical center.

  7. An AK-LDMeans algorithm based on image clustering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Huimin; Li, Xingwei; Zhang, Yongbin; Chen, Nan

    2018-03-01

    Clustering is an effective analytical technique for handling unmarked data for value mining. Its ultimate goal is to mark unclassified data quickly and correctly. We use the roadmap for the current image processing as the experimental background. In this paper, we propose an AK-LDMeans algorithm to automatically lock the K value by designing the Kcost fold line, and then use the long-distance high-density method to select the clustering centers to further replace the traditional initial clustering center selection method, which further improves the efficiency and accuracy of the traditional K-Means Algorithm. And the experimental results are compared with the current clustering algorithm and the results are obtained. The algorithm can provide effective reference value in the fields of image processing, machine vision and data mining.

  8. Shielded piezoresistive cantilever probes for nanoscale topography and electrical imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Yongliang; Ma, Eric Yue; Cui, Yong-Tao; Lai, Keji; Kundhikanjana, Worasom; Kelly, Michael; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Haemmerli, Alexandre; Harjee, Nahid; Pruitt, Beth L

    2014-01-01

    This paper presents the design and fabrication of piezoresistive cantilever probes for microwave impedance microscopy (MIM) to enable simultaneous topographic and electrical imaging. Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited Si 3 N 4  cantilevers with a shielded center conductor line and nanoscale conductive tip apex are batch fabricated on silicon-on-insulator wafers. Doped silicon piezoresistors are integrated at the root of the cantilevers to sense their deformation. The piezoresistive sensitivity is 2 nm for a bandwidth of 10 kHz, enabling topographical imaging with reasonable speed. The aluminum center conductor has a low resistance (less than 5 Ω) and small capacitance (∼1.7 pF) to ground; these parameters are critical for high sensitivity MIM imaging. High quality piezoresistive topography and MIM images are simultaneously obtained with the fabricated probes at ambient and cryogenic temperatures. These new piezoresistive probes remarkably broaden the horizon of MIM for scientific applications by operating with an integrated feedback mechanism at low temperature and for photosensitive samples. (paper)

  9. Jackson State University's Center for Spatial Data Research and Applications: New facilities and new paradigms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, Bruce E.; Elliot, Gregory

    1989-01-01

    Jackson State University recently established the Center for Spatial Data Research and Applications, a Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing laboratory. Taking advantage of new technologies and new directions in the spatial (geographic) sciences, JSU is building a Center of Excellence in Spatial Data Management. New opportunities for research, applications, and employment are emerging. GIS requires fundamental shifts and new demands in traditional computer science and geographic training. The Center is not merely another computer lab but is one setting the pace in a new applied frontier. GIS and its associated technologies are discussed. The Center's facilities are described. An ARC/INFO GIS runs on a Vax mainframe, with numerous workstations. Image processing packages include ELAS, LIPS, VICAR, and ERDAS. A host of hardware and software peripheral are used in support. Numerous projects are underway, such as the construction of a Gulf of Mexico environmental data base, development of AI in image processing, a land use dynamics study of metropolitan Jackson, and others. A new academic interdisciplinary program in Spatial Data Management is under development, combining courses in Geography and Computer Science. The broad range of JSU's GIS and remote sensing activities is addressed. The impacts on changing paradigms in the university and in the professional world conclude the discussion.

  10. Design of a Solar Tracking System Using the Brightest Region in the Sky Image Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Ching-Chuan; Song, Yu-Chang; Chang, Chia-Chi; Lin, Chuan-Bi

    2016-11-25

    Solar energy is certainly an energy source worth exploring and utilizing because of the environmental protection it offers. However, the conversion efficiency of solar energy is still low. If the photovoltaic panel perpendicularly tracks the sun, the solar energy conversion efficiency will be improved. In this article, we propose an innovative method to track the sun using an image sensor. In our method, it is logical to assume the points of the brightest region in the sky image representing the location of the sun. Then, the center of the brightest region is assumed to be the solar-center, and is mathematically calculated using an embedded processor (Raspberry Pi). Finally, the location information on the sun center is sent to the embedded processor to control two servo motors that are capable of moving both horizontally and vertically to track the sun. In comparison with the existing sun tracking methods using image sensors, such as the Hough transform method, our method based on the brightest region in the sky image remains accurate under conditions such as a sunny day and building shelter. The practical sun tracking system using our method was implemented and tested. The results reveal that the system successfully captured the real sun center in most weather conditions, and the servo motor system was able to direct the photovoltaic panel perpendicularly to the sun center. In addition, our system can be easily and practically integrated, and can operate in real-time.

  11. Design of a Solar Tracking System Using the Brightest Region in the Sky Image Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ching-Chuan Wei

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Solar energy is certainly an energy source worth exploring and utilizing because of the environmental protection it offers. However, the conversion efficiency of solar energy is still low. If the photovoltaic panel perpendicularly tracks the sun, the solar energy conversion efficiency will be improved. In this article, we propose an innovative method to track the sun using an image sensor. In our method, it is logical to assume the points of the brightest region in the sky image representing the location of the sun. Then, the center of the brightest region is assumed to be the solar-center, and is mathematically calculated using an embedded processor (Raspberry Pi. Finally, the location information on the sun center is sent to the embedded processor to control two servo motors that are capable of moving both horizontally and vertically to track the sun. In comparison with the existing sun tracking methods using image sensors, such as the Hough transform method, our method based on the brightest region in the sky image remains accurate under conditions such as a sunny day and building shelter. The practical sun tracking system using our method was implemented and tested. The results reveal that the system successfully captured the real sun center in most weather conditions, and the servo motor system was able to direct the photovoltaic panel perpendicularly to the sun center. In addition, our system can be easily and practically integrated, and can operate in real-time.

  12. Definition imaging of an orebody with the radio imaging method (RIM)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stolarczyk, L.G.

    1992-01-01

    Waste rock dilution is an economic concern in the planning and design of mining methods for mineralized ore zones. Diamond core drilling and mineralogical examination of core are routinely used to determine the general shape of the ore body. Drilling on closer centers enhances the definition of the mineralization and oregrade across the orebody. In a practical sense, drilling time and cost limit definition. Crosshole scanning between drillholes with the radio imaging method (RIM) has been used to map changes in mineralization in the rock mass. The magnitude and phase of the RIM radio wave depend on the electrical conductivity of the rock mass. The conductivity strongly depends on the percent mineralization. Since the attenuation rate and phase constants of the radio wave are proportional to the one half power of conductivity, the measured crosshole radio wave data can be processed in a tomography algorithm to reconstruct images (map the change in conductivity (mineralization)). The tomography image enhances definition in the orebody while reducing the number of drillholes. This paper compares reconstructed images of the radio wave propagation constants to percent mineralization in the ore body

  13. Retratos do Brasil: uma coleção do Rockefeller Archive Center Images of Brazil: a Rockefeller Archive Center collection

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aline Lopes de Lacerda

    2002-12-01

    Full Text Available Este artigo objetiva apresentar uma descrição comentada da coleção fotográfica sobre o Brasil pertencente aos arquivos da Fundação Rockefeller nos Estados Unidos, o Rockefeller Archive Center. Traz informações sobre a origem de tal documentação, bem como sobre as formas de sua acumulação, tendo em vista compreender o contexto de produção daqueles documentos visuais. Tais documentos dizem respeito às relações entre a Fundação Rockefeller e organismos brasileiros voltados para o combate a doenças como a febre amarela, a malária e a ancilostomíase entre os anos 1920 e 1940.This article describes and comments on the collection of photographs of Brazil that belongs to the Rockefeller Foundation archives (Rockefeller Archive Center in the United States. It also contains information about the origin of such documents and the way they were collected, as well as analyzes the context in which these visual documents were produced. They record the relationship between Rockefeller Foundation and Brazilian institutions engaged in the combat against yellow fever, malaria and ancyclostomiasis from 1920 to 1940.

  14. Color Fundus Photography versus Fluorescein Angiography in Identification of the Macular Center and Zone in Retinopathy of Prematurity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patel, Samir N.; Klufas, Michael A.; Ryan, Michael C.; Jonas, Karyn E.; Ostmo, Susan; Martinez-Castellanos, Maria Ana; Berrocal, Audina M.; Chiang, Michael F.; Chan, R.V. Paul

    2016-01-01

    Purpose To examine the utility of fluorescein angiography (FA) in identification of the macular center and the diagnosis of zone in patients with retinopathy of prematurity (ROP). Design Validity and reliability analysis of diagnostic tools Methods 32 sets (16 color fundus photographs; 16 color fundus photographs paired with the corresponding FA) of wide-angle retinal images obtained from 16 eyes of eight infants with ROP were compiled on a secure web site. 9 ROP experts (3 pediatric ophthalmologists; 6 vitreoretinal surgeons) participated in the study. For each image set, experts identified the macular center and provided a diagnosis of zone. Main Outcome Measures (1) Sensitivity and specificity of zone diagnosis (2) “Computer facilitated diagnosis of zone,” based on precise measurement of the macular center, optic disc center, and peripheral ROP. Results Computer facilitated diagnosis of zone agreed with the expert’s diagnosis of zone in 28/45 (62%) cases using color fundus photographs and in 31/45 (69%) cases using FA. Mean (95% CI) sensitivity for detection of zone I by experts as compared to a consensus reference standard diagnosis when interpreting the color fundus images alone versus interpreting the color fundus photographs and FA was 47% (35.3% – 59.3%) and 61.1% (48.9% – 72.4%), respectively, (t(9) ≥ (2.063), p = 0.073). Conclusions There is a marginally significant difference in zone diagnosis when using color fundus photographs compared to using color fundus photographs and the corresponding fluorescein angiograms. There is inconsistency between traditional zone diagnosis (based on ophthalmoscopic exam and image review) compared to a computer-facilitated diagnosis of zone. PMID:25637180

  15. Portable high energy gamma ray imagers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guru, S.V.; Squillante, M.R.

    1996-01-01

    To satisfy the needs of high energy gamma ray imagers for industrial nuclear imaging applications, three high energy gamma cameras are presented. The RMD-Pinhole camera uses a lead pinhole collimator and a segmented BGO detector viewed by a 3 in. square position sensitive photomultiplier tube (PSPMT). This pinhole gamma camera displayed an energy resolution of 25.0% FWHM at the center of the camera at 662 keV and an angular resolution of 6.2 FWHM at 412 keV. The fixed multiple hole collimated camera (FMCC), used a multiple hole collimator and a continuous slab of NaI(Tl) detector viewed by the same PSPMT. The FMCC displayed an energy resolution of 12.4% FWHM at 662 keV at the center of the camera and an angular resolution of 6.0 FWHM at 412 keV. The rotating multiple hole collimated camera (RMCC) used a 180 antisymmetric rotation modulation collimator and CsI(Tl) detectors coupled to PIN silicon photodiodes. The RMCC displayed an energy resolution of 7.1% FWHM at 662 keV and an angular resolution of 4.0 FWHM at 810 keV. The performance of these imagers is discussed in this paper. (orig.)

  16. DOE Center of Excellence in Medical Laser Applications. Final report, December 1, 1994--November 30, 1997

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jacques, S.L.

    1998-01-01

    An engineering network of collaborating medical laser laboratories are developing laser and optical technologies for medical diagnosis and therapy and are translating the engineering into medical centers in Portland OR, Houston TX, and Galveston TX. The Center includes the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Texas-Austin, Texas A and M University, Rice University, the University Texas Medical Branch-Galveston, Oregon Medical Laser Center (Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, Oregon Health Sciences University, and Oregon Graduate Institute, Portland, OR), and the University of Oregon. Diagnostics include reflectance, fluorescence, Raman IR, laser photoacoustics, optical coherence tomography, and several new video techniques for spectroscopy and imaging. Therapies include photocoagulation therapy, laser welding, pulsed laser ablation, and light-activated chemotherapy of cancer (photodynamic therapy, or PDT). Medical applications reaching the clinic include optical monitoring of hyperbilirubinemia in newborns, fluorescence detection of cervical dysplasia, laser thrombolysis of blood clots in heart attack and brain stroke, photothermal coagulant of benign prostate hyperplasia, and PDT for both veterinary and human cancer. New technologies include laser optoacoustic imaging of breast tumors and hemorrhage in head trauma and brain stroke, quality control monitoring of dosimetry during PDT for esophageal and lung cancer, polarization video reflectometry of skin cancer, laser welding of artificial tissue replacements, and feedback control of laser welding.

  17. Deformable registration of the planning image (kVCT) and the daily images (MVCT) for adaptive radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu Weiguo; Olivera, Gustavo H; Chen, Quan; Ruchala, Kenneth J; Haimerl, Jason; Meeks, Sanford L; Langen, Katja M; Kupelian, Patrick A

    2006-01-01

    The incorporation of daily images into the radiotherapy process leads to adaptive radiation therapy (ART), in which the treatment is evaluated periodically and the plan is adaptively modified for the remaining course of radiotherapy. Deformable registration between the planning image and the daily images is a key component of ART. In this paper, we report our researches on deformable registration between the planning kVCT and the daily MVCT image sets. The method is based on a fast intensity-based free-form deformable registration technique. Considering the noise and contrast resolution differences between the kVCT and the MVCT, an 'edge-preserving smoothing' is applied to the MVCT image prior to the deformable registration process. We retrospectively studied daily MVCT images from commercial TomoTherapy machines from different clinical centers. The data set includes five head-neck cases, one pelvis case, two lung cases and one prostate case. Each case has one kVCT image and 20-40 MVCT images. We registered the MVCT images with their corresponding kVCT image. The similarity measures and visual inspections of contour matches by physicians validated this technique. The applications of deformable registration in ART, including 'deformable dose accumulation', 'automatic re-contouring' and 'tumour growth/regression evaluation' throughout the course of radiotherapy are also studied

  18. Creating infinite contrast in fluorescence microscopy by using lanthanide centered emission

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    R. Carro-Temboury, Miguel; Arppe, Riikka Matleena; Hempel, Casper

    2017-01-01

    The popularity of fluorescence microscopy arises from the inherent mode of action, where the fluorescence emission from probes is used to visualize selected features on a presumed dark background. However, the background is rarely truly dark, and image processing and analysis is needed to enhance...... the fluorescent signal that is ascribed to the selected feature. The image acquisition is facilitated by using considerable illumination, bright probes at a relatively high concentration in order to make the fluorescent signal significantly more intense than the background signal. Here, we present two methods......, while method II resolves the fluorescent signal by subtracting a background calculated via the gradient. Both methods improve signal-to-background ratio significantly and we suggest that spectral imaging of lanthanide-centered emission can be used as a tool to obtain absolute contrast in bioimaging....

  19. Medulloblastoma: correlation among findings of conventional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fonte, Mariana Vieira de Melo da; Otaduy, Maria Concepcion Garcia; Lucato, Leandro Tavares; Reed, Umbertina Conti; Leite, Claudia da Costa [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Hospital das Clinicas. Inst. de Radiologia]. E-mail: mvmfonte@uol.com.br; Costa, Maria Olivia Rodrigues; Amaral, Raquel Portugal Guimaraes [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Medicina. Dept. de Radiologia; Reed, Umbertina Conti [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Faculdade de Medicina. Dept. de Neurologia; Rosemberg, Sergio [Universidade de Sao Paulo (USP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Hospital das Clinicas. Dept. de Patologia

    2008-11-15

    To correlate imaging findings of medulloblastomas at conventional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, comparing them with data in the literature. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging studies of nine pediatric patients with histologically confirmed medulloblastomas (eight desmoplastic medulloblastoma, and one giant cell medulloblastoma) were retrospectively reviewed, considering demographics as well as tumors characteristics such as localization, morphology, signal intensity, contrast-enhancement, dissemination, and diffusion-weighted imaging and spectroscopy findings. In most of cases the tumors were centered in the cerebellar vermis (77.8%), predominantly solid (88.9%), hypointense on T 1-weighted images and intermediate/hyperintense on T 2-FLAIR-weighted images, with heterogeneous enhancement (100%), tumor dissemination/extension (77.8%) and limited water molecule mobility (100%). Proton spectroscopy acquired with STEAM technique (n = 6) demonstrated decreased Na a / Cr ratio (83.3%) and increased Co/Cr (100%) and ml/Cr (66.7%) ratios; and with PRESS technique (n = 7) demonstrated lactate peak (57.1%). Macroscopic magnetic resonance imaging findings in association with biochemical features of medulloblastomas have been useful in the differentiation among the most frequent posterior fossa tumors. (author)

  20. Medulloblastoma: correlation among findings of conventional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fonte, Mariana Vieira de Melo da; Otaduy, Maria Concepcion Garcia; Lucato, Leandro Tavares; Reed, Umbertina Conti; Leite, Claudia da Costa; Costa, Maria Olivia Rodrigues; Amaral, Raquel Portugal Guimaraes; Reed, Umbertina Conti; Rosemberg, Sergio

    2008-01-01

    To correlate imaging findings of medulloblastomas at conventional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion-weighted imaging and proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, comparing them with data in the literature. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging studies of nine pediatric patients with histologically confirmed medulloblastomas (eight desmoplastic medulloblastoma, and one giant cell medulloblastoma) were retrospectively reviewed, considering demographics as well as tumors characteristics such as localization, morphology, signal intensity, contrast-enhancement, dissemination, and diffusion-weighted imaging and spectroscopy findings. In most of cases the tumors were centered in the cerebellar vermis (77.8%), predominantly solid (88.9%), hypointense on T 1-weighted images and intermediate/hyperintense on T 2-FLAIR-weighted images, with heterogeneous enhancement (100%), tumor dissemination/extension (77.8%) and limited water molecule mobility (100%). Proton spectroscopy acquired with STEAM technique (n = 6) demonstrated decreased Na a / Cr ratio (83.3%) and increased Co/Cr (100%) and ml/Cr (66.7%) ratios; and with PRESS technique (n = 7) demonstrated lactate peak (57.1%). Macroscopic magnetic resonance imaging findings in association with biochemical features of medulloblastomas have been useful in the differentiation among the most frequent posterior fossa tumors. (author)

  1. A Plea for a Child-Centered Approach in Research with Street Children.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Beers, Henk

    1996-01-01

    Argues that street children's public image does not consider root causes of homelessness or children's perceptions. Notes that the relationship of children to urban life is seldom analyzed, and that references to street girls commonly link them to prostitution. Advocates a more child-centered, participatory approach to research and discusses…

  2. Proposed alteration of images of molecular orbitals obtained using a scanning tunneling microscope as a probe of electron correlation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toroz, Dimitrios; Rontani, Massimo; Corni, Stefano

    2013-01-04

    Scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS) allows us to image single molecules decoupled from the supporting substrate. The obtained images are routinely interpreted as the square moduli of molecular orbitals, dressed by the mean-field electron-electron interaction. Here we demonstrate that the effect of electron correlation beyond the mean field qualitatively alters the uncorrelated STS images. Our evidence is based on the ab initio many-body calculation of STS images of planar molecules with metal centers. We find that many-body correlations alter significantly the image spectral weight close to the metal center of the molecules. This change is large enough to be accessed experimentally, surviving to molecule-substrate interactions.

  3. Landsat TM and ETM+ Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Kansas Data Access and Support Center — The Kansas Satellite Image Database (KSID):2000-2001 consists of terrain-corrected, precision rectified spring, summer, and fall Landsat 5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and...

  4. Enhancement of the optical image with a DC blocked spiral holographic pattern

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Sung-In; Lee, Jung-Kyun; Song, Dong-Hoon; Choi, Dae-Sik; Ko, Do-Kyeong

    2011-01-01

    A modification of microscopy using a spiral phase plate, which enhanced the optical image by blocking the DC part of the object spectrum is presented. In conventional differential-interference-contrast microscopy, enhancement of optical images is achieved by interference of mutual coherent beams which experience different optical phases. This method increases the contrast of the optical image compared to normal microscopy, but the image still has some blurring around the edge of the sample. Our modification consists of placing a DC blocking region on an optical spatial filter, which allows us to achieve a sharp edge compared to the conventional one. By patterning the grating of the circular area in the center with a different direction (π/4 in our case), we could redirect the DC part of the Fourier component that passed through the center of the phase plate. By eliminating the DC part of the object spectrum, we could get a highly enhanced image and clearly observed the inside of the cheek cell, which was invisible otherwise.

  5. Relation of major volcanic center concentration on Venus to global tectonic patterns

    Science.gov (United States)

    Crumpler, L. S.; Head, James W.; Aubele, Jayne C.

    1993-01-01

    Global analysis of Magellan image data indicates that a major concentration of volcanic centers covering about 40 percent of the surface of Venus occurs between the Beta, Atla, and Themis regions. Associated with this enhanced concentration are geological characteristics commonly interpreted as rifting and mantle upwelling. Interconnected low plains in an annulus around this concentration are characterized by crustal shortening and infrequent volcanic centers that may represent sites of mantle return flow and net downwelling. Together, these observations suggest the existence of relatively simple, large-scale patterns of mantle circulation similar to those associated with concentrations of intraplate volcanism on earth.

  6. The numerical solution of total variation minimization problems in image processing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vogel, C.R.; Oman, M.E. [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States)

    1994-12-31

    Consider the minimization of penalized least squares functionals of the form: f(u) = 1/2 ({parallel}Au {minus} z{parallel}){sup 2} + {alpha}{integral}{sub {Omega}}{vert_bar}{del}u{vert_bar}dx. Here A is a bounded linear operator, z represents data, {parallel} {center_dot} {parallel} is a Hilbert space norm, {alpha} is a positive parameter, {integral}{sub {Omega}}{vert_bar}{del}u{vert_bar} dx represents the total variation (TV) of a function u {element_of} BV ({Omega}), the class of functions of bounded variation on a bounded region {Omega}, and {vert_bar} {center_dot} {vert_bar} denotes Euclidean norm. In image processing, u represents an image which is to be recovered from noisy data z. Certain {open_quotes}blurring processes{close_quotes} may be represented by the action of an operator A on the image u.

  7. An improved K-means clustering algorithm in agricultural image segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Huifeng; Peng, Hui; Liu, Shanmei

    Image segmentation is the first important step to image analysis and image processing. In this paper, according to color crops image characteristics, we firstly transform the color space of image from RGB to HIS, and then select proper initial clustering center and cluster number in application of mean-variance approach and rough set theory followed by clustering calculation in such a way as to automatically segment color component rapidly and extract target objects from background accurately, which provides a reliable basis for identification, analysis, follow-up calculation and process of crops images. Experimental results demonstrate that improved k-means clustering algorithm is able to reduce the computation amounts and enhance precision and accuracy of clustering.

  8. Role of teleradiology in modern diagnostic imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrzan, R.; Urbanik, A.; Wyrobek -Renczynska, M.; Podsiadlo, L.

    2004-01-01

    Teleradiology is a dynamically expanding technology of electronic transmission of radiologic images. History of teleradiology development, methods of obtaining images in digital form, media used for their transmission, factors affecting time of transmission, methods of visualization of transmitted images, attempts at standardization of new technology and at last typical applications of teleradiology were presented. Teleradiology from the position of technical curiosity advanced to the role of everyday work tool. Possibility of specialist diagnostic imaging assurance in poorly developed regions, not possessing sufficient number of radiologists, turned out particularly important. Cooperation of regional hospitals with specialist centers of diagnostic images reporting and archiving created a chance for making better use of owned equipment and reducing the costs of diagnostics. For the sake of broader and broader access to teleradiology not only over the world but also in Poland it is advisable to familiarize with its possibilities by both radiologists and clinicists using the results of diagnostic imaging. (author)

  9. Method for position emission mammography image reconstruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Smith, Mark Frederick

    2004-10-12

    An image reconstruction method comprising accepting coincidence datat from either a data file or in real time from a pair of detector heads, culling event data that is outside a desired energy range, optionally saving the desired data for each detector position or for each pair of detector pixels on the two detector heads, and then reconstructing the image either by backprojection image reconstruction or by iterative image reconstruction. In the backprojection image reconstruction mode, rays are traced between centers of lines of response (LOR's), counts are then either allocated by nearest pixel interpolation or allocated by an overlap method and then corrected for geometric effects and attenuation and the data file updated. If the iterative image reconstruction option is selected, one implementation is to compute a grid Siddon retracing, and to perform maximum likelihood expectation maiximization (MLEM) computed by either: a) tracing parallel rays between subpixels on opposite detector heads; or b) tracing rays between randomized endpoint locations on opposite detector heads.

  10. Advances in Gamma-Ray Imaging with Intensified Quantum-Imaging Detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Ling

    Nuclear medicine, an important branch of modern medical imaging, is an essential tool for both diagnosis and treatment of disease. As the fundamental element of nuclear medicine imaging, the gamma camera is able to detect gamma-ray photons emitted by radiotracers injected into a patient and form an image of the radiotracer distribution, reflecting biological functions of organs or tissues. Recently, an intensified CCD/CMOS-based quantum detector, called iQID, was developed in the Center for Gamma-Ray Imaging. Originally designed as a novel type of gamma camera, iQID demonstrated ultra-high spatial resolution (advancing this conceptually-proven gamma-ray imaging technology to make it ready for both preclinical and clinical applications. To start with, a Monte Carlo simulation of the key light-intensification device, i.e. the image intensifier, was developed, which revealed the dominating factor(s) that limit energy resolution performance of the iQID cameras. For preclinical imaging applications, a previously-developed iQID-based single-photon-emission computed-tomography (SPECT) system, called FastSPECT III, was fully advanced in terms of data acquisition software, system sensitivity and effective FOV by developing and adopting a new photon-counting algorithm, thicker columnar scintillation detectors, and system calibration method. Originally designed for mouse brain imaging, the system is now able to provide full-body mouse imaging with sub-350-micron spatial resolution. To further advance the iQID technology to include clinical imaging applications, a novel large-area iQID gamma camera, called LA-iQID, was developed from concept to prototype. Sub-mm system resolution in an effective FOV of 188 mm x 188 mm has been achieved. The camera architecture, system components, design and integration, data acquisition, camera calibration, and performance evaluation are presented in this work. Mounted on a castered counter-weighted clinical cart, the camera also features

  11. Reinventing Image Detective: An Evidence-Based Approach to Citizen Science Online

    Science.gov (United States)

    Romano, C.; Graff, P. V.; Runco, S.

