WorldWideScience

Sample records for r-axis iic imaging-plate

  1. Three-axis optical force plate for studies in small animal locomotor mechanics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsieh, S. Tonia

    2006-01-01

    The use of force plates to measure whole-body locomotor mechanics is a well-established technique. However, commercially available force plates are not sensitive enough for use on small-bodied vertebrates or invertebrates. The standard design for single- and multiple-axis, high-sensitivity force plates built by individual research groups uses semiconductor foil strain gauges to measure deflections; yet foil strain gauges are highly temperature and position sensitive, resulting in a drifting base line and nonlinear responses. I present here a design for a three-axis optical force plate that was successfully calibrated to measure forces as small as 1.5 mN and is capable of determining the position of center of pressure with a mean error of 0.07 cm along the X axis and 0.13 cm along the Y axis. Using optical sensors instead of foil strain gauges to measure deflection, this force plate is not subject to temperature-related drift and is more robust against slight positioning inaccuracies. This force plate was used to measure forces produced by amphibious fishes weighing less than 2 g as they jumped off the force platform

  2. Relative potentials of concentrating and two-axis tracking flat-plate photovoltaic arrays for central-station applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borden, C. S.; Schwartz, D. L.

    1984-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to assess the relative economic potentials of concenrating and two-axis tracking flat-plate photovoltaic arrays for central-station applications in the mid-1990's. Specific objectives of this study are to provide information on concentrator photovoltaic collector probabilistic price and efficiency levels to illustrate critical areas of R&D for concentrator cells and collectors, and to compare concentrator and flat-plate PV price and efficiency alternatives for several locations, based on their implied costs of energy. To deal with the uncertainties surrounding research and development activities in general, a probabilistic assessment of commercially achievable concentrator photovoltaic collector efficiencies and prices (at the factory loading dock) is performed. The results of this projection of concentrator photovoltaic technology are then compared with a previous flat-plate module price analysis (performed early in 1983). To focus this analysis on specific collector alternatives and their implied energy costs for different locations, similar two-axis tracking designs are assumed for both concentrator and flat-plate options.

  3. An imaging method of wavefront coding system based on phase plate rotation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yi, Rigui; Chen, Xi; Dong, Liquan; Liu, Ming; Zhao, Yuejin; Liu, Xiaohua

    2018-01-01

    Wave-front coding has a great prospect in extending the depth of the optical imaging system and reducing optical aberrations, but the image quality and noise performance are inevitably reduced. According to the theoretical analysis of the wave-front coding system and the phase function expression of the cubic phase plate, this paper analyzed and utilized the feature that the phase function expression would be invariant in the new coordinate system when the phase plate rotates at different angles around the z-axis, and we proposed a method based on the rotation of the phase plate and image fusion. First, let the phase plate rotated at a certain angle around the z-axis, the shape and distribution of the PSF obtained on the image surface remain unchanged, the rotation angle and direction are consistent with the rotation angle of the phase plate. Then, the middle blurred image is filtered by the point spread function of the rotation adjustment. Finally, the reconstruction images were fused by the method of the Laplacian pyramid image fusion and the Fourier transform spectrum fusion method, and the results were evaluated subjectively and objectively. In this paper, we used Matlab to simulate the images. By using the Laplacian pyramid image fusion method, the signal-to-noise ratio of the image is increased by 19% 27%, the clarity is increased by 11% 15% , and the average gradient is increased by 4% 9% . By using the Fourier transform spectrum fusion method, the signal-to-noise ratio of the image is increased by 14% 23%, the clarity is increased by 6% 11% , and the average gradient is improved by 2% 6%. The experimental results show that the image processing by the above method can improve the quality of the restored image, improving the image clarity, and can effectively preserve the image information.

  4. A neutron image plate quasi-Laue diffractometer for protein crystallography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cipriani, F.; Castagna, J.C.; Wilkinson, C. [European Molecular Biology Laboratory, Grenoble (France)] [and others

    1994-12-31

    An instrument which is based on image plate technology has been constructed to perform cold neutron Laue crystallography on protein structures. The crystal is mounted at the center of a cylindrical detector which is 400mm long and has a circumference of 1000mm, with gadolinium oxide-containing image plates mounted on its exterior surface. Laue images registered on the plate are read out by rotating the drum and translating a laser read head parallel to the cylinder axis, giving a pixel size of 200{mu}m x 200{mu}m and a total read time of 5 minutes. Preliminary results indicate that it should be possible to obtain a complete data set from a protein crystal to atomic resolution in about two weeks.

  5. Neutron imaging plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Niimura, Nobuo

    1995-01-01

    Imaging plates have been used in the field of medical diagnosis since long ago, but their usefulness was verified as the two-dimensional detector for analyzing the X-ray crystalline structure of high bio molecules like protein, and they have contributed to the remarkable progress in this field. The great contribution is due to the excellent features, such as the detection efficiency of about 100%, the positional resolution smaller than 0.2 mm, the dynamic range of five digits, and the area of several hundreds mm square. The neutron imaging plates have not yet obtained the sufficient results. It was planned to construct the neutron diffractometer for biological matters, and to put imaging plate neutron detectors (IP-ND) to practical use as the detector. The research on the development of IP-NDs was carried out, and the IPp-NDs having the performance comparable with that for X-ray were able to be produced. Imaging plates are the integral type two-dimensional radiation detector using photostimulated luminescence matters, and their principle is explained. As to neutron imaging plates, the converter, neutron detection efficiency and the flight of secondary particles in photo-stimulated luminescence matters are described. As for the present state of development of neutron imaging plates, the IP-NDs made for trial, the dynamic range, the positional resolution, the detection efficiency and the kinds of converters, and the application of IP-NDs are reported. (K.I.)

  6. Neutron radiography using neutron imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chankow, Nares; Wonglee, Sarinrat

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The aims of this research are to study properties of neutron imaging plate, to obtain a suitable condition for neutron radiography and to use the neutron imaging plate for testing of materials nondestructively. The experiments were carried out by using a neutron beam from the Thai Research Reactor TRR-1/M1 at a power of 1.2 MW. A BAS-ND 2040 FUJI neutron imaging plate and a MX125 Kodak X-ray film/Gadolinium neutron converter screen combination were tested for comparison. It was found that the photostimulated light (PSL) read out of the imaging plate was directly proportional to the exposure time. It was also found that radiography with neutron using the imaging plate was approximately 40 times faster than the conventional neutron radiography using x-ray film/Gd converter screen combination. The sensitivity of the imaging plate to gamma-rays was investigated by using gamma-rays from an 192 Ir and a 60 Co radiographic sources. The imaging plate was found to be 5-6 times less sensitive to gamma-rays than a FUJI BAS-MS 2040 gamma-ray imaging plate. Finally, some specimens were selected to be radiographed with neutrons using the imaging plate and the x-ray film/Gd converter screen combination in comparison to x-rays. Parts containing light elements could be clearly observed by the two neutron radiographic techniques. It could be concluded that the image quality from the neutron imaging plate was comparable to the conventional x-ray film/Gd converter screen combination but the exposure time could be approximately reduced by a factor of 40

  7. Genetic organization of ascB-dapE internalin cluster serves as a potential marker for Listeria monocytogenes sublineages IIA, IIB, and IIC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Jianshun; Fang, Chun; Zhu, Ningyu; Lv, Yonghui; Cheng, Changyong; Bei, Yijiang; Zheng, Tianlun; Fang, Weihuan

    2012-05-01

    Listeria monocytogenes is an important foodborne pathogen that comprises four genetic lineages: I, II, III, and IV. Of these, lineage II is frequently recovered from foods and environments and responsible for the increasing incidence of human listeriosis. In this study, the phylogenetic structure of lineage II was determined through sequencing analysis of the ascB-dapE internalin cluster. Fifteen sequence types proposed by multilocus sequence typing based on nine housekeeping genes were grouped into three distinct sublineages, IIA, IIB, and IIC. Organization of the ascBdapE internalin cluster could serve as a molecular marker for these sublineages, with inlGHE, inlGC2DE, and inlC2DE for IIA, IIB, and IIC, respectively. These sublineages displayed specific genetic and phenotypic characteristics. IIA and IIC showed a higher frequency of recombination (rho/theta). However, recombination events had greater effect (r/m) on IIB, leading to its high nucleotide diversity. Moreover, IIA and IIB harbored a wider range of internalin and stress-response genes, and possessed higher nisin tolerance, whereas IIC contained the largest portion of low-virulent strains owing to premature stop codons in inlA. The results of this study indicate that IIA, IIB, and IIC might occupy different ecological niches, and IIB might have a better adaptation to a broad range of environmental niches.

  8. The effects of receiving room dimensions and absorption in the measurement of impact insulation class (IIC) rating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Rose Mary; Tocci, Gregory

    2005-09-01

    The measurement of the Impact Insulation Class (IIC) rating of any floor/ceiling construction requires the use of a certified laboratory space. In a recent investigation into the IIC rating of a new floor system, several tests were conducted in a certified laboratory. In many tests, the IIC rating was controlled by the 100-Hz 1/3-octave frequency band, despite changes in the floor/ceiling construction. The base floor/ceiling construction included a wood structural floor on open-web wood joists and a GWB ceiling below. This paper will investigate the possibility that room resonances influenced the IIC ratings of the several floor systems tested. These data will be compared with IIC data collected for the same floor construction with the GWB ceiling removed. The removal of the GWB ceiling increased the receiver room volume and exposed the glass fiber insulation to the receiver room, thus eliminating the control of the 100-Hz 1/3-octave band over the IIC rating.

  9. Diffusion tensor imaging of the cortical plate and subplate in very-low-birth-weight infants

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dudink, Jeroen; Govaert, Paul; Zwol, Arjen L. van; Conneman, Nikk; Goudoever, Johannes B. van [Erasmus MC-Sophia Children' s Hospital, Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Rotterdam (Netherlands); Buijs, Jan [Maxima Medical Center, Division of Neonatology, Department of Paediatrics, Veldhoven (Netherlands); Lequin, Maarten [Erasmus MC-Sophia Children' s Hospital, Division of Paediatrics, Department of Radiology, Rotterdam, Zuid-holland (Netherlands)

    2010-08-15

    Many intervention studies in preterm infants aim to improve neurodevelopmental outcome, but short-term proxy outcome measurements are lacking. Cortical plate and subplate development could be such a marker. Our aim was to provide normal DTI reference values for the cortical plate and subplate of preterm infants. As part of an ongoing study we analysed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) images of 19 preterm infants without evidence of injury on conventional MRI, with normal outcome (Bayley-II assessed at age 2), and scanned in the first 4 days of life. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the frontal and temporal subplate and cortical plate were measured in single and multiple voxel regions of interest (ROI) placed on predefined regions. Using single-voxel ROIs, statistically significant inverse correlation was found between gestational age (GA) and FA of the frontal (r = -0.5938, P = 0.0058) and temporal (r = -0.4912, P = 0.0327) cortical plate. ADC values had a significant positive correlation with GA in the frontal (r = 0.5427, P = 0.0164) and temporal (r = 0.5540, P = 0.0138) subplate. Diffusion tensor imaging allows in vivo exploration of the evolving cortical plate and subplate. We provide FA and ADC values of the subplate and cortical plate in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants with normal developmental outcome that can be used as reference values. (orig.)

  10. Diffusion tensor imaging of the cortical plate and subplate in very-low-birth-weight infants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dudink, Jeroen; Govaert, Paul; Zwol, Arjen L. van; Conneman, Nikk; Goudoever, Johannes B. van; Buijs, Jan; Lequin, Maarten

    2010-01-01

    Many intervention studies in preterm infants aim to improve neurodevelopmental outcome, but short-term proxy outcome measurements are lacking. Cortical plate and subplate development could be such a marker. Our aim was to provide normal DTI reference values for the cortical plate and subplate of preterm infants. As part of an ongoing study we analysed diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) images of 19 preterm infants without evidence of injury on conventional MRI, with normal outcome (Bayley-II assessed at age 2), and scanned in the first 4 days of life. Fractional anisotropy (FA) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values in the frontal and temporal subplate and cortical plate were measured in single and multiple voxel regions of interest (ROI) placed on predefined regions. Using single-voxel ROIs, statistically significant inverse correlation was found between gestational age (GA) and FA of the frontal (r = -0.5938, P = 0.0058) and temporal (r = -0.4912, P = 0.0327) cortical plate. ADC values had a significant positive correlation with GA in the frontal (r = 0.5427, P = 0.0164) and temporal (r = 0.5540, P = 0.0138) subplate. Diffusion tensor imaging allows in vivo exploration of the evolving cortical plate and subplate. We provide FA and ADC values of the subplate and cortical plate in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants with normal developmental outcome that can be used as reference values. (orig.)

  11. Depth of focus enhancement of a modified imaging quasi-fractal zone plate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qinqin; Wang, Jingang; Wang, Mingwei; Bu, Jing; Zhu, Siwei; Gao, Bruce Z; Yuan, Xiaocong

    2012-10-01

    We propose a new parameter w for optimization of foci distribution of conventional fractal zone plates (FZPs) with a greater depth of focus (DOF) in imaging. Numerical simulations of DOF distribution on axis directions indicate that the values of DOF can be extended by a factor of 1.5 or more by a modified quasi-FZP. In experiments, we employ a simple object-lens-image-plane arrangement to pick up images at various positions within the DOF of a conventional FZP and a quasi-FZP, respectively. Experimental results show that the parameter w improves foci distribution of FZPs in good agreement with theoretical predictions.

  12. Light refraction in sapphire plates with a variable angle of crystal optical axis to the surface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vetrov, V. N.; Ignatenkov, B. A.

    2013-01-01

    The modification of sapphire by inhomogeneous plastic deformation makes it possible to obtain plates with a variable angle of inclination of the crystal optical axis to the plate surface. The refraction of light in this plate at perpendicular and oblique incidence of a parallel beam of rays is considered. The algorithm of calculating the refractive index of extraordinary ray and the birefringence is proposed.

  13. A control approach to cross-coupling compensation of piezotube scanners in tapping-mode atomic force microscope imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Ying; Shi, Jian; Su, Chanmin; Zou, Qingze

    2009-04-01

    In this article, an approach based on the recently developed inversion-based iterative control (IIC) to cancel the cross-axis coupling effect of piezoelectric tube scanners (piezoscanners) in tapping-mode atomic force microscope (AFM) imaging is proposed. Cross-axis coupling effect generally exists in piezoscanners used for three-dimensional (x-y-z axes) nanopositioning in applications such as AFM, where the vertical z-axis movement can be generated by the lateral x-y axes scanning. Such x/y-to-z cross-coupling becomes pronounced when the scanning is at large range and/or at high speed. In AFM applications, the coupling-caused position errors, when large, can generate various adverse effects, including large imaging and topography distortions, and damage of the cantilever probe and/or the sample. This paper utilizes the IIC technique to obtain the control input to precisely track the coupling-caused x/y-to-z displacement (with sign-flipped). Then the obtained input is augmented as a feedforward control to the existing feedback control in tapping-mode imaging, resulting in the cancellation of the coupling effect. The proposed approach is illustrated through two exemplary applications in industry, the pole-tip recession examination, and the nanoasperity measurement on hard-disk drive. Experimental results show that the x/y-to-z coupling effect in large-range (20 and 45 microm) tapping-mode imaging at both low to high scan rates (2, 12.2 to 24.4 Hz) can be effectively removed.

