Insertion and fixation of fiducial markers for setup and tracking of lung tumors in radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imura, Mikado; Yamazaki, Koichi; Shirato, Hiroki; Onimaru, Rikiya; Fujino, Masaharu; Shimizu, Shinichi; Harada, Toshiyuki; Ogura, Shigeaki; Dosaka-Akita, Hirotoshi; Miyasaka, Kazuo; Nishimura, Masaharu

2005-01-01

Purpose: Internal 1.5-mm fiducial markers were used in real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RT) for lung cancer. The fixation rate of the markers using the bronchial insertion technique, reliability of the setup using markers around the target volume, dislocation of the markers after real-time tumor-tracking RT, and long-term toxicity of marker insertion were investigated. Methods and Materials: Between July 2000 and April 2004, 154 gold markers were inserted into 57 patients with peripheral lung cancer. The distances between the implanted markers in 198 measurements in 71 setups in 11 patients were measured using two sets of orthogonal diagnostic X-ray images of the real-time tumor-tracking RT system. The distance between the markers and the chest wall was also measured in a transaxial CT image on 186 occasions in 48 patients during treatment planning and during follow-up. The median treatment time was 6 days (range, 4-14 days). Results: In 115 (75%) of the 154 inserted markers, the gold marker was detected throughout the treatment period. In 122 markers detected at CT planning, 115 (94%) were detected until the end of treatment. The variation in the distances between the implanted markers was within ±2 mm in 95% and ±1 mm in 80% during treatment. The variation in the distances between the implanted markers was >2 mm in at least one direction in 9% of the setups for which reexamination with a CT scan was indicated. The fixation rate in the left upper lobe was lower than in the other lobes. A statistically significant relationship was found between a shorter distance between the markers and the chest wall and the fixation rate, suggesting that the markers in the smaller bronchial lumens fixed better than those in the larger lumens. A learning curve among the endoscopists was suggested in the fixation rate. The distance between the markers and the chest wall changed significantly within a median of 44 days (range, 16-181 days) after treatment. Conclusion: The

Development of marker-based tracking methods for augmented reality applied to NPP maintenance work support and its experimental evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, H.; Fujino, H.; Bian, Z.; Sekiyama, T.; Shimoda, H.; Yoshikawa, H.

2006-01-01

In this study, two types of marker-based tracking methods for Augmented Reality have been developed. One is a method which employs line-shaped markers and the other is a method which employs circular-shaped markers. These two methods recognize the markers by means of image processing and calculate the relative position and orientation between the markers and the camera in real time. The line-shaped markers are suitable to be pasted in the buildings such as NPPs where many pipes and tanks exist. The circular-shaped markers are suitable for the case that there are many obstacles and it is difficult to use line-shaped markers because the obstacles hide the part of the line-shaped markers. Both methods can extend the maximum distance between the markers and the camera compared to the legacy marker-based tracking methods. (authors)

Symptoms of depression as possible markers of bipolar II disorder.

Science.gov (United States)

Benazzi, Franco

2006-05-01

Underdiagnosis and misdiagnosis of bipolar-II disorder (BP-II) as a major depressive disorder (MDD) are frequently reported. The study aim was to find which symptoms of depression could be possible cross-sectional markers of BP-II, in order to reduce underdiagnosing BP-II. Consecutive 379 BP-II and 271 MDD major depressive episode (MDE) outpatients were interviewed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV, the Hypomania Interview Guide, and the Family History Screen, by a senior psychiatrist in a private practice. Inside-MDE hypomanic symptoms (elevated mood and increased self-esteem always absent by definition) were systematically assessed. Mixed depression was defined as an MDE plus 3 or more inside-MDE hypomanic symptoms, a definition validated by Akiskal and Benazzi. The MDE symptoms significantly more common in BP-II versus MDD were weight gain, increased eating, hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation, worthlessness, and diminished ability to concentrate. The inside-MDE hypomanic symptoms significantly more common in BP-II were distractibility, racing/crowded thoughts, irritability, psychomotor agitation, more talkativeness, increased risky and goal-directed activities. Multiple logistic regression showed that hypersomnia, racing/crowded thoughts, irritability, and psychomotor agitation were independent predictors of BP-II. Irritability had the most balanced combination of sensitivity and specificity predicting BP-II. Psychomotor agitation had the highest specificity but the lowest sensitivity. Racing/crowded thoughts had the highest sensitivity but the lowest specificity. These symptoms had a similar positive predictive value (PPV) for BP-II, which was around 70% (PPV is more clinically useful than sensitivity and specificity), which in turn was similar to the PPV of mixed depression and atypical depression (two diagnostic clinical markers of BP-II). All possible combinations of these symptoms had a PPV similar to that of the individual symptoms. The

RadSTraM: Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring, Phase II Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Warren, Tracy A [ORNL; Walker, Randy M [ORNL; Hill, David E [ORNL; Gross, Ian G [ORNL; Smith, Cyrus M [ORNL; Abercrombie, Robert K [ORNL

2008-12-01

This report focuses on the technical information gained from the Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring (RadSTraM) Phase II investigation and its implications. The intent of the RadSTraM project was to determine the feasibility of tracking radioactive materials in commerce, particularly International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Category 3 and 4 materials. Specifically, Phase II of the project addressed tracking radiological medical isotopes in commerce. These categories of materials are susceptible to loss or theft but the problem is not being addressed by other agencies.

RadSTraM: Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring, Phase II Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warren, Tracy A.; Walker, Randy M.; Hill, David E.; Gross, Ian G.; Smith, Cyrus M.; Abercrombie, Robert K.

2008-01-01

This report focuses on the technical information gained from the Radiological Source Tracking and Monitoring (RadSTraM) Phase II investigation and its implications. The intent of the RadSTraM project was to determine the feasibility of tracking radioactive materials in commerce, particularly International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Category 3 and 4 materials. Specifically, Phase II of the project addressed tracking radiological medical isotopes in commerce. These categories of materials are susceptible to loss or theft but the problem is not being addressed by other agencies

The track finding algorithm of the Belle II vertex detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bilka Tadeas

2017-01-01

Full Text Available The Belle II experiment is a high energy multi purpose particle detector operated at the asymmetric e+e− - collider SuperKEKB in Tsukuba (Japan. In this work we describe the algorithm performing the pattern recognition for inner tracking detector which consists of two layers of pixel detectors and four layers of double sided silicon strip detectors arranged around the interaction region. The track finding algorithm will be used both during the High Level Trigger on-line track reconstruction and during the off-line full reconstruction. It must provide good efficiency down to momenta as low as 50 MeV/c where material effects are sizeable even in an extremely thin detector as the VXD. In addition it has to be able to cope with the high occupancy of the Belle II detectors due to the background. The underlying concept of the track finding algorithm, as well as details of the implementation are outlined. The algorithm is proven to run with good performance on simulated ϒ(4S → BB̄ events with an efficiency for reconstructing tracks of above 90% over a wide range of momentum.

SU-G-BRA-05: Application of a Feature-Based Tracking Algorithm to KV X-Ray Fluoroscopic Images Toward Marker-Less Real-Time Tumor Tracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nakamura, M; Matsuo, Y; Mukumoto, N; Iizuka, Y; Yokota, K; Mizowaki, T; Hiraoka, M [Kyoto University, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto (Japan); Nakao, M [Kyoto University, Graduate School of Informatics, Kyoto (Japan)

2016-06-15

Purpose: To detect target position on kV X-ray fluoroscopic images using a feature-based tracking algorithm, Accelerated-KAZE (AKAZE), for markerless real-time tumor tracking (RTTT). Methods: Twelve lung cancer patients treated with RTTT on the Vero4DRT (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, and Brainlab AG, Feldkirchen, Germany) were enrolled in this study. Respiratory tumor movement was greater than 10 mm. Three to five fiducial markers were implanted around the lung tumor transbronchially for each patient. Before beam delivery, external infrared (IR) markers and the fiducial markers were monitored for 20 to 40 s with the IR camera every 16.7 ms and with an orthogonal kV x-ray imaging subsystem every 80 or 160 ms, respectively. Target positions derived from the fiducial markers were determined on the orthogonal kV x-ray images, which were used as the ground truth in this study. Meanwhile, tracking positions were identified by AKAZE. Among a lot of feature points, AKAZE found high-quality feature points through sequential cross-check and distance-check between two consecutive images. Then, these 2D positional data were converted to the 3D positional data by a transformation matrix with a predefined calibration parameter. Root mean square error (RMSE) was calculated to evaluate the difference between 3D tracking and target positions. A total of 393 frames was analyzed. The experiment was conducted on a personal computer with 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7-2600, 3.4 GHz processor. Results: Reproducibility of the target position during the same respiratory phase was 0.6 +/− 0.6 mm (range, 0.1–3.3 mm). Mean +/− SD of the RMSEs was 0.3 +/− 0.2 mm (range, 0.0–1.0 mm). Median computation time per frame was 179 msec (range, 154–247 msec). Conclusion: AKAZE successfully and quickly detected the target position on kV X-ray fluoroscopic images. Initial results indicate that the differences between 3D tracking and target position would be clinically acceptable.

SU-G-BRA-05: Application of a Feature-Based Tracking Algorithm to KV X-Ray Fluoroscopic Images Toward Marker-Less Real-Time Tumor Tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, M; Matsuo, Y; Mukumoto, N; Iizuka, Y; Yokota, K; Mizowaki, T; Hiraoka, M; Nakao, M

2016-01-01

Purpose: To detect target position on kV X-ray fluoroscopic images using a feature-based tracking algorithm, Accelerated-KAZE (AKAZE), for markerless real-time tumor tracking (RTTT). Methods: Twelve lung cancer patients treated with RTTT on the Vero4DRT (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Japan, and Brainlab AG, Feldkirchen, Germany) were enrolled in this study. Respiratory tumor movement was greater than 10 mm. Three to five fiducial markers were implanted around the lung tumor transbronchially for each patient. Before beam delivery, external infrared (IR) markers and the fiducial markers were monitored for 20 to 40 s with the IR camera every 16.7 ms and with an orthogonal kV x-ray imaging subsystem every 80 or 160 ms, respectively. Target positions derived from the fiducial markers were determined on the orthogonal kV x-ray images, which were used as the ground truth in this study. Meanwhile, tracking positions were identified by AKAZE. Among a lot of feature points, AKAZE found high-quality feature points through sequential cross-check and distance-check between two consecutive images. Then, these 2D positional data were converted to the 3D positional data by a transformation matrix with a predefined calibration parameter. Root mean square error (RMSE) was calculated to evaluate the difference between 3D tracking and target positions. A total of 393 frames was analyzed. The experiment was conducted on a personal computer with 16 GB RAM, Intel Core i7-2600, 3.4 GHz processor. Results: Reproducibility of the target position during the same respiratory phase was 0.6 +/− 0.6 mm (range, 0.1–3.3 mm). Mean +/− SD of the RMSEs was 0.3 +/− 0.2 mm (range, 0.0–1.0 mm). Median computation time per frame was 179 msec (range, 154–247 msec). Conclusion: AKAZE successfully and quickly detected the target position on kV X-ray fluoroscopic images. Initial results indicate that the differences between 3D tracking and target position would be clinically acceptable.

CMS detector tracking performance in Run-II

CERN Document Server

Brondolin, Erica

2017-01-01

Since the start of Run-II in June 2015, LHC has delivered pp collisions at a center of mass energy of 13TeV and with a bunch time separation of 25 ns. On avarage, more than 25 inelastic collisions are superimposed on the event of interest. Under these new conditions, the CMS collaboration has re-calibrated and verified the performance of the whole detector. In particular, the CMS tracking performance has been measured both directly and indirectly. Direct measurements are, among others, the beam spot determination, the vertex resolution and the muon reconstruction efficiency with the tag and probe technique. An indirect assessment can be given by the pion reconstruction efficiency and the low-mass resonance parameters as a function of different single track kinematics.

Prospective phase II study of image-guided local boost using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system for locally advanced bladder cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nishioka, Kentaro; Shimizu, Shinichi; Shinohara, Nobuo

2014-01-01

The real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system with fiducial markers has the advantage that it can be used to verify the localization of the markers during radiation delivery in real-time. We conducted a prospective Phase II study of image-guided local-boost radiotherapy for locally advanced bladder cancer using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system for positioning, and here we report the results regarding the safety and efficacy of the technique. Twenty patients with a T2-T4N0M0 urothelial carcinoma of the bladder who were clinically inoperable or refused surgery were enrolled. Transurethral tumor resection and 40 Gy irradiation to the whole bladder was followed by the transurethral endoscopic implantation of gold markers in the bladder wall around the primary tumor. A boost of 25 Gy in 10 fractions was made to the primary tumor while maintaining the displacement from the planned position at less than ±2 mm during radiation delivery using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system. The toxicity, local control and survival were evaluated. Among the 20 patients, 14 were treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The median follow-up period was 55.5 months. Urethral and bowel late toxicity (Grade 3) were each observed in one patient. The local-control rate, overall survival and cause-specific survival with the native bladder after 5 years were 64, 61 and 65%. Image-guided local-boost radiotherapy using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system can be safely accomplished, and the clinical outcome is encouraging. A larger prospective multi-institutional study is warranted for more precise evaluations of the technological efficacy and patients' quality of life. (author)

Robust fluoroscopic tracking of fiducial markers: exploiting the spatial constraints

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li Rui; Sharp, Gregory

2013-01-01

Two new fluoroscopic fiducial tracking methods that exploit the spatial relationship among the multiple implanted fiducial to achieve fast, accurate and robust tracking are proposed in this paper. The spatial relationship between multiple implanted markers are modeled as Gaussian distributions of their pairwise distances over time. The means and standard deviations of these distances are learned from training sequences, and pairwise distances that deviate from these learned distributions are assigned a low spatial matching score. The spatial constraints are incorporated in two different algorithms: a stochastic tracking method and a detection based method. In the stochastic method, hypotheses of the ‘true’ fiducial position are sampled from a pre-trained respiration motion model. Each hypothesis is assigned an importance value based on image matching score and spatial matching score. Learning the parameters of the motion model is needed in addition to learning the distribution parameters of the pairwise distances in the proposed stochastic tracking approach. In the detection based method, a set of possible marker locations are identified by using a template matching based fiducial detector. The best location is obtained by optimizing the image matching score and spatial matching score through non-serial dynamic programming. In this detection based approach, there is no need to learn the respiration motion model. The two proposed algorithms are compared with a recent work using a multiple hypothesis tracking (MHT) algorithm which is denoted by MHT, Tang et al (2007 Phys. Med. Biol. 52 4081–98). Phantom experiments were performed using fluoroscopic videos captured with known motion relative to an anthropomorphic phantom. The patient experiments were performed using a retrospective study of 16 fluoroscopic videos of liver cancer patients with implanted fiducials. For the motion phantom data sets, the detection based approach has the smallest tracking error (�

Improvements to ATLAS Track Reconstruction for Run-II

CERN Document Server

Cairo, Valentina Maria; The ATLAS collaboration

2015-01-01

Run-II of the LHC will provide new challenges to track and vertex reconstruction with higher energies, denser jets and higher rates. In addition, the Insertable B-layer (IBL) is a fourth pixel layer, which has been inserted at the centre of ATLAS during the shutdown of the LHC. We will discuss improvements to track reconstruction developed during the two year shutdown of the LHC. These include novel techniques developed to improve the performance in the dense cores of jets, optimisation for the expected conditions, and a big software campaign which lead to more than a factor of three decrease in the CPU time needed to process each recorded event.

Stability of Markers Used for Real-Time Tumor Tracking After Percutaneous Intrapulmonary Placement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voort van Zyp, Noelle C. van der; Hoogeman, Mischa S.; Water, Steven van de; Levendag, Peter C.; Holt, Bronno van der; Heijmen, Ben J.M.; Nuyttens, Joost J.

2011-01-01

Purpose: To determine the stability of markers used for real-time tumor tracking after percutaneous intrapulmonary placement. Methods and Materials: A total of 42 patients with 44 lesions, 111 markers, and ≥2 repeat computed tomography (CT) scans were studied. The tumor on the repeat CT scans was registered with the tumor on the planning CT scan. Next, the three-dimensional marker coordinates were determined on the planning CT scan and repeat CT scans. Marker stability was analyzed by the displacement of the markers and the displacement of the center of mass (COM) of the marker configurations. In addition, we assessed the reliability of using the intermarker distance as a check for displacements in the COM of the marker configurations. Results: The median marker displacement was 1.3 mm (range, 0.1-53.6). The marker displacement was >5 mm in 12% of the markers and >10 mm in 5% of the markers. The causes of marker displacement >5 mm included marker migration (2 of 13) and target volume changes (5 of 13). Nonsynchronous tumor and marker movement during breathing might have been responsible for the displacements >5 mm in the other 6 of 13 markers. The median displacement in the COM of the marker configurations was 1.0 mm (range, 0.1-23.3). Displacements in the COM of the marker configurations of ≥2.0 mm were detected by changes in the intermarker distance of >1.5 mm in 96% of the treatment fractions. Conclusion: The median marker displacement was small (1.3 mm). Nevertheless, displacements >5 mm occurred in 12% of the markers. Therefore, we recommend the implantation of multiple markers because multiple markers will enable a quick and reliable check of marker displacement by determining the change in the intermarker distance. A displacement in the COM of the marker configuration of ≥2.0 mm was almost always detected (96%) by a change in the distance between the markers of >1.5 mm. This enabled the displaced marker to be disabled, such that tumor localization was

Alternative fiducial markers for Vero real-time tumor tracking radiotherapy: A phantom study

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Shin-Hyung; Kim, Jae-Chul; Kim, Sung Joon

2016-12-01

The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility of potential fiducial markers consisting of various materials in a Vero real-time tumor-tracking (RTTT) system. In order to determine the applicability of fiducial markers for the Vero RTTT system, we tested various markers consisting of 8 kinds of material (titanium, stainless steel, high-carbon steel, pure steel, copper, silver, tantalum, and gold) with various diameters ranging from 0.3 mm to 1.6 mm and a length of 5 mm. Additionally, a commercial gold coil marker (Visicoil™, IBA dosimetry, Schwarzenbruck, Germany) of diameter 0.5 mm and length 1 cm was included for evaluation. The radiologic visibility on kV fluoroscopy/kV CT scan images of the fiducial markers was evaluated. The detectability on the RTTT system was tested using a two-dimensional moving phantom (Brainlab AG, Feldkirchen, Germany), producing sinusoidal motion. The target center's accuracy was evaluated by calculating the deviation of the position of a metal sphere from the center on the dose profile. Dose profiles were measured using Gafchromic EBT2 films (International Specialty Products, NJ, USA). All markers were visible on kV fluoroscopy/kV CT while markers with atomic number ≥ 25.7 were detectable on the Vero RTTT system. All the detected markers showed excellent geometric accuracy.

Improvements to ATLAS track reconstruction for Run II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cairo, Valentina Maria Martina, E-mail: valentina.maria.cairo@cern.ch [University of Calabria, Arcavacata di Rende (Italy); CERN, Meyrin (Switzerland)

2016-07-11

Run II of the LHC will provide new challenges to track and vertex reconstruction with higher energies, denser jets and higher rates. A major change to the Inner Detector layout during the shutdown period has been the installation of the Insertable B-Layer, a fourth pixel layer located at a radius of 33 mm. This contribution discusses improvements to track reconstruction developed during the two year shutdown of the LHC. These include novel techniques developed to improve the performance in the dense cores of jets, optimisation for the expected conditions, and a big software campaign which lead to more than a factor of three decrease in the CPU time needed to process each recorded event.

Cardiovascular risk markers in type II diabetes and hypertension at ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Cardiovascular risk markers in type II diabetes and hypertension at the Battor Catholic ... either precedes or is a consequence of the development of these diseases. ... The control group consisted of 62 age-matched healthy individuals.

The Tracking Meteogram, an AWIPS II Tool for Time-Series Analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Burks, Jason Eric; Sperow, Ken

2015-01-01

A new tool has been developed for the National Weather Service (NWS) Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System (AWIPS) II through collaboration between NASA's Short-term Prediction Research and Transition (SPoRT) and the NWS Meteorological Development Laboratory (MDL). Referred to as the "Tracking Meteogram", the tool aids NWS forecasters in assessing meteorological parameters associated with moving phenomena. The tool aids forecasters in severe weather situations by providing valuable satellite and radar derived trends such as cloud top cooling rates, radial velocity couplets, reflectivity, and information from ground-based lightning networks. The Tracking Meteogram tool also aids in synoptic and mesoscale analysis by tracking parameters such as the deepening of surface low pressure systems, changes in surface or upper air temperature, and other properties. The tool provides a valuable new functionality and demonstrates the flexibility and extensibility of the NWS AWIPS II architecture. In 2014, the operational impact of the tool was formally evaluated through participation in the NOAA/NWS Operations Proving Ground (OPG), a risk reduction activity to assess performance and operational impact of new forecasting concepts, tools, and applications. Performance of the Tracking Meteogram Tool during the OPG assessment confirmed that it will be a valuable asset to the operational forecasters. This presentation reviews development of the Tracking Meteogram tool, performance and feedback acquired during the OPG activity, and future goals for continued support and extension to other application areas.

LHCb Run II tracking performance and prospects for the Upgrade

CERN Multimedia

2016-01-01

The LHCb tracking system consists of a Vertex Locator around the interaction point, a tracking station with four layers of silicon strip detectors in front of the magnet, and three tracking stations, using either straw-tubes or silicon strip detectors, behind the magnet. This system allows to reconstruct charged particles with a high efficiency (typically > 95% for particles with momentum > 5 GeV) and an excellent momentum resolution (0.5% for particles with momentum < 20 GeV). The high momentum resolution results in very narrow mass peaks, leading to a very good signal-to-background ratio in such key channels as $B_s\\to\\mu^+\\mu^-$. Furthermore an optimal decay time resolution is an essential element in the studies of time dependent CP violation. For Run II a novel reconstruction strategy was adopted, allowing to run the same track reconstruction in the software trigger as offline. This convergence was possible due to a staged approach in the track reconstruction and a large reduction in the processing tim...

Integrated site-specific quantification of faecal bacteria and detection of DNA markers in faecal contamination source tracking as a microbial risk tracking tool in urban Lake ecosystems

Science.gov (United States)

Donde, Oscar Omondi; Tian, Cuicui; Xiao, Bangding

2017-11-01

The presence of feacal-derived pathogens in water is responsible for several infectious diseases and deaths worldwide. As a solution, sources of fecal pollution in waters must be accurately assessed, properly determined and strictly controlled. However, the exercise has remained challenging due to the existing overlapping characteristics by different members of faecal coliform bacteria and the inadequacy of information pertaining to the contribution of seasonality and weather condition on tracking the possible sources of pollution. There are continued efforts to improve the Faecal Contamination Source Tracking (FCST) techniques such as Microbial Source Tracking (MST). This study aimed to make contribution to MST by evaluating the efficacy of combining site specific quantification of faecal contamination indicator bacteria and detection of DNA markers while accounting for seasonality and weather conditions' effects in tracking the major sources of faecal contamination in a freshwater system (Donghu Lake, China). The results showed that the use of cyd gene in addition to lacZ and uidA genes differentiates E. coli from other closely related faecal bacteria. The use of selective media increases the pollution source tracking accuracy. BSA addition boosts PCR detection and increases FCST efficiency. Seasonality and weather variability also influence the detection limit for DNA markers.

The response to oestrogen deprivation of the cartilage collagen degradation marker, CTX-II, is unique compared with other markers of collagen turnover

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bay-Jensen, Anne-Christine; Tabassi, Nadine C B; Sondergaard, Lene V

2009-01-01

The urinary level of the type II collagen degradation marker CTX-II is increased in postmenopausal women and in ovariectomised rats, suggesting that oestrogen deprivation induces cartilage breakdown. Here we investigate whether this response to oestrogen is also true for other type II collagen tu...

Apolipoproteins C-II and C-III as nutritional markers unaffected by inflammation.

Science.gov (United States)

Isshiki, Miwa; Hirayama, Satoshi; Ueno, Tsuyoshi; Ito, Masayuki; Furuta, Ayaka; Yano, Kouji; Yamatani, Kotoko; Sugihara, Masami; Idei, Mayumi; Miida, Takashi

2018-06-01

Rapid turnover proteins (RTPs), such as transthyretin (TTR), retinol binding protein (RBP), and transferrin (Tf), provide an accurate assessment of nutritional status but are susceptible to inflammation. Lipid-related markers, which have short half-lives in serum, may be better suited for nutritional assessment. We sought to identify sensitive nutritional markers unaffected by inflammation. Fasting serum samples were collected from 30 malnourished inpatients and 25 healthy volunteers. Malnourished inpatients were divided into 2 groups: a low-C-reactive protein (CRP) group (CRP group (CRP ≥ 20 mg/l, n = 15). Lipid-related markers, traditional nutritional markers, RTPs, micronutrients, and ketone bodies were measured and compared among the groups. Apolipoprotein (Apo)C-II and ApoC-III concentrations were lower in malnourished inpatients than in the control group. There was no significant difference in ApoC-II and ApoC-III between the low- and high-CRP groups. Carnitine transporters and ketone bodies did not show a significant difference among the three groups. Albumin, TTR, RBP, and Tf concentrations were lowest in the high-CRP group, intermediate in the low-CRP group, and highest in the control group. These results indicate that ApoC-II and ApoC-III are appropriate nutritional biomarkers unaffected by inflammation. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Probabilistic analysis showing that a combination of bacteroides and methanobrevibacter source tracking markers is effective for identifying waters contaminated by human fecal pollution

Science.gov (United States)

Johnston, Christopher; Byappanahalli, Muruleedhara N.; Gibson, Jacqueline MacDonald; Ufnar, Jennifer A.; Whitman, Richard L.; Stewart, Jill R.

2013-01-01

Microbial source tracking assays to identify sources of waterborne contamination typically target genetic markers of host-specific microorganisms. However, no bacterial marker has been shown to be 100% host-specific, and cross-reactivity has been noted in studies evaluating known source samples. Using 485 challenge samples from 20 different human and animal fecal sources, this study evaluated microbial source tracking markers including the Bacteroides HF183 16S rRNA, M. smithii nifH, and Enterococcus esp gene targets that have been proposed as potential indicators of human fecal contamination. Bayes' Theorem was used to calculate the conditional probability that these markers or a combination of markers can correctly identify human sources of fecal pollution. All three human-associated markers were detected in 100% of the sewage samples analyzed. Bacteroides HF183 was the most effective marker for determining whether contamination was specifically from a human source, and greater than 98% certainty that contamination was from a human source was shown when both Bacteroides HF183 and M. smithii nifH markers were present. A high degree of certainty was attained even in cases where the prior probability of human fecal contamination was as low as 8.5%. The combination of Bacteroides HF183 and M. smithii nifH source tracking markers can help identify surface waters impacted by human fecal contamination, information useful for prioritizing restoration activities or assessing health risks from exposure to contaminated waters.

Development of a real-time internal and external marker tracking system for particle therapy: a phantom study using patient tumor trajectory data.

Science.gov (United States)

Cho, Junsang; Cheon, Wonjoong; Ahn, Sanghee; Jung, Hyunuk; Sheen, Heesoon; Park, Hee Chul; Han, Youngyih

2017-09-01

Target motion-induced uncertainty in particle therapy is more complicated than that in X-ray therapy, requiring more accurate motion management. Therefore, a hybrid motion-tracking system that can track internal tumor motion and as well as an external surrogate of tumor motion was developed. Recently, many correlation tests between internal and external markers in X-ray therapy have been developed; however, the accuracy of such internal/external marker tracking systems, especially in particle therapy, has not yet been sufficiently tested. In this article, the process of installing an in-house hybrid internal/external motion-tracking system is described and the accuracy level of tracking system was acquired. Our results demonstrated that the developed in-house external/internal combined tracking system has submillimeter accuracy, and can be clinically used as a particle therapy system as well as a simulation system for moving tumor treatment. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Japan Radiation Research Society and Japanese Society for Radiation Oncology.

Tracking errors in a prototype real-time tumour tracking system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sharp, Gregory C; Jiang, Steve B; Shimizu, Shinichi; Shirato, Hiroki

2004-01-01

In motion-compensated radiation therapy, radio-opaque markers can be implanted in or near a tumour and tracked in real-time using fluoroscopic imaging. Tracking these implanted markers gives highly accurate position information, except when tracking fails due to poor or ambiguous imaging conditions. This study investigates methods for automatic detection of tracking errors, and assesses the frequency and impact of tracking errors on treatments using the prototype real-time tumour tracking system. We investigated four indicators for automatic detection of tracking errors, and found that the distance between corresponding rays was most effective. We also found that tracking errors cause a loss of gating efficiency of between 7.6 and 10.2%. The incidence of treatment beam delivery during tracking errors was estimated at between 0.8% and 1.25%

Tracking Solar Type II Bursts with Space Based Radio Interferometers

Science.gov (United States)

Hegedus, Alexander M.; Kasper, Justin C.; Manchester, Ward B.

2018-06-01

The Earth’s Ionosphere limits radio measurements on its surface, blocking out any radiation below 10 MHz. Valuable insight into many astrophysical processes could be gained by having a radio interferometer in space to image the low frequency window for the first time. One application is observing type II bursts tracking solar energetic particle acceleration in Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs). In this work we create a simulated data processing pipeline for several space based radio interferometer (SBRI) concepts and evaluate their performance in the task of localizing these type II bursts.Traditional radio astronomy software is hard coded to assume an Earth based array. To circumvent this, we manually calculate the antenna separations and insert them along with the simulated visibilities into a CASA MS file for analysis. To create the realest possible virtual input data, we take a 2-temperature MHD simulation of a CME event, superimpose realistic radio emission models from the CME-driven shock front, and propagate the signal through simulated SBRIs. We consider both probabilistic emission models derived from plasma parameters correlated with type II bursts, and analytical emission models using plasma emission wave interaction theory.One proposed SBRI is the pathfinder mission SunRISE, a 6 CubeSat interferometer to circle the Earth in a GEO graveyard orbit. We test simulated trajectories of SunRISE and image what the array recovers, comparing it to the virtual input. An interferometer on the lunar surface would be a stable alternative that avoids noise sources that affect orbiting arrays, namely the phase noise from positional uncertainty and atmospheric 10s-100s kHz noise. Using Digital Elevation Models from laser altimeter data, we test different sets of locations on the lunar surface to find near optimal configurations for tracking type II bursts far from the sun. Custom software is used to model the response of different array configurations over the lunar year

The CDF-II silicon tracking system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

F. Palmonari et al.

2002-01-18

The CDFII silicon tracking system, SVX, for Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron has up to 8 cylindrical layers with average radii spanning from {approx} (1.5 to 28.7) cm, and lengths ranging from {approx} (90 to 200) cm for a total active-area of {approx} 6 m{sup 2} and {approx} 7.2 x 10{sup 5} readout channels. SVX will improve the CDFII acceptance and efficiency for both B and high-Pt physics dependent upon b-tagging. Along with the description of the SVX we report some alignment survey data from the SVX assembly phase and the actual status of the alignment as it results from the offline data analysis. The problems encountered are also reviewed.

SU-E-J-42: Evaluation of Fiducial Markers for Ultrasound and X-Ray Images Used for Motion Tracking in Pancreas SBRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ng, SK; Armour, E; Su, L; Zhang, Y; Wong, J; Ding, K; Iordachita, I; Sen, H Tutkun; Kazanzides, P; Bell, M Lediju

2015-01-01

Purpose Ultrasound tracking of target motion relies on visibility of vascular and/or anatomical landmark. However this is challenging when the target is located far from vascular structures or in organs that lack ultrasound landmark structure, such as in the case of pancreas cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate visibility, artifacts and distortions of fusion coils and solid gold markers in ultrasound, CT, CBCT and kV images to identify markers suitable for real-time ultrasound tracking of tumor motion in SBRT pancreas treatment. Methods Two fusion coils (1mm × 5mm and 1mm × 10 mm) and a solid gold marker (0.8mm × 10mm) were embedded in a tissue–like ultrasound phantom. The phantom (5cm × 12cm × 20cm) was prepared using water, gelatin and psyllium-hydrophilic-mucilloid fiber. Psylliumhydrophilic mucilloid acts as scattering medium to produce echo texture that simulates sonographic appearance of human tissue in ultrasound images while maintaining electron density close to that of water in CT images. Ultrasound images were acquired using 3D-ultrasound system with markers embedded at 5, 10 and 15mm depth from phantom surface. CT images were acquired using Philips Big Bore CT while CBCT and kV images were acquired with XVI-system (Elexta). Visual analysis was performed to compare visibility of the markers and visibility score (1 to 3) were assigned. Results All markers embedded at various depths are clearly visible (score of 3) in ultrasound images. Good visibility of all markers is observed in CT, CBCT and kV images. The degree of artifact produced by the markers in CT and CBCT images are indistinguishable. No distortion is observed in images from any modalities. Conclusion All markers are visible in images across all modalities in this homogenous tissue-like phantom. Human subject data is necessary to confirm the marker type suitable for real-time ultrasound tracking of tumor motion in SBRT pancreas treatment

SU-E-J-42: Evaluation of Fiducial Markers for Ultrasound and X-Ray Images Used for Motion Tracking in Pancreas SBRT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ng, SK; Armour, E; Su, L; Zhang, Y; Wong, J; Ding, K [Department of Radiation Oncology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States); Iordachita, I [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States); Sen, H Tutkun; Kazanzides, P; Bell, M Lediju [Department of Computer Science, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose Ultrasound tracking of target motion relies on visibility of vascular and/or anatomical landmark. However this is challenging when the target is located far from vascular structures or in organs that lack ultrasound landmark structure, such as in the case of pancreas cancer. The purpose of this study is to evaluate visibility, artifacts and distortions of fusion coils and solid gold markers in ultrasound, CT, CBCT and kV images to identify markers suitable for real-time ultrasound tracking of tumor motion in SBRT pancreas treatment. Methods Two fusion coils (1mm × 5mm and 1mm × 10 mm) and a solid gold marker (0.8mm × 10mm) were embedded in a tissue–like ultrasound phantom. The phantom (5cm × 12cm × 20cm) was prepared using water, gelatin and psyllium-hydrophilic-mucilloid fiber. Psylliumhydrophilic mucilloid acts as scattering medium to produce echo texture that simulates sonographic appearance of human tissue in ultrasound images while maintaining electron density close to that of water in CT images. Ultrasound images were acquired using 3D-ultrasound system with markers embedded at 5, 10 and 15mm depth from phantom surface. CT images were acquired using Philips Big Bore CT while CBCT and kV images were acquired with XVI-system (Elexta). Visual analysis was performed to compare visibility of the markers and visibility score (1 to 3) were assigned. Results All markers embedded at various depths are clearly visible (score of 3) in ultrasound images. Good visibility of all markers is observed in CT, CBCT and kV images. The degree of artifact produced by the markers in CT and CBCT images are indistinguishable. No distortion is observed in images from any modalities. Conclusion All markers are visible in images across all modalities in this homogenous tissue-like phantom. Human subject data is necessary to confirm the marker type suitable for real-time ultrasound tracking of tumor motion in SBRT pancreas treatment.

TH-B-204-01: Real-Time Tracking with Implanted Markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu, Q.

2016-01-01

Implanted markers as target surrogates have been widely used for treatment verification, as they provide safe and reliable monitoring of the inter- and intra-fractional target motion. The rapid advancement of technology requires a critical review and recommendation for the usage of implanted surrogates in current field. The symposium, also reporting an update of AAPM TG 199 - Implanted Target Surrogates for Radiation Treatment Verification, will be focusing on all clinical aspects of using the implanted target surrogates for treatment verification and related issues. A wide variety of markers available in the market will be first reviewed, including radiopaque markers, MRI compatible makers, non-migrating coils, surgical clips and electromagnetic transponders etc. The pros and cons of each kind will be discussed. The clinical applications of implanted surrogates will be presented based on different anatomical sites. For the lung, we will discuss gated treatments and 2D or 3D real-time fiducial tracking techniques. For the prostate, we will be focusing on 2D-3D, 3D-3D matching and electromagnetic transponder based localization techniques. For the liver, we will review techniques when patients are under gating, shallow or free breathing condition. We will review techniques when treating challenging breast cancer as deformation may occur. Finally, we will summarize potential issues related to the usage of implanted target surrogates with TG 199 recommendations. A review of fiducial migration and fiducial derived target rotation in different disease sites will be provided. The issue of target deformation, especially near the diaphragm, and related suggestions will be also presented and discussed. Learning Objectives: Knowledge of a wide variety of markers Knowledge of their application for different disease sites Understand of issues related to these applications Z. Wang: Research funding support from Brainlab AG Q. Xu: Consultant for Accuray; Q. Xu, I am a consultant

TH-B-204-01: Real-Time Tracking with Implanted Markers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Xu, Q. [MD Anderson Cancer Center at Cooper (United States)

2016-06-15

Implanted markers as target surrogates have been widely used for treatment verification, as they provide safe and reliable monitoring of the inter- and intra-fractional target motion. The rapid advancement of technology requires a critical review and recommendation for the usage of implanted surrogates in current field. The symposium, also reporting an update of AAPM TG 199 - Implanted Target Surrogates for Radiation Treatment Verification, will be focusing on all clinical aspects of using the implanted target surrogates for treatment verification and related issues. A wide variety of markers available in the market will be first reviewed, including radiopaque markers, MRI compatible makers, non-migrating coils, surgical clips and electromagnetic transponders etc. The pros and cons of each kind will be discussed. The clinical applications of implanted surrogates will be presented based on different anatomical sites. For the lung, we will discuss gated treatments and 2D or 3D real-time fiducial tracking techniques. For the prostate, we will be focusing on 2D-3D, 3D-3D matching and electromagnetic transponder based localization techniques. For the liver, we will review techniques when patients are under gating, shallow or free breathing condition. We will review techniques when treating challenging breast cancer as deformation may occur. Finally, we will summarize potential issues related to the usage of implanted target surrogates with TG 199 recommendations. A review of fiducial migration and fiducial derived target rotation in different disease sites will be provided. The issue of target deformation, especially near the diaphragm, and related suggestions will be also presented and discussed. Learning Objectives: Knowledge of a wide variety of markers Knowledge of their application for different disease sites Understand of issues related to these applications Z. Wang: Research funding support from Brainlab AG Q. Xu: Consultant for Accuray; Q. Xu, I am a consultant

Decay of Fecal Indicator Bacterial Populations and Bovine-Associated Source-Tracking Markers in Freshly Deposited Cow Pats

Science.gov (United States)

Understanding the survival of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and microbial source-tracking (MST) markers is critical to developing pathogen fate and transport models. Although pathogen survival in water microcosms and manure-amended soils is well documented, little is known about...

SU-G-JeP1-11: Feasibility Study of Markerless Tracking Using Dual Energy Fluoroscopic Images for Real-Time Tumor-Tracking Radiotherapy System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiinoki, T; Shibuya, K [Yamaguchi University, Ube, Yamaguchi (Japan); Sawada, A [Kyoto college of medical science, Nantan, Kyoto (Japan); Uehara, T; Yuasa, Y; Koike, M; Kawamura, S [Yamaguchi University Hospital, Ube, Yamaguchi (Japan)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The new real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system was installed in our institution. This system consists of two x-ray tubes and color image intensifiers (I.I.s). The fiducial marker which was implanted near the tumor was tracked using color fluoroscopic images. However, the implantation of the fiducial marker is very invasive. Color fluoroscopic images enable to increase the recognition of the tumor. However, these images were not suitable to track the tumor without fiducial marker. The purpose of this study was to investigate the feasibility of markerless tracking using dual energy colored fluoroscopic images for real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system. Methods: The colored fluoroscopic images of static and moving phantom that had the simulated tumor (30 mm diameter sphere) were experimentally acquired using the RTRT system. The programmable respiratory motion phantom was driven using the sinusoidal pattern in cranio-caudal direction (Amplitude: 20 mm, Time: 4 s). The x-ray condition was set to 55 kV, 50 mA and 105 kV, 50 mA for low energy and high energy, respectively. Dual energy images were calculated based on the weighted logarithmic subtraction of high and low energy images of RGB images. The usefulness of dual energy imaging for real-time tracking with an automated template image matching algorithm was investigated. Results: Our proposed dual energy subtraction improve the contrast between tumor and background to suppress the bone structure. For static phantom, our results showed that high tracking accuracy using dual energy subtraction images. For moving phantom, our results showed that good tracking accuracy using dual energy subtraction images. However, tracking accuracy was dependent on tumor position, tumor size and x-ray conditions. Conclusion: We indicated that feasibility of markerless tracking using dual energy fluoroscopic images for real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system. Furthermore, it is needed to investigate the

Recent innovation in microbial source tracking using bacterial real-time PCR markers in shellfish

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mauffret, A.; Mieszkin, S.; Morizur, M.; Alfiansah, Y.; Lozach, S.; Gourmelon, M.

2013-01-01

Highlights: ► DNA extraction from intravalvular liquid is promising for microbial source tracking in oysters. ► Host-associated bacterial markers in shellfish digestive tissues were difficult to assess with real-time PCR. ► DNA extracts from shellfish flesh appeared to have low inhibitor levels but low marker levels. ► Protocol transfer from one shellfish species to another does not appear possible. -- Abstract: We assessed the capacity of real-time PCR markers to identify the origin of contamination in shellfish. Oyster, cockles or clams were either contaminated with fecal materials and host-associated markers designed from Bacteroidales or Catellicoccus marimammalium 16S RNA genes were extracted from their intravalvular liquid, digestive tissues or shellfish flesh. Extraction of bacterial DNA from the oyster intravalvular liquid with FastDNA spin kit for soil enabled the selected markers to be quantified in 100% of artificially contaminated samples, and the source of contamination to be identified in 13 out of 38 naturally contaminated batches from European Class B and Class C areas. However, this protocol did not enable the origin of the contamination to be identified in cockle or clam samples. Although results are promising for extracts from intravalvular liquid in oyster, it is unlikely that a single protocol could be the best across all bacterial markers and types of shellfish

A reductionist approach to extract robust molecular markers from microarray data series - Isolating markers to track osseointegration.

Science.gov (United States)

Barik, Anwesha; Banerjee, Satarupa; Dhara, Santanu; Chakravorty, Nishant

2017-04-01

Complexities in the full genome expression studies hinder the extraction of tracker genes to analyze the course of biological events. In this study, we demonstrate the applications of supervised machine learning methods to reduce the irrelevance in microarray data series and thereby extract robust molecular markers to track biological processes. The methodology has been illustrated by analyzing whole genome expression studies on bone-implant integration (ossointegration). Being a biological process, osseointegration is known to leave a trail of genetic footprint during the course. In spite of existence of enormous amount of raw data in public repositories, researchers still do not have access to a panel of genes that can definitively track osseointegration. The results from our study revealed panels comprising of matrix metalloproteinases and collagen genes were able to track osseointegration on implant surfaces (MMP9 and COL1A2 on micro-textured; MMP12 and COL6A3 on superimposed nano-textured surfaces) with 100% classification accuracy, specificity and sensitivity. Further, our analysis showed the importance of the progression of the duration in establishment of the mechanical connection at bone-implant surface. The findings from this study are expected to be useful to researchers investigating osseointegration of novel implant materials especially at the early stage. The methodology demonstrated can be easily adapted by scientists in different fields to analyze large databases for other biological processes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous 3D localization of multiple MR-visible markers in fully reconstructed MR images: proof-of-concept for subsecond position tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Thörmer, Gregor; Garnov, Nikita; Moche, Michael; Haase, Jürgen; Kahn, Thomas; Busse, Harald

2012-04-01

To determine whether a greatly reduced spatial resolution of fully reconstructed projection MR images can be used for the simultaneous 3D localization of multiple MR-visible markers and to assess the feasibility of a subsecond position tracking for clinical purposes. Miniature, inductively coupled RF coils were imaged in three orthogonal planes with a balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence and automatically localized using a two-dimensional template fitting and a subsequent three-dimensional (3D) matching of the coordinates. Precision, accuracy, speed and robustness of 3D localization were assessed for decreasing in-plane resolutions (0.6-4.7 mm). The feasibility of marker tracking was evaluated at the lowest resolution by following a robotically driven needle on a complex 3D trajectory. Average 3D precision and accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of localization ranged between 0.1 and 0.4 mm, 0.5 and 1.0 mm, 100% and 95%, and 100% and 96%, respectively. At the lowest resolution, imaging and localization took ≈350 ms and provided an accuracy of ≈1.0 mm. In the tracking experiment, the needle was clearly depicted on the oblique scan planes defined by the markers. Image-based marker localization at a greatly reduced spatial resolution is considered a feasible approach to monitor reference points or rigid instruments at subsecond update rates. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of an image-based tracking workflow using a passive marker and resonant micro-coil fiducials for automatic image plane alignment in interventional MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, M; Breton, E; Cuvillon, L; Pan, L; Lorenz, C H; de Mathelin, M

2012-01-01

In this paper, an original workflow is presented for MR image plane alignment based on tracking in real-time MR images. A test device consisting of two resonant micro-coils and a passive marker is proposed for detection using image-based algorithms. Micro-coils allow for automated initialization of the object detection in dedicated low flip angle projection images; then the passive marker is tracked in clinical real-time MR images, with alternation between two oblique orthogonal image planes along the test device axis; in case the passive marker is lost in real-time images, the workflow is reinitialized. The proposed workflow was designed to minimize dedicated acquisition time to a single dedicated acquisition in the ideal case (no reinitialization required). First experiments have shown promising results for test-device tracking precision, with a mean position error of 0.79 mm and a mean orientation error of 0.24°.

Registration accuracy and possible migration of internal fiducial gold marker implanted in prostate and liver treated with real-time tumor-tracking radiation therapy (RTRT)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kitamura, Kei; Shirato, Hiroki; Shimizu, Shinichi; Shinohara, Nobuo; Harabayashi, Toru; Shimizu, Tadashi; Kodama, Yoshihisa; Endo, Hideho; Onimaru, Rikiya; Nishioka, Seiko; Aoyama, Hidefumi; Tsuchiya, Kazuhiko; Miyasaka, Kazuo

2002-01-01

Background and purpose: We have developed a linear accelerator synchronized with a fluoroscopic real-time tumor-tracking system to reduce errors due to setup and organ motion. In the real-time tumor-tracking radiation therapy (RTRT) system, the accuracy of tumor tracking depends on the registration of the marker's coordinates. The registration accuracy and possible migration of the internal fiducial gold marker implanted into prostate and liver was investigated. Materials and methods: Internal fiducial gold markers were implanted in 14 patients with prostate cancer and four patients with liver tumors. Computed tomography (CT) was carried out as a part of treatment planning in the 18 patients. A total of 72 follow-up CT scans were taken. We calculated the relative relationship between the coordinates of the center of mass (CM) of the organs and those of the marker. The discrepancy in the CM coordinates during a follow-up CT compared to those recorded during the planning CT was used to study possible marker migration. Results: The standard deviation (SD) of interobserver variations in the CM coordinates was within 2.0 and 0.4 mm for the organ and the marker, respectively, in seven observers. Assuming that organs do not shrink, grow, or rotate, the maximum SD of migration error in each direction was estimated to be less than 2.5 and 2.0 mm for liver and prostate, respectively. There was no correlation between the marker position and the time after implantation. Conclusion: The degree of possible migration of the internal fiducial marker was within the limits of accuracy of the CT measurement. Most of the marker movement can be attributed to the measurement uncertainty, which also influences registration in actual treatment planning. Thus, even with the gold marker and RTRT system, a planning target volume margin should be used to account for registration uncertainty

Induction of expression of two phenotypic markers of pulmonary type II cells in a cultured cell line

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henderson, R.F.; Waide, J.J.; Scott, G.G.

1994-01-01

The functions of pulmonary type II cells, such as synthesis of pulmonary surfactant and metabolism of inhaled xenobiotics, can be studied in primary isolates of lung cells. However, isolated type II cells, when cultured, quickly lose the phenotypic expressions characteristics of type II cells, including surfactant lipid and protein synthesis and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity. A cultured cell line that maintained expression of type II cell markers of differentiation would be advantageous for the study of such functions as surfactant synthesis and secretion. Such a cell line would allow generation of a large number of homogeneous cells for study. The purpose of the current study was to induce markers of differentiated type II cells in a cultured cell line to facilitate studies of factors that control surfactant synthesis and secretion

Sewage pollution in urban stormwater runoff as evident from the widespread presence of multiple microbial and chemical source tracking markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sidhu, J P S; Ahmed, W; Gernjak, W; Aryal, R; McCarthy, D; Palmer, A; Kolotelo, P; Toze, S

2013-10-01

The concurrence of human sewage contamination in urban stormwater runoff (n=23) from six urban catchments across Australia was assessed by using both microbial source tracking (MST) and chemical source tracking (CST) markers. Out of 23 stormwater samples human adenovirus (HAv), human polyomavirus (HPv) and the sewage-associated markers; Methanobrevibacter smithii nifH and Bacteroides HF183 were detected in 91%, 56%, 43% and 96% of samples, respectively. Similarly, CST markers paracetamol (87%), salicylic acid (78%) acesulfame (96%) and caffeine (91%) were frequently detected. Twenty one samples (91%) were positive for six to eight sewage related MST and CST markers and remaining two samples were positive for five and four markers, respectively. A very good consensus (>91%) observed between the concurrence of the HF183, HAv, acesulfame and caffeine suggests good predictability of the presence of HAv in samples positive for one of the three markers. High prevalence of HAv (91%) also suggests that other enteric viruses may also be present in the stormwater samples which may pose significant health risks. This study underscores the benefits of employing a set of MST and CST markers which could include monitoring for HF183, adenovirus, caffeine and paracetamol to accurately detect human sewage contamination along with credible information on the presence of human enteric viruses, which could be used for more reliable public health risk assessments. Based on the results obtained in this study, it is recommended that some degree of treatment of captured stormwater would be required if it were to be used for non-potable purposes. Crown Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Motion Tracking for Medical Imaging: A Non-Visible Structured Light Tracking Approach

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Oline Vinter; Paulsen, Rasmus Reinhold; Højgaard, Liselotte

2012-01-01

We present a system for head motion tracking in 3D brain imaging. The system is based on facial surface reconstruction and tracking using a structured light (SL) scanning principle. The system is designed to fit into narrow 3D medical scanner geometries limiting the field of view. It is tested......, is that it is not necessary to place markers on the patient. This provides a simpler workflow and eliminates uncertainties related to marker attachment and stability. We show proof of concept of a marker less tracking system especially designed for clinical use with promising results....... in a clinical setting on the high resolution research tomograph (HRRT), Siemens PET scanner with a head phantom and volunteers. The SL system is compared to a commercial optical tracking system, the Polaris Vicra system, from NDI based on translatory and rotary ground truth motions of the head phantom...

Molecular markers for tracking the origin and worldwide distribution of invasive strains of Puccinia striiformis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walter, Stephanie; Ali, Sajid; Kemen, Eric

2016-01-01

.g., the spreading of two aggressive and high temperature adapted strains to three continents since 2000. The combination of sequence-characterized amplified region (SCAR) markers, which were developed from two specific AFLP fragments, differentiated the two invasive strains, PstS1 and PstS2 from all other P....... striiformis strains investigated at a worldwide level. The application of the SCAR markers on 566 isolates showed that PstS1 was present in East Africa in the early 1980s and then detected in the Americas in 2000 and in Australia in 2002. PstS2 which evolved from PstS1 became widespread in the Middle East...... as the most plausible origin of the two invasive strains. The SCAR markers developed in the present study provide a rapid, inexpensive, and efficient tool to track the distribution of P. striiformis invasive strains, PstS1 and PstS2....

Development and small-scale validation of a novel pigeon-associated mitochondrial DNA source tracking marker for the detection of fecal contamination in harvested rainwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Waso, M; Khan, S; Khan, W

2018-02-15

The current study was aimed at designing and validating (on a small-scale) a novel pigeon mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) microbial source tracking (MST) marker for the detection of pigeon fecal matter in harvested rainwater. The pigeon mtDNA MST marker was designed to target the mtDNA Cytochrome b gene by employing mismatch amplification mutation assay kinetics. The pigeon marker was validated by screening 69 non-pigeon and 9 pigeon fecal samples. The host-sensitivity of the assay was determined as 1.00 while the host-specificity of the assay was 0.96. Harvested rainwater samples (n=60) were screened for the prevalence of the marker with the mtDNA Cytochrome b marker detected in 78% of the samples. Bayes' theorem was applied to calculate the conditional probability of the marker detecting true pigeon contamination and the marker subsequently displayed a 99% probability of detecting true pigeon contamination in the harvested rainwater samples. In addition, the mtDNA Cytochrome b marker displayed high concurrence frequencies versus heterotrophic bacteria (78.3%), E. coli (73.3%), total coliforms (71.1%) and fecal coliforms (66.7%). This study thus validates that targeting mtDNA for the design of source tracking markers may be a valuable tool to detect avian fecal contamination in environmental waters. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The DATCON system of the Belle II experiment. Tracking and data reduction

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wessel, Christian; Dingfelder, Jochen; Marinas, Carlos; Deschamps, Bruno [Universitaet Bonn (Germany). Physikalisches Institut

2016-07-01

The SuperKEKB e{sup +}e{sup -} accelerator at KEK in Japan will have a luminosity which is a factor of 40 higher than the luminosity of its predecessor KEKB. The Belle II detector at SuperKEKB will contain a two-layer pixel detector at radii of 1.421 and 2.179 cm from the interaction point, based on the DEPFET (DEpleted P-channel Field Effect Transistor) technology. It is surrounded by four layers of strip detectors. Due to the high collision rate, the data rate of the pixel detector needs to by drastically reduced by an online data reduction system. The DATCON (Data Acquisition Tracking and Concentrator Online Node) system performs track reconstruction in the SVD (Strip Vertex Detector) and extrapolates to the PXD (PiXel Detector) to calculate ROI and to keep only hits in the ROI. The track reconstruction algorithm is based on a Hough transform, which reduces track finding to finding intersection points in the Hough parameter space. In this talk the employed algorithm for fast online track reconstruction on FPGA, ROI finding and the performance of the data reduction are presented.

TRACKING SIMULATIONS NEAR HALF-INTEGER RESONANCE AT PEP-II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nosochkov, Yuri

2003-01-01

Beam-beam simulations predict that PEP-II luminosity can be increased by operating the horizontal betatron tune near and above a half-integer resonance. However, effects of the resonance and its synchrotron sidebands significantly enhance betatron and chromatic perturbations which tend to reduce dynamic aperture. In the study, chromatic variation of horizontal tune near the resonance was minimized by optimizing local sextupoles in the Interaction Region. Dynamic aperture was calculated using tracking simulations in LEGO code. Dependence of dynamic aperture on the residual orbit, dispersion and β distortion after correction was investigated

Remote Marker-Based Tracking for UAV Landing Using Visible-Light Camera Sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Nguyen, Phong Ha; Kim, Ki Wan; Lee, Young Won; Park, Kang Ryoung

2017-08-30

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are commonly known as drones, have proved to be useful not only on the battlefields where manned flight is considered too risky or difficult, but also in everyday life purposes such as surveillance, monitoring, rescue, unmanned cargo, aerial video, and photography. More advanced drones make use of global positioning system (GPS) receivers during the navigation and control loop which allows for smart GPS features of drone navigation. However, there are problems if the drones operate in heterogeneous areas with no GPS signal, so it is important to perform research into the development of UAVs with autonomous navigation and landing guidance using computer vision. In this research, we determined how to safely land a drone in the absence of GPS signals using our remote maker-based tracking algorithm based on the visible light camera sensor. The proposed method uses a unique marker designed as a tracking target during landing procedures. Experimental results show that our method significantly outperforms state-of-the-art object trackers in terms of both accuracy and processing time, and we perform test on an embedded system in various environments.

Application of leftover sample material from waterborne protozoa monitoring for the molecular detection of Bacteroidales and fecal source tracking markers

Science.gov (United States)

In this study, we examined the potential for detecting fecal bacteria and microbial source tracking markers in samples discarded during the concentration of Cryptosporidium and Giardia using USEPA Method 1623. Recovery rates for different fecal bacteria were determined using sp...

Dosimetric perturbation due to scattered rays released by a gold marker used for tumor tracking in external radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Habara, Kosaku; Furukawa, Takashi; Shimozato, Tomohiro; Obata, Yasunori; Aoyama, Yuichi; Kawanami, Ryota; Hayashi, Naoki; Yasui, Keisuke; Matsuura, Kanji

2011-01-01

Image-guided radiation therapy using a gold marker-based tumor tracking technique provides precise patient setup and monitoring. However, the marker consists of high-Z material, and the resulting scattered rays tend to have adverse effects on the dose distribution of radiotherapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the dosimetric perturbation due to the use of a gold marker for radiotherapy in the lungs. The relative dose distributions were compared with film measurement, Monte Carlo simulation, and XiO calculation with the multi grid superposition algorithm using two types of virtual lung phantoms, which were composed of tough water phantoms, tough lung phantoms, cork boards, and a 2.0-mm-diameter gold ball. No dose increase and decrease in the vicinity of the gold ball was seen in the XiO calculations, although it was seen in the film measurements and the Monte Carlo simulation. The dose perturbation due to a gold marker cannot be evaluated using XiO calculation with the superposition algorithm when the tumor is near a gold marker (especially within 0.5 cm). To rule out the presence of such dose perturbations due to a gold marker, the distance between the gold marker and the tumor must therefore be greater than 0.5 cm. (author)

Image Processing Marker Augmented Reality for Design Furniture Room

OpenAIRE

Desy Siswanti, Sri; Titoyan, Titoyan

2015-01-01

AR useful for industrial applications to enhance the visual perception of the user, for example, the AR system is capable of visually new building project at a real construction site, which gives the viewer a better understanding in accordance with the existing environment. The method used by the AR is a marker detection and tracking, the method used for the detection and tracking marker is a natural feature tracking. This method detects features that are in the marker. In detecting marker ob...