    2017-12-01

    Usability studies demonstrate that web users are notoriously impatient, spending as little as 15 seconds on a home page. How do you get users to stay long enough to understand a citizen science project? How do you get users to complete complex citizen science tasks online?Image Detective, a citizen science project originally developed by scientists and science engagement specialists at the NASA Johnson Space center to engage the public in the analysis of images taken from space by astronauts to help enhance NASA's online database of astronaut imagery, partnered with the CosmoQuest citizen science platform to modernize, offering new and improved options for participation in Image Detective. The challenge: to create a web interface that builds users' skills and knowledge, creating engagement while learning complex concepts essential to the accurate completion of tasks. The project team turned to usability testing for an objective understanding of how users perceived Image Detective and the steps required to complete required tasks. A group of six users was recruited online for unmoderated and initial testing. The users followed a think-aloud protocol while attempting tasks, and were recorded on video and audio. The usability test examined users' perception of four broad areas: the purpose of and context for Image Detective; the steps required to successfully complete the analysis (differentiating images of Earth's surface from those showing outer space and identifying common surface features); locating the image center point on a map of Earth; and finally, naming geographic locations or natural events seen in the image.Usability test findings demonstrated that the following best practices can increase participation in Image Detective and can be applied to the successful implementation of any citizen science project:• Concise explanation of the project, its context, and its purpose;• Including a mention of the funding agency (in this case, NASA);• A preview of

  12. The Study of Image Processing Method for AIDS PA Test

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, H J; Wang, Q G

    2006-01-01

    At present, the main test technique of AIDS is PA in China. Because the judgment of PA test image is still depending on operator, the error ration is high. To resolve this problem, we present a new technique of image processing, which first process many samples and get the data including coordinate of center and the rang of kinds images; then we can segment the image with the data; at last, the result is exported after data was judgment. This technique is simple and veracious; and it also turns out to be suitable for the processing and analyzing of other infectious diseases' PA test image

  13. HST image of Gravitational Lens G2237 + 305 or 'Einstein Cross'

    Science.gov (United States)

    1990-01-01

    European Space Agency (ESA) Faint Object Camera (FOC) science image was taken from the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) of Gravitational Lens G2237 + 305 or 'Einstein Cross'. The gravitational lens G2237 + 305 or 'Einstein Cross' shows four images of a very distant quasar which has been multiple-imaged by a relatively nearby galaxy acting as a gravitational lens. The angular separation between the upper and lower images is 1.6 arc seconds. Photo was released from Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) 09-12-90.

  14. Revised and updated recommendations for the establishment of primary stroke centers: a summary statement from the brain attack coalition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alberts, Mark J; Latchaw, Richard E; Jagoda, Andy; Wechsler, Lawrence R; Crocco, Todd; George, Mary G; Connolly, E S; Mancini, Barbara; Prudhomme, Stephen; Gress, Daryl; Jensen, Mary E; Bass, Robert; Ruff, Robert; Foell, Kathy; Armonda, Rocco A; Emr, Marian; Warren, Margo; Baranski, Jim; Walker, Michael D

    2011-09-01

    The formation and certification of Primary Stroke Centers has progressed rapidly since the Brain Attack Coalition's original recommendations in 2000. The purpose of this article is to revise and update our recommendations for Primary Stroke Centers to reflect the latest data and experience. We conducted a literature review using MEDLINE and PubMed from March 2000 to January 2011. The review focused on studies that were relevant for acute stroke diagnosis, treatment, and care. Original references as well as meta-analyses and other care guidelines were also reviewed and included if found to be valid and relevant. Levels of evidence were added to reflect current guideline development practices. Based on the literature review and experience at Primary Stroke Centers, the importance of some elements has been further strengthened, and several new areas have been added. These include (1) the importance of acute stroke teams; (2) the importance of Stroke Units with telemetry monitoring; (3) performance of brain imaging with MRI and diffusion-weighted sequences; (4) assessment of cerebral vasculature with MR angiography or CT angiography; (5) cardiac imaging; (6) early initiation of rehabilitation therapies; and (7) certification by an independent body, including a site visit and disease performance measures. Based on the evidence, several elements of Primary Stroke Centers are particularly important for improving the care of patients with an acute stroke. Additional elements focus on imaging of the brain, the cerebral vasculature, and the heart. These new elements may improve the care and outcomes for patients with stroke cared for at a Primary Stroke Center.

  15. NASA Unveils First Images From Chandra X-Ray Observatory

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-08-01

    Extraordinary first images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory trace the aftermath of a gigantic stellar explosion in such stunning detail that scientists can see evidence of what may be a neutron star or black hole near the center. Another image shows a powerful X-ray jet blasting 200,000 light years into intergalactic space from a distant quasar. Released today, both images confirm that NASA's newest Great Observatory is in excellent health and its instruments and optics are performing up to expectations. Chandra, the world's largest and most sensitive X-ray telescope, is still in its orbital check-out and calibration phase. "When I saw the first image, I knew that the dream had been realized," said Dr. Martin Weisskopf, Chandra Project Scientist, NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. "This observatory is ready to take its place in the history of spectacular scientific achievements." "We were astounded by these images," said Harvey Tananbaum, Director of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory's Chandra X- ray Center, Cambridge, MA. "We see the collision of the debris from the exploded star with the matter around it, we see shock waves rushing into interstellar space at millions of miles per hour, and, as a real bonus, we see for the first time a tantalizing bright point near the center of the remnant that could possibly be a collapsed star associated with the outburst." Chandra's PKS 0637-752 PKS 0637-752 After the telescope's sunshade door was opened last week, one of the first images taken was of the 320-year-old supernova remnant Cassiopeia A, which astronomers believe was produced by the explosion of a massive star. Material blasted into space from the explosion crashed into surrounding material at 10 million miles per hour. This collision caused violent shock waves, like massive sonic booms, creating a vast 50-million degree bubble of X-ray emitting gas. Heavy elements in the hot gas produce X-rays of specific energies. Chandra's ability

  16. The Woven Body: Embodying Text in Performance Art and the Writing Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rifenburg, J. Michael; Allgood, Lindsey

    2015-01-01

    Drawing on Lindsey Allgood's scripts, journal entries, and images of a specific participatory performance piece she executed, we argue for seeing performance art as a form of embodied text. Such an assertion is particularly pertinent for postsecondary writing center praxis as it allows for the mindful intersections of the body and writing during…

  17. Role of HIS/RIS DICOM interfaces in the integration of imaging into the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare enterprise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuzmak, Peter M.; Dayhoff, Ruth E.

    1998-07-01

    The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is integrating imaging into the healthcare enterprise using the Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) standard protocols. Image management is directly integrated into the VistA Hospital Information System (HIS) software and clinical database. Radiology images are acquired via DICOM, and are stored directly in the HIS database. Images can be displayed on low- cost clinician's workstations throughout the medical center. High-resolution diagnostic quality multi-monitor VistA workstations with specialized viewing software can be used for reading radiology images. DICOM has played critical roles in the ability to integrate imaging functionality into the Healthcare Enterprise. Because of its openness, it allows the integration of system components from commercial and non- commercial sources to work together to provide functional cost-effective solutions (see Figure 1). Two approaches are used to acquire and handle images within the radiology department. At some VA Medical Centers, DICOM is used to interface a commercial Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS) to the VistA HIS. At other medical centers, DICOM is used to interface the image producing modalities directly to the image acquisition and display capabilities of VistA itself. Both of these approaches use a small set of DICOM services that has been implemented by VistA to allow patient and study text data to be transmitted to image producing modalities and the commercial PACS, and to enable images and study data to be transferred back.

  18. Neutron Imaging Developments at LANSCE

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Ron; Hunter, James; Schirato, Richard; Vogel, Sven; Swift, Alicia; Ickes, Tim; Ward, Bill; Losko, Adrian; Tremsin, Anton

    2015-10-01

    Neutron imaging is complementary to x-ray imaging because of its sensitivity to light elements and greater penetration of high-Z materials. Energy-resolved neutron imaging can provide contrast enhancements for elements and isotopes due to the variations with energy in scattering cross sections due to nuclear resonances. These cross section differences exist due to compound nuclear resonances that are characteristic of each element and isotope, as well as broader resonances at higher energies. In addition, multi-probe imaging, such as combined photon and neutron imaging, is a powerful tool for discerning properties and features in materials that cannot be observed with a single probe. Recently, we have demonstrated neutron imaging, both radiography and computed tomography, using the moderated (Lujan Center) and high-energy (WNR facility) neutron sources at LANSCE. Flat panel x-ray detectors with suitable scintillator-converter screens provide good sensitivity for both low and high neutron energies. Micro-Channel-Plate detectors and iCCD scintillator camera systems that provide the fast time gating needed for energy-resolved imaging have been demonstrated as well. Examples of recent work will be shown including fluid flow in plants and imaging through dense thick objects. This work is funded by the US Department of Energy, National Nuclear Security Administration, and performed by Los Alamos National Security LLC under Contract DE-AC52-06NA25396.

  19. High End Visualization of Geophysical Datasets Using Immersive Technology: The SIO Visualization Center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Newman, R. L.

    2002-12-01

    How many images can you display at one time with Power Point without getting "postage stamps"? Do you have fantastic datasets that you cannot view because your computer is too slow/small? Do you assume a few 2-D images of a 3-D picture are sufficient? High-end visualization centers can minimize and often eliminate these problems. The new visualization center [http://siovizcenter.ucsd.edu] at Scripps Institution of Oceanography [SIO] immerses users into a virtual world by projecting 3-D images onto a Panoram GVR-120E wall-sized floor-to-ceiling curved screen [7' x 23'] that has 3.2 mega-pixels of resolution. The Infinite Reality graphics subsystem is driven by a single-pipe SGI Onyx 3400 with a system bandwidth of 44 Gbps. The Onyx is powered by 16 MIPS R12K processors and 16 GB of addressable memory. The system is also equipped with transmitters and LCD shutter glasses which permit stereographic 3-D viewing of high-resolution images. This center is ideal for groups of up to 60 people who can simultaneously view these large-format images. A wide range of hardware and software is available, giving the users a totally immersive working environment in which to display, analyze, and discuss large datasets. The system enables simultaneous display of video and audio streams from sources such as SGI megadesktop and stereo megadesktop, S-VHS video, DVD video, and video from a Macintosh or PC. For instance, one-third of the screen might be displaying S-VHS video from a remotely-operated-vehicle [ROV], while the remaining portion of the screen might be used for an interactive 3-D flight over the same parcel of seafloor. The video and audio combinations using this system are numerous, allowing users to combine and explore data and images in innovative ways, greatly enhancing scientists' ability to visualize, understand and collaborate on complex datasets. In the not-distant future, with the rapid growth in networking speeds in the US, it will be possible for Earth Sciences

  20. Reversible Dual-Image-Based Hiding Scheme Using Block Folding Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tzu-Chuen Lu

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The concept of a dual-image based scheme in information sharing consists of concealing secret messages in two cover images; only someone who has both stego-images can extract the secret messages. In 2015, Lu et al. proposed a center-folding strategy where each secret symbol is folded into the reduced digit to reduce the distortion of the stego-image. Then, in 2016, Lu et al. used a frequency-based encoding strategy to reduce the distortion of the frequency of occurrence of the maximum absolute value. Because the folding strategy can obviously reduce the value, the proposed scheme includes the folding operation twice to further decrease the reduced digit. We use a frequency-based encoding strategy to encode a secret message and then use the block folding technique by performing the center-folding operation twice to embed secret messages. An indicator is needed to identify the sequence number of the folding operation. The proposed scheme collects several indicators to produce a combined code and hides the code in a pixel to reduce the size of the indicators. The experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve higher image quality under the same embedding rate or higher payload, which is better than other methods.

  1. The influence of image reconstruction algorithms on linear thorax EIT image analysis of ventilation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Zhanqi; Möller, Knut; Frerichs, Inéz; Pulletz, Sven; Müller-Lisse, Ullrich

    2014-01-01

    Analysis methods of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images based on different reconstruction algorithms were examined. EIT measurements were performed on eight mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. A maneuver with step increase of airway pressure was performed. EIT raw data were reconstructed offline with (1) filtered back-projection (BP); (2) the Dräger algorithm based on linearized Newton–Raphson (DR); (3) the GREIT (Graz consensus reconstruction algorithm for EIT) reconstruction algorithm with a circular forward model (GR C ) and (4) GREIT with individual thorax geometry (GR T ). Individual thorax contours were automatically determined from the routine computed tomography images. Five indices were calculated on the resulting EIT images respectively: (a) the ratio between tidal and deep inflation impedance changes; (b) tidal impedance changes in the right and left lungs; (c) center of gravity; (d) the global inhomogeneity index and (e) ventilation delay at mid-dorsal regions. No significant differences were found in all examined indices among the four reconstruction algorithms (p > 0.2, Kruskal–Wallis test). The examined algorithms used for EIT image reconstruction do not influence the selected indices derived from the EIT image analysis. Indices that validated for images with one reconstruction algorithm are also valid for other reconstruction algorithms. (paper)

  2. The influence of image reconstruction algorithms on linear thorax EIT image analysis of ventilation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Zhanqi; Frerichs, Inéz; Pulletz, Sven; Müller-Lisse, Ullrich; Möller, Knut

    2014-06-01

    Analysis methods of electrical impedance tomography (EIT) images based on different reconstruction algorithms were examined. EIT measurements were performed on eight mechanically ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. A maneuver with step increase of airway pressure was performed. EIT raw data were reconstructed offline with (1) filtered back-projection (BP); (2) the Dräger algorithm based on linearized Newton-Raphson (DR); (3) the GREIT (Graz consensus reconstruction algorithm for EIT) reconstruction algorithm with a circular forward model (GR(C)) and (4) GREIT with individual thorax geometry (GR(T)). Individual thorax contours were automatically determined from the routine computed tomography images. Five indices were calculated on the resulting EIT images respectively: (a) the ratio between tidal and deep inflation impedance changes; (b) tidal impedance changes in the right and left lungs; (c) center of gravity; (d) the global inhomogeneity index and (e) ventilation delay at mid-dorsal regions. No significant differences were found in all examined indices among the four reconstruction algorithms (p > 0.2, Kruskal-Wallis test). The examined algorithms used for EIT image reconstruction do not influence the selected indices derived from the EIT image analysis. Indices that validated for images with one reconstruction algorithm are also valid for other reconstruction algorithms.

  3. Rotation Estimation for Wide-Angle Inverse Synthetic Aperture Radar Imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Zhou

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available To present focused ISAR imaging results in the homogenous range and cross-range domain, an integrated scheme is proposed to estimate both the targets equivalent rotational velocity (RV and rotational center (RC. The RV estimation is improved by radial projection combined with keystone processing, and then the RC is estimated through image entropy minimization. Finally, delicate imaging results may be obtained for wide-angle scenarios. Experiment results are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

  4. Radiology and Enterprise Medical Imaging Extensions (REMIX).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erdal, Barbaros S; Prevedello, Luciano M; Qian, Songyue; Demirer, Mutlu; Little, Kevin; Ryu, John; O'Donnell, Thomas; White, Richard D

    2018-02-01

    Radiology and Enterprise Medical Imaging Extensions (REMIX) is a platform originally designed to both support the medical imaging-driven clinical and clinical research operational needs of Department of Radiology of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. REMIX accommodates the storage and handling of "big imaging data," as needed for large multi-disciplinary cancer-focused programs. The evolving REMIX platform contains an array of integrated tools/software packages for the following: (1) server and storage management; (2) image reconstruction; (3) digital pathology; (4) de-identification; (5) business intelligence; (6) texture analysis; and (7) artificial intelligence. These capabilities, along with documentation and guidance, explaining how to interact with a commercial system (e.g., PACS, EHR, commercial database) that currently exists in clinical environments, are to be made freely available.

  5. Efficiency of Cathodoluminescence Emission by Nitrogen-Vacancy Color Centers in Nanodiamonds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Huiliang; Glenn, David R; Schalek, Richard; Lichtman, Jeff W; Walsworth, Ronald L

    2017-06-01

    Correlated electron microscopy and cathodoluminescence (CL) imaging using functionalized nanoparticles is a promising nanoscale probe of biological structure and function. Nanodiamonds (NDs) that contain CL-emitting color centers are particularly well suited for such applications. The intensity of CL emission from NDs is determined by a combination of factors, including particle size, density of color centers, efficiency of energy deposition by electrons passing through the particle, and conversion efficiency from deposited energy to CL emission. This paper reports experiments and numerical simulations that investigate the relative importance of each of these factors in determining CL emission intensity from NDs containing nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color centers. In particular, it is found that CL can be detected from NV-doped NDs with dimensions as small as ≈40 nm, although CL emission decreases significantly for smaller NDs. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  6. Specifications Used for ASA24® Digital Images

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Children's Nutrition Research Center's (CNRC) at the Baylor College of Medicine developed a food photography system to photograph precise portion sizes of a large number of food items to create quality standardized images used for dietary recall protocols.

  7. Precipitable water and surface humidity over global oceans from special sensor microwave imager and European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, W. T.; Tang, Wenqing; Wentz, Frank J.

    1992-01-01

    Global fields of precipitable water W from the special sensor microwave imager were compared with those from the European Center for Medium Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) model. They agree over most ocean areas; both data sets capture the two annual cycles examined and the interannual anomalies during an ENSO episode. They show significant differences in the dry air masses over the eastern tropical-subtropical oceans, particularly in the Southern Hemisphere. In these regions, comparisons with radiosonde data indicate that overestimation by the ECMWF model accounts for a large part of the differences. As a check on the W differences, surface-level specific humidity Q derived from W, using a statistical relation, was compared with Q from the ECMWF model. The differences in Q were found to be consistent with the differences in W, indirectly validating the Q-W relation. In both W and Q, SSMI was able to discern clearly the equatorial extension of the tongues of dry air in the eastern tropical ocean, while both ECMWF and climatological fields have reduced spatial gradients and weaker intensity.

  8. Overview of research in progress at the Center of Excellence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wandell, Brian A.

    1993-01-01

    The Center of Excellence (COE) was created nine years ago to facilitate active collaboration between the scientists at Ames Research Center and the Stanford Psychology Department. Significant interchange of ideas and personnel continues between Stanford and participating groups at NASA-Ames; the COE serves its function well. This progress report is organized into sections divided by project. Each section contains a list of investigators, a background statement, progress report, and a proposal for work during the coming year. The projects are: Algorithms for development and calibration of visual systems, Visually optimized image compression, Evaluation of advanced piloting displays, Spectral representations of color, Perception of motion in man and machine, Automation and decision making, and Motion information used for navigation and control.

  9. Denoising of MR images using FREBAS collaborative filtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Satoshi; Hizume, Masayuki; Yamada, Yoshifumi

    2011-01-01

    We propose a novel image denoising strategy based on the correlation in the FREBAS transformed domain. FREBAS transform is a kind of multi-resolution image analysis which consists of two different Fresnel transforms. It can decompose images into down-scaled images of the same size with a different frequency bandwidth. Since these decomposed images have similar distributions for the same directions from the center of the FREBAS domain, even when the FREBAS signal is hidden by noise in the case of a low-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) image, the signal distribution can be estimated using the distribution of the FREBAS signal located near the position of interest. We have developed a collaborative Wiener filter in the FREBAS transformed domain which implements collaboration of the standard deviation of the position of interest and that of analogous positions. The experimental results demonstrated that the proposed algorithm improves the SNR in terms of both the total SNR and the SNR at the edges of images. (author)

  10. The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lisowski, Paul W.; Schoenberg, Kurt F.

    2006-01-01

    The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, or LANSCE, uses the first truly high-current medium-energy proton linear accelerator, which operated originally at a beam power of 1 MW for medium-energy nuclear physics. Today LANSCE continues operation as one of the most versatile accelerator-based user facilities in the world. During eight months of annual operation, scientists from around the world work at LANSCE to execute an extraordinarily broad program of defense and civilian research. Several areas operate simultaneously. The Lujan Neutron Scattering Center (Lujan Center) is a moderated spallation source (meV to keV), the Weapons Neutron Research Facility (WNR) is a bare spallation neutron source (keV to 800 MeV), and a new ultra-cold neutron source will be operational in 2005. These sources give LANSCE the ability to produce and use neutrons with energies that range over 14 orders of magnitude. LANSCE also supplies beam to WNR and two other areas for applications requiring protons. In a proton radiography (pRad) area, a sequence of narrow proton pulses is transmitted through shocked materials and imaged to study dynamic properties. In 2005, LANSCE began operating a facility that uses 100-MeV protons to produce medical radioisotopes. To sustain a vigorous program beyond this decade, LANSCE has embarked on a project to refurbish key elements of the facility and to plan capabilities beyond those that presently exist

  11. Short-Term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center: Transitioning Satellite Data to Operations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zavodsky, Bradley

    2012-01-01

    The Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) Center located at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center has been conducting testbed activities aimed at transitioning satellite products to National Weather Service operational end users for the last 10 years. SPoRT is a NASA/NOAA funded project that has set the bar for transition of products to operational end users through a paradigm of understanding forecast challenges and forecaster needs, displaying products in end users decision support systems, actively assessing the operational impact of these products, and improving products based on forecaster feedback. Aiming for quality partnerships rather than a large quantity of data users, SPoRT has become a community leader in training operational forecasters on the use of up-and-coming satellite data through the use of legacy instruments and proxy data. Traditionally, SPoRT has supplied satellite imagery and products from NASA instruments such as the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS). However, recently, SPoRT has been funded by the GOES-R and Joint Polar Satellite System (JPSS) Proving Grounds to accelerate the transition of selected imagery and products to help improve forecaster awareness of upcoming operational data from the Visible Infrared Imager Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS), Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), and Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). This presentation provides background on the SPoRT Center, the SPoRT paradigm, and some example products that SPoRT is excited to work with forecasters to evaluate.

  12. Students build glovebox at Space Science Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    2001-01-01

    Students in the Young Astronaut Program at the Coca-Cola Space Science Center in Columbus, GA, constructed gloveboxes using the new NASA Student Glovebox Education Guide. The young astronauts used cardboard copier paper boxes as the heart of the glovebox. The paper boxes transformed into gloveboxes when the students pasted poster-pictures of an actual NASA microgravity science glovebox inside and outside of the paper boxes. The young astronauts then added holes for gloves and removable transparent top covers, which completed the construction of the gloveboxes. This image is from a digital still camera; higher resolution is not available.

  13. Building the Southern California Earthquake Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordan, T. H.; Henyey, T.; McRaney, J. K.

    2004-12-01

    Kei Aki was the founding director of the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), a multi-institutional collaboration formed in 1991 as a Science and Technology Center (STC) under the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS). Aki and his colleagues articulated a system-level vision for the Center: investigations by disciplinary working groups would be woven together into a "Master Model" for Southern California. In this presentation, we will outline how the Master-Model concept has evolved and how SCEC's structure has adapted to meet scientific challenges of system-level earthquake science. In its first decade, SCEC conducted two regional imaging experiments (LARSE I & II); published the "Phase-N" reports on (1) the Landers earthquake, (2) a new earthquake rupture forecast for Southern California, and (3) new models for seismic attenuation and site effects; it developed two prototype "Community Models" (the Crustal Motion Map and Community Velocity Model) and, perhaps most important, sustained a long-term, multi-institutional, interdisciplinary collaboration. The latter fostered pioneering numerical simulations of earthquake ruptures, fault interactions, and wave propagation. These accomplishments provided the impetus for a successful proposal in 2000 to reestablish SCEC as a "stand alone" center under NSF/USGS auspices. SCEC remains consistent with the founders' vision: it continues to advance seismic hazard analysis through a system-level synthesis that is based on community models and an ever expanding array of information technology. SCEC now represents a fully articulated "collaboratory" for earthquake science, and many of its features are extensible to other active-fault systems and other system-level collaborations. We will discuss the implications of the SCEC experience for EarthScope, the USGS's program in seismic hazard analysis, NSF's nascent Cyberinfrastructure Initiative, and other large collaboratory programs.

  14. Report for 2011 from the Bordeaux IVS Analysis Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Charlot, Patrick; Bellanger, Antoine; Bourda, Geraldine; Collioud, Arnaud; Baudry, Alain

    2012-01-01

    This report summarizes the activities of the Bordeaux IVS Analysis Center during the year 2011. The work focused on (i) regular analysis of the IVS-R1 and IVS-R4 sessions with the GINS software package; (ii) systematic VLBI imaging of the RDV sessions and calculation of the corresponding source structure index and compactness values; (iii) imaging of the sources observed during the 2009 International Year of Astronomy IVS observing session; and (iv) continuation of our VLBI observational program to identify optically-bright radio sources suitable for the link with the future Gaia frame. Also of importance is the enhancement of the IVS LiveWeb site which now comprises all IVS sessions back to 2003, allowing one to search past observations for session-specific information (e.g. sources or stations).

  15. TU-A-201-00: Image Guidance Technologies and Management Strategies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2016-06-15

    Recent years have seen a widespread proliferation of available in-room image guidance systems for radiation therapy target localization with many centers having multiple in-room options. In this session, available imaging systems for in-room IGRT will be reviewed highlighting the main differences in workflow efficiency, targeting accuracy and image quality as it relates to target visualization. Decision-making strategies for integrating these tools into clinical image guidance protocols that are tailored to specific disease sites like H&N, lung, pelvis, and spine SBRT will be discussed. Learning Objectives: Major system characteristics of a wide range of available in-room imaging systems for IGRT. Advantages / disadvantages of different systems for site-specific IGRT considerations. Concepts of targeting accuracy and time efficiency in designing clinical imaging protocols.

  16. A blur-invariant local feature for motion blurred image matching

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, Qiang; Aoki, Terumasa

    2017-07-01

    Image matching between a blurred (caused by camera motion, out of focus, etc.) image and a non-blurred image is a critical task for many image/video applications. However, most of the existing local feature schemes fail to achieve this work. This paper presents a blur-invariant descriptor and a novel local feature scheme including the descriptor and the interest point detector based on moment symmetry - the authors' previous work. The descriptor is based on a new concept - center peak moment-like element (CPME) which is robust to blur and boundary effect. Then by constructing CPMEs, the descriptor is also distinctive and suitable for image matching. Experimental results show our scheme outperforms state of the art methods for blurred image matching

  17. Environmental monitoring and research at the John F. Kennedy Space Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, C. R.; Hinkle, C. R.; Knott, W. M.; Summerfield, B. R.