  14. Performance assessment of imaging plates for the JHR transfer Neutron Imaging System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Simon, E.; Guimbal, P. AB(; )

    2018-01-01

    The underwater Neutron Imaging System to be installed in the Jules Horowitz Reactor (JHR-NIS) is based on a transfer method using a neutron activated beta-emitter like Dysprosium. The information stored in the converter is to be offline transferred on a specific imaging system, still to be defined. Solutions are currently under investigation for the JHR-NIS in order to anticipate the disappearance of radiographic films commonly used in these applications. We report here the performance assessment of Computed Radiography imagers (Imaging Plates) performed at LLB/Orphée (CEA Saclay). Several imaging plate types are studied, in one hand in the configuration involving an intimate contact with an activated dysprosium foil converter: Fuji BAS-TR, Fuji UR-1 and Carestream Flex XL Blue imaging plates, and in the other hand by using a prototypal imaging plate doped with dysprosium and thus not needing any contact with a separate converter foil. The results for these imaging plates are compared with those obtained with gadolinium doped imaging plate used in direct neutron imaging (Fuji BAS-ND). The detection performances of the different imagers are compared regarding resolution and noise. The many advantages of using imaging plates over radiographic films (high sensitivity, linear response, high dynamic range) could palliate its lower intrinsic resolution.

  15. Applications of image plates in neutron radiography and neutron diffraction at BARC, Trombay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shaikh, A.M.

    2013-01-01

    Neutron radiography techniques based on Gd, Dy and In metallic foils and X-ray film have been used at this centre since early seventies for various NDT and R and D work in nuclear, defence and aerospace industries. In recent years use of photostimulated luminescence based phosphor imaging plate has been introduced in our work. This has enabled to achieve higher sensitivities and dynamic ranges of recording radiographs with acceptable spatial resolution. It also provides digital image information which is more convenient for quantitative evaluations. Neutron image plates have been used in variety of radiography techniques such as conventional neutron radiography (NR), neutron induced beta radiography (NIBR), hydrogen sensitive epithermal neutron radiography (HYSEN) and for neutron powder diffractometry using Apsara, CIRUS and Dhruva reactors as neutron sources. Recently the image plates have also been used for characterization of thermalized neutron beam from a plasma focus neutron source and recording neutron radiographs. Prior to the utilization image plates have been characterised for their performance. Details of the measurements and applications will be presented. (author)

  16. Imaging and image restoration of an on-axis three-mirror Cassegrain system with wavefront coding technology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Xiaohu; Dong, Liquan; Zhao, Yuejin; Jia, Wei; Kong, Lingqin; Wu, Yijian; Li, Bing

    2015-04-01

    Wavefront coding (WFC) technology is adopted in the space optical system to resolve the problem of defocus caused by temperature difference or vibration of satellite motion. According to the theory of WFC, we calculate and optimize the phase mask parameter of the cubic phase mask plate, which is used in an on-axis three-mirror Cassegrain (TMC) telescope system. The simulation analysis and the experimental results indicate that the defocused modulation transfer function curves and the corresponding blurred images have a perfect consistency in the range of 10 times the depth of focus (DOF) of the original TMC system. After digital image processing by a Wiener filter, the spatial resolution of the restored images is up to 57.14 line pairs/mm. The results demonstrate that the WFC technology in the TMC system has superior performance in extending the DOF and less sensitivity to defocus, which has great value in resolving the problem of defocus in the space optical system.

  17. Image simulation for automatic license plate recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bala, Raja; Zhao, Yonghui; Burry, Aaron; Kozitsky, Vladimir; Fillion, Claude; Saunders, Craig; Rodríguez-Serrano, José

    2012-01-01

    Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) is an important capability for traffic surveillance applications, including toll monitoring and detection of different types of traffic violations. ALPR is a multi-stage process comprising plate localization, character segmentation, optical character recognition (OCR), and identification of originating jurisdiction (i.e. state or province). Training of an ALPR system for a new jurisdiction typically involves gathering vast amounts of license plate images and associated ground truth data, followed by iterative tuning and optimization of the ALPR algorithms. The substantial time and effort required to train and optimize the ALPR system can result in excessive operational cost and overhead. In this paper we propose a framework to create an artificial set of license plate images for accelerated training and optimization of ALPR algorithms. The framework comprises two steps: the synthesis of license plate images according to the design and layout for a jurisdiction of interest; and the modeling of imaging transformations and distortions typically encountered in the image capture process. Distortion parameters are estimated by measurements of real plate images. The simulation methodology is successfully demonstrated for training of OCR.

  18. Shot H3837: Darht's First Dual-Axis Explosive Experiment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mendez, Jacob; McNeil, Wendy Vogan; Harsh, James; Hull, Lawrence

    2011-06-01

    Test H3837 was the first explosive shot performed in front of both flash x-ray axes at the Los Alamos Dual Axis Radiographic HydroTest (DARHT) facility. Executed in November 2009, the shot was an explosively-driven metal flyer plate in a series of experiments designed to explore equation-of-state properties of shocked materials. Imaging the initial shock wave traveling through the flyer plate, DARHT Axis II captured the range of motion from the shock front emergence in the flyer to breakout at the free surface; the Axis I pulse provided a perpendicular perspective of the shot at a time coinciding with the third pulse of Axis II. Since the days of the Manhattan Project, penetrating radiography with multiple frames from different viewing angles has remained a high-profile goal at the Laboratory. H3837 is merely the beginning of a bright future for two-axis penetrating radiography.

  19. Trypanosoma cruzi IIc: phylogenetic and phylogeographic insights from sequence and microsatellite analysis and potential impact on emergent Chagas disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin S Llewellyn

    2009-09-01

    Full Text Available Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of Chagas disease, is highly genetically diverse. Numerous lines of evidence point to the existence of six stable genetic lineages or DTUs: TcI, TcIIa, TcIIb, TcIIc, TcIId, and TcIIe. Molecular dating suggests that T. cruzi is likely to have been an endemic infection of neotropical mammalian fauna for many millions of years. Here we have applied a panel of 49 polymorphic microsatellite markers developed from the online T. cruzi genome to document genetic diversity among 53 isolates belonging to TcIIc, a lineage so far recorded almost exclusively in silvatic transmission cycles but increasingly a potential source of human infection. These data are complemented by parallel analysis of sequence variation in a fragment of the glucose-6-phosphate isomerase gene. New isolates confirm that TcIIc is associated with terrestrial transmission cycles and armadillo reservoir hosts, and demonstrate that TcIIc is far more widespread than previously thought, with a distribution at least from Western Venezuela to the Argentine Chaco. We show that TcIIc is truly a discrete T. cruzi lineage, that it could have an ancient origin and that diversity occurs within the terrestrial niche independently of the host species. We also show that spatial structure among TcIIc isolates from its principal host, the armadillo Dasypus novemcinctus, is greater than that among TcI from Didelphis spp. opossums and link this observation to differences in ecology of their respective niches. Homozygosity in TcIIc populations and some linkage indices indicate the possibility of recombination but cannot yet be effectively discriminated from a high genome-wide frequency of gene conversion. Finally, we suggest that the derived TcIIc population genetic data have a vital role in determining the origin of the epidemiologically important hybrid lineages TcIId and TcIIe.

  20. Cyber security evaluation of II&C technologies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Thomas, Ken [Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2014-11-01

    The Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) Program is a research and development program sponsored by the Department of Energy, which is conducted in close collaboration with industry to provide the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe and economical operation of current nuclear power plants The LWRS Program serves to help the US nuclear industry adopt new technologies and engineering solutions that facilitate the continued safe operation of the plants and extension of the current operating licenses. Within the LWRS Program, the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) Systems Technologies Pathway conducts targeted research and development (R&D) to address aging and reliability concerns with the legacy instrumentation and control and related information systems of the U.S. operating light water reactor (LWR) fleet. The II&C Pathway is conducted by Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Cyber security is a common concern among nuclear utilities and other nuclear industry stakeholders regarding the digital technologies that are being developed under this program. This concern extends to the point of calling into question whether these types of technologies could ever be deployed in nuclear plants given the possibility that the information in them can be compromised and the technologies themselves can potentially be exploited to serve as attack vectors for adversaries. To this end, a cyber security evaluation has been conducted of these technologies to determine whether they constitute a threat beyond what the nuclear plants already manage within their regulatory-required cyber security programs. Specifically, the evaluation is based on NEI 08-09, which is the industry’s template for cyber security programs and evaluations, accepted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) as responsive to the requirements of the nuclear power plant cyber security regulation found in 10 CFR 73.54. The evaluation was conducted by a

  1. Crustal Structure of the Tengchong Intra-plate Volcanic Area

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qian, Rongyi; Tong, Vincent C. H.

    2015-09-01

    We here provide an overview of our current understanding of the crustal structure of Tengchong in southwest China, a key intra-plate volcanic area along the Himalayan geothermal belt. Given that there is hitherto a lack of information about the near-surface structure of intra-plate volcanic areas, we present the first seismic reflection and velocity constraints on the shallow crust between intra-plate volcanoes. Our near-surface seismic images reveal the existence of dome-shaped seismic reflectors (DSRs) in the shallow crust between intra-plate volcanic clusters in Tengchong. The two DSRs are both ~2 km wide, and the shallowest parts of the DSRs are found at the depth of 200-300 m. The velocity model shows that the shallow low-velocity layer (<4 km/s) is anomalously thick (~1 km) in the region where the DSRs are observed. The presence of DSRs indicates significant levels of intra-plate magmatism beneath the along-axis gap separating two volcano clusters. Along-axis gaps between volcano clusters are therefore not necessarily an indicator of lower levels of magmatism. The seismic images obtained in this technically challenging area for controlled-source seismology allow us to conclude that shallow crustal structures are crucial for understanding the along-axis variations of magmatism and hydrothermal activities in intra-plate volcanic areas.

  2. Subquadratic medial-axis approximation in $\\mathbb{R}^3$

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christian Scheffer

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available We present an algorithm that approximates the medial axis of a smooth manifold in $\\mathbb{R}^3$ which is given by a sufficiently dense point sample. The resulting, non-discrete approximation is shown to converge to the medial axis as the sampling density approaches infinity. While all previous algorithms guaranteeing convergence have a running time quadratic in the size $n$ of the point sample, we achieve a running time of at most $\\mathcal{O}(n\\log^3 n$. While there is no subquadratic upper bound on the output complexity of previous algorithms for non-discrete medial axis approximation, the output of our algorithm is guaranteed to be of linear size.

  3. Non-destructive evaluation utilizing imaging plates for field radiography applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    White, Brian S.

    2016-01-01

    The oil and gas industry has utilized film radiography for the evaluation of pipeline welds for many years. The world has evolved, and today people are easily sharing digital images as part of the information revolution. Computed radiography is ready to replace film radiography for portable outdoor use applications. Computed radiography technology adoption has been contingent upon achieving acceptable image quality and getting enough imaging plate use cycles to be profitable. Image quality is dependent upon shot conditions, imaging plate type, reader settings, and scatter control. Likewise, the number of achievable use cycles is dependent upon the imaging plate design for durability and the user's operating environment. This presentation reviews the basic principles of storage phosphor imaging plates. Usage criteria and guidelines for optimum image quality and maximized overall use cycles will be discussed for various imaging plate types. A comparison of film and computed radiography imaging plate technology will be presented.

  4. Evaluating Picture Quality of Image Plates in Digital CR Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kwak, Byung Joon [Dept. of Radiological Tecnology, Choonhae College of Health Science, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of); Ji Tae Jeong [Dept. of Radiological Science, Kaya University, Kimhae (Korea, Republic of)

    2011-12-15

    Lab effectively supplemented the effects of outside radiation on image plates in the process of image acquisition of CR (computed radiography) systems and conducted for effective utilization in the case of clinical application. For this, Lab classified the storage places and time periods of image plates and compared and analyzed the differences between small dark spots. Lab also assessed the concentration distribution within the boundaries of images. Lab compared and measured the number of dark spots in a light room and a dark room depending on the storage places of image plates and found that dark spots slightly increased in an image plate when stored in a light room on the first and second days. Dark spots increased in proportion to the length of time stored. In the case of the image plate stored in a dark room, the number of dark spots remarkably decreased. With regard to picture quality as related to the location of image plates, the damage to picture quality could be reduced by locating regions of interest in the center. With regard to differences in sharpness following changes in the thickness of subjects, fewer scatter rays occurred and sharpness improved by reducing the thickness of subjects as much as possible. To get medical images of excellent quality, image plates should be managed effectively and it is desirable to keep images plates in dark iron plate boxes and not to expose them to outside radiation for a long time.

  5. Evaluating Picture Quality of Image Plates in Digital CR Systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kwak, Byung Joon; Ji Tae Jeong

    2011-01-01

    Lab effectively supplemented the effects of outside radiation on image plates in the process of image acquisition of CR (computed radiography) systems and conducted for effective utilization in the case of clinical application. For this, Lab classified the storage places and time periods of image plates and compared and analyzed the differences between small dark spots. Lab also assessed the concentration distribution within the boundaries of images. Lab compared and measured the number of dark spots in a light room and a dark room depending on the storage places of image plates and found that dark spots slightly increased in an image plate when stored in a light room on the first and second days. Dark spots increased in proportion to the length of time stored. In the case of the image plate stored in a dark room, the number of dark spots remarkably decreased. With regard to picture quality as related to the location of image plates, the damage to picture quality could be reduced by locating regions of interest in the center. With regard to differences in sharpness following changes in the thickness of subjects, fewer scatter rays occurred and sharpness improved by reducing the thickness of subjects as much as possible. To get medical images of excellent quality, image plates should be managed effectively and it is desirable to keep images plates in dark iron plate boxes and not to expose them to outside radiation for a long time.

  6. LWRS II&C Industry and Regulatory Engagement Activities for FY 11

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ken Thomas

    2011-09-01

    To ensure broad industry support and coordination for the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Controls (II&C) Systems Technologies research pathway, an engagement process will be continually pursued with nuclear asset owners, vendors, and suppliers, Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the major industry support organizations of Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), and Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI). Nuclear asset owner engagement is a necessary and enabling activity to obtain data and accurate characterization of long-term operational challenges, assess the suitability of proposed research for addressing long-term needs, and gain access to data and representative infrastructure and expertise needed to ensure success of the proposed research and development (R&D) activities. Engagement with vendors and suppliers will ensure that vendor expectations and needs can be translated into requirements that can be met through technology commercialization.

  7. Three-axis magnetic field induction sensor realized on buckled cantilever plate

    KAUST Repository

    Alfadhel, Ahmed; Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Foulds, Ian G.; Kosel, Jü rgen

    2013-01-01

    This work presents the fabrication and characterization of a three-axis induction sensor consisting of one planar microcoil, fixed on the substrate, and two microcoils fabricated on Bbuckled cantilever plates (BCP) oriented perpendicularly to the substrate and each other. The BCP allows an out-of-plane translation while preserving a direct connection to the substrate, which aids the routing of electrical lines. The fabricated sensor is integrated on a single substrate, allowing interaction and integration with other systems. The devices are fabricated using a MEMS polymer fabrication process. Different microcoil configurations are realized with 17-30 turns, 5 μm track width, and 15-20 μm track pitch. The sensor showed up to 6.8 nT/√Hz resolution to magnetic fields within a frequency range of 40 Hz to 1 MHz. The BCP concept provides a strikingly simple method to fabricate a three-axis field sensor that can readily be integrated with electronic circuits, and the sensor's performance can easily be adjusted within a wide range by changing the dimensions of the coils. © 2013 IEEE.