TH-CD-207A-09: Stay On Target: Dynamic, Patient-Specific Templates of Fiducial Marker Clusters for IGRT

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campbell, W; Miften, M; Jones, B

2016-01-01

Purpose: Pancreatic SBRT relies on extremely accurate delivery of ablative radiation doses to the target, and intra-fractional tracking of fiducial markers can facilitate improvements in dose delivery. However, this requires algorithms that are able to find fiducial markers with high speed and accuracy. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel marker tracking algorithm that is robust against many of the common errors seen with traditional template matching techniques. Methods: Using CBCT projection images, a method was developed to create detailed template images of fiducial marker clusters without prior knowledge of the number of markers, their positions, or their orientations. Briefly, the method (i) enhances markers in projection images, (ii) stabilizes the cluster’s position, (iii) reconstructs the cluster in 3D, and (iv) precomputes a set of static template images dependent on gantry angle. Furthermore, breathing data were used to produce 4D reconstructions of clusters, yielding dynamic template images dependent on gantry angle and breathing amplitude. To test these two approaches, static and dynamic templates were used to track the motion of marker clusters in more than 66,000 projection images from 75 CBCT scans of 15 pancreatic SBRT patients. Results: For both static and dynamic templates, the new technique was able to locate marker clusters present in projection images 100% of the time. The algorithm was also able to correctly locate markers in several instances where only some of the markers were visible due to insufficient field-of-view. In cases where clusters exhibited deformation and/or rotation during breathing, dynamic templates resulted in cross-correlation scores up to 70% higher than static templates. Conclusion: Patient-specific templates provided complete tracking of fiducial marker clusters in CBCT scans, and dynamic templates helped to provide higher cross-correlation scores for deforming/rotating clusters. This novel algorithm

TH-CD-207A-09: Stay On Target: Dynamic, Patient-Specific Templates of Fiducial Marker Clusters for IGRT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campbell, W; Miften, M; Jones, B [Department of Radiation Oncology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, CO (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: Pancreatic SBRT relies on extremely accurate delivery of ablative radiation doses to the target, and intra-fractional tracking of fiducial markers can facilitate improvements in dose delivery. However, this requires algorithms that are able to find fiducial markers with high speed and accuracy. The purpose of this study was to develop a novel marker tracking algorithm that is robust against many of the common errors seen with traditional template matching techniques. Methods: Using CBCT projection images, a method was developed to create detailed template images of fiducial marker clusters without prior knowledge of the number of markers, their positions, or their orientations. Briefly, the method (i) enhances markers in projection images, (ii) stabilizes the cluster’s position, (iii) reconstructs the cluster in 3D, and (iv) precomputes a set of static template images dependent on gantry angle. Furthermore, breathing data were used to produce 4D reconstructions of clusters, yielding dynamic template images dependent on gantry angle and breathing amplitude. To test these two approaches, static and dynamic templates were used to track the motion of marker clusters in more than 66,000 projection images from 75 CBCT scans of 15 pancreatic SBRT patients. Results: For both static and dynamic templates, the new technique was able to locate marker clusters present in projection images 100% of the time. The algorithm was also able to correctly locate markers in several instances where only some of the markers were visible due to insufficient field-of-view. In cases where clusters exhibited deformation and/or rotation during breathing, dynamic templates resulted in cross-correlation scores up to 70% higher than static templates. Conclusion: Patient-specific templates provided complete tracking of fiducial marker clusters in CBCT scans, and dynamic templates helped to provide higher cross-correlation scores for deforming/rotating clusters. This novel algorithm

Response of LR-115 type II and CR-39 plastic track detectors to Am-Be and 14.1-MeV neutrons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradley, D.A.; Chong, C.S.; Saat, Ahmat; Sidik, A.G.; Ghose, A.M.

1987-01-01

The fast-neutron response of the plastic LR-115 type II and CR-39 track detectors have been compared, using a 14.1-MeV neutron generator and a radionuclide Am-Be neutron source (effective primary neutron energy 4.5-MeV). The distribution of track diameters for a range of etching times has been evaluated, taking into account track registration efficiency and the relevant fast neutron scattering cross-sections. The efficiency of etched-track formation in LR-115 type II due to neutron irradiation is approximately double that in CR-39. The 14.1-MeV neutrons also tend to produce tracks in both materials with somewhat greater efficiency than do the lower energy neutrons from the radionuclide source, for a given etching time. (author)

Irradiation positions for fission-track dating in the University of Pavia TRIGA Mark II nuclear reactor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oddone, Massimo; Meloni, Sandro; Balestrieri, Maria Laura; Bigazzi, Giulio

2002-01-01

An irradiation position arranged is described in the present paper for fission-track dating in the Triga Mark II reactor of the University of Pavia. Fluence values determined using the NIST glass standard SRM 962a for fission-track dating and the traditional metal foils are compared. Relatively good neutron thermalization (φ th /φ f = 0.956) and lack of significant fluence spatial gradients are good factors for fission-track dating. Finally, international age standards (or putative age standards) irradiated in this new position yielded results consistent with independent reference ages. (author)

Small RNAs were involved in homozygous state-associated silencing of a marker gene (Neomycin phosphotransferase II: nptII) in transgenic tomato plants.

Science.gov (United States)

Deng, Lei; Pan, Yu; Chen, Xuqing; Chen, Guoping; Hu, Zongli

2013-07-01

Homozygous state-associated co-suppression is not a very common phenomenon. In our experiments, two transgenic plants 3A29 and 1195A were constructed by being transformed with the constructs pBIN-353A and pBIN119A containing nptII gene as a marker respectively. The homozygous progeny from these two independent transgenic lines 3A29 and 1195A, displayed kanamycin-sensitivity and produced a short main root without any lateral roots as untransformed control (wild-type) seedlings when germinated on kanamycin media. For the seedlings derived from putative hemizygous plants, the percentage of the seedlings showing normal growth on kanamycin media was about 50% and lower than the expected percentage (75%). Southern analysis of the genomic DNA confirmed that the homozygous and hemizygous plants derived from the same lines contained the same multiple nptII transgenes, which were located on the same site of chromosome. Northern analysis suggested that the marker nptII gene was expressed in the primary and the hemizygous transformants, but it was silenced in the homozygous transgenic plants. Further Northern analysis indicated that antisense and sense small nptII-derived RNAs were present in the transgenic plants and the blotting signal of nptII-derived small RNA was much higher in the homozygous transgenic plants than that of hemizygous transgenic plants. Additionally, read-through transcripts from the TRAMP gene to the nptII gene were detected. These results suggest that the read-through transcripts may be involved in homozygous state-associated silencing of the nptII transgene in transgenic tomato plants and a certain threshold level of the nptII-derived small RNAs is required for the homozygous state-associated co-suppression of the nptII transgene. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Identification of fecal contamination sources in water using host-associated markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Krentz, Corinne A; Prystajecky, Natalie; Isaac-Renton, Judith

2013-03-01

In British Columbia, Canada, drinking water is tested for total coliforms and Escherichia coli, but there is currently no routine follow-up testing to investigate fecal contamination sources in samples that test positive for indicator bacteria. Reliable microbial source tracking (MST) tools to rapidly test water samples for multiple fecal contamination markers simultaneously are currently lacking. The objectives of this study were (i) to develop a qualitative MST tool to identify fecal contamination from different host groups, and (ii) to evaluate the MST tool using water samples with evidence of fecal contamination. Singleplex and multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) were used to test (i) water from polluted sites and (ii) raw and drinking water samples for presence of bacterial genetic markers associated with feces from humans, cattle, seagulls, pigs, chickens, and geese. The multiplex MST assay correctly identified suspected contamination sources in contaminated waterways, demonstrating that this test may have utility for heavily contaminated sites. Most raw and drinking water samples analyzed using singleplex PCR contained at least one host-associated marker. Singleplex PCR was capable of detecting host-associated markers in small sample volumes and is therefore a promising tool to further analyze water samples submitted for routine testing and provide information useful for water quality management.

Effect of track etch rate on geometric track characteristics for polymeric track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdel-Naby, A.A.; El-Akkad, F.A.

2001-01-01

Analysis of the variable track etch rate on geometric track characteristic for polymeric track detectors has been applied to the case of LR-155 II SSNTD. Spectrometric characteristics of low energy alpha particles response by the polymeric detector have been obtained. The track etching kinematics theory of development of minor diameter of the etched tracks has been applied. The calculations show that, for this type of detector, the energy dependence of the minor track diameter d is linear for small-etched removal layer h. The energy resolution gets better for higher etched removal layer

Tracking Accuracy of a Real-Time Fiducial Tracking System for Patient Positioning and Monitoring in Radiation Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shchory, Tal; Schifter, Dan; Lichtman, Rinat; Neustadter, David; Corn, Benjamin W.

2010-01-01

Purpose: In radiation therapy there is a need to accurately know the location of the target in real time. A novel radioactive tracking technology has been developed to answer this need. The technology consists of a radioactive implanted fiducial marker designed to minimize migration and a linac mounted tracking device. This study measured the static and dynamic accuracy of the new tracking technology in a clinical radiation therapy environment. Methods and Materials: The tracking device was installed on the linac gantry. The radioactive marker was located in a tissue equivalent phantom. Marker location was measured simultaneously by the radioactive tracking system and by a Microscribe G2 coordinate measuring machine (certified spatial accuracy of 0.38 mm). Localization consistency throughout a volume and absolute accuracy in the Fixed coordinate system were measured at multiple gantry angles over volumes of at least 10 cm in diameter centered at isocenter. Dynamic accuracy was measured with the marker located inside a breathing phantom. Results: The mean consistency for the static source was 0.58 mm throughout the tested region at all measured gantry angles. The mean absolute position error in the Fixed coordinate system for all gantry angles was 0.97 mm. The mean real-time tracking error for the dynamic source within the breathing phantom was less than 1 mm. Conclusions: This novel radioactive tracking technology has the potential to be useful in accurate target localization and real-time monitoring for radiation therapy.

Automated marker tracking using noisy X-ray images degraded by the treatment beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wisotzky, E. [Fraunhofer Institute for Production Systems and Design Technology (IPK), Berlin (Germany); German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany); Fast, M.F.; Nill, S. [The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London (United Kingdom). Joint Dept. of Physics; Oelfke, U. [The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London (United Kingdom). Joint Dept. of Physics; German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg (Germany)

2015-09-01

This study demonstrates the feasibility of automated marker tracking for the real-time detection of intrafractional target motion using noisy kilovoltage (kV) X-ray images degraded by the megavoltage (MV) treatment beam. The authors previously introduced the in-line imaging geometry, in which the flat-panel detector (FPD) is mounted directly underneath the treatment head of the linear accelerator. They found that the 121 kVp image quality was severely compromised by the 6 MV beam passing through the FPD at the same time. Specific MV-induced artefacts present a considerable challenge for automated marker detection algorithms. For this study, the authors developed a new imaging geometry by re-positioning the FPD and the X-ray tube. This improved the contrast-to-noise-ratio between 40% and 72% at the 1.2 mAs/image exposure setting. The increase in image quality clearly facilitates the quick and stable detection of motion with the aid of a template matching algorithm. The setup was tested with an anthropomorphic lung phantom (including an artificial lung tumour). In the tumour one or three Calypso {sup registered} beacons were embedded to achieve better contrast during MV radiation. For a single beacon, image acquisition and automated marker detection typically took around 76±6 ms. The success rate was found to be highly dependent on imaging dose and gantry angle. To eliminate possible false detections, the authors implemented a training phase prior to treatment beam irradiation and also introduced speed limits for motion between subsequent images.

Automated marker tracking using noisy X-ray images degraded by the treatment beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wisotzky, E.; Fast, M.F.; Nill, S.

2015-01-01

This study demonstrates the feasibility of automated marker tracking for the real-time detection of intrafractional target motion using noisy kilovoltage (kV) X-ray images degraded by the megavoltage (MV) treatment beam. The authors previously introduced the in-line imaging geometry, in which the flat-panel detector (FPD) is mounted directly underneath the treatment head of the linear accelerator. They found that the 121 kVp image quality was severely compromised by the 6 MV beam passing through the FPD at the same time. Specific MV-induced artefacts present a considerable challenge for automated marker detection algorithms. For this study, the authors developed a new imaging geometry by re-positioning the FPD and the X-ray tube. This improved the contrast-to-noise-ratio between 40% and 72% at the 1.2 mAs/image exposure setting. The increase in image quality clearly facilitates the quick and stable detection of motion with the aid of a template matching algorithm. The setup was tested with an anthropomorphic lung phantom (including an artificial lung tumour). In the tumour one or three Calypso registered beacons were embedded to achieve better contrast during MV radiation. For a single beacon, image acquisition and automated marker detection typically took around 76±6 ms. The success rate was found to be highly dependent on imaging dose and gantry angle. To eliminate possible false detections, the authors implemented a training phase prior to treatment beam irradiation and also introduced speed limits for motion between subsequent images.

Novel methods and expected run II performance of ATLAS track reconstruction in dense environments

CERN Document Server

Jansky, Roland Wolfgang; The ATLAS collaboration

2015-01-01

Detailed understanding and optimal track reconstruction performance of ATLAS in the core of high pT objects is paramount for a number of techniques such as jet energy and mass calibration, jet flavour tagging, and hadronic tau identification as well as measurements of physics quantities like jet fragmentation functions. These dense environments are characterized by charged particle separations on the order of the granularity of ATLAS’s inner detector. With the insertion of a new innermost layer in this tracking detector, which allows measurements closer to the interaction point, and an increase in the centre of mass energy, these difficult environments will become even more relevant in Run II, such as in searches for heavy resonances. Novel algorithmic developments to the ATLAS track reconstruction software targeting these topologies as well as the expected improved performance will be presented.

Identification of the origin of faecal contamination in estuarine oysters using Bacteroidales and F-specific RNA bacteriophage markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Mieszkin, S; Caprais, M P; Le Mennec, C; Le Goff, M; Edge, T A; Gourmelon, M

2013-09-01

The aim of this study was to identify the origin of faecal pollution impacting the Elorn estuary (Brittany, France) by applying microbial source tracking (MST) markers in both oysters and estuarine waters. The MST markers used were as follows: (i) human-, ruminant- and pig-associated Bacteroidales markers by real-time PCR and (ii) human genogroup II and animal genogroup I of F-specific RNA bacteriophages (FRNAPH) by culture/genotyping and by direct real-time reverse-transcriptase PCR. The higher occurrence of the human genogroup II of F-specific RNA bacteriophages using a culture/genotyping method, and human-associated Bacteroidales marker by real-time PCR, allowed the identification of human faecal contamination as the predominant source of contamination in oysters (total of 18 oyster batches tested) and waters (total of 24 water samples tested). The importance of using the intravalvular liquids instead of digestive tissues, when applying host-associated Bacteroidales markers in oysters, was also revealed. This study has shown that the application of a MST toolbox of diverse bacterial and viral methods can provide multiple lines of evidence to identify the predominant source of faecal contamination in shellfish from an estuarine environment. Application of this MST toolbox is a useful approach to understand the origin of faecal contamination in shellfish harvesting areas in an estuarine setting. © 2013 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Differential utility of the Bacteroidales DNA and RNA markers in the tiered approach for microbial source tracking in subtropical seawater.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Rulong; Cheng, Ken H F; Wong, Klaine; Cheng, Samuel C S; Lau, Stanley C K

2015-07-01

Source tracking of fecal pollution is an emerging component in water quality monitoring. It may be implemented in a tiered approach involving Escherichia coli and/or Enterococcus spp. as the standard fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) and the 16S rRNA gene markers of Bacteroidales as source identifiers. The relative population dynamics of the source identifiers and the FIB may strongly influence the implementation of such approach. Currently, the relative performance of DNA and RNA as detection targets of Bacteroidales markers in the tiered approach is not known. We compared the decay of the DNA and RNA of the total (AllBac) and ruminant specific (CF128) Bacteroidales markers with those of the FIB in seawater spiked with cattle feces. Four treatments of light and oxygen availability simulating the subtropical seawater of Hong Kong were tested. All Bacteroidales markers decayed significantly slower than the FIB in all treatments. Nonetheless, the concentrations of the DNA and RNA markers and E. coli correlated significantly in normoxic seawater independent of light availability, and in hypoxic seawater only under light. In hypoxic seawater without light, the concentrations of RNA but not DNA markers correlated with that of E. coli. Generally, the correlations between Enterococcus spp. and Bacteroidales were insignificant. These results suggest that either DNA or RNA markers may complement E. coli in the tiered approach for normoxic or hypoxic seawater under light. When light is absent, either DNA or RNA markers may serve for normoxic seawater, but only the RNA markers are suitable for hypoxic seawater.

Fast track-finding trigger processor for the SLAC/LBL Mark II Detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brafman, H.; Breidenbach, M.; Hettel, R.; Himel, T.; Horelick, D.

1977-10-01

The SLAC/LBL Mark II Magnetic Detector consists of various particle detectors arranged in cylindrical symmetry located in and around an axial magnetic field. A versatile, programmable secondary trigger processor was designed and built to find curved tracks in the detector. The system operates at a 10 MHz clock rate with a total processing time of 34 μsec and is used to ''trigger'' the data processing computer, thereby rejecting background and greatly improving the data acquisition aspects of the detector-computer combination

Organisational justice and markers of inflammation: the Whitehall II study.

Science.gov (United States)

Elovainio, Marko; Ferrie, Jane E; Singh-Manoux, Archana; Gimeno, David; De Vogli, Roberto; Shipley, Martin; Vahtera, Jussi; Brunner, Eric; Marmot, Michael G; Kivimäki, Mika

2010-02-01

Low organisational justice has been shown to be associated with increased risk of various health problems, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We tested whether organisational injustice contributes to chronic inflammation in a population of middle-aged men and women. This prospective cohort study uses data from 3205 men and 1204 women aged 35-55 years at entry into the Whitehall II study (phase 1, 1985-1988). Organisational justice perceptions were assessed at phase 1 and phase 2 (1989-1990) and circulating inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin (IL)-6 at phase 3 (1991-1993) and phase 7 (2003-2004). In men, low organisational justice was associated with increased CRP levels at both follow-ups (phase 3 and 7) and increased IL-6 at the second follow-up (phase 7). The long term (phase 7) associations were largely independent of covariates, such as age, employment grade, body mass index and depressive symptoms. In women, no relationship was found between organisational justice and CRP or IL-6. This study suggests that organisational injustice is associated with increased long-term levels of inflammatory markers among men.

Aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 is a marker for normal and malignant human colonic stem cells (SC) and tracks SC overpopulation during colon tumorigenesis.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Emina H; Hynes, Mark J; Zhang, Tao; Ginestier, Christophe; Dontu, Gabriela; Appelman, Henry; Fields, Jeremy Z; Wicha, Max S; Boman, Bruce M

2009-04-15

Although the concept that cancers originate from stem cells (SC) is becoming scientifically accepted, mechanisms by which SC contribute to tumor initiation and progression are largely unknown. For colorectal cancer (CRC), investigation of this problem has been hindered by a paucity of specific markers for identification and isolation of SC from normal and malignant colon. Accordingly, aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1) was investigated as a possible marker for identifying colonic SC and for tracking them during cancer progression. Immunostaining showed that ALDH1(+) cells are sparse and limited to the normal crypt bottom, where SCs reside. During progression from normal epithelium to mutant (APC) epithelium to adenoma, ALDH1(+) cells increased in number and became distributed farther up the crypt. CD133(+) and CD44(+) cells, which are more numerous and broadly distributed in normal crypts, showed similar changes during tumorigenesis. Flow cytometric isolation of cancer cells based on enzymatic activity of ALDH (Aldefluor assay) and implantation of these cells in nonobese diabetic-severe combined immunodeficient mice (a) generated xenograft tumors (Aldefluor(-) cells did not), (b) generated them after implanting as few as 25 cells, and (c) generated them dose dependently. Further isolation of cancer cells using a second marker (CD44(+) or CD133(+) serially) only modestly increased enrichment based on tumor-initiating ability. Thus, ALDH1 seems to be a specific marker for identifying, isolating, and tracking human colonic SC during CRC development. These findings also support our original hypothesis, derived previously from mathematical modeling of crypt dynamics, that progressive colonic SC overpopulation occurs during colon tumorigenesis and drives CRC development.

WE-AB-303-08: Direct Lung Tumor Tracking Using Short Imaging Arcs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shieh, C; Huang, C; Keall, P; Feain, I

2015-01-01

Purpose: Most current tumor tracking technologies rely on implanted markers, which suffer from potential toxicity of marker placement and mis-targeting due to marker migration. Several markerless tracking methods have been proposed: these are either indirect methods or have difficulties tracking lung tumors in most clinical cases due to overlapping anatomies in 2D projection images. We propose a direct lung tumor tracking algorithm robust to overlapping anatomies using short imaging arcs. Methods: The proposed algorithm tracks the tumor based on kV projections acquired within the latest six-degree imaging arc. To account for respiratory motion, an external motion surrogate is used to select projections of the same phase within the latest arc. For each arc, the pre-treatment 4D cone-beam CT (CBCT) with tumor contours are used to estimate and remove the contribution to the integral attenuation from surrounding anatomies. The position of the tumor model extracted from 4D CBCT of the same phase is then optimized to match the processed projections using the conjugate gradient method. The algorithm was retrospectively validated on two kV scans of a lung cancer patient with implanted fiducial markers. This patient was selected as the tumor is attached to the mediastinum, representing a challenging case for markerless tracking methods. The tracking results were converted to expected marker positions and compared with marker trajectories obtained via direct marker segmentation (ground truth). Results: The root-mean-squared-errors of tracking were 0.8 mm and 0.9 mm in the superior-inferior direction for the two scans. Tracking error was found to be below 2 and 3 mm for 90% and 98% of the time, respectively. Conclusions: A direct lung tumor tracking algorithm robust to overlapping anatomies was proposed and validated on two scans of a lung cancer patient. Sub-millimeter tracking accuracy was observed, indicating the potential of this algorithm for real-time guidance

Ion track etching revisited: II. Electronic properties of aged tracks in polymers

Science.gov (United States)

Fink, D.; Muñoz Hernández, G.; Cruz, S. A.; Garcia-Arellano, H.; Vacik, J.; Hnatowicz, V.; Kiv, A.; Alfonta, L.

2018-02-01

We compile here electronic ion track etching effects, such as capacitive-type currents, current spike emission, phase shift, rectification and background currents that eventually emerge upon application of sinusoidal alternating voltages across thin, aged swift heavy ion-irradiated polymer foils during etching. Both capacitive-type currents and current spike emission occur as long as obstacles still prevent a smooth continuous charge carrier passage across the foils. In the case of sufficiently high applied electric fields, these obstacles are overcome by spike emission. These effects vanish upon etchant breakthrough. Subsequent transmitted currents are usually of Ohmic type, but shortly after breakthrough (during the track' core etching) often still exhibit deviations such as strong positive phase shifts. They stem from very slow charge carrier mobility across the etched ion tracks due to retarding trapping/detrapping processes. Upon etching the track's penumbra, one occasionally observes a split-up into two transmitted current components, one with positive and another one with negative phase shifts. Usually, these phase shifts vanish when bulk etching starts. Current rectification upon track etching is a very frequent phenomenon. Rectification uses to inverse when core etching ends and penumbra etching begins. When the latter ends, rectification largely vanishes. Occasionally, some residual rectification remains which we attribute to the aged polymeric bulk itself. Last not least, we still consider background currents which often emerge transiently during track etching. We could assign them clearly to differences in the electrochemical potential of the liquids on both sides of the etched polymer foils. Transient relaxation effects during the track etching cause their eventually chaotic behaviour.

Real Time MRI Motion Correction with Markerless Tracking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Benjaminsen, Claus; Jensen, Rasmus Ramsbøl; Wighton, Paul

Prospective motion correction for MRI neuroimaging has been demonstrated using MR navigators and external tracking systems using markers. The drawbacks of these two motion estimation methods include prolonged scan time plus lack of compatibility with all image acquisitions, and difficulties...... validating marker attachment resulting in uncertain estimation of the brain motion respectively. We have developed a markerless tracking system, and in this work we demonstrate the use of our system for prospective motion correction, and show that despite being computationally demanding, markerless tracking...... can be implemented for real time motion correction....

Pathogenic bacteria and microbial-source tracking markers in Brandywine Creek Basin, Pennsylvania and Delaware, 2009-10

Science.gov (United States)

Duris, Joseph W.; Reif, Andrew G.; Olson, Leif E.; Johnson, Heather E.

2011-01-01

virulent type of pathogenic E. coli, was found only in the West Branch and main stem at high flow but was not found in the East Branch under similar conditions. However, it must be noted that throughout the entire year of sampling there were occasions, during both high and normal flows, when both the East and West Branches were potential contributors of pathogen and microbial-source tracking markers to the main stem. Therefore, this study indicates that under selected conditions (high flow, October through March), West Branch Brandywine Creek Basin was the most likely source of elevated FIB densities in the main stem. These elevated densities are associated with more frequent detection of selected pathogenic E. coli markers (rfbO157 stx1) and are associated with MST markers of bovine source. However, during other times of the year, both the West Branch and East Branch Basins are acting as potential sources of FIB and fecally derived pathogens.

Silicon Tracking Upgrade at CDF

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kruse, M.C.

1998-04-01

The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) is scheduled to begin recording data from Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron in early 2000. The silicon tracking upgrade constitutes both the upgrade to the CDF silicon vertex detector (SVX II) and the new Intermediate Silicon Layers (ISL) located at radii just beyond the SVX II. Here we review the design and prototyping of all aspects of these detectors including mechanical design, data acquisition, and a trigger based on silicon tracking

Second sound tracking system

Science.gov (United States)

Yang, Jihee; Ihas, Gary G.; Ekdahl, Dan

2017-10-01

It is common that a physical system resonates at a particular frequency, whose frequency depends on physical parameters which may change in time. Often, one would like to automatically track this signal as the frequency changes, measuring, for example, its amplitude. In scientific research, one would also like to utilize the standard methods, such as lock-in amplifiers, to improve the signal to noise ratio. We present a complete He ii second sound system that uses positive feedback to generate a sinusoidal signal of constant amplitude via automatic gain control. This signal is used to produce temperature/entropy waves (second sound) in superfluid helium-4 (He ii). A lock-in amplifier limits the oscillation to a desirable frequency and demodulates the received sound signal. Using this tracking system, a second sound signal probed turbulent decay in He ii. We present results showing that the tracking system is more reliable than those of a conventional fixed frequency method; there is less correlation with temperature (frequency) fluctuation when the tracking system is used.

Real-time 3D internal marker tracking during arc radiotherapy by the use of combined MV-kV imaging.

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, W; Wiersma, R D; Mao, W; Luxton, G; Xing, L

2008-12-21

To minimize the adverse dosimetric effect caused by tumor motion, it is desirable to have real-time knowledge of the tumor position throughout the beam delivery process. A promising technique to realize the real-time image guided scheme in external beam radiation therapy is through the combined use of MV and onboard kV beam imaging. The success of this MV-kV triangulation approach for fixed-gantry radiation therapy has been demonstrated. With the increasing acceptance of modern arc radiotherapy in the clinics, a timely and clinically important question is whether the image guidance strategy can be extended to arc therapy to provide the urgently needed real-time tumor motion information. While conceptually feasible, there are a number of theoretical and practical issues specific to the arc delivery that need to be resolved before clinical implementation. The purpose of this work is to establish a robust procedure of system calibration for combined MV and kV imaging for internal marker tracking during arc delivery and to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the technique. A commercially available LINAC equipped with an onboard kV imager and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) was used for the study. A custom built phantom with multiple ball bearings was used to calibrate the stereoscopic MV-kV imaging system to provide the transformation parameters from imaging pixels to 3D world coordinates. The accuracy of the fiducial tracking system was examined using a 4D motion phantom capable of moving in accordance with a pre-programmed trajectory. Overall, spatial accuracy of MV-kV fiducial tracking during the arc delivery process for normal adult breathing amplitude and period was found to be better than 1 mm. For fast motion, the results depended on the imaging frame rates. The RMS error ranged from approximately 0.5 mm for the normal adult breathing pattern to approximately 1.5 mm for more extreme cases with a low imaging frame rate of 3.4 Hz. In general

Real-time 3D internal marker tracking during arc radiotherapy by the use of combined MV-kV imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liu, W; Wiersma, R D; Mao, W; Luxton, G; Xing, L

2008-01-01

To minimize the adverse dosimetric effect caused by tumor motion, it is desirable to have real-time knowledge of the tumor position throughout the beam delivery process. A promising technique to realize the real-time image guided scheme in external beam radiation therapy is through the combined use of MV and onboard kV beam imaging. The success of this MV-kV triangulation approach for fixed-gantry radiation therapy has been demonstrated. With the increasing acceptance of modern arc radiotherapy in the clinics, a timely and clinically important question is whether the image guidance strategy can be extended to arc therapy to provide the urgently needed real-time tumor motion information. While conceptually feasible, there are a number of theoretical and practical issues specific to the arc delivery that need to be resolved before clinical implementation. The purpose of this work is to establish a robust procedure of system calibration for combined MV and kV imaging for internal marker tracking during arc delivery and to demonstrate the feasibility and accuracy of the technique. A commercially available LINAC equipped with an onboard kV imager and electronic portal imaging device (EPID) was used for the study. A custom built phantom with multiple ball bearings was used to calibrate the stereoscopic MV-kV imaging system to provide the transformation parameters from imaging pixels to 3D world coordinates. The accuracy of the fiducial tracking system was examined using a 4D motion phantom capable of moving in accordance with a pre-programmed trajectory. Overall, spatial accuracy of MV-kV fiducial tracking during the arc delivery process for normal adult breathing amplitude and period was found to be better than 1 mm. For fast motion, the results depended on the imaging frame rates. The RMS error ranged from ∼0.5 mm for the normal adult breathing pattern to ∼1.5 mm for more extreme cases with a low imaging frame rate of 3.4 Hz. In general, highly accurate real

COMBINING INDEPENDENT VISUALIZATION AND TRACKING SYSTEMS FOR AUGMENTED REALITY

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. Hübner

2018-05-01

Full Text Available The basic requirement for the successful deployment of a mobile augmented reality application is a reliable tracking system with high accuracy. Recently, a helmet-based inside-out tracking system which meets this demand has been proposed for self-localization in buildings. To realize an augmented reality application based on this tracking system, a display has to be added for visualization purposes. Therefore, the relative pose of this visualization platform with respect to the helmet has to be tracked. In the case of hand-held visualization platforms like smartphones or tablets, this can be achieved by means of image-based tracking methods like marker-based or model-based tracking. In this paper, we present two marker-based methods for tracking the relative pose between the helmet-based tracking system and a tablet-based visualization system. Both methods were implemented and comparatively evaluated in terms of tracking accuracy. Our results show that mobile inside-out tracking systems without integrated displays can easily be supplemented with a hand-held tablet as visualization device for augmented reality purposes.

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.

Mapping recessive ophthalmic diseases: linkage of the locus for Usher syndrome type II to a DNA marker on chromosome 1q.

Science.gov (United States)

Lewis, R A; Otterud, B; Stauffer, D; Lalouel, J M; Leppert, M

1990-06-01

Usher syndrome is a heterogeneous group of autosomal recessive disorders that combines variably severe congenital neurosensory hearing impairment with progressive night-blindness and visual loss similar to that in retinitis pigmentosa. Usher syndrome type I is distinguished by profound congenital (preverbal) deafness and retinal disease with onset in the first decade of life. Usher syndrome type II is characterized by partial hearing impairment and retinal dystrophy that occurs in late adolescence or early adulthood. The chromosomal assignment and the regional localization of the genetic mutation(s) causing the Usher syndromes are unknown. We analyzed a panel of polymorphic genomic markers for linkage to the disease gene among six families with Usher syndrome type I and 22 families with Usher syndrome type II. Significant linkage was established between Usher syndrome type II and the DNA marker locus THH33 (D1S81), which maps to chromosome 1q. The most likely location of the disease gene is at a map distance of 9 cM from THH33 (lod score 6.5). The same marker failed to show linkage in families segregating an allele for Usher syndrome type I. These data confirm the provisional assignment of the locus for Usher syndrome type II to the distal end of chromosome 1q and demonstrate that the clinical heterogeneity between Usher types I and II is caused by mutational events at different genetic loci. Regional localization has the potential to improve carrier detection and to provide antenatal diagnosis in families at risk for the disease.

Investigation of the change in marker geometry during respiration motion: a preliminary study for dynamic-multi-leaf real-time tumor tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamazaki, Rie; Nishioka, Seiko; Date, Hiroyuki; Shirato, Hiroki; Koike, Takao; Nishioka, Takeshi

2012-01-01

The use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) is rapidly increasing. Presently, the most accurate method uses fiducial markers implanted near the tumor. A shortcoming of this method is that the beams turn off during the majority of the respiratory cycle, resulting in a prolonged treatment time. Recent advances in collimation technology have enabled continuous irradiation to a moving tumor. However, the lung is a dynamic organ characterized by inhalation exhalation cycles, during which marker/tumor geometry may change (i.e., misalignment), resulting in under-dosing to the tumor. Eight patients with lung cancer who were candidates for stereotactic radiotherapy were examined with 4D high-resolution CT. As a marker surrogate, virtual bronchoscopy using the pulmonary artery (VBPA) was conducted. To detect possible marker/tumor misalignment during the respiration cycle, the distance between the peripheral bronchus, where a marker could be implanted, and the center of gravity of a tumor were calculated for each respiratory phase. When the respiration cycle was divided into 10 phases, the median value was significantly larger for the 30%-70% respiratory phases compared to that for the 10% respiratory phase (P<0.05, Mann–Whitney U-test). These results demonstrate that physiological aspect must be considered when continuous tumor tracking is applied to a moving tumor. To minimize an “additional” internal target volume (ITV) margin, a marker should be placed approximately 2.5 cm from the tumor

Long-term monitoring of waterborne pathogens and microbial source tracking markers in paired agricultural watersheds under controlled and conventional tile drainage management.

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkes, Graham; Brassard, Julie; Edge, Thomas A; Gannon, Victor; Gottschall, Natalie; Jokinen, Cassandra C; Jones, Tineke H; Khan, Izhar U H; Marti, Romain; Sunohara, Mark D; Topp, Edward; Lapen, David R

2014-06-01

Surface waters from paired agricultural watersheds under controlled tile drainage (CTD) and uncontrolled tile drainage (UCTD) were monitored over 7 years in order to determine if there was an effect of CTD (imposed during the growing season) on occurrences and loadings of bacterial and viral pathogens, coliphages, and microbial source tracking markers. There were significantly lower occurrences of human, ruminant, and livestock (ruminant plus pig) Bacteroidales markers in the CTD watershed in relation to the UCTD watershed. As for pathogens, there were significantly lower occurrences of Salmonella spp. and Arcobacter spp. in the CTD watershed. There were no instances where there were significantly higher quantitative loadings of any microbial target in the CTD watershed, except for F-specific DNA (F-DNA) and F-RNA coliphages, perhaps as a result of fecal inputs from a hobby farm independent of the drainage practice treatments. There was lower loading of the ruminant marker in the CTD watershed in relation to the UCTD system, and results were significant at the level P = 0.06. The odds of Salmonella spp. occurring increased when a ruminant marker was present relative to when the ruminant marker was absent, yet for Arcobacter spp., the odds of this pathogen occurring significantly decreased when a ruminant marker was present relative to when the ruminant marker was absent (but increased when a wildlife marker was present relative to when the wildlife marker was absent). Interestingly, the odds of norovirus GII (associated with human and swine) occurring in water increased significantly when a ruminant marker was present relative to when a ruminant marker was absent. Overall, this study suggests that fecal pollution from tile-drained fields to stream could be reduced by CTD utilization. Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Long-Term Monitoring of Waterborne Pathogens and Microbial Source Tracking Markers in Paired Agricultural Watersheds under Controlled and Conventional Tile Drainage Management

Science.gov (United States)

Wilkes, Graham; Brassard, Julie; Edge, Thomas A.; Gannon, Victor; Gottschall, Natalie; Jokinen, Cassandra C.; Jones, Tineke H.; Khan, Izhar U. H.; Marti, Romain; Sunohara, Mark D.; Topp, Edward

2014-01-01

Surface waters from paired agricultural watersheds under controlled tile drainage (CTD) and uncontrolled tile drainage (UCTD) were monitored over 7 years in order to determine if there was an effect of CTD (imposed during the growing season) on occurrences and loadings of bacterial and viral pathogens, coliphages, and microbial source tracking markers. There were significantly lower occurrences of human, ruminant, and livestock (ruminant plus pig) Bacteroidales markers in the CTD watershed in relation to the UCTD watershed. As for pathogens, there were significantly lower occurrences of Salmonella spp. and Arcobacter spp. in the CTD watershed. There were no instances where there were significantly higher quantitative loadings of any microbial target in the CTD watershed, except for F-specific DNA (F-DNA) and F-RNA coliphages, perhaps as a result of fecal inputs from a hobby farm independent of the drainage practice treatments. There was lower loading of the ruminant marker in the CTD watershed in relation to the UCTD system, and results were significant at the level P = 0.06. The odds of Salmonella spp. occurring increased when a ruminant marker was present relative to when the ruminant marker was absent, yet for Arcobacter spp., the odds of this pathogen occurring significantly decreased when a ruminant marker was present relative to when the ruminant marker was absent (but increased when a wildlife marker was present relative to when the wildlife marker was absent). Interestingly, the odds of norovirus GII (associated with human and swine) occurring in water increased significantly when a ruminant marker was present relative to when a ruminant marker was absent. Overall, this study suggests that fecal pollution from tile-drained fields to stream could be reduced by CTD utilization. PMID:24727274

Development of a tracking method for augmented reality applied to NPP maintenance work and its experimental evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bian, Zhiqiang; Ishii, Hirotake; Shimoda, Hiroshi; Yoshikawa, Hidekazu; Morishita, Yoshitsugu; Kanehira, Yoshiki; Izumi, Masanori

2007-01-01

Nuclear power plants (NPPs) must be maintained periodically. Their maintenance efficiency must be improved and human error must be reduced simultaneously to improve NPPs' competitive capability in electricity markets. Although Augmented Reality (AR) offers great possibilities to support NPP maintenance work, some difficulties exist for application of AR to actual work support because current AR systems cannot be implemented in NPP environments without technical improvement. There are several kinds of problems such as recognition distance, tracking accuracy, and a complex working environment when applying AR to NPP field work support. Considerable extension of tracking distance and improvement of accuracy are particularly desired because NPPs are large scale indoor environments. This study designed a linecode marker, a new type of paper-based marker, along with recognition and tracking algorithms for it to resolve these problems. In contrast to conventional paper-based makers, such as square markers and circle markers, the linecode marker is not merely easier to set up in complex industrial environments: it also enables the use of AR in industrial plants because of its considerable tracking-performance improvement. To evaluate tracking accuracy, the trackable distance, and the tracking speed of the proposed tracking method, an evaluation experiment was conducted in a large room. The experiment results show that the tracking distance is extended extremely over that of the traditional marker-based tracking method: tracking accuracy improved to 20 cm over a 10 m distance. The running speed of the tracking can be as fast as 15 frames per second using a laptop PC. (author)

Unscented Kalman filtering for articulated human tracking

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Boesen Lindbo Larsen, Anders; Hauberg, Søren; Pedersen, Kim Steenstrup

2011-01-01

We present an articulated tracking system working with data from a single narrow baseline stereo camera. The use of stereo data allows for some depth disambiguation, a common issue in articulated tracking, which in turn yields likelihoods that are practically unimodal. While current state...... with superior results. Tracking quality is measured by comparing with ground truth data from a marker-based motion capture system....

Marker-assisted-selection (MAS): A fast track to increase genetic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Administrator

2011-09-21

Sep 21, 2011 ... protein maize (QPM) through marker-assisted transfer of a recessive mutant ... and number which collectively determine the yield poten- tial (Monforte et .... A wide gap appears to exist between tagging genes with markers and ...

On the development of inexpensive speed and position tracking system for swimming

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Trangbæk, Søren; Rasmussen, Cuno; Andersen, Thomas Bull

2016-01-01

A semi-automated tracking system was developed for the analysis of swimming, using cameras, an LED diode marker, and a red swim cap. Four experienced young swimmers were equipped with a marker and a swim cap and their position and speed was tracked throughout above-water and under-water swimming...

Marker-assisted-selection (MAS): A fast track to increase genetic ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mapping and tagging of agriculturally important genes have been greatly facilitated by an array of molecular markers in crop plants. Marker-assisted selection (MAS) is gaining considerable importance as it would improve the efficiency of plant breeding through precise transfer of genomic regions of interest (foreground ...

Toward early markers for Autism Spectrum Disorder using eye tracking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hessels, R.S.|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/374642001

2017-01-01

The goal of this dissertation was to explore two possible early markers of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): visual search superiority, and gaze behavior during face perception. These possible markers were explored as they pertain to both the social deficits in ASD (gaze during face perception) and

Studies on the Belle II L1 CDC track trigger's z-vertex resolution with neural networks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skambraks, Sebastian; Neuhaus, Sara; Chen, Yang [Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Abudinen, Fernando; Kiesling, Christian [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany)

2015-07-01

We present the use of a neural network ensemble for the first level (L1) track trigger subsystem of Belle II. Our method employs hit and drift time information from the Central Drift Chamber (CDC). Estimating the z-coordinates of the vertex positions improves the signal to background ratio in the recorded data. Especially beam induced background can clearly be rejected, allowing to relax the 2D trigger conditions and thus enhancing the physics gain for low multiplicity events (e.g. tau pair production). Neural networks enable an improvement of the z-vertex resolution compared to linear least squares track fitting. As general function approximators, they are capable of learning nonlinearities solely from a training dataset. We propose a combined setup, integrating the benefits of the linear fit and enriching it with the nonlinear prediction capabilities of the neural networks. The precise z-vertices of single tracks are estimated by an ensemble of local expert neural networks, specialized to sectors in the track parameter phase space. A comparison is presented, demonstrating the differences of the linear fit and the neural network approach.

Establishing tumour tracking accuracy in free-breathing respiratory gated SBRT of lung cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wen, Chuan-Dong; Wong, C; Ackerly, T; Ruben, J; Millar, J

2014-01-01

Free-breathing respiratory gated SBRT of surgically inoperable lung cancer has been clinically commissioned. This study was to establish the tumour tracking accuracy under clinical conditions based on an implanted fiducial marker. A Visicoil TM marker embedded in tissue-equivalent material mounted in a phantom (ET Gating Phantom TM Brainlab) driven by a patient's breathing data was treated with the ExacTrac TM system. This one-dimensional moving marker represented a tumour motion in superior-inferior (S-I) direction measured through 4DCT study of the same patient. Both Gafchromic TM films and the stereoscopic kV images were used for tracking the position of the marker. For tumour motion at magnitudes of 10, 20 and 29 mm and treated with corresponding gate widths of 50%, 33% and 20% of free breathing amplitude, the implanted marker was able to be tracked with a deviation ≤1.53 mm to its planned position.

Distributed Tracking in Distributed Sensor Networks

Science.gov (United States)

1988-05-26

Glocal Track 6-17 6-12: Case II: Initial Glocal Track 6-18 6-13: Local Tracking Results with Multiple Model Approach 6-19 6-14: Model Probability History...3480.0- 2290.0e iee. onee -5800 -4600.8 -3400.8 -2208.8 -1886 X (Mi) Figure 6-11: Case 1: Initial Glocal Track 6-17 460. 420. 38 . 3488.9 1st 3498.9

Investigation of tracking systems properties in CAVE-type virtual reality systems

Science.gov (United States)

Szymaniak, Magda; Mazikowski, Adam; Meironke, Michał

2017-08-01

In recent years, many scientific and industrial centers in the world developed a virtual reality systems or laboratories. One of the most advanced solutions are Immersive 3D Visualization Lab (I3DVL), a CAVE-type (Cave Automatic Virtual Environment) laboratory. It contains two CAVE-type installations: six-screen installation arranged in a form of a cube, and four-screen installation, a simplified version of the previous one. The user feeling of "immersion" and interaction with virtual world depend on many factors, in particular on the accuracy of the tracking system of the user. In this paper properties of the tracking systems applied in I3DVL was investigated. For analysis two parameters were selected: the accuracy of the tracking system and the range of detection of markers by the tracking system in space of the CAVE. Measurements of system accuracy were performed for six-screen installation, equipped with four tracking cameras for three axes: X, Y, Z. Rotation around the Y axis was also analyzed. Measured tracking system shows good linear and rotating accuracy. The biggest issue was the range of the monitoring of markers inside the CAVE. It turned out, that the tracking system lose sight of the markers in the corners of the installation. For comparison, for a simplified version of CAVE (four-screen installation), equipped with eight tracking cameras, this problem was not occur. Obtained results will allow for improvement of cave quality.

Use of wand markers on the pelvis in three dimensional gait analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Smith, Martin; Curtis, Derek; Bencke, Jesper

2013-01-01

During clinical gait analysis, surface markers are placed over the anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS) of the pelvis. However, this can be problematic in overweight or obese subjects, where excessive adipose tissue can obscure the markers and prevent accurate tracking. A novel solution to this ......During clinical gait analysis, surface markers are placed over the anterior superior iliac spines (ASIS) of the pelvis. However, this can be problematic in overweight or obese subjects, where excessive adipose tissue can obscure the markers and prevent accurate tracking. A novel solution...... to this problem has previously been proposed and tested on a limited sample of healthy, adult subjects. This involves use of wand markers on the pelvis, to virtually recreate the ASIS markers. The method was tested here on 20 typical subjects presenting for clinical gait analysis (adults and children, including...

Optimum location of external markers using feature selection algorithms for real-time tumor tracking in external-beam radiotherapy: a virtual phantom study.

Science.gov (United States)

Nankali, Saber; Torshabi, Ahmad Esmaili; Miandoab, Payam Samadi; Baghizadeh, Amin

2016-01-08

In external-beam radiotherapy, using external markers is one of the most reliable tools to predict tumor position, in clinical applications. The main challenge in this approach is tumor motion tracking with highest accuracy that depends heavily on external markers location, and this issue is the objective of this study. Four commercially available feature selection algorithms entitled 1) Correlation-based Feature Selection, 2) Classifier, 3) Principal Components, and 4) Relief were proposed to find optimum location of external markers in combination with two "Genetic" and "Ranker" searching procedures. The performance of these algorithms has been evaluated using four-dimensional extended cardiac-torso anthropomorphic phantom. Six tumors in lung, three tumors in liver, and 49 points on the thorax surface were taken into account to simulate internal and external motions, respectively. The root mean square error of an adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) as prediction model was considered as metric for quantitatively evaluating the performance of proposed feature selection algorithms. To do this, the thorax surface region was divided into nine smaller segments and predefined tumors motion was predicted by ANFIS using external motion data of given markers at each small segment, separately. Our comparative results showed that all feature selection algorithms can reasonably select specific external markers from those segments where the root mean square error of the ANFIS model is minimum. Moreover, the performance accuracy of proposed feature selection algorithms was compared, separately. For this, each tumor motion was predicted using motion data of those external markers selected by each feature selection algorithm. Duncan statistical test, followed by F-test, on final results reflected that all proposed feature selection algorithms have the same performance accuracy for lung tumors. But for liver tumors, a correlation-based feature selection algorithm, in

OVX1, macrophage-colony stimulating factor, and CA-125-II as tumor markers for epithelial ovarian carcinoma - A critical appraisal

NARCIS (Netherlands)

van Haaften-Day, C; Shen, Y; Xu, FJ; Yu, YH; Berchuck, A; Havrilesky, LJ; de Bruijn, HWA; van der Zee, AGJ; Bast, RC; Hacker, NF

2001-01-01

BACKGROUND. Ovarian carcinoma remains the leading cause of death from gynecologic malignancy in Australia, the Netherlands, and the United States. CA-125-II, the most widely used serum marker, has limited sensitivity and specificity for detecting small-volume, early-stage disease. Therefore, a panel

Tracking tumor boundary in MV-EPID images without implanted markers: A feasibility study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Xiaoyong; Homma, Noriyasu; Ichiji, Kei; Takai, Yoshihiro; Yoshizawa, Makoto

2015-01-01

Purpose: To develop a markerless tracking algorithm to track the tumor boundary in megavoltage (MV)-electronic portal imaging device (EPID) images for image-guided radiation therapy. Methods: A level set method (LSM)-based algorithm is developed to track tumor boundary in EPID image sequences. Given an EPID image sequence, an initial curve is manually specified in the first frame. Driven by a region-scalable energy fitting function, the initial curve automatically evolves toward the tumor boundary and stops on the desired boundary while the energy function reaches its minimum. For the subsequent frames, the tracking algorithm updates the initial curve by using the tracking result in the previous frame and reuses the LSM to detect the tumor boundary in the subsequent frame so that the tracking processing can be continued without user intervention. The tracking algorithm is tested on three image datasets, including a 4-D phantom EPID image sequence, four digitally deformable phantom image sequences with different noise levels, and four clinical EPID image sequences acquired in lung cancer treatment. The tracking accuracy is evaluated based on two metrics: centroid localization error (CLE) and volume overlap index (VOI) between the tracking result and the ground truth. Results: For the 4-D phantom image sequence, the CLE is 0.23 ± 0.20 mm, and VOI is 95.6% ± 0.2%. For the digital phantom image sequences, the total CLE and VOI are 0.11 ± 0.08 mm and 96.7% ± 0.7%, respectively. In addition, for the clinical EPID image sequences, the proposed algorithm achieves 0.32 ± 0.77 mm in the CLE and 72.1% ± 5.5% in the VOI. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of the authors’ proposed method both in tumor localization and boundary tracking in EPID images. In addition, compared with two existing tracking algorithms, the proposed method achieves a higher accuracy in tumor localization. Conclusions: In this paper, the authors presented a feasibility study of tracking

The CDF II eXtremely fast tracker upgrade

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abulencia, A.; Azzurri, P.; Cochran, E.; Dittmann, J.; Donati, S.; Efron, J.; Erbacher, R.; Errede, D.; Fedorko, I.; Flanagan, G.; Forrest, R.; /Illinois U., Urbana

2006-09-01

The CDF II Extremely Fast Tracker is the trigger track processor which reconstructs charged particle tracks in the transverse plane of the CDF II central outer tracking chamber. The system is now being upgraded to perform a three dimensional track reconstruction. A review of the upgrade is presented here.

RAPD-SCAR Markers for Genetically Improved NEW GIFT Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus niloticus L.) and Their Application in Strain Identification.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Si-Fa; Tang, Shou-Jie; Cai, Wan-Qi

2010-04-01

The NEW GIFT Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus niloticus L.) is a nationally certificated new strain selected over 14 years and 9 generations from the base strain of GIFT Nile tilapia, introduced in 1994. This new variety has been extended in most of areas of China. The management of genetically improved strains, including the genetic markers for identification is needed urgently. RAPD analysis was conducted and their conversion to SCAR markers was developed. From NEW GIFT Nile tilapia, two strain-specific RAPD bands, S(304 )(624 bp ) and S(36 )(568 bp ) were identified. The strain-specific RAPD bands were gel-purified, cloned, and sequenced. Locus-specific primers were then designed to amplify the strain-specific bands. PCR amplification was conducted to test the variations in allele frequencies of two converted SCAR markers among the NEW GIFT Nile tilapia and its base strains, as well as 7 additional farmed strains worldwide. The frequency of SCAR marker I (553 bp) was 85.7% in NEW GIFT Nile tilapia, but 16.7% in the base strain. The frequency of SCAR marker II (558 bp) was 91.4% in NEW GIFT Nile tilapia, but 0% - 70% in the 7 other strains. In order to confirm the utility of these two markers, an examination was conducted for a wild population from Egypt, resulted the frequency of SCAR I and II was 10% and 70%, respectively, much lower than that of New GIFT strain. The increase in allele frequency of these two SCAR markers suggests that these markers might be genetically linked to the quantitative trait loci (QTL) underlining the performance traits by long term selection, and indicate the bright potential of SCAR marker technology for tracking generations during selection progress and for distinguishing among genetically improved strain and other strains.

Manual Dexterity in Schizophrenia—A Neglected Clinical Marker?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maxime Térémetz

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Impaired manual dexterity is commonly observed in schizophrenia. However, a quantitative description of key sensorimotor components contributing to impaired dexterity is lacking. Whether the key components of dexterity are differentially affected and how they relate to clinical characteristics also remains unclear. We quantified the degree of dexterity in 35 stabilized patients with schizophrenia and in 20 age-matched control subjects using four visuomotor tasks: (i force tracking to quantify visuomotor precision, (ii sequential finger tapping to measure motor sequence recall, (iii single-finger tapping to assess temporal regularity, and (iv multi-finger tapping to measure independence of finger movements. Diverse clinical and neuropsychological tests were also applied. A patient subgroup (N = 15 participated in a 14-week cognitive remediation protocol and was assessed before and after remediation. Compared to control subjects, patients with schizophrenia showed greater error in force tracking, poorer recall of tapping sequences, decreased tapping regularity, and reduced degree of finger individuation. A composite performance measure discriminated patients from controls with sensitivity = 0.79 and specificity = 0.9. Aside from force-tracking error, no other dexterity components correlated with antipsychotic medication. In patients, some dexterity components correlated with neurological soft signs, Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS, or neuropsychological scores. This suggests differential cognitive contributions to these components. Cognitive remediation lead to significant improvement in PANSS, tracking error, and sequence recall (without change in medication. These findings show that multiple aspects of sensorimotor control contribute to impaired manual dexterity in schizophrenia. Only visuomotor precision was related to antipsychotic medication. Good diagnostic accuracy and responsiveness to treatment suggest that manual

GENFIT - a generic track-fitting toolkit

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rauch, Johannes [Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Schlueter, Tobias [Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet Muenchen (Germany)

2014-07-01

GENFIT is an experiment-independent track-fitting toolkit, which combines fitting algorithms, track representations, and measurement geometries into a modular framework. We report on a significantly improved version of GENFIT, based on experience gained in the Belle II, PANDA, and FOPI experiments. Improvements concern the implementation of additional track-fitting algorithms, enhanced implementations of Kalman fitters, enhanced visualization capabilities, and additional implementations of measurement types suited for various kinds of tracking detectors. The data model has been revised, allowing for efficient track merging, smoothing, residual calculation and alignment.

Online data reduction with FPGA-based track reconstruction for the Belle II DEPFET pixel detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Deschamps, Bruno; Wessel, Christian; Marinas, Carlos; Dingfelder, Jochen [Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Bonn (Germany)

2016-07-01

The innermost two layers of the Belle II vertex detector at the KEK facility in Tsukuba, Japan, will be covered by high-granularity DEPFET pixel sensors (PXD). The large number of pixels leads to a maximum data rate of 256 Gbps, which has to be significantly reduced by the Data Acquisition System (DATCON). For the data reduction the hit information of the surrounding Silicon strip Vertex Detector (SVD) is utilized to define so-called Regions of Interest (ROI). Only hit information of the pixels located inside these ROIs are saved. The ROIs for the PXD are computed by reconstructing track segments from SVD data and extrapolation to the PXD. The goal is to achieve a data reduction of at least a factor of 10 with this ROI selection. All the necessary processing stages, the receiving, decoding and multiplexing of SVD data on 48 optical fibers, the track reconstruction and the definition of the ROIs, will be performed by the presented system. The planned hardware design is based on a distributed set of Advanced Mezzanine Cards (AMC) each equipped with a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) and 4 optical transceivers. In this talk, the status and plans for the DATCON prototype and the FPGA-based tracking algorithm are introduced as well as the plans for their test in the upcoming test beam at DESY.

Effectiveness of an Automatic Tracking Software in Underwater Motion Analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrício A. Magalhaes

2013-12-01

Full Text Available Tracking of markers placed on anatomical landmarks is a common practice in sports science to perform the kinematic analysis that interests both athletes and coaches. Although different software programs have been developed to automatically track markers and/or features, none of them was specifically designed to analyze underwater motion. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a software developed for automatic tracking of underwater movements (DVP, based on the Kanade-Lucas-Tomasi feature tracker. Twenty-one video recordings of different aquatic exercises (n = 2940 markers’ positions were manually tracked to determine the markers’ center coordinates. Then, the videos were automatically tracked using DVP and a commercially available software (COM. Since tracking techniques may produce false targets, an operator was instructed to stop the automatic procedure and to correct the position of the cursor when the distance between the calculated marker’s coordinate and the reference one was higher than 4 pixels. The proportion of manual interventions required by the software was used as a measure of the degree of automation. Overall, manual interventions were 10.4% lower for DVP (7.4% than for COM (17.8%. Moreover, when examining the different exercise modes separately, the percentage of manual interventions was 5.6% to 29.3% lower for DVP than for COM. Similar results were observed when analyzing the type of marker rather than the type of exercise, with 9.9% less manual interventions for DVP than for COM. In conclusion, based on these results, the developed automatic tracking software presented can be used as a valid and useful tool for underwater motion analysis.

Tumor tracking and motion compensation with an adaptive tumor tracking system (ATTS): System description and prototype testing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilbert, Juergen; Meyer, Juergen; Baier, Kurt; Guckenberger, Matthias; Herrmann, Christian; Hess, Robin; Janka, Christian; Ma Lei; Mersebach, Torben; Richter, Anne; Roth, Michael; Schilling, Klaus; Flentje, Michael

2008-01-01

A novel system for real-time tumor tracking and motion compensation with a robotic HexaPOD treatment couch is described. The approach is based on continuous tracking of the tumor motion in portal images without implanted fiducial markers, using the therapeutic megavoltage beam, and tracking of abdominal breathing motion with optical markers. Based on the two independently acquired data sets the table movements for motion compensation are calculated. The principle of operation of the entire prototype system is detailed first. In the second part the performance of the HexaPOD couch was investigated with a robotic four-dimensional-phantom capable of simulating real patient tumor trajectories in three-dimensional space. The performance and limitations of the HexaPOD table and the control system were characterized in terms of its dynamic behavior. The maximum speed and acceleration of the HexaPOD were 8 mm/s and 34.5 mm/s 2 in the lateral direction, and 9.5 mm/s and 29.5 mm/s 2 in longitudinal and anterior-posterior direction, respectively. Base line drifts of the mean tumor position of realistic lung tumor trajectories could be fully compensated. For continuous tumor tracking and motion compensation a reduction of tumor motion up to 68% of the original amplitude was achieved. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that it is technically feasible to compensate breathing induced tumor motion in the lung with the adaptive tumor tracking system

Suitability and use of two molecular markers to track race-specific ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Molecular markers linked to resistance to different races of S. gesneriodes have been identified. It was desirable to demonstrate the applicability and efficiency for use in ... The two marker data set were significantly correlated with the phenotypic data (r=0.95). Based on the tight linkage with the resistant locus, 61RM2 was ...