    1992-01-01

    The Biomedical Operations and Research Office at the NASA John F. Kennedy Space Center has been supporting environmental monitoring and research since the mid-1970s. Program elements include monitoring of baseline conditions to document natural variability in the ecosystem, assessments of operations and construction of new facilities, and ecological research focusing on wildlife habitat associations. Information management is centered around development of a computerized geographic information system that incorporates remote sensing and digital image processing technologies along with traditional relational data base management capabilities. The proactive program is one in which the initiative is to anticipate potential environmental concerns before they occur and, by utilizing in-house expertise, develop impact minimization or mitigation strategies to reduce environmental risk.

  18. Heart Imaging System

    Science.gov (United States)

    1993-01-01

    Johnson Space Flight Center's device to test astronauts' heart function in microgravity has led to the MultiWire Gamma Camera, which images heart conditions six times faster than conventional devices. Dr. Jeffrey Lacy, who developed the technology as a NASA researcher, later formed Proportional Technologies, Inc. to develop a commercially viable process that would enable use of Tantalum-178 (Ta-178), a radio-pharmaceutical. His company supplies the generator for the radioactive Ta-178 to Xenos Medical Systems, which markets the camera. Ta-178 can only be optimally imaged with the camera. Because the body is subjected to it for only nine minutes, the radiation dose is significantly reduced and the technique can be used more frequently. Ta-178 also enables the camera to be used on pediatric patients who are rarely studied with conventional isotopes because of the high radiation dosage.

  19. Increasing Security for Cloud Computing By Steganography in Image Edges

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hassan Hadi Saleh

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available The security of data storage in “cloud” is big challenge because the data keep within resources that may be accessed by particular machines. The managing of these data and services may not be high reliable. Therefore, the security of data is highly challenging. To increase the security of data in data center of cloud, we have introduced good method to ensure data security in “cloud computing” by methods of data hiding using color images which is called steganography. The fundamental objective of this paper is to prevent "Data Access” by unauthorized or opponent users. This scheme stores data at data centers within edges of color images and retrieves data from it when it is wanted.

  20. Development of the Virtual Visitor Center at SLAC

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    McDunn, Ruth

    1999-11-17

    The Virtual Visitor Center (VVC) web site (www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc) is a ''virtual'' version of the Visitor Center, a mini science museum that opened at SLAC in 1996. The VVC was made public in December 1998. Both centers contribute to SLAC mission regarding education of the next generation and increasing scientific awareness of the public. The site is designed to mimic the real visitor center and allow a larger audience to the information. The intent was to reach the 8th-12th grade audience. Considerable effort was made to organize the content, including color-coding graphical elements for each main topic area. Tables of contents, a search tool, several photo tours, as well as graphical and non-graphical menu bars allow users many methods of navigating the site. The site was developed over almost two years using an estimated .95 FTE, split between a program manager, graphic designer, content provider (theoretical physicist), and a summer intern (high school teacher). As of November 1999, the site consists of 1,147 files, 935 images, 3,080 internal hyperlinks, and 190 external hyperlinks. The site has had over 1 million hits between January and mid-October 1999 and averages about 600 page views each day. Future plans include bringing the web site into compliance with the W3Cs Web Content Accessibility guidelines, thoroughly integrating the glossary terms, continued incorporation of current research at SLAC, and adding more interactivity.

  1. Development of the Virtual Visitor Center at SLAC

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    McDunn, Ruth

    1999-01-01

    The Virtual Visitor Center (VVC) web site (www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc) is a ''virtual'' version of the Visitor Center, a mini science museum that opened at SLAC in 1996. The VVC was made public in December 1998. Both centers contribute to SLAC mission regarding education of the next generation and increasing scientific awareness of the public. The site is designed to mimic the real visitor center and allow a larger audience to the information. The intent was to reach the 8th-12th grade audience. Considerable effort was made to organize the content, including color-coding graphical elements for each main topic area. Tables of contents, a search tool, several photo tours, as well as graphical and non-graphical menu bars allow users many methods of navigating the site. The site was developed over almost two years using an estimated .95 FTE, split between a program manager, graphic designer, content provider (theoretical physicist), and a summer intern (high school teacher). As of November 1999, the site consists of 1,147 files, 935 images, 3,080 internal hyperlinks, and 190 external hyperlinks. The site has had over 1 million hits between January and mid-October 1999 and averages about 600 page views each day. Future plans include bringing the web site into compliance with the W3Cs Web Content Accessibility guidelines, thoroughly integrating the glossary terms, continued incorporation of current research at SLAC, and adding more interactivity

  2. Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI): Inital Observations and Activities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Edgett, K. S.; Yingst, R. A.; Minitti, M. E.; Robinson, M. L.; Kennedy, M. R.; Lipkaman, L. J.; Jensen, E. H.; Anderson, R. C.; Bean, K. M.; Beegle, L. W.; hide

    2013-01-01

    MAHLI (Mars Hand Lens Imager) is a 2-megapixel focusable macro lens color camera on the turret on Curiosity's robotic arm. The investigation centers on stratigraphy, grain-scale texture, structure, mineralogy, and morphology of geologic materials at Curiosity's Gale robotic field site. MAHLI acquires focused images at working distances of 2.1 cm to infinity; for reference, at 2.1 cm the scale is 14 microns/pixel; at 6.9 cm it is 31 microns/pixel, like the Spirit and Opportunity Microscopic Imager (MI) cameras.

  3. Development of a digital panoramic X-ray imaging system of adaptive image layers for dental applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Choi, S.I.; Park, Y.O.; Cho, H.S.; Oh, J.E.; Cho, H.M.; Hong, D.K.; Lee, M.S.; Yang, Y.J.; Je, U.K.; Kim, D.S.; Lee, H.K.

    2011-01-01

    As a continuation of our digital radiographic sensor R and D, we have developed a prototyped digital panoramic X-ray imaging system for dental applications. The imaging system consists of a slit-collimated X-ray generator with a 0.4 mm focal spot size and a 3.5 mm Al filtration, a linear-array typed CMOS imager with a 48x48 μm 2 pixel size and a 128 (in the scan direction)x3072 (in the vertical direction) pixel format, a series of microstep motors for the precise motion control of the imaging system, and the designed sequences for the motion control and pixel readout required to make a specific plane of interest (POI) to be focused. With the several test phantoms we designed, we obtained useful digital panoramic X-ray images by moving the X-ray generator and the CMOS imager along a continuously sliding rotational center. In this study, we demonstrated that the prototype system can be applicable to any shaped POI or multi-POIs simultaneously to be focused, provided that adequate sequences for motion control and pixel readout are designed. We expect that the imaging system will be useful for our ongoing applications of dental panoramic radiography and nondestructive testing.

  4. The effective quality assurance for image guided device using the AMC G-Box

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Chong Mi [Dept. of Radiation Oncology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-12-15

    According to the rapid increase recently in image-guided radiation therapy, It is necessary to control of the image guidance system completely. In particular for the main subject to the accuracy of image guided radiation therapy device to be done essentially the quality assurance. We made efficient phantom in AMC for the management of the accurate and efficient. By setting up of five very important as a quality assurance inventory of the Image guidance system, we made (AMC G-Box) phantom for quality assurance efficient and accurate. Quality assurance list were the Iso-center align, the real measurement, the center align of four direction, the accuracy of table movement and the reproducibility of Hounsfield Unit. The rectangular phantom; acrylic with a thickness of 1 cm to 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm was inserted the three materials with different densities respectively for measure the CBCT HU. The phantom was to perform a check of consistency centered by creating a marker that indicates the position of the center fixed. By performing the quality assurance using the phantom of existing, comparing the resulting value to the different resulting value using the AMC G-Box, experiment was analyzed time and problems. Therapy equipment was used Varian device. It was measured twice at 1-week intervals. When implemented quality assurance of an image guidance system using AMC G-Box and a phantom existing has been completed, the quality assurance result is similar in 0.2 mm ± 0.1. In the case of the conventional method, it was 45 minutes at 30 minutes. When using AMC G-Box, it takes 20 minutes 15 minutes, and declined to 50% of the time. The consistency and accurate of image guidance system tend to decline using device. Therefore, We need to perform thoroughly on the quality assurance related. It needs to be checked daily to consistency check especially. When using the AMC G-Box, It is possible to enhance the accuracy of the patient care and equipment efficiently performing

  5. Prevalence and cost of imaging in inpatient falls: the rising cost of falling

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fields J

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Jessica Fields,1 Tahani Alturkistani,2 Neal Kumar,3 Arjun Kanuri,3 Deeb N Salem,1 Samson Munn,2 Deborah Blazey-Martin1 1Department of Medicine, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; 2Department of Radiology, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, MA, USA; 3Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA Objective: To quantify the type, prevalence, and cost of imaging following inpatient falls, identify factors associated with post-fall imaging, and determine correlates of positive versus negative imaging. Design: Single-center retrospective cohort study of inpatient falls. Data were collected from the hospital's adverse event reporting system, DrQuality. Age, sex, date, time, and location of fall, clinical service, Morse Fall Scale/fall protocol, admitting diagnosis, and fall-related imaging studies were reviewed. Cost included professional and facilities fees for each study. Setting: Four hundred and fifteen bed urban academic hospital over 3 years (2008–2010. Patients: All adult inpatient falls during the study period were included. Falls experienced by patients aged <18 years, outpatient and emergency patients, visitors to the hospital, and staff were excluded. Measurements and main results: Five hundred and thirty inpatient falls occurred during the study period, average patient age 60.7 years (range 20–98. More than half of falls were men (55% and patients considered at risk of falls (56%. Falls were evenly distributed across morning (33%, evening (34%, and night (33% shifts. Of 530 falls, 178 (34% patients were imaged with 262 studies. Twenty percent of patients imaged had at least one positive imaging study attributed to the fall and 82% of studies were negative. Total cost of imaging was $160,897, 63% ($100,700 from head computed tomography (CT. Conclusion: Inpatient falls affect patients of both sexes, all ages, occur at any time of day and lead to expensive imaging, mainly from head CTs. Further study should be targeted toward

  6. Demonstration of Sparse Signal Reconstruction for Radar Imaging of Ice Sheets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heister, Anton; Scheiber, Rolf

    2017-04-01

    Conventional processing of ice-sounder data produces 2-D images of the ice sheet and bed, where the two dimensions are along-track and depth, while the across-track direction is fixed to nadir. The 2-D images contain information about the topography and radar reflectivity of the ice sheet's surface, bed, and internal layers in the along-track direction. Having multiple antenna phase centers in the across-track direction enables the production of 3-D images of the ice sheet and bed. Compared to conventional 2-D images, these contain additional information about the surface and bed topography, and orientation of the internal layers over a swath in the across-track direction. We apply a 3-D SAR tomographic ice-sounding method based on sparse signal reconstruction [1] to the data collected by Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) in 2008 in Greenland [2] using their multichannel coherent radar depth sounder (MCoRDS). The MCoRDS data have 16 effective phase centers which allows us to better understand the performance of the method. Lastly we offer sparsity improvement by including wavelet dictionaries into the reconstruction.The results show improved scene feature resolvability in across-track direction compared to MVDR beamformer. References: [1] A. Heister, R. Scheiber, "First Analysis of Sparse Signal Reconstruction for Radar Imaging of Ice Sheets". In: Proceedings of EUSAR, pp. 788-791, June 2016. [2] X. Wu, K. C. Jezek, E. Rodriguez, S. Gogineni, F. Rodriguez-Morales, and A. Freeman, "Ice sheet bed mapping with airborne SAR tomography". IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing, vol. 49, no. 10 Part 1, pp. 3791-3802, 2011.

  7. Image analysis of ocular fundus for retinopathy characterization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ushizima, Daniela; Cuadros, Jorge

    2010-02-05

    Automated analysis of ocular fundus images is a common procedure in countries as England, including both nonemergency examination and retinal screening of patients with diabetes mellitus. This involves digital image capture and transmission of the images to a digital reading center for evaluation and treatment referral. In collaboration with the Optometry Department, University of California, Berkeley, we have tested computer vision algorithms to segment vessels and lesions in ground-truth data (DRIVE database) and hundreds of images of non-macular centric and nonuniform illumination views of the eye fundus from EyePACS program. Methods under investigation involve mathematical morphology (Figure 1) for image enhancement and pattern matching. Recently, we have focused in more efficient techniques to model the ocular fundus vasculature (Figure 2), using deformable contours. Preliminary results show accurate segmentation of vessels and high level of true-positive microaneurysms.

  8. Artificial intelligence for geologic mapping with imaging spectrometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kruse, F. A.

    1993-01-01

    This project was a three year study at the Center for the Study of Earth from Space (CSES) within the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science (CIRES) at the University of Colorado, Boulder. The goal of this research was to develop an expert system to allow automated identification of geologic materials based on their spectral characteristics in imaging spectrometer data such as the Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS). This requirement was dictated by the volume of data produced by imaging spectrometers, which prohibits manual analysis. The research described is based on the development of automated techniques for analysis of imaging spectrometer data that emulate the analytical processes used by a human observer. The research tested the feasibility of such an approach, implemented an operational system, and tested the validity of the results for selected imaging spectrometer data sets.

  9. Verification of multileaf collimator leaf positions using an electronic portal imaging device

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samant, Sanjiv S.; Zheng Wei; Parra, Nestor Andres; Chandler, Jason; Gopal, Arun; Wu Jian; Jain Jinesh; Zhu Yunping; Sontag, Marc

    2002-01-01

    An automated method is presented for determining individual leaf positions of the Siemens dual focus multileaf collimator (MLC) using the Siemens BEAMVIEW(PLUS) electronic portal imaging device (EPID). Leaf positions are computed with an error of 0.6 mm at one standard deviation (σ) using separate computations of pixel dimensions, image distortion, and radiation center. The pixel dimensions are calculated by superimposing the film image of a graticule with the corresponding EPID image. A spatial correction is used to compensate for the optical distortions of the EPID, reducing the mean distortion from 3.5 pixels (uncorrected) per localized x-ray marker to 2 pixels (1 mm) for a rigid rotation and 1 pixel for a third degree polynomial warp. A correction for a nonuniform dosimetric response across the field of view of the EPID images is not necessary due to the sharp intensity gradients across leaf edges. The radiation center, calculated from the average of the geometric centers of a square field at 0 deg. and 180 deg. collimator angles, is independent of graticule placement error. Its measured location on the EPID image was stable to within 1 pixel based on 3 weeks of repeated extensions/retractions of the EPID. The MLC leaf positions determined from the EPID images agreed to within a pixel of the corresponding values measured using film and ionization chamber. Several edge detection algorithms were tested: contour, Sobel, Roberts, Prewitt, Laplace, morphological, and Canny. These agreed with each other to within ≤1.2 pixels for the in-air EPID images. Using a test pattern, individual MLC leaves were found to be typically within 1 mm of the corresponding record-and-verify values, with a maximum difference of 1.8 mm, and standard deviations of <0.3 mm in the daily reproducibility. This method presents a fast, automatic, and accurate alternative to using film or a light field for the verification and calibration of the MLC

  10. Lung Nodule Image Classification Based on Local Difference Pattern and Combined Classifier.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Keming; Deng, Zhuofu

    2016-01-01

    This paper proposes a novel lung nodule classification method for low-dose CT images. The method includes two stages. First, Local Difference Pattern (LDP) is proposed to encode the feature representation, which is extracted by comparing intensity difference along circular regions centered at the lung nodule. Then, the single-center classifier is trained based on LDP. Due to the diversity of feature distribution for different class, the training images are further clustered into multiple cores and the multicenter classifier is constructed. The two classifiers are combined to make the final decision. Experimental results on public dataset show the superior performance of LDP and the combined classifier.

  11. Lung Nodule Image Classification Based on Local Difference Pattern and Combined Classifier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keming Mao

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a novel lung nodule classification method for low-dose CT images. The method includes two stages. First, Local Difference Pattern (LDP is proposed to encode the feature representation, which is extracted by comparing intensity difference along circular regions centered at the lung nodule. Then, the single-center classifier is trained based on LDP. Due to the diversity of feature distribution for different class, the training images are further clustered into multiple cores and the multicenter classifier is constructed. The two classifiers are combined to make the final decision. Experimental results on public dataset show the superior performance of LDP and the combined classifier.

  12. Accuracy of lung nodule density on HRCT: analysis by PSF-based image simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohno, Ken; Ohkubo, Masaki; Marasinghe, Janaka C; Murao, Kohei; Matsumoto, Toru; Wada, Shinichi

    2012-11-08

    A computed tomography (CT) image simulation technique based on the point spread function (PSF) was applied to analyze the accuracy of CT-based clinical evaluations of lung nodule density. The PSF of the CT system was measured and used to perform the lung nodule image simulation. Then, the simulated image was resampled at intervals equal to the pixel size and the slice interval found in clinical high-resolution CT (HRCT) images. On those images, the nodule density was measured by placing a region of interest (ROI) commonly used for routine clinical practice, and comparing the measured value with the true value (a known density of object function used in the image simulation). It was quantitatively determined that the measured nodule density depended on the nodule diameter and the image reconstruction parameters (kernel and slice thickness). In addition, the measured density fluctuated, depending on the offset between the nodule center and the image voxel center. This fluctuation was reduced by decreasing the slice interval (i.e., with the use of overlapping reconstruction), leading to a stable density evaluation. Our proposed method of PSF-based image simulation accompanied with resampling enables a quantitative analysis of the accuracy of CT-based evaluations of lung nodule density. These results could potentially reveal clinical misreadings in diagnosis, and lead to more accurate and precise density evaluations. They would also be of value for determining the optimum scan and reconstruction parameters, such as image reconstruction kernels and slice thicknesses/intervals.

  13. Imaging-guided hyperstimulation analgesia in low back pain

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gorenberg M

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Miguel Gorenberg,1,2 Kobi Schwartz31Department of Nuclear Medicine, B'nai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, Israel; 2The Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel; 3Department of Physical Therapy, B'nai Zion Medical Center, Haifa, IsraelAbstract: Low back pain in patients with myofascial pain syndrome is characterized by painful active myofascial trigger points (ATPs in muscles. This article reviews a novel, noninvasive modality that combines simultaneous imaging and treatment, thus taking advantage of the electrodermal information available from imaged ATPs to deliver localized neurostimulation, to stimulate peripheral nerve endings (Aδ fibers and in turn, to release endogenous endorphins. "Hyperstimulation analgesia" with localized, intense, low-rate electrical pulses applied to painful ATPs was found to be effective in 95% patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain, in a clinical validation study.Keywords: myofascial, noninvasive, electrical, impedance

  14. Image of Women in Advertisements: A Preliminary Study of Avenues for Change.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler-Paisley, Matilda, Ed.; And Others

    The Center for Research on Women (CROW) at Stanford University along with the Communication Department, the Psychology Department, and the School of Education conducted a study on the image of women in advertising and suggested ways to improve women's image in the advertising media. With the objective of sponsoring some alternatives to expedite…

  15. Image processing system for flow pattern measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ushijima, Satoru; Miyanaga, Yoichi; Takeda, Hirofumi

    1989-01-01

    This paper describes the development and application of an image processing system for measurements of flow patterns occuring in natural circulation water flows. In this method, the motions of particles scattered in the flow are visualized by a laser light slit and they are recorded on normal video tapes. These image data are converted to digital data with an image processor and then transfered to a large computer. The center points and pathlines of the particle images are numerically analized, and velocity vectors are obtained with these results. In this image processing system, velocity vectors in a vertical plane are measured simultaneously, so that the two dimensional behaviors of various eddies, with low velocity and complicated flow patterns usually observed in natural circulation flows, can be determined almost quantitatively. The measured flow patterns, which were obtained from natural circulation flow experiments, agreed with photographs of the particle movements, and the validity of this measuring system was confirmed in this study. (author)

  16. Extensible Open-Source Zero-Footprint Web Viewer for Oncologic Imaging Research | Informatics Technology for Cancer Research (ITCR)

    Science.gov (United States)

    The Tumor Imaging Metrics Core (TIMC), a CCSG Shared-Resource of the Dana-Farber/Harvard Cancer Center, has developed software for managing the workflow and image measurements for oncology clinical trials. This system currently is in use across the five Harvard hospitals to manage over 600 active clinical trials, with 800 users, and has been licensed and implemented at several other Cancer Centers, including Yale, Utah/Huntsman Cancer Institute, and UW/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance.

  17. US images encoding envelope amplitude following narrow band filtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sommer, F.G.; Stern, R.A.; Chen, H.S.

    1986-01-01

    Ultrasonic waveform data from phantoms having differing scattering characteristics and from normal and cirrhotic human liver in vivo were recorded within a standardized dynamic range and filtered with narrow band filters either above or below the mean recorded ultrasonic center frequency. Images created by mapping the amplitudes of received ultrasound following such filtration permitted dramatic differentiation, not discernible in conventional US images, of phantoms having differing scattering characteristics, and of normal and cirrhotic human livers

  18. Laser-induced acoustic imaging of underground objects

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Wen; DiMarzio, Charles A.; McKnight, Stephen W.; Sauermann, Gerhard O.; Miller, Eric L.

    1999-02-01

    This paper introduces a new demining technique based on the photo-acoustic interaction, together with results from photo- acoustic experiments. We have buried different types of targets (metal, rubber and plastic) in different media (sand, soil and water) and imaged them by measuring reflection of acoustic waves generated by irradiation with a CO2 laser. Research has been focused on the signal acquisition and signal processing. A deconvolution method using Wiener filters is utilized in data processing. Using a uniform spatial distribution of laser pulses at the ground's surface, we obtained 3D images of buried objects. The images give us a clear representation of the shapes of the underground objects. The quality of the images depends on the mismatch of acoustic impedance of the buried objects, the bandwidth and center frequency of the acoustic sensors and the selection of filter functions.

  19. Research on Radar Cross Section Measurement Based on Near-field Imaging of Cylindrical Scanning

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xing Shu-guang

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available A new method of Radar Cross Section (RCS measurement based on near-field imaging of cylindrical scanning surface is proposed. The method is based on the core assumption that the target consists of ideal isotropic scattered centers. Three-dimensional radar scattered images are obtained by using the proposed method, and then to obtain the RCS of the target, the scattered far field is calculated by summing the fields generated by the equivalent scattered centers. Not only three dimensional radar reflectivity images but also the RCS of targets in certain three dimensional angle areas can be obtained. Compared with circular scanning that can only obtain twodimensional radar reflectivity images and RCS results in two-dimensional angle areas, cylindrical scanning can provide more information about the scattering properties of the targets. The method has strong practicability and its validity is verified by simulations.

  20. Management of pediatric blunt splenic injury at a rural trauma center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bird, Julio J; Patel, Nirav Y; Mathiason, Michelle A; Schroeppel, Thomas J; D'huyvetter, Cecile J; Cogbill, Thomas H

    2012-10-01

    Patterns for nonoperative management of pediatric blunt splenic injuries (BSIs) vary significantly within and between institutions. The indications for repeated imaging, duration of activity restrictions, as well as the impact of volume and type of trauma center (pediatric vs. adult) on outcomes remain unclear. A retrospective review of all patients younger than 16 years with BSI managed at a rural American College of Surgeons-verified adult Level II trauma center from January 1995 to December 2008 was completed. Patients were identified from the trauma registry by DRG International Classification of Diseases-9th Rev. (865.00-865.09) and management codes (41.5, 41.43, and 41.95). Variables reviewed included demographics, mechanism of injury, Injury Severity Score, grade of splenic injury, degree of hemoperitoneum, presence of arterial phase contrast blush on computed tomography at admission, admission and nadir hemoglobin level, blood transfused, length of stay, disposition, outpatient clinical and radiographic follow-up, interval of return to unrestricted activity, and clinical outcomes. During the 13-year study period, 38 children with BSI were identified. Thirty-seven (97%) were successfully managed nonoperatively. Median grade of splenic injury was 3 (range, 1-5); 73% had moderate-to-large hemoperitoneum. Median Injury Severity Score was 10 (range, 4-34). Three patients with isolated contrast blush on initial computed tomography were successfully managed nonoperatively with no angiographic intervention. One patient failed nonoperative management and underwent successful splenorrhaphy. All patients were discharged home. Thirty-day mortality was zero. Median follow-up duration was 5.5 years, with no late complications identified. Of the patients successfully managed nonoperatively, 92% had their follow-up at our institution; 74% underwent subsequent imaging, and none resulted in intervention or alteration of management plan. Pediatric BSI can be managed in adult

  1. INFRARED IMAGING OF CARBON AND CERAMIC COMPOSITES: DATA REPRODUCIBILITY

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knight, B.; Howard, D. R.; Ringermacher, H. I.; Hudson, L. D.

    2010-01-01

    Infrared NDE techniques have proven to be superior for imaging of flaws in ceramic matrix composites (CMC) and carbon silicon carbide composites (C/SiC). Not only can one obtain accurate depth gauging of flaws such as delaminations and layered porosity in complex-shaped components such as airfoils and other aeronautical components, but also excellent reproducibility of image data is obtainable using the STTOF (Synthetic Thermal Time-of-Flight) methodology. The imaging of large complex shapes is fast and reliable. This methodology as applied to large C/SiC flight components at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center will be described.

  2. Infrared Imaging of Carbon and Ceramic Composites: Data Reproducibility

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knight, B.; Howard, D. R.; Ringermacher, H. I.; Hudson, L. D.

    2010-02-01

    Infrared NDE techniques have proven to be superior for imaging of flaws in ceramic matrix composites (CMC) and carbon silicon carbide composites (C/SiC). Not only can one obtain accurate depth gauging of flaws such as delaminations and layered porosity in complex-shaped components such as airfoils and other aeronautical components, but also excellent reproducibility of image data is obtainable using the STTOF (Synthetic Thermal Time-of-Flight) methodology. The imaging of large complex shapes is fast and reliable. This methodology as applied to large C/SiC flight components at the NASA Dryden Flight Research Center will be described.

  3. Attribute Learning for SAR Image Classification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chu He

    2017-04-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a classification approach based on attribute learning for high spatial resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR images. To explore the representative and discriminative attributes of SAR images, first, an iterative unsupervised algorithm is designed to cluster in the low-level feature space, where the maximum edge response and the ratio of mean-to-variance are included; a cross-validation step is applied to prevent overfitting. Second, the most discriminative clustering centers are sorted out to construct an attribute dictionary. By resorting to the attribute dictionary, a representation vector describing certain categories in the SAR image can be generated, which in turn is used to perform the classifying task. The experiments conducted on TerraSAR-X images indicate that those learned attributes have strong visual semantics, which are characterized by bright and dark spots, stripes, or their combinations. The classification method based on these learned attributes achieves better results.