  8. Three-axis magnetic field induction sensor realized on buckled cantilever plate

    KAUST Repository

    Alfadhel, Ahmed

    2013-07-01

    This work presents the fabrication and characterization of a three-axis induction sensor consisting of one planar microcoil, fixed on the substrate, and two microcoils fabricated on Bbuckled cantilever plates (BCP) oriented perpendicularly to the substrate and each other. The BCP allows an out-of-plane translation while preserving a direct connection to the substrate, which aids the routing of electrical lines. The fabricated sensor is integrated on a single substrate, allowing interaction and integration with other systems. The devices are fabricated using a MEMS polymer fabrication process. Different microcoil configurations are realized with 17-30 turns, 5 μm track width, and 15-20 μm track pitch. The sensor showed up to 6.8 nT/√Hz resolution to magnetic fields within a frequency range of 40 Hz to 1 MHz. The BCP concept provides a strikingly simple method to fabricate a three-axis field sensor that can readily be integrated with electronic circuits, and the sensor\\'s performance can easily be adjusted within a wide range by changing the dimensions of the coils. © 2013 IEEE.

  9. Arabidopsis R-SNARE proteins VAMP721 and VAMP722 are required for cell plate formation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liang Zhang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Cell plate formation during plant cytokinesis is facilitated by SNARE complex-mediated vesicle fusion at the cell-division plane. However, our knowledge regarding R-SNARE components of membrane fusion machinery for cell plate formation remains quite limited. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We report the in vivo function of Arabidopsis VAMP721 and VAMP722, two closely sequence-related R-SNAREs, in cell plate formation. Double homozygous vamp721vamp722 mutant seedlings showed lethal dwarf phenotypes and were characterized by rudimentary roots, cotyledons and hypocotyls. Furthermore, cell wall stubs and incomplete cytokinesis were frequently observed in vamp721vamp722 seedlings. Confocal images revealed that green fluorescent protein-tagged VAMP721 and VAMP722 were preferentially localized to the expanding cell plates in dividing cells. Drug treatments and co-localization analyses demonstrated that punctuate organelles labeled with VAMP721 and VAMP722 represented early endosomes overlapped with VHA-a1-labeled TGN, which were distinct from Golgi stacks and prevacuolar compartments. In addition, protein traffic to the plasma membrane, but not to the vacuole, was severely disrupted in vamp721vamp722 seedlings by subcellular localization of marker proteins. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: These observations suggest that VAMP721 and VAMP722 are involved in secretory trafficking to the plasma membrane via TGN/early endosomal compartment, which contributes substantially to cell plate formation during plant cytokinesis.

  10. Pool Boiling Enhancement of R-123 Using Perforated Plates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Nae-Hyun [Incheon Nat’l Univ., Incheon(Korea, Republic of)

    2016-05-15

    In this study, we investigate the pool boiling enhancement caused by perforated plates on top of a smooth surface. We conduct tests using R-123 at atmospheric pressure. It was shown that perforated plates significantly enhanced the pool boiling of the smooth surface. The reason may be attributed to the increased bubble contact area between the plates. The results showed that the enhancement ratio was dependent on the heat flux. At high heat flux, the enhancement ratio increased as the porosity increased. However, at low heat flux, the enhancement ratio decreased as the porosity increased. For the present investigation, the optimum configuration had a pore diameter of 2.0 mm, pore pitch of 2.5 mm×5.0 mm or 5.0 mm×5.0 mm, and a gap width of 0.5 mm, which yielded heat-transfer coefficients that are close to those of GEWA-T. The optimum porosity for R-123 was significantly larger than that of water or ethanol. The reason for this may be the large liquid-to-vapor density ratio along with the small latent heat of vaporization of R-123. The perforated plates yielded smaller boiling hysteresis compared with that of the smooth surface.

  11. Retrofit implementation of Zernike phase plate imaging for cryo-TEM.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marko, Michael; Leith, Ardean; Hsieh, Chyongere; Danev, Radostin

    2011-05-01

    In-focus phase-plate imaging is particularly beneficial for cryo-TEM because it offers a substantial overall increase in image contrast, without an electron dose penalty, and it simplifies image interpretation. We show how phase-plate cryo-TEM can be implemented with an appropriate existing TEM, and provide a basic practical introduction to use of thin-film (carbon) phase plates. We point out potential pitfalls of phase-plate operation, and discuss solutions. We provide information on evaluating a particular TEM for its suitability. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Locking screw-plate interface stability in carbon-fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone proximal humerus plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hak, David J; Fader, Ryan; Baldini, Todd; Chadayammuri, Vivek B S

    2017-09-01

    Carbon-fibre reinforced polyetheretherketone (CFR-PEEK) plates have recently been introduced for proximal humerus fracture treatment. The purpose of this study was to compare the locking screw-plate interface stability in CFR-PEEK versus stainless steel (SS) proximal humerus plates. Locking screw mechanical stability was evaluated independently in proximal and shaft plate holes. Stiffness and load to failure were tested for three conditions: (1) on-axis locking screw insertion in CFR-PEEK versus SS plates, (2) on-axis locking screw insertion, removal, and reinsertion in CFR-PEEK plates, and (3) 10-degree off-axis locking screw insertion in CFR-PEEK plates. Cantilever bending at a rate of 1 mm/minute was produced by an Instron machine and load-displacement data recorded. Shaft locking screw load to failure was significantly greater in CFR-PEEK plates compared to SS plates (746.4 ± 89.7 N versus 596.5 ± 32.6 N, p PEEK plates (p PEEK plates. The mechanical stability of locking screws in CFR-PEEK plates is comparable or superior to locking screws in SS plates.

  13. Advanced Instrumentation, Information and Control (II&C) Research and Development Facility Buildout and Project Execution of LWRS II&C Pilot Projects 1 and 3

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ronald Farris; Johanna Oxstrand; Gregory Weatherby

    2011-09-01

    The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is sponsoring research, development, and deployment on light water reactor sustainability (LWRS), in which the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) is working closely with nuclear utilities to develop technologies and solutions to help ensure the safe operational life extension of current reactors. As technologies are introduced that change the operation of the plant, the LWRS pilot projects can help identify their best-advanced uses and help demonstrate the safety of these technologies. In early testing of operator performance given these emerging technologies will ensure the safety and usability of systems prior to large-scale deployment and costly verification and validation at the plant. The aim of these collaborations, demonstrations, and approaches are intended to lessen the inertia that sustains the current status quo of today's II&C systems technology, and to motivate transformational change and a shift in strategy to a long-term approach to II&C modernization that is more sustainable. Research being conducted under Pilot Project 1 regards understanding the conditions and behaviors that can be modified, either through process improvements and/or technology deployment, to improve the overall safety and efficiency of outage control at nuclear facilities. The key component of the research in this pilot project is accessing the delivery of information that will allow researchers to simulate the control room, outage control center (OCC) information, and plant status data. The simulation also allows researchers to identify areas of opportunity where plant operating status and outage activities can be analyzed to increase overall plant efficiency. For Pilot Project 3 the desire is to demonstrate the ability of technology deployment and the subsequent impact on maximizing the 'Collective Situational Awareness' of the various stakeholders in a commercial nuclear power plant. Specifically, the desire is to show positive

  14. Magnetic resonance imaging of the growth plate: pictorial essay

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cairns, R.

    2003-01-01

    The approach to musculoskeletal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is very different in children than adults because of different disease processes, immature structures and the variable size and age of the patients. Use of routine adult musculoskeletal protocols and techniques may not provide sufficient information in children, and most pediatric examinations should be customized to specifically address the child's age and clinical problem. This pictorial essay will illustrate MRI of the growth plate - often an area of uncertainty or error for radiologists who infrequently perform musculoskeletal MRI on children. The growth plate or physis is a structure unique to the growing skeleton. It is a cartilaginous zone located between the epiphysis and the metaphysis that functions to provide longitudinal bone growth. Disturbance of physeal growth as a result of trauma, infection, tumour, ischemia or radiation can result in leg length discrepancy, angular deformity or altered joint mechanics and cause significant long-term disability. MRI can directly image cartilaginous structures and has thus become the imaging method of choice for evaluation of the growth plate. An understanding of the normal and abnormal appearance of growth cartilage and of MRI protocols optimized for imaging the growth plate, combined with an approach to risk assessment for the development of significant growth deformity, is needed to confidently image the growth plate and help direct the management of these patients. (author)

  15. Relationship between image plates physical structure and quality of digital radiographic images in weld inspections

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, Davi F.; Silva, Aline S.S.; Machado, Alessandra S.; Gomes, Celio S.; Nascimento, Joseilson; Lopes, Ricardo T., E-mail: davi@lin.ufrj.br.br, E-mail: aline@lin.ufrj.br, E-mail: celio@lin.ufrj.br, E-mail: alemachado@lin.ufrj.br, E-mail: joseilson@lin.ufrj.br, E-mail: ricardo@lin.ufrj.br [Coordenacao dos Programas de Pos-Graduacao em Engenharia (COPPE/UFRJ), Rio de Janeiro, RJ (Brazil). Lab. de Instrumentacao Nuclear

    2015-07-01

    In the last decades a new type of detector which is based on photostimulable luminescence was developed. There are currently many kinds of image plates (IPs) available on the market, originating from different manufacturers. Each kind of plate distinguishes itself from the others by its peculiar physical structure and composition, two factors which have a direct influence upon the quality of the digital radiographic images obtained through them. For this study, several kinds of IPs were tested in order to determine in which way such influence takes place. For this purpose, each kind of IP has been characterized and correlated to its response in the final image. The aim of this work was to evaluate procedures for employing Computed Radiography (CR) to welding inspections in laboratory conditions using the Simple Wall Simple Image Technique (SWSI). Tests were performed in steel welded joins of thickness 5.33, 12.70 and 25.40 mm, using CR scanner and IPs available on the market. It was used an X-Ray equipment as radiation source. The image quality parameters Basic Spatial Resolution (BSR), Normalized Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR{sub N}), contrast and detectability were evaluated. In order to determine in which way the IPs' properties are correlated to its response in the final image, the thickness of the sensitive layer was determined and the grain size and the elemental composition of this layer were evaluated. Based on the results drawn from this study, it is possible to conclude that the physical characteristics of image plates are essential for determining the quality of the digital radiography images acquired with them. Regarding the chemical composition of the plates, it was possible to determine that, apart from the chemical elements that were expected to be found (Ba, I and Br), only two plates, with high resolution, do not have fluorine in their composition; the presence of Strontium was also detected in the chemical composition of the plates supplied by a

  16. Relationship between image plates physical structure and quality of digital radiographic images in weld inspections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Davi F.; Silva, Aline S.S.; Machado, Alessandra S.; Gomes, Celio S.; Nascimento, Joseilson; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2015-01-01

    In the last decades a new type of detector which is based on photostimulable luminescence was developed. There are currently many kinds of image plates (IPs) available on the market, originating from different manufacturers. Each kind of plate distinguishes itself from the others by its peculiar physical structure and composition, two factors which have a direct influence upon the quality of the digital radiographic images obtained through them. For this study, several kinds of IPs were tested in order to determine in which way such influence takes place. For this purpose, each kind of IP has been characterized and correlated to its response in the final image. The aim of this work was to evaluate procedures for employing Computed Radiography (CR) to welding inspections in laboratory conditions using the Simple Wall Simple Image Technique (SWSI). Tests were performed in steel welded joins of thickness 5.33, 12.70 and 25.40 mm, using CR scanner and IPs available on the market. It was used an X-Ray equipment as radiation source. The image quality parameters Basic Spatial Resolution (BSR), Normalized Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR N ), contrast and detectability were evaluated. In order to determine in which way the IPs' properties are correlated to its response in the final image, the thickness of the sensitive layer was determined and the grain size and the elemental composition of this layer were evaluated. Based on the results drawn from this study, it is possible to conclude that the physical characteristics of image plates are essential for determining the quality of the digital radiography images acquired with them. Regarding the chemical composition of the plates, it was possible to determine that, apart from the chemical elements that were expected to be found (Ba, I and Br), only two plates, with high resolution, do not have fluorine in their composition; the presence of Strontium was also detected in the chemical composition of the plates supplied by a

  17. Ultrahigh resolution radiation imaging system using an optical fiber structure scintillator plate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamamoto, Seiichi; Kamada, Kei; Yoshikawa, Akira

    2018-02-16

    High resolution imaging of radiation is required for such radioisotope distribution measurements as alpha particle detection in nuclear facilities or high energy physics experiments. For this purpose, we developed an ultrahigh resolution radiation imaging system using an optical fiber structure scintillator plate. We used a ~1-μm diameter fiber structured GdAlO 3 :Ce (GAP) /α-Al 2 O 3 scintillator plate to reduce the light spread. The fiber structured scintillator plate was optically coupled to a tapered optical fiber plate to magnify the image and combined with a lens-based high sensitivity CCD camera. We observed the images of alpha particles with a spatial resolution of ~25 μm. For the beta particles, the images had various shapes, and the trajectories of the electrons were clearly observed in the images. For the gamma photons, the images also had various shapes, and the trajectories of the secondary electrons were observed in some of the images. These results show that combining an optical fiber structure scintillator plate with a tapered optical fiber plate and a high sensitivity CCD camera achieved ultrahigh resolution and is a promising method to observe the images of the interactions of radiation in a scintillator.

  18. Zone plate imaging of 14-MeV neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lerche, R.A.; Lane, S.M.; Hawryluk, A.M.; Ceglio, N.M.

    1986-01-01

    At Livermore we are interested in imaging the thermonuclear burn region of fusion targets irradiated at our Nova laser facility. We expect compressed core diameters to be 10's of microns, and would like images with better than 10-μm resolution. Alpha particle images provided the first direct information about the thermonuclear burn geometry in thin walled exploding pusher targets. In future high density target experiments, only highly penetrating radiations like the 14-MeV neutrons will escape the target core to provide information about the burn region. To make the measurement with a neutron ''pinhole'' camera requires a 10μm pinhole through about 10 cm of material and 10 14 to 10 15 source neutrons. Penumbral imaging offers some improvement over a pinhole. Zone plate coded imaging (ZPCI) techniques are particularly well suited for imaging small objects like the compressed core of a laser fusion target. We have been using ZPCI techniques to image nonpenetrating radiations like x rays and alpha particles for about 10 years. The techniques are well developed. Imaging penetrating radiations like 14-MeV neutrons using ZPCI techniques has several possible advantages. The large solid angle subtended by the Zone plate might substantially reduce the required target neutron yield needed to produce a useful image, and a neutron zone plate system with 10-μm resolution might be easier to fabricate and characterize than a pinhole system. This paper explores the use of ZPCI techniques with penetrating radiation

  19. Neutral beam in ALVAND IIC tokamak

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ghrannevisse, M.; Moradshahi, M.; Avakian, M.