Optimum location of external markers using feature selection algorithms for real‐time tumor tracking in external‐beam radiotherapy: a virtual phantom study

Science.gov (United States)

Nankali, Saber; Miandoab, Payam Samadi; Baghizadeh, Amin

2016-01-01

In external‐beam radiotherapy, using external markers is one of the most reliable tools to predict tumor position, in clinical applications. The main challenge in this approach is tumor motion tracking with highest accuracy that depends heavily on external markers location, and this issue is the objective of this study. Four commercially available feature selection algorithms entitled 1) Correlation‐based Feature Selection, 2) Classifier, 3) Principal Components, and 4) Relief were proposed to find optimum location of external markers in combination with two “Genetic” and “Ranker” searching procedures. The performance of these algorithms has been evaluated using four‐dimensional extended cardiac‐torso anthropomorphic phantom. Six tumors in lung, three tumors in liver, and 49 points on the thorax surface were taken into account to simulate internal and external motions, respectively. The root mean square error of an adaptive neuro‐fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) as prediction model was considered as metric for quantitatively evaluating the performance of proposed feature selection algorithms. To do this, the thorax surface region was divided into nine smaller segments and predefined tumors motion was predicted by ANFIS using external motion data of given markers at each small segment, separately. Our comparative results showed that all feature selection algorithms can reasonably select specific external markers from those segments where the root mean square error of the ANFIS model is minimum. Moreover, the performance accuracy of proposed feature selection algorithms was compared, separately. For this, each tumor motion was predicted using motion data of those external markers selected by each feature selection algorithm. Duncan statistical test, followed by F‐test, on final results reflected that all proposed feature selection algorithms have the same performance accuracy for lung tumors. But for liver tumors, a correlation‐based feature

Better prognostic marker in ICU - APACHE II, SOFA or SAP II!

Science.gov (United States)

Naqvi, Iftikhar Haider; Mahmood, Khalid; Ziaullaha, Syed; Kashif, Syed Mohammad; Sharif, Asim

2016-01-01

This study was designed to determine the comparative efficacy of different scoring system in assessing the prognosis of critically ill patients. This was a retrospective study conducted in medical intensive care unit (MICU) and high dependency unit (HDU) Medical Unit III, Civil Hospital, from April 2012 to August 2012. All patients over age 16 years old who have fulfilled the criteria for MICU admission were included. Predictive mortality of APACHE II, SAP II and SOFA were calculated. Calibration and discrimination were used for validity of each scoring model. A total of 96 patients with equal gender distribution were enrolled. The average APACHE II score in non-survivors (27.97+8.53) was higher than survivors (15.82+8.79) with statistically significant p value (discrimination power than SAP II and SOFA.

Online track processor for the CDF upgrade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thomson, E. J.

2002-01-01

A trigger track processor, called the eXtremely Fast Tracker (XFT), has been designed for the CDF upgrade. This processor identifies high transverse momentum (> 1.5 GeV/c) charged particles in the new central outer tracking chamber for CDF II. The XFT design is highly parallel to handle the input rate of 183 Gbits/s and output rate of 44 Gbits/s. The processor is pipelined and reports the result for a new event every 132 ns. The processor uses three stages: hit classification, segment finding, and segment linking. The pattern recognition algorithms for the three stages are implemented in programmable logic devices (PLDs) which allow in-situ modification of the algorithm at any time. The PLDs reside on three different types of modules. The complete system has been installed and commissioned at CDF II. An overview of the track processor and performance in CDF Run II are presented

Markerless 3D Head Tracking for Motion Correction in High Resolution PET Brain Imaging

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Oline Vinter

relying on markers. Data-driven motion correction is problematic due to the physiological dynamics. Marker-based tracking is potentially unreliable, and it is extremely hard to validate when the tracking information is correct. The motion estimation is essential for proper motion correction of the PET......This thesis concerns application specific 3D head tracking. The purpose is to improve motion correction in position emission tomography (PET) brain imaging through development of markerless tracking. Currently, motion correction strategies are based on either the PET data itself or tracking devices...... images. Incorrect motion correction can in the worst cases result in wrong diagnosis or treatment. The evolution of a markerless custom-made structured light 3D surface tracking system is presented. The system is targeted at state-of-the-art high resolution dedicated brain PET scanners with a resolution...

Design of the ATLAS Phase-II hardware-based tracking processor

CERN Document Server

Poggi, Riccardo; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

The expected increase in peak luminosity of the upgraded high-luminosity LHC will force the ATLAS experiment to increase early stage trigger selection power. The agreed strategy is to implement precise hardware track reconstruction, through which sharper trigger turn-on curves can be achieved for primary single-lepton selections, while contributing to b-tagging and tau-tagging techniques as well as multi-jet rejection. The hardware-based tracking for the trigger (HTT) will use a combination of Associative Memory ASICs and FPGAs to provide the software-based trigger system with access to tracking information. In this poster, we present the requirements, architecture and projected performance of the system in terms of tracking capability, and trigger selection, based on detailed simulations.

First Demonstration of Combined kV/MV Image-Guided Real-Time Dynamic Multileaf-Collimator Target Tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cho, Byungchul; Poulsen, Per R.; Sloutsky, Alex; Sawant, Amit; Keall, Paul J.

2009-01-01

Purpose: For intrafraction motion management, a real-time tracking system was developed by combining fiducial marker-based tracking via simultaneous kilovoltage (kV) and megavoltage (MV) imaging and a dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) beam-tracking system. Methods and Materials: The integrated tracking system employed a Varian Trilogy system equipped with kV/MV imaging systems and a Millennium 120-leaf MLC. A gold marker in elliptical motion (2-cm superior-inferior, 1-cm left-right, 10 cycles/min) was simultaneously imaged by the kV and MV imagers at 6.7 Hz and segmented in real time. With these two-dimensional projections, the tracking software triangulated the three-dimensional marker position and repositioned the MLC leaves to follow the motion. Phantom studies were performed to evaluate time delay from image acquisition to MLC adjustment, tracking error, and dosimetric impact of target motion with and without tracking. Results: The time delay of the integrated tracking system was ∼450 ms. The tracking error using a prediction algorithm was 0.9 ± 0.5 mm for the elliptical motion. The dose distribution with tracking showed better target coverage and less dose to surrounding region over no tracking. The failure rate of the gamma test (3%/3-mm criteria) was 22.5% without tracking but was reduced to 0.2% with tracking. Conclusion: For the first time, a complete tracking system combining kV/MV image-guided target tracking and DMLC beam tracking was demonstrated. The average geometric error was less than 1 mm, and the dosimetric error was negligible. This system is a promising method for intrafraction motion management.

Nearly automatic motion capture system for tracking octopus arm movements in 3D space.

Science.gov (United States)

Zelman, Ido; Galun, Meirav; Akselrod-Ballin, Ayelet; Yekutieli, Yoram; Hochner, Binyamin; Flash, Tamar

2009-08-30

Tracking animal movements in 3D space is an essential part of many biomechanical studies. The most popular technique for human motion capture uses markers placed on the skin which are tracked by a dedicated system. However, this technique may be inadequate for tracking animal movements, especially when it is impossible to attach markers to the animal's body either because of its size or shape or because of the environment in which the animal performs its movements. Attaching markers to an animal's body may also alter its behavior. Here we present a nearly automatic markerless motion capture system that overcomes these problems and successfully tracks octopus arm movements in 3D space. The system is based on three successive tracking and processing stages. The first stage uses a recently presented segmentation algorithm to detect the movement in a pair of video sequences recorded by two calibrated cameras. In the second stage, the results of the first stage are processed to produce 2D skeletal representations of the moving arm. Finally, the 2D skeletons are used to reconstruct the octopus arm movement as a sequence of 3D curves varying in time. Motion tracking, segmentation and reconstruction are especially difficult problems in the case of octopus arm movements because of the deformable, non-rigid structure of the octopus arm and the underwater environment in which it moves. Our successful results suggest that the motion-tracking system presented here may be used for tracking other elongated objects.

Origin of fecal contamination in waters from contrasted areas: stanols as Microbial Source Tracking markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Derrien, M; Jardé, E; Gruau, G; Pourcher, A M; Gourmelon, M; Jadas-Hécart, A; Pierson Wickmann, A C

2012-09-01

Improving the microbiological quality of coastal and river waters relies on the development of reliable markers that are capable of determining sources of fecal pollution. Recently, a principal component analysis (PCA) method based on six stanol compounds (i.e. 5β-cholestan-3β-ol (coprostanol), 5β-cholestan-3α-ol (epicoprostanol), 24-methyl-5α-cholestan-3β-ol (campestanol), 24-ethyl-5α-cholestan-3β-ol (sitostanol), 24-ethyl-5β-cholestan-3β-ol (24-ethylcoprostanol) and 24-ethyl-5β-cholestan-3α-ol (24-ethylepicoprostanol)) was shown to be suitable for distinguishing between porcine and bovine feces. In this study, we tested if this PCA method, using the above six stanols, could be used as a tool in "Microbial Source Tracking (MST)" methods in water from areas of intensive agriculture where diffuse fecal contamination is often marked by the co-existence of human and animal sources. In particular, well-defined and stable clusters were found in PCA score plots clustering samples of "pure" human, bovine and porcine feces along with runoff and diluted waters in which the source of contamination is known. A good consistency was also observed between the source assignments made by the 6-stanol-based PCA method and the microbial markers for river waters contaminated by fecal matter of unknown origin. More generally, the tests conducted in this study argue for the addition of the PCA method based on six stanols in the MST toolbox to help identify fecal contamination sources. The data presented in this study show that this addition would improve the determination of fecal contamination sources when the contamination levels are low to moderate. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multichannel/Multisensor Signal Processing In Uncertain Environments With Application To Multitarget Tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

1998-05-22

and time diversity multiaccess/multiuser digital communications and ■ multitarget tracking using multi- platform multisensor arrays. In part II focus...multiuser digital communications and multitarget tracking using multi- platform multisensor arrays. In part II focus is on maneuvering target tracking...Li< we have ■Hk;K-l,K-l,",lC-l(s) = S’fc;K-+ii-i,K+i3-i,-,K’+rM-i(x) (8) Since x{k) = W{z)w(k), using (4) it follows that w(fc) = £[=0 Wix (k - i

Comparison of Microbial and Chemical Source Tracking Markers To Identify Fecal Contamination Sources in the Humber River (Toronto, Ontario, Canada) and Associated Storm Water Outfalls.

Science.gov (United States)

Staley, Zachery R; Grabuski, Josey; Sverko, Ed; Edge, Thomas A

2016-11-01

Storm water runoff is a major source of pollution, and understanding the components of storm water discharge is essential to remediation efforts and proper assessment of risks to human and ecosystem health. In this study, culturable Escherichia coli and ampicillin-resistant E. coli levels were quantified and microbial source tracking (MST) markers (including markers for general Bacteroidales spp., human, ruminant/cow, gull, and dog) were detected in storm water outfalls and sites along the Humber River in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and enumerated via endpoint PCR and quantitative PCR (qPCR). Additionally, chemical source tracking (CST) markers specific for human wastewater (caffeine, carbamazepine, codeine, cotinine, acetaminophen, and acesulfame) were quantified. Human and gull fecal sources were detected at all sites, although concentrations of the human fecal marker were higher, particularly in outfalls (mean outfall concentrations of 4.22 log 10 copies, expressed as copy numbers [CN]/100 milliliters for human and 0.46 log 10 CN/100 milliliters for gull). Higher concentrations of caffeine, acetaminophen, acesulfame, E. coli, and the human fecal marker were indicative of greater raw sewage contamination at several sites (maximum concentrations of 34,800 ng/liter, 5,120 ng/liter, 9,720 ng/liter, 5.26 log 10 CFU/100 ml, and 7.65 log 10 CN/100 ml, respectively). These results indicate pervasive sewage contamination at storm water outfalls and throughout the Humber River, with multiple lines of evidence identifying Black Creek and two storm water outfalls with prominent sewage cross-connection problems requiring remediation. Limited data are available on specific sources of pollution in storm water, though our results indicate the value of using both MST and CST methodologies to more reliably assess sewage contamination in impacted watersheds. Storm water runoff is one of the most prominent non-point sources of biological and chemical contaminants which can

High precision tracking and the measurement of B(Z → b bar b)/B(Z → hadrons) with the Mark II at the SLC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schumm, B.A.

1991-03-01

During the 1990 run of the Mark II at the SLC, the precision tracking system achieved a preliminary impact parameter resolution of 35.8 ± 1.3 μm for high momentum tracks, which is the quadrature sum of 25 ± 5 μm of intrinsic resolution smearing dominated by misalignments and other geometrical effects. A method is proposed by which this system can be used to measure B(Z → b rvec b/B(Z → hadrons)) with minimal systematic error. 6 refs., 3 figs

Online 4D ultrasound guidance for real-time motion compensation by MLC tracking.

Science.gov (United States)

Ipsen, Svenja; Bruder, Ralf; O'Brien, Rick; Keall, Paul J; Schweikard, Achim; Poulsen, Per R

2016-10-01

With the trend in radiotherapy moving toward dose escalation and hypofractionation, the need for highly accurate targeting increases. While MLC tracking is already being successfully used for motion compensation of moving targets in the prostate, current real-time target localization methods rely on repeated x-ray imaging and implanted fiducial markers or electromagnetic transponders rather than direct target visualization. In contrast, ultrasound imaging can yield volumetric data in real-time (3D + time = 4D) without ionizing radiation. The authors report the first results of combining these promising techniques-online 4D ultrasound guidance and MLC tracking-in a phantom. A software framework for real-time target localization was installed directly on a 4D ultrasound station and used to detect a 2 mm spherical lead marker inside a water tank. The lead marker was rigidly attached to a motion stage programmed to reproduce nine characteristic tumor trajectories chosen from large databases (five prostate, four lung). The 3D marker position detected by ultrasound was transferred to a computer program for MLC tracking at a rate of 21.3 Hz and used for real-time MLC aperture adaption on a conventional linear accelerator. The tracking system latency was measured using sinusoidal trajectories and compensated for by applying a kernel density prediction algorithm for the lung traces. To measure geometric accuracy, static anterior and lateral conformal fields as well as a 358° arc with a 10 cm circular aperture were delivered for each trajectory. The two-dimensional (2D) geometric tracking error was measured as the difference between marker position and MLC aperture center in continuously acquired portal images. For dosimetric evaluation, VMAT treatment plans with high and low modulation were delivered to a biplanar diode array dosimeter using the same trajectories. Dose measurements with and without MLC tracking were compared to a static reference dose using 3%/3 mm and 2

Earliest Marker for Autism Found in Young Infants

Science.gov (United States)

... autism. If clinicians can identify this sort of marker for autism in a young infant, interventions may be better able to keep the child’s social development on track. “This insight, the preservation of ...

Development of the online data reduction system and feasibility studies of 6-layer tracking for the Belle II pixel detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Muenchow, David

2015-04-24

The Belle II experiment, the upgrade of the Belle experiment, at KEK (High Energy Accelerator Research Organization) in Tsukuba, Japan, will be built to answer fundamental questions that are not covered by the Standard Model of particle physics. For this reason, decays should be observed with high precision. To be able to measure all decay products with a very accurate vertex resolution, it was decided to add a Pixel Detector (PXD) with an inner radius of only 14 mm in short distance around the beam (outer radius 12.5 mm). This increases the vertex resolution and it is possible to improve the reconstruction efficiency and accuracy. Because of the short distance to the interaction point, we expect to have a background induced occupancy of up to 3% on the pixel detector. This generates an expected data rate of about 20 GB/s and exceeds the bandwidth limitations of the data storage. Based on hits in the outer detectors, back projections of particle tracks are performed and Region of Interests (ROI) on the PXD sensors are calculated. Based on those ROIs the data are reduced. In this thesis I present my development of the ROI based data reduction algorithm as well as my feasibility studies about a future 6-layer tracking. Online Data Reduction for Belle II A first test with the whole DAQ integration and prototype sensors of PXD and SVD had been performed at DESY. For the verification of the ROI selection logic a full recording of in- and output data was included. With this setup I recorded 1.2.10{sup 6} events containing in total 4.8.10{sup 8} hits. The occupancy of originally ∼ 0.80% was reduced with my ROI selection logic by a factor of 6.9 to ∼ 0.12% by rejecting all hits outside any ROI. In addition I investigated the ROI positioning and got a result of a distance between ROI center and hit of 17.624±0.029 with a main offset direction of (π)/(2) and (3π)/(2). With a more accurate position of the ROIs their size could be reduced which would optimize the

A line feature-based camera tracking method applicable to nuclear power plant environment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Weida; Ishii, Hirotake; Shimoda, Hiroshi; Izumi, Masanori

2014-01-01

Augmented reality, which can support the maintenance and decommissioning work of an NPP to improve efficiency and reduce human error, is expected to be practically used in an NPP. AR has indispensable tracking technology that estimates the 3D position and orientation of users in real time, but because of the complication of the NPP environment, it is difficult for its practial use in the large space of an NPP. This study attempt to develop a tracking method for the practial use in an NPP. Marker tracking is a legacy tracking method, but the preparation work necessary for that method is onerous. Therefore, this study developed and evaluated a natural feature-based camera tracking method that demands less preparation and which is applicable in an NPP environment. This method registers natural features as landmarks. When tracking, the natural features existing in the NPP environment can be registered automatically as landmarks. It is therefore possible to expand the tracking area to cover a wide environment in theory. The evaluation result shows that the proposed tracking method has the possibility to support field work of some kinds in an NPP environment. It is possible to reduce the preparation work necessary for the marker tracking method. (author)

Ion track etching revisited: II. Electronic properties of aged tracks in polymers

Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

Fink, Dietmar; Hernandez, G. M.; Cruz, S. A.; Garcia-Arellano, H.; Vacík, Jiří; Hnatowicz, Vladimír; Kiv, A.; Alfonta, L.

2018-01-01

Roč. 173, 1-2 (2018), s. 148-164 ISSN 1042-0150 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GBP108/12/G108 Institutional support: RVO:61389005 Keywords : polymers * ion tracks * etching * conductometry * rectification * phase shift Subject RIV: JF - Nuclear Energetics OBOR OECD: Nuclear related engineering Impact factor: 0.443, year: 2016

A Study on Tracking and Augmentation in Mobile AR for e-Leisure

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Seong-Wook Jang

2018-01-01

Full Text Available Recently, a mobile augmented reality (AR system with AR technology that requires high performance has become popular due to the improved performance of smartphones. In particular, mobile AR that directly interacts with outdoor environments has been in development because of increasing interest in e-leisure due to improvements in living standards. Therefore, this paper aims to study tracking and augmentation in mobile AR for e-leisure. We analyzed the performance of human body tracking application implemented in a mobile system (smartphone using three methods (marker-based, markerless, and sensor-based for the feasibility examination of human body tracking in mobile AR. Furthermore, game information augmentation was examined through the implementation of mobile AR using two methods (marker- and sensor-based.

A general methodology for full-field plastic strain measurements using X-ray absorption tomography and internal markers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Haldrup, Martin Kristoffer; Nielsen, Søren Fæster; Wert, John A.

2008-01-01

on a homogenous distribution of marker particles throughout the bulk of a sample, markers which are detected through the application of synchrotron X-ray tomography. Making use of the morphology of individual markers, motion of individual markers is tracked during deformation allowing the local displacement field...

An improved tracking framework for ultrasound probe localization in image-guided radiosurgery

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ipsen Svenja

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Real-time target localization with ultrasound holds high potential for image guidance and motion compensation in radiosurgery due to its non-invasive image acquisition free from ionizing radiation. However, a two-step localization has to be performed when integrating ultrasound into the existing radiosurgery workflow. In addition to target localization inside the ultrasound volume, the probe itself has to be localized in order to transform the target position into treatment room coordinates. By adapting existing camera calibration tools, we have developed a method to extend the stereoscopic X-ray tracking system of a radiosurgery platform in order to locate objects such as marker geometries with six degrees of freedom. The calibration was performed with 0.1 mm reprojection error. By using the full area of the flat-panel detectors without pre-processing the extended software increased the tracking volume and resolution by up to 80%, substantially improving patient localization and marker detectability. Furthermore, marker-tracking showed sub-millimeter accuracy and rotational errors below 0.1°. This demonstrates that the developed extension framework can accurately localize marker geometries using an integrated X-ray system, establishing the link for the integration of real-time ultrasound image guidance into the existing system.

Detection of lung tumor movement in real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimizu, Shinichi; Shirato, Hiroki; Ogura, Shigeaki; Akita-Dosaka, Hirotoshi; Kitamura, Kei; Nishioka, Takeshi; Kagei, Kenji; Nishimura, Masaji; Miyasaka, Kazuo

2001-01-01

Purpose: External radiotherapy for lung tumors requires reducing the uncertainty due to setup error and organ motion. We investigated the three-dimensional movement of lung tumors through an inserted internal marker using a real-time tumor-tracking system and evaluated the efficacy of this system at reducing the internal margin. Methods and Materials: Four patients with lung cancer were analyzed. A 2.0-mm gold marker was inserted into the tumor. The real-time tumor-tracking system calculates and stores three-dimensional coordinates of the marker 30 times/s. The system can trigger the linear accelerator to irradiate the tumor only when the marker is located within the predetermined 'permitted dislocation'. The value was set at ±1 to ±3 mm according to the patient's characteristics. We analyzed 10,413-14,893 data sets for each of the 4 patients. The range of marker movement during normal breathing (beam-off period) was compared with that during gated irradiation (beam-on period) by Student's t test. Results: The range of marker movement during the beam-off period was 5.5-10.0 mm in the lateral direction (x), 6.8-15.9 mm in the craniocaudal direction (y) and 8.1-14.6 mm in the ventrodorsal direction (z). The range during the beam-on period was reduced to within 5.3 mm in all directions in all 4 patients. A significant difference was found between the mean of the range during the beam-off period and the mean of the range during the beam-on period in the x (p=0.007), y (p=0.025), and z (p=0.002) coordinates, respectively. Conclusion: The real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system was useful to analyze the movement of an internal marker. Treatment with megavoltage X-rays was properly given when the tumor marker moved into the 'permitted dislocation' zone from the planned position

Camera-marker and inertial sensor fusion for improved motion tracking

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Roetenberg, D.; Veltink, P.H.

2005-01-01

A method for combining a camera-marker based motion analysis system with miniature inertial sensors is proposed. It is used to fill gaps of optical data and can increase the data rate of the optical system.

TRACK The New Beam Dynamics Code

CERN Document Server

Mustapha, Brahim; Ostroumov, Peter; Schnirman-Lessner, Eliane

2005-01-01

The new ray-tracing code TRACK was developed* to fulfill the special requirements of the RIA accelerator systems. The RIA lattice includes an ECR ion source, a LEBT containing a MHB and a RFQ followed by three SC linac sections separated by two stripping stations with appropriate magnetic transport systems. No available beam dynamics code meet all the necessary requirements for an end-to-end simulation of the RIA driver linac. The latest version of TRACK was used for end-to-end simulations of the RIA driver including errors and beam loss analysis.** In addition to the standard capabilities, the code includes the following new features: i) multiple charge states ii) realistic stripper model; ii) static and dynamic errors iii) automatic steering to correct for misalignments iv) detailed beam-loss analysis; v) parallel computing to perform large scale simulations. Although primarily developed for simulations of the RIA machine, TRACK is a general beam dynamics code. Currently it is being used for the design and ...

HLA Class II Alleles Susceptibility Markers of Type 1 Diabetes Fail to Specify Phenotypes of Ketosis-Prone Diabetes in Adult Tunisian Patients

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lilia Laadhar

2011-01-01

Full Text Available We aimed to characterize the different subgroups of ketosis-prone diabetes (KPD in a sample of Tunisian patients using the Aβ scheme based on the presence or absence of β-cell autoantibodies (A+ or A− and β-cell functional reserve (β+ or β− and we investigated whether HLA class II alleles could contribute to distinct KPD phenotypes. We enrolled 43 adult patients with a first episode of ketosis. For all patients we evaluated clinical parameters, β-cell autoimmunity, β-cell function and HLA class II alleles. Frequency distribution of the 4 subgroups was 23.3% A+β−, 23.3% A−β−, 11.6% A+β+ and 41.9% A−β+. Patients from the group A+β− were significantly younger than those from the group A−β− (P=.002. HLA susceptibility markers were significantly more frequent in patients with autoantibodies (P=.003. These patients also had resistance alleles but they were more frequent in A+β+ than A+β− patients (P=.04. Insulin requirement was not associated to the presence or the absence of HLA susceptibility markers. HLA class II alleles associated with susceptibility to autoimmune diabetes have not allowed us to further define Tunisian KPD groups. However, high prevalence of HLA resistance alleles in our patients may reflect a particular genetic background of Tunisian KPD population.

TJ-II operation tracking from Cadarache

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vega, J.; Sanchez, E.; Portas, A.; Pereira, A.; Lopez, A.; Ascasibar, E.; Balme, S.; Buravand, Y.; Lebourg, P.; Theis, J.M.; Utzel, N.; Ruiz, M.; Barrera, E.; Lopez, S.; Machon, D.; Castro, R.; Lopez, D.; Mollinedo, A.; Munoz, J.A.

2005-01-01

The TJ-II remote participation system was designed to follow the TJ-II discharge production, even allowing the physicist in charge of operation to be in a remote location. The system has been based on both web servers and Java technology. These elements were chosen due to its open character, security properties, platform independency and technological maturity. Web pages and Java applications permit users to access experimental systems, data servers and the operation logbook. Security resources are provided by the PAPI system, a distributed authentication and authorization system. The TJ-II remote participation tools have allowed us to command and follow the stellarator operation from Cadarache. Over 1,000 digitizer channels and more than 20 diagnostic control systems were remotely available from web pages for monitoring/programming purposes. One Java application provided on-line information about the acquisition status of channels and acquisition cards. A second Java application showed temporal evolution signals that were refreshed in an automated way on the screen after each shot. A third Java application provided access to the operation logbook. In addition to these tools, we used the VRVS videoconferencing system (FUSION community, X-Point room) and the EFDA Messenger Service for instant messaging (Jabber client). (author)

TJ-II operation tracking from Cadarache

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vega, J.; Sanchez, E.; Portas, A.; Pereira, A.; Lopez, A.; Ascasibar, E.

2005-01-01

The TJ-II remote participation system was designed to follow the TJ-II discharge production, even allowing the physicist in charge of operation to be in a remote location. The system has been based on both web servers and Java technology. These elements were chosen due to its open character, security properties, platform independence and technological maturity. Web pages and Java applications permit users to access experimental systems, data servers and the operation logbook. Security resources are provided by the PAPI system, a distributed authentication and authorization system. The TJ-II remote participation tools have allowed us to command and follow the stellarator operation from Cadarache. Over 1,000 digitizer channels and more than 20 diagnostic control systems were remotely available from web pages for monitoring/programming purposes. One Java application provided on-line information about the acquisition status of channels and acquisition cards. A second Java application showed temporal evolution signals that were refreshed in an automated way on the screen after each shot. A third Java application provided access to the operation logbook. In addition to these tools, we used the VRVS video conferencing system (FUSION community, X-Point room) and the EFDA Messenger Service for instant messaging (Jabber client). (Author)

Bearings-Only Tracking of Manoeuvring Targets Using Particle Filters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sanjeev Arulampalam

2004-11-01

Full Text Available We investigate the problem of bearings-only tracking of manoeuvring targets using particle filters (PFs. Three different (PFs are proposed for this problem which is formulated as a multiple model tracking problem in a jump Markov system (JMS framework. The proposed filters are (i multiple model PF (MMPF, (ii auxiliary MMPF (AUX-MMPF, and (iii jump Markov system PF (JMS-PF. The performance of these filters is compared with that of standard interacting multiple model (IMM-based trackers such as IMM-EKF and IMM-UKF for three separate cases: (i single-sensor case, (ii multisensor case, and (iii tracking with hard constraints. A conservative CRLB applicable for this problem is also derived and compared with the RMS error performance of the filters. The results confirm the superiority of the PFs for this difficult nonlinear tracking problem.

A high ratio of insulin-like growth factor II/insulin-like growth factor binding protein 2 messenger RNA as a marker for anaplasia in meningiomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Nordqvist, A C; Peyrard, M; Pettersson, H; Mathiesen, T; Collins, V P; Dumanski, J P; Schalling, M

1997-07-01

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) I and II have been implicated as autocrine or paracrine growth promoters. These growth factors bind to specific receptors, and the response is modulated by interaction with IGF-binding proteins (IGFBPs). We observed a strong correlation between anaplastic/atypical histopathology and a high IGF-II/IGFBP-2 mRNA ratio in a set of 68 sporadic meningiomas. A strong correlation was also found between clinical outcome and IGF-II/IGFBP-2 ratio, whereas previously used histochemical markers were less correlated to outcome. We suggest that a high IGF-II/IGFBP-2 mRNA ratio may be a sign of biologically aggressive behavior in meningiomas that can influence treatment strategies. We propose that low IGFBP-2 levels in combination with increased levels of IGF-II would result in more free IGF-II and consequently greater stimulation of proliferation.

Respiratory motion tracking using Microsoft’s Kinect v2 camera

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ernst Floris

2015-09-01

Full Text Available In image-guided radiotherapy, monitoring and compensating for respiratory motion is of high importance. We have analysed the possibility to use Microsoft’s Kinect v2 sensor as a low-cost tracking camera. In our experiment, eleven circular markers were printed onto a Lycra shirt and were tracked in the camera’s color image using cross correlation-based template matching. The 3D position of the marker was determined using this information and the mean distance of all template pixels from the sensor. In an experiment with four volunteers (male and female we could demonstrate that real time position tracking is possible in 3D. By averaging over the depth values inside the template, it was possible to increase the Kinect’s depth resolution from 1 mm to 0.1 mm. The noise level was reduced to a standard deviation of 0.4 mm. Temperature sensitivity of the measured depth values was observed for about 10-15 minutes after system start.

Detailed analysis of latencies in image-based dynamic MLC tracking

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Poulsen, Per Rugaard; Cho, Byungchul; Sawant, Amit; Ruan, Dan; Keall, Paul J.

2010-01-01

Purpose: Previous measurements of the accuracy of image-based real-time dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) tracking show that the major contributor to errors is latency, i.e., the delay between target motion and MLC response. Therefore the purpose of this work was to develop a method for detailed analysis of latency contributions during image-based DMLC tracking. Methods: A prototype DMLC tracking system integrated with a linear accelerator was used for tracking a phantom with an embedded fiducial marker during treatment delivery. The phantom performed a sinusoidal motion. Real-time target localization was based on x-ray images acquired either with a portal imager or a kV imager mounted orthogonal to the treatment beam. Each image was stored in a file on the imaging workstation. A marker segmentation program opened the image file, determined the marker position in the image, and transferred it to the DMLC tracking program. This program estimated the three-dimensional target position by a single-imager method and adjusted the MLC aperture to the target position. Imaging intervals ΔT image from 150 to 1000 ms were investigated for both kV and MV imaging. After the experiments, the recorded images were synchronized with MLC log files generated by the MLC controller and tracking log files generated by the tracking program. This synchronization allowed temporal analysis of the information flow for each individual image from acquisition to completed MLC adjustment. The synchronization also allowed investigation of the MLC adjustment dynamics on a considerably finer time scale than the 50 ms time resolution of the MLC log files. Results: For ΔT image =150 ms, the total time from image acquisition to completed MLC adjustment was 380±9 ms for MV and 420±12 ms for kV images. The main part of this time was from image acquisition to completed image file writing (272 ms for MV and 309 ms for kV). Image file opening (38 ms), marker segmentation (4 ms), MLC position

Detailed analysis of latencies in image-based dynamic MLC tracking

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Poulsen, Per Rugaard; Cho, Byungchul; Sawant, Amit; Ruan, Dan; Keall, Paul J. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 and Department of Oncology and Department of Medical Physics, Aarhus University Hospital, 8000 Aarhus (Denmark); Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 and Department of Radiation Oncology, Asan Medical Center, Seoul 138-736 (Korea, Republic of); Department of Radiation Oncology, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305 (United States)

2010-09-15

Purpose: Previous measurements of the accuracy of image-based real-time dynamic multileaf collimator (DMLC) tracking show that the major contributor to errors is latency, i.e., the delay between target motion and MLC response. Therefore the purpose of this work was to develop a method for detailed analysis of latency contributions during image-based DMLC tracking. Methods: A prototype DMLC tracking system integrated with a linear accelerator was used for tracking a phantom with an embedded fiducial marker during treatment delivery. The phantom performed a sinusoidal motion. Real-time target localization was based on x-ray images acquired either with a portal imager or a kV imager mounted orthogonal to the treatment beam. Each image was stored in a file on the imaging workstation. A marker segmentation program opened the image file, determined the marker position in the image, and transferred it to the DMLC tracking program. This program estimated the three-dimensional target position by a single-imager method and adjusted the MLC aperture to the target position. Imaging intervals {Delta}T{sub image} from 150 to 1000 ms were investigated for both kV and MV imaging. After the experiments, the recorded images were synchronized with MLC log files generated by the MLC controller and tracking log files generated by the tracking program. This synchronization allowed temporal analysis of the information flow for each individual image from acquisition to completed MLC adjustment. The synchronization also allowed investigation of the MLC adjustment dynamics on a considerably finer time scale than the 50 ms time resolution of the MLC log files. Results: For {Delta}T{sub image}=150 ms, the total time from image acquisition to completed MLC adjustment was 380{+-}9 ms for MV and 420{+-}12 ms for kV images. The main part of this time was from image acquisition to completed image file writing (272 ms for MV and 309 ms for kV). Image file opening (38 ms), marker segmentation (4 ms

Tumor markers in clinical oncology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Novakovic, S.

2004-01-01

The subtle differences between normal and tumor cells are exploited in the detection and treatment of cancer. These differences are designated as tumor markers and can be either qualitative or quantitative in their nature. That means that both the structures that are produced by tumor cells as well as the structures that are produced in excessive amounts by host tissues under the influence of tumor cells can function as tumor markers. Speaking in general, the tumor markers are the specific molecules appearing in the blood or tissues and the occurrence of which is associated with cancer. According to their application, tumor markers can be roughly divided as markers in clinical oncology and markers in pathology. In this review, only tumor markers in clinical oncology are going to be discussed. Current tumor markers in clinical oncology include (i) oncofetal antigens, (ii) placental proteins, (iii) hormones, (iv) enzymes, (v) tumor-associated antigens, (vi) special serum proteins, (vii) catecholamine metabolites, and (viii) miscellaneous markers. As to the literature, an ideal tumor marker should fulfil certain criteria - when using it as a test for detection of cancer disease: (1) positive results should occur in the early stages of the disease, (2) positive results should occur only in the patients with a specific type of malignancy, (3) positive results should occur in all patients with the same malignancy, (4) the measured values should correlate with the stage of the disease, (5) the measured values should correlate to the response to treatment, (6) the marker should be easy to measure. Most tumor markers available today meet several, but not all criteria. As a consequence of that, some criteria were chosen for the validation and proper selection of the most appropriate marker in a particular malignancy, and these are: (1) markers' sensitivity, (2) specificity, and (3) predictive values. Sensitivity expresses the mean probability of determining an elevated tumor

Development of a tracking method for augmented reality applied to nuclear plant maintenance work

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shimoda, Hiroshi; Maeshima, Masayuki; Nakai, Toshinori; Bian, Zhiqiang; Ishii, Hirotake; Yoshikawa, Hidekazu

2005-01-01

In this paper, a plant maintenance support method is described, which employs the state-of-the-art information technology, Augmented Reality (AR), in order to improve efficiency of NPP maintenance work and to prevent from human error. Although AR has a great possibility to support various works in real world, it is difficult to apply it to actual work support because the tracking method is the bottleneck for the practical use. In this study, a bar code marker tracking method is proposed to apply AR system for a maintenance work support in NPP field. The proposed method calculates the users position and orientation in real time by two long markers, which are captured by the user-mounted camera. The markers can be easily pasted on the pipes in plant field, and they can be easily recognized in long distance in order to reduce the number of pasted markers in the work field. Experiments were conducted in a laboratory and plant field to evaluate the proposed method. The results show that (1) fast and stable tracking can be realized, (2) position error in camera view is less than 1%, which is almost perfect under the limitation of camera resolution, and (3) it is relatively difficult to catch two markers in one camera view especially in short distance

Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II production is a strong predictive marker for extrahepatic metastases in early hepatocellular carcinoma: a prospective evaluation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bae, Hyun-Mi; Lee, Jeong-Hoon; Yoon, Jung-Hwan; Kim, Yoon Jun; Heo, Dae Seog; Lee, Hyo-Suk

2011-01-01

Clinicians often experience extrahepatic metastases associated with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), even if no evidence of intrahepatic recurrence after treatment is observed. We investigated the pretreatment predictors of extrahepatic metastases in HCC patients. Patients diagnosed with HCC without evidence of extrahepatic metastases were prospectively enrolled. We evaluated the correlation between extrahepatic metastases and pretreatment clinical variables, including serum tumor markers. A total of 354 patients were included. Seventy-six patients (21%) had extrahepatic metastases during the observation period (median, 25.3 months; range, 0.6-51.3 months). Cox regression multivariate analysis showed that serum protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) production levels, the intrahepatic tumor stage, platelet count, and portal vein thrombosis were independent risk factors for extrahepatic metastases. Patients with a PIVKA-II production ≥ 300 mAU/mL had a 2.7-fold (95% confidence interval; 1.5-4.8; P < 0.001) and 3.7-fold (95% confidence interval; 2.0-6.6; P < 0.001) increased risk for extrahepatic metastases after adjustment for stage, platelet count, alpha-fetoprotein ≥ 400 ng/mL, and portal vein thrombosis according to the AJCC and BCLC staging systems, respectively. PIVKA-II production levels might be a good candidate predictive marker for extrahepatic HCC metastases, especially in patients with smaller and/or fewer tumors in the liver with in stages regardless of serum alpha-fetoprotein

Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticle-labeled cells as an effective vehicle for tracking the GFP gene marker using magnetic resonance imaging

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Z; Mascheri, N; Dharmakumar, R; Fan, Z; Paunesku, T; Woloschak, G; Li, D

2010-01-01

Background Detection of a gene using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is hindered by the magnetic resonance (MR) targeting gene technique. Therefore it may be advantageous to image gene-expressing cells labeled with superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles by MRI. Methods The GFP-R3230Ac (GFP) cell line was incubated for 24 h using SPIO nanoparticles at a concentration of 20 μg Fe/mL. Cell samples were prepared for iron content analysis and cell function evaluation. The labeled cells were imaged using fluorescent microscopy and MRI. Results SPIO was used to label GFP cells effectively, with no effects on cell function and GFP expression. Iron-loaded GFP cells were successfully imaged with both fluorescent microscopy and T2*-weighted MRI. Prussian blue staining showed intracellular iron accumulation in the cells. All cells were labeled (100% labeling efficiency). The average iron content per cell was 4.75±0.11 pg Fe/cell (P<0.05 versus control). Discussion This study demonstrates that the GFP expression of cells is not altered by the SPIO labeling process. SPIO-labeled GFP cells can be visualized by MRI; therefore, GFP, a gene marker, was tracked indirectly with the SPIO-loaded cells using MRI. The technique holds promise for monitoring the temporal and spatial migration of cells with a gene marker and enhancing the understanding of cell- and gene-based therapeutic strategies. PMID:18956269

Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II (PIVKA-II) specifically increased in Italian hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Viggiani, Valentina; Palombi, Sara; Gennarini, Giuseppina; D'Ettorre, Gabriella; De Vito, Corrado; Angeloni, Antonio; Frati, Luigi; Anastasi, Emanuela

2016-10-01

As a marker for Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC), Protein Induced by Vitamin K Absence II (PIVKA-II) seems to be superior to alpha fetoprotein (AFP). To better characterize the role of PIVKA-II, both AFP and PIVKA-II have been measured in Italian patients with diagnosis of HCC compared with patients affected by non-oncological liver pathologies. Sixty serum samples from patients with HCC, 60 samples from patients with benign liver disease and 60 samples obtained from healthy blood donors were included in the study. PIVKA-II and AFP were measured by LUMIPULSE(®) G1200 (Fujirebio-Europe, Belgium). We considered as PIVKA-II cutoff 70 mAU/ml (mean +3SD) of the values observed in healthy subjects. The evaluation of PIVKA-II showed a positivity of 70% in patients with HCC and 5% in patients with benign diseases (p < 0.0001) whereas high levels of AFP were observed in 55% of HCC patients and in 47% of patients with benign diseases. The combined Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analysis of the two analytes revealed a higher sensitivity (75%) compared to those observed for the individual biomarkers. In conclusion, we demonstrate that as a marker for HCC, PIVKA-II is more specific for HCC and less prone to elevation during chronic liver diseases. The combination of the two biomarkers, evaluated by the ROC analysis, improved the specificity compared to a single marker. These data suggest that the combined analysis of the two markers could be a useful tool in clinical practice.

Fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Husted, Henrik

2012-01-01

Fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty aims at giving the patients the best available treatment at all times, being a dynamic entity. Fast-track combines evidence-based, clinical features with organizational optimization including a revision of traditions resulting in a streamlined pathway from...... on clinical and organizational aspects of fast-track hip and knee arthroplasty (I–IX). A detailed description of the fast-track set-up and its components is provided. Major results include identification of patient characteristics to predict length of stay and satisfaction with different aspects...... of the hospital stay (I); how to optimize analgesia by using a compression bandage in total knee arthroplasty (II); the clinical and organizational set-up facilitating or acting as barriers for early discharge (III); safety aspects following fast-track in the form of few readmissions in general (IV) and few...

Visual tracking for multi-modality computer-assisted image guidance

Science.gov (United States)

Basafa, Ehsan; Foroughi, Pezhman; Hossbach, Martin; Bhanushali, Jasmine; Stolka, Philipp

2017-03-01

With optical cameras, many interventional navigation tasks previously relying on EM, optical, or mechanical guidance can be performed robustly, quickly, and conveniently. We developed a family of novel guidance systems based on wide-spectrum cameras and vision algorithms for real-time tracking of interventional instruments and multi-modality markers. These navigation systems support the localization of anatomical targets, support placement of imaging probe and instruments, and provide fusion imaging. The unique architecture - low-cost, miniature, in-hand stereo vision cameras fitted directly to imaging probes - allows for an intuitive workflow that fits a wide variety of specialties such as anesthesiology, interventional radiology, interventional oncology, emergency medicine, urology, and others, many of which see increasing pressure to utilize medical imaging and especially ultrasound, but have yet to develop the requisite skills for reliable success. We developed a modular system, consisting of hardware (the Optical Head containing the mini cameras) and software (components for visual instrument tracking with or without specialized visual features, fully automated marker segmentation from a variety of 3D imaging modalities, visual observation of meshes of widely separated markers, instant automatic registration, and target tracking and guidance on real-time multi-modality fusion views). From these components, we implemented a family of distinct clinical and pre-clinical systems (for combinations of ultrasound, CT, CBCT, and MRI), most of which have international regulatory clearance for clinical use. We present technical and clinical results on phantoms, ex- and in-vivo animals, and patients.

Real-time tracking for virtual environments using scaat kalman filtering and unsynchronised cameras

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rasmussen, Niels Tjørnly; Störring, Morritz; Moeslund, Thomas B.

2006-01-01

This paper presents a real-time outside-in camera-based tracking system for wireless 3D pose tracking of a user’s head and hand in a virtual environment. The system uses four unsynchronised cameras as sensors and passive retroreflective markers arranged in rigid bodies as targets. In order to ach...

Development of real-time tumor tracking system for stereotactic radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamanaka, Seiji; Sasagawa, Tsuyoshi; Uno, Yukimichi

2011-01-01

We are now developing the real-time tumor tracking system for stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) to provide precise information on the location of a tumor and to reduce the irradiation to healthy tissue in a patient. The system has the following features: A motion tracking and processing unit recognizes a gold marker inserted in or near a tumor in real time by the pattern matching of a predetermined template image and acquired X-ray fluoroscopic images. When the gold marker is within a planned area, that is to say, when a tumor enters a target irradiation area, a gate signal is sent to a linear accelerator. A railway unit is equipped with two X-ray tubes and two detectors, which are controlled separately with their own drive mechanism. They travel with high accuracy and reproducibility to the best position for monitoring the gold marker. A synchronization controller controls the timing for X-ray fluoroscopy and the gate signals to the linear accelerator. The controller works for two types of detectors: a color X-ray detector and a flat panel detector (FPD). (author)

Robust Real-Time Tracking for Visual Surveillance

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aguilera Josep

2007-01-01

Full Text Available This paper describes a real-time multi-camera surveillance system that can be applied to a range of application domains. This integrated system is designed to observe crowded scenes and has mechanisms to improve tracking of objects that are in close proximity. The four component modules described in this paper are (i motion detection using a layered background model, (ii object tracking based on local appearance, (iii hierarchical object recognition, and (iv fused multisensor object tracking using multiple features and geometric constraints. This integrated approach to complex scene tracking is validated against a number of representative real-world scenarios to show that robust, real-time analysis can be performed.

Reconstructing the origin and dispersal patterns of village chickens across East Africa: insights from autosomal markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Mwacharo, J M; Nomura, K; Hanada, H; Han, J L; Amano, T; Hanotte, O

2013-05-01

Unravelling the genetic history of any livestock species is central to understanding the origin, development and expansion of agricultural societies and economies. Domestic village chickens are widespread in Africa. Their close association with, and reliance on, humans for long-range dispersal makes the species an important biological marker in tracking cultural and trading contacts between human societies and civilizations across time. Archaezoological and linguistic evidence suggest a complex history of arrival and dispersion of the species on the continent, with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) D-loop analysis revealing the presence of five distinct haplogroups in East African village chickens. It supports the importance of the region in understanding the history of the species and indirectly of human interactions. Here, through a detailed analysis of 30 autosomal microsatellite markers genotyped in 657 village chickens from four East African countries (Kenya, Uganda, Ethiopia and Sudan), we identify three distinct autosomal gene pools (I, II and III). Gene pool I is predominantly found in Ethiopia and Sudan, while II and III occur in both Kenya and Uganda. A gradient of admixture for gene pools II and III between the Kenyan coast and Uganda's hinterland (P = 0.001) is observed, while gene pool I is clearly separated from the other two. We propose that these three gene pools represent genetic signatures of separate events in the history of the continent that relate to the arrival and dispersal of village chickens and humans across the region. Our results provide new insights on the history of chicken husbandry which has been shaped by terrestrial and maritime contacts between ancient and modern civilizations in Asia and East Africa. © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Multiple approaches to microbial source tracking in tropical northern Australia

KAUST Repository

Neave, Matthew; Luter, Heidi; Padovan, Anna; Townsend, Simon; Schobben, Xavier; Gibb, Karen

2014-01-01

, other potential inputs, such as urban rivers and drains, and surrounding beaches, and used genetic fingerprints from E. coli and enterococci communities, fecal markers and 454 pyrosequencing to track contamination sources. A sewage effluent outfall

The Layout and Performance of the Phase-II upgrade of the tracking detector of the ATLAS experiment

CERN Document Server

Ai, Xiaocong; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

HL-LHC will deliver about 3000 fb-1 of integrated luminosity in over 10 year. This will present an extremely challenging environment to the ATLAS experiment, well beyond that for which it was designed. In ATLAS Phase II upgrade, the Inner Detector will be replace by a new all-silicon Inner Tracker to maintain tracking performance in this high-occupancy environment and to cope with the increase of approximately a factor of ten in the integrated radiation dose. The ITk Detector layout is designed to meet the requirement for identifying charged particles with high efficiency and measuring their properties with high precision in the denser environment. The Layout and performance of the ITk is presented.

D-dimer as marker for microcirculatory failure: correlation with LOD and APACHE II scores.

Science.gov (United States)

Angstwurm, Matthias W A; Reininger, Armin J; Spannagl, Michael

2004-01-01

The relevance of plasma d-dimer levels as marker for morbidity and organ dysfunction in severely ill patients is largely unknown. In a prospective study we determined d-dimer plasma levels of 800 unselected patients at admission to our intensive care unit. In 91% of the patients' samples d-dimer levels were elevated, in some patients up to several hundredfold as compared to normal values. The highest mean d-dimer values were present in the patient group with thromboembolic diseases, and particularly in non-survivors of pulmonary embolism. In patients with circulatory impairment (r=0.794) and in patients with infections (r=0.487) a statistically significant correlation was present between d-dimer levels and the APACHE II score (P<0.001). The logistic organ dysfunction score (LOD, P<0.001) correlated with d-dimer levels only in patients with circulatory impairment (r=0.474). On the contrary, patients without circulatory impairment demonstrated no correlation of d-dimer levels to the APACHE II or LOD score. Taking all patients together, no correlations of d-dimer levels with single organ failure or with indicators of infection could be detected. In conclusion, d-dimer plasma levels strongly correlated with the severity of the disease and organ dysfunction in patients with circulatory impairment or infections suggesting that elevated d-dimer levels may reflect the extent of microcirculatory failure. Thus, a therapeutic strategy to improve the microcirculation in such patients may be monitored using d-dimer plasma levels.

Lung tumor tracking in fluoroscopic video based on optical flow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Xu Qianyi; Hamilton, Russell J.; Schowengerdt, Robert A.; Alexander, Brian; Jiang, Steve B.

2008-01-01

Respiratory gating and tumor tracking for dynamic multileaf collimator delivery require accurate and real-time localization of the lung tumor position during treatment. Deriving tumor position from external surrogates such as abdominal surface motion may have large uncertainties due to the intra- and interfraction variations of the correlation between the external surrogates and internal tumor motion. Implanted fiducial markers can be used to track tumors fluoroscopically in real time with sufficient accuracy. However, it may not be a practical procedure when implanting fiducials bronchoscopically. In this work, a method is presented to track the lung tumor mass or relevant anatomic features projected in fluoroscopic images without implanted fiducial markers based on an optical flow algorithm. The algorithm generates the centroid position of the tracked target and ignores shape changes of the tumor mass shadow. The tracking starts with a segmented tumor projection in an initial image frame. Then, the optical flow between this and all incoming frames acquired during treatment delivery is computed as initial estimations of tumor centroid displacements. The tumor contour in the initial frame is transferred to the incoming frames based on the average of the motion vectors, and its positions in the incoming frames are determined by fine-tuning the contour positions using a template matching algorithm with a small search range. The tracking results were validated by comparing with clinician determined contours on each frame. The position difference in 95% of the frames was found to be less than 1.4 pixels (∼0.7 mm) in the best case and 2.8 pixels (∼1.4 mm) in the worst case for the five patients studied.

Cosmic ray test of the Belle II z-vertex trigger

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neuhaus, Sara; Skambraks, Sebastian [Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Chen, Yang; Kiesling, Christian [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany)

2016-07-01

The z-vertex trigger is part of the first level track trigger in the Belle II experiment. Its task is the rejection of tracks not coming from the interaction region, suppressing a large part of the machine background. Therefore the z-vertex trigger allows to relax other track trigger conditions and thus strongly increases the efficiency for channels with low track multiplicity (e.g. tau pair production). The track trigger works in several steps, first combining hits to track segments, followed by a 2D track finding in the transverse plane and finally the 3D reconstruction. Our method employs neural networks to estimate the z-vertex without explicit track reconstruction. For the first real test with cosmic rays special neural networks have been prepared. Although the track shape in the cosmic test is different than in the Belle II experiment, the neural networks require only a retraining with an appropriate data set to adapt to the new geometry.

Advanced alignment of the ATLAS tracking system

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2085334; The ATLAS collaboration

2016-01-01

In order to reconstruct the trajectories of charged particles, the ATLAS experiment exploits a tracking system built using different technologies, silicon planar modules or microstrips (PIX and SCT detectors) and gaseous drift tubes (TRT), all embedded in a 2T solenoidal magnetic field. Misalignments of the active detector elements and deformations of the structures (which can lead to \\textit{Weak Modes}) deteriorate resolution of the track reconstruction and lead to systematic biases on the measured track parameters. The applied alignment procedures exploit various advanced techniques in order to minimise track-hit residuals and remove detector deformations. For the LHC Run II, the Pixel Detector has been refurbished and upgraded with the installation of a new pixel layer, the Insertable B-layer (IBL).

The CDF II eXtremely Fast Tracker Upgrade

CERN Document Server

Fedorko, I; Errede, D; Gerberich, H; Junk, T; Kasten, M; Levine, S; Mokos, R; Pitts, K; Rogers, E; Veramendi, G; Azzurri, P; Donati, S; Staveris-Polykalas, A; Cochran, E; Efron, J; Gartner, J; Hughes, R; Johnson, M; Kilminster, B; Lannon, K; McKim, J; Olivito, D; Parks, B; Slaunwhite, J; Winer, B; Dittmann, J; Hewamanage, S; Krumnack, N; Wilson, J S; Erbacher, R; Forrest, R; Ivanov, A; Soha, A; Flanagan, G; Jones, T; Holm, S; Klein, R; Schmidt, E E; Scott, L; Shaw, T; Wilson, P J

2008-01-01

The CDF II eXtremely Fast Tracker (XFT) is the trigger processor which reconstructs charged particle tracks in the transverse plane of the central tracking chamber. The XFT tracks are also extrapolated to the electromagnetic calorimeter and muon chambers to generate trigger electron and muon candidates. The XFT is crucial for the entire CDF II physics program: it detects high pT leptons from W/Z and heavy flavor decays and, in conjunction with the Level 2 processors, it identifies secondary vertices from beauty decays. The XFT has thus been crucial for the recent measurement of the oscilation and Σb discovery. The increase of the Tevatron instantaneous luminosity demanded an upgrade of the system to cope with the higher occupancy of the chamber. In the upgraded XFT, three dimensional tracking reduces the level of fake tracks and measures the longitudinal track parameters, which strongly reinforce the trigger selections. This allows to mantain the trigger perfectly efficient at the record luminosities 2–3·...

A Diagnostic Marker to Discriminate Childhood Apraxia of Speech from Speech Delay: II. Validity Studies of the Pause Marker

Science.gov (United States)

Shriberg, Lawrence D.; Strand, Edythe A.; Fourakis, Marios; Jakielski, Kathy J.; Hall, Sheryl D.; Karlsson, Heather B.; Mabie, Heather L.; McSweeny, Jane L.; Tilkens, Christie M.; Wilson, David L.

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this 2nd article in this supplement is to report validity support findings for the Pause Marker (PM), a proposed single-sign diagnostic marker of childhood apraxia of speech (CAS). Method: PM scores and additional perceptual and acoustic measures were obtained from 296 participants in cohorts with idiopathic and…

Do Biochemical Markers and Apa I Polymorphism in IGF-II Gene Play a Role in the Association of Birth Weight and Later BMI?

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Junqing; Ren, Jingchao; Li, Yuyan; Wu, Yinjie; Gao, Ersheng

2013-01-01

The aim of the study was to explore the mechanisms underlying the association of birth weight with later body mass index (BMI) from the biochemical markers related to metabolism and the Apa I polymorphism in IGF-II gene. A total of 300 children were selected randomly from the Macrosomia Birth Cohort in Wuxi, China. The height and weight were measured and blood samples were collected. Plasma concentrations of 8 biochemical markers were detected. Apa I polymorphism was analyzed by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Biochemical markers were detected for 296 subjects and 271 subjects were genotyped for the Apa I polymorphism. No association was found between birth weight and 8 biochemical markers. In boys, the BMIs of AA, AG and GG genotypes were 16.10 ± 2.24 kg/m(2), 17.40 ± 3.20 kg/m(2), 17.65 ± 2.66 kg/m(2). And there was statistical difference among the three genotypes. But in girls, there was no statistical difference. The birth weights of AA, AG and GG genotypes were 3751.13 ± 492.43 g, 3734.00 ± 456.88 g, 3782.00 ± 461.78 g. And there was no statistical difference among the three genotypes. Biochemical markers are not associated with birth weight. Apa I polymorphism may be related to childhood BMI, but it may be not associated with birth weight. Therefore, biochemical markers and Apa I polymorphism might not play a role in the association of birth weight and BMI.

Multi-agent target tracking using particle filters enhanced with context data

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Claessens, R

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The proposed framework for Multi-Agent Target Tracking supports i) tracking of objects and ii) search and rescue based on the fusion of very heterogeneous data. The system is based on a novel approach to fusing sensory observations, intelligence...

Design of the ATLAS phase-II hardware-based tracking processor

CERN Document Server

Poggi, Riccardo; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

The expected factor four increase in peak luminosity of the high-luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) compared to the current system will force the ATLAS experiment to increase early stage trigger selection power. The agreed strategy is to implement precise hardware track reconstruction, through which sharper trigger turn-on curves can be achieved for primary single-lepton selections, while contributing to b-tagging and tau-tagging techniques as well as pileup mitigation for hadronic signatures, such as multijet and missing transverse momentum. This work discusses the requirements, architecture and projected performance of the system in terms of tracking capability, and trigger selection, based on detailed simulations.

A motion-compensated image filter for low-dose fluoroscopy in a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miyamoto, Naoki; Ishikawa, Masayori; Sutherland, Kenneth

2015-01-01

In the real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system, a surrogate fiducial marker inserted in or near the tumor is detected by fluoroscopy to realize respiratory-gated radiotherapy. The imaging dose caused by fluoroscopy should be minimized. In this work, an image processing technique is proposed for tracing a moving marker in low-dose imaging. The proposed tracking technique is a combination of a motion-compensated recursive filter and template pattern matching. The proposed image filter can reduce motion artifacts resulting from the recursive process based on the determination of the region of interest for the next frame according to the current marker position in the fluoroscopic images. The effectiveness of the proposed technique and the expected clinical benefit were examined by phantom experimental studies with actual tumor trajectories generated from clinical patient data. It was demonstrated that the marker motion could be traced in low-dose imaging by applying the proposed algorithm with acceptable registration error and high pattern recognition score in all trajectories, although some trajectories were not able to be tracked with the conventional spatial filters or without image filters. The positional accuracy is expected to be kept within ±2 mm. The total computation time required to determine the marker position is a few milliseconds. The proposed image processing technique is applicable for imaging dose reduction. (author)

Track reconstruction principle in ALICE for LHC run I and run II

CERN Multimedia

Maire, Antonin

2011-01-01

Principles of tracking for an ALICE event, showing the three successive paths allowing to build a track and refine its parameters. Numbers ranging from 1 to 10 mention the bits that are activated in case of success during the propgation of the Kalman filter at the considered stage.