  4. Quality assurance procedure for assessing mechanical accuracy of a radiation field center in stereotactic radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tatsumi, Daisaku; Ienaga, Akinori; Nakada, Ryosei; Yomoda, Akane; Inoue, Makoto; Ichida, Takao; Hosono, Masako

    2012-01-01

    Stereotactic radiotherapy requires a quality assurance (QA) program that ensures the mechanical accuracy of a radiation field center. We have proposed a QA method for achieving the above requirement by conducting the Winston Lutz test using an electronic portal image device (EPID). An action limit was defined as three times the standard deviation. Then, the action limits for mean deviations of the radiation field center during collimator rotation, gantry rotation, and couch rotation in clockwise and counterclockwise resulted in 0.11 mm, 0.52 mm, 0.37 mm, and 0.41 mm respectively. Two years after the QA program was launched, the mean deviation of the radiation field center during gantry rotation exceeded the above action limit. Consequently, a mechanical adjustment for the gantry was performed, thereby restoring the accuracy of the radiation field center. A field center shift of 0.5 mm was also observed after a micro multi-leaf collimator was unmounted. (author)

  5. NO PLIF imaging in the CUBRC 48-inch shock tunnel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, N.; Bruzzese, J.; Patton, R.; Sutton, J.; Yentsch, R.; Gaitonde, D. V.; Lempert, W. R.; Miller, J. D.; Meyer, T. R.; Parker, R.; Wadham, T.; Holden, M.; Danehy, P. M.

    2012-12-01

    Nitric oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence (NO PLIF) imaging is demonstrated at a 10-kHz repetition rate in the Calspan University at Buffalo Research Center's (CUBRC) 48-inch Mach 9 hypervelocity shock tunnel using a pulse burst laser-based high frame rate imaging system. Sequences of up to ten images are obtained internal to a supersonic combustor model, located within the shock tunnel, during a single ~10-millisecond duration run of the ground test facility. Comparison with a CFD simulation shows good overall qualitative agreement in the jet penetration and spreading observed with an average of forty individual PLIF images obtained during several facility runs.

  6. NO PLIF imaging in the CUBRC 48-inch shock tunnel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, N.; Bruzzese, J.; Patton, R.; Sutton, J.; Yentsch, R.; Gaitonde, D.V.; Lempert, W.R. [The Ohio State University, Departments of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Columbus, OH (United States); Miller, J.D.; Meyer, T.R. [Iowa State University, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Ames, IA (United States); Parker, R.; Wadham, T.; Holden, M. [CUBRC, Buffalo, NY (United States); Danehy, P.M. [NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA (United States)

    2012-12-15

    Nitric oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence (NO PLIF) imaging is demonstrated at a 10-kHz repetition rate in the Calspan University at Buffalo Research Center's (CUBRC) 48-inch Mach 9 hypervelocity shock tunnel using a pulse burst laser-based high frame rate imaging system. Sequences of up to ten images are obtained internal to a supersonic combustor model, located within the shock tunnel, during a single {proportional_to}10-millisecond duration run of the ground test facility. Comparison with a CFD simulation shows good overall qualitative agreement in the jet penetration and spreading observed with an average of forty individual PLIF images obtained during several facility runs. (orig.)

  7. Magnetic resonance imaging of cold injury-induced brain edema in rats

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Houkin, Kiyohiro; Abe, Hiroshi; Hashiguchi, Yuji; Seri, Shigemi.

    1996-01-01

    The chronological changes of blood-brain barrier disruption, and diffusion and absorption of edema fluid were investigated in rats with cold-induced brain injury (vasogenic edema) using magnetic resonance imaging. Contrast medium was administered intravenously at 3 and 24 hours after lesioning as a tracer of edema fluid. Serial T 1 -weighted multiple-slice images were obtained for 180 minutes after contrast administration. Disruption of the blood-brain barrier was more prominent at 24 hours after lesioning than at 3 hours. Contrast medium leaked from the periphery of the injury and gradually diffused to the center of the lesion. Contrast medium diffused into the corpus callosum and the ventricular system (cerebrospinal fluid). Disruption of the blood-brain barrier induced by cold injury was most prominent at the periphery of the vasogenic edema. Edema fluid subsequently extended into the center of the lesion and was also absorbed by the ventricular system. Magnetic resonance imaging is a useful method to assess the efficacy of therapy for vasogenic edema. (author)

  8. Primary retroperitoneal soft tissue sarcoma: Imaging appearances, pitfalls and diagnostic algorithm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Messiou, C; Moskovic, E; Vanel, D; Morosi, C; Benchimol, R; Strauss, D; Miah, A; Douis, H; van Houdt, W; Bonvalot, S

    2017-07-01

    Although retroperitoneal sarcomas are rare tumours, they can be encountered by a wide variety of clinicians as they can be incidental findings on imaging or present with non specific symptoms and signs. Surgical resection can offer hope of cure and patient outcomes are improved when patients are managed in high-volume specialist centers. Failure to recognize retroperitoneal sarcomas on imaging can lead to inappropriate management in inexperienced centers. Therefore it is critical that a diagnosis of retroperitoneal sarcoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a retroperitoneal mass with prompt referral to a soft tissue sarcoma unit. In particular, the most common retroperitoneal sarcoma subtypes, liposarcoma and leiomyosarcoma, have characteristic imaging appearances which are discussed. This review therefore aims to set the context and guide clinicians through a diagnostic pathway for retroperitoneal masses in adults which arise extrinsic to the solid abdominal viscera. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  9. Leveraging Metadata to Create Interactive Images... Today!

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hurt, Robert L.; Squires, G. K.; Llamas, J.; Rosenthal, C.; Brinkworth, C.; Fay, J.

    2011-01-01

    The image gallery for NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has been newly rebuilt to fully support the Astronomy Visualization Metadata (AVM) standard to create a new user experience both on the website and in other applications. We encapsulate all the key descriptive information for a public image, including color representations and astronomical and sky coordinates and make it accessible in a user-friendly form on the website, but also embed the same metadata within the image files themselves. Thus, images downloaded from the site will carry with them all their descriptive information. Real-world benefits include display of general metadata when such images are imported into image editing software (e.g. Photoshop) or image catalog software (e.g. iPhoto). More advanced support in Microsoft's WorldWide Telescope can open a tagged image after it has been downloaded and display it in its correct sky position, allowing comparison with observations from other observatories. An increasing number of software developers are implementing AVM support in applications and an online image archive for tagged images is under development at the Spitzer Science Center. Tagging images following the AVM offers ever-increasing benefits to public-friendly imagery in all its standard forms (JPEG, TIFF, PNG). The AVM standard is one part of the Virtual Astronomy Multimedia Project (VAMP); http://www.communicatingastronomy.org

  10. Association fibers connecting the Broca center and the lateral superior frontal gyrus: a microsurgical and tractographic anatomy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kinoshita, Masashi; Shinohara, Harumichi; Hori, Osamu; Ozaki, Noriyuki; Ueda, Fumiaki; Nakada, Mitsutoshi; Hamada, Jun-Ichiro; Hayashi, Yutaka

    2012-02-01

    Recently, intraoperative mapping has disclosed that, in addition to the classic language centers (that is, the Broca and Wernicke centers), other cortical regions may also play an important role in language organization. In the prefrontal cortex, although the lateral superior frontal gyrus (LSFG) could have language-related functions, there are no detailed reports that demonstrate the anatomical connection between the LSFG and other well-known language cortices, such as the Broca center. To show the existence of the structural connection, white matter association fibers between the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the LSFG were examined using fiber dissection (FD) and diffusion tensor (DT) imaging-based tractography. Eight cadaveric cerebral hemispheres were dissected to reveal the association fibers between the IFG and LSFG. The DT imaging-based tractography studies targeting the prefrontal cortex were obtained in 53 right-handed patients who had no organic cerebral lesions. The association fiber tract between Brodmann area 44/45 (the Broca center in the dominant hemisphere) and LSFG were detected in all specimens by FD. In the DT imaging-based tractography studies, the tract was identified in all patients bilaterally, except for the 4 in whom the tract was detected only in the left hemisphere. This tract was spread significantly wider in the left than in the right hemisphere, and left lateralization was evident in male patients. Based on its character, this tract was named the Broca-LSFG pathway. These findings suggest a close relationship between this pathway and language organization. The structural anatomy of the Broca-LSFG pathway may explain speech disturbances induced by LSFG stimulation that are sometimes observed during intraoperative language mapping.

  11. The Precarious Question of Black Cultural Centers Versus Multicultural Centers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Princes, Carolyn D. W.

    This paper discusses the role of black cultural centers on university campuses, focusing on whether black cultural centers or multicultural centers best meet the needs of an increasingly diverse student body and society. It examines the historical role of black cultural centers as vehicles to promote educational opportunity, student retention, and…

  12. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    DAVENPORT, J.

    2006-01-01

    Computational Science is an integral component of Brookhaven's multi science mission, and is a reflection of the increased role of computation across all of science. Brookhaven currently has major efforts in data storage and analysis for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the ATLAS detector at CERN, and in quantum chromodynamics. The Laboratory is host for the QCDOC machines (quantum chromodynamics on a chip), 10 teraflop/s computers which boast 12,288 processors each. There are two here, one for the Riken/BNL Research Center and the other supported by DOE for the US Lattice Gauge Community and other scientific users. A 100 teraflop/s supercomputer will be installed at Brookhaven in the coming year, managed jointly by Brookhaven and Stony Brook, and funded by a grant from New York State. This machine will be used for computational science across Brookhaven's entire research program, and also by researchers at Stony Brook and across New York State. With Stony Brook, Brookhaven has formed the New York Center for Computational Science (NYCCS) as a focal point for interdisciplinary computational science, which is closely linked to Brookhaven's Computational Science Center (CSC). The CSC has established a strong program in computational science, with an emphasis on nanoscale electronic structure and molecular dynamics, accelerator design, computational fluid dynamics, medical imaging, parallel computing and numerical algorithms. We have been an active participant in DOES SciDAC program (Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing). We are also planning a major expansion in computational biology in keeping with Laboratory initiatives. Additional laboratory initiatives with a dependence on a high level of computation include the development of hydrodynamics models for the interpretation of RHIC data, computational models for the atmospheric transport of aerosols, and models for combustion and for energy utilization. The CSC was formed to bring together

  13. A 2D eye gaze estimation system with low-resolution webcam images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kim Jin

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In this article, a low-cost system for 2D eye gaze estimation with low-resolution webcam images is presented. Two algorithms are proposed for this purpose, one for the eye-ball detection with stable approximate pupil-center and the other one for the eye movements' direction detection. Eyeball is detected using deformable angular integral search by minimum intensity (DAISMI algorithm. Deformable template-based 2D gaze estimation (DTBGE algorithm is employed as a noise filter for deciding the stable movement decisions. While DTBGE employs binary images, DAISMI employs gray-scale images. Right and left eye estimates are evaluated separately. DAISMI finds the stable approximate pupil-center location by calculating the mass-center of eyeball border vertices to be employed for initial deformable template alignment. DTBGE starts running with initial alignment and updates the template alignment with resulting eye movements and eyeball size frame by frame. The horizontal and vertical deviation of eye movements through eyeball size is considered as if it is directly proportional with the deviation of cursor movements in a certain screen size and resolution. The core advantage of the system is that it does not employ the real pupil-center as a reference point for gaze estimation which is more reliable against corneal reflection. Visual angle accuracy is used for the evaluation and benchmarking of the system. Effectiveness of the proposed system is presented and experimental results are shown.

  14. Classification of Global Urban Centers Using ASTER Data: Preliminary Results From the Urban Environmental Monitoring Program

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stefanov, W. L.; Stefanov, W. L.; Christensen, P. R.

    2001-05-01

    Land cover and land use changes associated with urbanization are important drivers of global ecologic and climatic change. Quantification and monitoring of these changes are part of the primary mission of the ASTER instrument, and comprise the fundamental research objective of the Urban Environmental Monitoring (UEM) Program. The UEM program will acquire day/night, visible through thermal infrared ASTER data twice per year for 100 global urban centers over the duration of the mission (6 years). Data are currently available for a number of these urban centers and allow for initial comparison of global city structure using spatial variance texture analysis of the 15 m/pixel visible to near infrared ASTER bands. Variance texture analysis highlights changes in pixel edge density as recorded by sharp transitions from bright to dark pixels. In human-dominated landscapes these brightness variations correlate well with urbanized vs. natural land cover and are useful for characterizing the geographic extent and internal structure of cities. Variance texture analysis was performed on twelve urban centers (Albuquerque, Baghdad, Baltimore, Chongqing, Istanbul, Johannesburg, Lisbon, Madrid, Phoenix, Puebla, Riyadh, Vancouver) for which cloud-free daytime ASTER data are available. Image transects through each urban center produce texture profiles that correspond to urban density. These profiles can be used to classify cities into centralized (ex. Baltimore), decentralized (ex. Phoenix), or intermediate (ex. Madrid) structural types. Image texture is one of the primary data inputs (with vegetation indices and visible to thermal infrared image spectra) to a knowledge-based land cover classifier currently under development for application to ASTER UEM data as it is acquired. Collaboration with local investigators is sought to both verify the accuracy of the knowledge-based system and to develop more sophisticated classification models.

  15. Java advanced medical image toolkit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saunder, T.H.C.; O'Keefe, G.J.; Scott, A.M.

    2002-01-01

    Full text: The Java Advanced Medical Image Toolkit (jAMIT) has been developed at the Center for PET and Department of Nuclear Medicine in an effort to provide a suite of tools that can be utilised in applications required to perform analysis, processing and visualisation of medical images. jAMIT uses Java Advanced Imaging (JAI) to combine the platform independent nature of Java with the speed benefits associated with native code. The object-orientated nature of Java allows the production of an extensible and robust package which is easily maintained. In addition to jAMIT, a Medical Image VO API called Sushi has been developed to provide access to many commonly used image formats. These include DICOM, Analyze, MINC/NetCDF, Trionix, Beat 6.4, Interfile 3.2/3.3 and Odyssey. This allows jAMIT to access data and study information contained in different medical image formats transparently. Additional formats can be added at any time without any modification to the jAMIT package. Tools available in jAMIT include 2D ROI Analysis, Palette Thresholding, Image Groping, Image Transposition, Scaling, Maximum Intensity Projection, Image Fusion, Image Annotation and Format Conversion. Future tools may include 2D Linear and Non-linear Registration, PET SUV Calculation, 3D Rendering and 3D ROI Analysis. Applications currently using JAMIT include Antibody Dosimetry Analysis, Mean Hemispheric Blood Flow Analysis, QuickViewing of PET Studies for Clinical Training, Pharamcodynamic Modelling based on Planar Imaging, and Medical Image Format Conversion. The use of jAMIT and Sushi for scripting and analysis in Matlab v6.1 and Jython is currently being explored. Copyright (2002) The Australian and New Zealand Society of Nuclear Medicine Inc

  16. Collaborative Image Coding and Transmission over Wireless Sensor Networks

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Min Wu

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available The imaging sensors are able to provide intuitive visual information for quick recognition and decision. However, imaging sensors usually generate vast amount of data. Therefore, processing and coding of image data collected in a sensor network for the purpose of energy efficient transmission poses a significant technical challenge. In particular, multiple sensors may be collecting similar visual information simultaneously. We propose in this paper a novel collaborative image coding and transmission scheme to minimize the energy for data transmission. First, we apply a shape matching method to coarsely register images to find out maximal overlap to exploit the spatial correlation between images acquired from neighboring sensors. For a given image sequence, we transmit background image only once. A lightweight and efficient background subtraction method is employed to detect targets. Only the regions of target and their spatial locations are transmitted to the monitoring center. The whole image can then be reconstructed by fusing the background and the target images as well as their spatial locations. Experimental results show that the energy for image transmission can indeed be greatly reduced with collaborative image coding and transmission.

  17. Safety in paediatric imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carter, D.; Filice, I.; Murray, D.; Thomas, K.

    2006-01-01

    Those of us working in a dedicated paediatric environment are aware of the important safety issues with regard to paediatrics. Our goal when working with paediatric patients, the goal is to obtain the best quality images while keeping patients safe and their distress to a minimum. This article will discuss some of the issues regarding paediatric safety in a diagnostic imaging department, including radiation doses and the risk to paediatric patients, reducing medication errors, safe sedation practice and environmental safety. Also discussed are some conditions requiring special consideration to maintain patient safety such as epiglottitis and suspected child abuse. Promotion of a patient/family-centered care system will create an environment of trust where parents or guardians will know that their children are being well cared for in a safe, effective environment. (author)

  18. A Study of Flood Evacuation Center Using GIS and Remote Sensing Technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mustaffa, A. A.; Rosli, M. F.; Abustan, M. S.; Adib, R.; Rosli, M. I.; Masiri, K.; Saifullizan, B.

    2016-07-01

    This research demonstrated the use of Remote Sensing technique and GIS to determine the suitability of an evacuation center. This study was conducted in Batu Pahat areas that always hit by a series of flood. The data of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) was obtained by ASTER database that has been used to delineate extract contour line and elevation. Landsat 8 image was used for classification purposes such as land use map. Remote Sensing incorporate with GIS techniques was used to determined the suitability location of the evacuation center from contour map of flood affected areas in Batu Pahat. GIS will calculate the elevation of the area and information about the country of the area, the road access and percentage of the affected area. The flood affected area map may provide the suitability of the flood evacuation center during the several levels of flood. The suitability of evacuation centers can be determined based on several criteria and the existing data of the evacuation center will be analysed. From the analysis among 16 evacuation center listed, there are only 8 evacuation center suitable for the usage during emergency situation. The suitability analysis was based on the location and the road access of the evacuation center toward the flood affected area. There are 10 new locations with suitable criteria of evacuation center proposed on the study area to facilitate the process of rescue and evacuating flood victims to much safer and suitable locations. The results of this study will help in decision making processes and indirectly will help organization such as fire-fighter and the Department of Social Welfare in their work. Thus, this study can contribute more towards the society.

  19. TU-A-201-01: Introduction to In-Room Imaging System Characteristics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chang, J. [Northwell Health (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Recent years have seen a widespread proliferation of available in-room image guidance systems for radiation therapy target localization with many centers having multiple in-room options. In this session, available imaging systems for in-room IGRT will be reviewed highlighting the main differences in workflow efficiency, targeting accuracy and image quality as it relates to target visualization. Decision-making strategies for integrating these tools into clinical image guidance protocols that are tailored to specific disease sites like H&N, lung, pelvis, and spine SBRT will be discussed. Learning Objectives: Major system characteristics of a wide range of available in-room imaging systems for IGRT. Advantages / disadvantages of different systems for site-specific IGRT considerations. Concepts of targeting accuracy and time efficiency in designing clinical imaging protocols.

  20. Fixation method does not affect restoration of rotation center in hip replacements: A single-site retrospective study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wegner Alexander

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Aseptic loosening is one of the greatest problems in hip replacement surgery. The rotation center of the hip is believed to influence the longevity of fixation. The aim of this study was to compare the influence of cemented and cementless cup fixation techniques on the position of the center of rotation because cemented cup fixation requires the removal of more bone for solid fixation than the cementless technique. Methods We retrospectively compared pre- and post-operative positions of the hip rotation center in 25 and 68 patients who underwent artificial hip replacements in our department in 2007 using cemented or cementless cup fixation, respectively, with digital radiographic image analysis. Results The mean horizontal and vertical distances between the rotation center and the acetabular teardrop were compared in radiographic images taken pre- and post-operatively. The mean horizontal difference was −2.63 mm (range: -11.00 mm to 10.46 mm, standard deviation 4.23 mm for patients who underwent cementless fixation, and −2.84 mm (range: -10.87 to 5.30 mm, standard deviation 4.59 mm for patients who underwent cemented fixation. The mean vertical difference was 0.60 mm (range: -20.15 mm to 10.00 mm, standard deviation 3.93 mm and 0.41 mm (range: -9.26 mm to 6.54 mm, standard deviation 3.58 mm for the cementless and cemented fixation groups, respectively. The two fixation techniques had no significant difference on the position of the hip rotation center in the 93 patients in this study. Conclusions The hip rotation center was similarly restored using either the cemented or cementless fixation techniques in this patient cohort, indicating that the fixation technique itself does not interfere with the position of the center of rotation. To completely answer this question further studies with more patients are needed.

  1. Vector Directional Distance Rational Hybrid Filters for Color Image Restoration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L. Khriji

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available A new class of nonlinear filters, called vector-directional distance rational hybrid filters (VDDRHF for multispectral image processing, is introduced and applied to color image-filtering problems. These filters are based on rational functions (RF. The VDDRHF filter is a two-stage filter, which exploits the features of the vector directional distance filter (VDDF, the center weighted vector directional distance filter (CWVDDF and those of the rational operator. The filter output is a result of vector rational function (VRF operating on the output of three sub-functions. Two vector directional distance (VDDF filters and one center weighted vector directional distance filter (CWVDDF are proposed to be used in the first stage due to their desirable properties, such as, noise attenuation, chromaticity retention, and edges and details preservation. Experimental results show that the new VDDRHF outperforms a number of widely known nonlinear filters for multi-spectral image processing such as the vector median filter (VMF, the generalized vector directional filters (GVDF and distance directional filters (DDF with respect to all criteria used.

  2. The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence: magnetic hyperthermia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baker, Ian; Fiering, Steve N; Griswold, Karl E; Hoopes, P Jack; Kekalo, Katerina; Ndong, Christian; Paulsen, Keith; Petryk, Alicea A; Pogue, Brian; Shubitidze, Fridon; Weaver, John

    2015-01-01

    The Dartmouth Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence - one of nine funded by the National Cancer Institute as part of the Alliance for Nanotechnology in Cancer - focuses on the use of magnetic nanoparticles for cancer diagnostics and hyperthermia therapy. It brings together a diverse team of engineers and biomedical researchers with expertise in nanomaterials, molecular targeting, advanced biomedical imaging and translational in vivo studies. The goal of successfully treating cancer is being approached by developing nanoparticles, conjugating them with Fabs, hyperthermia treatment, immunotherapy and sensing treatment response.

  3. Honeywell's Compact, Wide-angle Uv-visible Imaging Sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pledger, D.; Billing-Ross, J.

    1993-01-01

    Honeywell is currently developing the Earth Reference Attitude Determination System (ERADS). ERADS determines attitude by imaging the entire Earth's limb and a ring of the adjacent star field in the 2800-3000 A band of the ultraviolet. This is achieved through the use of a highly nonconventional optical system, an intensifier tube, and a mega-element CCD array. The optics image a 30 degree region in the center of the field, and an outer region typically from 128 to 148 degrees, which can be adjusted up to 180 degrees. Because of the design employed, the illumination at the outer edge of the field is only some 15 percent below that at the center, in contrast to the drastic rolloffs encountered in conventional wide-angle sensors. The outer diameter of the sensor is only 3 in; the volume and weight of the entire system, including processor, are 1000 cc and 6 kg, respectively.

  4. Non-Cooperative Target Imaging and Parameter Estimation with Narrowband Radar Echoes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chun-mao Yeh

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available This study focuses on the rotating target imaging and parameter estimation with narrowband radar echoes, which is essential for radar target recognition. First, a two-dimensional (2D imaging model with narrowband echoes is established in this paper, and two images of the target are formed on the velocity-acceleration plane at two neighboring coherent processing intervals (CPIs. Then, the rotating velocity (RV is proposed to be estimated by utilizing the relationship between the positions of the scattering centers among two images. Finally, the target image is rescaled to the range-cross-range plane with the estimated rotational parameter. The validity of the proposed approach is confirmed using numerical simulations.

  5. Research on geometric rectification of the Large FOV Linear Array Whiskbroom Image

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Dia; Liu, Hui-tong; Dong, Hao; Liu, Xiao-bo

    2015-08-01

    To solve the geometric distortion problem of large FOV linear array whiskbroom image, a model of multi center central projection collinearity equation was founded considering its whiskbroom and linear CCD imaging feature, and the principle of distortion was analyzed. Based on the rectification method with POS, we introduced the angular position sensor data of the servo system, and restored the geometric imaging process exactly. An indirect rectification scheme aiming at linear array imaging with best scanline searching method was adopted, matrixes for calculating the exterior orientation elements was redesigned. We improved two iterative algorithms for this device, and did comparison and analysis. The rectification for the images of airborne imaging experiment showed ideal effect.

  6. Contributions on biomedical imaging, with a side-look at molecular imaging; Beitraege zur biomedizinischen Bildgebung mit einem Seitenblick auf Molecular Imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winkler, G. (ed.)

    2004-05-01

    This report is intended as a brief introduction to the emerging scientific field of biomedical imaging. The breadth of the subject is shown and future fields of research are indicated, which hopefully will serve as a guide to the identification of starting points for the research in 'Biomedical and/or Molecular Imaging' at the GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health. The report starts with a brief sketch of the history. Then a - necessarily incomplete - list of research topics is presented. It is organized in two parts: the first one addresses medical imaging, and the second one is concerned with biological point aspects of the matter. (orig.) [German] In diesem Bericht sind einige Beitraege zum Gebiet 'Bildgebende Verfahren in Biologie und Medizin' zusammengestellt. Sie stammen saemtlich aus dem Institut fuer Biomathematik und Biometrie, IBB, am Forschungszentrum fuer Umwelt und Gesundheit, GSF, in Muenchen/Neuherberg, und seinem engeren Umfeld. Ziel war es, zu sichten, was in und um diesen Themenkreis herum an Wissen und sonstiger Kompetenz hier vorhanden ist. Einige am IBB etablierte Gebiete wie Roentgen-Mammographie oder funktionelle Magnetresonanztherapie wurden ausgeblendet. Der Grund ist die Fokussierung auf ein nicht exakt definierbares, neues Gebiet der Bildgebung, das unter dem Namen 'Molecular Imaging' kursiert und derzeit Furore macht macht. (orig.)