    1992-01-01

    Neutral beams have a wide application in tokamak experiments. It used to heat; fuel; adjust electric potentials in plasmas and diagnose particles densities and momentum distributions. It may be used to sustain currents in tokamaks to extend the pulse length. A 5 KV; 500 mA ion source has been constructed by plasma physics group, AEOI and it used to produce plasma and study the plasma parameters. Recently this ion source has been neutralized and it adapted to a neutral beam source; and it used to heat a cylindrical DC plasma and the plasma of ALVAND IIC Tokamak which is a small research tokamak with a minor radius of 12.6 cm, and a major radius of 45.5 cm. In this paper we report the neutralization of the ion beam and the results obtained by injection of this neutral beam into plasmas. (author) 2 refs., 4 figs

  20. Magnetic Imaging with a Novel Hole-Free Phase Plate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pollard, Shawn; Malac, Marek; Beleggia, Marco

    2014-01-01

    One of the main interests in phase plate imaging is motivated by a decrease in irradiation dose needed to obtain desired signal to noise ratio, a result of improved contrast transfer [1]. The decrease in irradiation improves the imaging of biological materials [2]. Here we demonstrate that phase...... most phase objects, including magnetic and electrostatic fields in vacuum. The requirement for phase plate imaging, including that by HFPP, is that the object spectrum in the back focal plane of the objective lens must not be broadened via the effect of chromatic aberration. In other words, the imaged...

  1. Observation of parametric X-ray radiation by an imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takabayashi, Y.; Shchagin, A.V.

    2012-01-01

    We have demonstrated experimentally the application of an imaging plate for registering the angular distribution of parametric X-ray radiation. The imaging plate was used as a two-dimensional position-sensitive X-ray detector. High-quality images of the fine structure in the angular distributions of the yield around the reflection of the parametric X-ray radiation produced in a silicon crystal by a 255-MeV electron beam from a linear accelerator have been observed in the Laue geometry. A fairly good agreement between results of measurements and calculations by the kinematic theory of parametric X-ray radiation is shown. Applications of the imaging plates for the observation of the angular distribution of X-rays produced by accelerated particles in a crystal are also discussed.

  2. Type II heat-labile enterotoxins from 50 diverse Escherichia coli isolates belong almost exclusively to the LT-IIc family and may be prophage encoded.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael G Jobling

    Full Text Available Some enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC produce a type II heat-labile enterotoxin (LT-II that activates adenylate cyclase in susceptible cells but is not neutralized by antisera against cholera toxin or type I heat-labile enterotoxin (LT-I. LT-I variants encoded by plasmids in ETEC from humans and pigs have amino acid sequences that are ≥ 95% identical. In contrast, LT-II toxins are chromosomally encoded and are much more diverse. Early studies characterized LT-IIa and LT-IIb variants, but a novel LT-IIc was reported recently. Here we characterized the LT-II encoding loci from 48 additional ETEC isolates. Two encoded LT-IIa, none encoded LT-IIb, and 46 encoded highly related variants of LT-IIc. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that the predicted LT-IIc toxins encoded by these loci could be assigned to 6 subgroups. The loci corresponding to individual toxins within each subgroup had DNA sequences that were more than 99% identical. The LT-IIc subgroups appear to have arisen by multiple recombinational events between progenitor loci encoding LT-IIc1- and LT-IIc3-like variants. All loci from representative isolates encoding the LT-IIa, LT-IIb, and each subgroup of LT-IIc enterotoxins are preceded by highly-related genes that are between 80 and 93% identical to predicted phage lysozyme genes. DNA sequences immediately following the B genes differ considerably between toxin subgroups, but all are most closely related to genomic sequences found in predicted prophages. Together these data suggest that the LT-II loci are inserted into lambdoid type prophages that may or may not be infectious. These findings raise the possibility that production of LT-II enterotoxins by ETEC may be determined by phage conversion and may be activated by induction of prophage, in a manner similar to control of production of Shiga-like toxins by converting phages in isolates of enterohemmorhagic E. coli.

  3. The Golosyiv plate archive digitisation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sergeeva, T. P.; Sergeev, A. V.; Pakuliak, L. K.; Yatsenko, A. I.

    2007-08-01

    The plate archive of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Golosyiv, Kyiv) includes about 85 000 plates which have been taken in various observational projects during 1950-2005. Among them are about 25 000 of direct northern sky area plates and more than 600 000 plates containing stellar, planetary and active solar formations spectra. Direct plates have a limiting magnitude of 14.0-16.0 mag. Since 2002 we have been organising the storage, safeguarding, cataloguing and digitization of the plate archive. The very initial task was to create the automated system for detection of astronomical objects and phenomena, search of optical counterparts in the directions of gamma-ray bursts, research of long period, flare and other variable stars, search and rediscovery of asteroids, comets and other Solar System bodies to improve the elements of their orbits, informational support of CCD observations and space projects, etc. To provide higher efficiency of this work we have prepared computer readable catalogues and database for 250 000 direct wide field plates. Now the catalogues have been adapted to Wide Field Plate Database (WFPDB) format and integrated into this world database. The next step will be adaptation of our catalogues, database and images to standards of the IVOA. Some magnitude and positional accuracy estimations for Golosyiv archive plates have been done. The photometric characteristics of the images of NGC 6913 cluster stars on two plates of the Golosyiv's double wide angle astrograph have been determined. Very good conformity of the photometric characteristics obtained with external accuracies of 0.13 and 0.15 mag. has been found. The investigation of positional accuracy have been made with A3± format fixed bed scanner (Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL TMA). It shows that the scanner has non-detectable systematic errors on the X-axis, and errors of ± 15 μm on the Y-axis. The final positional errors are about ± 2 μm (

  4. Cross-calibration of Fuji TR image plate and RAR 2492 x-ray film to determine the response of a DITABIS Super Micron image plate scanner

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dunham, G., E-mail: gsdunha@sandia.gov; Harding, E. C.; Loisel, G. P.; Lake, P. W.; Nielsen-Weber, L. B. [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    Fuji TR image plate is frequently used as a replacement detector medium for x-ray imaging and spectroscopy diagnostics at NIF, Omega, and Z facilities. However, the familiar Fuji BAS line of image plate scanners is no longer supported by the industry, and so a replacement scanning system is needed. While the General Electric Typhoon line of scanners could replace the Fuji systems, the shift away from photo stimulated luminescence units to 16-bit grayscale Tag Image File Format (TIFF) leaves a discontinuity when comparing data collected from both systems. For the purposes of quantitative spectroscopy, a known unit of intensity applied to the grayscale values of the TIFF is needed. The DITABIS Super Micron image plate scanning system was tested and shown to potentially rival the resolution and dynamic range of Kodak RAR 2492 x-ray film. However, the absolute sensitivity of the scanner is unknown. In this work, a methodology to cross calibrate Fuji TR image plate and the absolutely calibrated Kodak RAR 2492 x-ray film is presented. Details of the experimental configurations used are included. An energy dependent scale factor to convert Fuji TR IP scanned on a DITABIS Super Micron scanner from 16-bit grayscale TIFF to intensity units (i.e., photons per square micron) is discussed.

  5. Zone-plate coded imaging of thermonuclear burn

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ceglio, N.M.

    1978-01-01

    The first high-resolution, direct images of the region of thermonuclear burn in laser fusion experiments have been produced using a novel, two-step imaging technique called zone-plate coded imaging. This technique is extremely versatile and well suited for the microscopy of laser fusion targets. It has a tomographic capability, which provides three-dimensional images of the source distribution. It is equally useful for imaging x-ray and particle emissions. Since this technique is much more sensitive than competing imaging techniques, it permits us to investigate low-intensity sources

  6. Microchannel plates as detectors and amplifiers of x-ray images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wiedwald, J.D.

    1992-08-01

    Two decades of development driven largely by military night vision applications has led to the availability of a wide selection of microchannel plates for use by the scientific community. Microchannel plates (MCPs) are electron multipliers which retain a high degree of spatial resolution making it possible to amplify electron images by factors of 1,000 or more. Plates having 40 mm diameter and intrinsic spatial resolution of 8 μm are readily available. By coating the front surface of a microchannel plate with an x-ray sensitive photocathode material, x-ray images can be detected and amplified. While the detective quantum efficiency is relatively low, the low noise of the MCP (including the ability to construct images by single photon detection) and its high dynamic range make it suitable for some x-ray microscopy applications. The principles of MCP operation and typical performance are discussed. Examples of related applications and commercial capabilities are also presented

  7. Complete volumetric decomposition of individual trabecular plates and rods and its morphological correlations with anisotropic elastic moduli in human trabecular bone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, X Sherry; Sajda, Paul; Saha, Punam K; Wehrli, Felix W; Bevill, Grant; Keaveny, Tony M; Guo, X Edward

    2008-02-01

    Trabecular plates and rods are important microarchitectural features in determining mechanical properties of trabecular bone. A complete volumetric decomposition of individual trabecular plates and rods was used to assess the orientation and morphology of 71 human trabecular bone samples. The ITS-based morphological analyses better characterize microarchitecture and help predict anisotropic mechanical properties of trabecular bone. Standard morphological analyses of trabecular architecture lack explicit segmentations of individual trabecular plates and rods. In this study, a complete volumetric decomposition technique was developed to segment trabecular bone microstructure into individual plates and rods. Contributions of trabecular type-associated morphological parameters to the anisotropic elastic moduli of trabecular bone were studied. Seventy-one human trabecular bone samples from the femoral neck (FN), tibia, and vertebral body (VB) were imaged using muCT or serial milling. Complete volumetric decomposition was applied to segment trabecular bone microstructure into individual plates and rods. The orientation of each individual trabecula was determined, and the axial bone volume fractions (aBV/TV), axially aligned bone volume fraction along each orthotropic axis, were correlated with the elastic moduli. The microstructural type-associated morphological parameters were derived and compared with standard morphological parameters. Their contributions to the anisotropic elastic moduli, calculated by finite element analysis (FEA), were evaluated and compared. The distribution of trabecular orientation suggested that longitudinal plates and transverse rods dominate at all three anatomic sites. aBV/TV along each axis, in general, showed a better correlation with the axial elastic modulus (r(2) = 0.95 approximately 0.99) compared with BV/TV (r(2) = 0.93 approximately 0.94). The plate-associated morphological parameters generally showed higher correlations with the

  8. Fresnel zone plate imaging of a 252Cf spontaneous fission source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stalker, K.T.; Hessel, K.R.

    1976-11-01

    The feasibility of coded aperture imaging for nuclear fuel motion monitoring is shown using Cf 252 spontaneous fission source. The theory of coded aperture imaging for Fresnel zone plate apertures is presented and design considerations for zone plate construction are discussed. Actual images are obtained which demonstrate a transverse resolution of 1.7 mm and a tomographic resolution of 1.5 millimeters. The capability of obtaining images through 12.7 mm of stainless steel is also shown

  9. Effects of the symmetry axis orientation of a TI overburden on seismic images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Chih-Hsiung; Chang, Young-Fo; Tseng, Cheng-Wei

    2017-07-01

    In active tectonic regions, the primary formations are often tilted and subjected to the processes of folding and/or faulting. Dipping formations may be categorised as tilted transverse isotropy (TTI). While carrying out hydrocarbon exploration in areas of orogenic structures, mispositioning and defocusing effects in apparent reflections are often caused by the tilted transverse isotropy of the overburden. In this study, scaled physical modelling was carried out to demonstrate the behaviours of seismic wave propagation and imaging problems incurred by transverse isotropic (TI) overburdens that possess different orientations of the symmetry axis. To facilitate our objectives, zero-offset reflections were acquired from four stratum-fault models to image the same structures that were overlain by a TI (phenolite) slab. The symmetry axis of the TI slab was vertical, tilted or horizontal. In response to the symmetry axis orientations, spatial shifts and asymmetrical diffraction patterns in apparent reflections were observed in the acquired profiles. Given the different orientations of the symmetry axis, numerical manipulations showed that the imaged events could be well described by theoretical ray paths computed by the trial-and-error ray method and Fermat's principle (TERF) method. In addition, outputs of image restoration show that the imaging problems, i.e. spatial shift in the apparent reflections, can be properly handled by the ray-based anisotropic 2D Kirchhoff time migration (RAKTM) method.

  10. Mechanical impedance of the sitting human body in single-axis compared to multi-axis whole-body vibration exposure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holmlund, P; Lundström, R

    2001-01-01

    The study was aimed to investigate the mechanical impedance of the sitting human body and to compare data obtained in laboratory single-axis investigations with multi-axis data from in vehicle measurements. The experiments were performed in a laboratory for single-axis measurements. The multi-axis exposure was generated with an eight-seat minibus where the rear seats had been replaced with a rigid one. The subjects in the multi-axis experiment all participated in the single-axis experiments. There are quite a few investigations in the literature describing the human response to single-axis exposure. The response from the human body can be expected to be affected by multi-axis input in a different way than from a single-axis exposure. The present knowledge of the effect of multiple axis exposure is very limited. The measurements were performed using a specially designed force and accelerometer plate. This plate was placed between the subject and the hard seat. Outcome shows a clear difference between mechanical impedance for multi-axis exposure compared to single-axis. This is especially clear in the x-direction where the difference is very large. The conclusion is that it seems unlikely that single-axis mechanical impedance data can be directly transferred to a multi-axis environment. This is due to the force cross-talk between different directions.

  11. Measurement of environmental radioactivity with photo-diode and Imaging Plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, C.; Sumi, T.; Gotoh, S.; Saze, T.; Nishizawa, K.