WE-AB-BRA-12: Virtual Endoscope Tracking for Endoscopy-CT Image Registration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ingram, W; Rao, A; Wendt, R; Court, L; Yang, J; Beadle, B

2015-01-01

Purpose: The use of endoscopy in radiotherapy will remain limited until we can register endoscopic video to CT using standard clinical equipment. In this phantom study we tested a registration method using virtual endoscopy to measure CT-space positions from endoscopic video. Methods: Our phantom is a contorted clay cylinder with 2-mm-diameter markers in the luminal surface. These markers are visible on both CT and endoscopic video. Virtual endoscope images were rendered from a polygonal mesh created by segmenting the phantom’s luminal surface on CT. We tested registration accuracy by tracking the endoscope’s 6-degree-of-freedom coordinates frame-to-frame in a video recorded as it moved through the phantom, and using these coordinates to measure CT-space positions of markers visible in the final frame. To track the endoscope we used the Nelder-Mead method to search for coordinates that render the virtual frame most similar to the next recorded frame. We measured the endoscope’s initial-frame coordinates using a set of visible markers, and for image similarity we used a combination of mutual information and gradient alignment. CT-space marker positions were measured by projecting their final-frame pixel addresses through the virtual endoscope to intersect with the mesh. Registration error was quantified as the distance between this intersection and the marker’s manually-selected CT-space position. Results: Tracking succeeded for 6 of 8 videos, for which the mean registration error was 4.8±3.5mm (24 measurements total). The mean error in the axial direction (3.1±3.3mm) was larger than in the sagittal or coronal directions (2.0±2.3mm, 1.7±1.6mm). In the other 2 videos, the virtual endoscope got stuck in a false minimum. Conclusion: Our method can successfully track the position and orientation of an endoscope, and it provides accurate spatial mapping from endoscopic video to CT. This method will serve as a foundation for an endoscopy-CT registration

WE-AB-BRA-12: Virtual Endoscope Tracking for Endoscopy-CT Image Registration

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ingram, W; Rao, A; Wendt, R; Court, L [The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States); The University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Houston, TX (United States); Yang, J; Beadle, B [The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX (United States)

2015-06-15

Purpose: The use of endoscopy in radiotherapy will remain limited until we can register endoscopic video to CT using standard clinical equipment. In this phantom study we tested a registration method using virtual endoscopy to measure CT-space positions from endoscopic video. Methods: Our phantom is a contorted clay cylinder with 2-mm-diameter markers in the luminal surface. These markers are visible on both CT and endoscopic video. Virtual endoscope images were rendered from a polygonal mesh created by segmenting the phantom’s luminal surface on CT. We tested registration accuracy by tracking the endoscope’s 6-degree-of-freedom coordinates frame-to-frame in a video recorded as it moved through the phantom, and using these coordinates to measure CT-space positions of markers visible in the final frame. To track the endoscope we used the Nelder-Mead method to search for coordinates that render the virtual frame most similar to the next recorded frame. We measured the endoscope’s initial-frame coordinates using a set of visible markers, and for image similarity we used a combination of mutual information and gradient alignment. CT-space marker positions were measured by projecting their final-frame pixel addresses through the virtual endoscope to intersect with the mesh. Registration error was quantified as the distance between this intersection and the marker’s manually-selected CT-space position. Results: Tracking succeeded for 6 of 8 videos, for which the mean registration error was 4.8±3.5mm (24 measurements total). The mean error in the axial direction (3.1±3.3mm) was larger than in the sagittal or coronal directions (2.0±2.3mm, 1.7±1.6mm). In the other 2 videos, the virtual endoscope got stuck in a false minimum. Conclusion: Our method can successfully track the position and orientation of an endoscope, and it provides accurate spatial mapping from endoscopic video to CT. This method will serve as a foundation for an endoscopy-CT registration

Evaluation of an image-based tracking workflow with Kalman filtering for automatic image plane alignment in interventional MRI.

Science.gov (United States)

Neumann, M; Cuvillon, L; Breton, E; de Matheli, M

2013-01-01

Recently, a workflow for magnetic resonance (MR) image plane alignment based on tracking in real-time MR images was introduced. The workflow is based on a tracking device composed of 2 resonant micro-coils and a passive marker, and allows for tracking of the passive marker in clinical real-time images and automatic (re-)initialization using the microcoils. As the Kalman filter has proven its benefit as an estimator and predictor, it is well suited for use in tracking applications. In this paper, a Kalman filter is integrated in the previously developed workflow in order to predict position and orientation of the tracking device. Measurement noise covariances of the Kalman filter are dynamically changed in order to take into account that, according to the image plane orientation, only a subset of the 3D pose components is available. The improved tracking performance of the Kalman extended workflow could be quantified in simulation results. Also, a first experiment in the MRI scanner was performed but without quantitative results yet.

Advanced Alignment of the ATLAS Tracking System

CERN Document Server

Butti, P; The ATLAS collaboration

2014-01-01

In order to reconstruct the trajectories of charged particles, the ATLAS experiment exploits a tracking system built using different technologies, planar silicon modules or microstrips (PIX and SCT detectors) and gaseous drift tubes (TRT), all embedded in a 2T solenoidal magnetic field. Misalignments and deformations of the active detector elements deteriorate the track reconstruction resolution and lead to systematic biases on the measured track parameters. The alignment procedures exploits various advanced tools and techniques in order to determine for module positions and correct for deformations. For the LHC Run II, the system is being upgraded with the installation of a new pixel layer, the Insertable B-layer (IBL).

SWISTRACK - AN OPEN SOURCE, SOFTWARE PACKAGE APPLICABLE TO TRACKING OF FISH LOCOMOTION AND BEHAVIOUR

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Steffensen, John Fleng

2010-01-01

including swimming speed, acceleration and directionality of movements as well as the examination of locomotory panems during swimming. SWiSlrdL:k, a [n: t; and downloadable software package (available from www.sourceforge.com) is widely used for tracking robots, humans and other animals. Accordingly......, Swistrack can be easily adopted for the tracking offish. Benefits associated with the free software include: • Contrast or marker based tracking enabling tracking of either the whole animal, or tagged marks placed upon the animal • The ability to track multiple tags placed upon an individual animal • Highly...... effective background subtraction algorithms and filters ensuring smooth tracking of fish • Application of tags of different colour enables the software to track multiple fish without the problem of track exchange between individuals • Low processing requirements enable tracking in real-time • Further...

A resource of large-scale molecular markers for monitoring Agropyron cristatum chromatin introgression in wheat background based on transcriptome sequences.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Jinpeng; Liu, Weihua; Lu, Yuqing; Liu, Qunxing; Yang, Xinming; Li, Xiuquan; Li, Lihui

2017-09-20

Agropyron cristatum is a wild grass of the tribe Triticeae and serves as a gene donor for wheat improvement. However, very few markers can be used to monitor A. cristatum chromatin introgressions in wheat. Here, we reported a resource of large-scale molecular markers for tracking alien introgressions in wheat based on transcriptome sequences. By aligning A. cristatum unigenes with the Chinese Spring reference genome sequences, we designed 9602 A. cristatum expressed sequence tag-sequence-tagged site (EST-STS) markers for PCR amplification and experimental screening. As a result, 6063 polymorphic EST-STS markers were specific for the A. cristatum P genome in the single-receipt wheat background. A total of 4956 randomly selected polymorphic EST-STS markers were further tested in eight wheat variety backgrounds, and 3070 markers displaying stable and polymorphic amplification were validated. These markers covered more than 98% of the A. cristatum genome, and the marker distribution density was approximately 1.28 cM. An application case of all EST-STS markers was validated on the A. cristatum 6 P chromosome. These markers were successfully applied in the tracking of alien A. cristatum chromatin. Altogether, this study provided a universal method of large-scale molecular marker development to monitor wild relative chromatin in wheat.

QUANTIFICATION OF TRANSGENIC PLANT MARKER GENE PERSISTENCE IN THE FIELD

Science.gov (United States)

Methods were developed to monitor persistence of genomic DNA in decaying plants in the field. As a model, we used recombinant neomycin phosphotransferase II (rNPT-II) marker genes present in genetically engineered plants. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed, com...

Recent advances in the GENFIT track fitting package

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bicker, Karl A. [CERN, Geneva (Switzerland); Hoeppner, Christian; Ketzer, Bernhard; Neubert, Sebastian; Paul, Stephan; Rauch, Johannes [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Munich (Germany)

2012-07-01

The GENFIT software package provides a framework for track fitting. Due to the modular and generic structure, it is usable with arbitrary detector and field geometries. GENFIT is used in several collaborations (e.g. Belle II, COMPASS, FOPI, PANDA). GENFIT provides hit classes for common detector types and their information is used by GENFIT in their native coordinate system. Hits are collected in tracks, as are track representations. The track representation handles the extrapolation of the track through matter and fields. Multiple track representations can be fitted simultaneously. GENFIT has recently been equipped with several new features. Besides adding Smoothing, the standard Kalman fit algorithm has been extended by a Deterministic Annealing Filter (DAF), which can tag noise hits. An interface to the RAVE vertexing package has equipped GENFIT with the capability for vertex reconstruction and fitting. Results from simulation and real data are presented.

Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Stereotactic Body Frame in Reducing Respiratory Intrafractional Organ Motion Using the Real-Time Tumor-Tracking Radiotherapy System

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bengua, Gerard; Ishikawa, Masayori; Sutherland, Kenneth; Horita, Kenji; Yamazaki, Rie; Fujita, Katsuhisa; Onimaru, Rikiya; Katoh, Noriwo; Inoue, Tetsuya; Onodera, Shunsuke; Shirato, Hiroki

2010-01-01

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of the stereotactic body frame (SBF), with or without a diaphragm press or a breathing cycle monitoring device (Abches), in controlling the range of lung tumor motion, by tracking the real-time position of fiducial markers. Methods and Materials: The trajectories of gold markers in the lung were tracked with the real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system. The SBF was used for patient immobilization and the diaphragm press and Abches were used to actively control breathing and for self-controlled respiration, respectively. Tracking was performed in five setups, with and without immobilization and respiration control. The results were evaluated using the effective range, which was defined as the range that includes 95% of all the recorded marker positions in each setup. Results: The SBF, with or without a diaphragm press or Abches, did not yield effective ranges of marker motion which were significantly different from setups that did not use these materials. The differences in the effective marker ranges in the upper lobes for all the patient setups were less than 1mm. Larger effective ranges were obtained for the markers in the middle or lower lobes. Conclusion: The effectiveness of controlling respiratory-induced organ motion by using the SBF+diaphragm press or SBF + Abches patient setups were highly dependent on the individual patient reaction to the use of these materials and the location of the markers. They may be considered for lung tumors in the lower lobes, but are not necessary for tumors in the upper lobes.

Surgical fiducial segmentation and tracking for pose estimation based on ultrasound B-mode images.

Science.gov (United States)

Lei Chen; Kuo, Nathanael; Aalamifar, Fereshteh; Narrow, David; Coon, Devin; Prince, Jerry; Boctor, Emad M

2016-08-01

Doppler ultrasound is a non-invasive diagnostic tool for the quantitative measurement of blood flow. However, given that it provides velocity data that is dependent on the location and angle of measurement, repeat measurements to detect problems over time may require an expert to return to the same location. We therefore developed an image-guidance system based on ultrasound B-mode images that enables an inexperienced user to position the ultrasound probe at the same site repeatedly in order to acquire a comparable time series of Doppler readings. The system utilizes a bioresorbable fiducial and complementing software composed of the fiducial detection, key points tracking, probe pose estimation, and graphical user interface (GUI) modules. The fiducial is an echogenic marker that is implanted at the surgical site and can be detected and tracked during ultrasound B-mode screening. The key points on the marker can next be used to determine the pose of the ultrasound probe with respect to the marker. The 3D representation of the probe with its position and orientation are then displayed in the GUI for the user guidance. The fiducial detection has been tested on the data sets collected from three animal studies. The pose estimation algorithm was validated by five data sets collected by a UR5 robot. We tested the system on a plastisol phantom and showed that it can detect and track the fiducial marker while displaying the probe pose in real-time.

Invisible marker based augmented reality system

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Hanhoon; Park, Jong-Il

2005-07-01

Augmented reality (AR) has recently gained significant attention. The previous AR techniques usually need a fiducial marker with known geometry or objects of which the structure can be easily estimated such as cube. Placing a marker in the workspace of the user can be intrusive. To overcome this limitation, we present an AR system using invisible markers which are created/drawn with an infrared (IR) fluorescent pen. Two cameras are used: an IR camera and a visible camera, which are positioned in each side of a cold mirror so that their optical centers coincide with each other. We track the invisible markers using IR camera and visualize AR in the view of visible camera. Additional algorithms are employed for the system to have a reliable performance in the cluttered background. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the viability of the proposed system. As an application of the proposed system, the invisible marker can act as a Vision-Based Identity and Geometry (VBIG) tag, which can significantly extend the functionality of RFID. The invisible tag is the same as RFID in that it is not perceivable while more powerful in that the tag information can be presented to the user by direct projection using a mobile projector or by visualizing AR on the screen of mobile PDA.

Efficient transformation and regeneration of transgenic cassava using the neomycin phosphotransferase gene as aminoglycoside resistance marker gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Niklaus, Michael; Gruissem, Wilhelm; Vanderschuren, Hervé

2011-01-01

Cassava is one of the most important crops in the tropics. Its industrial use for starch and biofuel production is also increasing its importance for agricultural production in tropical countries. In the last decade cassava biotechnology has emerged as a valuable alternative to the breeding constraints of this highly heterozygous crop for improved trait development of cassava germplasm. Cassava transformation remains difficult and time-consuming because of limitations in selecting transgenic tissues and regeneration of transgenic plantlets. We have recently reported an efficient and robust cassava transformation protocol using the hygromycin phosphotransferase II (hptII) gene as selection marker and the aminoglycoside hygromycin at optimal concentrations to maximize the regeneration of transgenic plantlets. In the present work, we expanded the transformation protocol to the use of the neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene as selection marker. Several aminoglycosides compatible with the use of nptII were tested and optimal concentrations for cassava transformation were determined. Given its efficiency equivalent to hptII as selection marker with the described protocol, the use of nptII opens new possibilities to engineer transgenic cassava lines with multiple T-DNA insertions and to produce transgenic cassava with a resistance marker gene that is already deregulated in several commercial transgenic crops.

Fecal pollution source tracking toolbox for identification, evaluation and characterization of fecal contamination in receiving urban surface waters and groundwater.

Science.gov (United States)

Tran, Ngoc Han; Gin, Karina Yew-Hoong; Ngo, Huu Hao

2015-12-15

The quality of surface waters/groundwater of a geographical region can be affected by anthropogenic activities, land use patterns and fecal pollution sources from humans and animals. Therefore, the development of an efficient fecal pollution source tracking toolbox for identifying the origin of the fecal pollution sources in surface waters/groundwater is especially helpful for improving management efforts and remediation actions of water resources in a more cost-effective and efficient manner. This review summarizes the updated knowledge on the use of fecal pollution source tracking markers for detecting, evaluating and characterizing fecal pollution sources in receiving surface waters and groundwater. The suitability of using chemical markers (i.e. fecal sterols, fluorescent whitening agents, pharmaceuticals and personal care products, and artificial sweeteners) and/or microbial markers (e.g. F+RNA coliphages, enteric viruses, and host-specific anaerobic bacterial 16S rDNA genetic markers) for tracking fecal pollution sources in receiving water bodies is discussed. In addition, this review also provides a comprehensive approach, which is based on the detection ratios (DR), detection frequencies (DF), and fate of potential microbial and chemical markers. DR and DF are considered as the key criteria for selecting appropriate markers for identifying and evaluating the impacts of fecal contamination in surface waters/groundwater. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Atrotorquata lineata as a proxy for Juncus roemerianus, Part II: Tracking changes in positions of Juncus roemerianus marshes through time by use of the fungal proxy Atrotorquata lineata

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marsh Pamela E.

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Juncus roemerianus is a species that occurs at the upper reaches of salt water influence in marshes from Delaware to Texas. As such, J. roemerianus is a good marker for sea level, defined for this study as mean highest high water; thus, being able to track its positions over time should enable one to track past changes in relative sea level. In 2006, a palynomorphic fingerprint to identify surface sediment from J. roemerianus marshes was discovered in a South Carolina study (Marsh 2006, Marsh & Cohen 2008. Further study (Marsh & Cohen 2016 showed that one component of this fingerprint, the spore of the fungus Atrotorquata lineata, was so omnipresent in surface sediment from J. roemerianus marshes that the fungus, by itself, can be considered a proxy for J. roemerianus marshes.

SYTO probes: markers of apoptotic cell demise.

Science.gov (United States)

Wlodkowic, Donald; Skommer, Joanna

2007-10-01

As mechanistic studies on tumor cell death advance towards their ultimate translational goal, there is a need for specific, rapid, and high-throughput analytical tools to detect diverse cell demise modes. Patented DNA-binding SYTO probes, for example, are gaining increasing interest as easy-to-use markers of caspase-dependent apoptotic cell death. They are proving convenient for tracking apoptosis in diverse hematopoietic cell lines and primary tumor samples, and, due to their spectral characteristics, appear to be useful for the development of multiparameter flow cytometry assays. Herein, several protocols for multiparametric assessment of apoptotic events using SYTO probes are provided. There are protocols describing the use of green fluorescent SYTO 16 and red fluorescent SYTO 17 dyes in combination with plasma membrane permeability markers. Another protocol highlights the multiparametric use of SYTO 16 dye in conjunction with the mitochondrial membrane potential sensitive probe, tetramethylrhodamine methyl ester (TMRM), and the plasma membrane permeability marker, 7-aminoactinomycin D (7-AAD).

A comparative study between the imaging system and the optical tracking system in proton therapy at CNAO

CERN Document Server

Desplanques, Maxime; Fontana, Giulia; Pella, Andrea; Riboldi, Marco; Fattori, Giovanni; Donno, Andrea; Baroni, Guido; Orecchia, Roberto

2013-01-01

The synergy between in-room imaging and optical tracking, in co-operation with highly accurate robotic patient handling represents a concept for patient-set-up which has been implemented at CNAO (Centro Nazionale di Adroterapia Oncologica). In-room imaging is based on a double oblique X-ray projection system; optical tracking consists of the detection of the position of spherical markers placed directly on the patient’s skin or on the immobilization devices. These markers are used as external fiducials during patient positioning and dose delivery. This study reports the results of a comparative analysis between in-room imaging and optical tracking data for patient positioning within the framework of high-precision particle therapy. Differences between the optical tracking system (OTS) and the imaging system (IS) were on average within the expected localization accuracy. On the first 633 fractions for head and neck (H&N) set-up procedures, the corrections applied by the IS, after patient positioning usin...

TPC track distortions III: fiat lux

CERN Document Server

Boyko, I; Dydak, F; Elagin, A; Gostkin, M; Guskov, A; Koreshev, V; Nefedov, Y; Nikolaev, K; Veenhof, R; Wotschack, J; Zhemchugov, A

2005-01-01

We present a comprehensive overview and final summary of all four types of static track distortions seen in the HARP TPC, in terms of physical origins, mathematical modelling, and correction algorithms. 'Static'™ distortions are defined as not depending on the event time within the 400 ms long accelerator spill. Calculated static distortions are compared with measurements from cosmic-muon tracks. We characterize track distortions by the r phi residuals of cluster positions with respect to the transverse projection of a helical trajectory constrained by hits in the RPC overlap regions. This method provides a fixed TPC-external reference system (by contrast to the co-moving coordinate system associated with a fit) which solely permits to identify individually, and measure quantitatively, the static TPC track distortions arising from (i) the inhomogeneity of the solenoidal magnetic field, (ii) the inhomogeneity of the electric field from the high-voltage mismatch between the inner and outer TPC field cages, (...

Intraoperative visualization and assessment of electromagnetic tracking error

Science.gov (United States)

Harish, Vinyas; Ungi, Tamas; Lasso, Andras; MacDonald, Andrew; Nanji, Sulaiman; Fichtinger, Gabor

2015-03-01

Electromagnetic tracking allows for increased flexibility in designing image-guided interventions, however it is well understood that electromagnetic tracking is prone to error. Visualization and assessment of the tracking error should take place in the operating room with minimal interference with the clinical procedure. The goal was to achieve this ideal in an open-source software implementation in a plug and play manner, without requiring programming from the user. We use optical tracking as a ground truth. An electromagnetic sensor and optical markers are mounted onto a stylus device, pivot calibrated for both trackers. Electromagnetic tracking error is defined as difference of tool tip position between electromagnetic and optical readings. Multiple measurements are interpolated into the thin-plate B-spline transform visualized in real time using 3D Slicer. All tracked devices are used in a plug and play manner through the open-source SlicerIGT and PLUS extensions of the 3D Slicer platform. Tracking error was measured multiple times to assess reproducibility of the method, both with and without placing ferromagnetic objects in the workspace. Results from exhaustive grid sampling and freehand sampling were similar, indicating that a quick freehand sampling is sufficient to detect unexpected or excessive field distortion in the operating room. The software is available as a plug-in for the 3D Slicer platforms. Results demonstrate potential for visualizing electromagnetic tracking error in real time for intraoperative environments in feasibility clinical trials in image-guided interventions.

Quantifying skin motion artifact error of the hindfoot and forefoot marker clusters with the optical tracking of a multi-segment foot model using single-plane fluoroscopy.

Science.gov (United States)

Shultz, R; Kedgley, A E; Jenkyn, T R

2011-05-01

The trajectories of skin-mounted markers tracked with optical motion capture are assumed to be an adequate representation of the underlying bone motions. However, it is well known that soft tissue artifact (STA) exists between marker and bone. This study quantifies the STA associated with the hindfoot and midfoot marker clusters of a multi-segment foot model. To quantify STA of the hindfoot and midfoot marker clusters with respect to the calcaneus and navicular respectively, fluoroscopic images were collected on 27 subjects during four quasi-static positions, (1) quiet standing (non-weight bearing), (2) at heel strike (weight-bearing), (3) at midstance (weight-bearing) and (4) at toe-off (weight-bearing). The translation and rotation components of STA were calculated in the sagittal plane. Translational STA at the calcaneus varied from 5.9±7.3mm at heel-strike to 12.1±0.3mm at toe-off. For the navicular the translational STA ranged from 7.6±7.6mm at heel strike to 16.4±16.7mm at toe-off. Rotational STA was relatively smaller for both bones at all foot positions. For the calcaneus they varied between 0.1±2.2° at heel-strike to 0.2±0.6° at toe-off. For the navicular, the rotational STA ranged from 0.6±0.9° at heel-strike to 0.7±0.7° at toe-off. The largest translational STA found in this study (16mm for the navicular) was smaller than those reported in the literature for the thigh and the lower leg, but was larger than the STA of individual spherical markers affixed to the foot. The largest errors occurred at toe-off position for all subjects for both the hindfoot and midfoot clusters. Future studies are recommended to quantify true three-dimensional STA of the entire foot during gait. Copyright © 2011. Published by Elsevier B.V.

List-Mode PET Motion Correction Using Markerless Head Tracking: Proof-of-Concept With Scans of Human Subject

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olesen, Oline Vinter; Sullivan, Jenna M.; Mulnix, Tim

2013-01-01

A custom designed markerless tracking system was demonstrated to be applicable for positron emission tomography (PET) brain imaging. Precise head motion registration is crucial for accurate motion correction (MC) in PET imaging. State-of-the-art tracking systems applied with PET brain imaging rely...... on markers attached to the patient's head. The marker attachment is the main weakness of these systems. A healthy volunteer participating in a cigarette smoking study to image dopamine release was scanned twice for 2 h with $^{11}{\\rm C}$-racolopride on the high resolution research tomograph (HRRT) PET...... in contrast recovery of small structures....

A phase II clinical trial does not show that high dose simvastatin has beneficial effect on markers of bone turnover in multiple myeloma

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Søndergaard, Teis Esben; Pedersen, PT; Levin Andersen, Thomas

2008-01-01

Several studies have evaluated the impact of low dose statin (20-80 mg/day) on bone metabolism with inconclusive results despite promising data of preclinical studies. In this study, we investigated the effect of high dose simvastatin (HD-Sim) on biochemical markers of bone turnover and disease...... acid phosphatase, TRACP); (ii) bone resorption (collagen fragments CTX and NTX); (iii) bone formation (osteocalcin and aminoterminal propeptide of type I collagen PINP); (iv) cholesterol; (v) regulators of bone metabolism [osteoprotegerin (OPG) and Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1)] and (vi) disease activity...... (monoclonal proteins or free light chains in serum). TRACP activity in serum and levels of collagen fragments (NTX) in urine increased for all patients temporarily during the 7 days of treatment with HD-Sim indicating that osteoclasts may have been stimulated rather than inhibited. The other markers of bone...

Concept and simulation study of a novel localization method for robotic endoscopic capsules using multiple positron emission markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Than, Trung Duc; Alici, Gursel; Harvey, Steven; Zhou, Hao; Li, Weihua

2014-07-01

Over the last decade, wireless capsule endoscope has been the tool of choice for noninvasive inspection of the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the small intestine. However, the latest clinical products have not been equipped with a sufficiently accurate localization system which makes it difficult to determine the location of intestinal abnormalities, and to apply follow-up interventions such as biopsy or drug delivery. In this paper, the authors present a novel localization method based on tracking three positron emission markers embedded inside an endoscopic capsule. Three spherical(22)Na markers with diameters of less than 1 mm are embedded in the cover of the capsule. Gamma ray detectors are arranged around a patient body to detect coincidence gamma rays emitted from the three markers. The position of each marker can then be estimated using the collected data by the authors' tracking algorithm which consists of four consecutive steps: a method to remove corrupted data, an initialization method, a clustering method based on the Fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm, and a failure prediction method. The tracking algorithm has been implemented inMATLAB utilizing simulation data generated from the Geant4 Application for Emission Tomography toolkit. The results show that this localization method can achieve real-time tracking with an average position error of less than 0.4 mm and an average orientation error of less than 2°. The authors conclude that this study has proven the feasibility and potential of the proposed technique in effectively determining the position and orientation of a robotic endoscopic capsule.

Concept and simulation study of a novel localization method for robotic endoscopic capsules using multiple positron emission markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Than, Trung Duc; Alici, Gursel; Zhou, Hao; Li, Weihua; Harvey, Steven

2014-01-01

Purpose: Over the last decade, wireless capsule endoscope has been the tool of choice for noninvasive inspection of the gastrointestinal tract, especially in the small intestine. However, the latest clinical products have not been equipped with a sufficiently accurate localization system which makes it difficult to determine the location of intestinal abnormalities, and to apply follow-up interventions such as biopsy or drug delivery. In this paper, the authors present a novel localization method based on tracking three positron emission markers embedded inside an endoscopic capsule. Methods: Three spherical 22 Na markers with diameters of less than 1 mm are embedded in the cover of the capsule. Gamma ray detectors are arranged around a patient body to detect coincidence gamma rays emitted from the three markers. The position of each marker can then be estimated using the collected data by the authors’ tracking algorithm which consists of four consecutive steps: a method to remove corrupted data, an initialization method, a clustering method based on the Fuzzy C-means clustering algorithm, and a failure prediction method. Results: The tracking algorithm has been implemented inMATLAB utilizing simulation data generated from the Geant4 Application for Emission Tomography toolkit. The results show that this localization method can achieve real-time tracking with an average position error of less than 0.4 mm and an average orientation error of less than 2°. Conclusions: The authors conclude that this study has proven the feasibility and potential of the proposed technique in effectively determining the position and orientation of a robotic endoscopic capsule

Characterization of cloned cells from an immortalized fetal pulmonary type II cell line

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Henderson, R.F.; Waide, J.J.; Lechner, J.F.

1995-12-01

A cultured cell line that maintained expression of pulmonary type II cell markers of differentiation would be advantageous to generate a large number of homogenous cells in which to study the biochemical functions of type II cells. Type II epithelial cells are the source of pulmonary surfactant and a cell of origin for pulmonary adenomas. Last year our laboratory reported the induction of expression of two phenotypic markers of pulmonary type II cells (alkaline phosphatase activity and surfactant lipid synthesis) in cultured fetal rat lung epithelial (FRLE) cells, a spontaneously immortalized cell line of fetal rat lung type II cell origin. Subsequently, the induction of the ability to synthesize surfactant lipid became difficult to repeat. We hypothesized that the cell line was heterogenuous and some cells were more like type II cells than others. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis and to obtain a cultured cell line with type II cell phenotypic markers by cloning several FRLE cells and characterizing them for phenotypic markers of type II cells (alkaline phosphatase activity and presence of surfactant lipids). Thirty cloned cell lines were analyzed for induced alkaline phosphatase activity (on x-axis) and for percent of phospholipids that were disaturated (i.e., surfactant).

Using AFLP markers and the Geneland program for the inference of population genetic structure

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Guillot, Gilles; Santos, Filipe

2010-01-01

the computer program Geneland designed to infer population structure has been adapted to deal with dominant markers; and (ii) we use Geneland for numerical comparison of dominant and codominant markers to perform clustering. AFLP markers lead to less accurate results than bi-allelic codominant markers...... such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) markers but this difference becomes negligible for data sets of common size (number of individuals n≥100, number of markers L≥200). The latest Geneland version (3.2.1) handling dominant markers is freely available as an R package with a fully clickable graphical...

TH-AB-202-05: BEST IN PHYSICS (JOINT IMAGING-THERAPY): First Online Ultrasound-Guided MLC Tracking for Real-Time Motion Compensation in Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ipsen, S; Bruder, R; Schweikard, A [University of Luebeck, Luebeck, DE (United States); O’Brien, R; Keall, P [University of Sydney, Sydney (Australia); Poulsen, P [Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus (Denmark)

2016-06-15

Purpose: While MLC tracking has been successfully used for motion compensation of moving targets, current real-time target localization methods rely on correlation models with x-ray imaging or implanted electromagnetic transponders rather than direct target visualization. In contrast, ultrasound imaging yields volumetric data in real-time (4D) without ionizing radiation. We report the first results of online 4D ultrasound-guided MLC tracking in a phantom. Methods: A real-time tracking framework was installed on a 4D ultrasound station (Vivid7 dimension, GE) and used to detect a 2mm spherical lead marker inside a water tank. The volumetric frame rate was 21.3Hz (47ms). The marker was rigidly attached to a motion stage programmed to reproduce nine tumor trajectories (five prostate, four lung). The 3D marker position from ultrasound was used for real-time MLC aperture adaption. The tracking system latency was measured and compensated by prediction for lung trajectories. To measure geometric accuracy, anterior and lateral conformal fields with 10cm circular aperture were delivered for each trajectory. The tracking error was measured as the difference between marker position and MLC aperture in continuous portal imaging. For dosimetric evaluation, 358° VMAT fields were delivered to a biplanar diode array dosimeter using the same trajectories. Dose measurements with and without MLC tracking were compared to a static reference dose using a 3%/3 mm γ-test. Results: The tracking system latency was 170ms. The mean root-mean-square tracking error was 1.01mm (0.75mm prostate, 1.33mm lung). Tracking reduced the mean γ-failure rate from 13.9% to 4.6% for prostate and from 21.8% to 0.6% for lung with high-modulation VMAT plans and from 5% (prostate) and 18% (lung) to 0% with low modulation. Conclusion: Real-time ultrasound tracking was successfully integrated with MLC tracking for the first time and showed similar accuracy and latency as other methods while holding the

Preliminary Results for a Monocular Marker-Free Gait Measurement System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jane Courtney

2006-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents results from a novel monocular marker-free gait measurement system. The system was designed for physical and occupational therapists to monitor the progress of patients through therapy. It is based on a novel human motion capturemethod derived from model-based tracking. Testing is performed on two monocular, sagittal-view, sample gait videos – one with both the environment and the subject’s appearance and movement restricted and one in a natural environment with unrestrictedclothing and motion. Results of the modelling, tracking and analysis stages are presented along with standard gait graphs and parameters.

Dysmorphic choroid plexuses and hydrocephalus associated with increased nuchal translucency: early ultrasound markers of de novo thanatophoric dysplasia type II with cloverleaf skull (Kleeblattschaedel).

Science.gov (United States)

Tonni, Gabriele; Palmisano, Marcella; Ginocchi, Vladimiro; Ventura, Alessandro; Baldi, Maurizia; Baffico, Ave Maria

2014-11-01

Prenatal diagnosis of thanatophoric dysplasia (TD) type II presenting in the first trimester with increased nuchal translucency (NT) and cloverleaf skull (Kleeblattschaedel) have been scantly reported in the medical record. Abnormal choroid plexus has been seen in association with fetal anomalies. Here we described a case of increased NT associated with indented choroid plexuses, early onset hydrocephalus and cloverleaf skull in a fetus subsequently diagnosed at early second trimester to carry a de novo mutation encoding for TD type II. The findings of dysmorphic choroid plexus, early onset hydrocephalus and cloverleaf skull at first trimester scan may be early, useful ultrasound markers of TD type II. Molecular analysis to control for possible overlapping syndromes were performed and resulted negative. Postmortem X-ray and 3D-CT scan confirmed the cloverleaf skull, narrow thorax, straight femur with rhizomelic shortening of the limbs and the presence of a communicating hydrocephalus. © 2014 Japanese Teratology Society.

Calibration and performance of the MARK II drift chamber vertex detector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durrett, D.; Ford, W.T.; Hinshaw, D.A.; Rankin, P.; Smith, J.G.; Weber, P.

1990-05-01

We have calibrated and studied the performance of the MARK II drift chamber vertex detector with cosmic ray tracks collected with the chamber inside the MARK II detector at the SLC. The chamber achieves 30 μm impact parameter resolution and 500 μm track-pair resolution using CO 2 /C 2 H 6 H 6 (92/8) at 2 atmospheres pressure. The chamber has successfully recorded Z 0 decays at the SLC, and resolved tracks in dense hadronic jets with good efficiency and high accuracy. 5 refs., 13 figs

Loop shaping design for tracking performance in machine axes.

Science.gov (United States)

Schinstock, Dale E; Wei, Zhouhong; Yang, Tao

2006-01-01

A modern interpretation of classical loop shaping control design methods is presented in the context of tracking control for linear motor stages. Target applications include noncontacting machines such as laser cutters and markers, water jet cutters, and adhesive applicators. The methods are directly applicable to the common PID controller and are pertinent to many electromechanical servo actuators other than linear motors. In addition to explicit design techniques a PID tuning algorithm stressing the importance of tracking is described. While the theory behind these techniques is not new, the analysis of their application to modern systems is unique in the research literature. The techniques and results should be important to control practitioners optimizing PID controller designs for tracking and in comparing results from classical designs to modern techniques. The methods stress high-gain controller design and interpret what this means for PID. Nothing in the methods presented precludes the addition of feedforward control methods for added improvements in tracking. Laboratory results from a linear motor stage demonstrate that with large open-loop gain very good tracking performance can be achieved. The resultant tracking errors compare very favorably to results from similar motions on similar systems that utilize much more complicated controllers.

A 4D ultrasound real-time tracking system for external beam radiotherapy of upper abdominal lesions under breath-hold

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sihono, Dwi Seno Kuncoro; Vogel, Lena; Thoelking, Johannes; Wenz, Frederik; Boda-Heggemann, Judit; Wertz, Hansjoerg [University of Heidelberg, Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim (Germany); Weiss, Christel [University of Heidelberg, Department of Biomathematics and Medical Statistics, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim (Germany); Lohr, Frank [University of Heidelberg, Department of Radiation Oncology, University Medical Center Mannheim, Mannheim (Germany); Az. Ospedaliero-Universitaria di Modena, Struttura Complessa di Radioterapia, Dipartimento di Oncologia, Modena (Italy)

2017-03-15

To evaluate a novel four-dimensional (4D) ultrasound (US) tracking system for external beam radiotherapy of upper abdominal lesions under computer-controlled deep-inspiration breath-hold (DIBH). The tracking accuracy of the research 4D US system was evaluated using two motion phantoms programmed with sinusoidal and breathing patterns to simulate free breathing and DIBH. Clinical performance was evaluated with five healthy volunteers. US datasets were acquired in computer-controlled DIBH with varying angular scanning angles. Tracked structures were renal pelvis (spherical structure) and portal/liver vein branches (non-spherical structure). An external marker was attached to the surface of both phantoms and volunteers as a secondary object to be tracked by an infrared camera for comparison. Phantom measurements showed increased accuracy of US tracking with decreasing scanning range/increasing scanning frequency. The probability of lost tracking was higher for small scanning ranges (43.09% for 10 and 13.54% for 20 ).The tracking success rates in healthy volunteers during DIBH were 93.24 and 89.86% for renal pelvis and portal vein branches, respectively. There was a strong correlation between marker motion and US tracking for the majority of analyzed breath-holds: 84.06 and 88.41% of renal pelvis target results and 82.26 and 91.94% of liver vein target results in anteroposterior and superoinferior directions, respectively; Pearson's correlation coefficient was between 0.71 and 0.99. The US system showed a good tracking performance in 4D motion phantoms. The tracking capability of surrogate structures for upper abdominal lesions in DIBH fulfills clinical requirements. Further investigation in a larger cohort of patients is underway. (orig.) [German] Evaluation eines neuen vierdimensionalen (4D) Ultraschall(US)-Tracking-Systems fuer die externe Strahlentherapie von Oberbauchlaesionen unter computergesteuertem tiefem Atemanhalt (DIBH). Die Tracking-Genauigkeit des 4D

Inherited Genetic Markers for Thrombophilia in Northeastern Iran (a Clinical-Based Report

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Fatemeh Keify

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Background: Thrombophilia is a main predisposition to thrombosis due to a procoagulant state. Several point mutations play key roles in blood-clotting disorders, which are grouped under the term thrombophilia. These thrombophilic mutations are methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR, C677T, and A1298C, factor V Leiden (G1691A, prothrombin gene mutation (factor II, G20210A, and plasminogen activator inhibitor (PAI. In the present study, we assessed the prevalence of the above thrombophilia markers in patients with recurrent pregnancy loss or first and second trimester abortions, infertility, and failed in vitro fertilization (IVF. Methods: This study was conducted among 457 cases those were referred to detect the inherited genetic markers for thrombophilia. Markers for MTHFR, Factor II, and Factor V were assessed by polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP, and PAI was assessed by Amplification Refractory Mutation System (ARMS-PCR. Results: Two hundred sixty cases (56.89% were diagnosed as having at least one thrombophilia marker, whereas 197 cases (43.11% had no thrombophilia markers and were normal. Conclusion: According to the current study, the pattern of abnormal genetic markers for thrombophilia in northeastern Iran demonstrates the importance of genetic evaluations in patients who show clinical abnormalities with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA or other serious obstetric complications.

SU-G-BRA-06: Quantification of Tracking Performance of a Multi-Layer Electronic Portal Imaging Device

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hu, Y; Rottmann, J; Myronakis, M; Berbeco, R [Department of Radiation Oncology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to quantify the improvement in tumor tracking, with and without fiducial markers, afforded by employing a multi-layer (MLI) electronic portal imaging device (EPID) over the current state-of-the-art, single-layer, digital megavolt imager (DMI) architecture. Methods: An ideal observer signal-to-noise ratio (d’) approach was used to quantify the ability of an MLI EPID and a current, state-of-the-art DMI EPID to track lung tumors from the treatment beam’s-eye-view. Using each detector modulation transfer function (MTF) and noise power spectrum (NPS) as inputs, a detection task was employed with object functions describing simple three-dimensional Cartesian shapes (spheres and cylinders). Marker-less tumor tracking algorithms often use texture discrimination to differentiate benign and malignant tissue. The performance of such algorithms is simulated by employing a discrimination task for the ideal observer, which measures the ability of a system to differentiate two image quantities. These were defined as the measured textures for benign and malignant lung tissue. Results: The NNPS of the MLI ∼25% of that of the DMI at the expense of decreased MTF at intermediate frequencies (0.25≤marker tracking and lung tissue texture differentiation, the signal power of each task is retained at low frequencies. Thus, little difference may be observed in signal power when DMI and MLI are compared. In all cases, improvements in tracking were greater than a factor of 2. Conclusion: MLI performance in tumor tracking is greatly improved by the additional imager layers. This implies that further improvements in tracking may be gained through increasing the thickness of each MLI layer. For tracking, the MLI performance is limited by noise response. Losses in MTF result in negligible differences in d�

Calibration of track detectors and measurement of radon exhalation rate from solid samples

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Ajay Kumar; Jojo, P.J.; Prasad, Rajendra; Khan, A.J.; Ramachandran, T.V.

1997-01-01

CR-39 and LR-115 type II track detectors to be used for radon exhalation measurements have been calibrated. The configurations fitted with detectors in Can technique in the open cup mode are cylindrical plastic cup (PC) and conical plastic cup (CPC). The experiment was performed in radon exposure chamber having monodisperse aerosols of 0.2 μm size, to find the relationship between track density and the radon concentration. The calibration factors for PC and CPC type dosimeters with LR-115 type II detector were found to be 0.056 and 0.083 tracks cm -2 d -1 (Bqm -3 ) -1 respectively, while with CR-39 detector the values were 0.149 and 0.150 tracks cm -2 d -1 (Bq m -3 ) -1 . Employing the Can technique, measurements of exhalation rates from solid samples used as construction materials, are undertaken. Radon exhalation rate is found to be minimum in cement samples while in fly ash it is not enhanced as compared to coal samples. (author)

Fast neural-net based fake track rejection in the LHCb reconstruction

CERN Document Server

De Cian, Michel; Seyfert, Paul; Stahl, Sascha

2017-01-01

A neural-network based algorithm to identify fake tracks in the LHCb pattern recognition is presented. This algorithm, called ghost probability, retains more than 99 % of well reconstructed tracks while reducing the number of fake tracks by 60 %. It is fast enough to fit into the CPU time budget of the software trigger farm and thus reduces the combinatorics of the decay reconstructions, as well as the number of tracks that need to be processed by the particle identification algorithms. As a result, it strongly contributes to the achievement of having the same reconstruction online and offline in the LHCb experiment in Run II of the LHC.

Analysis of the genetic diversity of super sweet corn inbred lines using SSR and SSAP markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ko, W R; Sa, K J; Roy, N S; Choi, H-J; Lee, J K

2016-01-22

In this study, we compared the efficiency of simple sequence repeat (SSR) and sequence specific amplified polymorphism (SSAP) markers for analyzing genetic diversity, genetic relationships, and population structure of 87 super sweet corn inbred lines from different origins. SSR markers showed higher average gene diversity and Shannon's information index than SSAP markers. To assess genetic relationships and characterize inbred lines using SSR and SSAP markers, genetic similarity (GS) matrices were constructed. The dendrogram using SSR marker data showed a complex pattern with nine clusters and a GS of 53.0%. For SSAP markers, three clusters were observed with a GS of 50.8%. Results of combined marker data showed six clusters with 53.5% GS. To analyze the genetic population structure of SSR and SSAP marker data, the 87 inbred lines were divided into groups I, II, and admixed based on the membership probability threshold of 0.8. Using combined marker data, the population structure was K = 3 and was divided into groups I, II, III, and admixed. This study represents a comparative analysis of SSR and SSAP marker data for the study of genetic diversity and genetic relationships in super sweet corn inbred lines. Our results would be useful for maize-breeding programs in Korea.

Comparative analysis of respiratory motion tracking using Microsoft Kinect v2 sensor.

Science.gov (United States)

Silverstein, Evan; Snyder, Michael

2018-05-01

To present and evaluate a straightforward implementation of a marker-less, respiratory motion-tracking process utilizing Kinect v2 camera as a gating tool during 4DCT or during radiotherapy treatments. Utilizing the depth sensor on the Kinect as well as author written C# code, respiratory motion of a subject was tracked by recording depth values obtained at user selected points on the subject, with each point representing one pixel on the depth image. As a patient breathes, specific anatomical points on the chest/abdomen will move slightly within the depth image across pixels. By tracking how depth values change for a specific pixel, instead of how the anatomical point moves throughout the image, a respiratory trace can be obtained based on changing depth values of the selected pixel. Tracking these values was implemented via marker-less setup. Varian's RPM system and the Anzai belt system were used in tandem with the Kinect to compare respiratory traces obtained by each using two different subjects. Analysis of the depth information from the Kinect for purposes of phase- and amplitude-based binning correlated well with the RPM and Anzai systems. Interquartile Range (IQR) values were obtained comparing times correlated with specific amplitude and phase percentages against each product. The IQR time spans indicated the Kinect would measure specific percentage values within 0.077 s for Subject 1 and 0.164 s for Subject 2 when compared to values obtained with RPM or Anzai. For 4DCT scans, these times correlate to less than 1 mm of couch movement and would create an offset of 1/2 an acquired slice. By tracking depth values of user selected pixels within the depth image, rather than tracking specific anatomical locations, respiratory motion can be tracked and visualized utilizing the Kinect with results comparable to that of the Varian RPM and Anzai belt. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of

Four-dimensional treatment planning and fluoroscopic real-time tumor tracking radiotherapy for moving tumor

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirato, Hiroki; Shimizu, Shinichi; Kitamura, Kei; Nishioka, Takeshi; Kagei, Kenji; Hashimoto, Seiko; Aoyama, Hidefumi; Kunieda, Tatsuya; Shinohara, Nobuo; Dosaka-Akita, Hirotoshi; Miyasaka, Kazuo

2000-01-01

Purpose: To achieve precise three-dimensional (3D) conformal radiotherapy for mobile tumors, a new radiotherapy system and its treatment planning system were developed and used for clinical practice. Methods and Materials: We developed a linear accelerator synchronized with a fluoroscopic real-time tumor tracking system by which 3D coordinates of a 2.0-mm gold marker in the tumor can be determined every 0.03 second. The 3D relationships between the marker and the tumor at different respiratory phases are evaluated using CT image at each respiratory phase, whereby the optimum phase can be selected to synchronize with irradiation (4D treatment planning). The linac is triggered to irradiate the tumor only when the marker is located within the region of the planned coordinates relative to the isocenter. Results: The coordinates of the marker were detected with an accuracy of ± 1 mm during radiotherapy in the phantom experiment. The time delay between recognition of the marker position and the start or stop of megavoltage X-ray irradiation was 0.03 second. Fourteen patients with various tumors were treated by conformal radiotherapy with a 'tight' planning target volume (PTV) margin. They were surviving without relapse or complications with a median follow-up of 6 months. Conclusion: Fluoroscopic real-time tumor tracking radiotherapy following 4D treatment planning was developed and shown to be feasible to improve the accuracy of the radiotherapy for mobile tumors

Reassignment of Drosophila willistoni Genome Scaffolds to Chromosome II Arms.

Science.gov (United States)

Garcia, Carolina; Delprat, Alejandra; Ruiz, Alfredo; Valente, Vera L S

2015-10-04

Drosophila willistoni is a geographically widespread Neotropical species. The genome of strain Gd-H4-1 from Guadeloupe Island (Caribbean) was sequenced in 2007 as part of the 12 Drosophila Genomes Project. The assembled scaffolds were joined based on conserved linkage and assigned to polytene chromosomes based on a handful of genetic and physical markers. This paucity of markers was particularly striking in the metacentric chromosome II, comprised two similarly sized arms, IIL and IIR, traditionally considered homologous to Muller elements C and B, respectively. In this paper we present the cytological mapping of 22 new gene markers to increase the number of markers mapped by in situ hybridization and to test the assignment of scaffolds to the polytene chromosome II arms. For this purpose, we generated, by polymerase chain reaction amplification, one or two gene probes from each scaffold assigned to the chromosome II arms and mapped these probes to the Gd-H4-1 strain's polytene chromosomes by nonfluorescent in situ hybridization. Our findings show that chromosome arms IIL and IIR correspond to Muller elements B and C, respectively, directly contrasting the current homology assignments in D. willistoni and constituting a major reassignment of the scaffolds to chromosome II arms. Copyright © 2015 Garcia et al.

Three-dimensional, automated, real-time video system for tracking limb motion in brain-machine interface studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Peikon, Ian D; Fitzsimmons, Nathan A; Lebedev, Mikhail A; Nicolelis, Miguel A L

2009-06-15

Collection and analysis of limb kinematic data are essential components of the study of biological motion, including research into biomechanics, kinesiology, neurophysiology and brain-machine interfaces (BMIs). In particular, BMI research requires advanced, real-time systems capable of sampling limb kinematics with minimal contact to the subject's body. To answer this demand, we have developed an automated video tracking system for real-time tracking of multiple body parts in freely behaving primates. The system employs high-contrast markers painted on the animal's joints to continuously track the three-dimensional positions of their limbs during activity. Two-dimensional coordinates captured by each video camera are combined and converted to three-dimensional coordinates using a quadratic fitting algorithm. Real-time operation of the system is accomplished using direct memory access (DMA). The system tracks the markers at a rate of 52 frames per second (fps) in real-time and up to 100fps if video recordings are captured to be later analyzed off-line. The system has been tested in several BMI primate experiments, in which limb position was sampled simultaneously with chronic recordings of the extracellular activity of hundreds of cortical cells. During these recordings, multiple computational models were employed to extract a series of kinematic parameters from neuronal ensemble activity in real-time. The system operated reliably under these experimental conditions and was able to compensate for marker occlusions that occurred during natural movements. We propose that this system could also be extended to applications that include other classes of biological motion.

Localization of Usher syndrome type II to chromosome 1q.

Science.gov (United States)

Kimberling, W J; Weston, M D; Möller, C; Davenport, S L; Shugart, Y Y; Priluck, I A; Martini, A; Milani, M; Smith, R J

1990-06-01

Usher syndrome is characterized by congenital hearing loss, progressive visual impairment due to retinitis pigmentosa, and variable vestibular problems. The two subtypes of Usher syndrome, types I and II, can be distinguished by the degree of hearing loss and by the presence or absence of vestibular dysfunction. Type I is characterized by a profound hearing loss and totally absent vestibular responses, while type II has a milder hearing loss and normal vestibular function. Fifty-five members of eight type II Usher syndrome families were typed for three DNA markers in the distal region of chromosome 1q: D1S65 (pEKH7.4), REN (pHRnES1.9), and D1S81 (pTHH33). Statistically significant linkage was observed for Usher syndrome type II with a maximum multipoint lod score of 6.37 at the position of the marker THH33, thus localizing the Usher type II (USH2) gene to 1q. Nine families with type I Usher syndrome failed to show linkage to the same three markers. The statistical test for heterogeneity of linkage between Usher syndrome types I and II was highly significant, thus demonstrating that they are due to mutations at different genetic loci.

TH-AB-202-11: Spatial and Rotational Quality Assurance of 6DOF Patient Tracking Systems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Belcher, AH; Liu, X; Grelewicz, Z; Wiersma, R [The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: External tracking systems used for patient positioning and motion monitoring during radiotherapy are now capable of detecting both translations and rotations (6DOF). In this work, we develop a novel technique to evaluate the 6DOF performance of external motion tracking systems. We apply this methodology to an infrared (IR) marker tracking system and two 3D optical surface mapping systems in a common tumor 6DOF workspace. Methods: An in-house designed and built 6DOF parallel kinematics robotic motion phantom was used to follow input trajectories with sub-millimeter and sub-degree accuracy. The 6DOF positions of the robotic system were then tracked and recorded independently by three optical camera systems. A calibration methodology which associates the motion phantom and camera coordinate frames was first employed, followed by a comprehensive 6DOF trajectory evaluation, which spanned a full range of positions and orientations in a 20×20×16 mm and 5×5×5 degree workspace. The intended input motions were compared to the calibrated 6DOF measured points. Results: The technique found the accuracy of the IR marker tracking system to have maximal root mean square error (RMSE) values of 0.25 mm translationally and 0.09 degrees rotationally, in any one axis, comparing intended 6DOF positions to positions measured by the IR camera. The 6DOF RSME discrepancy for the first 3D optical surface tracking unit yielded maximal values of 0.60 mm and 0.11 degrees over the same 6DOF volume. An earlier generation 3D optical surface tracker was observed to have worse tracking capabilities than both the IR camera unit and the newer 3D surface tracking system with maximal RMSE of 0.74 mm and 0.28 degrees within the same 6DOF evaluation space. Conclusion: The proposed technique was effective at evaluating the performance of 6DOF patient tracking systems. All systems examined exhibited tracking capabilities at the sub-millimeter and sub-degree level within a 6DOF workspace.

Swamp plots for dynamic aperture studies of PEP-II lattices

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yan, Y.T.; Irwin, J.; Cai, Y.; Chen, T.; Ritson, D.

1995-01-01

With a newly developed algorithm using resonance basis Lie generators and their evaluation with action-angle Poisson bracket maps (nPB tracking) the authors have been able to perform fast tracking for dynamic aperture studies of PEP-II lattices as well as incorporate lattice nonlinearities in beam-beam studies. They have been able to better understand the relationship between dynamic apertures and the tune shift and resonance coefficients in the generators of the one-turn maps. To obtain swamp plots (dynamic aperture vs. working point) of the PEP-II lattices, they first compute a one-turn resonance basis map for a nominal working point and then perform nPB tracking by switching the working point while holding fixed all other terms in the map. Results have been spot-checked by comparing with element-by-element tracking

Development and evaluation of tracking method for augmented reality system for nuclear power plant maintenance support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Hirotake; Bian, Zhiqiang; Sekiyama, Tomoki; Shimoda, Hiroshi; Yoshikawa, Hidekazu; Izumi, Masanori; Kanehira, Yoshiki; Morishita, Yoshitsugu

2007-01-01

This study aims at developing an augmented reality system to support maintenance work of nuclear power plants. An accurate and wide-range tracking method is required as a key technology in order to realize the system. In this study, a new tracking method using multi-camera and gyro sensor has been developed in order to enlarge the area where the tracking is available with limited number of markers. Experimental evaluation result shows that the area where the developed method can cover is about 3 times larger than the method using only single camera. (author)

Development and evaluation of tracking method for augmented reality system for nuclear power plant maintenance support

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishii, Hirotake; Bian, Zhiqiang; Sekiyama, Tomoki; Shimoda, Hiroshi; Yoshikawa, Hidekazu; Izumi, Masanori; Kanehira, Yoshiki; Morishita, Yoshitsugu

2006-01-01

This study aims at developing an augmented reality system to support maintenance work of nuclear power plants. An accurate and wide-range tracking method is required as a key technology in order to realize the system. In this study, a new tracking method using multi-camera and gyro sensor has been developed in order to enlarge the area where the tracking is available with limited number of markers. Experimental evaluation result shows that the area where the developed method can cover is about 3 times larger than the method using single camera. (author)

The association of academic tracking to depressive symptoms among adolescents in three Caribbean countries

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Clarke Nelson

2010-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Students who are tracked into low performing schools or classrooms that limit their life chances may report increased depressive symptoms. Limited research has been conducted on academic tracking and its association with depressive symptoms among high school students in the Caribbean. This project examines levels of depressive symptoms among tenth grade students tracked within and between high schools in Jamaica, St. Vincent and St. Kitts and Nevis. Methods Students enrolled in grade ten of the 2006/2007 academic year in Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent were administered the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II. In Jamaica and St. Vincent, academic tracking was operationalized using data provided by the local Ministries of Education. These Ministries ranked ordered schools according to students' performance on Caribbean school leaving examinations. In St. Kitts and Nevis tracking was operationalized by classroom assignments within schools whereby students were grouped into classrooms according to their levels of academic achievement. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the relationships between academic tracking and BDI-II depression scores. Results A wide cross-section of 4th form students in each nation was sampled (n = 1738; 278 from Jamaica, 737 St. Kitts and Nevis, 716 from St. Vincent; 52% females, 46.2% males and 1.8% no gender reported; age 12 to 19 years, mean = 15.4 yrs, sd = .9 yr. Roughly half (53% of the students reported some symptoms of depression with 19.2% reporting moderate and 10.7% reporting severe symptoms of depression. Students in Jamaica reported significantly higher depression scores than those in either St. Kitts and Nevis or St. Vincent (p Conclusions There appears to be an association between academic tracking and depressive symptoms that is differentially manifested across the islands of Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis and St. Vincent.

Biocuration workflows and text mining: overview of the BioCreative 2012 Workshop Track II.

Science.gov (United States)

Lu, Zhiyong; Hirschman, Lynette

2012-01-01

Manual curation of data from the biomedical literature is a rate-limiting factor for many expert curated databases. Despite the continuing advances in biomedical text mining and the pressing needs of biocurators for better tools, few existing text-mining tools have been successfully integrated into production literature curation systems such as those used by the expert curated databases. To close this gap and better understand all aspects of literature curation, we invited submissions of written descriptions of curation workflows from expert curated databases for the BioCreative 2012 Workshop Track II. We received seven qualified contributions, primarily from model organism databases. Based on these descriptions, we identified commonalities and differences across the workflows, the common ontologies and controlled vocabularies used and the current and desired uses of text mining for biocuration. Compared to a survey done in 2009, our 2012 results show that many more databases are now using text mining in parts of their curation workflows. In addition, the workshop participants identified text-mining aids for finding gene names and symbols (gene indexing), prioritization of documents for curation (document triage) and ontology concept assignment as those most desired by the biocurators. DATABASE URL: http://www.biocreative.org/tasks/bc-workshop-2012/workflow/.

Bone turnover markers and bone scintigraphy in the evaluation of skeletal metastases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chrapko, B.; Nocun, A.; Golebiewska, R.; Jankowska, H.; Zaorska-Rajca, J.

2005-01-01

The aim of this study was evaluation of the clinical usefulness of bone scintigraphy and of serum bone turnover marker levels in the assessment of skeletal metastases. We investigated 60 patients with suspected skeletal metastases. Serum level of bone-formation marker: amino- terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (PINP) and a bone-degradation marker: carboxy-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (ICTP) were assessed with radioimmunoassays. Bone MDP- 99m- Tc scans were performed as well. Hot spots were showed in 72% of patients. According to bone scintigraphy the patients were divided in to 3 groups: Group I - without hot spots (n = 16; 26%), Group II up to 10 hot spots (n = 25; 42%) and Group III more that 10 hot spots (n = 19; 32%). Mean serum level of ICTP was significantly higher in Group II than in Group I (p < 0.05), as well as in Group III compared to Group II (p < 0.001) and in Group III compared to Group I (p < 0.001). There is only one significant relationship in PINP levels - between Groups II and III. The levels of bone pathological degradation (ICTP) and bone formation reflect the metastatic disease extent in bone. Serum ICTP level is more useful in staging metastasis. Significantly higher PINP reflects only a much disseminated process. (author)

Photostable bipolar fluorescent probe for video tracking plasma membranes related cellular processes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Xinfu; Wang, Chao; Jin, Liji; Han, Zhuo; Xiao, Yi

2014-08-13

Plasma membranes can sense the stimulations and transmit the signals from extracellular environment and then make further responses through changes in locations, shapes or morphologies. Common fluorescent membrane markers are not well suited for long time tracking due to their shorter retention time inside plasma membranes and/or their lower photostability. To this end, we develop a new bipolar marker, Mem-SQAC, which can stably insert into plasma membranes of different cells and exhibits a long retention time over 30 min. Mem-SQAC also inherits excellent photostability from the BODIPY dye family. Large two-photon absorption cross sections and long wavelength fluorescence emissions further enhance the competitiveness of Mem-SQAC as a membrane marker. By using Mem-SQAC, significant morphological changes of plasma membranes have been monitored during heavy metal poisoning and drug induced apoptosis of MCF-7 cells; the change tendencies are so distinctly different from each other that they can be used as indicators to distinguish different cell injuries. Further on, the complete processes of endocytosis toward Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli by RAW 264.7 cells have been dynamically tracked. It is discovered that plasma membranes take quite different actions in response to the two bacteria, information unavailable in previous research reports.