  7. Contributions on biomedical imaging, with a side-look at molecular imaging; Beitraege zur biomedizinischen Bildgebung mit einem Seitenblick auf Molecular Imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Winkler, G [ed.

    2004-05-01

    This report is intended as a brief introduction to the emerging scientific field of biomedical imaging. The breadth of the subject is shown and future fields of research are indicated, which hopefully will serve as a guide to the identification of starting points for the research in 'Biomedical and/or Molecular Imaging' at the GSF-National Research Center for Environment and Health. The report starts with a brief sketch of the history. Then a - necessarily incomplete - list of research topics is presented. It is organized in two parts: the first one addresses medical imaging, and the second one is concerned with biological point aspects of the matter. (orig.) [German] In diesem Bericht sind einige Beitraege zum Gebiet 'Bildgebende Verfahren in Biologie und Medizin' zusammengestellt. Sie stammen saemtlich aus dem Institut fuer Biomathematik und Biometrie, IBB, am Forschungszentrum fuer Umwelt und Gesundheit, GSF, in Muenchen/Neuherberg, und seinem engeren Umfeld. Ziel war es, zu sichten, was in und um diesen Themenkreis herum an Wissen und sonstiger Kompetenz hier vorhanden ist. Einige am IBB etablierte Gebiete wie Roentgen-Mammographie oder funktionelle Magnetresonanztherapie wurden ausgeblendet. Der Grund ist die Fokussierung auf ein nicht exakt definierbares, neues Gebiet der Bildgebung, das unter dem Namen 'Molecular Imaging' kursiert und derzeit Furore macht macht. (orig.)

  8. A prototype tap test imaging system: Initial field test results

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peters, J. J.; Barnard, D. J.; Hudelson, N. A.; Simpson, T. S.; Hsu, D. K.

    2000-05-01

    This paper describes a simple, field-worthy tap test imaging system that gives quantitative information about the size, shape, and severity of defects and damages. The system consists of an accelerometer, electronic circuits for conditioning the signal and measuring the impact duration, a laptop PC and data acquisition and processing software. The images are generated manually by tapping on a grid printed on a plastic sheet laid over the part's surface. A mechanized scanner is currently under development. The prototype has produced images for a variety of aircraft composite and metal honeycomb structures containing flaws, damages, and repairs. Images of the local contact stiffness, deduced from the impact duration using a spring model, revealed quantitatively the stiffness reduction due to flaws and damages, as well as the stiffness enhancement due to substructures. The system has been field tested on commercial and military aircraft as well as rotor blades and engine decks on helicopters. Field test results will be shown and the operation of the system will be demonstrated.—This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Aviation Administration under Contract #DTFA03-98-D-00008, Delivery Order No. IA016 and performed at Iowa State University's Center for NDE as part of the Center for Aviation Systems Reliability program.

  9. Diagnostic imaging in ophthalmology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez, C.F.; Becker, M.H.; Flanagan, J.C.

    1986-01-01

    There are three sections in the book. The first section is a discussion of imaging techniques, which includes plain film radiography and multidirectional tomography of the orbit, computed tomography (CT) of the orbit and its use in the evaluation of ocular motility disorders, ultrasonography of the eye and orbit, investigation of the orbit by contrast techniques (which includes a brief review of angiography), the lachrimal drainage system, foreign body localization, and magnetic resonance imaging of the eye and orbit. There is extensive discussion of CT throughout the book. The second section is devoted to the role of these imaging methods in the evaluation of ophthalmic disorders. A discussion of congenital anomalies is useful for those centers that are exposed to unusual congenital anomalies and syndromes. Also included is evaluation of exophthalmous and thyroid ophthamalopathy, orbital tumors, lesions involving the visual pathways, CT assessment of paraorbital pathology (including basal and squamous cell tumors of the face), infection of the orbit, and orbital trauma. The third section is an overview of radiation therapy and malignant intraoccular tumors

  10. Diagnosis of scaphoid fracture: optimal imaging techniques

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Geijer M

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available Mats Geijer Center for Medical Imaging and Physiology, Skåne University Hospital and Lund University, Lund, Sweden Abstract: This review aims to provide an overview of modern imaging techniques for evaluation of scaphoid fracture, with emphasis on occult fractures and an outlook on the possible evolution of imaging; it also gives an overview of the pathologic and anatomic basis for selection of techniques. Displaced scaphoid fractures detected by wrist radiography, with or without special scaphoid views, pose no diagnostic problems. After wrist trauma with clinically suspected scaphoid fracture and normal scaphoid radiography, most patients will have no clinically important fracture. Between 5% and 19% of patients (on average 16% in meta-analyses will, however, have an occult scaphoid fracture which, untreated, may lead to later, potentially devastating, complications. Follow-up imaging may be done with repeat radiography, tomosynthesis, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, or bone scintigraphy. However, no method is perfect, and choice of imaging may be based on availability, cost, perceived accuracy, or personal preference. Generally, MRI and bone scintigraphy are regarded as the most sensitive modalities, but both are flawed by false positive results at various rates. Keywords: occult fracture, wrist, radiography, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, radionuclide imaging

  11. Investigating Frequency of Reasons for Referring to CBCT in a Private Imaging Center in Yazd from 2010 to 2012

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    B Rafii

    2013-08-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: A CBCT system (Cone Beam Computed Tomography is a new method in the application of radiography in dental science that provides three-dimensional data of the hard and soft tissue, without magnification or distotion. Information obtained via this diagnostic imaging can be utilized in treatment planning. Methods: In this retrospective descriptive study, the CBCT prescription of all dentists (DDS & Expert were investigated in a private Center of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology (426 patients in Yazd from Oct 2010 to Dec 2012 (26 months and the following information was extracted: age, sex, years of prescription, reason of prescription, academic level of prescriber. Moreover, data was analyzed utilizing SPSS Version 16. Results: The study results revealed that 64.8% of patients aged between 30 to 60 years. Prevalence of male and female patients was approximately equal. Most CBCT prescriptions were by general dentists (44% and then it belonged to Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (32.2%. CBCT was requested most for implant (88%. Number of CBCT requests in 2010 was 18.5%; in 2011 was 29.3% and in 2012 was 52.1%. Conclusion: Patients referred for evaluation before implant involve one of the main reasons for the CBCT request. However, it seems that the using CBCT was not limited to implant and will be developed in oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, root canals therapy and other dental treatments.

  12. Transmission mode acoustic time-reversal imaging for nondestructive evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehman, Sean K.; Devaney, Anthony J.

    2002-11-01

    In previous ASA meetings and JASA papers, the extended and formalized theory of transmission mode time reversal in which the transceivers are noncoincident was presented. When combined with the subspace concepts of a generalized MUltiple SIgnal Classification (MUSIC) algorithm, this theory is used to form super-resolution images of scatterers buried in a medium. These techniques are now applied to ultrasonic nondestructive evaluation (NDE) of parts, and shallow subsurface seismic imaging. Results are presented of NDE experiments on metal and epoxy blocks using data collected from an adaptive ultrasonic array, that is, a ''time-reversal machine,'' at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Also presented are the results of seismo-acoustic subsurface probing of buried hazardous waste pits at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. [Work performed under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy by University of California Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract No. W-7405-Eng-48.] [Work supported in part by CenSSIS, the Center for Subsurface Sensing and Imaging Systems, under the Engineering Research Centers Program of the NSF (award number EEC-9986821) as well as from Air Force Contracts No. F41624-99-D6002 and No. F49620-99-C0013.

  13. Real-Time Implementation of Medical Ultrasound Strain Imaging System

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Mok Kun; Kwon, Sung Jae; Bae, Moo Ho

    2008-01-01

    Strain imaging in a medical ultrasound imaging system can differentiate the cancer or tumor in a lesion that is stiffer than the surrounding tissue. In this paper, a strain imaging technique using quasistatic compression is implemented that estimates the displacement between pre- and postcompression ultrasound echoes and obtains strain by differentiating it in the spatial direction. Displacements are computed from the phase difference of complex baseband signals obtained using their autocorrelation, and errors associated with converting the phase difference into time or distance are compensated for by taking into the center frequency variation. Also, to reduce the effect of operator's hand motion, the displacements of all scanlines are normalized with the result that satisfactory strain image quality has been obtained. These techniques have been incorporated into implementing a medical ultrasound strain imaging system that operates in real time.

  14. PET/CT and MR imaging in myeloma

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mulligan, Michael E. [University of Maryland Medical Center, Department of Radiology, Baltimore, MD (United States); Badros, Ashraf Z. [University of Maryland, Department of Medicine, Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, Baltimore, MD (United States)

    2007-01-15

    Myeloma is the most common primary bone malignancy. It accounts for 10% of all hematological malignancies and 1% of all cancers. In the United States, there are an estimated 16,000 new cases and over 11,000 deaths yearly due to myeloma. Plasma cell dyscrasias manifest themselves in a variety of forms that range from MGUS (monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance) and smoldering myeloma that require no therapy, to the ''malignant'' form of multiple myeloma. The role of imaging in the management of myeloma includes: an assessment of the extent of intramedullary bone disease, detection of any extramedullary foci, and severity of the disease at presentation; the identification and characterization of complications; subsequent assessment of disease status. This review will focus on the use of PET/CT and MR imaging for myeloma patients at the time of initial diagnosis and for follow-up management, based on current reports in the literature and our practice at the Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore, USA. (orig.)

  15. Are chargemaster rates for imaging studies lower in States that cap noneconomic damages (tort reform)?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stein, Seth I; Barry, Jeffrey R; Jha, Saurabh

    2014-08-01

    To determine whether chargemaster (a list of prices for common services and procedures set by individual hospitals) rates for diagnostic imaging were lower in states that cap awards for noneconomic damages (NED) than states with unlimited awards for medical negligence. We analyzed 2011 chargemaster data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, pertaining to 6 ambulatory patient classifications specific to imaging. The dataset includes outpatient imaging facilities and hospitals in 49 states and the District of Columbia. The association between caps on NED and chargemaster rates for imaging in a sample of 15,218 data points was analyzed using linear regression and two-sample t tests assuming unequal variances. In states that cap NED, the chargemaster rates were higher for the following modalities: Level II Echocardiogram without Contrast (mean charges: $2,015.60 versus $1,884.81, P = .0018); Level II Cardiac Imaging ($4,670.25 versus $4,398.58, P = .002); MRI & Magnetic Resonance Angiography without Contrast ($2,654.31 versus $2,526.74, P = .002); and Level III Diagnostic and Screening Ultrasound ($1,073.31 versus $1,027.32, P = .037). High charge-to-payment ratios were associated with states with the highest charges. There was a positive correlation between number of outpatient centers in the state and the average chargemaster rates for the state (mean chargemaster rate = 1727 + 0.79*Number of Outpatient Centers; R-squared = 0.23, P = .0004). Chargemaster rates for select imaging services are not lower in states that have capped NED. Copyright © 2014 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Digitalization influence on shopping centers strategic management

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ioniţă Irene Mihaela

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Shopping centers are an important aspect of the extremely dynamic life of the 21st century consumer. Nowadays, worldwide, shopping centers represent significant multimillion euro investments, remarking themselves with bold architectures and structures and an individual brand image. Retail markets are currently under transformation by a confluence of new retailing technologies, dramatic shifts in the demographic profile and preferences of more affluent and educated shoppers. Part of the market share in modern retail moved to new forms of selling, which weakened the offer of some traditional retailers, while also creating opportunities for retailers to move and integrate their offerings with new digital tools (via electronic commerce, social commerce and mobile commerce. Meeting customer needs and increasing sales are the primary drivers behind retailers use of information systems and technology (IS/IT. New developments in IS/IT offer new opportunities and challenges for organizations and society. The current paper proposes to analyze the way digital media and information technology (computers and mobile devices influences the virtual and physical shopping experiences, and shopping centers management consequently. The need for communication & sales channels integration, the impact of new information technologies (IT’s, the growing role of social / digital media, the balance between personalization and privacy – all represent challenges retail industry needs to currently adapt to face digitalization. E-commerce is transforming both consumer behavior and retailing business models, by greatly expanding shopping convenience, selection and affordability.

  17. Today's Realities for Tomorrow's Image Makers: How Practitioners Can Prepare Students for Communication Careers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ceperley, Andrew T.

    1999-01-01

    Communication internships and jobs abound in a world that responds to images. Students who can design, articulate, and create may be the image-makers of tomorrow. Article discusses how career centers can assist students. Describes National Communication Career Services Network founded at the University of Texas-Austin's Communication Career…

  18. Material Science Image Analysis using Quant-CT in ImageJ

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ushizima, Daniela M.; Bianchi, Andrea G. C.; DeBianchi, Christina; Bethel, E. Wes

    2015-01-05

    We introduce a computational analysis workflow to access properties of solid objects using nondestructive imaging techniques that rely on X-ray imaging. The goal is to process and quantify structures from material science sample cross sections. The algorithms can differentiate the porous media (high density material) from the void (background, low density media) using a Boolean classifier, so that we can extract features, such as volume, surface area, granularity spectrum, porosity, among others. Our workflow, Quant-CT, leverages several algorithms from ImageJ, such as statistical region merging and 3D object counter. It also includes schemes for bilateral filtering that use a 3D kernel, for parallel processing of sub-stacks, and for handling over-segmentation using histogram similarities. The Quant-CT supports fast user interaction, providing the ability for the user to train the algorithm via subsamples to feed its core algorithms with automated parameterization. Quant-CT plugin is currently available for testing by personnel at the Advanced Light Source and Earth Sciences Divisions and Energy Frontier Research Center (EFRC), LBNL, as part of their research on porous materials. The goal is to understand the processes in fluid-rock systems for the geologic sequestration of CO2, and to develop technology for the safe storage of CO2 in deep subsurface rock formations. We describe our implementation, and demonstrate our plugin on porous material images. This paper targets end-users, with relevant information for developers to extend its current capabilities.

  19. Imaging of Ground Ice with Surface-Based Geophysics

    Science.gov (United States)

    2015-10-01

    terrains. Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), in particular, has been effective for imaging ground ice. ERT measures the ability of materials to...13 2.2.1 Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT...Engineer Research and Development Center ERT Electrical Resistivity Tomography GPS Global Positioning System LiDAR Light Detection and Ranging SIPRE

  20. High precision target center determination from a point cloud

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    K. Kregar

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available Many applications of terrestrial laser scanners (TLS require the determination of a specific point from a point cloud. In this paper procedure of high precision planar target center acquisition from point cloud is presented. The process is based on an image matching algorithm but before we can deal with raster image to fit a target on it, we need to properly determine the best fitting plane and project points on it. The main emphasis of this paper is in the precision estimation and propagation through the whole procedure which allows us to obtain precision assessment of final results (target center coordinates. Theoretic precision estimations – obtained through the procedure were rather high so we compared them with the empiric precision estimations obtained as standard deviations of results of 60 independently scanned targets. An χ2-test confirmed that theoretic precisions are overestimated. The problem most probably lies in the overestimated precisions of the plane parameters due to vast redundancy of points. However, empirical precisions also confirmed that the proposed procedure can ensure a submillimeter precision level. The algorithm can automatically detect grossly erroneous results to some extent. It can operate when the incidence angles of a laser beam are as high as 80°, which is desirable property if one is going to use planar targets as tie points in scan registration. The proposed algorithm will also contribute to improve TLS calibration procedures.

  1. Image rejects in general direct digital radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hofmann, Bjørn; Rosanowsky, Tine Blomberg; Jensen, Camilla; Wah, Kenneth Hong Ching

    2015-01-01

    The number of rejected images is an indicator of image quality and unnecessary imaging at a radiology department. Image reject analysis was frequent in the film era, but comparably few and small studies have been published after converting to digital radiography. One reason may be a belief that rejects have been eliminated with digitalization. To measure the extension of deleted images in direct digital radiography (DR), in order to assess the rates of rejects and unnecessary imaging and to analyze reasons for deletions, in order to improve the radiological services. All exposed images at two direct digital laboratories at a hospital in Norway were reviewed in January 2014. Type of examination, number of exposed images, and number of deleted images were registered. Each deleted image was analyzed separately and the reason for deleting the image was recorded. Out of 5417 exposed images, 596 were deleted, giving a deletion rate of 11%. A total of 51.3% were deleted due to positioning errors and 31.0% due to error in centering. The examinations with the highest percentage of deleted images were the knee, hip, and ankle, 20.6%, 18.5%, and 13.8% respectively. The reject rate is at least as high as the deletion rate and is comparable with previous film-based imaging systems. The reasons for rejection are quite different in digital systems. This falsifies the hypothesis that digitalization would eliminates rejects. A deleted image does not contribute to diagnostics, and therefore is an unnecessary image. Hence, the high rates of deleted images have implications for management, training, education, as well as for quality

  2. Image rejects in general direct digital radiography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hofmann, Bjørn; Rosanowsky, Tine Blomberg; Jensen, Camilla; Wah, Kenneth Hong Ching

    2015-10-01

    The number of rejected images is an indicator of image quality and unnecessary imaging at a radiology department. Image reject analysis was frequent in the film era, but comparably few and small studies have been published after converting to digital radiography. One reason may be a belief that rejects have been eliminated with digitalization. To measure the extension of deleted images in direct digital radiography (DR), in order to assess the rates of rejects and unnecessary imaging and to analyze reasons for deletions, in order to improve the radiological services. All exposed images at two direct digital laboratories at a hospital in Norway were reviewed in January 2014. Type of examination, number of exposed images, and number of deleted images were registered. Each deleted image was analyzed separately and the reason for deleting the image was recorded. Out of 5417 exposed images, 596 were deleted, giving a deletion rate of 11%. A total of 51.3% were deleted due to positioning errors and 31.0% due to error in centering. The examinations with the highest percentage of deleted images were the knee, hip, and ankle, 20.6%, 18.5%, and 13.8% respectively. The reject rate is at least as high as the deletion rate and is comparable with previous film-based imaging systems. The reasons for rejection are quite different in digital systems. This falsifies the hypothesis that digitalization would eliminates rejects. A deleted image does not contribute to diagnostics, and therefore is an unnecessary image. Hence, the high rates of deleted images have implications for management, training, education, as well as for quality.

  3. Hyperthermia system working in combination with an MR imaging unit

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    LeBihan, D.J.; Delannoy, J.; Levin, R.L.; Hoult, D.I.

    1988-01-01

    The authors propose a hyperthermia device to be used for temperature monitoring. It consists of a modified miniannular phased array (MAPA) radio-frequency applicator designed for limb tumor treatment that works in combination with a whole-body MR imaging unit operating at 21 MHz. Highly accurate (0.5 0 c/0.8 cm 2 ) temperature images are obtained noninvasively throughout the heated volume from MR images of molecular diffusion, the relation of which with temperature is well known. The MAPA, electrically modified to be compatible with MR imagers, can be centered inside the MR head coil. The combined system was tested on a phantom in which the temperature distribution was confirmed by miniature thermocouples

  4. Resonance fluorescence and quantum interference of a single NV center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Yong-Hong; Zhang, Xue-Feng; Wu, E.

    2017-11-01

    The detection of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond has attracted much interest, since it is expected to lead to innovative applications in various domains of quantum information, including quantum metrology, information processing and communications, as well as in various nanotechnologies, such as biological and subdiffraction limit imaging, and tests of entanglement in quantum mechanics. We propose a novel scheme of a single NV center coupled with a multi-mode superconducting microwave cavity driven by coherent fields in squeezed vacuum. We numerically investigate the spectra in-phase quadrature and out-of-phase quadrature for different driving regimes with or without detunings. It shows that the maximum squeezing can be obtained for optimal Rabi fields. Moreover, with the same parameters, the maximum squeezing is greatly increased when the detunings are nonzero compared to the resonance case.

  5. A Smart Home Center Platform Solution Based on Smart Mirror

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Deng Xibo

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available With the popularization of the concept of smart home, people have raised requirements on the experience of smart living. A smart home platform center solution is put forward in order to solve the intelligent interoperability and information integration of smart home, which enable people to have a more intelligent and convenient life experience. This platform center is achieved through the Smart Mirror. The Smart Mirror refers to a smart furniture, on the basis of the traditional concept of mirror, combining Raspberry Pi, the application of one-way mirror imaging principle, the touch-enabled design, voice and video interaction. Smart Mirror can provide a series of intelligent experience for the residents, such as controlling all the intelligent furniture through Smart Mirror; accessing and displaying the weather, time, news and other life information; monitoring the home environment; remote interconnection operation.

  6. Early experiences with big data at an academic medical center.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halamka, John D

    2014-07-01

    Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), an academic health care institution affiliated with Harvard University, has been an early adopter of electronic applications since the 1970s. Various departments of the medical center and the physician practice groups affiliated with it have implemented electronic health records, filmless imaging, and networked medical devices to such an extent that data storage at BIDMC now amounts to three petabytes and continues to grow at a rate of 25 percent a year. Initially, the greatest technical challenge was the cost and complexity of data storage. However, today the major focus is on transforming raw data into information, knowledge, and wisdom. This article discusses the data growth, increasing importance of analytics, and changing user requirements that have shaped the management of big data at BIDMC. Project HOPE—The People-to-People Health Foundation, Inc.

  7. Feasibility analysis of high resolution tissue image registration using 3-D synthetic data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yachna Sharma

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Registration of high-resolution tissue images is a critical step in the 3D analysis of protein expression. Because the distance between images (~4-5μm thickness of a tissue section is nearly the size of the objects of interest (~10-20μm cancer cell nucleus, a given object is often not present in both of two adjacent images. Without consistent correspondence of objects between images, registration becomes a difficult task. This work assesses the feasibility of current registration techniques for such images. Methods: We generated high resolution synthetic 3-D image data sets emulating the constraints in real data. We applied multiple registration methods to the synthetic image data sets and assessed the registration performance of three techniques (i.e., mutual information (MI, kernel density estimate (KDE method [1], and principal component analysis (PCA at various slice thicknesses (with increments of 1μm in order to quantify the limitations of each method. Results: Our analysis shows that PCA, when combined with the KDE method based on nuclei centers, aligns images corresponding to 5μm thick sections with acceptable accuracy. We also note that registration error increases rapidly with increasing distance between images, and that the choice of feature points which are conserved between slices improves performance. Conclusions: We used simulation to help select appropriate features and methods for image registration by estimating best-case-scenario errors for given data constraints in histological images. The results of this study suggest that much of the difficulty of stained tissue registration can be reduced to the problem of accurately identifying feature points, such as the center of nuclei.

  8. Comparison of radiation-induced colouration images, thermoluminescence, and after-glow colour images with aluminium impurity distribution in Japanese twin quartzes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashimoto, Tetsuo; Ojima, Tetsu; Takahashi, Eishi; Konishi, Masayoshi; Kanemaki, Motoko.

    1995-01-01

    After-glow colour images (AGCI) and thermoluminescence (TL) from Japanese twin quartz slices have been successfully photographed by means of a commercially available negative colour film after the irradiation of X-rays. After-glow colour images (AGCI) offered very interesting distinction of colour images; the core part showed the colour changed from sky blue with zonal orange to blue with increasing absorbed doses, whereas the outer parts maintained orange AG colour giving clear boundary. On the other hand, the radiation-induced colour (blackish or brownish) center image (CCI) appeared at the core portion, while thermoluminescence colour images (TLCI) also consisted of two portions distinguishable into stripe and zonal bluish core and faint TL emission part in outer ones. These luminescence colour images, probably reflecting the formation mechanism of Japanese twin quartzes, are evidently correlated with the concentration patterns of aluminium impurity obtained by an EPMA (electron probe microanalyzer) method. From these radiation-induced images, it was assumed that the conditions of crystal formation should be greatly different between the core and the outer parts; the outer parts were secondarily started to grow from hydrothermal solution with higher Al-concentration after the initial formation of single core. (author)

  9. Secrets to effective imaging services marketing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leepson, Evan

    2005-01-01

    Marketing outpatient diagnostic imaging services is similar to marketing professional services. However, the definition of marketing outpatient diagnostic imaging goes far beyond textbook and traditional meanings of marketing. There are 5 major trends that are forcing hospitals to market their diagnostic imaging services: demographics, competition, non-radiologist expansion, self-protective practice, and evolving technologies. Before thinking about identifying whom to target to develop a strategic relationship, it is necessary to get a sense of what is going on in the local area in terms of demographic trends. Much of this information can be obtained from the hospital's planning department. Local and state health planning organizations have some of the data and information. It is most critical for imaging departments to manage strategic relationships because they do not have direct access to patients. The department is solely dependent on cultivating relationships if it is to thrive. Diagnostic imaging centers have more freedom than hospitals when considering with whom to develop relationships. There are 5 essential components to any diagnostic imaging services marketing plan: be on top of referral patterns; brag about the organization's service; know the customer; keep communication channels open; and understand that marketing is a family affair. Successful diagnostic imaging marketing is key to an organization's long-term health. Developing and implementing a comprehensive, targeted, and sustained plan is crucial.

  10. A complete image management and communications network for the neuroradiology service at Georgetown University Hospital

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Horii, S.C.; Muraki, A.; Mun, S.K.; Clark, L.; Schellinger, M.D.; Mallon-Ingeholm, M.L.