    2000-01-01

    Measurement of environmental radioactivity with photo-diode (PD) and Imaging Plate (IP) was tired. Commercially available Si PIN type PD's generally have depletion layer thickness more than a few hundred micrometer, which is enough for alpha particle measurement. PD's have various features: being usable in normal temperature, high energy resolution and low cost. Radon daughter nuclides positively charged in atmosphere were collected on the PD surface with negative electric potential and measured the pulse height spectra of alpha-particles from the daughter nuclides of Radon in thorium oxide, uranium ore, granite, and concrete. Counting of alpha-particles with IP was tired. Lead plates usually contain Pb-210 (RaD) and emit alpha-particles from Po-210. The alpha-particles from the plate were counted with PD and the plate was exposed to IP. By adjusting the gradation level on the reading out of the latent image, it was possible to count alpha-particle incident image one by one, and the number per 1 cm 2 was compared with the number of count with PD. (author)

  12. An additional reference axis improves femoral rotation alignment in image-free computer navigation assisted total knee arthroplasty.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Inui, Hiroshi; Taketomi, Shuji; Nakamura, Kensuke; Sanada, Takaki; Tanaka, Sakae; Nakagawa, Takumi

    2013-05-01

    Few studies have demonstrated improvement in accuracy of rotational alignment using image-free navigation systems mainly due to the inconsistent registration of anatomical landmarks. We have used an image-free navigation for total knee arthroplasty, which adopts the average algorithm between two reference axes (transepicondylar axis and axis perpendicular to the Whiteside axis) for femoral component rotation control. We hypothesized that addition of another axis (condylar twisting axis measured on a preoperative radiograph) would improve the accuracy. One group using the average algorithm (double-axis group) was compared with the other group using another axis to confirm the accuracy of the average algorithm (triple-axis group). Femoral components were more accurately implanted for rotational alignment in the triple-axis group (ideal: triple-axis group 100%, double-axis group 82%, P<0.05). Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Relationship between image plates physical structure and quality of digital radiographic images in weld inspections

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferreira de Oliveira, Davi; Silva, Aline S.S.; Machado, Alessandra S.; Gomes, Celio S.; Nascimento, Joseilson R.; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2016-01-01

    In the last decades a new type of detector which is based on photostimulable luminescence was developed. There are currently many kinds of image plates (IPs) available on the market, originating from different manufacturers. Each kind of plate distinguishes itself from the others by its peculiar physical structure and composition, two factors which have a direct influence upon the quality of the digital radiographic images obtained through them. For this study, several kinds of IPs were tested in order to determine in which way such influence takes place. For this purpose, each kind of IP has been characterized and correlated to its response in the final image. The aim of this work was to evaluated procedures for employing Computed Radiography (CR) to welding inspections in laboratory conditions using the Simple Wall Simple Image Technique (SWSI). CR tests were performed in steel welded joins of thickness 5.33, 12.70 and 25.40 mm. It was used an X-Ray equipment as radiation source. The image quality parameters Basic Spatial Resolution (BSR), Normalized Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNRN), contrast and detectability were evaluated. In order to determine in which way the IPs' properties are correlated to its response in the final image, the thickness of the sensitive layer was determined and the grain size and the elemental composition of this layer were evaluated. Based on the results drawn from this study, it is possible to conclude that the physical characteristics of IPs are essential for determining the quality of the digital radiography images acquired with them. Regarding the grain size and the thickness of the IPs' sensitive layers, we could determine that the dimensions of such parameters were smaller on the plates presenting higher BSR, SNRN and contrast. However, the image plates which produced images with the highest resolution have also proven to be the least sensitive ones. All these parameters have a direct influence in the detectability of the

  14. Left ventricular aneurysm in short axis: a comparison of magnetic resonance, ultrasound and thallium-201 SPECT images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ahmad, M.; Johnson, R.F. Jr.; Fawcett, H.D.; Schreiber, M.H.

    1987-01-01

    Short axis magnetic resonance images of a left ventricular aneurysm were compared to similar views obtained by echocardiography and by thallium-201 single photon emission computed tomography. Images of the dyskinetic left ventricular apex and the contractile left ventricular base were analyzed and compared. Unlike the previously reported orthogonal plane magnetic resonance images, short axis imaging provided representative and quantitative information in views comparable to those obtained by standard noninvasive imaging techniques. These data indicate that short axis magnetic resonance imaging is capable of identifying and sizing the aneurysmal and the residual segments of the left ventricle. The findings may be of prognostic value in patients with left ventricular aneurysm

  15. Optical image encryption using fresnel zone plate mask based on fast walsh hadamard transform

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khurana, Mehak; Singh, Hukum

    2018-05-01

    A new symmetric encryption technique using Fresnel Zone Plate (FZP) based on Fast Walsh Hadamard Transform (FWHT) is proposed for security enhancement. In this technique, bits of plain image is randomized by shuffling the bits randomly. The obtained scrambled image is then masked with FZP using symmetric encryption in FWHT domain to obtain final encrypted image. FWHT has been used in the cryptosystem so as to protect image data from the quantization error and for reconstructing the image perfectly. The FZP used in proposed scheme increases the key space and makes it robust to many traditional attacks. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed cryptosystem has been analyzed on the basis of various parameters by simulating on MATLAB 8.1.0 (R2012b). The experimental results are provided to highlight suitability of the proposed cryptosystem and prove that the system is secure.

  16. DAFS measurements using the image-plate Weissenberg method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugioka, N.; Matsumoto, K.; Sasaki, S.; Tanaka, M.; Mori, T.

    1998-01-01

    An instrumental technique for DAFS measurements which can provide site-specific information is proposed. The approach uses (i) focusing optics with parabolic mirrors and a double-crystal monochromator, (ii) the Laue and Bragg settings and (iii) data collection by the image-plate Weissenberg method. Six image exposures are recorded per plate at five intrinsic energies and one reference energy. The single-crystal measurements were performed at the Co K-absorption edge, and the 200, 220 and 311 reflections of CoO and 511 and 911 reflections of Co 3 O 4 were used for analysis. The regression analysis of χ(k), Fourier transforms of k 3 χ(k) and back-Fourier filtering have been performed

  17. Automatic measurement of images on astrometric plates

    Science.gov (United States)

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

    1994-04-01

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

  18. MEMS two-axis force plate array used to measure the ground reaction forces during the running motion of an ant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Hidetoshi; Thanh-Vinh, Nguyen; Jung, Uijin G; Shimoyama, Isao; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi

    2014-01-01

    A terrestrial insect can perform agile running maneuvers. However, the balance of ground reaction forces (GRFs) between each leg in an insect have remained poorly characterized. In this report, we present a micro force plate array for the simultaneous measurement of the anterior and vertical components of GRFs of multiple legs during the running motion of an ant. The proposed force plate, which consists of a 2000 µm × 980 µm × 20 µm plate base as the contact surface of an ant's leg, and the supported beams with piezoresistors on the sidewall and surface are sufficiently compact to be adjacently arrayed along the anterior direction. Eight plates arrayed in parallel were fabricated on the same silicon-on-insulator substrate to narrow the gap between each plate to 20 µm. We compartmented the plate surface into 32 blocks and evaluated the sensitivities to two-axis forces in each block so that the exerted forces could be detected wherever a leg came into contact. The force resolutions in both directions were under 1 µN within ±20 µN. Using the fabricated force plate array, we achieved a simultaneous measurement of the GRFs of three legs on one side while an ant was running. (paper)

  19. Imaging features of ductal plate malformations in adults

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Venkatanarasimha, N., E-mail: nandashettykv@yahoo.com [Department of Radiology, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth (United Kingdom); Thomas, R.; Armstrong, E.M.; Shirley, J.F.; Fox, B.M.; Jackson, S.A. [Department of Radiology, Derriford Hospital, Plymouth (United Kingdom)

    2011-11-15

    Ductal plate malformations, also known as fibrocystic liver diseases, are a group of congenital disorders resulting from abnormal embryogenesis of the biliary ductal system. The abnormalities include choledochal cyst, Caroli's disease and Caroli's syndrome, adult autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease, and biliary hamartoma. The hepatic lesions can be associated with renal anomalies such as autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease (ARPKD), medullary sponge kidney, and nephronophthisis. A clear knowledge of the embryology and pathogenesis of the ductal plate is central to the understanding of the characteristic imaging appearances of these complex disorders. Accurate diagnosis of ductal plate malformations is important to direct appropriate clinical management and prevent misdiagnosis.

  20. The application of image processing in the measurement for three-light-axis parallelity of laser ranger

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yang; Wang, Qianqian

    2008-12-01

    When laser ranger is transported or used in field operations, the transmitting axis, receiving axis and aiming axis may be not parallel. The nonparallelism of the three-light-axis will affect the range-measuring ability or make laser ranger not be operated exactly. So testing and adjusting the three-light-axis parallelity in the production and maintenance of laser ranger is important to ensure using laser ranger reliably. The paper proposes a new measurement method using digital image processing based on the comparison of some common measurement methods for the three-light-axis parallelity. It uses large aperture off-axis paraboloid reflector to get the images of laser spot and white light cross line, and then process the images on LabVIEW platform. The center of white light cross line can be achieved by the matching arithmetic in LABVIEW DLL. And the center of laser spot can be achieved by gradation transformation, binarization and area filter in turn. The software system can set CCD, detect the off-axis paraboloid reflector, measure the parallelity of transmitting axis and aiming axis and control the attenuation device. The hardware system selects SAA7111A, a programmable vedio decoding chip, to perform A/D conversion. FIFO (first-in first-out) is selected as buffer.USB bus is used to transmit data to PC. The three-light-axis parallelity can be achieved according to the position bias between them. The device based on this method has been already used. The application proves this method has high precision, speediness and automatization.

  1. Applications and characteristics of imaging plates as detector in neutron radiography at SINQ

    CERN Document Server

    Kolbe, H; Gunia, W; Körner, S

    1999-01-01

    Imaging plate technique is a commonly accepted method in many fields as in medicine, biology and physics for detection of the distribution of beta- and gamma-radiation or X-rays on large areas. Recently a new type of imaging plate sensitive to neutrons has been developed. The storage layer is doped with gadolinium, which, after absorption of neutrons, produces radiation detectable by the same sensitive crystals used in conventional imaging plates. At the spallation neutron source, SINQ, at the Paul Scherrer Institut (CH) some of the characteristics of the neutron radiography station in combination with the imaging plate technique were investigated. The intensity distribution of the source was measured to check the accuracy for quantification of the image data. Also, the reproducibility of results obtained by this detection system was stated. For a test object, the high selectivity for different neutron absorption is demonstrated at details with low contrast. The obtainable spatial resolution was determined re...

  2. Use of a Fluorometric Imaging Plate Reader in high-throughput screening

    Science.gov (United States)

    Groebe, Duncan R.; Gopalakrishnan, Sujatha; Hahn, Holly; Warrior, Usha; Traphagen, Linda; Burns, David J.

    1999-04-01

    High-throughput screening (HTS) efforts at Abbott Laboratories have been greatly facilitated by the use of a Fluorometric Imaging Plate Reader. The FLIPR consists of an incubated cabinet with integrated 96-channel pipettor and fluorometer. An argon laser is used to excite fluorophores in a 96-well microtiter plate and the emitted fluorometer. An argon laser is used to excite fluorophores in a 96-well microtiter plate and the emitted fluorescence is imaged by a cooled CCD camera. The image data is downloaded from the camera and processed to average the signal form each well of the microtiter pate for each time point. The data is presented in real time on the computer screen, facilitating interpretation and trouble-shooting. In addition to fluorescence, the camera can also detect luminescence form firefly luciferase.

  3. Hyperspectral image reconstruction using RGB color for foodborne pathogen detection on agar plates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoon, Seung-Chul; Shin, Tae-Sung; Park, Bosoon; Lawrence, Kurt C.; Heitschmidt, Gerald W.

    2014-03-01

    This paper reports the latest development of a color vision technique for detecting colonies of foodborne pathogens grown on agar plates with a hyperspectral image classification model that was developed using full hyperspectral data. The hyperspectral classification model depended on reflectance spectra measured in the visible and near-infrared spectral range from 400 and 1,000 nm (473 narrow spectral bands). Multivariate regression methods were used to estimate and predict hyperspectral data from RGB color values. The six representative non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Eschetichia coli (STEC) serogroups (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, and O145) were grown on Rainbow agar plates. A line-scan pushbroom hyperspectral image sensor was used to scan 36 agar plates grown with pure STEC colonies at each plate. The 36 hyperspectral images of the agar plates were divided in half to create training and test sets. The mean Rsquared value for hyperspectral image estimation was about 0.98 in the spectral range between 400 and 700 nm for linear, quadratic and cubic polynomial regression models and the detection accuracy of the hyperspectral image classification model with the principal component analysis and k-nearest neighbors for the test set was up to 92% (99% with the original hyperspectral images). Thus, the results of the study suggested that color-based detection may be viable as a multispectral imaging solution without much loss of prediction accuracy compared to hyperspectral imaging.

  4. Suicide among Polish officers during World War II in Oflag II-C Woldenberg.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czabański, Adam; Lester, David

    2013-06-01

    Although scholars have examined the occurrence of suicide in the concentration camps during World War Two, little has appeared on suicide in prisoner-of-war camps. The present note presents an attempt to document the occurrence of suicide in the Oflag II-C Woldenberg camp in what is now Western Poland, and estimates a suicide rate of between 22.4 to 38.4 per 100,000 per year in the roughly 6,600 prisoners.

  5. White Light Photorefractive Phase Zone Plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yuan-Mei, Gao; Si-Min, Liu

    2008-01-01

    Incoherent white light from an incandescent source is employed to fabricate volume phase zone plates in LiNbO 3 : Fe, for the first time to our knowledge, which can guide and modulate the input white light or laser light. The diffractive efficiency of the white light volume phase zone plates fabricated can reach as high as 12%. In addition, we test the volume phase zone plates by a probe beam and find that the volume phase zone plate is present in the direction perpendicular to the c-axis and absent in the direction parallel to the c-axis. This directly proves the existence of photovoltaic photorefractive anisotropy of white light

  6. [Non-rigid medical image registration based on mutual information and thin-plate spline].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Guo-gang; Luo, Li-min

    2009-01-01

    To get precise and complete details, the contrast in different images is needed in medical diagnosis and computer assisted treatment. The image registration is the basis of contrast, but the regular rigid registration does not satisfy the clinic requirements. A non-rigid medical image registration method based on mutual information and thin-plate spline was present. Firstly, registering two images globally based on mutual information; secondly, dividing reference image and global-registered image into blocks and registering them; then getting the thin-plate spline transformation according to the shift of blocks' center; finally, applying the transformation to the global-registered image. The results show that the method is more precise than the global rigid registration based on mutual information and it reduces the complexity of getting control points and satisfy the clinic requirements better by getting control points of the thin-plate transformation automatically.

  7. Performance of a thermal neutron radiographic system using imaging plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silvani, Maria Ines; Almeida, Gevaldo L. de; Furieri, Rosanne; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2009-01-01

    A performance evaluation of a neutron radiographic system equipped with a thermal neutron sensitive imaging plate has been undertaken. It includes the assessment of spatial resolution, linearity, dynamic range and the response to exposure time, as well as a comparison of these parameters with the equivalent ones for neutron radiography employing conventional films and a gadolinium foil as converter. The evaluation and comparison between the radiographic systems have been performed at the Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear - CNEN, using the Argonauta Reactor as source of thermal neutrons and a commercially available imaging plate reader. (author)

  8. Spatial resolution measurements of the advanced radiographic capability x-ray imaging system at energies relevant to Compton radiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hall, G. N., E-mail: hall98@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Landen, O. L.; Tommasini, R.; Holder, J. P.; Hargrove, D.; Bradley, D. K.; Lumbard, A.; Cruz, J. G.; Piston, K.; Bell, P. M.; Carpenter, A. C.; Palmer, N. E.; Felker, B.; Rekow, V.; Allen, F. V. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550 (United States); Lee, J. J.; Romano, E. [National Security Technologies LLC, 161 S Vasco Rd., Livermore, California 94551 (United States)

    2016-11-15

    Compton radiography provides a means to measure the integrity, ρR and symmetry of the DT fuel in an inertial confinement fusion implosion near peak compression. Upcoming experiments at the National Ignition Facility will use the ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) laser to drive backlighter sources for Compton radiography experiments and will use the newly commissioned AXIS (ARC X-ray Imaging System) instrument as the detector. AXIS uses a dual-MCP (micro-channel plate) to provide gating and high DQE at the 40–200 keV x-ray range required for Compton radiography, but introduces many effects that contribute to the spatial resolution. Experiments were performed at energies relevant to Compton radiography to begin characterization of the spatial resolution of the AXIS diagnostic.