Guitarist Fingertip Tracking by Integrating a Bayesian Classifier into Particle Filters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chutisant Kerdvibulvech

2008-01-01

Full Text Available We propose a vision-based method for tracking guitar fingerings made by guitar players. We present it as a new framework for tracking colored finger markers by integrating a Bayesian classifier into particle filters. This adds the useful abilities of automatic track initialization and recovery from tracking failures in a dynamic background. Furthermore, by using the online adaptation of color probabilities, this method is able to cope with illumination changes. Augmented Reality Tag (ARTag is then utilized to calculate the projection matrix as an online process which allows the guitar to be moved while being played. Representative experimental results are also included. The method presented can be used to develop the application of human-computer interaction (HCI to guitar playing by recognizing the chord being played by a guitarist in virtual spaces. The aforementioned application would assist guitar learners by allowing them to automatically identify if they are using the correct chords required by the musical piece.

External radioactive markers for PET data-driven respiratory gating in positron emission tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Büther, Florian; Ernst, Iris; Hamill, James; Eich, Hans T; Schober, Otmar; Schäfers, Michael; Schäfers, Klaus P

2013-04-01

Respiratory gating is an established approach to overcoming respiration-induced image artefacts in PET. Of special interest in this respect are raw PET data-driven gating methods which do not require additional hardware to acquire respiratory signals during the scan. However, these methods rely heavily on the quality of the acquired PET data (statistical properties, data contrast, etc.). We therefore combined external radioactive markers with data-driven respiratory gating in PET/CT. The feasibility and accuracy of this approach was studied for [(18)F]FDG PET/CT imaging in patients with malignant liver and lung lesions. PET data from 30 patients with abdominal or thoracic [(18)F]FDG-positive lesions (primary tumours or metastases) were included in this prospective study. The patients underwent a 10-min list-mode PET scan with a single bed position following a standard clinical whole-body [(18)F]FDG PET/CT scan. During this scan, one to three radioactive point sources (either (22)Na or (18)F, 50-100 kBq) in a dedicated holder were attached the patient's abdomen. The list mode data acquired were retrospectively analysed for respiratory signals using established data-driven gating approaches and additionally by tracking the motion of the point sources in sinogram space. Gated reconstructions were examined qualitatively, in terms of the amount of respiratory displacement and in respect of changes in local image intensity in the gated images. The presence of the external markers did not affect whole-body PET/CT image quality. Tracking of the markers led to characteristic respiratory curves in all patients. Applying these curves for gated reconstructions resulted in images in which motion was well resolved. Quantitatively, the performance of the external marker-based approach was similar to that of the best intrinsic data-driven methods. Overall, the gain in measured tumour uptake from the nongated to the gated images indicating successful removal of respiratory motion

Long-term monitoring of molecular markers can distinguish different seasonal patterns of fecal indicating bacteria sources.

Science.gov (United States)

Riedel, Timothy E; Thulsiraj, Vanessa; Zimmer-Faust, Amity G; Dagit, Rosi; Krug, Jenna; Hanley, Kaitlyn T; Adamek, Krista; Ebentier, Darcy L; Torres, Robert; Cobian, Uriel; Peterson, Sophie; Jay, Jennifer A

2015-03-15

Elevated levels of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) have been observed at Topanga Beach, CA, USA. To identify the FIB sources, a microbial source tracking study using a dog-, a gull- and two human-associated molecular markers was conducted at 10 sites over 21 months. Historical data suggest that episodic discharge from the lagoon at the mouth of Topanga Creek is the main source of bacteria to the beach. A decline in creek FIB/markers downstream from upper watershed development and a sharp increase in FIB/markers at the lagoon sites suggest sources are local to the lagoon. At the lagoon and beach, human markers are detected sporadically, dog marker peaks in abundance mid-winter, and gull marker is chronically elevated. Varied seasonal patterns of FIB and source markers were identified showing the importance of applying a suite of markers over long-term spatial and temporal sampling to identify a complex combination of sources of contamination. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Etched track radiometers in radon measurements: a review

CERN Document Server

Nikolaev, V A

1999-01-01

Passive radon radiometers, based on alpha particle etched track detectors, are very attractive for the assessment of radon exposure. The present review considers various devices used for measurement of the volume activity of radon isotopes and their daughters and determination of equilibrium coefficients. Such devices can be classified into 8 groups: (i) open or 'bare' detectors, (ii) open chambers, (iii) sup 2 sup 2 sup 2 Rn chambers with an inlet filter, (iv) advanced sup 2 sup 2 sup 2 Rn radiometers, (v) multipurpose radiometers, (vi) radiometers based on a combination of etched track detectors and an electrostatic field, (vii) radiometers based on etched track detectors and activated charcoal and (viii) devices for the measurement of radon isotopes and/or radon daughters by means of track parameter measurements. Some of them such as the open detector and the chamber with an inlet filter have a variety of modifications and are applied widely both in geophysical research and radon dosimetric surveys. At the...

Robust and Accurate Algorithm for Wearable Stereoscopic Augmented Reality with Three Indistinguishable Markers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Fabrizio Cutolo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available In the context of surgical navigation systems based on augmented reality (AR, the key challenge is to ensure the highest degree of realism in merging computer-generated elements with live views of the surgical scene. This paper presents an algorithm suited for wearable stereoscopic augmented reality video see-through systems for use in a clinical scenario. A video-based tracking solution is proposed that relies on stereo localization of three monochromatic markers rigidly constrained to the scene. A PnP-based optimization step is introduced to refine separately the pose of the two cameras. Video-based tracking methods using monochromatic markers are robust to non-controllable and/or inconsistent lighting conditions. The two-stage camera pose estimation algorithm provides sub-pixel registration accuracy. From a technological and an ergonomic standpoint, the proposed approach represents an effective solution to the implementation of wearable AR-based surgical navigation systems wherever rigid anatomies are involved.

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) use markers to monitor the movement of a hidden item.

Science.gov (United States)

Beran, Michael J; Beran, Mary M; Menzel, Charles R

2005-10-01

Four chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) monitored the movement of hidden items in arrays of opaque cups. A chocolate candy was hidden in an array of four cups and temporarily presented paper markers indicated the location of the candy (which otherwise was not visible). These markers were either non-symbolic or symbolic (lexigram) stimuli that in other contexts acted as a label for the hidden candy, and the array was either rotated 180 degrees after the marker was removed or the array remained in the same location. For three of four chimpanzees, performance was better than chance in all conditions and there was no effect of the type of marker. These experiments indicate that chimpanzees can track the movement of a hidden item in an array of identical cups even when they never see the item itself, but only see a temporarily presented marker for the location of that item. However, there was no benefit to the use of symbolic as opposed to non-symbolic stimuli in this performance.

Attentional biases toward emotional images in the different episodes of bipolar disorder: an eye-tracking study.

Science.gov (United States)

García-Blanco, Ana; Salmerón, Ladislao; Perea, Manuel; Livianos, Lorenzo

2014-03-30

Attentional biases toward emotional information may represent vulnerability and maintenance factors in bipolar disorder (BD). The present experimental study examined the processing of emotional information in BD patients using the eye-tracking technology. Bipolar patients in their different states (euthymia, mania, depression) simultaneously viewed four pictures with different emotional valence (happy, neutral, sad, threatening) for 20s while their eye movements were monitored. A group of healthy individuals served as the control. The data revealed the following: (i) a decrease in attention to happy images in BD patients in their depressive episodes compared to healthy individuals, and (ii) an increase in attention to threatening images in BD patients (regardless of their episode) relative to the healthy controls. These biases appeared in the late stages of information processing and were sustained over the 20s interval. Thus, the present findings reveal that attentional biases toward emotional information can be a key feature of BD, in that: (i) an anhedonic lack of sensitivity to positive stimuli during the bipolar depressive episode may be considered a maintaining factor of this clinical state, and (ii) the trait-bias toward threat, even in asymptomatic patients, may reflect a marker of vulnerability in BD. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development of a Level-1 Track and Vertex Finder for the Phase II CMS experiment upgrade

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00414391; Shepherd-Themistocleous, Claire

The High Luminosity (HL-LHC) upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider will operate at an increased instantaneous luminosity, up to seven times the design value, in order to collect an integrated luminosity of $3,000$\\,fb$^{-1}$ in the decade following 2025. Proton bunches at the HL-LHC will cross every $25$\\,ns, producing an average of 140-200 pile-up proton-proton collisions per crossing. A new tracking detector is under development for use by the CMS experiment at the HL-LHC. A crucial requirement of this upgrade is to provide the ability to reconstruct charged particle tracks with transverse momentum above $2$--$3$\\,GeV within $4\\,\\upmu$s to be used in the Level-1 (L1) trigger decision. This thesis presents one of the main proposals for the final L1 Track Finding system, which exploits a fully time-multiplexed architecture based on high-speed FPGA electronics. The developed track finding algorithm makes use of the Hough Transform technique to identify track candidates, followed by a track fitting stage. Sever...

Development of Intelligent Fuzzy Controller for a Two-Axis Solar Tracking System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Cong-Hui Huang

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This paper proposes the development of a two-axis sun tracking solar energy system using fuzzy logic as intelligent quality policy. To achieve maximum efficiency for solar panels, it is necessary to follow the sun’s path in the sky. Therefore, the architecture for the two-axis sun tracking solar energy system uses software to control the hardware. The hardware comprises (i solar cells; (ii lead-acid batteries; (iii a gear box; (iv a stepping motor; and (v a light detection circuit, while the software comprises (i a detection system; (ii a fuzzy tracking controller; and (iii a database system. A fuzzy logic controller is designed as the software architecture of the system to decide the timing for tracking the sun. The nearest position that results in receiving direct sunlight is obtained from the database. Our system is fully automatic in a changing environment and takes into account meteorological changes and the effects of the external environment arising from a malfunction. This approach reduces the number of starting motors and results in smaller energy loss in cloudy, cloud mask, or unstable weather conditions.

Development of microsatellite markers in Gonystylus bancanus (Ramin) useful for tracing and tracking of wood of this protected species

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Smulders, M.J.M.; Westende, van 't W.P.C.; Diway, B.; Esselink, G.D.; Meer, van der P.J.; Koopman, W.J.M.

2008-01-01

Ten polymorphic microsatellite markers have been developed for Gonystylus bancanus (Ramin), a protected tree species of peat swamp forests in Malaysia and Indonesia. Eight markers were also shown to be polymorphic in other Gonystylus species. The markers will enable assessing the amount of genetic

Fragrance mix II in the baseline series contributes significantly to detection of fragrance allergy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heisterberg, Maria V; Andersen, Klaus E; Avnstorp, Christian

2010-01-01

Fragrance mix II (FM II) is a relatively new screening marker for fragrance contact allergy. It was introduced in the patch test baseline series in Denmark in 2005 and contains six different fragrance chemicals commonly present in cosmetic products and which are known allergens.......Fragrance mix II (FM II) is a relatively new screening marker for fragrance contact allergy. It was introduced in the patch test baseline series in Denmark in 2005 and contains six different fragrance chemicals commonly present in cosmetic products and which are known allergens....

Automatic respiration tracking for radiotherapy using optical 3D camera

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Tuotuo; Geng, Jason; Li, Shidong

2013-03-01

Rapid optical three-dimensional (O3D) imaging systems provide accurate digitized 3D surface data in real-time, with no patient contact nor radiation. The accurate 3D surface images offer crucial information in image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) treatments for accurate patient repositioning and respiration management. However, applications of O3D imaging techniques to image-guided radiotherapy have been clinically challenged by body deformation, pathological and anatomical variations among individual patients, extremely high dimensionality of the 3D surface data, and irregular respiration motion. In existing clinical radiation therapy (RT) procedures target displacements are caused by (1) inter-fractional anatomy changes due to weight, swell, food/water intake; (2) intra-fractional variations from anatomy changes within any treatment session due to voluntary/involuntary physiologic processes (e.g. respiration, muscle relaxation); (3) patient setup misalignment in daily reposition due to user errors; and (4) changes of marker or positioning device, etc. Presently, viable solution is lacking for in-vivo tracking of target motion and anatomy changes during the beam-on time without exposing patient with additional ionized radiation or high magnet field. Current O3D-guided radiotherapy systems relay on selected points or areas in the 3D surface to track surface motion. The configuration of the marks or areas may change with time that makes it inconsistent in quantifying and interpreting the respiration patterns. To meet the challenge of performing real-time respiration tracking using O3D imaging technology in IGRT, we propose a new approach to automatic respiration motion analysis based on linear dimensionality reduction technique based on PCA (principle component analysis). Optical 3D image sequence is decomposed with principle component analysis into a limited number of independent (orthogonal) motion patterns (a low dimension eigen-space span by eigen-vectors). New

Novel methods in track-based alignment to correct for time-dependent distortions of the ATLAS Inner Detector

CERN Document Server

Estrada Pastor, Oscar; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

ATLAS is a multipurpose experiment at the LHC proton-proton collider. Its physics goals require high resolution and unbiased measurement of all charged particle kinematic parameters. These critically depend on the layout and performance of the tracking system and the quality of its alignment. For the LHC Run II, the system has been upgraded with the installation of a new pixel layer, the Insertable B-layer (IBL). The offline track alignment of the ATLAS tracking system has to deal with about 700,000 degrees of freedom (DoF) defining its geometrical parameters, representing a considerable numerical challenge in terms of both CPU time and precision. An outline of the track based alignment approach and its implementation within the ATLAS software is presented. Special attention is paid to describe the techniques allowing to pinpoint and eliminate track parameters biases. During Run-II, ATLAS Inner Detector Alignment framework has been adapted and upgraded to correct very short time scale movements of the sub-det...

Novel methods in track-based alignment to correct for time-dependent distortions of the ATLAS Inner Detector

CERN Document Server

Estrada Pastor, Oscar; The ATLAS collaboration

2017-01-01

ATLAS is a multipurpose experiment at the LHC proton-proton collider. Its physics goals require high resolution, unbiased measurement of all charged particle kinematic parameters. These critically depend on the layout and performance of the tracking system and the quality of its offline alignment. For the LHC Run II, the system has been upgraded with the installation of a new pixel layer, the Insertable B-layer (IBL). Offline track alignment of the ATLAS tracking system has to deal with about 700,000 degrees of freedom (DoF) defining its geometrical parameters, representing a considerable numerical challenge in terms of both CPU time and precision. An outline of the track based alignment approach and its implementation within the ATLAS software will be presented. Special attention will be paid to describe the techniques allowing to pinpoint and eliminate track parameters biases due to alignment. During Run-II, ATLAS Inner Detector Alignment framework has been adapted and upgraded to correct very short time sc...

Optical Tracking Technology in Stereotactic Radiation Therapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wagner, Thomas H.; Meeks, Sanford L.; Bova, Frank J.; Friedman, William A.; Willoughby, Twyla R.; Kupelian, Patrick A.; Tome, Wolfgang

2007-01-01

The last decade has seen the introduction of advanced technologies that have enabled much more precise application of therapeutic radiation. These relatively new technologies include multileaf collimators, 3-dimensional conformal radiotherapy planning, and intensity modulated radiotherapy in radiotherapy. Therapeutic dose distributions have become more conformal to volumes of disease, sometimes utilizing sharp dose gradients to deliver high doses to target volumes while sparing nearby radiosensitive structures. Thus, accurate patient positioning has become even more important, so that the treatment delivered to the patient matches the virtual treatment plan in the computer treatment planning system. Optical and image-guided radiation therapy systems offer the potential to improve the precision of patient treatment by providing a more robust fiducial system than is typically used in conventional radiotherapy. The ability to accurately position internal targets relative to the linac isocenter and to provide real-time patient tracking theoretically enables significant reductions in the amount of normal tissue irradiated. This report reviews the concepts, technology, and clinical applications of optical tracking systems currently in use for stereotactic radiation therapy. Applications of radiotherapy optical tracking technology to respiratory gating and the monitoring of implanted fiducial markers are also discussed

Canine scent detection and microbial source tracking of human waste contamination in storm drains.

Science.gov (United States)

Van De Werfhorst, Laurie C; Murray, Jill L S; Reynolds, Scott; Reynolds, Karen; Holden, Patricia A

2014-06-01

Human fecal contamination of surface waters and drains is difficult to diagnose. DNA-based and chemical analyses of water samples can be used to specifically quantify human waste contamination, but their expense precludes routine use. We evaluated canine scent tracking, using two dogs trained to respond to the scent of municipal wastewater, as a field approach for surveying human fecal contamination. Fecal indicator bacteria, as well as DNA-based and chemical markers of human waste, were analyzed in waters sampled from canine scent-evaluated sites (urban storm drains and creeks). In the field, the dogs responded positively (70% and 100%) at sites for which sampled waters were then confirmed as contaminated with human waste. When both dogs indicated a negative response, human waste markers were absent. Overall, canine scent tracking appears useful for prioritizing sampling sites for which DNA-based and similarly expensive assays can confirm and quantify human waste contamination.

Cartilage Turnover Reflected by Metabolic Processing of Type II Collagen: A Novel Marker of Anabolic Function in Chondrocytes

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Natasja Stæhr Gudmann

2014-10-01

Full Text Available The aim of this study was to enable measurement of cartilage formation by a novel biomarker of type II collagen formation. The competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA Pro-C2 was developed and characterized for assessment of the beta splice variant of type II procollagen (PIIBNP. This is expected to originate primarily from remodeling of hyaline cartilage. A mouse monoclonal antibody (Mab was raised in mouse, targeting specifically PIIBNP (QDVRQPG and used in development of the assay. The specificity, sensitivity, 4-parameter fit and stability of the assay were tested. Levels of PIIBNP were quantified in human serum (0.6–2.2 nM, human amniotic fluid (163–188 nM and sera from different animal species, e.g., fetal bovine serum (851–901 nM with general good linearity (100% (SD 7.6 recovery and good intra- and inter-assay variation (CV% < 10. Dose (0.1 to 100 ng/mL and time (7, 14 and 21 days dependent release of PIIBNP were evaluated in the conditioned medium from bovine cartilage explants (BEX and human cartilage explants (HEX upon stimulation with insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1, transforming growth factor (TGF-β1 and fibroblastic growth factor-2 (FGF-2. TGF-β1 and IGF-1 in concentrations of 10–100 ng/mL significantly (p < 0.05 induced release of PIIBNP in BEX compared to conditions without treatment (WO. In HEX, IGF-1 100 ng/mL was able to induce a significant increase of PIIBNP after one week compared to WO. FGF-2 did not induce a PIIBNP release in our models. To our knowledge this is the first assay, which is able to specifically evaluate PIIBNP excretion. The Pro-C2 assay seems to provide a promising and novel marker of type II collagen formation.

Optimal Geometrical Set for Automated Marker Placement to Virtualized Real-Time Facial Emotions.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vasanthan Maruthapillai

Full Text Available In recent years, real-time face recognition has been a major topic of interest in developing intelligent human-machine interaction systems. Over the past several decades, researchers have proposed different algorithms for facial expression recognition, but there has been little focus on detection in real-time scenarios. The present work proposes a new algorithmic method of automated marker placement used to classify six facial expressions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. Emotional facial expressions were captured using a webcam, while the proposed algorithm placed a set of eight virtual markers on each subject's face. Facial feature extraction methods, including marker distance (distance between each marker to the center of the face and change in marker distance (change in distance between the original and new marker positions, were used to extract three statistical features (mean, variance, and root mean square from the real-time video sequence. The initial position of each marker was subjected to the optical flow algorithm for marker tracking with each emotional facial expression. Finally, the extracted statistical features were mapped into corresponding emotional facial expressions using two simple non-linear classifiers, K-nearest neighbor and probabilistic neural network. The results indicate that the proposed automated marker placement algorithm effectively placed eight virtual markers on each subject's face and gave a maximum mean emotion classification rate of 96.94% using the probabilistic neural network.

Optimal Geometrical Set for Automated Marker Placement to Virtualized Real-Time Facial Emotions.

Science.gov (United States)

Maruthapillai, Vasanthan; Murugappan, Murugappan

2016-01-01

In recent years, real-time face recognition has been a major topic of interest in developing intelligent human-machine interaction systems. Over the past several decades, researchers have proposed different algorithms for facial expression recognition, but there has been little focus on detection in real-time scenarios. The present work proposes a new algorithmic method of automated marker placement used to classify six facial expressions: happiness, sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and surprise. Emotional facial expressions were captured using a webcam, while the proposed algorithm placed a set of eight virtual markers on each subject's face. Facial feature extraction methods, including marker distance (distance between each marker to the center of the face) and change in marker distance (change in distance between the original and new marker positions), were used to extract three statistical features (mean, variance, and root mean square) from the real-time video sequence. The initial position of each marker was subjected to the optical flow algorithm for marker tracking with each emotional facial expression. Finally, the extracted statistical features were mapped into corresponding emotional facial expressions using two simple non-linear classifiers, K-nearest neighbor and probabilistic neural network. The results indicate that the proposed automated marker placement algorithm effectively placed eight virtual markers on each subject's face and gave a maximum mean emotion classification rate of 96.94% using the probabilistic neural network.

An adaptive approach to human motion tracking from video

Science.gov (United States)

Wu, Lifang; Chen, Chang Wen

2010-07-01

Vision based human motion tracking has drawn considerable interests recently because of its extensive applications. In this paper, we propose an approach to tracking the body motion of human balancing on each foot. The ability to balance properly is an important indication of neurological condition. Comparing with many other human motion tracking, there is much less occlusion in human balancing tracking. This less constrained problem allows us to combine a 2D model of human body with image analysis techniques to develop an efficient motion tracking algorithm. First we define a hierarchical 2D model consisting of six components including head, body and four limbs. Each of the four limbs involves primary component (upper arms and legs) and secondary component (lower arms and legs) respectively. In this model, we assume each of the components can be represented by quadrangles and every component is connected to one of others by a joint. By making use of inherent correlation between different components, we design a top-down updating framework and an adaptive algorithm with constraints of foreground regions for robust and efficient tracking. The approach has been tested using the balancing movement in HumanEva-I/II dataset. The average tracking time is under one second, which is much shorter than most of current schemes.

Fast and slow myosins as markers of muscle injury.

Science.gov (United States)

Guerrero, M; Guiu-Comadevall, M; Cadefau, J A; Parra, J; Balius, R; Estruch, A; Rodas, G; Bedini, J L; Cussó, R

2008-07-01

The diagnosis of muscular lesions suffered by athletes is usually made by clinical criteria combined with imaging of the lesion (ultrasonography and/or magnetic resonance) and blood tests to detect the presence of non-specific muscle markers. This study was undertaken to evaluate injury to fast and slow-twitch fibres using specific muscle markers for these fibres. Blood samples were obtained from 51 non-sports people and 38 sportsmen with skeletal muscle injury. Western blood analysis was performed to determine fast and slow myosin and creatine kinase (CK) levels. Skeletal muscle damage was diagnosed by physical examination, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance and biochemical markers. The imaging tests were found to be excellent for detecting and confirming grade II and III lesions. However, grade I lesions were often unconfirmed by these techniques. Grade I lesions have higher levels of fast myosin than slow myosin with a very small increase in CK levels. Grade II and III lesions have high values of both fast and slow myosin. The evaluation of fast and slow myosin in the blood 48 h after the lesion occurs is a useful aid for the detection of type I lesions in particular, since fast myosin is an exclusive skeletal muscle marker. The correct diagnosis of grade I lesions can prevent progression of the injury in athletes undergoing continual training sessions and competitions, thus aiding sports physicians in their decision making.

CMS reconstruction improvements for the tracking in large pileup events

CERN Document Server

Rovere, M

2015-01-01

The CMS tracking code is organized in several levels, known as iterative steps, each optimized to reconstruct a class of particle trajectories, as the ones of particles originating from the primary vertex or displaced tracks from particles resulting from secondary vertices. Each iterative step consists of seeding, pattern recognition and fitting by a kalman filter, and a final filtering and cleaning. Each subsequent step works on hits not yet associated to a reconstructed particle trajectory.The CMS tracking code is continuously evolving to make the reconstruction computing load compatible with the increasing instantaneous luminosity of LHC, resulting in a large number of primary vertices and tracks per bunch crossing.The major upgrade put in place during the present LHC Long Shutdown will allow the tracking code to comply with the conditions expected during RunII and the much larger pileup. In particular, new algorithms that are intrinsically more robust in high occupancy conditions were developed, iteration...

Linear feature detection algorithm for astronomical surveys - II. Defocusing effects on meteor tracks

Science.gov (United States)

Bektešević, Dino; Vinković, Dejan; Rasmussen, Andrew; Ivezić, Željko

2018-03-01

Given the current limited knowledge of meteor plasma micro-physics and its interaction with the surrounding atmosphere and ionosphere, meteors are a highly interesting observational target for high-resolution wide-field astronomical surveys. Such surveys are capable of resolving the physical size of meteor plasma heads, but they produce large volumes of images that need to be automatically inspected for possible existence of long linear features produced by meteors. Here, we show how big aperture sky survey telescopes detect meteors as defocused tracks with a central brightness depression. We derive an analytic expression for a defocused point source meteor track and use it to calculate brightness profiles of meteors modelled as uniform brightness discs. We apply our modelling to meteor images as seen by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and Large Synoptic Survey Telescope telescopes. The expression is validated by Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulations of photons travelling through the atmosphere and the Large Synoptic Survey Telescope telescope optics. We show that estimates of the meteor distance and size can be extracted from the measured full width at half-maximum and the strength of the central dip in the observed brightness profile. However, this extraction becomes difficult when the defocused meteor track is distorted by the atmospheric seeing or contaminated by a long-lasting glowing meteor trail. The full width at half-maximum of satellite tracks is distinctly narrower than meteor values, which enables removal of a possible confusion between satellites and meteors.

Behavior Tracking Software Enhancement and Integration of a Feedback Module, Phase II

Data.gov (United States)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration — Horizon Performance designed a Behavior Tracking Software System to collect crew member behavior throughout a mission, giving NASA the capability to monitor...

New readout and data-acquisition system in an electron-tracking Compton camera for MeV gamma-ray astronomy (SMILE-II)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mizumoto, T., E-mail: mizumoto@cr.scphys.kyoto-u.ac.jp [Department of Physics, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Matsuoka, Y. [Department of Physics, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Mizumura, Y. [Unit of Synergetic Studies for Space, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Department of Physics, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Tanimori, T. [Department of Physics, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Unit of Synergetic Studies for Space, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Kubo, H.; Takada, A.; Iwaki, S.; Sawano, T.; Nakamura, K.; Komura, S.; Nakamura, S.; Kishimoto, T.; Oda, M.; Miyamoto, S.; Takemura, T.; Parker, J.D.; Tomono, D.; Sonoda, S. [Department of Physics, Kyoto University, 606-8502 Kyoto (Japan); Miuchi, K. [Department of Physics, Kobe University, 658-8501 Kobe (Japan); Kurosawa, S. [Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University, 980-8577 Sendai (Japan)

2015-11-11

For MeV gamma-ray astronomy, we have developed an electron-tracking Compton camera (ETCC) as a MeV gamma-ray telescope capable of rejecting the radiation background and attaining the high sensitivity of near 1 mCrab in space. Our ETCC comprises a gaseous time-projection chamber (TPC) with a micro pattern gas detector for tracking recoil electrons and a position-sensitive scintillation camera for detecting scattered gamma rays. After the success of a first balloon experiment in 2006 with a small ETCC (using a 10×10×15 cm{sup 3} TPC) for measuring diffuse cosmic and atmospheric sub-MeV gamma rays (Sub-MeV gamma-ray Imaging Loaded-on-balloon Experiment I; SMILE-I), a (30 cm){sup 3} medium-sized ETCC was developed to measure MeV gamma-ray spectra from celestial sources, such as the Crab Nebula, with single-day balloon flights (SMILE-II). To achieve this goal, a 100-times-larger detection area compared with that of SMILE-I is required without changing the weight or power consumption of the detector system. In addition, the event rate is also expected to dramatically increase during observation. Here, we describe both the concept and the performance of the new data-acquisition system with this (30 cm){sup 3} ETCC to manage 100 times more data while satisfying the severe restrictions regarding the weight and power consumption imposed by a balloon-borne observation. In particular, to improve the detection efficiency of the fine tracks in the TPC from ~10% to ~100%, we introduce a new data-handling algorithm in the TPC. Therefore, for efficient management of such large amounts of data, we developed a data-acquisition system with parallel data flow.

“LIFE COURSE SOCIOECONOMIC POSITION IS ASSOCIATED WITH INFLAMMATORY MARKERS: THE FRAMINGHAM OFFSPRING STUDY”

OpenAIRE

Pilote, Louise; Lynch, John W; Richard, Hugues; Almeida, Nisha; Benjamin, Emelia J; Murabito, Joanne M

2010-01-01

Associations between life course socioeconomic position (SEP) and novel biological risk markers for coronary heart disease such as inflammatory markers are not well understood. Most studies demonstrate inverse associations of life course SEP with C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6) and fibrinogen, however little is known about associations between life course SEP and other inflammatory markers including intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), tumor necrosis factor II (TNFR2), l...

Behavior of Lipiodol Markers During Image Guided Radiotherapy of Bladder Cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chai Xiangfei; Herk, Marcel van; Kamer, Jeroen B. van de; Remeijer, Peter; Bex, Axel; Betgen, Anja; De Reijke, Theo M.; Hulshof, Maarten C.C.M.; Pos, Floris J.; Bel, Arjan

2010-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the stability of a novel type of markers used in partial bladder tumor irradiation and tumor deformation as indicated by the markers. Materials and Methods: In 15 patients with solitary bladder cancer, lipiodol was injected in the bladder wall during flexible cystoscopy to identify the tumor. A planning CT scan was made, followed by daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans during treatment. To study the accuracy of using these markers for image guidance, uncertainties U1 and U2 were calculated, which were defined as the difference between submask registration (covering single marker) and the average of all submask registrations and the difference between the submask registration and the general mask registration (including all markers), respectively. Finally, to study tumor deformation, the relative movement of each marker pair was correlated with the relative bladder volume (RBV). Results: The analyzed patients had 2.3 marker injections on average. The lipiodol spot size was 0.72 ± 1.1 cm 3 . The intensity of spots in both CT and CBCT was significantly higher than the surrounding bladder tissue. The uncertainties U1 and U2 were comparable, and the uncertainties in left-right direction (0.14-0.19 cm) were smaller than those in cranial-caudal and anterior-posterior directions (0.19-0.32 cm). The relative marker movement of within-zone marker pairs was much smaller (and has less dependence on the RBV) than across-zones marker pairs. Conclusions: Lipiodol markers are a feasible method to track bladder tumor by using online CBCT. Tumor deformation is observed, especially for tumors that cross the defined bladder zones.

Behavior of Lipiodol Markers During Image Guided Radiotherapy of Bladder Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chai Xiangfei, E-mail: x.chai@amc.uva.n [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Herk, Marcel van [Department of Radiation Oncology, The Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Kamer, Jeroen B. van de [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Remeijer, Peter [Department of Radiation Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Bex, Axel [Department of Urology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Betgen, Anja [Department of Radiation Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); De Reijke, Theo M [Department of Urology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Hulshof, Maarten C.C.M. [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Pos, Floris J [Department of Radiation Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek Hospital, Amsterdam (Netherlands); Bel, Arjan [Department of Radiation Oncology, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands)

2010-05-01

Purpose: To investigate the stability of a novel type of markers used in partial bladder tumor irradiation and tumor deformation as indicated by the markers. Materials and Methods: In 15 patients with solitary bladder cancer, lipiodol was injected in the bladder wall during flexible cystoscopy to identify the tumor. A planning CT scan was made, followed by daily cone-beam CT (CBCT) scans during treatment. To study the accuracy of using these markers for image guidance, uncertainties U1 and U2 were calculated, which were defined as the difference between submask registration (covering single marker) and the average of all submask registrations and the difference between the submask registration and the general mask registration (including all markers), respectively. Finally, to study tumor deformation, the relative movement of each marker pair was correlated with the relative bladder volume (RBV). Results: The analyzed patients had 2.3 marker injections on average. The lipiodol spot size was 0.72 +- 1.1 cm{sup 3}. The intensity of spots in both CT and CBCT was significantly higher than the surrounding bladder tissue. The uncertainties U1 and U2 were comparable, and the uncertainties in left-right direction (0.14-0.19 cm) were smaller than those in cranial-caudal and anterior-posterior directions (0.19-0.32 cm). The relative marker movement of within-zone marker pairs was much smaller (and has less dependence on the RBV) than across-zones marker pairs. Conclusions: Lipiodol markers are a feasible method to track bladder tumor by using online CBCT. Tumor deformation is observed, especially for tumors that cross the defined bladder zones.

Combined kV and MV imaging for real-time tracking of implanted fiducial markers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wiersma, R. D.; Mao Weihua; Xing, L.

2008-01-01

In the presence of intrafraction organ motion, target localization uncertainty can greatly hamper the advantage of highly conformal dose techniques such as intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). To minimize the adverse dosimetric effect caused by tumor motion, a real-time knowledge of the tumor position is required throughout the beam delivery process. The recent integration of onboard kV diagnostic imaging together with MV electronic portal imaging devices on linear accelerators can allow for real-time three-dimensional (3D) tumor position monitoring during a treatment delivery. The aim of this study is to demonstrate a near real-time 3D internal fiducial tracking system based on the combined use of kV and MV imaging. A commercially available radiotherapy system equipped with both kV and MV imaging systems was used in this work. A hardware video frame grabber was used to capture both kV and MV video streams simultaneously through independent video channels at 30 frames per second. The fiducial locations were extracted from the kV and MV images using a software tool. The geometric tracking capabilities of the system were evaluated using a pelvic phantom with embedded fiducials placed on a moveable stage. The maximum tracking speed of the kV/MV system is approximately 9 Hz, which is primarily limited by the frame rate of the MV imager. The geometric accuracy of the system is found to be on the order of less than 1 mm in all three spatial dimensions. The technique requires minimal hardware modification and is potentially useful for image-guided radiation therapy systems

Determination of uranium and thorium contents inside different materials using track detectors and mean critical angles

CERN Document Server

Misdaq, M A; Ktata, A; Merzouki, A; Youbi, N

1999-01-01

The critical angles of the CR-39 (theta sub c) and LR-115 type II (theta sub c ') solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) for detecting alpha-particles emitted by the uranium and thorium series have been evaluated by calculating the corresponding ranges of the emitted alpha-particles in different material samples and in the SSNTD studied. The influence of the emitted alpha-particles initial and residual energies on the critical angles of the SSNTD studied has been investigated. The uranium and thorium contents of different geological samples have been evaluated by exploiting data obtained for the critical angles of the CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid state nuclear track detectors and measuring the corresponding densities of tracks.

Handheld pose tracking using vision-inertial sensors with occlusion handling

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Juan; Slembrouck, Maarten; Deboeverie, Francis; Bernardos, Ana M.; Besada, Juan A.; Veelaert, Peter; Aghajan, Hamid; Casar, José R.; Philips, Wilfried

2016-07-01

Tracking of a handheld device's three-dimensional (3-D) position and orientation is fundamental to various application domains, including augmented reality (AR), virtual reality, and interaction in smart spaces. Existing systems still offer limited performance in terms of accuracy, robustness, computational cost, and ease of deployment. We present a low-cost, accurate, and robust system for handheld pose tracking using fused vision and inertial data. The integration of measurements from embedded accelerometers reduces the number of unknown parameters in the six-degree-of-freedom pose calculation. The proposed system requires two light-emitting diode (LED) markers to be attached to the device, which are tracked by external cameras through a robust algorithm against illumination changes. Three data fusion methods have been proposed, including the triangulation-based stereo-vision system, constraint-based stereo-vision system with occlusion handling, and triangulation-based multivision system. Real-time demonstrations of the proposed system applied to AR and 3-D gaming are also included. The accuracy assessment of the proposed system is carried out by comparing with the data generated by the state-of-the-art commercial motion tracking system OptiTrack. Experimental results show that the proposed system has achieved high accuracy of few centimeters in position estimation and few degrees in orientation estimation.

Performance analysis of visual tracking algorithms for motion-based user interfaces on mobile devices

Science.gov (United States)

Winkler, Stefan; Rangaswamy, Karthik; Tedjokusumo, Jefry; Zhou, ZhiYing

2008-02-01

Determining the self-motion of a camera is useful for many applications. A number of visual motion-tracking algorithms have been developed till date, each with their own advantages and restrictions. Some of them have also made their foray into the mobile world, powering augmented reality-based applications on phones with inbuilt cameras. In this paper, we compare the performances of three feature or landmark-guided motion tracking algorithms, namely marker-based tracking with MXRToolkit, face tracking based on CamShift, and MonoSLAM. We analyze and compare the complexity, accuracy, sensitivity, robustness and restrictions of each of the above methods. Our performance tests are conducted over two stages: The first stage of testing uses video sequences created with simulated camera movements along the six degrees of freedom in order to compare accuracy in tracking, while the second stage analyzes the robustness of the algorithms by testing for manipulative factors like image scaling and frame-skipping.

Physical activity and inflammatory markers over 10 years: follow-up in men and women from the Whitehall II cohort study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamer, Mark; Sabia, Severine; Batty, G David; Shipley, Martin J; Tabák, Adam G; Singh-Manoux, Archana; Kivimaki, Mika

2012-08-21

Inflammatory processes are putative mechanisms underlying the cardioprotective effects of physical activity. An inverse association between physical activity and inflammation has been demonstrated, but no long-term prospective data are available. We therefore examined the association between physical activity and inflammatory markers over a 10-year follow-up period. Participants were 4289 men and women (mean age, 49.2 years) from the Whitehall II cohort study. Self-reported physical activity and inflammatory markers (serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein and interleukin-6) were measured at baseline (1991) and follow-up (2002). Forty-nine percent of the participants adhered to standard physical activity recommendations for cardiovascular health (2.5 h/wk moderate to vigorous physical activity) across all assessments. Physically active participants at baseline had lower C-reactive protein and interleukin-6 levels, and this difference remained stable over time. Compared with participants who rarely adhered to physical activity guidelines over the 10-year follow-up, the high-adherence group displayed lower log(e) C-reactive protein (β=-0.07; 95% confidence interval, -0.12 to -0.02) and log(e) interleukin-6 (β=-0.07; 95% confidence interval, -0.10 to -0.03) at follow-up after adjustment for a range of covariates. Compared with participants who remained stable, those who reported an increase in physical activity of at least 2.5 h/wk displayed lower log(e) C-reactive protein (β coefficient=-0.05; 95% confidence interval, -0.10 to -0.001) and log(e) interleukin-6 (β coefficient=-0.06; 95% confidence interval, -0.09 to -0.03) at follow-up. Regular physical activity is associated with lower markers of inflammation over 10 years of follow-up and thus may be important in preventing the proinflammatory state seen with aging.

Leucine-rich repeat-containing G-protein-coupled receptors as markers of adult stem cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Barker, N.; Clevers, H.

2010-01-01

Molecular markers are used to characterize and track adult stem cells. Colon cancer research has led to the identification of 2 related receptors, leucine-rich repeat-containing, G-protein-coupled receptors (Lgr)5 and Lgr6, that are expressed by small populations of cells in a variety of adult

Displacement tracking in single human trabecula with metal-plated micro-spheres using X-ray radiography imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jiroušek, O; Kytýř, D; Doktor, T; Dammer, J; Krejčí, F

2013-01-01

This study presents an improved radiographic method for strain measurement in very small samples of a single trabeculae. X-ray micro-radiography was used to track the deformation behaviour of individual trabecula during mechanical loading. As the X-ray micro-radiography images of a single trabecula show no significant features applicable for digital image correlation (DIC) a random pattern of markers was created on the surfaces of the samples to improve the accuracy of tracking. Metal plated borosilicate glassmicro-spheres (mean diameter 10 μm) were used as the markers for trabecular displacement tracking. Two different X-ray imaging setups were used for this purpose. The specimens of isolated trabeculae were loaded by a micro-mechanical testing device developed with respect to radiographical observation. This compact device enables a high precision three-point bending measurement. The specimen was continuously irradiated during the loading procedure by a micro-focus X-ray source. The radiographs were acquired by a single-photon counting silicon pixel detector and s flat panel sensor with CsI flipped scintillator plate. Circular Hough transform was used to locate positions of the spherical markers in the sequence of acquired radiographs and to calculate the strain in the loaded sample. The gold-coated micro-spheres provide clearly visible features in the sequence of radiographs after beam hardening correction, which in conjunction with pattern recognition algorithm enables to substantially improve the accuracy of strain measurements.

HIDING IN THE SHADOWS. II. COLLISIONAL DUST AS EXOPLANET MARKERS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dobinson, Jack; Leinhardt, Zoë M.; Lines, Stefan; Carter, Philip J.; Dodson-Robinson, Sarah E.; Teanby, Nick A.

2016-01-01

Observations of the youngest planets (∼1–10 Myr for a transitional disk) will increase the accuracy of our planet formation models. Unfortunately, observations of such planets are challenging and time-consuming to undertake, even in ideal circumstances. Therefore, we propose the determination of a set of markers that can preselect promising exoplanet-hosting candidate disks. To this end, N-body simulations were conducted to investigate the effect of an embedded Jupiter-mass planet on the dynamics of the surrounding planetesimal disk and the resulting creation of second-generation collisional dust. We use a new collision model that allows fragmentation and erosion of planetesimals, and dust-sized fragments are simulated in a post-process step including non-gravitational forces due to stellar radiation and a gaseous protoplanetary disk. Synthetic images from our numerical simulations show a bright double ring at 850 μm for a low-eccentricity planet, whereas a high-eccentricity planet would produce a characteristic inner ring with asymmetries in the disk. In the presence of first-generation primordial dust these markers would be difficult to detect far from the orbit of the embedded planet, but would be detectable inside a gap of planetary origin in a transitional disk

Novel real-time alignment and calibration of LHCb detector for Run II and tracking for the upgrade.

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2091576

2016-01-01

LHCb has introduced a novel real-time detector alignment and calibration strategy for LHC Run II. Data collected at the start of the fill is processed in a few minutes and used to update the alignment, while the calibration constants are evaluated for each run. The procedure aims to improve the quality of the online selection and performance stability. The required computing time constraints are met thanks to a new dedicated framework using the multi-core farm infrastructure for the trigger. A similar scheme is planned to be used for Run III foreseen to start in 2020. At that time LHCb will run at an instantaneous luminosity of $2 \\times 10^{33}$ cm$^2$ s$^1$ and a fully software based trigger strategy will be used. The new running conditions and the tighter timing constraints in the software trigger (only 13 ms per event are available) represent a big challenge for track reconstruction. The new software based trigger strategy implies a full detector read-out at the collision rate of 40 MHz. High performance ...

A multiple sampling time projection ionization chamber for nuclear fragment tracking and charge measurement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bauer, G.; Bieser, F.; Brady, F.P.; Chance, J.C.; Christie, W.F.; Gilkes, M.; Lindenstruth, V.; Lynen, U.; Mueller, W.F.J.; Romero, J.L.; Sann, H.; Tull, C.E.; Warren, P.

1997-01-01

A detector has been developed for the tracking and charge measurement of the projectile fragment nuclei produced in relativistic nuclear collisions. This device, MUSIC II, is a second generation Multiple Sampling Ionization Chamber (MUSIC), and employs the principles of ionization and time projection chambers. It provides unique charge determination for charges Z≥6, and excellent track position measurement. MUSIC II has been used most recently with the EOS (equation of state) TPC and other EOS collaboration detectors. Earlier it was used with other systems in experiments at the Heavy Ion Superconducting Spectrometer (HISS) facility at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and the ALADIN spectrometer at GSI. (orig.)

Study of the weekly irrigation cycle of a cultivated field in a semi-arid area (Marrakech region, Morocco) by using CR-39 and LR-115 II track detectors and radon as a natural tracer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misdaq, M.A.; Essaouif, Z.

2007-01-01

Uranium ( 238 U) and thorium ( 232 Th) concentrations were measured in the soil of a cultivated field situated in a semi-arid area (Marrakech, Morocco) by using CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTDs). The same track detectors were used for measuring alpha- and beta-activities due to radon and thoron gases emanating from the soil of the studied irrigated agricultural field. The influence of the humidity (soil water content), soil depth and climate conditions on the weekly irrigation cycle of the studied cultivated field was investigated by exploiting radon measurements

Design of a Hardware Track Finder (Fast Tracker) for the ATLAS Trigger

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00010976; Albicocco, P.; Alison, J.; Ancu, L.S.; Anderson, J.; Andari, N.; Andreani, A.; Andreazza, A.; Annovi, A.; Antonelli, M.; Asbah, N.; Atkinson, M.; Baines, J.; Barberio, E.; Beccherle, R.; Beretta, M.; Bertolucci, F.; Biesuz, N.V.; Blair, R.; Bogdan, M.; Boveia, A.; Britzger, D.; Bryant, P.; Burghgrave, B.; Calderini, G.; Camplani, A.; Cavasinni, V.; Chakraborty, D.; Chang, P.; Cheng, Y.; Citraro, S.; Citterio, M.; Crescioli, F.; Dawe, N.; Dell'Orso, M.; Donati, S.; Dondero, P.; Drake, G.; Gadomski, S.; Gatta, M.; Gentsos, C.; Giannetti, P.; Gkaitatzis, S.; Gramling, J.; Howarth, J.W.; Iizawa, T.; Ilic, N.; Jiang, Z.; Kaji, T.; Kasten, M.; Kawaguchi, Y.; Kim, Y.K.; Kimura, N.; Klimkovich, T.; Kolb, M.; Kordas, K.; Krizka, K.; Kubota, T.; Lanza, A.; Li, H.L.; Liberali, V.; Lisovyi, M.; Liu, L.; Love, J.; Luciano, P.; Luongo, C.; Magalotti, D.; Maznas, I.; Meroni, C.; Mitani, T.; Nasimi, H.; Negri, A.; Neroutsos, P.; Neubauer, M.; Nikolaidis, S.; Okumura, Y.; Pandini, C.; Petridou, C.; Piendibene, M.; Proudfoot, J.; Rados, P.; Roda, C.; Rossi, E.; Sakurai, Y.; Sampsonidis, D.; Saxon, J.; Schmitt, S.; Schoening, A.; Shochet, M.; Shojaii, S.; Soltveit, H.; Sotiropoulou, C.L.; Stabile, A.; Swiatlowski, M.; Tang, F.; Taylor, P.T.; Testa, M.; Tompkins, L.; Vercesi, V.; Volpi, G.; Wang, R.; Watari, R.; Webster, J.; Wu, X.; Yorita, K.; Yurkewicz, A.; Zeng, J.C.; Zhang, J.; Zou, R.

2016-01-01

The use of tracking information at the trigger level in the LHC Run II period is crucial for the trigger an data acquisition (TDAQ) system and will be even more so as contemporary collisions that occur at every bunch crossing will increase in Run III. The Fast TracKer (FTK) is part of the ATLAS trigger upgrade project; it is a hardware processor that will provide every Level-1 accepted event (100 kHz) and within 100$\\mu$s, full tracking information for tracks with momentum as low as 1 GeV. Providing fast, extensive access to tracking information, with resolution comparable to the offline reconstruction, FTK will help in precise detection of the primary and secondary vertices to ensure robust selections and improve the trigger performance.

Speed and amplitude of lung tumor motion precisely detected in four-dimensional setup and in real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shirato, Hiroki; Suzuki, Keishiro; Sharp, Gregory C.; Fujita, Katsuhisa R.T.; Onimaru, Rikiya; Fujino, Masaharu; Kato, Norio; Osaka, Yasuhiro; Kinoshita, Rumiko; Taguchi, Hiroshi; Onodera, Shunsuke; Miyasaka, Kazuo

2006-01-01

Background: To reduce the uncertainty of registration for lung tumors, we have developed a four-dimensional (4D) setup system using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system. Methods and Materials: During treatment planning and daily setup in the treatment room, the trajectory of the internal fiducial marker was recorded for 1 to 2 min at the rate of 30 times per second by the real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system. To maximize gating efficiency, the patient's position on the treatment couch was adjusted using the 4D setup system with fine on-line remote control of the treatment couch. Results: The trajectory of the marker detected in the 4D setup system was well visualized and used for daily setup. Various degrees of interfractional and intrafractional changes in the absolute amplitude and speed of the internal marker were detected. Readjustments were necessary during each treatment session, prompted by baseline shifting of the tumor position. Conclusion: The 4D setup system was shown to be useful for reducing the uncertainty of tumor motion and for increasing the efficiency of gated irradiation. Considering the interfractional and intrafractional changes in speed and amplitude detected in this study, intercepting radiotherapy is the safe and cost-effective method for 4D radiotherapy using real-time tracking technology

Alignment of the ATLAS Inner Detector in the LHC Run II

CERN Document Server

Barranco Navarro, Laura; The ATLAS collaboration

2015-01-01

ATLAS physics goals require excellent resolution, unbiased measurement of all charged particle kinematic parameters. These critically depend on the layout and performance of the tracking system and on the quality of its offline alignment. ATLAS is equipped with a tracking system built using different technologies, silicon planar sensors (pixel and micro-strip) and gaseous drift- tubes, all embedded in a 2T solenoidal magnetic field. For the Run II of the LHC, the system was upgraded with the installation of a new pixel layer, the Insertable B-layer (IBL). An outline of the track based alignment approach and its implementation within the ATLAS software will be presented. Special attention will be paid to integration of the IBL into the alignment framework, techniques allowing to identify and eliminate tracking systematics as well as strategies to deal with time-dependent alignment. Performance from the commissioning of Cosmic data and potentially early LHC Run II proton-proton collisions will be discussed.

Skull registration for prone patient position using tracked ultrasound

Science.gov (United States)

Underwood, Grace; Ungi, Tamas; Baum, Zachary; Lasso, Andras; Kronreif, Gernot; Fichtinger, Gabor

2017-03-01

PURPOSE: Tracked navigation has become prevalent in neurosurgery. Problems with registration of a patient and a preoperative image arise when the patient is in a prone position. Surfaces accessible to optical tracking on the back of the head are unreliable for registration. We investigated the accuracy of surface-based registration using points accessible through tracked ultrasound. Using ultrasound allows access to bone surfaces that are not available through optical tracking. Tracked ultrasound could eliminate the need to work (i) under the table for registration and (ii) adjust the tracker between surgery and registration. In addition, tracked ultrasound could provide a non-invasive method in comparison to an alternative method of registration involving screw implantation. METHODS: A phantom study was performed to test the feasibility of tracked ultrasound for registration. An initial registration was performed to partially align the pre-operative computer tomography data and skull phantom. The initial registration was performed by an anatomical landmark registration. Surface points accessible by tracked ultrasound were collected and used to perform an Iterative Closest Point Algorithm. RESULTS: When the surface registration was compared to a ground truth landmark registration, the average TRE was found to be 1.6+/-0.1mm and the average distance of points off the skull surface was 0.6+/-0.1mm. CONCLUSION: The use of tracked ultrasound is feasible for registration of patients in prone position and eliminates the need to perform registration under the table. The translational component of error found was minimal. Therefore, the amount of TRE in registration is due to a rotational component of error.

Development of a Swine-Specific Fecal Pollution Marker Based on Host Differences in Methanogen mcrA Genes▿

OpenAIRE

Ufnar, Jennifer A.; Ufnar, David F.; Wang, Shiao Y.; Ellender, R. D.

2007-01-01

The goal of this study was to evaluate methanogen diversity in animal hosts to develop a swine-specific archaeal molecular marker for fecal source tracking in surface waters. Phylogenetic analysis of swine mcrA sequences compared to mcrA sequences from the feces of five animals (cow, deer, sheep, horse, and chicken) and sewage showed four distinct swine clusters, with three swine-specific clades. From this analysis, six sequences were chosen for molecular marker development and initial testin...

Evaluation of a video-based head motion tracking system for dedicated brain PET

Science.gov (United States)

Anishchenko, S.; Beylin, D.; Stepanov, P.; Stepanov, A.; Weinberg, I. N.; Schaeffer, S.; Zavarzin, V.; Shaposhnikov, D.; Smith, M. F.

2015-03-01

Unintentional head motion during Positron Emission Tomography (PET) data acquisition can degrade PET image quality and lead to artifacts. Poor patient compliance, head tremor, and coughing are examples of movement sources. Head motion due to patient non-compliance can be an issue with the rise of amyloid brain PET in dementia patients. To preserve PET image resolution and quantitative accuracy, head motion can be tracked and corrected in the image reconstruction algorithm. While fiducial markers can be used, a contactless approach is preferable. A video-based head motion tracking system for a dedicated portable brain PET scanner was developed. Four wide-angle cameras organized in two stereo pairs are used for capturing video of the patient's head during the PET data acquisition. Facial points are automatically tracked and used to determine the six degree of freedom head pose as a function of time. The presented work evaluated the newly designed tracking system using a head phantom and a moving American College of Radiology (ACR) phantom. The mean video-tracking error was 0.99±0.90 mm relative to the magnetic tracking device used as ground truth. Qualitative evaluation with the ACR phantom shows the advantage of the motion tracking application. The developed system is able to perform tracking with accuracy close to millimeter and can help to preserve resolution of brain PET images in presence of movements.

An Assessment of a Low-Cost Visual Tracking System (VTS) to Detect and Compensate for Patient Motion During SPECT

Science.gov (United States)

McNamara, Joseph E.; Bruyant, Philippe; Johnson, Karen; Feng, Bing; Lehovich, Andre; Gu, Songxiang; Gennert, Michael A.; King, Michael A.

2008-06-01

Patient motion is inevitable in SPECT and PET due to the lengthy period of time patients are imaged and patient motion can degrade diagnostic accuracy. The goal of our studies is to perfect a methodology for tracking and correcting patient motion when it occurs. In this paper we report on enhancements to the calibration, camera stability, accuracy of motion tracking, and temporal synchronization of a low-cost visual tracking system (VTS) we are developing. The purpose of the VTS is to track the motion of retro-reflective markers on stretchy bands wrapped about the chest and abdomen of patients. We have improved the accuracy of 3D spatial calibration by using a MATLAB optical camera calibration package with a planar calibration pattern. This allowed us to determine the intrinsic and extrinsic parameters for stereo-imaging with our CCD cameras. Locations in the VTS coordinate system are transformed to the SPECT coordinate system by a VTS/SPECT mapping using a phantom of 7 retro-reflective spheres each filled with a drop of Tc99m. We switched from pan, tilt and zoom (PTZ) network cameras to fixed network cameras to reduce the amount of camera drift. The improved stability was verified by tracking the positions of fixed retro-reflective markers on a wall. The ability of our VTS to track movement, on average, with sub-millimeter and sub-degree accuracy was established with the 7-sphere phantom for 1 cm vertical and axial steps as well as for an arbitrary rotation and translation. The difference in the time of optical image acquisition as decoded from the image headers relative to synchronization signals sent to the SPECT system was used to establish temporal synchrony between optical and list-mode SPECT acquisition. Two experiments showed better than 100 ms agreement between VTS and SPECT observed motion for three axial translations. We were able to track 3 reflective markers on an anthropomorphic phantom with a precision that allowed us to correct motion such that no

Fragrance mix II in the baseline series contributes significantly to detection of fragrance allergy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Heisterberg, Maria S Vølund; Andersen, Klaus E.; Avnstorp, Christian

2010-01-01

Background: Fragrance mix II (FM II) is a relatively new screening marker for fragrance contact allergy. It was introduced in the patch test baseline series in Denmark in 2005 and contains six different fragrance chemicals commonly present in cosmetic products and which are known allergens. Aim......: To investigate the diagnostic contribution of including FM II in the baseline series by comparing it with other screening markers of fragrance allergy: fragrance mix I (FM I), Myroxylon pereirae and hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (HICC). Method: Retrospective study of 12 302 patients consecutively...

Molecular Markers and Cotton Genetic Improvement: Current Status and Future Prospects

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Waqas Malik

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Narrow genetic base and complex allotetraploid genome of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L. is stimulating efforts to avail required polymorphism for marker based breeding. The availability of draft genome sequence of G. raimondii and G. arboreum and next generation sequencing (NGS technologies facilitated the development of high-throughput marker technologies in cotton. The concepts of genetic diversity, QTL mapping, and marker assisted selection (MAS are evolving into more efficient concepts of linkage disequilibrium, association mapping, and genomic selection, respectively. The objective of the current review is to analyze the pace of evolution in the molecular marker technologies in cotton during the last ten years into the following four areas: (i comparative analysis of low- and high-throughput marker technologies available in cotton, (ii genetic diversity in the available wild and improved gene pools of cotton, (iii identification of the genomic regions within cotton genome underlying economic traits, and (iv marker based selection methodologies. Moreover, the applications of marker technologies to enhance the breeding efficiency in cotton are also summarized. Aforementioned genomic technologies and the integration of several other omics resources are expected to enhance the cotton productivity and meet the global fiber quantity and quality demands.

Tracking in Dense Environments for the HL-LHC ATLAS Detector

CERN Document Server

Cormier, Felix; The ATLAS collaboration

2018-01-01

Tracking in dense environments, such as in the cores of high-energy jets, will be key for new physics searches as well as measurements of the Standard Model at the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC). The HL-LHC will operate in challenging conditions with large radiation doses and high pile-up (up to $\\mu=200$). The current tracking detector will be replaced with a new all-silicon Inner Tracker for the Phase II upgrade of the ATLAS detector. In this talk, characterization of the HL-LHC tracker performance for collimated, high-density charged particles arising from high-momentum decays is presented. In such decays the charged-particle separations are of the order of the tracking detector granularity, leading to challenging reconstruction. The ability of the HL-LHC ATLAS tracker to reconstruct the tracks in such dense environments is discussed and compared to ATLAS Run-2 performance for a variety of relevant physics processes.

Cre/lox system to develop selectable marker free transgenic tobacco plants conferring resistance against sap sucking homopteran insect.