    1989-01-01

    A complete image management and communications system has been installed at Georgetown University Hospital (GUH). The network is based on the AT ampersand T CommView System. In the Neuroradiology Division, this network supports a multiscreen workstation with access to multiple imaging modalities such as CT and MRI from both the hospital and a remote imaging center. In addition, the radiologist can access these images from various workstations located throughout the hospital as well as from remote sites such as the home. Among the radiology services supported by the network, neuroradiology has the greatest need for such a system with extensive daily requirements involving the remote imaging center and on-line consultation around the clock. By providing neuroradiology with all available communication links, the radiologist can monitor, diagnose, and consult. The efficiency and effectiveness of the system's capabilities with regard to remote and teleradiology (RVS) operations have been studied for the neuroradiology service. This paper discusses the current clinical acceptance and use, problems in implementation, and ways these difficulties are being surmounted

  11. The Barrow Innovation Center Case Series: A novel 3D-printed retractor for use with electromagnetic neuronavigation systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bohl, Michael A; Xu, David S; Cavallo, Claudio; Paisan, Gabriella M; Smith, Kris A; Nakaji, Peter

    2018-06-01

    The Barrow Innovation Center consists of an educational program that promotes interdisciplinary collaboration among neurosurgery, legal, and engineering professionals to foster the development of new medical devices. This report describes a common issue faced during the placement of ventricular shunts for the treatment of hydrocephalus, and the solution to this problem that was developed through the Barrow Innovation Center. Neurosurgery residents involved in the Barrow Innovation Center presented the problem of ferromagnetic retractors interfering with pinless image-guidance systems at a monthly meeting. Potential solutions were openly discussed by an interdisciplinary committee of neurosurgeons, patent lawyers, and biomedical engineers. The committee decided to pursue development of a novel self-retaining retractor made of non-ferromagnetic material as a solution to the problem. Each retractor design was tested in the cadaver laboratory for size and functionality. A final design was chosen and used in a surgical case requiring ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement. The new retractor successfully retracted the scalp without interfering with the electromagnetic image-guidance system. Through the interdisciplinary Barrow Innovation Center program, a newly designed, 3-dimensional-printed skin and soft tissue retractor was created, along with an innovative universal shunt retainer. Through this integrated program dedicated to surgical innovation (i.e., the Barrow Innovation Center), the process of developing and implementing new technology at our institution has been streamlined, creating a culture of innovation within the neurosurgery training program. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging combined with T2-weighted images in the detection of small breast cancer: a single-center multi-observer study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Lian-Ming; Chen, Jie; Hu, Jiani; Gu, Hai-Yan; Xu, Jian-Rong; Hua, Jia

    2014-02-01

    Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women worldwide. However, it remains a difficult diagnosis problem to differentiate between benign and malignant breast lesions, especially in small early breast lesions. To assess the diagnostic value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) combined with T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) for small breast cancer characterization. Fifty-eight patients (65 lesions) with a lesion breast magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) including DWI and histological analysis. Three observers with varying experience levels reviewed MRI. The probability of breast cancer in each lesion on MR images was recorded with a 5-point scale. Areas under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUCs) were compared by using the Z test; sensitivity and specificity were determined with the Z test after adjusting for data clustering. AUC of T2WI and DWI (Observer 1, 0.95; Observer 2, 0.91; Observer 3, 0.83) was greater than that of T2WI (Observer 1, 0.80; Observer 2, 0.74; Observer 3, 0.70) for all observers (P breast cancer characterization. It should be considered selectively in the preoperative evaluation of patients with small lesions of the breast.

  13. NO PLIF Imaging in the CUBRC 48 Inch Shock Tunnel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, N.; Bruzzese, J.; Patton, R.; Sutton J.; Lempert W.; Miller, J. D.; Meyer, T. R.; Parker, R.; Wadham, T.; Holden, M.; hide

    2011-01-01

    Nitric Oxide Planar Laser-Induced Fluorescence (NO PLIF) imaging is demonstrated at a 10 kHz repetition rate in the Calspan-University at Buffalo Research Center s (CUBRC) 48-inch Mach 9 hypervelocity shock tunnel using a pulse burst laser-based high frame rate imaging system. Sequences of up to ten images are obtained internal to a supersonic combustor model, located within the shock tunnel, during a single approx.10-millisecond duration run of the ground test facility. This represents over an order of magnitude improvement in data rate from previous PLIF-based diagnostic approaches. Comparison with a preliminary CFD simulation shows good overall qualitative agreement between the prediction of the mean NO density field and the observed PLIF image intensity, averaged over forty individual images obtained during several facility runs.

  14. Reduce blurring and distortion in a projection type virtual image display using integrated small optics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasegawa, Tatsuya; Yendo, Tomohiro

    2015-03-01

    Head Up Display (HUD) is being applied to automobile. HUD displays information as far virtual image on the windshield. Existing HUD usually displays planar information. If the image corresponding to scenery on the road like Augmented Reality (AR) is displayed on the HUD, driver can efficiently get the information. To actualize this, HUD covering large viewing field is needed. However existing HUD cannot cover large viewing field. Therefore we have proposed system consisting of projector and many small diameter convex lenses. However observed virtual image has blurring and distortion . In this paper, we propose two methods to reduce blurring and distortion of images. First, to reduce blurring of images, distance between each of screen and lens comprised in lens array is adjusted. We inferred from the more distant the lens from center of the array is more blurred that the cause of blurring is curvature of field of lens in the array. Second, to avoid distortion of images, each lens in the array is curved spherically. We inferred from the more distant the lens from center of the array is more distorted that the cause of distortion is incident angle of ray. We confirmed effectiveness of both methods.

  15. AGILE DATA CENTER AT ASDC AND AGILE HIGHLIGHTS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carlotta Pittori

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available We present an overview of the main AGILE Data Center activities and the AGILE scientific highlights during the first 5 years of operations. AGILE is an ASI space mission in joint collaboration with INAF, INFN and CIFS, dedicated to the observation of the gamma-ray Universe. The AGILE satellite was launched on April 23rd, 2007, and is devoted to gamma-ray astrophysics in the 30MeV ÷ 50 GeV energy range, with simultaneous X-ray imaging capability in the 18 ÷ 60 keV band. Despite the small size and budget, AGILE has produced several important scientific results, including the unexpected discovery of strong and rapid gamma-ray flares from the Crab Nebula over daily timescales. This discovery won AGILE PI and the AGILE Team the prestigious Bruno Rossi Prize for 2012, an international award in the field of high energy astrophysics. Thanks to its sky monitoring capability and fast ground segment alert system, AGILE is substantially improving our knowledge of the gamma-ray sky, also making a crucial contribution to the study of the terrestrial gamma-ray flashes (TGFs detected in the Earth atmosphere. The AGILE Data Center, part of the ASI Science Data Center (ASDC located in Frascati, Italy, is in charge of all the science oriented activities related to the analysis, archiving and distribution of AGILE data.

  16. Evaluation of transmitted images by teleradiology system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hoshikawa, Yoshikazu

    1993-01-01

    Teleradiology system is a combination of digital data networks and computer systems, which is the electric transmission of radiographs and/or radiologic images from local to center radiological system. The author evaluated reproducibility of transmitted images using Photophone (Image Data Corporation) as teleradiology system. Proven cases of abdominal free air (38 plain films, 15 CT), pneumothorax (24 plain films, 20 CT) and small bowel obstruction (30 plain films, 8 CT) were transmitted. Findings could be identified on non-magnified plain films in 75.6%, 83.3% and 96.7% respectively and on magnified CT in 100%, 100% and 100%. Transmitted images of 57 cases of abdominal trauma were read for positive findings and diagnosis by three radiologists. Average positive ratio was 47.3% on plain films and 70.9% on CT. Diagnosis was correct in 66.7% on CT. Specificity and sensitivity were 81.9% and 61.6% respectively on plain film and 88.6% and 93.9% on CT. The accuracy of transmitted images appears to be unsatisfactory on this study. It is suggested that the system is useful for consultation of already identified findings on the original images. (author)

  17. Evaluation of transmitted images by teleradiology system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoshikawa, Yoshikazu (St. Marianna Univ., Kawasaki (Japan). School of Medicine)

    1993-12-01

    Teleradiology system is a combination of digital data networks and computer systems, which is the electric transmission of radiographs and/or radiologic images from local to center radiological system. The author evaluated reproducibility of transmitted images using Photophone (Image Data Corporation) as teleradiology system. Proven cases of abdominal free air (38 plain films, 15 CT), pneumothorax (24 plain films, 20 CT) and small bowel obstruction (30 plain films, 8 CT) were transmitted. Findings could be identified on non-magnified plain films in 75.6%, 83.3% and 96.7% respectively and on magnified CT in 100%, 100% and 100%. Transmitted images of 57 cases of abdominal trauma were read for positive findings and diagnosis by three radiologists. Average positive ratio was 47.3% on plain films and 70.9% on CT. Diagnosis was correct in 66.7% on CT. Specificity and sensitivity were 81.9% and 61.6% respectively on plain film and 88.6% and 93.9% on CT. The accuracy of transmitted images appears to be unsatisfactory on this study. It is suggested that the system is useful for consultation of already identified findings on the original images. (author).

  18. Chaotic Multiobjective Evolutionary Algorithm Based on Decomposition for Test Task Scheduling Problem

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Lu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Test task scheduling problem (TTSP is a complex optimization problem and has many local optima. In this paper, a hybrid chaotic multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (CMOEA/D is presented to avoid becoming trapped in local optima and to obtain high quality solutions. First, we propose an improving integrated encoding scheme (IES to increase the efficiency. Then ten chaotic maps are applied into the multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D in three phases, that is, initial population and crossover and mutation operators. To identify a good approach for hybrid MOEA/D and chaos and indicate the effectiveness of the improving IES several experiments are performed. The Pareto front and the statistical results demonstrate that different chaotic maps in different phases have different effects for solving the TTSP especially the circle map and ICMIC map. The similarity degree of distribution between chaotic maps and the problem is a very essential factor for the application of chaotic maps. In addition, the experiments of comparisons of CMOEA/D and variable neighborhood MOEA/D (VNM indicate that our algorithm has the best performance in solving the TTSP.

  19. Advanced 3-D Ultrasound Imaging: 3-D Synthetic Aperture Imaging using Fully Addressed and Row-Column Addressed 2-D Transducer Arrays

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bouzari, Hamed

    the important diagnostic information in a noninvasive manner. Diagnostic and therapeutic decisions often require accurate estimates of e.g., organ, cyst, or tumor volumes. 3-D ultrasound imaging can provide these measurements without relying on the geometrical assumptions and operator-dependent skills involved...... is one of the factors for the widespread use of ultrasound imaging. The high price tag on the high quality 3-D scanners is limiting their market share. Row-column addressing of 2-D transducer arrays is a low cost alternative to fully addressed 2-D arrays, for 3-D ultrasound imaging. Using row....... Based on a set of acoustical measurements the center frequency, bandwidth, surface pressure, sensitivity, and acoustical cross-talks were evaluated and discussed. The imaging quality assessments were carried out based on Field II simulations as well as phantom measurements. Moreover, an analysis...

  20. SU-C-202-07: Protocol and Hardware for Improved Flood Field Calibration of TrueBeam FFF Cine Imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Adamson, J; Faught, A; Yin, F [Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (United States)

    2016-06-15

    Purpose: Flattening filter free photon energies are commonly used for high dose treatments such as SBRT, where localization accuracy is essential. Often, MV cine imaging may be employed to verify correct localization. TrueBeam Electronic Portal Imaging Devices (EPIDs) equipped with the 40×30cm{sup 2} Image Detection Unit (IDU) are prone to image saturation at the image center especially for higher dose rates. While saturation often does not occur for cine imaging during treatment because the beam is attenuated by the patient, the flood field calibration is affected when the standard calibration procedure is followed. Here we describe the hardware and protocol to achieve improved image quality for this model of TrueBeam EPID. Methods: A stainless steel filter of uniform thickness was designed to have sufficient attenuation to avoid panel saturation for both 6XFFF and 10XFFF at the maximum dose rates (1400 MU/min & 2400 MU/min, respectively). The cine imaging flood field calibration was then acquired with the filter in place for the FFF energies under the standard calibration geometry (SDD=150cm). Image quality during MV cine was assessed with & without the modified flood field calibration using a low contrast resolution phantom and an anthropomorphic phantom. Results: When the flood field is acquired using the standard procedure (no filter in place), a pixel gain artifact is clearly present in the image center (r=3cm for 10XFFF at 2400 MU/min) which appears similar to and may be mis-attributed to panel saturation in the subject image. The artifact obscured all low contrast inserts at the image center and was also visible on the anthropomorphic phantom. Using the filter for flood field calibration eliminated the artifact. Conclusion: Use of a modified flood field calibration procedure improves image quality for cine MV imaging with TrueBeams equipped with the 40×30cm{sup 2} IDU.

  1. Object-centered representations support flexible exogenous visual attention across translation and reflection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Zhicheng

    2013-11-01

    Visual attention can be deployed to stimuli based on our willful, top-down goal (endogenous attention) or on their intrinsic saliency against the background (exogenous attention). Flexibility is thought to be a hallmark of endogenous attention, whereas decades of research show that exogenous attention is attracted to the retinotopic locations of the salient stimuli. However, to the extent that salient stimuli in the natural environment usually form specific spatial relations with the surrounding context and are dynamic, exogenous attention, to be adaptive, should embrace these structural regularities. Here we test a non-retinotopic, object-centered mechanism in exogenous attention, in which exogenous attention is dynamically attracted to a relative, object-centered location. Using a moving frame configuration, we presented two frames in succession, forming either apparent translational motion or in mirror reflection, with a completely uninformative, transient cue presented at one of the item locations in the first frame. Despite that the cue is presented in a spatially separate frame, in both translation and mirror reflection, behavioralperformance in visual search is enhanced when the target in the second frame appears at the same relative location as the cue location than at other locations. These results provide unambiguous evidence for non-retinotopic exogenous attention and further reveal an object-centered mechanism supporting flexible exogenous attention. Moreover, attentional generalization across mirror reflection may constitute an attentional correlate of perceptual generalization across lateral mirror images, supporting an adaptive, functional account of mirror images confusion. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. A combinational fast algorithm for image reconstruction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Zhongquan

    1987-01-01

    A combinational fast algorithm has been developed in order to increase the speed of reconstruction. First, an interpolation method based on B-spline functions is used in image reconstruction. Next, the influence of the boundary conditions assumed here on the interpolation of filtered projections and on the image reconstruction is discussed. It is shown that this boundary condition has almost no influence on the image in the central region of the image space, because the error of interpolation rapidly decreases by a factor of ten in shifting two pixels from the edge toward the center. In addition, a fast algorithm for computing the detecting angle has been used with the mentioned interpolation algorithm, and the cost for detecting angle computaton is reduced by a factor of two. The implementation results show that in the same subjective and objective fidelity, the computational cost for the interpolation using this algorithm is about one-twelfth of the conventional algorithm

  3. The Imaging X-Ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE): Overview

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Dell, Steve; Weisskopf, M.; Soffitta, P.; Baldini, L.; Bellazzini, R.; Costa, E.; Elsner, R.; Kaspi, V.; Kolodziejczak, J.; Latronico, L.; hide

    2017-01-01

    Mission background: Imaging x-ray polarimetry in 2–8 kiloelectronvolt band; NASA Astrophysics Small Explorer (SMEX) selected in 2017 January. Orbit: Pegasus-XL (airborne) launch in 2021, from Kwajalein; Equatorial circular orbit at greater than or approximately equal to 540 kilometers (620 kilometers, goal) altitude. Flight system: Spacecraft, payload structure, and integration by Ball Aerospace - Deployable payload boom from Orbital-ATK, under contract to Ball; X-ray Mirror Module Assemblies by NASA/MSFC; X-ray (polarization-sensitive) Instruments by IAPS/INAF (Istituto di Astrofisica e Planetologia Spaziali / Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica) and INFN (Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare). Ground system: ASI (Agenzia Spaziale Italiana) Malindi ground station, with Singapore backup; Mission Operations Center at LASP (Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, University of Colorado); Science Operations Center at NASA/MSFC; Data archive at HEASARC (High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center), (NASA/GSFC), mirror at ASI Data Center. Science: Active galactic nuclei; Microquasars; Radio pulsars and pulsar wind nebulae; Supernova remnants; Magnetars; Accreting x-ray pulsars.

  4. Trends in the utilization of medical imaging from 2003 to 2011: clinical encounters offer a complementary patient-centered focus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodoo, Martey S; Duszak, Richard; Hughes, Danny R

    2013-07-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate trends in utilization and spending for medical imaging, using medical visits resulting in imaging as a novel metric of utilization. Utilization and spending for medical imaging were examined using (1) Medicare Part B claims data from 2003 to 2011 to measure per-enrollee spending and (2) household component events data on the elderly Medicare-age population from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2003 to 2010 to measure utilization as a function of clinical encounters. Annual health spending and Medicare payments for imaging for the elderly population grew from $294 per enrollee in 2003 to $418 in 2006 and had declined to $390 by 2011. Over this entire time, however, annual medical visits by a similar Medicare-age (≥ 65 years old) population resulting in imaging trended consistently downward, from 12.8% in 2003 to 10.6% in 2011. Despite early growth and then more recent declines in average Medicare spending per enrollee since 2003, the percentage of patient encounters resulting in medical imaging has significantly and consistently declined nationwide. Spending alone is thus an incomplete measure of changes in the role and utilization of medical imaging in overall patient care. As policymakers focus on medical imaging, a thoughtful analysis of payment policy influencing imaging utilization, and its role in concurrent and downstream patient care, will be critical to ensure appropriate patient access. Copyright © 2013 American College of Radiology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Argentina: Overview of activities on Neutron Imaging (NI) and Cultural Heritage (CH) studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sánchez, Fernando

    2012-01-01

    In Argentina there exists a community of researchers of national institutions involved in CH studies and also periodic congresses about the topic since 2007. A new group on neutron imaging is beginning at Bariloche Atomic Center (CNEA). The plan of this group is: - Characterize the facility: flux, doses, collimation, etc;. - Establish contact with CH researchers for offering neutron imaging; - Demonstrate capabilities of the technique with 2D imaging; - In the future, a 3D tomography improvement will be developed

  6. Initial application of a geometric QA tool for integrated MV and kV imaging systems on three image guided radiotherapy systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Weihua; Speiser, Michael; Medin, Paul; Papiez, Lech; Solberg, Timothy; Xing, Lei

    2011-05-01

    0.8 degrees, and detector center offsets up to 3 mm, were observed for three linacs, with the exception of the Vero, for which a significant center offset of one kV detector (prior to machine commissioning) was observed. In contrast, the gimbal-based MV source positioning of the Vero demonstrated differences between observed and expected source positions of less than 0.2 mm, both with and without gimbal rotation. This initial application of this geometric QA tool shows promise as a universal, independent tool for quantitative evaluation of geometric accuracies of both MV and integrated kV imaging systems across a range of platforms. It provides nine geometric parameters of any imaging system at every gantry angle as well as the isocenter coincidence of the MV and kV image systems.

  7. Medical imaging, PACS, and imaging informatics: retrospective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, H K

    2014-01-01

    Historical reviews of PACS (picture archiving and communication system) and imaging informatics development from different points of view have been published in the past (Huang in Euro J Radiol 78:163-176, 2011; Lemke in Euro J Radiol 78:177-183, 2011; Inamura and Jong in Euro J Radiol 78:184-189, 2011). This retrospective attempts to look at the topic from a different angle by identifying certain basic medical imaging inventions in the 1960s and 1970s which had conceptually defined basic components of PACS guiding its course of development in the 1980s and 1990s, as well as subsequent imaging informatics research in the 2000s. In medical imaging, the emphasis was on the innovations at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, in the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1980s and 1990s, research and training support from US government agencies and public and private medical imaging manufacturers became available for training of young talents in biomedical physics and for developing the key components required for PACS development. In the 2000s, computer hardware and software as well as communication networks advanced by leaps and bounds, opening the door for medical imaging informatics to flourish. Because many key components required for the PACS operation were developed by the UCLA PACS Team and its collaborative partners in the 1980s, this presentation is centered on that aspect. During this period, substantial collaborative research efforts by many individual teams in the US and in Japan were highlighted. Credits are due particularly to the Pattern Recognition Laboratory at Georgetown University, and the computed radiography (CR) development at the Fuji Electric Corp. in collaboration with Stanford University in the 1970s; the Image Processing Laboratory at UCLA in the 1980s-1990s; as well as the early PACS development at the Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Japan, in the late 1970s, and film scanner and digital radiography developed by Konishiroku Photo Ind. Co. Ltd

  8. A hyperspectral image analysis workbench for environmental science applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christiansen, J.H.; Zawada, D.G.; Simunich, K.L.; Slater, J.C.

    1992-10-01

    A significant challenge to the information sciences is to provide more powerful and accessible means to exploit the enormous wealth of data available from high-resolution imaging spectrometry, or ``hyperspectral`` imagery, for analysis, for mapping purposes, and for input to environmental modeling applications. As an initial response to this challenge, Argonne`s Advanced Computer Applications Center has developed a workstation-based prototype software workbench which employs Al techniques and other advanced approaches to deduce surface characteristics and extract features from the hyperspectral images. Among its current capabilities, the prototype system can classify pixels by abstract surface type. The classification process employs neural network analysis of inputs which include pixel spectra and a variety of processed image metrics, including image ``texture spectra`` derived from fractal signatures computed for subimage tiles at each wavelength.

  9. Chandra Images Provide New Vision of Cosmic Explosions

    Science.gov (United States)

    1999-09-01

    Images from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory released today reveal previously unobserved features in the remnants of three different supernova explosions. Two of the remnants G21.5-0.9 and PSR 0540-69 show dramatic details of the prodigious production of energetic particles by a rapidly rotating, highly magnetized neutron star, as well as the enormous shell structures produced by the explosions. The image of the third remnant, E0102-72, reveals puzzling spoke-like structures in its interior. G21.5-0.9, in the constellation of Scutum, is about 16,000 light years (1 light year = 6 trillion miles) from Earth. Chandra's image shows a bright nebula surrounded by a much larger diffuse cloud. Inside the inner nebula is a bright central source that is thought to be a rapidly rotating highly magnetized neutron star. A rotating neutron star acts like a powerful generator, creating intense electric voltages that accelerate electrons to speeds close to the speed of light. The total output of this generator is greater than a thousand suns. The fluffy appearance of the central nebula is thought to be due to magnetic field lines which constrain the motions of the high-energy electrons. "It's a remarkable image," said Dr. Patrick Slane of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. "Neither the inner core nor the outer shell has ever been seen before." "It is as though we have a set of Russian dolls, with structures embedded within structures," said Professor Gordon Garmire of Penn State University, and principal investigator of the Advanced CCD Imaging Spectrometer, the X-ray camera that was used to make two of the images. NASA's project scientist, Dr. Martin Weisskopf of the Marshall Space Flight Center said, "Chandra's capability to provide surprises and insights continues." PSR 0540-69 PSR 0540-69 The existence of a rotating neutron star, or pulsar, in the center of G21.5-0.9 is inferred from the appearance of the nebula and the energy distribution of X-rays and radio

  10. Numerical studies of radiofrequency of the electromagnetic radiation power absorption in paediatrics undergoing brain magnetic resonance imaging

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. Subaar

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Magnetic resonance imaging current operating frequencies are above 100 kHz which is converted to heat through resistive tissue losses during imaging. The imaging is coupled with a concurring increase in temperature in patients. Magnetic resonance imaging of the brain has seen a rising clinical request during diagnosis and therefore become imperative that its safety issues be assessed. This study modelled Pennes' classical bio-heat equation using Finite Difference Method (FDM approach and with the help of MATLAB programming language, predicted three dimensional steady state temperature distributions in patients during magnetic resonance imaging. Sixty-four paediatric patients' referred for (head brain magnetic resonance imaging scan at 37 Military Hospital and the Diagnostic Center Limited, Ghana, pre-scan and post-scan temperatures were measured at the right tympanic. The numerically steady state temperature distribution during magnetic resonance imaging shows that there is excessive temperature elevation at the skin surface of the patients. The resulting skin heating during magnetic resonance imaging can reach dangerous level which suggests that the ohmic heating of tissue is greatest at the surface and minimal at the center of the patient's brain. Though the experimental results show that patients brain temperature increase after imaging, all measured temperatures were within acceptable safe levels.

  11. Quality control of pediatric chest X-rays in diagnostic centers with and without pediatric competence

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alt, C.D.; Engelmann, D.; Schenk, J.P.; Troeger, J.

    2006-01-01

    Purpose: Radiation protection in pediatric radiology is very important because of the particular sensitivity of radiosensitive organs in younger patients. Optimized image quality supports radiation protection and should be targeted. In our study we examined the quality of pediatric chest X-rays at diagnostic centers (university hospitals and other large clinics). We then evaluated differences in image quality in departments without pediatric competence (R) and departments with pediatric competence (PR). Materials and Methods: Our study was based on 313 conventional chest X-rays from 207 patients (192 p.a./a.p. and 121 lateral, 43 from R, 258 from PR and 12 neither from R nor KR) and 38 digital chest X-rays from 26 patients (25 p.a./a.p. and 13 lateral, 1 from R and 37 from PR). All patients (age 0 - 18 years) are from Nephroblastoma-Study SIOP-93/01-GPOH. We examined all initial chest X-rays, which were sent to us for evaluation upon request between 4/3/2002 and 6/14/2002. The examined parameters were: exposure, centering of the X-rays/patient positioning, collimation and sharpness. The X-rays were evaluated on a scale from 1 (best result) to 5 (worst result), resulting in an overall score of A = optimum, B = minor problems, C = major problems, or D = unusable. The optical density, the center of the image and the relative field size were also measured. Statistical tests (Mann-Whitney-U and log regression) were carried out on the conventional images. The study was performed retrospectively. The exposure, sharpness and optical density of the digital X-rays were not analyzed. Results: In the case of all conventional X-rays, the quality of the centering of the X-rays/patient positioning and collimation was moderate (average scale value: 2.4 and 2.8), and the quality of the exposure and sharpness was good and very good (average scale value: 1.9 and 1.5). The quality of the chest X-rays in departments with additional pediatric radiological expertise was better mainly in

  12. Portable Fluorescence Imaging System for Hypersonic Flow Facilities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkes, J. A.; Alderfer, D. W.; Jones, S. B.; Danehy, P. M.

    2003-01-01

    A portable fluorescence imaging system has been developed for use in NASA Langley s hypersonic wind tunnels. The system has been applied to a small-scale free jet flow. Two-dimensional images were taken of the flow out of a nozzle into a low-pressure test section using the portable planar laser-induced fluorescence system. Images were taken from the center of the jet at various test section pressures, showing the formation of a barrel shock at low pressures, transitioning to a turbulent jet at high pressures. A spanwise scan through the jet at constant pressure reveals the three-dimensional structure of the flow. Future capabilities of the system for making measurements in large-scale hypersonic wind tunnel facilities are discussed.

  13. An efficient method for facial component detection in thermal images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Michael; Blanik, Nikolai; Blazek, Vladimir; Leonhardt, Steffen

    2015-04-01

    A method to detect certain regions in thermal images of human faces is presented. In this approach, the following steps are necessary to locate the periorbital and the nose regions: First, the face is segmented from the background by thresholding and morphological filtering. Subsequently, a search region within the face, around its center of mass, is evaluated. Automatically computed temperature thresholds are used per subject and image or image sequence to generate binary images, in which the periorbital regions are located by integral projections. Then, the located positions are used to approximate the nose position. It is possible to track features in the located regions. Therefore, these regions are interesting for different applications like human-machine interaction, biometrics and biomedical imaging. The method is easy to implement and does not rely on any training images or templates. Furthermore, the approach saves processing resources due to simple computations and restricted search regions.