  9. Evaluation of edge enhancement effect of phase contrast imaging using newly-developed photostimulable phosphor plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsuo, Satoru; Morishita, Junji; Katafuchi, Tetsuro; Fujita, Hiroshi

    2012-01-01

    We investigated whether the use of a newly developed columnar-crystal-type photostimulable-phosphor plate (CP1M200, referred to as system C) helps to provide improved edge-enhanced effect in phase contrast imaging. Physical characteristics of 2 conventional particulate-crystal-type photostimulable-phosphor plates (RP-5PM, referred to as system A and RP-6M, referred to as system B) and system C were measured. Then, an acrylic plate phantom and RMI152 phantom were imaged using 3 types of plates, and the edge-enhancement effects were evaluated based on the profile curve of the acrylic plate phantom. Visual evaluation of the RMI152 phantom images was conducted. The results showed that the modulation transfer function (MTF) of system C was superior to those of the other systems. The WS of system C was superior to those of the other systems in the low frequency band region, and inferior to those of the other systems in the high frequency band region. The presence of an edge-enhanced image was not detectable in the profile curve of the acrylic plate in system A, although that was shown in systems B and C due to their excellent sharpness. In the visual image evaluation of the RMI152 phantom, image quality of system C was superior to those of the other systems. Phase contrast imaging with a digital detector of a columnar-crystal-type photostimulable-phosphor plate is considered to provide improved edge-enhancement over that of conventional plates. (author)

  10. Imaging plate, a new type of x-ray area detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamiya, Nobuo; Amemiya, Yoshiyuki; Miyahara, Junji.

    1986-01-01

    In respective fields of X-ray crystallography, for the purpose of the efficient collection of reciprocal space information, two-dimensional X-ray detectors such as multiwire proportional chambers and X-ray television sets have been used together with conventional X-ray films. X-ray films are characterized by uniform sensitivity and high positional resolution over a wide area, but the sensitivity is low, and the range of action and the linearity of the sensitivity is problematic. They require the development process, accordingly lack promptitude. The MWPCs and X-ray television sets are superior in the sensitivity, its linearity, the range of action and promptitude, but interior in the uniformity and resolution to the films. Imaging plate is a new X-ray area detector developed by Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd., for digital X-ray medical image diagnosis. This detector is superior in all the above mentioned performances, and it seems very useful also for X-ray crystallography. In this paper, the system composed of an imaging plate and its reader is described, and the basic performance as an X-ray area detector and the results of having recorded the diffraction images of protein crystals as the example of applying it to X-ray crystallography are reported. The imaging plate is that the crystalline fluorescent powder of BaFBr doped with Eu 2+ ions is applied on plastic films. (Kako, I.)

  11. Optical phase plates as a creative medium for special effects in images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shaoulov, Vesselin I.; Meyer, Catherine; Argotti, Yann; Rolland, Jannick P.

    2001-12-01

    A new paradigm and methods for special effects in images were recently proposed by artist and movie producer Steven Hylen. Based on these methods, images resembling painting may be formed using optical phase plates. The role of the mathematical and optical properties of the phase plates is studied in the development of these new art forms. Results of custom software as well as ASAP simulations are presented.

  12. A Simple Method to Determine the "R" or "S" Configuration of Molecules with an Axis of Chirality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Cunde; Wu, Weiming

    2011-01-01

    A simple method for the "R" or "S" designation of molecules with an axis of chirality is described. The method involves projection of the substituents along the chiral axis, utilizes the Cahn-Ingold-Prelog sequence rules in assigning priority to the substituents, is easy to use, and has broad applicability. (Contains 5 figures.)

  13. Structure, magnetism, and transport of single-crystalline R NiSi3 (R = Y, Gd-Tm, Lu)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arantes, Fabiana R.; Aristizábal-Giraldo, Deisy; Masunaga, Sueli H.; Costa, Fanny N.; Ferreira, Fabio F.; Takabatake, Toshiro; Mendonça-Ferreira, Leticie; Ribeiro, Raquel A.; Avila, Marcos A.

    2018-04-01

    We report on the physical properties of the intermetallic series R NiSi3 (R =Y , Gd-Tm, Lu). High quality single crystals with platelike morphology were grown using the Sn flux method. X-ray powder diffraction data show that this series crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Cmmm, and Laue patterns indicate that the b axis remains perpendicular to the plane of the plates. Magnetization measurements show anisotropic antiferromagnetic ground states for R = Gd-Tm with Néel temperatures ranging from TN=2.6 K (TmNiSi3) up to 32.2 K (TbNiSi3), as well as metamagnetic transitions that in some cases appear together with hysteresis (TbNiSi3,DyNiSi3, and HoNiSi3). The easy axis changes from a axis to b axis on going from R = Gd-Ho to R = Er-Tm. All transitions from antiferromagnetic to paramagnetic states are clearly marked by sharp peaks in specific heat as well as in the derivative of resistivity measurements, which show metallic temperature dependence for all compounds and residual values in the range of 1 μ Ω cm . DyNiSi3 has two close phase transitions, while HoNiSi3 presents distinct critical temperatures for applied fields in the a or c directions (10.4 and 6.3 K, respectively), pointing to possible component-specific ordering of the local magnetic moments.

  14. Image-based ELISA on an activated polypropylene microtest plate--a spectrophotometer-free low cost assay technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parween, Shahila; Nahar, Pradip

    2013-10-15

    In this communication, we report ELISA technique on an activated polypropylene microtest plate (APPµTP) as an illustrative example of a low cost diagnostic assay. Activated test zone in APPµTP binds a capture biomolecule through covalent linkage thereby, eliminating non-specific binding often prevalent in absorption based techniques. Efficacy of APPµTP is demonstrated by detecting human immunoglobulin G (IgG), human immunoglobulin E (IgE) and Aspergillus fumigatus antibody in patient's sera. Detection is done by taking the image of the assay solution by a desktop scanner and analyzing the color of the image. Human IgE quantification by color saturation in the image-based assay shows excellent correlation with absorbance-based assay (Pearson correlation coefficient, r=0.992). Significance of the relationship is seen from its p value which is 4.087e-11. Performance of APPµTP is also checked with respect to microtiter plate and paper-based ELISA. APPµTP can quantify an analyte as precisely as in microtiter plate with insignificant non-specific binding, a necessary prerequisite for ELISA assay. In contrast, paper-ELISA shows high non-specific binding in control sera (false positive). Finally, we have carried out ELISA steps on APPµTP by ultrasound waves on a sonicator bath and the results show that even in 8 min, it can convincingly differentiate a test sample from a control sample. In short, spectrophotometer-free image-based miniaturized ELISA on APPµTP is precise, reliable, rapid, and sensitive and could be a good substitute for conventional immunoassay procedures widely used in clinical and research laboratories. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Astrometric properties of the Tautenburg Plate Scanner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brunzendorf, Jens; Meusinger, Helmut

    The Tautenburg Plate Scanner (TPS) is an advanced plate-measuring machine run by the Thüringer Landessternwarte Tautenburg (Karl Schwarzschild Observatory), where the machine is housed. It is capable of digitising photographic plates up to 30 cm × 30 cm in size. In our poster, we reported on tests and preliminary results of its astrometric properties. The essential components of the TPS consist of an x-y table movable between an illumination system and a direct imaging system. A telecentric lens images the light transmitted through the photographic emulsion onto a CCD line of 6000 pixels of 10 µm square size each. All components are mounted on a massive air-bearing table. Scanning is performed in lanes of up to 55 mm width by moving the x-y table in a continuous drift-scan mode perpendicular to the CCD line. The analogue output from the CCD is digitised to 12 bit with a total signal/noise ratio of 1000 : 1, corresponding to a photographic density range of three. The pixel map is produced as a series of optionally overlapping lane scans. The pixel data are stored onto CD-ROM or DAT. A Tautenburg Schmidt plate 24 cm × 24 cm in size is digitised within 2.5 hours resulting in 1.3 GB of data. Subsequent high-level data processing is performed off-line on other computers. During the scanning process, the geometry of the optical components is kept fixed. The optimal focussing of the optics is performed prior to the scan. Due to the telecentric lens refocussing is not required. Therefore, the main source of astrometric errors (beside the emulsion itself) are mechanical imperfections in the drive system, which have to be divided into random and systematic ones. The r.m.s. repeatability over the whole plate as measured by repeated scans of the same plate is about 0.5 µm for each axis. The mean plate-to-plate accuracy of the object positions on two plates with the same epoch and the same plate centre has been determined to be about 1 µm. This accuracy is comparable to

  16. Usefulness of Non-coplanar Helical Tomotherapy Using Variable Axis Baseplate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ha, Jin Sook; Chung, Yoon Sun; Lee, Ik Jae; Shin, Dong Bong; Kim, Jong Dae; Kim, Sei Joon; Jeon, Mi Jin; Chok, Yoon Jin; Kim, Ki Kwang; Lee, Seul Bee

    2011-01-01

    Helical Tomotherapy allows only coplanar beam delivery because it does not allow couch rotation. We investigated a method to introduce non-coplanar beam by tilting a patient's head for Tomotherapy. The aim of this study was to compare intrafractional movement during Tomotherapy between coplanar and non-coplanar patient's setup. Helical Tomotherapy was used for treating eight patients with intracranial tumor. The subjects were divided into three groups: one group (coplanar) of 2 patients who lay on S-plate with supine position and wore thermoplastic mask for immobilizing the head, second group (non-coplanar) of 3 patients who lay on S-plate with supine position and whose head was tilted with Variable Axis Baseplate and wore thermoplastic mask, and third group (non-coplanar plus mouthpiece) of 3 patients whose head was tilted and wore a mouthpiece immobilization device and thermoplastic mask. The patients were treated with Tomotherapy after treatment planning with Tomotherapy Planning System. Megavoltage computed tomography (MVCT) was performed before and after treatment, and the intrafractional error was measured with lateral(X), longitudinal(Y), vertical(Z) direction movements and vector (√x 2 +√y 2 +√z 2 ) value for assessing overall movement. Intrafractional error was compared among three groups by taking the error of MVCT taken after the treatment. As the correction values (X, Y, Z) between MVCT image taken after treatment and CT-simulation image are close to zero, the patient movement is small. When the mean values of movement of each direction for non-coplanar setup were compared with coplanar setup group, X-axis movement was decreased by 13%, but Y-axis and Z-axis movement were increased by 109% and 88%, respectively. Movements of Y-axis and Z-axis with non-coplanar setup were relatively greater than that of X-axis since a tilted head tended to slip down. The mean of X-axis movement of the group who used a mouthpiece was greater by 9.4% than the group

  17. Interaction of Rupture Zones of Adjacent Anchor Plates in an Analogical Medium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Abbad

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, an experimental study which required the design and implementation of a model containing plastic granules powder to simulate a natural environment, is presented. The latter is subjected to the removal of "anchor plates." For each test, several digital photographs are taken to materialize different deformed configurations during the pullout process. These photos processed in couples by the 7D software (image correlation giving the evolution of the displacement field and plane strain analogical environment. Particular attention is paid to the discussion of the interference of rupture zones of neighboring anchors by reducing the axis between plates.

  18. miR-181c-BRK1 axis plays a key role in actin cytoskeleton-dependent T cell function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, Shok Ping; Ioannou, Nikolaos; Ramsay, Alan G; Darling, David; Gäken, Joop; Mufti, Ghulam J

    2018-05-01

    MicroRNAs are short endogenous noncoding RNAs that play pivotal roles in a diverse range of cellular processes. The miR-181 family is important in T cell development, proliferation, and activation. In this study, we have identified BRK1 as a potential target of miR-181c using a dual selection functional assay and have showed that miR-181c regulates BRK1 by translational inhibition. Given the importance of miR-181 in T cell function and the potential role of BRK1 in the involvement of WAVE2 complex and actin polymerization in T cells, we therefore investigated the influence of miR-181c-BRK1 axis in T cell function. Stimulation of PBMC derived CD3 + T cells resulted in reduced miR-181c expression and up-regulation of BRK1 protein expression, suggesting that miR-181c-BRK1 axis is important in T cell activation. We further showed that overexpression of miR-181c or suppression of BRK1 resulted in inhibition of T cell activation and actin polymerization coupled with defective lamellipodia generation and immunological synapse formation. Additionally, we found that BRK1 silencing led to reduced expressions of other proteins in the WAVE2 complex, suggesting that the impairment of T cell actin dynamics was a result of the instability of the WAVE2 complex following BRK1 depletion. Collectively, we demonstrated that miR-181c reduces BRK1 protein expression level and highlighted the important role of miR-181c-BRK1 axis in T cell activation and actin polymerization-mediated T cell functions. ©2018 Society for Leukocyte Biology.

  19. [Medical image elastic registration smoothed by unconstrained optimized thin-plate spline].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yu; Li, Shuxiang; Chen, Wufan; Liu, Zhexing

    2003-12-01

    Elastic registration of medical image is an important subject in medical image processing. Previous work has concentrated on selecting the corresponding landmarks manually and then using thin-plate spline interpolating to gain the elastic transformation. However, the landmarks extraction is always prone to error, which will influence the registration results. Localizing the landmarks manually is also difficult and time-consuming. We the optimization theory to improve the thin-plate spline interpolation, and based on it, used an automatic method to extract the landmarks. Combining these two steps, we have proposed an automatic, exact and robust registration method and have gained satisfactory registration results.

  20. Neutron radiography of thick hydrogenous materials with use of an imaging plate neutron detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kato, K.; Matsumoto, G.; Karasawa, Y.; Niimura, N.; Matsubayashi, M.; Tsuruno, A.

    1996-01-01

    The value of the neutron mass attenuation coefficient of hydrogen being very high, it is extremely difficult to image normal size, living animals with neutron radiography. However, the authors suggest the possibility of applying neutron radiography for biomedical specimens. The organs in the breast, bones and cartilages in the extremities, and the tail of mice and rats were clearly imaged by neutron radiography with Gd foils as neutron converters and X-ray films. However, no contours of the organs in the mouse abdomen were visible with neutron radiography with an exposure time of 200 s. By adding Gd or Li compounds as neutron converters to imaging X-ray plates, imaging plates have been developed for neutron detectors. A trial using these imaging plates for neutron radiography of water-filled containers and the abdomen of mice was completed. The roundness of a 100 ml-beaker was imaged with a neutron exposure of 180 s. Obscure contours of the liver and kidneys of the mouse were imaged with a neutron exposure of 100 s. (orig.)

  1. Off-axis low coherence digital holographic interferometry for quantitative phase imaging with an LED

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Rongli; Wang, Fan; Hu, Xiaoying; Yang, Wenqian

    2017-11-01

    Off-axis digital holographic interferometry with the light source of a light emitting diode (LED) is presented and its application for quantitative phase imaging in a large range with low noise is demonstrated. The scheme is implemented in a grating based Mach-Zehnder interferometer. To achieve off-axis interferometry, firstly, the collimated beam emitted from an LED is diffracted into multiple orders by a grating and they are split into two copies by a beam splitter; secondly, in the object arm the zero order of one copy is filtered in the Fourier plane and is reshaped to illuminate the sample, while in the reference arm one of its first order of another copy is selected to serve as the reference beam, and then an off-axis hologram can be obtained at the image plane. The main advantage stemming from an LED illumination is its high spatial phase resolution, due to the subdued speckle effect. The off-axis geometry enables one-shot recording of the hologram in the millisecond scale. The utility of the proposed setup is illustrated with measurements of a resolution target and part of a wing of green-lacewing, and dynamic evaporation process of an ethanol film.