Science.gov (United States)

Chakraborti, Dipankar; Sarkar, Anindya; Mondal, Hossain A; Schuermann, David; Hohn, Barbara; Sarmah, Bidyut K; Das, Sampa

2008-10-01

A binary expression vector was constructed containing the insecticidal gene Allium sativum leaf agglutinin (ASAL), and a selectable nptII marker gene cassette, flanked by lox sites. Similarly, another binary vector was developed with the chimeric cre gene construct. Transformed tobacco plants were generated with these two independent vectors. Each of the T(0) lox plants was crossed with T(0) Cre plants. PCR analyses followed by the sequencing of the target T-DNA part of the hybrid T(1) plants demonstrated the excision of the nptII gene in highly precised manner in certain percentage of the T(1) hybrid lines. The frequency of such marker gene excision was calculated to be 19.2% in the hybrids. Marker free plants were able to express ASAL efficiently and reduce the survivability of Myzus persiceae, the deadly pest of tobacco significantly, compared to the control tobacco plants. Results of PCR and Southern blot analyses of some of the T(2) plants detected the absence of cre as well as nptII genes. Thus, the crossing strategy involving Cre/lox system for the excision of marker genes appears to be very effective and easy to execute. Documentation of such marker excision phenomenon in the transgenic plants expressing the important insecticidal protein for the first time has a great significance from agricultural and biotechnological points of view.

HyperCube: A Small Lensless Position Sensing Device for the Tracking of Flickering Infrared LEDs.

Science.gov (United States)

Raharijaona, Thibaut; Mignon, Paul; Juston, Raphaël; Kerhuel, Lubin; Viollet, Stéphane

2015-07-08

An innovative insect-based visual sensor is designed to perform active marker tracking. Without any optics and a field-of-view of about 60°, a novel miniature visual sensor is able to locate flickering markers (LEDs) with an accuracy much greater than the one dictated by the pixel pitch. With a size of only 1 cm3 and a mass of only 0.33 g, the lensless sensor, called HyperCube, is dedicated to 3D motion tracking and fits perfectly with the drastic constraints imposed by micro-aerial vehicles. Only three photosensors are placed on each side of the cubic configuration of the sensing device, making this sensor very inexpensive and light. HyperCube provides the azimuth and elevation of infrared LEDs flickering at a high frequency (>1 kHz) with a precision of 0.5°. The minimalistic design in terms of small size, low mass and low power consumption of this visual sensor makes it suitable for many applications in the field of the cooperative flight of unmanned aerial vehicles and, more generally, robotic applications requiring active beacons. Experimental results show that HyperCube provides useful angular measurements that can be used to estimate the relative position between the sensor and the flickering infrared markers.

HyperCube: A Small Lensless Position Sensing Device for the Tracking of Flickering Infrared LEDs

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thibaut Raharijaona

2015-07-01

Full Text Available An innovative insect-based visual sensor is designed to perform active marker tracking. Without any optics and a field-of-view of about 60°, a novel miniature visual sensor is able to locate flickering markers (LEDs with an accuracy much greater than the one dictated by the pixel pitch. With a size of only 1 cm3 and a mass of only 0.33 g, the lensless sensor, called HyperCube, is dedicated to 3D motion tracking and fits perfectly with the drastic constraints imposed by micro-aerial vehicles. Only three photosensors are placed on each side of the cubic configuration of the sensing device, making this sensor very inexpensive and light. HyperCube provides the azimuth and elevation of infrared LEDs flickering at a high frequency (>1 kHz with a precision of 0.5°. The minimalistic design in terms of small size, low mass and low power consumption of this visual sensor makes it suitable for many applications in the field of the cooperative flight of unmanned aerial vehicles and, more generally, robotic applications requiring active beacons. Experimental results show that HyperCube provides useful angular measurements that can be used to estimate the relative position between the sensor and the flickering infrared markers.

The Muon system of the run II D0 detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abazov, V.M.; Acharya, B.S.; Alexeev, G.D.; Alkhazov, G.; Anosov, V.A.; Baldin, B.; Banerjee, S.; Bardon, O.; Bartlett, J.F.; Baturitsky, M.A.; Beutel, D.; Bezzubov,; Bodyagin, V.; Butler, J.M.; Cease, H.; Chi, E.; Denisov, D.; Denisov, S.P.; Diehl, H.T.; Doulas, S.; Dugad, S.R.; /Beijing, Inst. High Energy Phys. /Charles U. /Prague, Tech.

2005-03-01

The authors describe the design, construction and performance of the upgraded D0 muon system for Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron collider. Significant improvements have been made to the major subsystems of the D0 muon detector: trigger scintillation counters, tracking detectors, and electronics. The Run II central muon detector has a new scintillation counter system inside the iron toroid and an improved scintillation counter system outside the iron toroid. In the forward region, new scintillation counter and tracking systems have been installed. Extensive shielding has been added in the forward region. A large fraction of the muon system electronics is also new.

Integrated radiotherapy imaging system (IRIS): design considerations of tumour tracking with linac gantry-mounted diagnostic x-ray systems with flat-panel detectors.

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Berbeco, Ross I; Jiang, Steve B; Sharp, Gregory C; Chen, George T; Mostafavi, Hassan; Shirato, Hiroki

2004-01-21

The design of an integrated radiotherapy imaging system (IRIS), consisting of gantry mounted diagnostic (kV) x-ray tubes and fast read-out flat-panel amorphous-silicon detectors, has been studied. The system is meant to be capable of three main functions: radiographs for three-dimensional (3D) patient set-up, cone-beam CT and real-time tumour/marker tracking. The goal of the current study is to determine whether one source/panel pair is sufficient for real-time tumour/marker tracking and, if two are needed, the optimal position of each relative to other components and the isocentre. A single gantry-mounted source/imager pair is certainly capable of the first two of the three functions listed above and may also be useful for the third, if combined with prior knowledge of the target's trajectory. This would be necessary because only motion in two dimensions is visible with a single imager/source system. However, with previously collected information about the trajectory, the third coordinate may be derived from the other two with sufficient accuracy to facilitate tracking. This deduction of the third coordinate can only be made if the 3D tumour/marker trajectory is consistent from fraction to fraction. The feasibility of tumour tracking with one source/imager pair has been theoretically examined here using measured lung marker trajectory data for seven patients from multiple treatment fractions. The patients' selection criteria include minimum mean amplitudes of the tumour motions greater than 1 cm peak-to-peak. The marker trajectory for each patient was modelled using the first fraction data. Then for the rest of the data, marker positions were derived from the imager projections at various gantry angles and compared with the measured tumour positions. Our results show that, due to the three dimensionality and irregular trajectory characteristics of tumour motion, on a fraction-to-fraction basis, a 'monoscopic' system (single source/imager) is inadequate for

Generation of Trichoderma atroviride mutants with constitutively activated G protein signaling by using geneticin resistance as selection marker

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gruber Sabine

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Species of the fungal genus Trichoderma are important industrial producers of cellulases and hemicellulases, but also widely used as biocontrol agents (BCAs in agriculture. In the latter function Trichoderma species stimulate plant growth, induce plant defense and directly antagonize plant pathogenic fungi through their mycoparasitic capabilities. The recent release of the genome sequences of four mycoparasitic Trichoderma species now forms the basis for large-scale genetic manipulations of these important BCAs. Thus far, only a limited number of dominant selection markers, including Hygromycin B resistance (hph and the acetamidase-encoding amdS gene, have been available for transformation of Trichoderma spp. For more extensive functional genomics studies the utilization of additional dominant markers will be essential. Results We established the Escherichia coli neomycin phosphotransferase II-encoding nptII gene as a novel selectable marker for the transformation of Trichoderma atroviride conferring geneticin resistance. The nptII marker cassette was stably integrated into the fungal genome and transformants exhibited unaltered phenotypes compared to the wild-type. Co-transformation of T. atroviride with nptII and a constitutively activated version of the Gα subunit-encoding tga3 gene (tga3Q207L resulted in a high number of mitotically stable, geneticin-resistant transformants. Further analyses revealed a co-transformation frequency of 68% with 15 transformants having additionally integrated tga3Q207L into their genome. Constitutive activation of the Tga3-mediated signaling pathway resulted in increased vegetative growth and an enhanced ability to antagonize plant pathogenic host fungi. Conclusion The neomycin phosphotransferase II-encoding nptII gene from Escherichia coli proved to be a valuable tool for conferring geneticin resistance to the filamentous fungus T. atroviride thereby contributing to an enhanced genetic

SU-E-T-183: Clinical Quality Assurance Workflow for Dynamic Tumor Tracking Radiation Dose Delivery

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mamalui-Hunter, M; Su, Z; Li, Z

2015-01-01

Purpose: One of the most important aspects of implementation of new treatment modalities is an ‘end-to-end’ verification of the treatment process. Radiation treatment based on dynamic tracking of a tumor is highly patient-specific, therefore, special attention should be paid to quality assurance of the treatment delivery. Our goal was to design the clinical workflow that ensures accurate delivery of the planned dose using the Dynamic Target Tracking option of VeroTM (BrainLab,MHI) linac. Methods: A patient simulation is designed to include a pre-treatment session to verify whether the system can reliably track the motion of the implanted marker and build the 4D model of the target motion. The external surrogate and target motion patterns are recorded in the ExactracTM log files. In this work, a spectrum of custom marker and external surrogate motion trajectories closely resembling the patient specific motion patterns was used. 1mm thick/11mm long VisicoilTM marker was placed 15 and 20mm from the center of the spherical tissue equivalent target (centroid to centroid distance) in the 4D motion phantom (CIRSTM). 3D conformal (3 mm block margin) SBRT plans were delivered to 2 moving targets in the phantom: 1) 20mm diameter target that allows ion chamber dose measurement and 2) 25mm target that allows using film to measure CAX dose (GafchromicTM EBT3 used). The measured dose was compared to the iPlanTM TPS results using MonteCarlo algorithm (1% variance, Dose-to-water). Results: On average, film shows 98.9% pass using gamma criterion for 2% and 2mm DTA, 94.3% match for 2% and 1 mm DTA, 98% pass for 1% and 2 mm DTA however only 88% points passing for 1% and 1 mm DTA. Ion chamber measurements agreed with the calculation within 1.5%. Conclusion: The clinical QA workflow was designed for SBRT delivery using real-time tumor tracking on VeroTM linac

Real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy for adrenal tumors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Katoh, Norio; Onimaru, Rikiya; Sakuhara, Yusuke; Abo, Daisuke; Shimizu, Shinichi; Taguchi, Hiroshi; Watanabe, Yoshiaki; Shinohara, Nobuo; Ishikawa, Masayori; Shirato, Hiroki

2008-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the three-dimensional movement of internal fiducial markers near the adrenal tumors using a real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy (RTRT) system and to examine the feasibility of high-dose hypofractionated radiotherapy for the adrenal tumors. Materials and methods: The subjects considered in this study were 10 markers of the 9 patients treated with RTRT. A total of 72 days in the prone position and 61 treatment days in the supine position for nine of the 10 markers were analyzed. All but one patient were prescribed 48 Gy in eight fractions at the isocenter. Results: The average absolute amplitude of the marker movement in the prone position was 6.1 ± 4.4 mm (range 2.3-14.4), 11.1 ± 7.1 mm (3.5-25.2), and 7.0 ± 3.5 mm (3.9-12.5) in the left-right (LR), craniocaudal (CC), and anterior-posterior (AP) directions, respectively. The average absolute amplitude in the supine position was 3.4 ± 2.9 mm (0.6-9.1), 9.9 ± 9.8 mm (1.1-27.1), and 5.4 ± 5.2 mm (1.7-26.6) in the LR, CC, and AP directions, respectively. Of the eight markers, which were examined in both the prone and supine positions, there was no significant difference in the average absolute amplitude between the two positions. No symptomatic adverse effects were observed within the median follow-up period of 16 months (range 5-21 months). The actuarial freedom-from-local-progression rate was 100% at 12 months. Conclusions: Three-dimensional motion of a fiducial marker near the adrenal tumors was detected. Hypofractionated RTRT for adrenal tumors was feasible for patients with metastatic tumors

Biological markers for anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD: A consensus statement. Part II: Neurochemistry, neurophysiology and neurocognition

Science.gov (United States)

Bandelow, Borwin; Baldwin, David; Abelli, Marianna; Bolea-Alamanac, Blanca; Bourin, Michel; Chamberlain, Samuel R.; Cinosi, Eduardo; Davies, Simon; Domschke, Katharina; Fineberg, Naomi; Grünblatt, Edna; Jarema, Marek; Kim, Yong-Ku; Maron, Eduard; Masdrakis, Vasileios; Mikova, Olya; Nutt, David; Pallanti, Stefano; Pini, Stefano; Ströhle, Andreas; Thibaut, Florence; Vaghix, Matilde M.; Won, Eunsoo; Wedekind, Dirk; Wichniak, Adam; Woolley, Jade; Zwanzger, Peter; Riederer, Peter

2017-01-01

Objective Biomarkers are defined as anatomical, biochemical or physiological traits that are specific to certain disorders or syndromes. The objective of this paper is to summarise the current knowledge of biomarkers for anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods Findings in biomarker research were reviewed by a task force of international experts in the field, consisting of members of the World Federation of Societies for Biological Psychiatry Task Force on Biological Markers and of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology Anxiety Disorders Research Network. Results The present article (Part II) summarises findings on potential biomarkers in neurochemistry (neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine, dopamine or GABA, neuropeptides such as cholecystokinin, neurokinins, atrial natriuretic peptide, or oxytocin, the HPA axis, neurotrophic factors such as NGF and BDNF, immunology and CO2 hypersensitivity), neurophysiology (EEG, heart rate variability) and neurocognition. The accompanying paper (Part I) focuses on neuroimaging and genetics. Conclusions Although at present, none of the putative biomarkers is sufficient and specific as a diagnostic tool, an abundance of high quality research has accumulated that should improve our understanding of the neurobiological causes of anxiety disorders, OCD and PTSD. PMID:27419272

Atmosphere surface storm track response to resolved ocean mesoscale in two sets of global climate model experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Small, R. Justin; Msadek, Rym; Kwon, Young-Oh; Booth, James F.; Zarzycki, Colin

2018-05-01

It has been hypothesized that the ocean mesoscale (particularly ocean fronts) can affect the strength and location of the overlying extratropical atmospheric storm track. In this paper, we examine whether resolving ocean fronts in global climate models indeed leads to significant improvement in the simulated storm track, defined using low level meridional wind. Two main sets of experiments are used: (i) global climate model Community Earth System Model version 1 with non-eddy-resolving standard resolution or with ocean eddy-resolving resolution, and (ii) the same but with the GFDL Climate Model version 2. In case (i), it is found that higher ocean resolution leads to a reduction of a very warm sea surface temperature (SST) bias at the east coasts of the U.S. and Japan seen in standard resolution models. This in turn leads to a reduction of storm track strength near the coastlines, by up to 20%, and a better location of the storm track maxima, over the western boundary currents as observed. In case (ii), the change in absolute SST bias in these regions is less notable, and there are modest (10% or less) increases in surface storm track, and smaller changes in the free troposphere. In contrast, in the southern Indian Ocean, case (ii) shows most sensitivity to ocean resolution, and this coincides with a larger change in mean SST as ocean resolution is changed. Where the ocean resolution does make a difference, it consistently brings the storm track closer in appearance to that seen in ERA-Interim Reanalysis data. Overall, for the range of ocean model resolutions used here (1° versus 0.1°) we find that the differences in SST gradient have a small effect on the storm track strength whilst changes in absolute SST between experiments can have a larger effect. The latter affects the land-sea contrast, air-sea stability, surface latent heat flux, and the boundary layer baroclinicity in such a way as to reduce storm track activity adjacent to the western boundary in the N

Validation of the Leap Motion Controller using markered motion capture technology.

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Smeragliuolo, Anna H; Hill, N Jeremy; Disla, Luis; Putrino, David

2016-06-14

The Leap Motion Controller (LMC) is a low-cost, markerless motion capture device that tracks hand, wrist and forearm position. Integration of this technology into healthcare applications has begun to occur rapidly, making validation of the LMC׳s data output an important research goal. Here, we perform a detailed evaluation of the kinematic data output from the LMC, and validate this output against gold-standard, markered motion capture technology. We instructed subjects to perform three clinically-relevant wrist (flexion/extension, radial/ulnar deviation) and forearm (pronation/supination) movements. The movements were simultaneously tracked using both the LMC and a marker-based motion capture system from Motion Analysis Corporation (MAC). Adjusting for known inconsistencies in the LMC sampling frequency, we compared simultaneously acquired LMC and MAC data by performing Pearson׳s correlation (r) and root mean square error (RMSE). Wrist flexion/extension and radial/ulnar deviation showed good overall agreement (r=0.95; RMSE=11.6°, and r=0.92; RMSE=12.4°, respectively) with the MAC system. However, when tracking forearm pronation/supination, there were serious inconsistencies in reported joint angles (r=0.79; RMSE=38.4°). Hand posture significantly influenced the quality of wrist deviation (P<0.005) and forearm supination/pronation (P<0.001), but not wrist flexion/extension (P=0.29). We conclude that the LMC is capable of providing data that are clinically meaningful for wrist flexion/extension, and perhaps wrist deviation. It cannot yet return clinically meaningful data for measuring forearm pronation/supination. Future studies should continue to validate the LMC as updated versions of their software are developed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Elevation of autophagy markers in Sjögren syndrome dry eye.

Science.gov (United States)

Byun, Yong-Soo; Lee, Hyun Jung; Shin, Soojung; Chung, So-Hyang

2017-12-08

Autophagy is known to be implicated in the pathogenesis of Sjögren syndrome (SS), but evidences are limited. We aimed to examine the levels of autophagy markers in tear film and conjunctival epithelial cells from SS dry eye patients, and analyze their correlations with clinical features. Patients with SS dry eye exhibited lower Schirmer values, lower tear breakup time, and higher ocular staining scores. In tears, ATG5 and LC3B-II/I levels were significantly higher in SS dry eye. ATG5 and LC3B-II mRNA in the conjunctiva were also elevated in SS dry eye compared with non-SS dry eye. The immunostaining of conjunctival epithelium showed a punctate pattern of ATG5 and LC3B-II in SS dry eye. These staining patterns were also observed in the lacrimal gland of SS animal models. ATG5 levels in tears and the conjunctival epithelium strongly correlated with ocular staining scores, and one month of topical corticosteroid treatment reduced both ATG5 and LC3B-II/I levels in tear film and the conjunctival epithelium of patients with SS dry eye. Our results suggest that autophagy is enhanced or dysregulated in SS and autophagy markers may be serve as both diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers in SS dry eye.

Latent tracks in polymeric etched track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamauchi, Tomoya

2013-01-01

Track registration properties in polymeric track detectors, including Poly(allyl diglycol carbonate), Bispenol A polycarbonate, Poly(ethylen terephtarate), and Polyimide, have been investigated by means of Fourie transform Infararede FT-IR spectrometry. Chemical criterion on the track formation threshold has been proposes, in stead of the conventional physical track registration models. (author)

Quality of Slab Track Construction - Track Alignment Design and Track Geometry

Science.gov (United States)

Šestáková, Janka

2015-05-01

The slab track superstructure design (without ballast) is a perspective construction especially for building tunnels and bridges in the modernized sections of railway tracks in Slovakia. Monitoring of the structure described in this article is focused on the transition areas between standard structure with ballast and slab track construction.

Fiducial marker-based correction for involuntary motion in weight-bearing C-arm CT scanning of knees. Part I. Numerical model-based optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Choi, Jang-Hwan; Fahrig, Rebecca; Keil, Andreas; Besier, Thor F; Pal, Saikat; McWalter, Emily J; Beaupré, Gary S; Maier, Andreas

2013-09-01

Human subjects in standing positions are apt to show much more involuntary motion than in supine positions. The authors aimed to simulate a complicated realistic lower body movement using the four-dimensional (4D) digital extended cardiac-torso (XCAT) phantom. The authors also investigated fiducial marker-based motion compensation methods in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) space. The level of involuntary movement-induced artifacts and image quality improvement were investigated after applying each method. An optical tracking system with eight cameras and seven retroreflective markers enabled us to track involuntary motion of the lower body of nine healthy subjects holding a squat position at 60° of flexion. The XCAT-based knee model was developed using the 4D XCAT phantom and the optical tracking data acquired at 120 Hz. The authors divided the lower body in the XCAT into six parts and applied unique affine transforms to each so that the motion (6 degrees of freedom) could be synchronized with the optical markers' location at each time frame. The control points of the XCAT were tessellated into triangles and 248 projection images were created based on intersections of each ray and monochromatic absorption. The tracking data sets with the largest motion (Subject 2) and the smallest motion (Subject 5) among the nine data sets were used to animate the XCAT knee model. The authors defined eight skin control points well distributed around the knees as pseudo-fiducial markers which functioned as a reference in motion correction. Motion compensation was done in the following ways: (1) simple projection shifting in 2D, (2) deformable projection warping in 2D, and (3) rigid body warping in 3D. Graphics hardware accelerated filtered backprojection was implemented and combined with the three correction methods in order to speed up the simulation process. Correction fidelity was evaluated as a function of number of markers used (4-12) and marker distribution

Refraction-compensated motion tracking of unrestrained small animals in positron emission tomography.

Science.gov (United States)

Kyme, Andre; Meikle, Steven; Baldock, Clive; Fulton, Roger

2012-08-01

Motion-compensated radiotracer imaging of fully conscious rodents represents an important paradigm shift for preclinical investigations. In such studies, if motion tracking is performed through a transparent enclosure containing the awake animal, light refraction at the interface will introduce errors in stereo pose estimation. We have performed a thorough investigation of how this impacts the accuracy of pose estimates and the resulting motion correction, and developed an efficient method to predict and correct for refraction-based error. The refraction model underlying this study was validated using a state-of-the-art motion tracking system. Refraction-based error was shown to be dependent on tracking marker size, working distance, and interface thickness and tilt. Correcting for refraction error improved the spatial resolution and quantitative accuracy of motion-corrected positron emission tomography images. Since the methods are general, they may also be useful in other contexts where data are corrupted by refraction effects. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Vision-Based Leader Vehicle Trajectory Tracking for Multiple Agricultural Vehicles.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Linhuan; Ahamed, Tofael; Zhang, Yan; Gao, Pengbo; Takigawa, Tomohiro

2016-04-22

The aim of this study was to design a navigation system composed of a human-controlled leader vehicle and a follower vehicle. The follower vehicle automatically tracks the leader vehicle. With such a system, a human driver can control two vehicles efficiently in agricultural operations. The tracking system was developed for the leader and the follower vehicle, and control of the follower was performed using a camera vision system. A stable and accurate monocular vision-based sensing system was designed, consisting of a camera and rectangular markers. Noise in the data acquisition was reduced by using the least-squares method. A feedback control algorithm was used to allow the follower vehicle to track the trajectory of the leader vehicle. A proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller was introduced to maintain the required distance between the leader and the follower vehicle. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the sensing and tracking performances of the leader-follower system while the leader vehicle was driven at an average speed of 0.3 m/s. In the case of linear trajectory tracking, the RMS errors were 6.5 cm, 8.9 cm and 16.4 cm for straight, turning and zigzag paths, respectively. Again, for parallel trajectory tracking, the root mean square (RMS) errors were found to be 7.1 cm, 14.6 cm and 14.0 cm for straight, turning and zigzag paths, respectively. The navigation performances indicated that the autonomous follower vehicle was able to follow the leader vehicle, and the tracking accuracy was found to be satisfactory. Therefore, the developed leader-follower system can be implemented for the harvesting of grains, using a combine as the leader and an unloader as the autonomous follower vehicle.

A novel standalone track reconstruction algorithm for the LHCb upgrade

CERN Multimedia

Quagliani, Renato

2018-01-01

During the LHC Run III, starting in 2020, the instantaneous luminosity of LHCb will be increased up to 2×1033 cm−2 s−1, five times larger than in Run II. The LHCb detector will then have to be upgraded in 2019. In fact, a full software event reconstruction will be performed at the full bunch crossing rate by the trigger, in order to profit of the higher instantaneous luminosity provided by the accelerator. In addition, all the tracking devices will be replaced and, in particular, a scintillating fiber tracker (SciFi) will be installed after the magnet, allowing to cope with the higher occupancy. The new running conditions, and the tighter timing constraints in the software trigger, represent a big challenge for the track reconstruction. This talk presents the design and performance of a novel algorithm that has been developed to reconstruct track segments using solely hits from the SciFi. This algorithm is crucial for the reconstruction of tracks originating from long-lived particles such as KS and Λ. ...

New Serum Markers for Small-Cell Lung Cancer. II. The Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule, NCAM

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Vangsted, A.; Drivsholm, L.; Andersen, E.

1994-01-01

The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) was recently suggested as a marker for small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). Immunohistochemical analysis demonstrated the presence of the NCAM in 78% of SCLC patients and in 25% of patients with other cancer forms. NCAM was proposed to be the most sensitive marker...... for SCLC, and it may also be an important prognostic marker for SCLC. We used a competitive ELISA to analyze the concentrations of NCAM in sera from 96 SCLC patients, 16 patients with non-SCLC, 4 patients with other cancer forms, and 16 healthy controls. All sera were collected at the time of diagnosis......, before the patients received chemotherapy. The polyclonal antibody used in the assay recognized all three isoforms of NCAM. The concentration of NCAM was related to clinical parameters of the patients such as age, sex, blood group status, stage of disease, organ site involvement of metastases, survival...

Forensic botany II, DNA barcode for land plants: Which markers after the international agreement?

Science.gov (United States)

Ferri, G; Corradini, B; Ferrari, F; Santunione, A L; Palazzoli, F; Alu', M

2015-03-01

The ambitious idea of using a short piece of DNA for large-scale species identification (DNA barcoding) is already a powerful tool for scientists and the application of this standard technique seems promising in a range of fields including forensic genetics. While DNA barcoding enjoyed a remarkable success for animal identification through cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) analysis, the attempts to identify a single barcode for plants remained a vain hope for a longtime. From the beginning, the Consortium for the Barcode of Life (CBOL) showed a lack of agreement on a core plant barcode, reflecting the diversity of viewpoints. Different research groups advocated various markers with divergent set of criteria until the recent publication by the CBOL-Plant Working Group. After a four-year effort, in 2009 the International Team concluded to agree on standard markers promoting a multilocus solution (rbcL and matK), with 70-75% of discrimination to the species level. In 2009 our group firstly proposed the broad application of DNA barcoding principles as a tool for identification of trace botanical evidence through the analysis of two chloroplast loci (trnH-psbA and trnL-trnF) in plant species belonging to local flora. Difficulties and drawbacks that were encountered included a poor coverage of species in specific databases and the lack of authenticated reference sequences for the selected markers. Successful preliminary results were obtained providing an approach to progressively identify unknown plant specimens to a given taxonomic rank, usable by any non-specialist botanist or in case of a shortage of taxonomic expertise. Now we considered mandatory to update and to compare our previous findings with the new selected plastid markers (matK+rbcL), taking into account forensic requirements. Features of all the four loci (the two previously analyzed trnH-psbA+trnL-trnF and matK+rbcL) were compared singly and in multilocus solutions to assess the most suitable combination for

26 CFR 1.45G-0 - Table of contents for the railroad track maintenance credit rules.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

.... (1) In general. (2) Definitions. (i) Trade or business. (ii) Group and controlled group. (iii) Group.... (6) Tax accounting periods used. (i) In general. (ii) Special rule when timing of QRTME is... table of contents for § 1.45G-1. § 1.45G-1Railroad track maintenance credit. (a) In general. (b...

Object Detection and Tracking-Based Camera Calibration for Normalized Human Height Estimation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jaehoon Jung

2016-01-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a normalized human height estimation algorithm using an uncalibrated camera. To estimate the normalized human height, the proposed algorithm detects a moving object and performs tracking-based automatic camera calibration. The proposed method consists of three steps: (i moving human detection and tracking, (ii automatic camera calibration, and (iii human height estimation and error correction. The proposed method automatically calibrates camera by detecting moving humans and estimates the human height using error correction. The proposed method can be applied to object-based video surveillance systems and digital forensic.

Automatic multimodal real-time tracking for image plane alignment in interventional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neumann, Markus

2014-01-01

Interventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) aims at performing minimally invasive percutaneous interventions, such as tumor ablations and biopsies, under MRI guidance. During such interventions, the acquired MR image planes are typically aligned to the surgical instrument (needle) axis and to surrounding anatomical structures of interest in order to efficiently monitor the advancement in real-time of the instrument inside the patient's body. Object tracking inside the MRI is expected to facilitate and accelerate MR-guided interventions by allowing to automatically align the image planes to the surgical instrument. In this PhD thesis, an image-based work-flow is proposed and refined for automatic image plane alignment. An automatic tracking work-flow was developed, performing detection and tracking of a passive marker directly in clinical real-time images. This tracking work-flow is designed for fully automated image plane alignment, with minimization of tracking-dedicated time. Its main drawback is its inherent dependence on the slow clinical MRI update rate. First, the addition of motion estimation and prediction with a Kalman filter was investigated and improved the work-flow tracking performance. Second, a complementary optical sensor was used for multi-sensor tracking in order to decouple the tracking update rate from the MR image acquisition rate. Performance of the work-flow was evaluated with both computer simulations and experiments using an MR compatible test bed. Results show a high robustness of the multi-sensor tracking approach for dynamic image plane alignment, due to the combination of the individual strengths of each sensor. (author)

Design of a Low-cost Oil Spill Tracking Buoy

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Y.; Hu, X.; Yu, F.; Dong, S.; Chen, G.

2017-12-01

As the rapid development of oil exploitation and transportation, oil spill accidents, such as Prestige oil spill, Gulf of Mexico oil spill accident and so on, happened frequently in recent years which would result in long-term damage to the environment and human life. It would be helpful for rescue operation if we can locate the oil slick diffusion area in real time. Equipped with GNSS system, current tracking buoys(CTB), such as Lagrangian drifting buoy, Surface Velocity Program (SVP) drifter, iSLDMB (Iridium self locating datum marker buoy) and Argosphere buoy, have been used as oil tracking buoy in oil slick observation and as validation tools for oil spill simulation. However, surface wind could affect the movement of oil slick, which couldn't be reflected by CTB, thus the oil spill tracking performance is limited. Here, we proposed an novel oil spill tracking buoy (OSTB) which has a low cost of less than $140 and is equipped with Beidou positioning module and sails to track oil slick. Based on hydrodynamic equilibrium model and ocean dynamic analysis, the wind sails and water sails are designed to be adjustable according to different marine conditions to improve tracking efficiency. Quick release device is designed to assure easy deployment from air or ship. Sea experiment was carried out in Jiaozhou Bay, Northern China. OSTB, SVP, iSLDMB, Argosphere buoy and a piece of oil-simulated rubber sheet were deployed at the same time. Meanwhile, oil spill simulation model GNOME (general NOAA operational modeling environment) was configured with the wind and current field, which were collected by an unmanned surface vehicle (USV) mounted with acoustic Doppler current profilers (ADCP) and wind speed and direction sensors. Experimental results show that the OSTB has better relevance with rubber sheet and GNOME simulation results, which validate the oil tracking ability of OSTB. With low cost and easy deployment, OSTB provides an effective way for oil spill numerical

Effect of cross-correlation on track-to-track fusion

Science.gov (United States)

Saha, Rajat K.

1994-07-01

Since the advent of target tracking systems employing a diverse mixture of sensors, there has been increasing recognition by air defense system planners and other military system analysts of the need to integrate these tracks so that a clear air picture can be obtained in a command center. A popular methodology to achieve this goal is to perform track-to-track fusion, which performs track-to-track association as well as kinematic state vector fusion. This paper seeks to answer analytically the extent of improvement achievable by means of kinetic state vector fusion when the tracks are obtained from dissimilar sensors (e.g., Radar/ESM/IRST/IFF). It is well known that evaluation of the performance of state vector fusion algorithms at steady state must take into account the effects of cross-correlation between eligible tracks introduced by the input noise which, unfortunately, is often neglected because of added computational complexity. In this paper, an expression for the steady-state cross-covariance matrix for a 2D state vector track-to-track fusion is obtained. This matrix is shown to be a function of the parameters of the Kalman filters associated with the candidate tracks being fused. Conditions for positive definiteness of the cross-covariance matrix have been derived and the effect of positive definiteness on performance of track-to-track fusion is also discussed.

NucliTrack: an integrated nuclei tracking application.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, Sam; Barr, Alexis R; Glen, Robert; Bakal, Chris

2017-10-15

Live imaging studies give unparalleled insight into dynamic single cell behaviours and fate decisions. However, the challenge of reliably tracking single cells over long periods of time limits both the throughput and ease with which such studies can be performed. Here, we present NucliTrack, a cross platform solution for automatically segmenting, tracking and extracting features from fluorescently labelled nuclei. NucliTrack performs similarly to other state-of-the-art cell tracking algorithms, but NucliTrack's interactive, graphical interface makes it significantly more user friendly. NucliTrack is available as a free, cross platform application and open source Python package. Installation details and documentation are at: http://nuclitrack.readthedocs.io/en/latest/ A video guide can be viewed online: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6e0D9F-qSU Source code is available through Github: https://github.com/samocooper/nuclitrack. A Matlab toolbox is also available at: https://uk.mathworks.com/matlabcentral/fileexchange/61479-samocooper-nuclitrack-matlab. sam@socooper.com. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press.

A novel approach to tracking antigen-experienced CD4 T cells into functional compartments via tandem deep and shallow TCR clonotyping.

Science.gov (United States)

Estorninho, Megan; Gibson, Vivienne B; Kronenberg-Versteeg, Deborah; Liu, Yuk-Fun; Ni, Chester; Cerosaletti, Karen; Peakman, Mark

2013-12-01

Extensive diversity in the human repertoire of TCRs for Ag is both a cornerstone of effective adaptive immunity that enables host protection against a multiplicity of pathogens and a weakness that gives rise to potential pathological self-reactivity. The complexity arising from diversity makes detection and tracking of single Ag-specific CD4 T cells (ASTs) involved in these immune responses challenging. We report a tandem, multistep process to quantify rare TCRβ-chain variable sequences of ASTs in large polyclonal populations. The approach combines deep high-throughput sequencing (HTS) within functional CD4 T cell compartments, such as naive/memory cells, with shallow, multiple identifier-based HTS of ASTs identified by activation marker upregulation after short-term Ag stimulation in vitro. We find that clonotypes recognizing HLA class II-restricted epitopes of both pathogen-derived Ags and self-Ags are oligoclonal and typically private. Clonotype tracking within an individual reveals private AST clonotypes resident in the memory population, as would be expected, representing clonal expansions (identical nucleotide sequence; "ultraprivate"). Other AST clonotypes share CDR3β amino acid sequences through convergent recombination and are found in memory populations of multiple individuals. Tandem HTS-based clonotyping will facilitate studying AST dynamics, epitope spreading, and repertoire changes that arise postvaccination and following Ag-specific immunotherapies for cancer and autoimmune disease.

The Visual Object Tracking VOT2015 Challenge Results

KAUST Repository

Kristan, Matej; Matas, Jiri; Leonardis, Ale; Felsberg, Michael; Cehovin, Luka; Fernandez, Gustavo; Vojir, Toma; Hager, Gustav; Nebehay, Georg; Pflugfelder, Roman; Gupta, Abhinav; Bibi, Adel Aamer; Lukezic, Alan; Garcia-Martin, Alvaro; Saffari, Amir; Petrosino, Alfredo; Montero, Andres Solıs; Varfolomieiev, Anton; Baskurt, Atilla; Zhao, Baojun; Ghanem, Bernard; Martinez, Brais; Lee, ByeongJu; Han, Bohyung; Wang, Chaohui; Garcia, Christophe; Zhang, Chunyuan; Schmid, Cordelia; Tao, Dacheng; Kim, Daijin; Huang, Dafei; Prokhorov, Danil; Du, Dawei; Yeung, Dit-Yan; Ribeiro, Eraldo; Khan, Fahad Shahbaz; Porikli, Fatih; Bunyak, Filiz; Zhu, Gao; Seetharaman, Guna; Kieritz, Hilke; Yau, Hing Tuen; Li, Hongdong; Qi, Honggang; Bischof, Horst; Possegger, Horst; Lee, Hyemin; Nam, Hyeonseob; Bogun, Ivan; Jeong, Jae-chan; Cho, Jae-il; Lee, Jae-Yeong; Zhu, Jianke; Shi, Jianping; Li, Jiatong; Jia, Jiaya; Feng, Jiayi; Gao, Jin; Choi, Jin Young; Kim, Ji-Wan; Lang, Jochen; Martinez, Jose M.; Choi, Jongwon; Xing, Junliang; Xue, Kai; Palaniappan, Kannappan; Lebeda, Karel; Alahari, Karteek; Gao, Ke; Yun, Kimin; Wong, Kin Hong; Luo, Lei; Ma, Liang; Ke, Lipeng; Wen, Longyin; Bertinetto, Luca; Pootschi, Mahdieh; Maresca, Mario; Danelljan, Martin; Wen, Mei; Zhang, Mengdan; Arens, Michael; Valstar, Michel; Tang, Ming; Chang, Ming-Ching; Khan, Muhammad Haris; Fan, Nana; Wang, Naiyan; Miksik, Ondrej; Torr, Philip H S; Wang, Qiang; Martin-Nieto, Rafael; Pelapur, Rengarajan; Bowden, Richard; Laganiere, Robert; Moujtahid, Salma; Hare, Sam; Hadfield, Simon; Lyu, Siwei; Li, Siyi; Zhu, Song-Chun; Becker, Stefan; Duffner, Stefan; Hicks, Stephen L; Golodetz, Stuart; Choi, Sunglok; Wu, Tianfu; Mauthner, Thomas; Pridmore, Tony; Hu, Weiming; Hubner, Wolfgang; Wang, Xiaomeng; Li, Xin; Shi, Xinchu; Zhao, Xu; Mei, Xue; Shizeng, Yao; Hua, Yang; Li, Yang; Lu, Yang; Li, Yuezun; Chen, Zhaoyun; Huang, Zehua; Chen, Zhe; Zhang, Zhe; He, Zhenyu; Hong, Zhibin

2015-01-01

The Visual Object Tracking challenge 2015, VOT2015, aims at comparing short-term single-object visual trackers that do not apply pre-learned models of object appearance. Results of 62 trackers are presented. The number of tested trackers makes VOT 2015 the largest benchmark on short-term tracking to date. For each participating tracker, a short description is provided in the appendix. Features of the VOT2015 challenge that go beyond its VOT2014 predecessor are: (i) a new VOT2015 dataset twice as large as in VOT2014 with full annotation of targets by rotated bounding boxes and per-frame attribute, (ii) extensions of the VOT2014 evaluation methodology by introduction of a new performance measure. The dataset, the evaluation kit as well as the results are publicly available at the challenge website.

The Visual Object Tracking VOT2015 Challenge Results

KAUST Repository

Kristan, Matej

2015-12-07

The Visual Object Tracking challenge 2015, VOT2015, aims at comparing short-term single-object visual trackers that do not apply pre-learned models of object appearance. Results of 62 trackers are presented. The number of tested trackers makes VOT 2015 the largest benchmark on short-term tracking to date. For each participating tracker, a short description is provided in the appendix. Features of the VOT2015 challenge that go beyond its VOT2014 predecessor are: (i) a new VOT2015 dataset twice as large as in VOT2014 with full annotation of targets by rotated bounding boxes and per-frame attribute, (ii) extensions of the VOT2014 evaluation methodology by introduction of a new performance measure. The dataset, the evaluation kit as well as the results are publicly available at the challenge website.

SU-G-JeP1-08: Dual Modality Verification for Respiratory Gating Using New Real- Time Tumor Tracking Radiotherapy System

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Shiinoki, T; Hanazawa, H; Shibuya, K [Yamaguchi University, Ube, Yamaguchi (Japan); Kawamura, S; Koike, M; Yuasa, Y; Uehara, T; Fujimoto, K [Yamaguchi University Hospital, Ube, Yamaguchi (Japan)

2016-06-15

Purpose: The respirato ry gating system combined the TrueBeam and a new real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system (RTRT) was installed. The RTRT system consists of two x-ray tubes and color image intensifiers. Using fluoroscopic images, the fiducial marker which was implanted near the tumor was tracked and was used as the internal surrogate for respiratory gating. The purposes of this study was to develop the verification technique of the respiratory gating with the new RTRT using cine electronic portal image device images (EPIDs) of TrueBeam and log files of the RTRT. Methods: A patient who underwent respiratory gated SBRT of the lung using the RTRT were enrolled in this study. For a patient, the log files of three-dimensional coordinate of fiducial marker used as an internal surrogate were acquired using the RTRT. Simultaneously, the cine EPIDs were acquired during respiratory gated radiotherapy. The data acquisition was performed for one field at five sessions during the course of SBRT. The residual motion errors were calculated using the log files (E{sub log}). The fiducial marker used as an internal surrogate into the cine EPIDs was automatically extracted by in-house software based on the template-matching algorithm. The differences between the the marker positions of cine EPIDs and digitally reconstructed radiograph were calculated (E{sub EPID}). Results: Marker detection on EPID using in-house software was influenced by low image contrast. For one field during the course of SBRT, the respiratory gating using the RTRT showed the mean ± S.D. of 95{sup th} percentile E{sub EPID} were 1.3 ± 0.3 mm,1.1 ± 0.5 mm,and those of E{sub log} were 1.5 ± 0.2 mm, 1.1 ± 0.2 mm in LR and SI directions, respectively. Conclusion: We have developed the verification method of respiratory gating combined TrueBeam and new real-time tumor-tracking radiotherapy system using EPIDs and log files.

Quality of Slab Track Construction – Track Alignment Design and Track Geometry

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Šestáková Janka

2015-05-01

Full Text Available The slab track superstructure design (without ballast is a perspective construction especially for building tunnels and bridges in the modernized sections of railway tracks in Slovakia. Monitoring of the structure described in this article is focused on the transition areas between standard structure with ballast and slab track construction.

A new method for determining the uranium and thorium distribution in volcanic rock samples using solid state nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Misdaq, M.A.; Bakhchi, A.; Ktata, A.; Koutit, A.; Lamine, J.; Ait nouh, F.; Oufni, L.

2000-01-01

A method based on using solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD) CR- 39 and LR-115 type II and calculating the probabilities for the alpha particles emitted by the uranium and thorium series to reach and be registered on these films was utilized for uranium and thorium contents determination in various geological samples. The distribution of uranium and thorium in different volcanic rocks has been investigated using the track fission method. In this work, the uranium and thorium contents have been determined in different volcanic rock samples by using CR-39 and LR-115 type II solid state nuclear track detectors (SSNTD). The mean critical angles of etching of the solid state nuclear track detectors utilized have been calculated. A petrographical study of the volcanic rock thin layers studied has been conducted. The uranium and thorium distribution inside different rock thin layers has been studied. The mechanism of inclusion of the uranium and thorium nuclei inside the volcanic rock samples studied has been investigated. (author)

Molecular markers in bladder cancer: Novel research frontiers.

Science.gov (United States)

Sanguedolce, Francesca; Cormio, Antonella; Bufo, Pantaleo; Carrieri, Giuseppe; Cormio, Luigi

2015-01-01

Bladder cancer (BC) is a heterogeneous disease encompassing distinct biologic features that lead to extremely different clinical behaviors. In the last 20 years, great efforts have been made to predict disease outcome and response to treatment by developing risk assessment calculators based on multiple standard clinical-pathological factors, as well as by testing several molecular markers. Unfortunately, risk assessment calculators alone fail to accurately assess a single patient's prognosis and response to different treatment options. Several molecular markers easily assessable by routine immunohistochemical techniques hold promise for becoming widely available and cost-effective tools for a more reliable risk assessment, but none have yet entered routine clinical practice. Current research is therefore moving towards (i) identifying novel molecular markers; (ii) testing old and new markers in homogeneous patients' populations receiving homogeneous treatments; (iii) generating a multimarker panel that could be easily, and thus routinely, used in clinical practice; (iv) developing novel risk assessment tools, possibly combining standard clinical-pathological factors with molecular markers. This review analyses the emerging body of literature concerning novel biomarkers, ranging from genetic changes to altered expression of a huge variety of molecules, potentially involved in BC outcome and response to treatment. Findings suggest that some of these indicators, such as serum circulating tumor cells and tissue mitochondrial DNA, seem to be easily assessable and provide reliable information. Other markers, such as the phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT (serine-threonine kinase)/mTOR (mammalian target of rapamycin) pathway and epigenetic changes in DNA methylation seem to not only have prognostic/predictive value but also, most importantly, represent valuable therapeutic targets. Finally, there is increasing evidence that the development of novel risk assessment tools

Problems of genetic diagnosis: serological markers in the prognosis of the development of human speed abilities

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Serhiyenko Leonid Prokopovich

2011-10-01

Full Text Available The article deals with the study of correlation between blood groups system AB0 and Rh with the peculiarities of the development of human speed abilities. Complex of genetic markers is defined. It is possible to use this complex in the individual prognosis of the development of human motor abilities. With 0(I and A(II blood groups and Rh+ have a high inclination to the physical development. Better identify trends in the phenotypic expression of high-speed abilities in people with 0(I and A(II blood groups in comparison with people with the AB(IV and B(III blood group. The pattern of decreasing susceptibility to the development of high-speed abilities as follows: 0(I>A(II>B(III>AB (IV. It is established that a complex system of genetic markers AB0 and Rh blood has no gender differences.

Angelman syndrome with uniparental disomy due to paternal meiosis II nondisjunction.

Science.gov (United States)

Gyftodimou, J; Karadima, G; Pandelia, E; Vassilopoulos, D; Petersen, M B

1999-06-01

We report a case of Angelman syndrome (AS) with paternal uniparental disomy (pUPD) of chromosome 15. This 6-year-old girl with overgrowth had frequent, but only provoked laughter, was mildly ataxic with limb hypertonia, and had no intelligible speech. She had deep-set eyes, protruding tongue, and prominent chin. The karyotype was normal. DNA analysis with microsatellites from chromosome 15 showed no inheritance of maternal alleles both within and outside the AS critical region. Proximal markers showed reduction to homozygosity of paternal alleles, intermediate markers showed nonreduction, and distal markers reduction, thus suggesting a meiosis II nondisjunction event in the father with two crossovers. This is, to our knowledge, the first reported case of AS due to meiosis II nondisjunction. We present detailed physical measurements in this patient, adding to the clinical description of the milder phenotype in AS due to pUPD.

Bio-markers: traceability in food safety issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Raspor, Peter

2005-01-01

Research and practice are focusing on development, validation and harmonization of technologies and methodologies to ensure complete traceability process throughout the food chain. The main goals are: scale-up, implementation and validation of methods in whole food chains, assurance of authenticity, validity of labelling and application of HACCP (hazard analysis and critical control point) to the entire food chain. The current review is to sum the scientific and technological basis for ensuring complete traceability. Tracing and tracking (traceability) of foods are complex processes due to the (bio)markers, technical solutions and different circumstances in different technologies which produces various foods (processed, semi-processed, or raw). Since the food is produced for human or animal consumption we need suitable markers to be stable and traceable all along the production chain. Specific biomarkers can have a function in technology and in nutrition. Such approach would make this development faster and more comprehensive and would make possible that food effect could be monitored with same set of biomarkers in consumer. This would help to develop and implement food safety standards that would be based on real physiological function of particular food component.

Clinical significance of determination of 3 tumor markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen Rui; Hu Huacheng; Hu Yunzhu

2003-01-01

Objective: To investigate the value of 3 tumor markers in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) for diagnosis and evaluation of disease extent in patients with lung cancer. Methods: The level of CEA, CYFRA21-1 and NSE in BALF was measured in 92 patients with lung cancer and 40 patients with benign lung diseases by using chemoluminescence, RIA and ELISA methods respectively. Results: The level of all 3 tumor markers measured in BALF was much higher in lung cancer group than that in benign lung disease group (P<0.01 or P<0.05), and it was higher in patients with advanced disease (stage III and IV) than that in stage I and II. These tumor markers increased in different degrees among the patients in various pathological classifications. It was also found the level of these tumor markers was higher and more sensitive in BALF than that in serum. Conclusion: The measurement of the tumor markers in BALF has more significant value than the measurement in serum, which contribute to the early diagnosis, pathological classification and prognosis evaluation of lung cancer

Tunisian Toxoplasma gondii strains genotyping by the use of AK69 marker

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aoun Karim

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Clinical manifestation due to infection by Toxoplasma gondii is closely linked to the infecting strain of the parasite. Several genetic markers are available to determinate its genotype but few of them are able to discriminate between the three predominant lineages, namely types I, II and III. The number of markers decreases when atypical, recombinant/mixed genotypes need to be identified. Findings In our study, the contribution of sequence polymorphisms in the AK69 gene as typing markers for T. gondii was investigated for the first time in an epidemiological study. The coding region of the marker was amplified, sequenced and aligned for different Toxoplasma strains. The identified nucleotide polymorphism at 12 positions was able to highly discriminate between the different congenital toxoplasmosis Tunisian strains. Moreover the high detection sensitivity level of the marker enabled unambiguous identification of mixed/recombinant genotypes directly. Conclusion It can be, thus, very useful for direct typing in areas where such genotypes are frequently encountered, mainly in the African continent.

Belle II silicon vertex detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamczyk, K. [H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow 31-342 (Poland); Aihara, H. [Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Angelini, C. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Aziz, T.; Babu, V. [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005 (India); Bacher, S. [H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow 31-342 (Poland); Bahinipati, S. [Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Satya Nagar (India); Barberio, E.; Baroncelli, Ti.; Baroncelli, To. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Basith, A.K. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Batignani, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bauer, A. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Behera, P.K. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Bergauer, T. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Bettarini, S. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bhuyan, B. [Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam 781039 (India); Bilka, T. [Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, 121 16 Prague (Czech Republic); Bosi, F. [INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bosisio, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); INFN Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); and others

2016-09-21

The Belle II experiment at the SuperKEKB collider in Japan is designed to indirectly probe new physics using approximately 50 times the data recorded by its predecessor. An accurate determination of the decay-point position of subatomic particles such as beauty and charm hadrons as well as a precise measurement of low-momentum charged particles will play a key role in this pursuit. These will be accomplished by an inner tracking device comprising two layers of pixelated silicon detector and four layers of silicon vertex detector based on double-sided microstrip sensors. We describe herein the design, prototyping and construction efforts of the Belle-II silicon vertex detector.

WE-G-BRD-03: Development of a Real-Time Optical Tracking Goggle System (OTGS) for Intracranial Stereotactic Radiotherapy

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mittauer, K; Yan, G; Lu, B; Barraclough, B; Li, J; Liu, C [University of Florida, Gainesville, FL (United States)

2014-06-15

Purpose: Optical tracking systems (OTS) are an acceptable alternative to frame-based stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT). However, current surface-based OTS lack the ability to target exclusively rigid/bony anatomical features. We propose a novel marker-based optical tracking goggle system (OTGS) that provides real-time guidance based on the nose/facial bony anatomy. This ongoing study involves the development and characterization of the OTGS for clinical implementation in intracranial stereotactic radiotherapy. Methods: The OTGS consists of eye goggles, a custom thermoplastic nosepiece, and 6 infrared markers pre-attached to the goggles. A phantom and four healthy volunteers were used to evaluate the calibration/registration accuracy, intrafraction accuracy, interfraction reproducibility, and end-to-end accuracy of the OTGS. The performance of the OTGS was compared with that of the frameless SonArray system and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for volunteer and phantom cases, respectively. The performance of the OTGS with commercial immobilization devices and under treatment conditions (i.e., couch rotation and translation range) was also evaluated. Results: The difference in the calibration/registration accuracy of 24 translations or rotation combinations between CBCT and in-house OTS software was within 0.5 mm/0.4°. The mean intrafraction and interfraction accuracy among the volunteers was 0.004+/−0.4mm with −0.09+/−0.5° (n=6,170) and −0.26+/−0.8mm with 0.15+/0.8° (n=11), respectively. The difference in end-to-end accuracy between the OTGS and CBCT was within 1.3 mm/1.1°. The predetermined marker pattern (1) minimized marker occlusions, (2) allowed for continuous tracking for couch angles +/− 90°, (3) and eliminated individual marker misplacement. The device was feasible with open and half masks for immobilization. Conclusion: Bony anatomical localization eliminated potential errors due to facial hair changes and/or soft tissue deformation. The

Personalisatie in academische bibliotheeksystemen. - II: MyLibrary voorbij

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hunsucker, R.L.

2005-01-01

Personalisation in academic library systems - II: Beyond MyLibrary The academic libraries' attempt to 'personalise' tracking down and accessing relevant literature and information sources developed into an undeniably meagre performance. So wrote R.L. Hunsucker in the first part of his contribution

Multi-year microbial source tracking study characterizing fecal contamination in an urban watershed

Science.gov (United States)

Bushon, Rebecca N.; Brady, Amie M. G.; Christensen, Eric D.; Stelzer, Erin A.

2017-01-01

Microbiological and hydrological data were used to rank tributary stream contributions of bacteria to the Little Blue River in Independence, Missouri. Concentrations, loadings and yields of E. coli and microbial source tracking (MST) markers, were characterized during base flow and storm events in five subbasins within Independence, as well as sources entering and leaving the city through the river. The E. coli water quality threshold was exceeded in 29% of base-flow and 89% of storm-event samples. The total contribution of E. coli and MST markers from tributaries within Independence to the Little Blue River, regardless of streamflow, did not significantly increase the median concentrations leaving the city. Daily loads and yields of E. coli and MST markers were used to rank the subbasins according to their contribution of each constituent to the river. The ranking methodology used in this study may prove useful in prioritizing remediation in the different subbasins.

Nanoscale measurements of proton tracks using fluorescent nuclear track detectors

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sawakuchi, Gabriel O., E-mail: gsawakuchi@mdanderson.org; Sahoo, Narayan [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Texas, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States); Ferreira, Felisberto A. [Department of Nuclear Physics, University of Sao Paulo, SP 05508-090 (Brazil); McFadden, Conor H. [Department of Radiation Physics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas 77030 (United States); Hallacy, Timothy M. [Biophysics Program, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States); Granville, Dal A. [Department of Medical Physics, The Ottawa Hospital Cancer Centre, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 8L6 (Canada); Akselrod, Mark S. [Crystal Growth Division, Landauer, Inc., Stillwater, Oklahoma 74074 (United States)

2016-05-15

Purpose: The authors describe a method in which fluorescence nuclear track detectors (FNTDs), novel track detectors with nanoscale spatial resolution, are used to determine the linear energy transfer (LET) of individual proton tracks from proton therapy beams by allowing visualization and 3D reconstruction of such tracks. Methods: FNTDs were exposed to proton therapy beams with nominal energies ranging from 100 to 250 MeV. Proton track images were then recorded by confocal microscopy of the FNTDs. Proton tracks in the FNTD images were fit by using a Gaussian function to extract fluorescence amplitudes. Histograms of fluorescence amplitudes were then compared with LET spectra. Results: The authors successfully used FNTDs to register individual proton tracks from high-energy proton therapy beams, allowing reconstruction of 3D images of proton tracks along with delta rays. The track amplitudes from FNTDs could be used to parameterize LET spectra, allowing the LET of individual proton tracks from therapeutic proton beams to be determined. Conclusions: FNTDs can be used to directly visualize proton tracks and their delta rays at the nanoscale level. Because the track intensities in the FNTDs correlate with LET, they could be used further to measure LET of individual proton tracks. This method may be useful for measuring nanoscale radiation quantities and for measuring the LET of individual proton tracks in radiation biology experiments.

The CDF Run II disk inventory manager

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hubbard, Paul; Lammel, Stephan

2001-01-01

The Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF) experiment records and analyses proton-antiproton interactions at a center-of-mass energy of 2 TeV. Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron started in April of this year. The duration of the run is expected to be over two years. One of the main data handling strategies of CDF for Run II is to hide all tape access from the user and to facilitate sharing of data and thus disk space. A disk inventory manager was designed and developed over the past years to keep track of the data on disk, to coordinate user access to the data, and to stage data back from tape to disk as needed. The CDF Run II disk inventory manager consists of a server process, a user and administrator command line interfaces, and a library with the routines of the client API. Data are managed in filesets which are groups of one or more files. The system keeps track of user access to the filesets and attempts to keep frequently accessed data on disk. Data that are not on disk are automatically staged back from tape as needed. For CDF the main staging method is based on the mt-tools package as tapes are written according to the ANSI standard

The Mark II Vertex Drift Chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alexander, J.P.; Baggs, R.; Fujino, D.

1989-03-01

We have completed constructing and begun operating the Mark II Drift Chamber Vertex Detector. The chamber, based on a modified jet cell design, achieves 30 μm spatial resolution and 2 gas mixtures. Special emphasis has been placed on controlling systematic errors including the use of novel construction techniques which permit accurate wire placement. Chamber performance has been studied with cosmic ray tracks collected with the chamber located both inside and outside the Mark II. Results on spatial resolution, average pulse shape, and some properties of CO 2 mixtures are presented. 10 refs., 12 figs., 1 tab

Estimates of epistatic and pleiotropic effects of casein alpha s1 (CSN1S1) and thyroglobulin (TG) genetic markers on beef heifer performance traits enhanced by selection

Science.gov (United States)

Genetic marker effects and type of inheritance are estimated with poor precision when minor marker allele frequencies are low. A stable composite population (MARC II) was subjected to marker assisted selection for two years to equalize CSN1S1 and TG genetic marker frequencies to evaluate the epista...

Role of AMPK in regulation of LC3 lipidation as a marker of autophagy in skeletal muscle

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Fritzen, Andreas Mæchel; Frøsig, Christian; Jeppesen, Jacob Fuglsbjerg

2016-01-01

During induction of the autophagosomal degradation process, LC3-I is lipidated to LC3-II and associates to the cargo isolation membrane allowing for autophagosome formation. Lipidation of LC3 results in an increased LC3-II/LC3-I ratio, and this ratio is an often used marker for autophagy in vario...