  14. Solar heating and cooling demonstration project at the Florida Solar Energy Center

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hankins, J.D.

    1980-02-01

    The retrofitted solar heating and cooling system installed at the Florida Solar Energy Center is described. Information is provided on the system's test, operation, controls, hardware and installation, including detailed drawings. The Center's office building, approximately 5000 square feet of space, with solar air conditioning and heating as a demonstration of the technical feasibility is located just north of Port Canaveral, Florida. The system was designed to supply approximately 70% of the annual cooling and 100% of the heating load. The project provides unique high-temperature, non-imaging, non-tracking, evacuated-tube collectors. The design of the system was kept simple and employs five hydronic loops. They are energy collection, chilled water production, space cooling, space heating and energy rejection.

  15. Coded aperture detector: an image sensor with sub 20-nm pixel resolution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyakawa, Ryan; Mayer, Rafael; Wojdyla, Antoine; Vannier, Nicolas; Lesser, Ian; Aron-Dine, Shifrah; Naulleau, Patrick

    2014-08-11

    We describe the coded aperture detector, a novel image sensor based on uniformly redundant arrays (URAs) with customizable pixel size, resolution, and operating photon energy regime. In this sensor, a coded aperture is scanned laterally at the image plane of an optical system, and the transmitted intensity is measured by a photodiode. The image intensity is then digitally reconstructed using a simple convolution. We present results from a proof-of-principle optical prototype, demonstrating high-fidelity image sensing comparable to a CCD. A 20-nm half-pitch URA fabricated by the Center for X-ray Optics (CXRO) nano-fabrication laboratory is presented that is suitable for high-resolution image sensing at EUV and soft X-ray wavelengths.

  16. Environmental studies of the World Trade Center area after the September 11, 2001 attack

    Science.gov (United States)

    Clark, Roger N.; Green, Robert O.; Swayze, Gregg A.; Meeker, Greg; Sutley, Steve; Hoefen, Todd M.; Livo, K. Eric; Plumlee, Geoff; Pavri, Betina; Sarture, Chuck; Wilson, Steve; Hageman, Phil; Lamothe, Paul; Vance, J. Sam; Boardman, Joe; Brownfield, Isabelle; Gent, Carol; Morath, Laurie C.; Taggart, Joseph; Theodorakos, Peter M.; Adams, Monique

    2001-01-01

    This web site describes the results of an interdisciplinary environmental characterization of the World Trade Center (WTC) area after September 11, 2001.Information presented in this site was first made available to the World Trade Center emergency response teams on September 18, 2001 (Thermal hot spot information), and September 27, 2001 (maps and compositional results).The Airborne Visible / Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS), a hyperspectral remote sensing instrument, was flown by JPL/NASA over the World Trade Center (WTC) area on September 16, 18, 22, and 23, 2001 ( Link to the AVIRIS JPL data facility). A 2-person USGS crew collected samples of dusts and airfall debris from more than 35 localities within a 1-km radius of the World trade Center site on the evenings of September 17 and 18, 2001. Two samples were collected of indoor locations that were presumably not affected by rainfall (there was a rainstorm on September 14). Two samples of material coating a steel beam in the WTC debris were also collected. The USGS ground crew also carried out on-the-ground reflectance spectroscopy measurements during daylight hours to field calibrate AVIRIS remote sensing data. Radiance calibration and rectification of the AVIRIS data were done at JPL/NASA. Surface reflectance calibration, spectral mapping, and interpretation were done at the USGS Imaging Spectroscopy Lab in Denver. The dust/debris and beam-insulation samples were analyzed for a variety of mineralogical and chemical parameters using Reflectance Spectroscopy (RS), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), chemical analysis, and chemical leach test techniques in U.S. Geological Survey laboratories in Denver, Colorado.

  17. Building Imaging Institutes of Patient Care Outcomes: Imaging as a Nidus for Innovation in Clinical Care, Research, and Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petrou, Myria; Cronin, Paul; Altaee, Duaa K; Kelly, Aine M; Foerster, Bradley R

    2018-05-01

    Traditionally, radiologists have been responsible for the protocol of imaging studies, imaging acquisition, supervision of imaging technologists, and interpretation and reporting of imaging findings. In this article, we outline how radiology needs to change and adapt to a role of providing value-based, integrated health-care delivery. We believe that the way to best serve our specialty and our patients is to undertake a fundamental paradigm shift in how we practice. We describe the need for imaging institutes centered on disease entities (eg, lung cancer, multiple sclerosis) to not only optimize clinical care and patient outcomes, but also spur the development of a new educational focus, which will increase opportunities for medical trainees and other health professionals. These institutes will also serve as unique environments for testing and implementing new technologies and for generating new ideas for research and health-care delivery. We propose that the imaging institutes focus on how imaging practices-including new innovations-improve patient care outcomes within a specific disease framework. These institutes will allow our specialty to lead patient care, provide the necessary infrastructure for state-of-the art-education of trainees, and stimulate innovative and clinically relevant research. Copyright © 2018 The Association of University Radiologists. All rights reserved.

  18. Effects of intra-operative fluoroscopic 3D-imaging on peri-operative imaging strategy in calcaneal fracture surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beerekamp, M S H; Backes, M; Schep, N W L; Ubbink, D T; Luitse, J S; Schepers, T; Goslings, J C

    2017-12-01

    Previous studies demonstrated that intra-operative fluoroscopic 3D-imaging (3D-imaging) in calcaneal fracture surgery is promising to prevent revision surgery and save costs. However, these studies limited their focus to corrections performed after 3D-imaging, thereby neglecting corrections after intra-operative fluoroscopic 2D-imaging (2D-imaging). The aim of this study was to assess the effects of additional 3D-imaging on intra-operative corrections, peri-operative imaging used, and patient-relevant outcomes compared to 2D-imaging alone. In this before-after study, data of adult patients who underwent open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) of a calcaneal fracture between 2000 and 2014 in our level-I Trauma center were collected. 3D-imaging (BV Pulsera with 3D-RX, Philips Healthcare, Best, The Netherlands) was available as of 2007 at the surgeons' discretion. Patient and fracture characteristics, peri-operative imaging, intra-operative corrections and patient-relevant outcomes were collected from the hospital databases. Patients in whom additional 3D-imaging was applied were compared to those undergoing 2D-imaging alone. A total of 231 patients were included of whom 107 (46%) were operated with the use of 3D-imaging. No significant differences were found in baseline characteristics. The median duration of surgery was significantly longer when using 3D-imaging (2:08 vs. 1:54 h; p = 0.002). Corrections after additional 3D-imaging were performed in 53% of the patients. However, significantly fewer corrections were made after 2D-imaging when 3D-imaging was available (Risk difference (RD) -15%; 95% Confidence interval (CI) -29 to -2). Peri-operative imaging, besides intra-operative 3D-imaging, and patient-relevant outcomes were similar between groups. Intra-operative 3D-imaging provides additional information resulting in additional corrections. Moreover, 3D-imaging probably changed the surgeons' attitude to rely more on 3D-imaging, hence a 15%-decrease of

  19. Stephenson Cancer Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephenson Cancer Center at the University of Oklahoma in Oklahoma City is an NCI-designated cancer center at the forefront of NCI-supported cancer research. Learn more about the Stephenson Cancer Center's mission.

  20. Neutron Imaging in Cultural Heritage Research at the FRM II Reactor of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Burkhard Schillinger

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Neutron Imaging is ideally suited for applications in cultural heritage even at small reactors with moderate image resolution. However, recently, high resolution imaging is being increasingly used for advanced studies, especially in paleontology. The special contrast for hydrogen and between neighboring elements in the periodic system allows for new applications that are not accessible for X-rays, like organic material in enclosed containers made of ceramics or metals, fossilized bones in chalk rock or in ferrous “red” beds, and even for animal and hominid teeth. Fission neutrons permit the examination of large samples that otherwise show large attenuation for thermal neutrons.

  1. Computers in imaging and health care: now and in the future.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arenson, R L; Andriole, K P; Avrin, D E; Gould, R G

    2000-11-01

    Early picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) were characterized by the use of very expensive hardware devices, cumbersome display stations, duplication of database content, lack of interfaces to other clinical information systems, and immaturity in their understanding of the folder manager concepts and workflow reengineering. They were implemented historically at large academic medical centers by biomedical engineers and imaging informaticists. PACS were nonstandard, home-grown projects with mixed clinical acceptance. However, they clearly showed the great potential for PACS and filmless medical imaging. Filmless radiology is a reality today. The advent of efficient softcopy display of images provides a means for dealing with the ever-increasing number of studies and number of images per study. Computer power has increased, and archival storage cost has decreased to the extent that the economics of PACS is justifiable with respect to film. Network bandwidths have increased to allow large studies of many megabytes to arrive at display stations within seconds of examination completion. PACS vendors have recognized the need for efficient workflow and have built systems with intelligence in the management of patient data. Close integration with the hospital information system (HIS)-radiology information system (RIS) is critical for system functionality. Successful implementation of PACS requires integration or interoperation with hospital and radiology information systems. Besides the economic advantages, secure rapid access to all clinical information on patients, including imaging studies, anytime and anywhere, enhances the quality of patient care, although it is difficult to quantify. Medical image management systems are maturing, providing access outside of the radiology department to images and clinical information throughout the hospital or the enterprise via the Internet. Small and medium-sized community hospitals, private practices, and outpatient

  2. Relaxometry imaging of superparamagnetic magnetite nanoparticles at ambient conditions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Finkler, Amit; Schmid-Lorch, Dominik; Häberle, Thomas; Reinhard, Friedemann; Zappe, Andrea; Slota, Michael; Bogani, Lapo; Wrachtrup, Jörg

    We present a novel technique to image superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles via their fluctuating magnetic fields. The detection is based on the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) color center in diamond, which allows optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) measurements on its electron spin structure. In combination with an atomic-force-microscope, this atomic-sized color center maps ambient magnetic fields in a wide frequency range from DC up to several GHz, while retaining a high spatial resolution in the sub-nanometer range. We demonstrate imaging of single 10 nm sized magnetite nanoparticles using this spin noise detection technique. By fitting simulations (Ornstein-Uhlenbeck process) to the data, we are able to infer additional information on such a particle and its dynamics, like the attempt frequency and the anisotropy constant. This is of high interest to the proposed application of magnetite nanoparticles as an alternative MRI contrast agent or to the field of particle-aided tumor hyperthermia.

  3. HST Archival Imaging of the Light Echoes of SN 1987A

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, S. S.; Hayon, M.; Sugerman, B. E. K.; Crotts, A. P. S.

    2002-12-01

    We have undertaken a search for light echo signals from Supernova 1987A that have been serendipitously recorded in images taken near the 30 Doradus region of the Large Magellanic Cloud by HST. We used the MAST interface to create a database of the 1282 WF/PC, WFPC2 and STIS images taken within 15 arcminutes of the supernova, between 1992 April and 2002 June. These 1282 images are grouped into 125 distinct epochs and pointings, with each epoch containing between 1 and 42 separate exposures. Sorting this database with various programs, aided by the STScI Visual Target Tuner, we have identified 63 pairs of WFPC2 imaging epochs that are not centered on the supernova but that have a significant amount of spatial overlap between their fields of view. These image data were downloaded from the public archive, cleaned of cosmic rays, and blinked to search for light echoes at radii larger than 2 arcminutes from the supernova. Our search to date has focused on those pairs of epochs with the largest degree of overlap. Of 16 pairs of epochs scanned to date, we have detected 3 strong light echoes and one faint, tentative echo signal. We will present direct and difference images of these and any further echoes, as well as the 3-D geometric, photometric and color properties of the echoing dust structures. In addition, a set of 20 epochs of WF/PC and WFPC2 imaging centered on SN 1987A remain to be searched for echoes within 2 arcminutes of the supernova. We will discuss our plans to integrate the high spatial-resolution HST snapshots of the echoes with our extensive, well-time-sampled, ground-based imaging data. We gratefully acknowledge the support of this undergraduate research project through an HST Archival Research Grant (HST-AR-09209.01-A).

  4. In vivo tomographic imaging with fluorescence and MRI using tumor-targeted dual-labeled nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhang Y

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Yue Zhang,1 Bin Zhang,1 Fei Liu,1,2 Jianwen Luo,1,3 Jing Bai1 1Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Medicine, 2Tsinghua-Peking Center for Life Sciences, 3Center for Biomedical Imaging Research, Tsinghua University, Beijing, People's Republic of China Abstract: Dual-modality imaging combines the complementary advantages of different modalities, and offers the prospect of improved preclinical research. The combination of fluorescence imaging and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI provides cross-validated information and direct comparison between these modalities. Here, we report on the application of a novel tumor-targeted, dual-labeled nanoparticle (NP, utilizing iron oxide as the MRI contrast agent and near infrared (NIR dye Cy5.5 as the fluorescent agent. Results of in vitro experiments verified the specificity of the NP to tumor cells. In vivo tumor targeting and uptake of the NPs in a mouse model were visualized by fluorescence and MR imaging collected at different time points. Quantitative analysis was carried out to evaluate the efficacy of MRI contrast enhancement. Furthermore, tomographic images were also acquired using both imaging modalities and cross-validated information of tumor location and size between these two modalities was revealed. The results demonstrate that the use of dual-labeled NPs can facilitate the dual-modal detection of tumors, information cross-validation, and direct comparison by combing fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT and MRI. Keywords: dual-modality, fluorescence molecular tomography (FMT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, nanoparticle

  5. Marker Detection in Aerial Images

    KAUST Repository

    Alharbi, Yazeed

    2017-04-09

    The problem that the thesis is trying to solve is the detection of small markers in high-resolution aerial images. Given a high-resolution image, the goal is to return the pixel coordinates corresponding to the center of the marker in the image. The marker has the shape of two triangles sharing a vertex in the middle, and it occupies no more than 0.01% of the image size. An improvement on the Histogram of Oriented Gradients (HOG) is proposed, eliminating the majority of baseline HOG false positives for marker detection. The improvement is guided by the observation that standard HOG description struggles to separate markers from negatives patches containing an X shape. The proposed method alters intensities with the aim of altering gradients. The intensity-dependent gradient alteration leads to more separation between filled and unfilled shapes. The improvement is used in a two-stage algorithm to achieve high recall and high precision in detection of markers in aerial images. In the first stage, two classifiers are used: one to quickly eliminate most of the uninteresting parts of the image, and one to carefully select the marker among the remaining interesting regions. Interesting regions are selected by scanning the image with a fast classifier trained on the HOG features of markers in all rotations and scales. The next classifier is more precise and uses our method to eliminate the majority of the false positives of standard HOG. In the second stage, detected markers are tracked forward and backward in time. Tracking is needed to detect extremely blurred or distorted markers that are missed by the previous stage. The algorithm achieves 94% recall with minimal user guidance. An average of 30 guesses are given per image; the user verifies for each whether it is a marker or not. The brute force approach would return 100,000 guesses per image.

  6. Task analysis and structure scheme for center manager station in large container inspection system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Zheng; Gao Wenhuan; Wang Jingjin; Kang Kejun; Chen Zhiqiang

    1997-01-01

    LCIS works as follows: the accelerator generates beam pulses which are formed into fan shape; the scanning system drags a lorry with a container passing through the beam in constant speed; the detector array detects the beam penetrating the lorry; the projection data acquisition system reads the projections and completes an inspection image of the lorry. All these works are controlled and synchronized by the center manage station. The author will describe the process of the projection data acquisition in scanning mode and the methods of real-time projection data processing. the task analysis and the structure scheme of center manager station is presented

  7. COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE CENTER

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    DAVENPORT, J.

    2006-11-01

    Computational Science is an integral component of Brookhaven's multi science mission, and is a reflection of the increased role of computation across all of science. Brookhaven currently has major efforts in data storage and analysis for the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) and the ATLAS detector at CERN, and in quantum chromodynamics. The Laboratory is host for the QCDOC machines (quantum chromodynamics on a chip), 10 teraflop/s computers which boast 12,288 processors each. There are two here, one for the Riken/BNL Research Center and the other supported by DOE for the US Lattice Gauge Community and other scientific users. A 100 teraflop/s supercomputer will be installed at Brookhaven in the coming year, managed jointly by Brookhaven and Stony Brook, and funded by a grant from New York State. This machine will be used for computational science across Brookhaven's entire research program, and also by researchers at Stony Brook and across New York State. With Stony Brook, Brookhaven has formed the New York Center for Computational Science (NYCCS) as a focal point for interdisciplinary computational science, which is closely linked to Brookhaven's Computational Science Center (CSC). The CSC has established a strong program in computational science, with an emphasis on nanoscale electronic structure and molecular dynamics, accelerator design, computational fluid dynamics, medical imaging, parallel computing and numerical algorithms. We have been an active participant in DOES SciDAC program (Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing). We are also planning a major expansion in computational biology in keeping with Laboratory initiatives. Additional laboratory initiatives with a dependence on a high level of computation include the development of hydrodynamics models for the interpretation of RHIC data, computational models for the atmospheric transport of aerosols, and models for combustion and for energy utilization. The CSC was formed to

  8. Recasting image of contraceptives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rimon Jg; Kiragu, K

    1993-03-01

    Even though contraceptives are linked to sex which, along with sensuality and peer acceptance, is used to market consumer goods, contraceptives are promoted in a hygienic, clinical way. Glamorous images which divert from adverse health effects are used to sell unhealthy goods, e.g., alcohol and cigarettes, but technical and intimidating promotion techniques centering on risks are used to promote family planning (FP) products and services which actually save the lives of mothers and children and improve their health. Until recently, only the medical system provided FP products and services so consumers identified them with illness and a help-seeking behavior. The image of contraceptives must be remolded to gain people's attention. To avoid instilling mistrust of a method in consumers, even those who believe in birth spacing, it is important for images to be positive and to reflect accurate information. In Indonesia, the Dualima condom has been linked to responsible fatherhood thereby creating a positive image and removing the negative image of a condom being linked to illicit sex. In the US, condom adds show the user in control, especially in reference to AIDS. Prior to promotion of any contraceptive, complete, clear communication and marketing plans are needed to identify and to focus on consumers' perceived needs. A survey in Egypt shows that the most important attributes of a contraceptive are ease of use, healthiness, and effectiveness and that Egyptians considered IUDs to best fit these attributes. Images of contraceptive users often determine whether potential users do choose to use contraceptives. For example, in Cameroon and the Philippines, female users are considered to be smart, rich, educated, confident and in control of their lives. In the Philippines, male users are perceived to be loving, caring, and considerate husbands. The mass medias can improve providers' public image as was the case in Turkey and Egypt.

  9. A method to determine the detector locations of the cone-beam projection of the balls’ centers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Deng, Lin; Xi, Xiaoqi; Li, Lei; Han, Yu; Yan, Bin

    2015-01-01

    In geometric calibration of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT), sphere-like objects such as balls are widely imaged, the positioning information of which is obtained to determine the unknown geometric parameters. In this process, the accuracy of the detector location of CB projection of the center of the ball, which we call the center projection, is very important, since geometric calibration is sensitive to errors in the positioning information. Currently in almost all the geometric calibration using balls, the center projection is invariably estimated by the center of the support of the projection or the centroid of the intensity values inside the support approximately. Clackdoyle’s work indicates that the center projection is not always at the center of the support or the centroid of the intensity values inside, and has given a quantitative analysis of the maximum errors in evaluating the center projection by the centroid. In this paper, an exact method is proposed to calculate the center projection, utilizing both the detector location of the ellipse center and the two axis lengths of the ellipse. Numerical simulation results have demonstrated the precision and the robustness of the proposed method. Finally there are some comments on this work with non-uniform density balls, as well as the effect by the error occurred in the evaluation for the location of the orthogonal projection of the cone vertex onto the detector. (paper)

  10. Proton pinhole imaging on the National Ignition Facility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zylstra, A. B., E-mail: zylstra@lanl.gov [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545 (United States); Park, H.-S.; Ross, J. S.; Higginson, D. P.; Huntington, C.; Pollock, B.; Remington, B.; Rinderknecht, H. G.; Ryutov, D.; Turnbull, D.; Wilks, S. C. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Fiuza, F. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Menlo Park, California 94025 (United States); Frenje, J. A.; Li, C. K.; Petrasso, R. D.; Séguin, F. H. [Plasma Science and Fusion Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    Pinhole imaging of large (mm scale) carbon-deuterium (CD) plasmas by proton self-emission has been used for the first time to study the microphysics of shock formation, which is of astrophysical relevance. The 3 MeV deuterium-deuterium (DD) fusion proton self-emission from these plasmas is imaged using a novel pinhole imaging system, with up to five different 1 mm diameter pinholes positioned 25 cm from target-chamber center. CR39 is used as the detector medium, positioned at 100 cm distance from the pinhole for a magnification of 4 ×. A Wiener deconvolution algorithm is numerically demonstrated and used to interpret the images. When the spatial morphology is known, this algorithm accurately reproduces the size of features larger than about half the pinhole diameter. For these astrophysical plasma experiments on the National Ignition Facility, this provides a strong constraint on simulation modeling of the experiment.

  11. Organization and visualization of medical images in radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lorang, T.

    2001-05-01

    In modern radiotherapy, various imaging equipment is used to acquire views from inside human bodies. Tomographic imaging equipment is acquiring stacks of cross-sectional images, software implementations derive three-dimensional volumes from planar images to allow for visualization of reconstructed cross-sections at any orientation and location and higher-level visualization systems allow for transparent views and surface rendering. Of upcoming interest in radiotherapy is mutual information, the integration of information from multiple imaging equipment res. from the same imaging equipment at different time stamps and varying acquisition parameters. Huge amounts of images are acquired nowadays at radiotherapy centers, requiring organization of images with respect to patient, acquisition and equipment to allow for visualization of images in a comparative and integrative manner. Especially for integration of image information from different equipment, geometrical information is required to allow for registration of images res. volumes. DICOM 3.0 has been introduced as a standard for information interchange with respect to medical imaging. Geometric information of cross-sections, demographic information of patients and medical information of acquisitions and equipment are covered by this standard, allowing for a high-level automation with respect to organization and visualization of medical images. Reconstructing cross-sectional images from volumes at any orientation and location is required for the purpose of registration and multi-planar views. Resampling and addressing of discrete volume data need be implemented efficiently to allow for simultaneous visualization of multiple cross-sectional images, especially with respect to multiple, non-isotropy volume data sets. (author)

  12. Engineer Research and Development Center's Materials Testing Center (MTC)

    Data.gov (United States)

    Federal Laboratory Consortium — The Engineer Research and Development Center's Materials Testing Center (MTC) is committed to quality testing and inspection services that are delivered on time and...

  13. Challenges in sending large radiology images over military communications channels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cleary, Kevin R.; Levine, Betty A.; Norton, Gary S.; Mundur, Padmavathi V.

    1997-05-01

    In cooperation with the US Army, Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) deployed a teleradiology network to sites in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, and Germany in early 1996. This deployment was part of Operation Primetime III, a military project to provide state-of-the-art medical care to the 20,000 US troops stationed in Bosnia-Herzegovina.In a three-month time frame from January to April 1996, the Imaging Sciences and Information Systems (ISIS) Center at GUMC worked with the Army to design, develop, and deploy a teleradiology network for the digital storage and transmission of radiology images. This paper will discuss some of the problems associated with sending large files over communications networks with significant delays such as those introduced by satellite transmissions.Radiology images of up to 10 megabytes are acquired, stored, and transmitted over the wide area network (WAN). The WAN included leased lines from Germany to Hungary and a satellite link form Germany to Bosnia-Herzegovina. The communications links provided at least a T-1 bandwidth. The satellite link introduces a round-trip delay of approximately 500 milliseconds. This type of high bandwidth, high delay network is called a long fat network. The images are transferred across this network using the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP). By modifying the TCP/IP software to increase the window size, the throughput of the satellite link can be greatly improved.

  14. Perilaku Kreatif Pekerja Call Center: Peran Komunikasi dan Dukungan Training Center

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nugroho J. Setiadi

    2013-11-01

    Full Text Available Call center business in Indonesia is growing rapidly worldwide. This condition has had repercussions for a growing number of call center workers needed. They are forced to be more creative in performing their duties. This study aims to determine the role of communication and training center in supporting the creative performance of workers in call centers. The survey was conducted by distributing questionnaires to 100 respondents (employees of the 3 major companies in the field of telecommunication services in Indonesia. Regression analysis was used to analyze the data to examine the role of communication and training support center on creative performance. The results indicated that communication and training support center significantly influence the creative behavior in call center workers. Communication quality shown in the telecommunication service provider companies, such as the media quality, simplicity of information, dissemination of information, loads of information, and accuracy of messages, has shown good quality. In addition, the training program has shown its support for call center workers in the form of program effectiveness through research and data collection, determining the materials, training methods, choosing a coach, preparing facilities, selecting and implementing the program.