  2. Fast neutron radiography using photoluminescent imaging plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rant, J.; Kristof, E.; Balasko, M.; Stade, J.

    1999-01-01

    Fast neutron radiography (FNR) and resonance neutron radiography (RNR) are complementary to the conventional radiography with high energy gamma-rays or brems-strahlung radiation used for the inspection of thick metal objects. In both non-destructive methods, the contrast sensitivity and the penetration power can be improved by using higher energy neutrons. At present direct techniques based either n Solid State Nuclear Track detectors (SSNTDs) or scintillating screens and transfer techniques using activation threshold detectors and radiographic films are applied for the detection of fast neutron images. Rather low detection sensitivity of film and SSNTD based fast neutron imaging methods and also rather poor inherent image contrast of SSNTD pose a problem for FNR in the fast neutron energy region 1-15 MeV interesting for NDT. For more efficient detection of fast neutron images the use of novel highly sensitive photoluminescent imaging plates (IP) in combination with threshold at the KFKI research reactor. The conventional IP produced by FUJI Photo Film Co. for the detection of beta and X-ray radiation were used. The threshold activation detectors were the reactions 115 In(n, n') 115m In, 64 Zn(n,p) 64 Cu, 56 Fe(n, p) 56 Mn, 24 Mg(n, p) 24 Na and 27 Al(n, α) 24 Na. These threshold reactions cover the fast neutron energy region between 0,7 MeV and 12 MeV. Pure, commercially available metals 0,1 mm to 0,25 mm thick made of In, Zn, Fe, Mg and Al were used as converter screens. The very high sensitivity of IP, the linearity of their response over 5 decades of exposure dose and the high dynamic digitalisation latitude enabled fast neutron radiography of image quality comparable to the quality of thermal NR. In our experimental conditions (φ n ∼ 10 8 n/cm 2 s, R Cd ∼ 2) the neutron exposure and IP exposure periods were still practical and comparable to the half life of the corresponding reaction products (half an hour to several hours). Even with the 27 Al(n.α) 24

  3. Development of automatic extraction method of left ventricular contours on long axis view MR cine images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Utsunomiya, Shinichi; Iijima, Naoto; Yamasaki, Kazunari; Fujita, Akinori

    1995-01-01

    In the MRI cardiac function analysis, left ventricular volume curves and diagnosis parameters are obtained by extracting the left ventricular cavities as regions of interest (ROI) from long axis view MR cine images. The ROI extractions had to be done by manual operations, because automatization of the extraction is difficult. A long axis view left ventricular contour consists of a cardiac wall part and an aortic valve part. The above mentioned difficulty is due to the decline of contrast on the cardiac wall part, and the disappearance of edge on the aortic valve part. In this paper, we report a new automatic extraction method for long axis view MR cine images, which needs only 3 manually indicated points on the 1st image to extract all the contours from the total sequence of images. At first, candidate points of a contour are detected by edge detection. Then, selecting the best matched combination of candidate points by Dynamic Programming, the cardiac wall part is automatically extracted. The aortic valve part is manually extracted for the 1st image by indicating both the end points, and is automatically extracted for the rest of the images, by utilizing the aortic valve motion characteristics throughout a cardiac cycle. (author)

  4. Development of a Method to Assess the Precision Of the z-axis X-ray Beam Collimation in a CT Scanner

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Yon-Min

    2018-05-01

    Generally X-ray equipment specifies the beam collimator for the accuracy measurement as a quality control item, but the computed tomography (CT) scanner with high dose has no collimator accuracy measurement item. If the radiation dose is to be reduced, an important step is to check if the beam precisely collimates at the body part for CT scan. However, few ways are available to assess how precisely the X-ray beam is collimated. In this regard, this paper provides a way to assess the precision of z-axis X-ray beam collimation in a CT scanner. After the image plate cassette had been exposed to the X-ray beam, the exposed width was automatically detected by using a computer program developed by the research team to calculate the difference between the exposed width and the imaged width (at isocenter). The result for the precision of z-axis X-ray beam collimation showed that the exposed width was 3.8 mm and the overexposure was high at 304% when a narrow beam of a 1.25 mm imaged width was used. In this study, the precision of the beam collimation of the CT scanner, which is frequently used for medical services, was measured in a convenient way by using the image plate (IP) cassette.

  5. Separation method of heavy-ion particle image from gamma-ray mixed images using an imaging plate

    CERN Document Server

    Yamadera, A; Ohuchi, H; Nakamura, T; Fukumura, A

    1999-01-01

    We have developed a separation method of alpha-ray and gamma-ray images using the imaging plate (IP). The IP from which the first image was read out by an image reader was annealed at 50 deg. C for 2 h in a drying oven and the second image was read out by the image reader. It was found out that an annealing ratio, k, which is defined as a ratio of the photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL) density at the first measurement to that at the second measurement, was different for alpha rays and gamma rays. By subtracting the second image multiplied by a factor of k from the first image, the alpha-ray image was separated from the alpha and gamma-ray mixed images. This method was applied to identify the images of helium, carbon and neon particles of high energies using the heavy-ion medical accelerator, HIMAC. (author)

  6. True Polar Wander and Hotspot Fixity: A Paleomagnetic Investigation of the Skewness of Magnetic Anomaly 12r (32 Ma B.P.) on the Pacific Plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, R. G.; Horner-Johnson, B. C.

    2010-12-01

    Prior studies have shown that Pacific hotspots and Indo-Atlantic hotspots have moved in approximate unison relative to the spin axis since 65 Ma B.P. [Morgan, 1981; Gordon and Cape, 1981; Gordon, 1982] and since 56 Ma B.P. [Petronotis et al., 1994], which is most simply interpreted as true polar wander. In contrast, Pacific hotspots and Indo-Atlantic hotspots give conflicting results for 72 Ma B.P. and for 81 Ma B.P., which may indicate motion between Pacific hotspots and Indo-Atlantic hotspots [Tarduno and Cottrell, 1997; Petronotis et al., 1999; Tarduno et al., 2003]. Thus it is important to estimate Pacific plate apparent polar wander (APW) for more time intervals. From such estimates the APW of Pacific hotspots can be inferred and compared with that of Indo-Atlantic hotspots [e.g., Besse and Courtillot 2002]. Here we present a study of the skewness of anomaly 12r between the Galapagos and Clipperton and between the Clipperton and Clarion fracture zones. We chose this region for several reasons: First, numerical experiments, like those conducted by Acton and Gordon [1991], indicate that magnetic profiles between the Galapagos and Clarion fracture zones should contain the most information about the Pacific plate paleomagnetic pole for chron C12r (32 Ma B.P.). Second, in these two spreading rate corridors, spreading half rates range from 72 to 86 mm/a and therefore have negligible anomalous skewness, given that they exceed ≈50 mm/a [Roest et al., 1992; Dyment et al. 1994]. Third, vector aeromagnetic profiles are available for analysis. One of the challenges to interpreting magnetic anomalies in low latitudes where the anomalies strike nearly north-south is the very low amplitude of the signal relative to the noise, the latter of which can be especially intense near the present magnetic equator due to the amplification of diurnal variation by the equatorial electrojet. Previously we showed that vector aeromagnetic profiles record low-latitude Pacific plate

  7. Application of imaging plate neutron detector to neutron radiography

    CERN Document Server

    Fujine, S; Kamata, M; Etoh, M

    1999-01-01

    As an imaging plate neutron detector (IP-ND) has been available for thermal neutron radiography (TNR) which has high resolution, high sensitivity and wide range, some basic characteristics of the IP-ND system were measured at the E-2 facility of the KUR. After basic performances of the IP were studied, images with high quality were obtained at a neutron fluence of 2 to 7x10 sup 8 n cm sup - sup 2. It was found that the IP-ND system with Gd sub 2 O sub 3 as a neutron converter material has a higher sensitivity to gamma-ray than that of a conventional film method. As a successful example, clear radiographs of the flat view for the fuel side plates with boron burnable poison were obtained. An application of the IP-ND system to neutron radiography (NR) is presented in this paper.

  8. Transfer, imaging, and analysis plate for facile handling of 384 hanging drop 3D tissue spheroids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cavnar, Stephen P; Salomonsson, Emma; Luker, Kathryn E; Luker, Gary D; Takayama, Shuichi

    2014-04-01

    Three-dimensional culture systems bridge the experimental gap between in vivo and in vitro physiology. However, nonstandardized formation and limited downstream adaptability of 3D cultures have hindered mainstream adoption of these systems for biological applications, especially for low- and moderate-throughput assays commonly used in biomedical research. Here we build on our recent development of a 384-well hanging drop plate for spheroid culture to design a complementary spheroid transfer and imaging (TRIM) plate. The low-aspect ratio wells of the TRIM plate facilitated high-fidelity, user-independent, contact-based collection of hanging drop spheroids. Using the TRIM plate, we demonstrated several downstream analyses, including bulk tissue collection for flow cytometry, high-resolution low working-distance immersion imaging, and timely reagent delivery for enzymatic studies. Low working-distance multiphoton imaging revealed a cell type-dependent, macroscopic spheroid structure. Unlike ovarian cancer spheroids, which formed loose, disk-shaped spheroids, human mammary fibroblasts formed tight, spherical, and nutrient-limited spheroids. Beyond the applications we describe here, we expect the hanging drop spheroid plate and complementary TRIM plate to facilitate analyses of spheroids across the spectrum of throughput, particularly for bulk collection of spheroids and high-content imaging.

  9. AXIS: An instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hall, G. N., E-mail: hall98@llnl.gov; Izumi, N.; Tommasini, R.; Carpenter, A. C.; Palmer, N. E.; Zacharias, R.; Felker, B.; Holder, J. P.; Allen, F. V.; Bell, P. M.; Bradley, D.; Montesanti, R.; Landen, O. L. [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, 7000 East Avenue, Livermore, California 94550 (United States)

    2014-11-15

    Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detector for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV–200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.

  10. AXIS: an instrument for imaging Compton radiographs using the Advanced Radiography Capability on the NIF.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hall, G N; Izumi, N; Tommasini, R; Carpenter, A C; Palmer, N E; Zacharias, R; Felker, B; Holder, J P; Allen, F V; Bell, P M; Bradley, D; Montesanti, R; Landen, O L

    2014-11-01

    Compton radiography is an important diagnostic for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF), as it provides a means to measure the density and asymmetries of the DT fuel in an ICF capsule near the time of peak compression. The AXIS instrument (ARC (Advanced Radiography Capability) X-ray Imaging System) is a gated detector in development for the National Ignition Facility (NIF), and will initially be capable of recording two Compton radiographs during a single NIF shot. The principal reason for the development of AXIS is the requirement for significantly improved detection quantum efficiency (DQE) at high x-ray energies. AXIS will be the detector for Compton radiography driven by the ARC laser, which will be used to produce Bremsstrahlung X-ray backlighter sources over the range of 50 keV-200 keV for this purpose. It is expected that AXIS will be capable of recording these high-energy x-rays with a DQE several times greater than other X-ray cameras at NIF, as well as providing a much larger field of view of the imploded capsule. AXIS will therefore provide an image with larger signal-to-noise that will allow the density and distribution of the compressed DT fuel to be measured with significantly greater accuracy as ICF experiments are tuned for ignition.

  11. On the Origin of the Dragon Image on the Plate from Shilovka Burial Mound

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liphanov Nicolay А.

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The author of the article analyzes an unique image of two opposed dragons engraved on a bone plate discovered in 1992 at barrow No.1 of Shilovka burial mound located on the right bank of the Volga river in Ulyanovsk Oblast (the excavations were conducted by R.S. Bagautdinov. The burial mound is related to the cattle breeding population of late 7th century. The article considers different hypotheses concerning the origin of these dragon images in the artistic traditions of various regions: China (A.V. Komar, D.G. Savinov, B. Totev, Pelevina, Central Asia (V.G. Kotov, V.E. Flyorova, India (N.A. Fonyakova. According to the author, this image has no apparent iconographic parallels in the traditions of these regions. Such analogues are found in the art of the Mediterranean where the ancient images of various mythological creatures exist alongside the image of the sea dragon “ketos” which later became part of the Christian tradition. The appearance of this monster in the images of the first half – middle of the 1st millennium A.D. is practically identical to the dragons from Shilovka burial mound. According to the author, certain impact on the formation of the considered dragon image was made by Iranian art.

  12. Non-invasive terahertz field imaging inside parallel plate waveguides

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Iwaszczuk, Krzysztof; Andryieuski, Andrei; Lavrinenko, Andrei

    2011-01-01

    We present a non-invasive broadband air photonic method of imaging of the electric field of THz pulses propagating inside a tapered parallel plate waveguide. The method is based on field-enhanced second harmonic generation of the fundamental laser beam in an external electric field. We apply...

  13. Preliminary examination of the applicability of imaging plates to fast neutron radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Matsubayashi, Masahito; Hibiki, Takashi; Mishima, Kaichiro; Yoshii, Koji; Okamoto, Koji

    2001-01-01

    Fast neutron radiography is an attractive non-destructive inspection technique because of the excellent penetration characteristics of fast neutrons in matter. However, the difficulty of detecting fast neutrons reduces this attractive feature. As an experiment to overcome the difficulty, imaging plates were applied to fast neutron radiography. A simple combination of two sheets of imaging plates and a sheet of polyethylene as a proton emitter was examined with the (fast neutron, thermal neutron and gamma ray) FTG discriminator proposed by Yoneda et al. . The experimental results showed that the method could be applicable to fast neutron radiography with effective discrimination of γ-rays

  14. Effect of background radiation shielding on natural radioactivity distribution measurement with imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, C.; Suzuki, T.; Koido, S.; Uritani, A.; Miyahara, H.; Yanagida, K.; Miyahara, J.; Takahashi, K.

    1996-01-01

    Distribution images of natural radioactivity contained in various natural materials such as vegetable, animal meat and pottery work can be obtained with an imaging plate which has high sensitivity for nuclear radiations. For such very low levels of radioactivity, natural background radiations must be reduced using a shielding box. The lining, on the inside of the box, with low atomic number material such as acrylic resin is very effective in reducing electrons, β-rays and low energy X- and γ-rays emitted from the inner surface of the shielding material. Some images of natural radioactivity distribution were obtained and the radioactivity, mainly 40 K, contained in natural materials was measured by using an HPGe detector and also the imaging plate itself. (orig.)