The neural network z-vertex trigger for the Belle II detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Skambraks, Sebastian; Neuhaus, Sara [Technische Universitaet Muenchen (Germany); Chen, Yang; Kiesling, Christian [Max-Planck-Institut fuer Physik, Muenchen (Germany); Collaboration: Belle II-Collaboration

2016-07-01

We present a neural network based first level track trigger for the upcoming Belle II detector at the high luminosity SuperKEKB flavor factory. Using hit and drift time information from the Central Drift Chamber (CDC), neural networks estimate the z-coordinates of single track vertex positions. Especially beam induced background, with vertices outside of the interaction region, can clearly be rejected. This allows to relax the track trigger conditions and thus enhances the efficiency for events with a low track multiplicity. In the CDC trigger pipeline, the preceding 2D pattern recognition enables a unique per track input representation and a sectorization of the track parameter phase space. The precise z-vertices are then estimated by an ensemble of sector-specific local expert neural networks. After an introduction to the neural trigger system, the benefits of an improved 3D pattern recognition are discussed.

Initial assessment of tumor tracking with a gimbaled linac system in clinical circumstances: A patient simulation study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Depuydt, Tom; Poels, Kenneth; Verellen, Dirk; Engels, Benedikt; Collen, Christine; Haverbeke, Chloe; Gevaert, Thierry; Buls, Nico; Van Gompel, Gert; Reynders, Truus; Duchateau, Michael; Tournel, Koen; Boussaer, Marlies; Steenbeke, Femke; Vandenbroucke, Frederik; De Ridder, Mark

2013-01-01

Purpose: To have an initial assessment of the Vero Dynamic Tracking workflow in clinical circumstances and quantify the performance of the tracking system, a simulation study was set up on 5 lung and liver patients. Methods and materials: The preparatory steps of a tumor tracking treatment, based on fiducial markers implanted in the tumor, were executed allowing pursuit of the tumor with the gimbaled linac and monitoring X-rays acquisition, however, without activating the 6 MV beam. Data were acquired on workflow time-efficiency, tracking accuracy and imaging exposure. Results: The average time between the patient entering the treatment room and the first treatment field was about 9 min. The time for building the correlation model was 3.2 min. Tracking errors of 0.55 and 0.95 mm (1σ) were observed in PAN/TILT direction and a 2D range of 3.08 mm. A skin dose was determined of 0.08 mGy/image, with a source-to-skin distance of 900 mm and kV exposure of 1 mAs. On average 1.8 mGy/min kV skin dose was observed for 1 Hz monitoring. Conclusion: The Vero tracking solution proved to be fully functional and showed performance comparable with other real-time tracking systems

The Visual Object Tracking VOT2016 Challenge Results

KAUST Repository

Kristan, Matej

2016-11-02

The Visual Object Tracking challenge VOT2016 aims at comparing short-term single-object visual trackers that do not apply pre-learned models of object appearance. Results of 70 trackers are presented, with a large number of trackers being published at major computer vision conferences and journals in the recent years. The number of tested state-of-the-art trackers makes the VOT 2016 the largest and most challenging benchmark on short-term tracking to date. For each participating tracker, a short description is provided in the Appendix. The VOT2016 goes beyond its predecessors by (i) introducing a new semi-automatic ground truth bounding box annotation methodology and (ii) extending the evaluation system with the no-reset experiment. The dataset, the evaluation kit as well as the results are publicly available at the challenge website (http://votchallenge.net).

The Visual Object Tracking VOT2016 Challenge Results

KAUST Repository

Kristan, Matej; Leonardis, Aleš; Matas, Jiři; Felsberg, Michael; Pflugfelder, Roman; Čehovin, Luka; Vojí r̃, Tomá š; Hä ger, Gustav; Lukežič, Alan; Ferná ndez, Gustavo; Gupta, Abhinav; Petrosino, Alfredo; Memarmoghadam, Alireza; Garcia-Martin, Alvaro; Solí s Montero, André s; Vedaldi, Andrea; Robinson, Andreas; Ma, Andy J.; Varfolomieiev, Anton; Alatan, Aydin; Erdem, Aykut; Ghanem, Bernard; Liu, Bin; Han, Bohyung; Martinez, Brais; Chang, Chang-Ming; Xu, Changsheng; Sun, Chong; Kim, Daijin; Chen, Dapeng; Du, Dawei; Mishra, Deepak; Yeung, Dit-Yan; Gundogdu, Erhan; Erdem, Erkut; Khan, Fahad; Porikli, Fatih; Zhao, Fei; Bunyak, Filiz; Battistone, Francesco; Zhu, Gao; Roffo, Giorgio; Subrahmanyam, Gorthi R. K. Sai; Bastos, Guilherme; Seetharaman, Guna; Medeiros, Henry; Li, Hongdong; Qi, Honggang; Bischof, Horst; Possegger, Horst; Lu, Huchuan; Lee, Hyemin; Nam, Hyeonseob; Chang, Hyung Jin; Drummond, Isabela; Valmadre, Jack; Jeong, Jae-chan; Cho, Jae-il; Lee, Jae-Yeong; Zhu, Jianke; Feng, Jiayi; Gao, Jin; Choi, Jin Young; Xiao, Jingjing; Kim, Ji-Wan; Jeong, Jiyeoup; Henriques, Joã o F.; Lang, Jochen; Choi, Jongwon; Martinez, Jose M.; Xing, Junliang; Gao, Junyu; Palaniappan, Kannappan; Lebeda, Karel; Gao, Ke; Mikolajczyk, Krystian; Qin, Lei; Wang, Lijun; Wen, Longyin; Bertinetto, Luca; Rapuru, Madan Kumar; Poostchi, Mahdieh; Maresca, Mario; Danelljan, Martin; Mueller, Matthias; Zhang, Mengdan; Arens, Michael; Valstar, Michel; Tang, Ming; Baek, Mooyeol; Khan, Muhammad Haris; Wang, Naiyan; Fan, Nana; Al-Shakarji, Noor; Miksik, Ondrej; Akin, Osman; Moallem, Payman; Senna, Pedro; Torr, Philip H. S.; Yuen, Pong C.; Huang, Qingming; Martin-Nieto, Rafael; Pelapur, Rengarajan; Bowden, Richard; Laganiè re, Robert; Stolkin, Rustam; Walsh, Ryan; Krah, Sebastian B.; Li, Shengkun; Zhang, Shengping; Yao, Shizeng; Hadfield, Simon; Melzi, Simone; Lyu, Siwei; Li, Siyi; Becker, Stefan; Golodetz, Stuart; Kakanuru, Sumithra; Choi, Sunglok; Hu, Tao; Mauthner, Thomas; Zhang, Tianzhu; Pridmore, Tony; Santopietro, Vincenzo; Hu, Weiming; Li, Wenbo; Hü bner, Wolfgang; Lan, Xiangyuan; Wang, Xiaomeng; Li, Xin; Li, Yang; Demiris, Yiannis; Wang, Yifan; Qi, Yuankai; Yuan, Zejian; Cai, Zexiong; Xu, Zhan; He, Zhenyu; Chi, Zhizhen

2016-01-01

The Visual Object Tracking challenge VOT2016 aims at comparing short-term single-object visual trackers that do not apply pre-learned models of object appearance. Results of 70 trackers are presented, with a large number of trackers being published at major computer vision conferences and journals in the recent years. The number of tested state-of-the-art trackers makes the VOT 2016 the largest and most challenging benchmark on short-term tracking to date. For each participating tracker, a short description is provided in the Appendix. The VOT2016 goes beyond its predecessors by (i) introducing a new semi-automatic ground truth bounding box annotation methodology and (ii) extending the evaluation system with the no-reset experiment. The dataset, the evaluation kit as well as the results are publicly available at the challenge website (http://votchallenge.net).

NABIC marker database: A molecular markers information network of agricultural crops.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Chang-Kug; Seol, Young-Joo; Lee, Dong-Jun; Jeong, In-Seon; Yoon, Ung-Han; Lee, Gang-Seob; Hahn, Jang-Ho; Park, Dong-Suk

2013-01-01

In 2013, National Agricultural Biotechnology Information Center (NABIC) reconstructs a molecular marker database for useful genetic resources. The web-based marker database consists of three major functional categories: map viewer, RSN marker and gene annotation. It provides 7250 marker locations, 3301 RSN marker property, 3280 molecular marker annotation information in agricultural plants. The individual molecular marker provides information such as marker name, expressed sequence tag number, gene definition and general marker information. This updated marker-based database provides useful information through a user-friendly web interface that assisted in tracing any new structures of the chromosomes and gene positional functions using specific molecular markers. The database is available for free at http://nabic.rda.go.kr/gere/rice/molecularMarkers/

Proteomic analysis of fetal programming-related obesity markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Ji Hye; Yoo, Jae Young; You, Young-Ah; Kwon, Woo-Sung; Lee, Sang Mi; Pang, Myung-Geol; Kim, Young Ju

2015-08-01

The objectives of this study were to analyze fetal programming in rat brain using proteomic analysis and to identify fetal programming-related obesity markers. Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into four feeding groups: (i) the Ad Libitum (AdLib)/AdLib group was given a normal diet during pregnancy and the lactation period; (ii) the AdLib/maternal food restriction group (FR) was subjected to 50% FR during the lactation period; (iii) the FR/AdLib group was subjected to 50% FR during pregnancy; and (iv) the FR/FR group was subjected to 50% FR during pregnancy and the lactation period. Offspring from each group were sacrificed at 3 weeks of age and whole brains were dissected. To obtain a maximum number of protein markers related to obesity, 2DE and Pathway Studio bioinformatics analysis were performed. The identities of the markers among the selected and candidate proteins were confirmed by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Proteomic and bioinformatics analyses revealed that expression of ubiquitin carboxy-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCHL1) and Secernin 1 (SCRN1) were significantly different in the FR/AdLib group compared with the AdLib/AdLib group for both male and female offspring. These findings suggest that UCHL1 and SCRN1 may be used as fetal programming-related obesity markers. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

WGS 84 Coordinate Validation and Improvement for the NIMA and Air Force GPS Tracking Stations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Cunningham, James

1996-01-01

Using 10 days of Global Positioning System (GPS) pseudorange and carrier phase data collected in 1995 from 31 stations and 24 Block II/IIA satellites, estimates of GPS clocks, orbits, and tracking station coordinates were generated...

Computational tools and lattice design for the PEP-II B-Factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai Yunhai; Irwin, John; Nosochkov, Yuri; Yan, Yiton

1997-01-01

Several accelerator codes were used to design the PEP-II lattices, ranging from matrix-based codes, such as MAD and DIMAD, to symplectic-integrator codes, such as TRACY and DESPOT. In addition to element-by-element tracking, we constructed maps to determine aberration strengths. Furthermore, we have developed a fast and reliable method (nPB tracking) to track particles with a one-turn map. This new technique allows us to evaluate performance of the lattices on the entire tune-plane. Recently, we designed and implemented an object-oriented code in C++ called LEGO which integrates and expands upon TRACY and DESPOT

Tracking single cells in live animals using a photoconvertible near-infrared cell membrane label.

Science.gov (United States)

Carlson, Alicia L; Fujisaki, Joji; Wu, Juwell; Runnels, Judith M; Turcotte, Raphaël; Spencer, Joel A; Celso, Cristina Lo; Scadden, David T; Strom, Terry B; Lin, Charles P

2013-01-01

We describe a novel photoconversion technique to track individual cells in vivo using a commercial lipophilic membrane dye, DiR. We show that DiR exhibits a permanent fluorescence emission shift (photoconversion) after light exposure and does not reacquire the original color over time. Ratiometric imaging can be used to distinguish photoconverted from non-converted cells with high sensitivity. Combining the use of this photoconvertible dye with intravital microscopy, we tracked the division of individual hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells within the calvarium bone marrow of live mice. We also studied the peripheral differentiation of individual T cells by tracking the gain or loss of FoxP3-GFP expression, a marker of the immune suppressive function of CD4(+) T cells. With the near-infrared photoconvertible membrane dye, the entire visible spectral range is available for simultaneous use with other fluorescent proteins to monitor gene expression or to trace cell lineage commitment in vivo with high spatial and temporal resolution.

Large angle tracking and high discriminating tracking in nuclear emulsion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matsuo, Tomokazu; Shibuya, Hiroshi; Ogawa, Satoru; Fukuda, Tsutomu; Mikado, Shoji

2015-01-01

Nuclear emulsion is a high resolution and re-analyzable detector. Conventional “Track Selector” which have angle acceptance |tan θ|<0.6 are widely used to find tracks in emulsion. We made a new track selector “Fine Track Selector” (FTS) which has large angle acceptance and high discriminating ability. The FTS reduces fake tracks using new algorithms, navigation etc. FTS also keeps finding efficiency of tracks around 90% in an angle range of |tan θ| < 3.5. FTS was applied to the τ candidate in OPERA and no additional tracks found. FTS will be useful to our new J-PARC emulsion experiment.

Youth Attitude Tracking Study. Fall 1975.

Science.gov (United States)

1976-02-01

practices, and advertising strategy . The report that follows covers the first of a number of such survey waves now planned for execution on a semi-annual...AD-fl143 M8 YOUTH ATTITUDE TRACKING STUDY FALL 1975(U) MARKET FRCTS 1/2 RO-11IL4 INC CHICAGO IL J T HEISLER FEB 76 9221 UNCLAS DMDC/MRB-TR-75/i onl8... Market Facts, Inc. Job No. 9Z21 100 South Wacker Drive3 OMB 0 22-R-0339 Chicago, Illinois 60606 February, 1976 I S SE.liY’ L.LA ,AItJ,N O.r ?rIIS$ A

Markerless human motion tracking using hierarchical multi-swarm cooperative particle swarm optimization.

Science.gov (United States)

Saini, Sanjay; Zakaria, Nordin; Rambli, Dayang Rohaya Awang; Sulaiman, Suziah

2015-01-01

The high-dimensional search space involved in markerless full-body articulated human motion tracking from multiple-views video sequences has led to a number of solutions based on metaheuristics, the most recent form of which is Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). However, the classical PSO suffers from premature convergence and it is trapped easily into local optima, significantly affecting the tracking accuracy. To overcome these drawbacks, we have developed a method for the problem based on Hierarchical Multi-Swarm Cooperative Particle Swarm Optimization (H-MCPSO). The tracking problem is formulated as a non-linear 34-dimensional function optimization problem where the fitness function quantifies the difference between the observed image and a projection of the model configuration. Both the silhouette and edge likelihoods are used in the fitness function. Experiments using Brown and HumanEva-II dataset demonstrated that H-MCPSO performance is better than two leading alternative approaches-Annealed Particle Filter (APF) and Hierarchical Particle Swarm Optimization (HPSO). Further, the proposed tracking method is capable of automatic initialization and self-recovery from temporary tracking failures. Comprehensive experimental results are presented to support the claims.

Influence of tracks densities in solid state nuclear track detectors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guedes O, S.; Hadler N.; Lunes, P.; Saenz T, C.

1996-01-01

When Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors (SSNTD) is employed to measure nuclear tracks produced mainly by fission fragments and alpha particles, it is considered that the tracks observation work is performed under an efficiency, ε 0 , which is independent of the track density (number of tracks/area unit). There are not published results or experimental data supporting such an assumption. In this work the dependence of ε 0 with track density is studied basing on experimental data. To perform this, pieces of CR-39 cut from a sole 'mother sheet' were coupled to thin uranium films for different exposition times and the resulting ratios between track density and exposition time were compared. Our results indicate that ε 0 is constant for track densities between 10 3 and 10 5 cm -2 . At our etching conditions track overlapping makes impossible the counting for densities around 1.7 x 10 5 cm -2 . For track densities less than 10 3 cm -2 , ε 0 , was not observed to be constant. (authors). 4 refs., 2 figs

The relationship between fission track length and track density in apatite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laslett, G.M.; Gleadow, A.J.W.; Duddy, I.R.

1984-01-01

Fission track dating is based upon an age equation derived from a random line segment model for fission tracks. This equation contains the implicit assumption of a proportional relationship between the true mean length of fission tracks and their track density in an isotropic medium. Previous experimental investigation of this relationship for both spontaneous and induced tracks in apatite during progressive annealment model in an obvious fashion. Corrected equations relating track length and density for apatite, an anisotropic mineral, show that the proportionality in this case is between track density and a length factor which is a generalization of the mean track length combining the actual length and crystallographic orientation of the track. This relationship has been experimentally confirmed for induced tracks in Durango apatite, taking into account bias in sampling of the track lengths, and the effect of the bulk etching velocity. (author)

Diagnostic performance of tumor markers AFP and PIVKA-II in Chinese hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Science.gov (United States)

Huang, Shujing; Jiang, Feifei; Wang, Ying; Yu, Yanhua; Ren, Siqian; Wang, Xiaowei; Yin, Peng; Lou, Jinli

2017-06-01

Alpha-fetoprotein is an effective biomarker as an aid in hepatocellular carcinoma detection in many countries. However, alpha-fetoprotein has its limitations, especially in early hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis. Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II is another biomarker that is used for hepatocellular carcinoma detection. The aim of this study is to compare the diagnostic performance of alpha-fetoprotein and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II alone and in combination to explore improving biomarker performance as an aid in early hepatocellular carcinoma detection. In this study a total of 582 serum samples including 132 hepatocellular carcinoma patients, 250 non-hepatocellular carcinoma patients, and 200 healthy volunteers were collected. Alpha-fetoprotein and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II levels were measured by both chemiluminescent enzyme immunoassay on LUMIPULSE platform and by chemiluminescent microparticle immunoassay on ARCHITECT platform. Receiver operation characteristic curve analyses were performed for each biomarker and in combination. The results showed that Alpha-fetoprotein and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II in combination have shown higher area under the curve compared to alpha-fetoprotein alone for diagnosis in whole patients (0.906 vs 0.870) in hepatocellular carcinoma early-stage patients (0.809 vs 0.77) and in hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients (0.851 vs 0.788) with ARCHITECT platform. Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II showed higher area under the curve than alpha-fetoprotein for diagnosis of hepatitis B virus-related hepatocellular carcinoma patients (0.901 vs 0.788).We conclude that Combining alpha-fetoprotein and protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II may improve the diagnostic value for early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma. Protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonist-II performs better

Symplectic Tracking of Multi-Isotopic Heavy-Ion Beams in SixTrack

CERN Document Server

Hermes, Pascal; De Maria, Riccardo

2016-01-01

The software SixTrack provides symplectic proton tracking over a large number of turns. The code is used for the tracking of beam halo particles and the simulation of their interaction with the collimators to study the efficiency of the LHC collimation system. Tracking simulations for heavy-ion beams require taking into account the mass to charge ratio of each particle because heavy ions can be subject to fragmentation at their passage through the collimators. In this paper we present the derivation of a Hamiltonian for multi-isotopic heavy-ion beams and symplectic tracking maps derived from it. The resulting tracking maps were implemented in the tracking software SixTrack. With this modification, SixTrack can be used to natively track heavy-ion beams of multiple isotopes through a magnetic accelerator lattice.

Baseline series fragrance markers fail to predict contact allergy.

Science.gov (United States)

Mann, Jack; McFadden, John P; White, Jonathan M L; White, Ian R; Banerjee, Piu

2014-05-01

Negative patch test results with fragrance allergy markers in the European baseline series do not always predict a negative reaction to individual fragrance substances. To determine the frequencies of positive test reactions to the 26 fragrance substances for which labelling is mandatory in the EU, and how effectively reactions to fragrance markers in the baseline series predict positive reactions to the fragrance substances that are labelled. The records of 1951 eczema patients, routinely tested with the labelled fragrance substances and with an extended European baseline series in 2011 and 2012, were retrospectively reviewed. Two hundred and eighty-one (14.4%) (71.2% females) reacted to one or more allergens from the labelled-fragrance substance series and/or a fragrance marker from the European baseline series. The allergens that were positive with the greatest frequencies were cinnamyl alcohol (48; 2.46%), Evernia furfuracea (44; 2.26%), and isoeugenol (40; 2.05%). Of the 203 patients who reacted to any of the 26 fragrances in the labelled-fragrance substance series, only 117 (57.6%) also reacted to a fragrance marker in the baseline series. One hundred and seven (52.7%) reacted to either fragrance mix I or fragrance mix II, 28 (13.8%) reacted to Myroxylon pereirae, and 13 (6.4%) reacted to hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde. These findings confirm that the standard fragrance markers fail to identify patients with contact allergies to the 26 fragrances. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Track-to-track association for object matching in an inter-vehicle communication system

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Ting; Roth, Tobias; Chen, Qi; Breu, Jakob; Bogdanovic, Miro; Weiss, Christian A.

2015-09-01

information can help the data association but are not currently considered. Comparing to M2MA, benefits of the T2TA object matching approach are: i) tracks taking into account important statistical information can provide more reliable inference results; ii) the track-formed smoothed trajectories can be used for an easier shape matching; iii) each local vehicle can design its own tracker and sends only tracks to fusion center to alleviate communication constraints. A real traffic study with different driving environments, based on a statistical hypothesis test, shows promising object matching results of significant practical implications.

A biplanar X-ray approach for studying the 3D dynamics of human track formation.

Science.gov (United States)

Hatala, Kevin G; Perry, David A; Gatesy, Stephen M

2018-05-09

Recent discoveries have made hominin tracks an increasingly prevalent component of the human fossil record, and these data have the capacity to inform long-standing debates regarding the biomechanics of hominin locomotion. However, there is currently no consensus on how to decipher biomechanical variables from hominin tracks. These debates can be linked to our generally limited understanding of the complex interactions between anatomy, motion, and substrate that give rise to track morphology. These interactions are difficult to study because direct visualization of the track formation process is impeded by foot and substrate opacity. To address these obstacles, we developed biplanar X-ray and computer animation methods, derived from X-ray Reconstruction of Moving Morphology (XROMM), to analyze the 3D dynamics of three human subjects' feet as they walked across four substrates (three deformable muds and rigid composite panel). By imaging and reconstructing 3D positions of external markers, we quantified the 3D dynamics at the foot-substrate interface. Foot shape, specifically heel and medial longitudinal arch deformation, was significantly affected by substrate rigidity. In deformable muds, we found that depths measured across tracks did not directly reflect the motions of the corresponding regions of the foot, and that track outlines were not perfectly representative of foot size. These results highlight the complex, dynamic nature of track formation, and the experimental methods presented here offer a promising avenue for developing and refining methods for accurately inferring foot anatomy and gait biomechanics from fossil hominin tracks. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Magnetic Tracking System based on Highly Sensitive Integrated Hall Sensors

Science.gov (United States)

Schlageter, Vincent; Drljaca, Predrag; Popovic, Radivoje S.; KuČERA, Pavel

A tracking system with five degrees of freedom based on a 2D-array of 16 Hall sensors and a permanent magnet is presented in this paper. The sensitivity of the Hall sensors is increased by integrated micro- and external macro-flux-concentrators. Detection distance larger than 20cm (during one hour without calibration) is achieved using a magnet of 0.2cm3. This corresponds to a resolution of the sensors of 0.05µTrms. The position and orientation of the marker is displayed in real time at least 20 times per second. The sensing system is small enough to be hand-held and can be used in a normal environment. This presented tracking system has been successfully applied to follow a small swallowed magnet through the entire human digestive tube. This approach is extremely promising as a new non-invasive diagnostic technique in gastro-enterology.

Clinical utility of speckle-tracking echocardiography in cardiac resynchronisation therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Khan, Sitara G; Klettas, Dimitris; Kapetanakis, Stam; Monaghan, Mark J

2016-03-01

Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT) can profoundly improve outcome in selected patients with heart failure; however, response is difficult to predict and can be absent in up to one in three patients. There has been a substantial amount of interest in the echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular dyssynchrony, with the ultimate aim of reliably identifying patients who will respond to CRT. The measurement of myocardial deformation (strain) has conventionally been assessed using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI), which is limited by its angle dependence and ability to measure in a single plane. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography is a technique that provides measurements of strain in three planes, by tracking patterns of ultrasound interference ('speckles') in the myocardial wall throughout the cardiac cycle. Since its initial use over 15 years ago, it has emerged as a tool that provides more robust, reproducible and sensitive markers of dyssynchrony than TDI. This article reviews the use of two-dimensional and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in the assessment of dyssynchrony, including the identification of echocardiographic parameters that may hold predictive potential for the response to CRT. It also reviews the application of these techniques in guiding optimal LV lead placement pre-implant, with promising results in clinical improvement post-CRT. © 2016 The authors.

Clinical utility of speckle-tracking echocardiography in cardiac resynchronisation therapy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sitara G Khan

2016-05-01

Full Text Available Cardiac resynchronisation therapy (CRT can profoundly improve outcome in selected patients with heart failure; however, response is difficult to predict and can be absent in up to one in three patients. There has been a substantial amount of interest in the echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular dyssynchrony, with the ultimate aim of reliably identifying patients who will respond to CRT. The measurement of myocardial deformation (strain has conventionally been assessed using tissue Doppler imaging (TDI, which is limited by its angle dependence and ability to measure in a single plane. Two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography is a technique that provides measurements of strain in three planes, by tracking patterns of ultrasound interference (‘speckles’ in the myocardial wall throughout the cardiac cycle. Since its initial use over 15 years ago, it has emerged as a tool that provides more robust, reproducible and sensitive markers of dyssynchrony than TDI. This article reviews the use of two-dimensional and three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography in the assessment of dyssynchrony, including the identification of echocardiographic parameters that may hold predictive potential for the response to CRT. It also reviews the application of these techniques in guiding optimal LV lead placement pre-implant, with promising results in clinical improvement post-CRT.

Diet and glycaemia: the markers and their meaning. A report of the Unilever Nutrition Workshop.

Science.gov (United States)

Alssema, Marjan; Boers, Hanny M; Ceriello, Antonio; Kilpatrick, Eric S; Mela, David J; Priebe, Marion G; Schrauwen, Patrick; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H; Pfeiffer, Andreas F H

2015-01-28

Consumption of carbohydrate-containing foods leads to transient postprandial rises in blood glucose concentrations that vary between food types. Higher postprandial glycaemic exposures have particularly been implicated in the development of chronic cardiometabolic diseases. Reducing such diet-related exposures may be beneficial not only for diabetic patients but also for the general population. A variety of markers have been used to track different aspects of glycaemic exposures, with most of the relevant knowledge derived from diabetic patients. The assessment of glycaemic exposures among the non-diabetic population may require other, more sensitive markers. The present report summarises key messages of presentations and related discussions from a workshop organised by Unilever intended to consider currently applied markers of glycaemic exposure. The particular focus of the meeting was to identify the potential applicability of glycaemic exposure markers for studying dietary effects in the non-diabetic population. Workshop participants concluded that markers of glycaemic exposures are sparsely used in intervention studies among non-diabetic populations. Continuous glucose monitoring remains the optimal approach to directly assess glycaemic exposure. Markers of glycaemic exposure such as glycated Hb, fructosamine, glycated albumin, 1,5-anhydroglucitol and advanced glycation end products can be preferred dependent on the aspect of interest (period of exposure and glucose variability). For all the markers of glycaemia, the responsiveness to interventions will probably be smaller among the non-diabetic than among the diabetic population. Further validation and acceptance of existing glycaemic exposure markers applied among the non-diabetic population would aid food innovation and better design of dietary interventions targeting glycaemic exposure.

Evolution of the tRNALeu (UAA) Intron and Congruence of Genetic Markers in Lichen-Symbiotic Nostoc.

Science.gov (United States)

Kaasalainen, Ulla; Olsson, Sanna; Rikkinen, Jouko

2015-01-01

The group I intron interrupting the tRNALeu UAA gene (trnL) is present in most cyanobacterial genomes as well as in the plastids of many eukaryotic algae and all green plants. In lichen symbiotic Nostoc, the P6b stem-loop of trnL intron always involves one of two different repeat motifs, either Class I or Class II, both with unresolved evolutionary histories. Here we attempt to resolve the complex evolution of the two different trnL P6b region types. Our analysis indicates that the Class II repeat motif most likely appeared first and that independent and unidirectional shifts to the Class I motif have since taken place repeatedly. In addition, we compare our results with those obtained with other genetic markers and find strong evidence of recombination in the 16S rRNA gene, a marker widely used in phylogenetic studies on Bacteria. The congruence of the different genetic markers is successfully evaluated with the recently published software Saguaro, which has not previously been utilized in comparable studies.

Evolution of the tRNALeu (UAA Intron and Congruence of Genetic Markers in Lichen-Symbiotic Nostoc.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ulla Kaasalainen

Full Text Available The group I intron interrupting the tRNALeu UAA gene (trnL is present in most cyanobacterial genomes as well as in the plastids of many eukaryotic algae and all green plants. In lichen symbiotic Nostoc, the P6b stem-loop of trnL intron always involves one of two different repeat motifs, either Class I or Class II, both with unresolved evolutionary histories. Here we attempt to resolve the complex evolution of the two different trnL P6b region types. Our analysis indicates that the Class II repeat motif most likely appeared first and that independent and unidirectional shifts to the Class I motif have since taken place repeatedly. In addition, we compare our results with those obtained with other genetic markers and find strong evidence of recombination in the 16S rRNA gene, a marker widely used in phylogenetic studies on Bacteria. The congruence of the different genetic markers is successfully evaluated with the recently published software Saguaro, which has not previously been utilized in comparable studies.

PolarTrack: Optical Outside-In Device Tracking that Exploits Display Polarization

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Rädle, Roman; Jetter, Hans-Christian; Fischer, Jonathan

2018-01-01

PolarTrack is a novel camera-based approach to detecting and tracking mobile devices inside the capture volume. In PolarTrack, a polarization filter continuously rotates in front of an off-the-shelf color camera, which causes the displays of observed devices to periodically blink in the camera feed....... The periodic blinking results from the physical characteristics of current displays, which shine polarized light either through an LC overlay to produce images or through a polarizer to reduce light reflections on OLED displays. PolarTrack runs a simple detection algorithm on the camera feed to segment...... displays and track their locations and orientations, which makes PolarTrack particularly suitable as a tracking system for cross-device interaction with mobile devices. Our evaluation of PolarTrack's tracking quality and comparison with state-of-the-art camera-based multi-device tracking showed a better...

Mucosal integrity and inflammatory markers in the female lower genital tract as potential screening tools for vaginal microbicides.

Science.gov (United States)

Su, H Irene; Schreiber, Courtney A; Fay, Courtney; Parry, Sam; Elovitz, Michal A; Zhang, Jian; Shaunik, Alka; Barnhart, Kurt

2011-11-01

In the female genital tract, vaginal colposcopy, endometrial mucosal integrity and inflammatory mediators are potential in vivo biomarkers of microbicide and contraceptive safety. A randomized, blinded crossover trial of 18 subjects comparing effects of nonoxynol-9 vaginal gel (Gynol II; putative inflammatory gel), hydroxyethyl cellulose gel (HEC; putative inert gel) and no gel exposure on endometrial and vaginal epithelial integrity and endometrial and vaginal inflammatory markers [interleukin (IL) 1β, IL-6, IL-8, MCP-1, MIP-1α, MIP-1β, RANTES, tumor necrosis factor α, IL-1RA, IL-10, SLPI). Gynol II was associated with more vaginal lesions. No endometrial disruptions were observed across conditions. In the vagina, RANTES (p=.055) and IL-6 (p=.04) were higher after HEC exposure than at baseline. In the endometrium, IL-1β (p=.003) and IL-8 (p=.025) were lower after Gynol II cycles than after no gel. Gynol II and HEC may modulate inflammatory markers in the vagina and endometrium. How these changes relate to infection susceptibility warrants further study. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Genetic heterogeneity of Usher syndrome type II.

OpenAIRE

Pieke Dahl, S; Kimberling, WJ; Gorin, MB; Weston, MD; Furman, JM; Pikus, A; Moller, C

1993-01-01

Usher syndrome is an autosomal recessive disorder characterised by retinitis pigmentosa and congenital sensorineural hearing loss. A gene for Usher syndrome type II (USH2) has been localised to chromosome 1q32-q41. DNA from a family with four of seven sibs affected with clinical characteristics of Usher syndrome type II was genotyped using markers spanning the 1q32-1q41 region. These included D1S70 and D1S81, which are believed to flank USH2. Genotypic results and subsequent linkage analysis ...

Nuclear tracks in the Angra dos Reis and Moore County meteorites

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carver, E.A.; Anders, E.

1976-01-01

Charged particle tracks were studied in the Angra dos Reis and Moore County meteorites, both of which contain an unexplained excess of He 4 . A selective annealing method was used to resolve cosmic-ray tracks from fission tracks. It gave the following cosmic-ray and fission-track densities, in units of 10 6 cm -2 : Angra dos Reis 1.3 to 4.4 and 7.8; Moore Co. feldspar 1.9 to 3.0 and 0.51; Moore Co. pigeonite 2.0 to 2.9 and 0.078 to 0.35. The fission-track densities are 10 to 100 times higher than expected from U 238 ; the excess is probably due to extinct Pu 244 . The Pu 244 /U 238 ratios at the start of track retention were 0.003 for Angra dos Reis and 0.002 to 0.03 got Moore Co. No evidence was found for fission tracks attributable to the unknown progenitor of excess He 4 in these meteorites; the fission branch of this progenitor comprises less than 10 -5 the α-branch. A search for pleochroic halos also gave negative results. The preatmospheric radii of the two meteorites are >= 13 and >= 7 cm. According to meteor theory, this implies geocentric velocities of >19 and >= 6 km/sec. The etching behaviour of Angra dos Reis augite is highly anomalous, giving rise to spurious angular anisotropies and skewed length distributions. This confirms similar observation by Fleischer et al (Proc. Apollo II Lunar Sci. Conf. Geochem. Cosmochim. Acta Suppl.; 1:2103 (1970)) on lunar augite. (author)

Design and Implementation of Browser based GPS/GPRS Vehicle Positioning and Tracking System

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Zhang Keqiang

2015-01-01

Full Text Available This paper mainly describes a vehicle positioning and tracking system which is based on browser, GPS and GPRS. And this system takes advantage of Baidu Map as basic material to show vehicle status, which enables drivers and supervisor to monitor the vehicle’s current and past positions. The vehicle’s location data is got from satellites, and these data is sent to the central server through GPRS, the central server will store formatted data into the database after the data is parsed; Later, these data stored in the database will be used by web application and displayed on the map as markers. This paper also involves the implementation on mobile side, and this system used Baidu map JavaScript interface, Ajax, JSP and JSON to implement the vehicle positioning and tracking system.

A general SNP-based molecular barcode for Plasmodium falciparum identification and tracking

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosen David

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP genotyping provides the means to develop a practical, rapid, inexpensive assay that will uniquely identify any Plasmodium falciparum parasite using a small amount of DNA. Such an assay could be used to distinguish recrudescence from re-infection in drug trials, to monitor the frequency and distribution of specific parasites in a patient population undergoing drug treatment or vaccine challenge, or for tracking samples and determining purity of isolates in the laboratory during culture adaptation and sub-cloning, as well as routine passage. Methods A panel of twenty-four SNP markers has been identified that exhibit a high minor allele frequency (average MAF > 35%, for which robust TaqMan genotyping assays were constructed. All SNPs were identified through whole genome sequencing and MAF was estimated through Affymetrix array-based genotyping of a worldwide collection of parasites. These assays create a "molecular barcode" to uniquely identify a parasite genome. Results Using 24 such markers no two parasites known to be of independent origin have yet been found to have the same allele signature. The TaqMan genotyping assays can be performed on a variety of samples including cultured parasites, frozen whole blood, or whole blood spotted onto filter paper with a success rate > 99%. Less than 5 ng of parasite DNA is needed to complete a panel of 24 markers. The ability of this SNP panel to detect and identify parasites was compared to the standard molecular methods, MSP-1 and MSP-2 typing. Conclusion This work provides a facile field-deployable genotyping tool that can be used without special skills with standard lab equipment, and at reasonable cost that will unambiguously identify and track P. falciparum parasites both from patient samples and in the laboratory.

Synchrotron power supply of TARN II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Watanabe, Shin-ichi.

1991-07-01

The construction and performance of synchrotron power supply of TARN II are described. The 1.1 GeV synchrotron-cooler TARN II has been constructed at Institute for Nuclear Study, University of Tokyo. Constructed power supply for the dipole magnets is 600 V, 2500 A operated in the mode of trapezoid wave form with the repetition cycle of 0.1 Hz. The stability of magnetic field within 10 -3 and tracking error of 10 -4 have been attained with the aid of computer control system. First trial of synchrotron acceleration of He 2+ beam has been done up to 600 MeV in April, 1991. (author)

Technical experiences of implementing a wireless tracking and facial biometric verification system for a clinical environment

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, Brent; Lee, Jasper; Documet, Jorge; Guo, Bing; King, Nelson; Huang, H. K.

2006-03-01

By implementing a tracking and verification system, clinical facilities can effectively monitor workflow and heighten information security in today's growing demand towards digital imaging informatics. This paper presents the technical design and implementation experiences encountered during the development of a Location Tracking and Verification System (LTVS) for a clinical environment. LTVS integrates facial biometrics with wireless tracking so that administrators can manage and monitor patient and staff through a web-based application. Implementation challenges fall into three main areas: 1) Development and Integration, 2) Calibration and Optimization of Wi-Fi Tracking System, and 3) Clinical Implementation. An initial prototype LTVS has been implemented within USC's Healthcare Consultation Center II Outpatient Facility, which currently has a fully digital imaging department environment with integrated HIS/RIS/PACS/VR (Voice Recognition).

Cluster-based upper body marker models for three-dimensional kinematic analysis: Comparison with an anatomical model and reliability analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Boser, Quinn A; Valevicius, Aïda M; Lavoie, Ewen B; Chapman, Craig S; Pilarski, Patrick M; Hebert, Jacqueline S; Vette, Albert H

2018-04-27

Quantifying angular joint kinematics of the upper body is a useful method for assessing upper limb function. Joint angles are commonly obtained via motion capture, tracking markers placed on anatomical landmarks. This method is associated with limitations including administrative burden, soft tissue artifacts, and intra- and inter-tester variability. An alternative method involves the tracking of rigid marker clusters affixed to body segments, calibrated relative to anatomical landmarks or known joint angles. The accuracy and reliability of applying this cluster method to the upper body has, however, not been comprehensively explored. Our objective was to compare three different upper body cluster models with an anatomical model, with respect to joint angles and reliability. Non-disabled participants performed two standardized functional upper limb tasks with anatomical and cluster markers applied concurrently. Joint angle curves obtained via the marker clusters with three different calibration methods were compared to those from an anatomical model, and between-session reliability was assessed for all models. The cluster models produced joint angle curves which were comparable to and highly correlated with those from the anatomical model, but exhibited notable offsets and differences in sensitivity for some degrees of freedom. Between-session reliability was comparable between all models, and good for most degrees of freedom. Overall, the cluster models produced reliable joint angles that, however, cannot be used interchangeably with anatomical model outputs to calculate kinematic metrics. Cluster models appear to be an adequate, and possibly advantageous alternative to anatomical models when the objective is to assess trends in movement behavior. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Computational tools and lattice design for the PEP-II B-Factory

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cai, Y.; Irwin, J.; Nosochkov, Y.; Yan, Y.

1997-01-01

Several accelerator codes were used to design the PEP-II lattices, ranging from matrix-based codes, such as MAD and DIMAD, to symplectic-integrator codes, such as TRACY and DESPOT. In addition to element-by-element tracking, we constructed maps to determine aberration strengths. Furthermore, we have developed a fast and reliable method (nPB tracking) to track particles with a one-turn map. This new technique allows us to evaluate performance of the lattices on the entire tune-plane. Recently, we designed and implemented an object-oriented code in C++ called LEGO which integrates and expands upon TRACY and DESPOT. copyright 1997 American Institute of Physics

Reassignment of Drosophila willistoni Genome Scaffolds to Chromosome II Arms

OpenAIRE

Garcia, Carolina; Delprat, Alejandra; Ruiz, Alfredo; Valente, Vera L. S.

2015-01-01

Drosophila willistoni is a geographically widespread Neotropical species. The genome of strain Gd-H4-1 from Guadeloupe Island (Caribbean) was sequenced in 2007 as part of the 12 Drosophila Genomes Project. The assembled scaffolds were joined based on conserved linkage and assigned to polytene chromosomes based on a handful of genetic and physical markers. This paucity of markers was particularly striking in the metacentric chromosome II, comprised two similarly sized arms, IIL and IIR, tradit...

Angiotensin II Infusion Induces Marked Diaphragmatic Skeletal Muscle Atrophy

Science.gov (United States)

Rezk, Bashir M.; Yoshida, Tadashi; Semprun-Prieto, Laura; Higashi, Yusuke; Sukhanov, Sergiy; Delafontaine, Patrice

2012-01-01

Advanced congestive heart failure (CHF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are characterized by increased angiotensin II (Ang II) levels and are often accompanied by significant skeletal muscle wasting that negatively impacts mortality and morbidity. Both CHF and CKD patients have respiratory muscle dysfunction, however the potential effects of Ang II on respiratory muscles are unknown. We investigated the effects of Ang II on diaphragm muscle in FVB mice. Ang II induced significant diaphragm muscle wasting (18.7±1.6% decrease in weight at one week) and reduction in fiber cross-sectional area. Expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligases atrogin-1 and muscle ring finger-1 (MuRF-1) and of the pro-apoptotic factor BAX was increased after 24 h of Ang II infusion (4.4±0.3 fold, 3.1±0.5 fold and 1.6±0.2 fold, respectively, compared to sham infused control) suggesting increased muscle protein degradation and apoptosis. In Ang II infused animals, there was significant regeneration of injured diaphragm muscles at 7 days as indicated by an increase in the number of myofibers with centralized nuclei and high expression of embryonic myosin heavy chain (E-MyHC, 11.2±3.3 fold increase) and of the satellite cell marker M-cadherin (59.2±22.2% increase). Furthermore, there was an increase in expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1, 1.8±0.3 fold increase) in Ang II infused diaphragm, suggesting the involvement of IGF-1 in diaphragm muscle regeneration. Bone-marrow transplantation experiments indicated that although there was recruitment of bone-marrow derived cells to the injured diaphragm in Ang II infused mice (267.0±74.6% increase), those cells did not express markers of muscle stem cells or regenerating myofibers. In conclusion, Ang II causes marked diaphragm muscle wasting, which may be important for the pathophysiology of respiratory muscle dysfunction and cachexia in conditions such as CHF and CKD. PMID:22276172

Angiotensin II infusion induces marked diaphragmatic skeletal muscle atrophy.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bashir M Rezk

Full Text Available Advanced congestive heart failure (CHF and chronic kidney disease (CKD are characterized by increased angiotensin II (Ang II levels and are often accompanied by significant skeletal muscle wasting that negatively impacts mortality and morbidity. Both CHF and CKD patients have respiratory muscle dysfunction, however the potential effects of Ang II on respiratory muscles are unknown. We investigated the effects of Ang II on diaphragm muscle in FVB mice. Ang II induced significant diaphragm muscle wasting (18.7±1.6% decrease in weight at one week and reduction in fiber cross-sectional area. Expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligases atrogin-1 and muscle ring finger-1 (MuRF-1 and of the pro-apoptotic factor BAX was increased after 24 h of Ang II infusion (4.4±0.3 fold, 3.1±0.5 fold and 1.6±0.2 fold, respectively, compared to sham infused control suggesting increased muscle protein degradation and apoptosis. In Ang II infused animals, there was significant regeneration of injured diaphragm muscles at 7 days as indicated by an increase in the number of myofibers with centralized nuclei and high expression of embryonic myosin heavy chain (E-MyHC, 11.2±3.3 fold increase and of the satellite cell marker M-cadherin (59.2±22.2% increase. Furthermore, there was an increase in expression of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1, 1.8±0.3 fold increase in Ang II infused diaphragm, suggesting the involvement of IGF-1 in diaphragm muscle regeneration. Bone-marrow transplantation experiments indicated that although there was recruitment of bone-marrow derived cells to the injured diaphragm in Ang II infused mice (267.0±74.6% increase, those cells did not express markers of muscle stem cells or regenerating myofibers. In conclusion, Ang II causes marked diaphragm muscle wasting, which may be important for the pathophysiology of respiratory muscle dysfunction and cachexia in conditions such as CHF and CKD.

Effect of marker-data editing on the accuracy of genomic prediction

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Edriss, Vahid; Guldbrandtsen, Bernt; Lund, Mogens Sandø

2013-01-01

.05 and 0.10, (ii) deviations from Hardy–Weinberg proportions (HWP) with thresholds of no limit, chi-squared p-values of 0.001, 0.02, 0.05 and 0.10, and (iii) GenCall (GC) scores with thresholds of 0.15, 0.55, 0.60, 0.65 and 0.70. The marker data sets edited with different criteria were used for genomic...

Mark II magnetic detector for SPEAR

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Larsen, R.R.

1975-01-01

The Mark II Detector, presently in the design stage, is a SLAC/LBL detector project to replace the Mark I now in operation at SPEAR. While similar in concept to the Mark I it will have improved momentum resolution, shower detection, solid angle coverage for both triggering and tracking and a magnet design providing easier access to those particles transmitted through the aluminum coil

Track reconstruction at the ILC: the ILD tracking software

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaede, Frank; Aplin, Steven; Rosemann, Christoph; Voutsinas, Georgios; Glattauer, Robin

2014-01-01

One of the key requirements for Higgs physics at the International Linear Collider ILC is excellent track reconstruction with very good momentum and impact parameter resolution. ILD is one of the two detector concepts at the ILC. Its central tracking system comprises of an outer Si-tracker, a highly granular TPC, an intermediate silicon tracker and a pixel vertex detector, and it is complemented by silicon tracking disks in the forward direction. Large hit densities from beam induced coherent electron-positron pairs at the ILC pose an additional challenge to the pattern recognition algorithms. We present the recently developed new ILD tracking software, the pattern recognition algorithms that are using clustering techniques, Cellular Automatons and Kalman filter based track extrapolation. The performance of the ILD tracking system is evaluated using a detailed simulation including dead material, gaps and imperfections.

The echo-enabled harmonic generation options for FLASH II

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deng, Haixiao; Decking, Winfried; Faatz, Bart

2011-03-01

FLASH II is an upgrade to the existing free electron laser (FEL) FLASH. The echo-enabled harmonic generation (EEHG) scheme is proposed to be a potential seeding option of FLASH II. In this paper, the possibility of EEHG operation of FLASH II is investigated for the first time. With a combination of existing numerical codes, i.e. a laser-beam interaction code in an undulator (LBICU), a beam tracking code in a chicane (ELEGANT) and an universal FEL simulating code (GENESIS), the effects of beam energy chirp and coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) on EEHG operation are studied as well. In addition, several interesting issues concerning EEHG simulation are discussed. (orig.)

Accuracy and precision of a custom camera-based system for 2D and 3D motion tracking during speech and nonspeech motor tasks

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Yongqiang; Max, Ludo

2014-01-01

Purpose Studying normal or disordered motor control requires accurate motion tracking of the effectors (e.g., orofacial structures). The cost of electromagnetic, optoelectronic, and ultrasound systems is prohibitive for many laboratories, and limits clinical applications. For external movements (lips, jaw), video-based systems may be a viable alternative, provided that they offer high temporal resolution and sub-millimeter accuracy. Method We examined the accuracy and precision of 2D and 3D data recorded with a system that combines consumer-grade digital cameras capturing 60, 120, or 240 frames per second (fps), retro-reflective markers, commercially-available computer software (APAS, Ariel Dynamics), and a custom calibration device. Results Overall mean error (RMSE) across tests was 0.15 mm for static tracking and 0.26 mm for dynamic tracking, with corresponding precision (SD) values of 0.11 and 0.19 mm, respectively. The effect of frame rate varied across conditions, but, generally, accuracy was reduced at 240 fps. The effect of marker size (3 vs. 6 mm diameter) was negligible at all frame rates for both 2D and 3D data. Conclusion Motion tracking with consumer-grade digital cameras and the APAS software can achieve sub-millimeter accuracy at frame rates that are appropriate for kinematic analyses of lip/jaw movements for both research and clinical purposes. PMID:24686484

First satellite tracks of neonate sea turtles redefine the ‘lost years’ oceanic niche

Science.gov (United States)

Mansfield, Katherine L.; Wyneken, Jeanette; Porter, Warren P.; Luo, Jiangang

2014-01-01

Few at-sea behavioural data exist for oceanic-stage neonate sea turtles, a life-stage commonly referred to as the sea turtle ‘lost years’. Historically, the long-term tracking of small, fast-growing organisms in the open ocean was logistically or technologically impossible. Here, we provide the first long-term satellite tracks of neonate sea turtles. Loggerheads (Caretta caretta) were remotely tracked in the Atlantic Ocean using small solar-powered satellite transmitters. We show that oceanic-stage turtles (i) rarely travel in Continental Shelf waters, (ii) frequently depart the currents associated with the North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre, (iii) travel quickly when in Gyre currents, and (iv) select sea surface habitats that are likely to provide a thermal benefit or refuge to young sea turtles, supporting growth, foraging and survival. Our satellite tracks help define Atlantic loggerhead nursery grounds and early loggerhead habitat use, allowing us to re-examine sea turtle ‘lost years’ paradigms. PMID:24598420

A status report on the PBFA II construction project

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barr, G.W.; Furaus, J.P.; Cook, D.L.; Shirley, C.G.

1985-01-01

The Particle Beam Fusion Accelerator II (PBFA II) is under construction at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL). PBFA II contains 36 individual power modules configured in a stacked radial geometry and synchronized to provide greater than 3.5 MJ of energy into the vacuum section in a single 55-ns-wide 90-TW peak power pulse. This R and D construction project is being implemented in a fast track schedule mode in which final design of the accelerator components occurs in parallel with the construction of the laboratory building and the accelerator tank. PBFA II is scheduled to become operational in January 1986 with its first multi-module shot into an applied-B ion diode that will generate and transport a beam of lithium ions. Plans are now being made for experimental work on PBFA II beyond the construction phase

Limitations of using aggrecan and type X collagen as markers of chondrogenesis in mesenchymal stem cell differentiation.

Science.gov (United States)

Mwale, Fackson; Stachura, Dorothy; Roughley, Peter; Antoniou, John

2006-08-01

The study was initially designed to differentiate human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) into chondrocyte-like cells, for use in tissue engineering. We cultured MSCs in defined chondrogenic medium as pellet cultures supplemented with transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 or -beta3 and dexamethazone, as they are commonly used to promote in vitro chondrogenesis. Markers of chondrogenesis used were type II collagen and aggrecan, with type X collagen being used as a marker of late-stage chondrocyte hypertrophy (associated with endochondral ossification). Our results show that aggrecan is constitutively expressed by MSCs and that type X collagen is expressed as an early event. Furthermore, we found that type X collagen was expressed before type II collagen in some cases. This is surprising because it is understood that stem cells have to be differentiated into chondrocytes before they can become hypertrophic. Thus, caution must be exercised when using aggrecan and type X collagen as markers for chondrogenesis and chondrocyte hypertrophy, respectively, in association with stem cell differentiation from this source.

Robustness and precision of an automatic marker detection algorithm for online prostate daily targeting using a standard V-EPID.

Science.gov (United States)

Aubin, S; Beaulieu, L; Pouliot, S; Pouliot, J; Roy, R; Girouard, L M; Martel-Brisson, N; Vigneault, E; Laverdière, J

2003-07-01

An algorithm for the daily localization of the prostate using implanted markers and a standard video-based electronic portal imaging device (V-EPID) has been tested. Prior to planning, three gold markers were implanted in the prostate of seven patients. The clinical images were acquired with a BeamViewPlus 2.1 V-EPID for each field during the normal course radiotherapy treatment and are used off-line to determine the ability of the automatic marker detection algorithm to adequately and consistently detect the markers. Clinical images were obtained with various dose levels from ranging 2.5 to 75 MU. The algorithm is based on marker attenuation characterization in the portal image and spatial distribution. A total of 1182 clinical images were taken. The results show an average efficiency of 93% for the markers detected individually and 85% for the group of markers. This algorithm accomplishes the detection and validation in 0.20-0.40 s. When the center of mass of the group of implanted markers is used, then all displacements can be corrected to within 1.0 mm in 84% of the cases and within 1.5 mm in 97% of cases. The standard video-based EPID tested provides excellent marker detection capability even with low dose levels. The V-EPID can be used successfully with radiopaque markers and the automatic detection algorithm to track and correct the daily setup deviations due to organ motions.

Angiotensin II protects primary rat hepatocytes against bile salt-induced apoptosis.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Golnar Karimian

Full Text Available UNLABELLED: Angiotensin II (AT-II is a pro-fibrotic compound that acts via membrane-bound receptors (AT-1R/AT-2R and thereby activates hepatic stellate cells (HSCs. AT-II receptor blockers (ARBs are thus important candidates in the treatment of liver fibrosis. However, multiple case reports suggest that AT-1R blockers may induce hepatocyte injury. Therefore, we investigated the effect of AT-II and its receptor blockers on cytokine-, oxidative stress- and bile salt-induced cell death in hepatocytes. Primary rat hepatocytes were exposed to TNF-α/Actinomycin D, the ROS-generating agent menadione or the bile salts: glycochenodeoxycholic acid (GCDCA and tauro-lithocholic acid-3 sulfate (TLCS, to induce apoptosis. AT-II (100 nmol/L was added 10 minutes prior to the cell death-inducing agent. AT-1R antagonists (Sartans and the AT-2R antagonist PD123319 were used at 1 µmol/L. Apoptosis (caspase-3 activity, acridine orange staining and necrosis (Sytox green staining were quantified. Expression of CHOP (marker for ER stress and AT-II receptor mRNAs were quantified by Q-PCR. AT-II dose-dependently reduced GCDCA-induced apoptosis of hepatocytes (-50%, p<0.05 without inducing necrosis. In addition, AT-II reduced TLCS-induced apoptosis of hepatocytes (-50%, p<0.05. However, AT-II did not suppress TNF/Act-D and menadione-induced apoptosis. Only the AT-1R antagonists abolished the protective effect of AT-II against GCDCA-induced apoptosis. AT-II increased phosphorylation of ERK and a significant reversal of the protective effect of AT-II was observed when signaling kinases, including ERK, were inhibited. Moreover, AT-II prevented the GCDCA-induced expression of CHOP (the marker of the ER-mediated apoptosis. CONCLUSION: Angiotensin II protects hepatocytes from bile salt-induced apoptosis through a combined activation of PI3-kinase, MAPKs, PKC pathways and inhibition of bile salt-induced ER stress. Our results suggest a mechanism for the observed hepatocyte

Seasonal variability of oxidative stress markers in city bus drivers. Part II. Oxidative damage to lipids and proteins.

Science.gov (United States)

Rossner, Pavel; Svecova, Vlasta; Milcova, Alena; Lnenickova, Zdena; Solansky, Ivo; Sram, Radim J

2008-07-03

The aim of the present study was to investigate the seasonal variability of markers of oxidative damage to lipids (15-F2t-isoprostane, 15-F2t-IsoP) and proteins (protein carbonyl levels) in 50 bus drivers and 50 controls from Prague, Czech Republic, and to identify factors affecting oxidative stress markers. The samples were collected in three seasons with different levels of air pollution. The exposure to environmental pollutants (carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, c-PAHs, particulate matter, PM2.5 and PM10, and volatile organic compounds, VOC) was monitored by personal and/or stationary monitors. For the analysis of both markers, ELISA techniques were used. The median levels of individual markers in bus drivers versus controls were as follows: 15-F2t-IsoP (nmol/mmol creatinine): winter 2005, 0.81 versus 0.68 (pbus drivers in winter seasons, but not in summer. Lipid peroxidation was positively correlated with c-PAHs and PM exposure; protein oxidation correlated negatively and was highest in summer suggesting another factor(s) affecting protein carbonyl levels.

The education revolution on horseback II: Using the Napoleonic Wars to elicit the effect of tracking on student performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korthals, Roxanne

2016-01-01

Previous literature has found inconsistent effects of tracking students in secondary school on student performance using various ways to alleviate the endogeneity in tracking. Sociological literature argues that the threat for war with and invasion by the French around the 1800s induced European

The education revolution on horseback II : using the Napoleonic wars to elicit the effect of tracking on student performance

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Korthals, R.A.

2016-01-01

Previous literature has found inconsistent effects of tracking students in secondary school on student performance using various ways to alleviate the endogeneity in tracking. Sociological literature argues that the threat for war with and invasion by the French around the 1800s induced European

SU-G-BRA-12: Development of An Intra-Fractional Motion Tracking and Dose Reconstruction System for Adaptive Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in High-Risk Prostate Cancer

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rezaeian, N Hassan; Chi, Y; Tian, Z; Jiang, S; Hannan, R; Jia, X [UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX (United States)

2016-06-15

Purpose: A clinical trial on stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) for high-risk prostate cancer is undergoing at our institution. In addition to escalating dose to the prostate, we have increased dose to intra-prostatic lesions. Intra-fractional prostate motion deteriorates well planned radiation dose, especially for the small intra-prostatic lesions. To solve this problem, we have developed a motion tracking and 4D dose-reconstruction system to facilitate adaptive re-planning. Methods: Patients in the clinical trial were treated with VMAT using four arcs and 10 FFF beam. KV triggered x-ray projections were taken every 3 sec during delivery to acquire 2D projections of 3D anatomy at the direction orthogonal to the therapeutic beam. Each patient had three implanted prostate markers. Our developed system first determined 2D projection locations of these markers and then 3D prostate translation and rotation via 2D/3D registration of the markers. Using delivery log files, our GPU-based Monte Carlo tool (goMC) reconstructed dose corresponding to each triggered image. The calculated 4D dose distributions were further aggregated to yield the delivered dose. Results: We first tested each module in our system. MC dose engine were commissioned to our treatment planning system with dose difference of <0.5%. For motion tracking, 1789 kV projections from 7 patients were acquired. The 2D marker location error was <1 mm. For 3D motion tracking, root mean square (RMS) errors along LR, AP, and CC directions were 0.26mm, 0.36mm, and 0.01mm respectively in simulation studies and 1.99mm, 1.37mm, and 0.22mm in phantom studies. We also tested the entire system workflow. Our system was able to reconstruct delivered dose. Conclusion: We have developed a functional intra-fractional motion tracking and 4D dose re-construction system to support our clinical trial on adaptive high-risk prostate cancer SBRT. Comprehensive evaluations have shown the capability and accuracy of our system.

Performance of two quantitative PCR methods for microbial source tracking of human sewage and implications for microbial risk assessment in recreational waters

Science.gov (United States)

Before new, rapid quantitative PCR (qPCR) methods for recreational water quality assessment and microbial source tracking (MST) can be useful in a regulatory context, an understanding of the ability of the method to detect a DNA target (marker) when the contaminant soure has been...

Suitability of miniature inductively coupled RF coils as MR-visible markers for clinical purposes.