  15. Trauma Center Staffing, Infrastructure, and Patient Characteristics that Influence Trauma Center Need

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Faul, Mark

    2014-11-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: The most effective use of trauma center resources helps reduce morbidity and mortality, while saving costs. Identifying critical infrastructure characteristics, patient characteristics and staffing components of a trauma center associated with the proportion of patients needing major trauma care will help planners create better systems for patient care.   Methods: We used the 2009 National Trauma Data Bank-Research Dataset to determine the proportion of critically injured patients requiring the resources of a trauma center within each Level I-IV trauma center (n=443. The outcome variable was defined as the portion of treated patients who were critically injured. We defined the need for critical trauma resources and interventions (“trauma center need” as death prior to hospital discharge, admission to the intensive care unit, or admission to the operating room from the emergency department as a result of acute traumatic injury. Generalized Linear Modeling (GLM was used to determine how hospital infrastructure, staffing Levels, and patient characteristics contributed to trauma center need.     Results: Nonprofit Level I and II trauma centers were significantly associated with higher levels of trauma center need. Trauma centers that had a higher percentage of transferred patients or a lower percentage of insured patients were associated with a higher proportion of trauma center need.  Hospital infrastructure characteristics, such as bed capacity and intensive care unit capacity, were not associated with trauma center need. A GLM for Level III and IV trauma centers showed that the number of trauma surgeons on staff was associated with trauma center need. Conclusion: Because the proportion of trauma center need is predominantly influenced by hospital type, transfer frequency, and insurance status, it is important for administrators to consider patient population characteristics of the catchment area when planning the

  16. FBP and BPF reconstruction methods for circular X-ray tomography with off-center detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaefer, Dirk; Grass, Michael; Haar, Peter van de

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Circular scanning with an off-center planar detector is an acquisition scheme that allows to save detector area while keeping a large field of view (FOV). Several filtered back-projection (FBP) algorithms have been proposed earlier. The purpose of this work is to present two newly developed back-projection filtration (BPF) variants and evaluate the image quality of these methods compared to the existing state-of-the-art FBP methods. Methods: The first new BPF algorithm applies redundancy weighting of overlapping opposite projections before differentiation in a single projection. The second one uses the Katsevich-type differentiation involving two neighboring projections followed by redundancy weighting and back-projection. An averaging scheme is presented to mitigate streak artifacts inherent to circular BPF algorithms along the Hilbert filter lines in the off-center transaxial slices of the reconstructions. The image quality is assessed visually on reconstructed slices of simulated and clinical data. Quantitative evaluation studies are performed with the Forbild head phantom by calculating root-mean-squared-deviations (RMSDs) to the voxelized phantom for different detector overlap settings and by investigating the noise resolution trade-off with a wire phantom in the full detector and off-center scenario. Results: The noise-resolution behavior of all off-center reconstruction methods corresponds to their full detector performance with the best resolution for the FDK based methods with the given imaging geometry. With respect to RMSD and visual inspection, the proposed BPF with Katsevich-type differentiation outperforms all other methods for the smallest chosen detector overlap of about 15 mm. The best FBP method is the algorithm that is also based on the Katsevich-type differentiation and subsequent redundancy weighting. For wider overlap of about 40-50 mm, these two algorithms produce similar results outperforming the other three methods. The clinical

  17. Presurgical mapping with magnetic source imaging. Comparisons with intraoperative findings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roberts, T.P.L.; Ferrari, P.; Perry, D.; Rowley, H.A.; Berger, M.S.

    2000-01-01

    We compare noninvasive preoperative mapping with magnetic source imaging to intraoperative cortical stimulation mapping. These techniques were directly compared in 17 patients who underwent preoperative and postoperative somatosensory mapping of a total of 22 comparable anatomic sites (digits, face). Our findings are presented in the context of previous studies that used magnetic source imaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging as noninvasive surrogates of intraoperative mapping for the identification of sensorimotor and language-specific brain functional centers in patients with brain tumors. We found that magnetic source imaging results were reasonably concordant with intraoperative mapping findings in over 90% of cases, and that concordance could be defined as 'good' in 77% of cases. Magnetic source imaging therefore provides a viable, if coarse, identification of somatosensory areas and, consequently, can guide and reduce the time taken for intraoperative mapping procedures. (author)

  18. An open architecture for medical image workstation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, Liang; Hu, Zhiqiang; Wang, Xiangyun

    2005-04-01

    Dealing with the difficulties of integrating various medical image viewing and processing technologies with a variety of clinical and departmental information systems and, in the meantime, overcoming the performance constraints in transferring and processing large-scale and ever-increasing image data in healthcare enterprise, we design and implement a flexible, usable and high-performance architecture for medical image workstations. This architecture is not developed for radiology only, but for any workstations in any application environments that may need medical image retrieving, viewing, and post-processing. This architecture contains an infrastructure named Memory PACS and different kinds of image applications built on it. The Memory PACS is in charge of image data caching, pre-fetching and management. It provides image applications with a high speed image data access and a very reliable DICOM network I/O. In dealing with the image applications, we use dynamic component technology to separate the performance-constrained modules from the flexibility-constrained modules so that different image viewing or processing technologies can be developed and maintained independently. We also develop a weakly coupled collaboration service, through which these image applications can communicate with each other or with third party applications. We applied this architecture in developing our product line and it works well. In our clinical sites, this architecture is applied not only in Radiology Department, but also in Ultrasonic, Surgery, Clinics, and Consultation Center. Giving that each concerned department has its particular requirements and business routines along with the facts that they all have different image processing technologies and image display devices, our workstations are still able to maintain high performance and high usability.

  19. User-centered design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Baik, Joo Hyun; Kim, Hyeong Heon

    2008-01-01

    The simplification philosophy, as an example, that both of EPRI-URD and EUR emphasize is treated mostly for the cost reduction of the nuclear power plants, but not for the simplification of the structure of user's tasks, which is one of the principles of user-centered design. A user-centered design is a philosophy based on the needs and interests of the user, with an emphasis on making products usable and understandable. However, the nuclear power plants offered these days by which the predominant reactor vendors are hardly user-centered but still designer-centered or technology-centered in viewpoint of fulfilling user requirements. The main goal of user-centered design is that user requirements are elicited correctly, reflected properly into the system requirements, and verified thoroughly by the tests. Starting from the user requirements throughout to the final test, each requirement should be traceable. That's why requirement traceability is a key to the user-centered design, and main theme of a requirement management program, which is suggested to be added into EPRI-URD and EUR in the section of Design Process. (author)

  20. Magnetic resonance imaging of athletic pubalgia and the sports hernia: current understanding and practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Waseem; Zoga, Adam C; Meyers, William C

    2013-02-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has become the standard imaging modality for activity-related groin pain. Lesions, including rectus abdominis/adductor aponeurosis injury and osteitis pubis, can be accurately identified and delineated in patients with clinical conditions termed athletic pubalgia, core injury, and sports hernia. A dedicated noncontrast athletic pubalgia MRI protocol is easy to implement and should be available at musculoskeletal MR imaging centers. This article will review pubic anatomy, imaging considerations, specific lesions, and common MRI findings encountered in the setting of musculoskeletal groin pain. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Microscopy imaging system and method employing stimulated raman spectroscopy as a contrast mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xie, Xiaoliang Sunney [Lexington, MA; Freudiger, Christian [Boston, MA; Min, Wei [Cambridge, MA

    2011-09-27

    A microscopy imaging system includes a first light source for providing a first train of pulses at a first center optical frequency .omega..sub.1, a second light source for providing a second train of pulses at a second center optical frequency .omega..sub.2, a modulator system, an optical detector, and a processor. The modulator system is for modulating a beam property of the second train of pulses at a modulation frequency f of at least 100 kHz. The optical detector is for detecting an integrated intensity of substantially all optical frequency components of the first train of pulses from the common focal volume by blocking the second train of pulses being modulated. The processor is for detecting, a modulation at the modulation frequency f, of the integrated intensity of the optical frequency components of the first train of pulses to provide a pixel of an image for the microscopy imaging system.

  2. Imaging and Data Acquisition in Clinical Trials for Radiation Therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    FitzGerald, Thomas J., E-mail: Thomas.Fitzgerald@umassmed.edu [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Rhode Island, University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts (United States); Bishop-Jodoin, Maryann [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Rhode Island, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts (United States); Followill, David S. [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas (United States); Galvin, James [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Philadelphia, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Knopp, Michael V. [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Ohio, Wexner Medical Center, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio (United States); Michalski, Jeff M. [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core St. Louis, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri (United States); Rosen, Mark A. [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (United States); Bradley, Jeffrey D. [Washington University School of Medicine–Radiation Oncology, St. Louis, Missouri (United States); Shankar, Lalitha K. [National Cancer Institute, Clinical Radiation Oncology Branch, Rockville, Maryland (United States); Laurie, Fran [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Rhode Island, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts (United States); Cicchetti, M. Giulia; Moni, Janaki [Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Rhode Island, University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts (United States); Coleman, C. Norman; Deye, James A.; Capala, Jacek; Vikram, Bhadrasain [National Cancer Institute, Clinical Radiation Oncology Branch, Rockville, Maryland (United States)

    2016-02-01

    Cancer treatment evolves through oncology clinical trials. Cancer trials are multimodal and complex. Assuring high-quality data are available to answer not only study objectives but also questions not anticipated at study initiation is the role of quality assurance. The National Cancer Institute reorganized its cancer clinical trials program in 2014. The National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) was formed and within it was established a Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance Organization. This organization is Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core, the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Group, consisting of 6 quality assurance centers that provide imaging and radiation therapy quality assurance for the NCTN. Sophisticated imaging is used for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management as well as for image-driven technologies to plan and execute radiation treatment. Integration of imaging and radiation oncology data acquisition, review, management, and archive strategies are essential for trial compliance and future research. Lessons learned from previous trials are and provide evidence to support diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy data acquisition in NCTN trials.

  3. Imaging and Data Acquisition in Clinical Trials for Radiation Therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FitzGerald, Thomas J.; Bishop-Jodoin, Maryann; Followill, David S.; Galvin, James; Knopp, Michael V.; Michalski, Jeff M.; Rosen, Mark A.; Bradley, Jeffrey D.; Shankar, Lalitha K.; Laurie, Fran; Cicchetti, M. Giulia; Moni, Janaki; Coleman, C. Norman; Deye, James A.; Capala, Jacek; Vikram, Bhadrasain

    2016-01-01

    Cancer treatment evolves through oncology clinical trials. Cancer trials are multimodal and complex. Assuring high-quality data are available to answer not only study objectives but also questions not anticipated at study initiation is the role of quality assurance. The National Cancer Institute reorganized its cancer clinical trials program in 2014. The National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) was formed and within it was established a Diagnostic Imaging and Radiation Therapy Quality Assurance Organization. This organization is Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core, the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Group, consisting of 6 quality assurance centers that provide imaging and radiation therapy quality assurance for the NCTN. Sophisticated imaging is used for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and management as well as for image-driven technologies to plan and execute radiation treatment. Integration of imaging and radiation oncology data acquisition, review, management, and archive strategies are essential for trial compliance and future research. Lessons learned from previous trials are and provide evidence to support diagnostic imaging and radiation therapy data acquisition in NCTN trials.

  4. Aerial view of the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center

    Science.gov (United States)

    1998-01-01

    The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Center, shown in this aerial view looking south, sprawls across 70 acres on Florida's Space Coast , and is located off State Road 405, NASA Parkway, six miles inside the Space Center entrance. SR 405 can be seen at the bottom of the photo. Just above the roadway, from left can be seen the Shuttle/Gantry mockup; the Post Show Dome; the Astronaut Memorial; and to the far right, the Center for Space Education. Behind the Memorial are a cluster of buildings that include the Theater Complex, Cafeteria, Space Flight Exhibit Building, Souvenir Sales Building, Spaceport Central, and Ticket Pavilion. At the upper right are various rockets that have played a significant role in the growth of the space program.

  5. Wound care centers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pressure ulcer - wound care center; Decubitus ulcer - wound care center; Diabetic ulcer - wound care center; Surgical wound - wound ... Common types of non-healing wounds include: Pressure sores Surgical ... flow, or swollen legs Certain wounds may not heal well due to: ...

  6. Magnetic resonance imaging diagnosis of acute Guillain-Barré syndrome in children

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Zhongjun Hou; Xiaojun Yu; Huimin Jiang; Xi Li; Bingyi Cao; Yaotang Chen; Jiao Chen

    2011-01-01

    The present study examined 24 children with acute Guillain-Barré syndrome using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) plain scans and fat-suppressed enhanced T1-weighted imaging (T1WI)scans. Axial MRI plain scans centering on the medullary conus were positive in nine patients (38%).These displayed variable thickening involving the cauda equina with isointensity on T1WI and isointensity or slight hyperintensity on T2WI. False negatives were obtained in patients with cervical and cranial nerve symptoms. Contrast enhancement of T1WI with fat suppression w as positive in all patients in the cauda equina with varied thickening and enhancement centering on the medullary conus. Five patients (36%) were positive in the cervical nerves and 3 patients (50%) were positive in the cranial nerves. These patients had corresponding cervical and cranial nerve symptoms,respectively. Patients with serious clinical symptoms in the lower limbs exhibited obvious involvement of the cauda equina by MRI. Statistical analysis revealed a positive correlation between the extent of enlargement of the cauda equina, centering on the medullary conus, and cerebrospinal fluid protein concentration.

  7. Teleconsultation in image guided dental implantology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Truppe, M.; Kawana, H.; Schicho, K.; Ewers, R.

    2008-01-01

    Telemedicine encourages the separation of highly knowledge-based, diagnosis/consultation-oriented activities from skill centered activities such as surgical patient treatment. Teleconsultation is defined as consultation, evaluation and management services provided to patients via telecommunication systems with out face-to-face interaction between patient and health-care provider. The increasing clinical relevance of computer assisted navigation technology promoted new perspectives in telemedicine utilizing live sensor data to enhance remote visualization. Any digital content, i.e. digital images from imaging modalities (most frequently Computed Tomography (CT) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) as well as navigation data (e.g. intraoperative coordinates of surgical instruments relatively to preplanned pathways and target-points at the patient, implant positions, etc.), can be transferred without any loss of information. This means that remote experts can be involved in surgical interventions or preoperative planning sessions while being supplied with identical information as the 'local' staff. Examples from computer assisted dental implantology are given as well as a case study.

  8. A hyperspectral image analysis workbench for environmental science applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Christiansen, J.H.; Zawada, D.G.; Simunich, K.L.; Slater, J.C.

    1992-01-01

    A significant challenge to the information sciences is to provide more powerful and accessible means to exploit the enormous wealth of data available from high-resolution imaging spectrometry, or hyperspectral'' imagery, for analysis, for mapping purposes, and for input to environmental modeling applications. As an initial response to this challenge, Argonne's Advanced Computer Applications Center has developed a workstation-based prototype software workbench which employs Al techniques and other advanced approaches to deduce surface characteristics and extract features from the hyperspectral images. Among its current capabilities, the prototype system can classify pixels by abstract surface type. The classification process employs neural network analysis of inputs which include pixel spectra and a variety of processed image metrics, including image texture spectra'' derived from fractal signatures computed for subimage tiles at each wavelength.

  9. PHOTOMETRIC TRENDS IN THE VISIBLE SOLAR CONTINUUM AND THEIR SENSITIVITY TO THE CENTER-TO-LIMB PROFILE

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Peck, C. L.; Rast, M. P.

    2015-01-01

    Solar irradiance variations over solar rotational timescales are largely determined by the passage of magnetic structures across the visible solar disk. Variations on solar cycle timescales are thought to be similarly due to changes in surface magnetism with activity. Understanding the contribution of magnetic structures to total solar irradiance and solar spectral irradiance requires assessing their contributions as a function of disk position. Since only relative photometry is possible from the ground, the contrasts of image pixels are measured with respect to a center-to-limb intensity profile. Using nine years of full-disk red and blue continuum images from the Precision Solar Photometric Telescope at the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory, we examine the sensitivity of continuum contrast measurements to the center-to-limb profile definition. Profiles which differ only by the amount of magnetic activity allowed in the pixels used to determine them yield oppositely signed solar cycle length continuum contrast trends, either agreeing with previous results and showing negative correlation with solar cycle or disagreeing and showing positive correlation with solar cycle. Changes in the center-to-limb profile shape over the solar cycle are responsible for the contradictory contrast results, and we demonstrate that the lowest contrast structures, internetwork and network, are most sensitive to these. Thus the strengths of the full-disk, internetwork, and network photometric trends depend critically on the magnetic flux density used in the quiet-Sun definition. We conclude that the contributions of low contrast magnetic structures to variations in the solar continuum output, particularly to long-term variations, are difficult, if not impossible, to determine without the use of radiometric imaging

  10. White centered retinal hemorrhages in vitamin b(12) deficiency anemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zehetner, Claus; Bechrakis, Nikolaos E

    2011-05-01

    To report a case of severe vitamin B(12) deficiency anemia presenting with white centered retinal hemorrhages. Interventional case report. A 40-year-old man, general practitioner himself, presented with a 1-day history of diminished left visual acuity and a drop-shaped central scotoma. The corrected visual acuities were 20/20, OD and 20/100, OS. Ophthalmic examination revealed bilaterally pale tarsal conjunctiva, discretely icteric bulbar conjunctiva and disseminated white centered intraretinal hemorrhages with foveal involvement. OCT imaging through these lesions revealed a retinal thickening caused by a sub-ILM accumulation of hyperreflective and inhomogeneous deposits within the nerve fiber layer. Immediate laboratory work-up showed severe megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B(12) deficiency requiring erythrocyte transfusions. Most reports of white centered retinal hemorrhages have been described in patients with leukemic retinopathy and bacterial endocarditis. It is interesting that this case of vitamin B(12) deficiency anemia retinopathy has a clinically indistinguishable fundus appearance. This is probably due to the common pathology of capillary disruption and subsequent hemostatic fibrin plug formation. In megaloblastic anemia, direct anoxia results in endothelial dysfunction. The loss of impermeability allows extrusion of whole blood and subsequent diffusion from the disrupted site throughout and above the nerve fiber layer. Therefore the biomicroscopic pattern of white centered hemorrhages observed in anemic retinopathy is most likely due to the clot formation as the reparative sequence after capillary rupture.

  11. White Centered Retinal Hemorrhages in Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claus Zehetner

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: To report a case of severe vitamin B12 deficiency anemia presenting with white centered retinal hemorrhages. Methods: Interventional case report. Results: A 40-year-old man, general practitioner himself, presented with a 1-day history of diminished left visual acuity and a drop-shaped central scotoma. The corrected visual acuities were 20/20, OD and 20/100, OS. Ophthalmic examination revealed bilaterally pale tarsal conjunctiva, discretely icteric bulbar conjunctiva and disseminated white centered intraretinal hemorrhages with foveal involvement. OCT imaging through these lesions revealed a retinal thickening caused by a sub-ILM accumulation of hyperreflective and inhomogeneous deposits within the nerve fiber layer. Immediate laboratory work-up showed severe megaloblastic anemia caused by vitamin B12 deficiency requiring erythrocyte transfusions. Discussion: Most reports of white centered retinal hemorrhages have been described in patients with leukemic retinopathy and bacterial endocarditis. It is interesting that this case of vitamin B12 deficiency anemia retinopathy has a clinically indistinguishable fundus appearance. This is probably due to the common pathology of capillary disruption and subsequent hemostatic fibrin plug formation. In megaloblastic anemia, direct anoxia results in endothelial dysfunction. The loss of impermeability allows extrusion of whole blood and subsequent diffusion from the disrupted site throughout and above the nerve fiber layer. Therefore the biomicroscopic pattern of white centered hemorrhages observed in anemic retinopathy is most likely due to the clot formation as the reparative sequence after capillary rupture.

  12. Reliability and Accuracy of Brain Volume Measurement on MR Imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yamagchii, Kechiro; Lassen, Anders; Ring, Poul

    1998-01-01

    Yamaguchi, K., Lassen, A. And Ring, P. Reliability and Accuracy of Brain Volume Measurement on MR Imaging. Abstract at ESMRMB98 European Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine and Biology, Geneva, Sept 17-20, 1998 Danish Research Center for Magnetic Resonance, Hvidovre University Hospital...

  13. The role of informatics in patient-centered care and personalized medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hanna, Matthew G; Pantanowitz, Liron

    2017-06-01

    The practice of cytopathology has dramatically changed due to advances in genomics and information technology. Cytology laboratories have accordingly become increasingly dependent on pathology informatics support to meet the emerging demands of precision medicine. Pathology informatics deals with information technology in the laboratory, and the impact of this technology on workflow processes and staff who interact with these tools. This article covers the critical role that laboratory information systems, electronic medical records, and digital imaging plays in patient-centered personalized medicine. The value of integrated diagnostic reports, clinical decision support, and the use of whole-slide imaging to better evaluate cytology samples destined for molecular testing is discussed. Image analysis that offers more precise and quantitative measurements in cytology is addressed, as well as the role of bioinformatics tools to cope with Big Data from next-generation sequencing. This article also highlights the barriers to the widespread adoption of these disruptive technologies due to regulatory obstacles, limited commercial solutions, poor interoperability, and lack of standardization. Cancer Cytopathol 2017;125(6 suppl):494-501. © 2017 American Cancer Society. © 2017 American Cancer Society.

  14. Telecytology: Is it possible with smartphone images?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahin, Davut; Hacisalihoglu, Uguray Payam; Kirimlioglu, Saime Hale

    2018-01-01

    This study aimed to discuss smartphone usage in telecytology and determine intraobserver concordance between microscopic cytopathological diagnoses and diagnoses derived via static smartphone images. The study was conducted with 172 cytologic material. A pathologist captured static images of the cytology slides from the ocular lens of a microscope using a smartphone. The images were transferred via WhatsApp® to a cytopathologist working in another center who made all the microscopic cytopathological diagnoses 5-27 months ago. The cytopathologist diagnosed images on a smartphone without knowledge of their previous microscopic diagnoses. The Kappa agreement between microscopic cytopathological diagnoses and smartphone image diagnoses was determined. The average image capturing, transfer, and remote cytopathological diagnostic time for one case was 6.20 minutes. The percentage of cases whose microscopic and smartphone image diagnoses were concordant was 84.30%, and the percentage of those whose diagnoses were discordant was 15.69%. The highest Kappa agreement was observed in endoscopic ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (1.000), and the lowest agreement was observed in urine cytology (0.665). Patient management changed with smart phone image diagnoses at 11.04%. This study showed that easy, fast, and high-quality image capturing and transfer is possible from cytology slides using smartphones. The intraobserver Kappa agreement between the microscopic cytopathological diagnoses and remote smartphone image diagnoses was high. It was found that remote diagnosis due to difficulties in telecytology might change patient management. The developments in the smartphone camera technology and transfer software make them efficient telepathology and telecytology tools. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  15. Preliminary examples of 3D vector flow imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pihl, Michael Johannes; Stuart, Matthias Bo; Tomov, Borislav Gueorguiev

    2013-01-01

    This paper presents 3D vector flow images obtained using the 3D Transverse Oscillation (TO) method. The method employs a 2D transducer and estimates the three velocity components simultaneously, which is important for visualizing complex flow patterns. Data are acquired using the experimental ult...... as opposed to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The results demonstrate that the 3D TO method is capable of performing 3D vector flow imaging.......This paper presents 3D vector flow images obtained using the 3D Transverse Oscillation (TO) method. The method employs a 2D transducer and estimates the three velocity components simultaneously, which is important for visualizing complex flow patterns. Data are acquired using the experimental...... ultrasound scanner SARUS on a flow rig system with steady flow. The vessel of the flow-rig is centered at a depth of 30 mm, and the flow has an expected 2D circular-symmetric parabolic prole with a peak velocity of 1 m/s. Ten frames of 3D vector flow images are acquired in a cross-sectional plane orthogonal...

  16. Narrow-Band Imaging: Clinical Application in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Barbeiro

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Narrow-band imaging is an advanced imaging system that applies optic digital methods to enhance endoscopic images and improves visualization of the mucosal surface architecture and microvascular pattern. Narrow-band imaging use has been suggested to be an important adjunctive tool to white-light endoscopy to improve the detection of lesions in the digestive tract. Importantly, it also allows the distinction between benign and malignant lesions, targeting biopsies, prediction of the risk of invasive cancer, delimitation of resection margins, and identification of residual neoplasia in a scar. Thus, in expert hands it is a useful tool that enables the physician to decide on the best treatment (endoscopic or surgical and management. Current evidence suggests that it should be used routinely for patients at increased risk for digestive neoplastic lesions and could become the standard of care in the near future, at least in referral centers. However, adequate training programs to promote the implementation of narrow-band imaging in daily clinical practice are needed. In this review, we summarize the current scientific evidence on the clinical usefulness of narrow-band imaging in the diagnosis and characterization of digestive tract lesions/cancers and describe the available classification systems.

  17. Freezing effect on bread appearance evaluated by digital imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zayas, Inna Y.

    1999-01-01

    In marketing channels, bread is sometimes delivered in a frozen sate for distribution. Changes occur in physical dimensions, crumb grain and appearance of slices. Ten loaves, twelve bread slices per loaf were scanned for digital image analysis and then frozen in a commercial refrigerator. The bread slices were stored for four weeks scanned again, permitted to thaw and scanned a third time. Image features were extracted, to determine shape, size and image texture of the slices. Different thresholds of grey levels were set to detect changes that occurred in crumb, images were binarized at these settings. The number of pixels falling into these gray level settings were determined for each slice. Image texture features of subimages of each slice were calculated to quantify slice crumb grain. The image features of the slice size showed shrinking of bread slices, as a results of freezing and storage, although shape of slices did not change markedly. Visible crumb texture changes occurred and these changes were depicted by changes in image texture features. Image texture features showed that slice crumb changed differently at the center of a slice compared to a peripheral area close to the crust. Image texture and slice features were sufficient for discrimination of slices before and after freezing and after thawing.

  18. Data Center Tasking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Temares, M. Lewis; Lutheran, Joseph A.

    Operations tasking for data center management is discussed. The original and revised organizational structures of the data center at the University of Miami are also described. The organizational strategy addresses the functions that should be performed by the data center, anticipates the specialized skills required, and addresses personnel…

  19. Testing General Relativity with High-Resolution Imaging of Sgr A*

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Broderick, Avery E; Loeb, Abraham

    2006-01-01

    Submilliarcsecond astrometry and imaging of the black hole Sgr A* at the Galactic Center may become possible in the near future at infrared and submillimetre wavelengths. This resolution is sufficient to observe the silhouette the supermassive black hole in the Galactic center casts upon background emission. However, more exciting is the prospect of observing 'hot spots' in the accretion fbw. Here we discuss how such measurements may be used to test not only the consistency of General Relativity, but also the validity of the Kerr metric in particular

  20. Testing General Relativity with High-Resolution Imaging of Sgr A*

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Broderick, Avery E; Loeb, Abraham [Institute for Theory and Computation, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Cambridge, MA, 02145 (United States)

    2006-12-15

    Submilliarcsecond astrometry and imaging of the black hole Sgr A* at the Galactic Center may become possible in the near future at infrared and submillimetre wavelengths. This resolution is sufficient to observe the silhouette the supermassive black hole in the Galactic center casts upon background emission. However, more exciting is the prospect of observing 'hot spots' in the accretion fbw. Here we discuss how such measurements may be used to test not only the consistency of General Relativity, but also the validity of the Kerr metric in particular.