Science.gov (United States)

Garnov, Nikita; Thormer, Gregor; Trampel, Robert; Grunder, Wilfried; Kahn, Thomas; Moche, Michael; Busse, Harald

2011-11-01

MR-visible markers have already been used for various purposes such as image registration, motion detection, and device tracking. Inductively coupled RF (ICRF) coils, in particular, provide a high contrast and do not require connecting wires to the scanner, which makes their application highly flexible and safe. This work aims to thoroughly characterize the MR signals of such ICRF markers under various conditions with a special emphasis on fully automatic detection. The small markers consisted of a solenoid coil that was wound around a glass tube containing the MR signal source and tuned to the resonance frequency of a 1.5 T MRI. Marker imaging was performed with a spoiled gradient echo sequence (FLASH) and a balanced steady-state free precession (SSFP) sequence (TrueFISP) in three standard projections. The signal intensities of the markers were recorded for both pulse sequences, three source materials (tap water, distilled water, and contrast agent solution), different flip angles and coil alignments with respect to the B(0) direction as well as for different marker positions in the entire imaging volume (field of view, FOV). Heating of the ICRF coils was measured during 10-min RF expositions to three conventional pulse sequences. Clinical utility of the markers was assessed from their performance in computer-aided detection and in defining double oblique scan planes. For almost the entire FOV (±215 mm) and an estimated 82% of all possible RF coil alignments with respect to B(0), the ICRF markers generated clearly visible MR signals and could be reliably localized over a large range of flip angles, in particular with the TrueFISP sequence (0.3°-4.0°). Generally, TrueFISP provided a higher marker contrast than FLASH. RF exposition caused a moderate heating (≤5 °C) of the ICRF coils only. Small ICRF coils, imaged at low flip angles with a balanced SSFP sequence showed an excellent performance under a variety of experimental conditions and therefore make for a

Genetic markers associated with dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine failure in Plasmodium falciparum malaria in Cambodia: a genotype-phenotype association study

Science.gov (United States)

Amato, Roberto; Lim, Pharath; Miotto, Olivo; Amaratunga, Chanaki; Dek, Dalin; Pearson, Richard D.; Almagro-Garcia, Jacob; Neal, Aaron T.; Sreng, Sokunthea; Suon, Seila; Drury, Eleanor; Jyothi, Dushyanth; Stalker, Jim; Kwiatkowski, Dominic P.; Fairhurst, Rick M.

2017-01-01

Summary Background As the prevalence of artemisinin-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria increases in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS), emerging resistance to partner drugs in artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) seriously threatens global efforts to treat and eliminate this disease. Molecular markers for ACT failure are urgently needed to monitor the spread of partner drug resistance, and to recommend alternative treatments in Southeast Asia and beyond. Methods We performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 297 P. falciparum isolates from Cambodia to investigate the relationship of 11,630 exonic single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 43 copy number variations (CNVs) with in-vitro piperaquine 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50s), and tested whether these genetic variants are markers of dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine failures. We then performed a survival analysis of 133 patients to determine whether candidate molecular markers predicted parasite recrudescence following dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine treatment. Findings Piperaquine IC50s increased significantly from 2011 to 2013 in 3 Cambodian provinces. Genome-wide analysis of SNPs identified a chromosome 13 region that associates with elevated piperaquine IC50s. A nonsynonymous SNP (encoding a Glu415Gly substitution) in this region, within a gene encoding an exonuclease, associates with parasite recrudescence following dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine treatment. Genome-wide analysis of CNVs revealed that a single copy of the mdr1 gene on chromosome 5 and a novel amplification of the plasmepsin II and plasmepsin III genes on chromosome 14 also associate with elevated piperaquine IC50s. After adjusting for covariates, both exo-E415G and plasmepsin II-III markers significantly associate with decreased treatment efficacy (0.38 and 0.41 survival rates, respectively). Interpretation The exo-E415G SNP and plasmepsin II-III amplification are markers of piperaquine resistance and dihydroartemisinin

Establishment of a protocol for determining gastrointestinal transit time in mice using barium and radiopaque markers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Myagmarjaibuu, Bilomaa; Moon, Myeong Ju; Heo, Suk Hee; Jeong, Seo In; Jeong, Yong Yeon; Kang, Heoung Keun [Dept. of Radiology, Chonnam National University Hwasun Hospital, Chonnam National University Medical School, Hwasun (Korea, Republic of); Park, Jong Seong [Dept. of Physiology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of); Jun, Jae Yeoul [Dept. of Physiology, College of Medicine, Chosun University, Gwangju (Korea, Republic of)

2013-01-15

The purpose of this study was to establish a minimally invasive and reproducible protocol for estimating the gastrointestinal (GI) transit time in mice using barium and radiopaque markers. Twenty 5- to 6-week-old Balb/C female mice weighing 19-21 g were used. The animals were divided into three groups: two groups that received loperamide and a control group. The control group (n = 10) animals were administered physiological saline (1.5 mL/kg) orally. The loperamide group I (n = 10) and group II (n = 10) animals were administered 5 mg/kg and 10 mg/kg loperamide orally, respectively. Thirty minutes after receiving the saline or loperamide, the mice was administered 80 μL of barium solution and six iron balls (0.5 mm) via the mouth and the upper esophagus by gavage, respectively. Afterwards, the mice were continuously monitored with fluoroscopic imaging in order to evaluate the swallowing of the barium solution and markers. Serial fluoroscopic images were obtained at 5- or 10-min intervals until all markers had been excreted from the anal canal. For analysis, the GI transit times were subdivided into intestinal transit times (ITTs) and colon transit times (CTTs). The mean ITT was significantly longer in the loperamide groups than in the control group (p < 0.05). The mean ITT in loperamide group II (174.5 ± 32.3) was significantly longer than in loperamide group I (133.2 ± 24.2 minute) (p < 0.05). The mean CTT was significantly longer in loperamide group II than in the control group (p < 0.05). Also, no animal succumbed to death after the experimental procedure. The protocol for our study using radiopaque markers and barium is reproducible and minimally invasive in determining the GI transit time of the mouse model.

The need for radio-opaque side markers on CT of the paranasal sinuses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nandi, R.; Luk, T.L.; Henson, J.

2003-01-01

AIM: To audit the presence of a radio-opaque 'side marker' routinely placed on the right side of the face of all patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) of the paranasal sinuses in our hospital and to audit awareness levels amongst ear, nose and throat (ENT) clinical and theatre staff regarding the 'marker'. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An audit of 100 CT studies of the paranasal sinuses was carried out with regard to the presence or absence of the marker. A further audit was conducted relating to the awareness amongst ENT clinical staff and theatre nurses regarding the marker. Re-audit of a second cohort of 100 sinus CT studies was carried out after implementing changes indicated by the first audit cycle. Awareness amongst staff concerned was similarly re-audited. RESULTS: In audit cycle I the side marker was positively identified in 85% of the CT examinations and were deemed absent in 15%. Of the clinical staff interviewed, only 30% were aware of the presence of the 'marker' and it's significance. In audit cycle II the 'side marker' was positively identified in 100% of the scans reviewed. Awareness of the presence of the 'marker' amongst clinical staff was found to be 90%. CONCLUSIONS: The routine placement of a radio-opaque side marker on the right zygoma of all patients undergoing CT of paranasal sinuses is a simple yet effective additional means of denoting the correct side whilst interpreting such images. This has important implications regarding surgery. The audit has shown an improvement in both the placement of the side marker as well as in awareness levels amongst staff involved to ensure best practice

Robust translocation along a molecular monorail: the NS3 helicase from hepatitis C virus traverses unusually large disruptions in its track.

Science.gov (United States)

Beran, Rudolf K F; Bruno, Michael M; Bowers, Heath A; Jankowsky, Eckhard; Pyle, Anna Marie

2006-05-12

The NS3 helicase is essential for replication of the hepatitis C virus. This multifunctional Superfamily 2 helicase protein unwinds nucleic acid duplexes in a stepwise, ATP-dependent manner. Although kinetic features of its mechanism are beginning to emerge, little is known about the physical determinants for NS3 translocation along a strand of nucleic acid. For example, it is not known whether NS3 can traverse covalent or physical discontinuities on the tracking strand. Here we provide evidence that NS3 translocates with a mechanism that is different from its well-studied relative, the Vaccinia helicase NPH-II. Like NPH-II, NS3 translocates along the loading strand (the strand bearing the 3'-overhang) and it fails to unwind substrates that contain nicks, or covalent discontinuities in the loading strand. However, unlike NPH-II, NS3 readily unwinds RNA duplexes that contain long stretches of polyglycol, which are moieties that bear no resemblance to nucleic acid. Whether located on the tracking strand, the top strand, or both, long polyglycol regions fail to disrupt the function of NS3. This suggests that NS3 does not require the continuous formation of specific contacts with the ribose-phosphate backbone as it translocates along an RNA duplex, which is an observation consistent with the large NS3 kinetic step size (18 base-pairs). Rather, once NS3 loads onto a substrate, the helicase can translocate along the loading strand of an RNA duplex like a monorail train following a track. Bumps in the track do not significantly disturb NS3 unwinding, but a break in the track de-rails the helicase.

Development of molecular markers for zebrafish (Danio rerio) ovarian follicle growth assessment following in-vitro culture in cryopreservation studies.

Science.gov (United States)

Anil, Siji; Rawson, David; Zhang, Tiantian

2018-05-29

Development of in vitro culture protocol for early stage ovarian follicles of zebrafish is important since cryopreserved early stage ovarian follicles would need to be matured in vitro following cryopreservation before they can be fertilised. Development of molecular markers for zebrafish (Danio rerio) ovarian follicle growth assessment following in vitro culture of early stage zebrafish ovarian follicles in ovarian tissue fragments is reported here for the first time although some work has been reported for in vitro culture of isolated early stage zebrafish ovarian follicles. The main aim of the present study was to develop molecular markers in an optimised in vitro culture protocol for stage I and stage II zebrafish ovarian follicles in ovarian tissue fragments. The effect of concentration of the hormones human chorionic gonadotropin and follicle stimulating hormones, and additives such as Foetal Bovine Serum and Bovine Serum Albumin were studied. The results showed that early stage zebrafish ovarian fragments containing stage I and stage II follicles which are cultured in vitro for 24 h in 20% FBS and 100mIU/ml FSH in 90% L-15 medium at 28 °C can grow to the size of stage II and stage III ovarian follicles respectively. More importantly the follicle growth from stage I to stage II and from stage II to stage III were confirmed using molecular markers such as cyp19a1a (also known as P450aromA) and vtg1 genes respectively. However, no follicle growth was observed following cryopreservation and in vitro culture. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Comparison of probabilistic and deterministic fiber tracking of cranial nerves.

Science.gov (United States)

Zolal, Amir; Sobottka, Stephan B; Podlesek, Dino; Linn, Jennifer; Rieger, Bernhard; Juratli, Tareq A; Schackert, Gabriele; Kitzler, Hagen H

2017-09-01

OBJECTIVE The depiction of cranial nerves (CNs) using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is of great interest in skull base tumor surgery and DTI used with deterministic tracking methods has been reported previously. However, there are still no good methods usable for the elimination of noise from the resulting depictions. The authors have hypothesized that probabilistic tracking could lead to more accurate results, because it more efficiently extracts information from the underlying data. Moreover, the authors have adapted a previously described technique for noise elimination using gradual threshold increases to probabilistic tracking. To evaluate the utility of this new approach, a comparison is provided with this work between the gradual threshold increase method in probabilistic and deterministic tracking of CNs. METHODS Both tracking methods were used to depict CNs II, III, V, and the VII+VIII bundle. Depiction of 240 CNs was attempted with each of the above methods in 30 healthy subjects, which were obtained from 2 public databases: the Kirby repository (KR) and Human Connectome Project (HCP). Elimination of erroneous fibers was attempted by gradually increasing the respective thresholds (fractional anisotropy [FA] and probabilistic index of connectivity [PICo]). The results were compared with predefined ground truth images based on corresponding anatomical scans. Two label overlap measures (false-positive error and Dice similarity coefficient) were used to evaluate the success of both methods in depicting the CN. Moreover, the differences between these parameters obtained from the KR and HCP (with higher angular resolution) databases were evaluated. Additionally, visualization of 10 CNs in 5 clinical cases was attempted with both methods and evaluated by comparing the depictions with intraoperative findings. RESULTS Maximum Dice similarity coefficients were significantly higher with probabilistic tracking (p cranial nerves. Probabilistic tracking with a gradual

Reliability of Urinary Dehydration Markers in Elite Youth Boxers.

Science.gov (United States)

Zubac, Damir; Cular, Drazen; Marusic, Uros

2018-03-01

To determine the reliability and diagnostic accuracy of noninvasive urinary dehydration markers in field-based settings on a day-to-day basis in elite adolescent amateur boxers. Sixty-nine urine samples were collected daily from 23 athletes (17.3 ± 1.9 y) during their weight-stable phase and analyzed by field and laboratory measures of hydration status. Urine osmolality (U OSM ), urine specific gravity (U SG ), total protein content (T PC ), and body-mass stability were evaluated to determine fluid balance and hydration status. Overall macronutrient and water intake were determined using dietary records. According to their anthropometric characteristics, athletes were assigned into 2 groups: lightweight (L WB ) and heavyweight (H WB ) boxers. Data presented on U OSM demonstrated a uniform increment by 11.2% ± 12.8% (L WB ) and 19.9% ± 22.7% (H WB ) (P dehydration markers. Poor correlations were found between U SG and T PC metabolites (r = .27, P = .211). Urinary dehydration markers (both U SG and U OSM ) exhibit high variability and seem to be unreliable diagnostic tools to track actual body-weight loss in real-life settings. The ad libitum fluid intake was apparently inadequate to match acute fluid loss during and after intense preparation. The applicability of a single-time-point hydration-status assessment concept may preclude accurate assessment of actual body-weight deficits in youth boxers.

Origin of fecal contamination in waters from contrasted areas: Stanols as Microbial Source Tracking markers

OpenAIRE

Derrien, M.; Jarde, E.; Gruau, G.; Pourcher, A. M.; Gourmelon, Michele; Jadas-hecart, Alain; Wickmann, A. C. Pierson

2012-01-01

Improving the microbiological quality of coastal and river waters relies on the development of reliable markers that are capable of determining sources of fecal pollution. Recently, a principal component analysis (PCA) method based on six stanol compounds (i.e. 5 beta-cholestan-3 beta-ol (coprostanol), 5 beta-cholestan-3 alpha-ol (epicoprostanol), 24-methyl-5 alpha-cholestan-3 beta-ol (campestanol), 24-ethyl-5 alpha-cholestan-3 beta-ol (sitostanol), 24-ethyl-5 beta-cholestan-3 beta-ol (24-eth...

A Customized Vision System for Tracking Humans Wearing Reflective Safety Clothing from Industrial Vehicles and Machinery

Science.gov (United States)

Mosberger, Rafael; Andreasson, Henrik; Lilienthal, Achim J.

2014-01-01

This article presents a novel approach for vision-based detection and tracking of humans wearing high-visibility clothing with retro-reflective markers. Addressing industrial applications where heavy vehicles operate in the vicinity of humans, we deploy a customized stereo camera setup with active illumination that allows for efficient detection of the reflective patterns created by the worker's safety garments. After segmenting reflective objects from the image background, the interest regions are described with local image feature descriptors and classified in order to discriminate safety garments from other reflective objects in the scene. In a final step, the trajectories of the detected humans are estimated in 3D space relative to the camera. We evaluate our tracking system in two industrial real-world work environments on several challenging video sequences. The experimental results indicate accurate tracking performance and good robustness towards partial occlusions, body pose variation, and a wide range of different illumination conditions. PMID:25264956

Visualization of grid-generated turbulence in He II using PTV

Science.gov (United States)

Mastracci, B.; Guo, W.

2017-12-01

Due to its low viscosity, cryogenic He II has potential use for simulating large-scale, high Reynolds number turbulent flow in a compact and efficient apparatus. To realize this potential, the behavior of the fluid in the simplest cases, such as turbulence generated by flow past a mesh grid, must be well understood. We have designed, constructed, and commissioned an apparatus to visualize the evolution of turbulence in the wake of a mesh grid towed through He II. Visualization is accomplished using the particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) technique, where μm-sized tracer particles are introduced to the flow, illuminated with a planar laser sheet, and recorded by a scientific imaging camera; the particles move with the fluid, and tracking their motion with a computer algorithm results in a complete map of the turbulent velocity field in the imaging region. In our experiment, this region is inside a carefully designed He II filled cast acrylic channel measuring approximately 16 × 16 × 330 mm. One of three different grids, which have mesh numbers M = 3, 3.75, or 5 mm, can be attached to the pulling system which moves it through the channel with constant velocity up to 600 mm/s. The consequent motion of the solidified deuterium tracer particles is used to investigate the energy statistics, effective kinematic viscosity, and quantized vortex dynamics in turbulent He II.

LegumeDB1 bioinformatics resource: comparative genomic analysis and novel cross-genera marker identification in lupin and pasture legume species.

Science.gov (United States)

Moolhuijzen, P; Cakir, M; Hunter, A; Schibeci, D; Macgregor, A; Smith, C; Francki, M; Jones, M G K; Appels, R; Bellgard, M

2006-06-01

The identification of markers in legume pasture crops, which can be associated with traits such as protein and lipid production, disease resistance, and reduced pod shattering, is generally accepted as an important strategy for improving the agronomic performance of these crops. It has been demonstrated that many quantitative trait loci (QTLs) identified in one species can be found in other plant species. Detailed legume comparative genomic analyses can characterize the genome organization between model legume species (e.g., Medicago truncatula, Lotus japonicus) and economically important crops such as soybean (Glycine max), pea (Pisum sativum), chickpea (Cicer arietinum), and lupin (Lupinus angustifolius), thereby identifying candidate gene markers that can be used to track QTLs in lupin and pasture legume breeding. LegumeDB is a Web-based bioinformatics resource for legume researchers. LegumeDB analysis of Medicago truncatula expressed sequence tags (ESTs) has identified novel simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers (16 tested), some of which have been putatively linked to symbiosome membrane proteins in root nodules and cell-wall proteins important in plant-pathogen defence mechanisms. These novel markers by preliminary PCR assays have been detected in Medicago truncatula and detected in at least one other legume species, Lotus japonicus, Glycine max, Cicer arietinum, and (or) Lupinus angustifolius (15/16 tested). Ongoing research has validated some of these markers to map them in a range of legume species that can then be used to compile composite genetic and physical maps. In this paper, we outline the features and capabilities of LegumeDB as an interactive application that provides legume genetic and physical comparative maps, and the efficient feature identification and annotation of the vast tracks of model legume sequences for convenient data integration and visualization. LegumeDB has been used to identify potential novel cross-genera polymorphic legume

Mitochondrial genome sequencing and development of genetic markers for the detection of DNA of invasive bighead and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and H. molitrix in environmental water samples from the United States.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Heather L Farrington

Full Text Available Invasive Asian bighead and silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys nobilis and H. molitrix pose a substantial threat to North American aquatic ecosystems. Recently, environmental DNA (eDNA, genetic material shed by organisms into their environment that can be detected by non-invasive sampling strategies and genetic assays, has gained recognition as a tool for tracking the invasion front of these species toward the Great Lakes. The goal of this study was to develop new species-specific conventional PCR (cPCR and quantitative (qPCR markers for detection of these species in North American surface waters. We first generated complete mitochondrial genome sequences from 33 bighead and 29 silver carp individuals collected throughout their introduced range. These sequences were aligned with those from other common and closely related fish species from the Illinois River watershed to identify and design new species-specific markers for the detection of bighead and silver carp DNA in environmental water samples. We then tested these genetic markers in the laboratory for species-specificity and sensitivity. Newly developed markers performed well in field trials, did not have any false positive detections, and many markers had much higher detection rates and sensitivity compared to the markers currently used in eDNA surveillance programs. We also explored the use of multiple genetic markers to determine whether it would improve detection rates, results of which showed that using multiple highly sensitive markers should maximize detection rates in environmental samples. The new markers developed in this study greatly expand the number of species-specific genetic markers available to track the invasion front of bighead and silver carp and will improve the resolution of these assays. Additionally, the use of the qPCR markers developed in this study may reduce sample processing time and cost of eDNA monitoring for these species.

Cross-amplified microsatellites in the European cherry fly, Rhagoletis cerasi: medium polymorphic-highly informative markers.

Science.gov (United States)

Augustinos, A A; Asimakopoulou, A K; Papadopoulos, N T; Bourtzis, K

2011-02-01

The European cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi (Diptera: Tephritidae), is a major pest of cherries in Europe and parts of Asia. Despite its big economic significance, there is a lack of studies on the genetic structure of its natural populations. Knowledge about an insect pest on molecular, genetic and population levels facilitates the development of environmentally friendly control methods. In this study, we present the development of 13 microsatellite markers for R. cerasi, through cross-species amplification. These markers have been used for the genotyping of 130 individuals from five different sampling sites in Greece. Our results indicate that (i) cross-species amplification is a versatile and rapid tool for developing microsatellite markers in Rhagoletis spp., (ii) the microsatellite markers presented here constitute an important tool for population studies on this pest, and (iii) there is clear structuring of natural European cherry fly populations.

Separating complex compound patient motion tracking data using independent component analysis

Science.gov (United States)

Lindsay, C.; Johnson, K.; King, M. A.

2014-03-01

In SPECT imaging, motion from respiration and body motion can reduce image quality by introducing motion-related artifacts. A minimally-invasive way to track patient motion is to attach external markers to the patient's body and record their location throughout the imaging study. If a patient exhibits multiple movements simultaneously, such as respiration and body-movement, each marker location data will contain a mixture of these motions. Decomposing this complex compound motion into separate simplified motions can have the benefit of applying a more robust motion correction to the specific type of motion. Most motion tracking and correction techniques target a single type of motion and either ignore compound motion or treat it as noise. Few methods account for compound motion exist, but they fail to disambiguate super-position in the compound motion (i.e. inspiration in addition to body movement in the positive anterior/posterior direction). We propose a new method for decomposing the complex compound patient motion using an unsupervised learning technique called Independent Component Analysis (ICA). Our method can automatically detect and separate different motions while preserving nuanced features of the motion without the drawbacks of previous methods. Our main contributions are the development of a method for addressing multiple compound motions, the novel use of ICA in detecting and separating mixed independent motions, and generating motion transform with 12 DOFs to account for twisting and shearing. We show that our method works with clinical datasets and can be employed to improve motion correction in single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images.

Relative Vessel Motion Tracking using Sensor Fusion, Aruco Markers, and MRU Sensors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sondre Sanden Tordal

2017-04-01

Full Text Available This paper presents a novel approach for estimating the relative motion between two moving offshore vessels. The method is based on a sensor fusion algorithm including a vision system and two motion reference units (MRUs. The vision system makes use of the open-source computer vision library OpenCV and a cube with Aruco markers placed onto each of the cube sides. The Extended Quaternion Kalman Filter (EQKF is used for bad pose rejection for the vision system. The presented sensor fusion algorithm is based on the Indirect Feedforward Kalman Filter for error estimation. The system is self-calibrating in the sense that the Aruco cube can be placed in an arbitrary location on the secondary vessel. Experimental 6-DOF results demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed sensor fusion method compared with the internal joint sensors of two Stewart platforms and the industrial robot. The standard deviation error was found to be 31mm or better when the Arcuo cube was placed at three different locations.

Track based alignment of the Mu3e detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hartenstein, Ulrich [Institut fuer Kernphysik, Universitaet Mainz (Germany)

2016-07-01

The Mu3e experiment searches for the lepton flavor violating decay μ{sup +} → e{sup +}e{sup -}e{sup +} with a sensitivity goal for the branching fraction of better than 10{sup -16}. This process is heavily supressed in the standard model of particle physics (BR < 10{sup -50}) which makes an observation of this decay a clear indication of new physics. For track reconstruction, four barrel shaped layers consisting of about 3000 high-voltage monolithic active pixel sensors (HV-MAPS) are used. The position, orientation and possible deformations of these sensors must be known to greater precision than the assembly tolerances. A track based alignment via the General Broken Lines fit and the Millepede-II algorithm will be used to achieve this precision in the final detector. The talk discusses a study of the required alignment precision and preparations for aligning the detector using a detailed simulation.

Investigations of heavy ion tracks in polyethylene naphthalate films

CERN Document Server

Starosta, W; Sartowska, B; Buczkowski, M

1999-01-01

The heavy ion beam (with fluence 3x10 sup 8 ion/cm sup 2) from a cyclotron has been used for irradiation of thin polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) films. Latent tracks in these polymeric films have been sensitized by UV radiation and then chemically etched in NaOH solution. The etching process parameters have been controlled by the electroconductivity method. After etching, parameters of samples have been examined by SEM and bubble point methods (Coulter[reg] Porometer II instrument). Results have shown good quality of PEN track membranes with pore sizes in the range: 0.1 - 0.5 mu m. The described procedure is known for thin polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films. Taking into consideration that PEN films have got better mechanical, thermal, gas barrier as well as better chemical resistance properties in comparison with PET films, the possibility of application of such membranes is much wider.

A simplified Track Assembler I/O for the Muon Trigger Track Finder

CERN Document Server

Dallavalle, Gaetano-Marco; Genchev, Vladimir; Grandi, Claudio; Neumeister, Norbert; Porth, Paul; Rohringer, Herbert

1998-01-01

One of the architectural concerns in the present design of the Muon Trigger Track Finder ( MTTF) is the large number of inputs to the Track Assembler ( TA). In the TA block, input track segment pairs from many Extrapolation Units ( EU) are associated into tracks. The relative contribution of these inputs to the assembled tracks is studied with simulated track patterns for low and high pt muons over the entire eta, phi acceptance of the CMS barrel. A pruning of the EUs is proposed which does not alter the performance of the Track Finder and minimizes the interconnections between azimuthal wedges.

The First Year of the BABAR Experiment at PEP-II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barrera, Barbara

2000-12-18

The BABAR detector, situated at the SLAC PEP-II asymmetric e{sup +}e{sup -} collider, has been recording data at energies on and around the {Upsilon}(4S) resonance since May 1999. In this paper, we briefly describe the PEP-II B Factory and the BABAR detector. The performance presently achieved by the experiment in the areas of tracking, vertexing, calorimetry and particle identification is reviewed. Analysis concepts that are used in the various papers submitted to this conference are also discussed.

Solar tracking system

Science.gov (United States)

Okandan, Murat; Nielson, Gregory N.

2016-07-12

Solar tracking systems, as well as methods of using such solar tracking systems, are disclosed. More particularly, embodiments of the solar tracking systems include lateral supports horizontally positioned between uprights to support photovoltaic modules. The lateral supports may be raised and lowered along the uprights or translated to cause the photovoltaic modules to track the moving sun.

Hardware Demonstrator of a Level-1 Track Finding Algorithm with FPGAs for the Phase II CMS Experiment

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2090481

2016-01-01

At the HL-LHC, proton bunches collide every 25\\,ns, producing an average of 140 pp interactions per bunch crossing. To operate in such an environment, the CMS experiment will need a Level-1 (L1) hardware trigger, able to identify interesting events within a latency of 12.5\\,$\\mu$s. This novel L1 trigger will make use of data coming from the silicon tracker to constrain the trigger rate. Goal of this new \\textit{track trigger} will be to build L1 tracks from the tracker information. The architecture that will be implemented in future to process tracker data is still under discussion. One possibility is to adopt a system entirely based on FPGA electronic. The proposed track finding algorithm is based on the Hough transform method. The algorithm has been tested using simulated pp collision data and it is currently being demonstrated in hardware, using the ``MP7'', which is a $\\mu$TCA board with a powerful FPGA capable of handling data rates approaching 1 Tb/s. Two different implementations of the Hough tran...

Correlation in chicken between the marker LEI0258 alleles and Major Histocompatibility Complex sequences

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Chazara, Olympe; Juul-Madsen, Helle Risdahl; Chang, Chi-Seng

Background The LEI0258 marker is located within the B region of the chicken Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), and is surprisingly well associated with serology. Therefore, the correlation between the LEI0258 alleles and the MHC class I and the class II alleles at the level of sequences is w...

Dosimetric impact of gold markers implanted closely to lung tumors: a Monte Carlo simulation.

Science.gov (United States)

Shiinoki, Takehiro; Sawada, Akira; Ishihara, Yoshitomo; Miyabe, Yuki; Matsuo, Yukinori; Mizowaki, Takashi; Kokubo, Masaki; Hiraoka, Masahiro

2014-05-08

We are developing an innovative dynamic tumor tracking irradiation technique using gold markers implanted around a tumor as a surrogate signal, a real-time marker detection system, and a gimbaled X-ray head in the Vero4DRT. The gold markers implanted in a normal organ will produce uncertainty in the dose calculation during treatment planning because the photon mass attenuation coefficient of a gold marker is much larger than that of normal tissue. The purpose of this study was to simulate the dose variation near the gold markers in a lung irradiated by a photon beam using the Monte Carlo method. First, the single-beam and the opposing-beam geometries were simulated using both water and lung phantoms. Subsequently, the relative dose profiles were calculated using a stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) treatment plan for a lung cancer patient having gold markers along the anterior-posterior (AP) and right-left (RL) directions. For the single beam, the dose at the gold marker-phantom interface laterally along the perpendicular to the beam axis increased by a factor of 1.35 in the water phantom and 1.58 in the lung phantom, respectively. Furthermore, the entrance dose at the interface along the beam axis increased by a factor of 1.63 in the water phantom and 1.91 in the lung phantom, while the exit dose increased by a factor of 1.00 in the water phantom and 1.12 in the lung phantom, respectively. On the other hand, both dose escalations and dose de-escalations were canceled by each beam for opposing portal beams with the same beam weight. For SBRT patient data, the dose at the gold marker edge located in the tumor increased by a factor of 1.30 in both AP and RL directions. In clinical cases, dose escalations were observed at the small area where the distance between a gold marker and the lung tumor was ≤ 5 mm, and it would be clinically negligible in multibeam treatments, although further investigation may be required.

Age-stratified analysis of tumor markers and tumor characteristics in adolescents and young women with mature cystic teratoma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Huseyin Yesilyurt

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Background: Serum tumor markers are widely used for the preoperative evaluation of an adnexal mass. Elevations of cancer antigen (CA 125 and CA 19-9 have been reported in patients with mature cystic teratoma (MCT. The aim of the study is to investigate the relation of serum tumor markers with tumor characteristics in young women with MCT. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of 157 patients under the age of 35 who underwent laparoscopic surgery for ovarian MCT. Patients were divided into two age groups: Group I (n = 80: adolescents/young adults (aged 13–25 years and Group II (n = 77: women aged 26–35 years. Data were analyzed for serum tumor markers, tumor size, and bilaterality. Results: The rates of elevated CA 125 and CA 19-9 were 10.7% and 31.5%, respectively, for Group I, and 13.9% and 26.5%, respectively, for Group II. The bilaterality rate was higher in Group II compared to Group I (19.5% vs. 8.8%, respectively, p = 0.04. Serum CA 125 and CA 19-9 elevations were not related to tumor size in Group I. In Group II, elevated levels of CA 125 were also unrelated to tumor size. However, significant elevation in CA 19-9 levels was observed when tumor size was larger than 4 cm in this age group (p = 0.004. Elevated CA 125 and CA 19-9 levels were not significantly associated with the presence of bilateral MCT in either group. Conclusion: The results of our study indicate that elevations of CA 19-9 are associated with larger tumor size in women aged 26–35 years, but not in adolescents/young adults. However, elevated serum CA 125 levels are not related to tumor size in either age group. Keywords: Adolescents, Mature cystic teratoma, Tumor marker, Tumor size, Young women

Study of the behavior of automatic track detectors for radon determination

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moreno C, A.

1997-01-01

Both the alpha decay and the alpha and beta emitting radon daughters, may affect the living cells. In this thesis, experiments have been performed to study the response of environmental radon using different alpha particle detectors. A study was performed both in the laboratory and in the field of two kinds of detectors: a) Passive solid state nuclear track detectors, LR 115 type II, capable to integrate the alpha particles in a given period of time and, b) an automatic active detector, Clipperton, that continuously accumulate the alpha counting from radon decay. LR-115 track detectors were exposed in the laboratory to alpha particles from a radioactive source and a controlled radon atmosphere. The detectors were also exposed to electrons from an electron accelerator. The number of alpha tracks in the detectors were evaluated with two kinds of spark counters. The response of the track detectors as a function of the number of alpha tracks showed a reproducibility of 92%, and the effect of electron doses showed that the bulk etching velocity varied as a function of the electron dose. Additionally some changes were introduced in an SSNTD exchanger, exposed to the radon chamber in order to reduce the background in the non exposed positions. A conversion factor of 0.016 tracks/cm 2 . 10h per Bq/m 3 was obtained. The response of the two spark counters was similar. Field soil radon determinations were performed with track detectors during 11 months and with the active detector during 5 months with exposures each month and each hour respectively. When calculated for the same time periods exposure the response of both systems was similar. However differences were quite striking in the patterns of short and long term exposure periods since short term fluctuations are explicitly shown with the active detector while integrated within the passive one. (Author)

Magnetic Resonance Imaging–Guided versus Surrogate-Based Motion Tracking in Liver Radiation Therapy: A Prospective Comparative Study

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Paganelli, Chiara, E-mail: chiara.paganelli@polimi.it [Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy); Seregni, Matteo; Fattori, Giovanni [Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy); Summers, Paul [Division of Radiology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milano (Italy); Bellomi, Massimo [Division of Radiology, Istituto Europeo di Oncologia, Milano (Italy); Department of Health Sciences, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milano (Italy); Baroni, Guido; Riboldi, Marco [Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milano (Italy); Bioengineering Unit, CNAO Foundation, Pavia (Italy)

2015-03-15

Purpose: This study applied automatic feature detection on cine–magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) liver images in order to provide a prospective comparison between MRI-guided and surrogate-based tracking methods for motion-compensated liver radiation therapy. Methods and Materials: In a population of 30 subjects (5 volunteers plus 25 patients), 2 oblique sagittal slices were acquired across the liver at high temporal resolution. An algorithm based on scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) was used to extract and track multiple features throughout the image sequence. The position of abdominal markers was also measured directly from the image series, and the internal motion of each feature was quantified through multiparametric analysis. Surrogate-based tumor tracking with a state-of-the-art external/internal correlation model was simulated. The geometrical tracking error was measured, and its correlation with external motion parameters was also investigated. Finally, the potential gain in tracking accuracy relying on MRI guidance was quantified as a function of the maximum allowed tracking error. Results: An average of 45 features was extracted for each subject across the whole liver. The multi-parametric motion analysis reported relevant inter- and intrasubject variability, highlighting the value of patient-specific and spatially-distributed measurements. Surrogate-based tracking errors (relative to the motion amplitude) were were in the range 7% to 23% (1.02-3.57mm) and were significantly influenced by external motion parameters. The gain of MRI guidance compared to surrogate-based motion tracking was larger than 30% in 50% of the subjects when considering a 1.5-mm tracking error tolerance. Conclusions: Automatic feature detection applied to cine-MRI allows detailed liver motion description to be obtained. Such information was used to quantify the performance of surrogate-based tracking methods and to provide a prospective comparison with respect to MRI

A technique for studying digestion by grasshoppers using a 103Ruthenium-labelled marker

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gandar, M.V.

1981-01-01

103 Ru-labelled tris (I,10-phenanthroline) ruthenium (II) chloride has proved to be a convenient marker in investigating digestion in grasshoppers. Assimilation efficiencies and the retension time of the food in the gut were measured. It is surmised that the technique described in this paper will be applicable to studies of a variety of chewing herbivorous insects. (author)

SIMMER-II code and its applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smith, L.L.

1979-01-01

The significant features of SIMMER-II, a disrupted-core analysis code, are described. The code has the capabalities to begin space-time neutronics calculations from nonstationary reactor states, to track the intermixing of fuel of different enrichments, and to model the complicated heat- and mass-transfer processes that occur in the transition phase. Example calculations are presented for analyses of whole-core accidents and for analyses of experiments supporting the code models

Development of a novel set of EST-SSR markers and cross-species amplification in Tamarix africana (Tamaricaceae).

Science.gov (United States)

Terzoli, Serena; Beritognolo, Isacco; Sabatti, Maurizio; Kuzminsky, Elena

2010-06-01

Tamarix plants are resistant to abiotic stresses and have become invasive in North America. Their taxonomy is troublesome, and few molecular makers are available to enable species identification or to track the spread of specific invasive genotypes. Transcriptome sequencing projects offer a potential source for the development of new markers. • Thirteen polymorphic simple sequence repeats (SSRs) markers derived from Expressed Sequence Tags (ESTs) from Tamarix hispida, T. androssowii, T. ramosissima, and T. albiflonum were identified and screened on 24 samples of T. africana to detect polymorphism. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eight, with an average of 4.3 alleles per locus, and the mean expected heterozygosity was 0.453. • Amplification products of these 13 loci were also generated for T. gallica. These new EST-SSR markers will be useful in genetic characterization of Tamarix, as additional tools for taxonomic clarification, and for studying invasive populations where they are a threat.

Tool to Assist the Management of Severe Accident Guide NPP Vandellos-II; Herramienta de Ayuda a la Gestion de las Guias de Accidentes Severos de CN. Vandellos-II

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gutierrez Varela, J.; Pontejo Calvente, A.; Martinez Fanegas, R.

2013-07-01

The objective of the project is the development of the software tool {sup M}anagement System Severe Accident Guide (GGAS) {sup w}hich makes tracking and optimal application of these guidelines by the Technical Support Center (CAT) Vandellos II.

Markers and mapping revisited: finding your gene.

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Neil; Ougham, Helen; Thomas, Howard; Pasakinskiene, Izolda

2009-01-01

This paper is an update of our earlier review (Jones et al., 1997, Markers and mapping: we are all geneticists now. New Phytologist 137: 165-177), which dealt with the genetics of mapping, in terms of recombination as the basis of the procedure, and covered some of the first generation of markers, including restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs), random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPDs), simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and quantitative trait loci (QTLs). In the intervening decade there have been numerous developments in marker science with many new systems becoming available, which are herein described: cleavage amplification polymorphism (CAP), sequence-specific amplification polymorphism (S-SAP), inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR), sequence tagged site (STS), sequence characterized amplification region (SCAR), selective amplification of microsatellite polymorphic loci (SAMPL), single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), expressed sequence tag (EST), sequence-related amplified polymorphism (SRAP), target region amplification polymorphism (TRAP), microarrays, diversity arrays technology (DArT), single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP), denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE), temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) and methylation-sensitive PCR. In addition there has been an explosion of knowledge and databases in the area of genomics and bioinformatics. The number of flowering plant ESTs is c. 19 million and counting, with all the opportunity that this provides for gene-hunting, while the survey of bioinformatics and computer resources points to a rapid growth point for future activities in unravelling and applying the burst of new information on plant genomes. A case study is presented on tracking down a specific gene (stay-green (SGR), a post-transcriptional senescence regulator) using the full suite of mapping tools and comparative mapping resources. We end with a brief speculation on how genome analysis may progress into the future of

Markers

Science.gov (United States)

Healthy Schools Network, Inc., 2011

2011-01-01

Dry erase whiteboards come with toxic dry erase markers and toxic cleaning products. Dry erase markers labeled "nontoxic" are not free of toxic chemicals and can cause health problems. Children are especially vulnerable to environmental health hazards; moreover, schools commonly have problems with indoor air pollution, as they are more densely…

A computer program TRACK_P for studying proton tracks in PADC detectors

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. Nikezic

2016-01-01

Full Text Available A computer program for studying proton tracks in solid state nuclear track detectors was developed and described in this paper. The program was written in Fortran 90, with an additional tool for visualizing the track appearance as seen under the optical microscope in the transmission mode, which was written in the Python programming language. Measurable track parameters were determined and displayed in the application window and written in a data file. Three-dimensional representation of tracks was enabled. Examples of calculated tracks were also given in the present paper.

[Serum markers of oxidative stress in infertile women with endometriosis].

Science.gov (United States)

Andrade, Aline Zyman de; Rodrigues, Jhenifer Kliemchen; Dib, Luciana Azôr; Romão, Gustavo Salata; Ferriani, Rui Alberto; Jordão Junior, Alceu Afonso; Navarro, Paula Andrea de Albuquerque Salles

2010-06-01

to compare serum markers of oxidative stress between infertile patients with and without endometriosis and to assess the association of these markers with disease staging. this was a prospective study conducted on 112 consecutive infertile, non-obese patients younger than 39 years, divided into two groups: Endometriosis (n=48, 26 with minimal and mild endometriosis - Stage I/II, and 22 with moderate and severe endometriosis - Stage III/IV) and Control (n=64, with tubal and/or male factor infertility). Blood samples were collected during the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle for the analysis of serum malondialdehyde, glutathione and total hydroxyperoxide levels by spectrophotometry and of vitamin E by high performance liquid chromatography. The results were compared between the endometriosis and control groups, stage I/II endometriosis and control, stage III/IV endometriosis and control, and between the two endometriosis subgroups. The level of significance was set at 5% (p Control Group (8.0 ± 2 µMol/g protein) and among patients with stage III/IV disease (9.7 ± 2.3 µMol/g protein) compared to patients with stage I/II disease (8.2 ± 1.0 µMol/g protein). No significant differences in serum malondialdehyde levels were observed between groups. we demonstrated a positive association between infertility related to endometriosis, advanced disease stage and increased serum hydroxyperoxide levels, suggesting an increased production of reactive species in women with endometriosis. These data, taken together with the reduction of serum vitamin E and glutathione levels, suggest the occurrence of systemic oxidative stress in women with infertility associated with endometriosis. The reproductive and metabolic implications of oxidative stress should be assessed in future studies.

Persistent Aerial Tracking

KAUST Repository

Mueller, Matthias

2016-04-13

In this thesis, we propose a new aerial video dataset and benchmark for low altitude UAV target tracking, as well as, a photo-realistic UAV simulator that can be coupled with tracking methods. Our benchmark provides the rst evaluation of many state of-the-art and popular trackers on 123 new and fully annotated HD video sequences captured from a low-altitude aerial perspective. Among the compared trackers, we determine which ones are the most suitable for UAV tracking both in terms of tracking accuracy and run-time. We also present a simulator that can be used to evaluate tracking algorithms in real-time scenarios before they are deployed on a UAV "in the field", as well as, generate synthetic but photo-realistic tracking datasets with free ground truth annotations to easily extend existing real-world datasets. Both the benchmark and simulator will be made publicly available to the vision community to further research in the area of object tracking from UAVs. Additionally, we propose a persistent, robust and autonomous object tracking system for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) called Persistent Aerial Tracking (PAT). A computer vision and control strategy is applied to a diverse set of moving objects (e.g. humans, animals, cars, boats, etc.) integrating multiple UAVs with a stabilized RGB camera. A novel strategy is employed to successfully track objects over a long period, by \\'handing over the camera\\' from one UAV to another. We integrate the complete system into an off-the-shelf UAV, and obtain promising results showing the robustness of our solution in real-world aerial scenarios.

Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from Portugal, Austria and Israel reveals higher genetic variability within the type II lineage.

Science.gov (United States)

Verma, S K; Ajzenberg, D; Rivera-Sanchez, A; Su, C; Dubey, J P

2015-06-01

This study compared genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from Portugal, Austria and Israel. For this, we genotyped 90 T. gondii isolates (16 from Portugal, 67 from Austria and 7 from Israel) using 10 nested PCR-restriction length polymorphism (RFLP) genetic markers and 15 microsatellite (MS) markers. By PCR-RFLP typing, 7 isolates from Portugal chickens were identified as type II (ToxoDB #1 or #3), 4 were type III (ToxoDB #2) and the remaining 4 isolates have unique genotype pattern were designated as ToxoDB #254. One mouse virulent isolate from a bovine fetus (Bos taurus) in Portugal was type I (ToxoDB #10) at all loci and designated as TgCowPr1. All 67 isolates from Austria and 7 from Israel were type II (ToxoDB #1 or #3). By MS typing, many additional genetic variations were revealed among the type II and type III isolates. Phylogenetic analysis showed that isolates from the same geographical locations tend to cluster together, and there is little overlapping of genotypes among different locations. This study demonstrated that the MS markers can provide higher discriminatory power to reveal association of genotypes with geographical locations. Future studies of the type II strains in Europe by these MS markers will be useful to reveal transmission patterns of the parasite.

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) as tumor marker in lung cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Grunnet, M; Sorensen, J B

2012-05-01

The use of CEA as a prognostic and predictive marker in patients with lung cancer is widely debated. The aim of this review was to evaluate the results from studies made on this subject. Using the search words "CEA", "tumor markers in lung cancer", "prognostic significance", "diagnostic significance" and "predictive significance", a search was carried out on PubMed. Exclusion criteria was articles never published in English, articles before 1981 and articles evaluating tumor markers in lung cancer not involving CEA. Initially 217 articles were found, and 34 were left after selecting those relevant for the present study. Four of these included both Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC) patients, and 31 dealt solely with NSCLC patients. Regarding SCLC no studies showed that serum level of CEA was a prognostic marker for overall survival (OS). The use of CEA serum level as a prognostic marker in NSCLC was investigated in 23 studies and the use of CEA plasma level in two. In 18 (17 serum, 1 plasma) of these studies CEA was found to be a useful prognostic marker for either OS, recurrence after surgery or/and progression free survival (PFS) in NSCLC patients. Interestingly, an overweight of low stage (stage I-II) disease and adenocarcinoma (AC) patients were observed in this group. The remaining 7 studies (6 serum, 1 plasma) contained an overweight of patients with squamous carcinoma (SQ). One study found evidence for that a tumor marker index (TMI), based on preoperative CEA and CYFRA21-1 serum levels, is useful as a prognostic marker for OS in NSCLC. Six studies evaluated the use of CEA as a predictive marker for risk of recurrence and risk of death in NSCLC patients. Four of these studies found, that CEA was useful as a predictive marker for risk of recurrence and risk of death measured over time. No studies found CEA levels useful as a diagnostic marker for lung cancer. With regard to NSCLC the level of CEA measured in tumor tissue in

Risk assessment of soil compaction in Europe – Rubber tracks or wheels on machinery

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lamandé, Mathieu; Greve, Mogens Humlekrog; Schjønning, Per

2018-01-01

Subsoil compaction is persistent and affects the wide diversity of ecological services provided by agricultural soils. Efficient risk assessment tools are required to identify sustainable agricultural practices. Vehicles should not transmit stresses that exceed soil strength. Wheel load is the pr......Subsoil compaction is persistent and affects the wide diversity of ecological services provided by agricultural soils. Efficient risk assessment tools are required to identify sustainable agricultural practices. Vehicles should not transmit stresses that exceed soil strength. Wheel load...... the magnitude of contact stresses, (ii) compare effects of traffic on soil physical properties using tires or tracks, and (iii) evaluate a state-of-the-art method for risk assessment of soil compaction beneath tracks or tires at the European level. We measured contact stress below a fully-loaded sugar beet....... The contact area was larger and the maximum and vertical stress smaller beneath the rubber track than beneath the tire. Nevertheless, stress distribution beneath the rubber track was far from uniform, presenting high peak stresses beneath the wheels and rollers. Dry bulk density was similar after traffic...

Nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as a universal DNA barcode marker for Fungi.

Science.gov (United States)

Schoch, Conrad L; Seifert, Keith A; Huhndorf, Sabine; Robert, Vincent; Spouge, John L; Levesque, C André; Chen, Wen

2012-04-17

Six DNA regions were evaluated as potential DNA barcodes for Fungi, the second largest kingdom of eukaryotic life, by a multinational, multilaboratory consortium. The region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 used as the animal barcode was excluded as a potential marker, because it is difficult to amplify in fungi, often includes large introns, and can be insufficiently variable. Three subunits from the nuclear ribosomal RNA cistron were compared together with regions of three representative protein-coding genes (largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, second largest subunit of RNA polymerase II, and minichromosome maintenance protein). Although the protein-coding gene regions often had a higher percent of correct identification compared with ribosomal markers, low PCR amplification and sequencing success eliminated them as candidates for a universal fungal barcode. Among the regions of the ribosomal cistron, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region has the highest probability of successful identification for the broadest range of fungi, with the most clearly defined barcode gap between inter- and intraspecific variation. The nuclear ribosomal large subunit, a popular phylogenetic marker in certain groups, had superior species resolution in some taxonomic groups, such as the early diverging lineages and the ascomycete yeasts, but was otherwise slightly inferior to the ITS. The nuclear ribosomal small subunit has poor species-level resolution in fungi. ITS will be formally proposed for adoption as the primary fungal barcode marker to the Consortium for the Barcode of Life, with the possibility that supplementary barcodes may be developed for particular narrowly circumscribed taxonomic groups.

Kalman Filter Track Fits and Track Breakpoint Analysis

CERN Document Server

Astier, Pierre; Cousins, R D; Letessier-Selvon, A A; Popov, B A; Vinogradova, T G; Astier, Pierre; Cardini, Alessandro; Cousins, Robert D.; Letessier-Selvon, Antoine; Popov, Boris A.; Vinogradova, Tatiana

2000-01-01

We give an overview of track fitting using the Kalman filter method in the NOMAD detector at CERN, and emphasize how the wealth of by-product information can be used to analyze track breakpoints (discontinuities in track parameters caused by scattering, decay, etc.). After reviewing how this information has been previously exploited by others, we describe extensions which add power to breakpoint detection and characterization. We show how complete fits to the entire track, with breakpoint parameters added, can be easily obtained from the information from unbroken fits. Tests inspired by the Fisher F-test can then be used to judge breakpoints. Signed quantities (such as change in momentum at the breakpoint) can supplement unsigned quantities such as the various chisquares. We illustrate the method with electrons from real data, and with Monte Carlo simulations of pion decays.

Framework conditions for tracking electricity in Europe. E-TRACK WP2 report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lise, W.; Boots, M.G.; De Joode, J.; Ten Donkelaar, M.; Timpe, C.; Vrolijk, C.

2006-03-01

The analysis of this report shows that context matters for tracking generation attributes. On the one hand, there are factors that enable the introduction of tracking, like previous experiences with green certificates. Some Member States have already gained experience with tracking generation attributes, which is required to disclose the generation mix to the consumer. On the other hand, there are factors that are making the introduction of tracking generation attributes in Europe more difficult, like the widely varying initiatives among Member States with respect to legislation on GOs and disclosure. Also the market conditions can be of influence. The varying degree of market opening matters, because the usefulness of tracking is lower in a market where a customer cannot switch among suppliers. The amount of electricity traded makes it difficult to link generation to consumption under contract-based tracking, while this is of no concern under certificate-based tracking. One of the ways towards overcoming the aforementioned barriers is harmonisation of schemes for tracking generation attributes

The Belle II silicon vertex detector assembly and mechanics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Adamczyk, K. [H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow 31-342 (Poland); Aihara, H. [Department of Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Angelini, C. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Aziz, T.; Babu, V. [Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai 400005 (India); Bacher, S. [H. Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics, Krakow 31-342 (Poland); Bahinipati, S. [Indian Institute of Technology Bhubaneswar, Satya Nagar (India); Barberio, E.; Baroncelli, Ti.; Baroncelli, To. [School of Physics, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria 3010 (Australia); Basith, A.K. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Batignani, G. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bauer, A. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Behera, P.K. [Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai 600036 (India); Bergauer, T. [Institute of High Energy Physics, Austrian Academy of Sciences, 1050 Vienna (Austria); Bettarini, S., E-mail: stefano.bettarini@pi.infn.it [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bhuyan, B. [Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Assam 781039 (India); Bilka, T. [Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, 121 16 Prague (Czech Republic); Bosi, F. [INFN Sezione di Pisa, I-56127 Pisa (Italy); Bosisio, L. [Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); INFN Sezione di Trieste, I-34127 Trieste (Italy); and others

2017-02-11

The Belle II experiment at the asymmetric SuperKEKB collider in Japan will operate at an instantaneous luminosity approximately 50 times greater than its predecessor (Belle). The central feature of the experiment is a vertex detector comprising two layers of pixelated silicon detectors (PXD) and four layers of double-sided silicon microstrip detectors (SVD). One of the key measurements for Belle II is CP violation asymmetry in the decays of beauty and charm hadrons, which hinges on a precise charged-track vertex determination and low-momentum track measurement. Towards this goal, a proper assembly of the SVD components with precise alignment ought to be performed and the geometrical tolerances should be checked to fall within the design limits. We present an overview of the assembly procedure that is being followed, which includes the precision gluing of the SVD module components, wire-bonding of the various electrical components, and precision 3D coordinate measurements of the final SVD modules. Finally, some results from the latest test-beam are reported.

Combined Atropine and 2-PAM Cl Effects on Tracking Performance and Visual, Physiological, and Psychological Functions

Science.gov (United States)

1988-12-01

tracking task reveals the magnitude Akitrihm. Spare. and Environmental Medicine • December. I$ II I ANTIDOTE EFFECTS--PEN ETAR ET AL. and duration of the... marihuana on dynamic visual acu- blood pressure following the combination of 2-PAM Cl ity: I. Threshold measurements. Perception Psychophys. 1975

Overview of the TJ-II remote participation system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vega, J.; Sanchez, E.; Portas, A.; Pereira, A.; Mollinedo, A.; Munoz, J.A.; Ruiz, M.; Barrera, E.; Lopez, S.; Machon, D.; Castro, R.; Lopez, D.

2006-01-01

The TJ-II remote participation system (RPS) is focused on providing remote access to elements that depend exclusively on characteristics of the TJ-II environment: data acquisition, diagnostics control systems and TJ-II operation tracking. Four key points were taken into account prior to starting the software design: access security, software execution platforms, software maintenance and distribution and delivery of operation events. The first, access security, was addressed by means of a distributed authentication and authorization system, PAPI. Regarding the other points, the development was based on the use of web servers (due to their standard character, flexibility and scalability) and Java technologies (due to their open nature, security properties and technological maturity). Software deployment was prepared to make use of the Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP). On-line message distribution was planned according to a message oriented middleware. At present, the TJ-II RPS manages over 1000 digitization channels and 20 diagnostic control systems. The TJ-II RPS architecture is flexible, scalable and powerful enough to be applied to distributed environments and, in particular, it could be used in the ITER environment

Overview of the TJ-II remote participation system

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vega, J. [Asociacion EURATOM/CIEMAT para Fusion, Avda. Complutense, 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain)]. E-mail: jesus.vega@ciemat.es; Sanchez, E. [Asociacion EURATOM/CIEMAT para Fusion, Avda. Complutense, 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Portas, A. [Asociacion EURATOM/CIEMAT para Fusion, Avda. Complutense, 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Pereira, A. [Asociacion EURATOM/CIEMAT para Fusion, Avda. Complutense, 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Mollinedo, A. [Computer Centre, CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense, 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Munoz, J.A. [Computer Centre, CIEMAT, Avda. Complutense, 22, 28040 Madrid (Spain); Ruiz, M. [Dpto. De Sistemas Electronicos y de Control, UPM, Campus Sur, Ctra. Valencia km 7, 28031 Madrid (Spain); Barrera, E. [Dpto. De Sistemas Electronicos y de Control, UPM, Campus Sur, Ctra. Valencia km 7, 28031 Madrid (Spain); Lopez, S. [Dpto. De Sistemas Electronicos y de Control, UPM, Campus Sur, Ctra. Valencia km 7, 28031 Madrid (Spain); Machon, D. [Dpto. De Sistemas Electronicos y de Control, UPM, Campus Sur, Ctra. Valencia km 7, 28031 Madrid (Spain); Castro, R. [Red.es-RedIRIS, Edificio Bronce, Plaza Manuel Gomez Moreno s/n, 28020 Madrid (Spain); Lopez, D. [Red.es-RedIRIS, Edificio Bronce, Plaza Manuel Gomez Moreno s/n, 28020 Madrid (Spain)

2006-07-15

The TJ-II remote participation system (RPS) is focused on providing remote access to elements that depend exclusively on characteristics of the TJ-II environment: data acquisition, diagnostics control systems and TJ-II operation tracking. Four key points were taken into account prior to starting the software design: access security, software execution platforms, software maintenance and distribution and delivery of operation events. The first, access security, was addressed by means of a distributed authentication and authorization system, PAPI. Regarding the other points, the development was based on the use of web servers (due to their standard character, flexibility and scalability) and Java technologies (due to their open nature, security properties and technological maturity). Software deployment was prepared to make use of the Java Network Launching Protocol (JNLP). On-line message distribution was planned according to a message oriented middleware. At present, the TJ-II RPS manages over 1000 digitization channels and 20 diagnostic control systems. The TJ-II RPS architecture is flexible, scalable and powerful enough to be applied to distributed environments and, in particular, it could be used in the ITER environment.

Adaptive Disturbance Tracking Theory with State Estimation and State Feedback for Region II Control of Large Wind Turbines

Science.gov (United States)

Balas, Mark J.; Thapa Magar, Kaman S.; Frost, Susan A.

2013-01-01

A theory called Adaptive Disturbance Tracking Control (ADTC) is introduced and used to track the Tip Speed Ratio (TSR) of 5 MW Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT). Since ADTC theory requires wind speed information, a wind disturbance generator model is combined with lower order plant model to estimate the wind speed as well as partial states of the wind turbine. In this paper, we present a proof of stability and convergence of ADTC theory with lower order estimator and show that the state feedback can be adaptive.

Ricebase: a breeding and genetics platform for rice, integrating individual molecular markers, pedigrees and whole-genome-based data.

Science.gov (United States)

Edwards, J D; Baldo, A M; Mueller, L A

2016-01-01

Ricebase (http://ricebase.org) is an integrative genomic database for rice (Oryza sativa) with an emphasis on combining datasets in a way that maintains the key links between past and current genetic studies. Ricebase includes DNA sequence data, gene annotations, nucleotide variation data and molecular marker fragment size data. Rice research has benefited from early adoption and extensive use of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers; however, the majority of rice SSR markers were developed prior to the latest rice pseudomolecule assembly. Interpretation of new research using SNPs in the context of literature citing SSRs requires a common coordinate system. A new pipeline, using a stepwise relaxation of stringency, was used to map SSR primers onto the latest rice pseudomolecule assembly. The SSR markers and experimentally assayed amplicon sizes are presented in a relational database with a web-based front end, and are available as a track loaded in a genome browser with links connecting the browser and database. The combined capabilities of Ricebase link genetic markers, genome context, allele states across rice germplasm and potentially user curated phenotypic interpretations as a community resource for genetic discovery and breeding in rice. Published by Oxford University Press 2016. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the United States.