  15. Applications of 'edge-on' illuminated porous plate detectors for diagnostic X-ray imaging

    CERN Document Server

    Shikhaliev, P M

    2002-01-01

    Scanning X-ray imaging systems for non-invasive diagnostics have several advantages over conventional imaging systems using area detectors. They significantly reduce the detected scatter radiation, cover large areas and potentially provide high spatial resolution. Applications of one-dimensional gaseous detectors and 'edge-on' illuminated silicon strip detectors for scanning imaging systems are currently under intensive investigation. The purpose of this work is to investigate 'edge-on' illuminated Porous Plate (PP) detectors for applications in diagnostic X-ray imaging. MicroChannel Plate (MCP), which is a common type of PP, has previously been investigated as a detector in surface-on illumination mode for medical X-ray imaging. However, its detection efficiency was too low for medical imaging applications. In the present study, the PP are used in the 'edge-on' illumination mode. Furthermore, the structural parameters of different PP types are optimized to improve the detection efficiency in the diagnostic X...

  16. Image characterization metrics for muon tomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luo, Weidong; Lehovich, Andre; Anashkin, Edward; Bai, Chuanyong; Kindem, Joel; Sossong, Michael; Steiger, Matt

    2014-05-01

    Muon tomography uses naturally occurring cosmic rays to detect nuclear threats in containers. Currently there are no systematic image characterization metrics for muon tomography. We propose a set of image characterization methods to quantify the imaging performance of muon tomography. These methods include tests of spatial resolution, uniformity, contrast, signal to noise ratio (SNR) and vertical smearing. Simulated phantom data and analysis methods were developed to evaluate metric applicability. Spatial resolution was determined as the FWHM of the point spread functions in X, Y and Z axis for 2.5cm tungsten cubes. Uniformity was measured by drawing a volume of interest (VOI) within a large water phantom and defined as the standard deviation of voxel values divided by the mean voxel value. Contrast was defined as the peak signals of a set of tungsten cubes divided by the mean voxel value of the water background. SNR was defined as the peak signals of cubes divided by the standard deviation (noise) of the water background. Vertical smearing, i.e. vertical thickness blurring along the zenith axis for a set of 2 cm thick tungsten plates, was defined as the FWHM of vertical spread function for the plate. These image metrics provided a useful tool to quantify the basic imaging properties for muon tomography.

  17. Image quality and radiation exposure in digital storage plate mammography with magnification technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fiedler, E.; Aichinger, U.; Boehner, C.; Schulz-Wendtland, R.; Bautz, W.; Saebel, M.

    1999-01-01

    Purpose: Comparison of image quality between digital phosphor storage plate mammography in magnification technique and a conventional film screen system regarding the special aspect of radiation exposure. Materials and Methods: Radiograms of a RMI-mammography phantom were acquired using a conventional film screen system and two digital storage plate systems. Additionally, the radiograms of one digital system were postprocessed emphasizing contrast and included in the comparison. Results: The detectability of details in storage plate mammographies with magnification technique is almost equal to that of film screen mammographies. Thereby, lower radiation exposures were necessary using the digital systems. Conclusions: Based on these results, storage plate mammography in magnification technique is used in clinical routine at our institution. The correct parameters in image postprocessing are of elementary importance for detail detectability. Future studies must show, whether the lower radiation exposure in digital radiograms of the breast, revealing much higher background noise, will allow the same detail detectability as film screen mammographies. (orig.) [de

  18. Study on evaluation method for image quality of radiograph by step plate, (2)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Terada, Yukihiro; Hirayama, Kazuo; Katoh, Mitsuaki.

    1992-01-01

    Recently, penetrameter sensitivity is used not only for the evaluation of radiographic image quality but also as a control method for examination conditions. However, it is necessary to take the parametric data for radiation quality in order to use it for the second purpose. The quantitative factor of radiation quality is determined by the absorption coefficient and the ratio of scattered radiation to transmitted radiation reaching the X-ray film. When the X-ray equipment changes in conducting the radiographic examination, these data must be measured in each case. This is a demerit in controlling examination conditions based on parametric data. As shown theoretically in the first report, the image quality value of a step plate which is defined by the density difference divided by film contrast and step plate thickness is useful to obtain the value of the radiation quality factor. This report deal with experimental investigation to measure it with the step plate. The result is showing that the value of the radiation quality factor calculated by the parametric data corresponded well with the image quality value measured by the step plate. Therefore, the convenient method to measure the value of the radiation quality factor has been established in order to control examination conditions in radiographic examination. (author)

  19. Neutron diffractometer for bio-crystallography (BIX) with an imaging plate neutron detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Niimura, Nobuo [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Ibaraki-ken (Japan)

    1994-12-31

    We have constructed a dedicated diffractometer for neutron crystallography in biology (BIX) on the JRR-3M reactor at JAERI (Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute). The diffraction intensity from a protein crystal is weaker than that from most inorganic materials. In order to overcome the intensity problem, an elastically bent silicon monochromator and a large area detector system were specially designed. A preliminary result of diffraction experiment using BIX has been reported. An imaging plate neutron detector has been developed and a feasibility experiment was carried out on BIX. Results are reported. An imaging plate neutron detector has been developed and a feasibility test was carried out using BIX.

  20. A tilted fiber-optic plate coupled CCD detector for high resolution neutron imaging

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jongyul; Cho, Gyuseong [Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Jongyul; Hwy, Limchang; Kim, Taejoo; Lee, Kyehong [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Seungwook [Pusan National Univ., Pusan (Korea, Republic of)

    2013-05-15

    One of these efforts is that a tilted scintillator geometry and lens coupled CCD detector for neutron imaging system were used to improve spatial resolution in one dimension. The increased spatial resolution in one dimension was applied to fuel cell study. However, a lens coupled CCD detector has lower sensitivity than a fiber-optic plate coupled CCD detector due to light loss. In this research, a tilted detector using fiber-optic plate coupled CCD detector was developed to improve resolution and sensitivity. In addition, a tilted detector can prevent an image sensor from direct radiation damage. Neutron imaging has been used for fuel cell study, lithium ion battery study, and many scientific applications. High quality neutron imaging is demanded for more detailed studies of applications, and spatial resolution should be considered to get high quality neutron imaging. Therefore, there were many efforts to improve spatial resolution.

  1. Computed radiography imaging plates and associated methods of manufacture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Nathaniel F.; Moses, Alex K.

    2015-08-18

    Computed radiography imaging plates incorporating an intensifying material that is coupled to or intermixed with the phosphor layer, allowing electrons and/or low energy x-rays to impart their energy on the phosphor layer, while decreasing internal scattering and increasing resolution. The radiation needed to perform radiography can also be reduced as a result.

  2. Analysis of distribution of PSL intensity recorded in imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oda, Keiji; Tsukahara, Kazutaka; Tada, Hidenori; Yamauchi, Tomoya

    2006-01-01

    Supplementary experiments and theoretical consideration have been performed about a new method for particle identification with an imaging plate, which was proposed in the previous paper. The imaging plate was exposed to 137 Cs γ-rays, 2 MeV- protons accelerated by a tandem Van de Graaff, X-rays emitted from a tube operated under the condition of 20-70 kV, as well as α- and β-rays. The frequency distribution in PSL intensity in a pixel of 100μm x 100μm was measured and the standard deviation was obtained by fitting to a Gaussian. It was confirmed that the relative standard deviation decreased with the average PSL intensity for every radiation species and that the curves were roughly divided into four groups of α-rays, protons, β-rays and photons. In the second step, these data were analyzed by plotting the square of the relative standard deviation against the average PSL intensity in full-log scale, where the relation should be expressed by a straight line with an slope of -1 provided that the deviation could be dominated only by statistical fluctuation. The data for α- and β-rays deviated from a straight line and approached to each saturated value as the average PSL intensity increased. This saturation was considered to be caused by inhomogeneity in the source intensity. It was also out that the value of interception on full-log plot would have important information about PSL reading efficiency, one of characteristic parameters of imaging plate. (author)

  3. Reconstruction of the sellar floor using a silicone plate in transsphenoidal surgery and its postoperative appearance on magnetic resonance images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kabuto, Masanori; Kubota, Toshihiko; Kobayashi, Hidenori; Sato, Kazufumi; Ishii, Hisao; Nakagawa, Takao; Arai, Ryowa; Kitai, Ryuhei; Tuchida, Akira

    1993-01-01

    The reconstruction of the sellar floor using a silicone plate in transsphenoidal surgery and its postoperative appearance on magnetic resonance (MR) images are described. Thirty-eight patients with pituitary adenoma and four with Rathke's cleft cyst underwent this operation and postoperative MR imaging over a 4-year period. A fitting silicone plate for closing of the sellar floor window could be easily made from a large silicone block at the operation. The postoperative position of the silicone plate could be clearly detected by MR imaging as a very low intensity plate on both T1- and T2-weighted sagittal images. (author)

  4. Interplay between long noncoding RNA ZEB1-AS1 and miR-101/ZEB1 axis regulates proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiong, Wan-Cheng; Han, Na; Wu, Nan; Zhao, Ke-Lei; Han, Chen; Wang, Hui-Xin; Ping, Guan-Fang; Zheng, Peng-Fei; Feng, Hailong; Qin, Lei; He, Peng

    2018-01-01

    Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are dysregulated in many diseases. MicroRNA-101 (miR-101) functions as a tumor suppressor by directly targeting ZEB1 in various cancers. However, the potential mechanism of lncRNA ZEB1-AS1 and miR-101/ZEB1 axis in CRC remains unknown. In this study, we further investigated the potential interplay between miR-101/ZEB1 axis and lncRNA ZEB1-AS1 in colorectal cancer (CRC). Results showed that ZEB1-AS1 was upregulated in CRC tissues and cells. MiR-101 was downregulated in CRC tissues and negatively correlated with ZEB1-AS1 and ZEB1 expression levels in CRC. Functional experiments showed that, consistent with ZEB1-AS1 depletion, miR-101 overexpression and ZEB1 depletion inhibited the proliferation and migration of CRC cells. Overexpression of miR-101 partially abolished the effects of ZEB1-AS1 on the proliferation and migration of these cells. Moreover, combined ZEB1-AS1 depletion and miR-101 overexpression significantly inhibited cell proliferation and migration of the CRC cells. Hence, ZEB1-AS1 functioned as a molecular sponge for miR-101 and relieved the inhibition of ZEB1 caused by miR-101. This study revealed a novel regulatory mechanism between ZEB1-AS1 and miR-101/ZEB1 axis. The interplay between ZEB1-AS1 and miR-101/ZEB1 axis contributed to the proliferation and migration of CRC cells, and targeting this interplay could be a promising strategy for CRC treatment.

  5. Imaging of particles with 3D full parallax mode with two-color digital off-axis holography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kara-Mohammed, Soumaya; Bouamama, Larbi; Picart, Pascal

    2018-05-01

    This paper proposes an approach based on two orthogonal views and two wavelengths for recording off-axis two-color holograms. The approach permits to discriminate particles aligned along the sight-view axis. The experimental set-up is based on a double Mach-Zehnder architecture in which two different wavelengths provides the reference and the object beams. The digital processing to get images from the particles is based on convolution so as to obtain images with no wavelength dependence. The spatial bandwidth of the angular spectrum transfer function is adapted in order to increase the maximum reconstruction distance which is generally limited to a few tens of millimeters. In order to get the images of particles in the 3D volume, a calibration process is proposed and is based on the modulation theorem to perfectly superimpose the two views in a common XYZ axis. The experimental set-up is applied to two-color hologram recording of moving non-calibrated opaque particles with average diameter at about 150 μm. After processing the two-color holograms with image reconstruction and view calibration, the location of particles in the 3D volume can be obtained. Particularly, ambiguity about close particles, generating hidden particles in a single-view scheme, can be removed to determine the exact number of particles in the region of interest.

  6. Lorestan Bronze Plate Design Identification by Nondestructive Radiography Method and Image Processing by Means of Histogram Matching

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yahaghi, E.; Movafeghi, A.; Ahmadi, S.; Rokrok, B.; Mohammadzadeh, N.; Rastkhah, N.

    2013-01-01

    Radiography is known as one of the oldest and most widely used nondestructive testing techniques, where it introduces the most appreciated technique by producing images which are acting as unique fingerprint records of samples of interest. Among the interesting applications of radiography are archaeological and art applications. In this research, radiography was implemented for identification of a damaged art-historical material. The sample was a brass plate belonging to Iran cultural heritage. The estimated age of the plate was about 3500 years. The plate was discovered in Lorestan province, where it is generally called L orestan bronze . The plate was damaged seriously due to serious corrosion environmental attacks, and recognition of the sample was considered as the major problem. The simple radiography method was quite helpful for the plate determination but the method suffered from some major drawbacks due to contrast and thickness measurements. The thickness measurement and corrosion/erosion evaluation were the vital components of the inspection. The image processing techniques and precise thickness measurement method were added to the digitized radiographs. For the digital image processing, a histogram matching algorithm and an edge detection method were used. After all, the resulted image showed an enhanced quality image of the original traces of the hammered design. The results showed that a good experimental setup of radiography along with the image processing technique can give a high quality radiographic image which is able to be used effectively for the identification of art antiques. The human evaluation results also confirmed the ability of the proposed method with a high degree of certainty.

  7. Imaging megathrust zone and Yakutat/Pacific plate interface in Alaska subduction zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Y.; Abers, G. A.; Li, J.; Christensen, D. H.; Calkins, J. A.

    2013-05-01

    We image the subducted slab underneath a 450 km long transect of the Alaska subduction zone. Dense stations in southern Alaska are set up to investigate (1) the geometry and velocity structure of the downgoing plate and their relation to slab seismicity, and (2) the interplate coupled zone where the great 1964 (magnitude 9.3) had greatest rupture. The joint teleseismic migration of two array datasets (MOOS, Multidisciplinary Observations of Onshore Subduction, and BEAAR, Broadband Experiment Across the Alaska Range) based on teleseismic receiver functions (RFs) using the MOOS data reveal a shallow-dipping prominent low-velocity layer at ~25-30 km depth in southern Alaska. Modeling of these RF amplitudes shows a thin (<6.5 km) low-velocity layer (shear wave velocity of ~3 km/s), which is ~20-30% slower than normal oceanic crustal velocities, between the subducted slab and the overriding North American plate. The observed low-velocity megathrust layer (with P-to-S velocity ratio (Vp/Vs) exceeding 2.0) may be due to a thick sediment input from the trench in combination of elevated pore fluid pressure in the channel. The subducted crust below the low-velocity channel has gabbroic velocities with a thickness of 11-12 km. Both velocities and thickness of the low-velocity channel abruptly increase as the slab bends in central Alaska, which agrees with previously published RF results. Our image also includes an unusually thick low-velocity crust subducting with a ~20 degree dip down to 130 km depth at approximately 200 km inland beneath central Alaska. The unusual nature of this subducted segment has been suggested to be due to the subduction of the Yakutat terrane. We also show a clear image of the Yakutat and Pacific plate subduction beneath the Kenai Peninsula, and the along-strike boundary between them at megathrust depths. Our imaged western edge of the Yakutat terrane, at 25-30 km depth in the central Kenai along the megathrust, aligns with the western end of the

  8. Mapping local anisotropy axis for scattering media using backscattering Mueller matrix imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Honghui; Sun, Minghao; Zeng, Nan; Du, E.; Guo, Yihong; He, Yonghong; Ma, Hui

    2014-03-01

    Mueller matrix imaging techniques can be used to detect the micro-structure variations of superficial biological tissues, including the sizes and shapes of cells, the structures in cells, and the densities of the organelles. Many tissues contain anisotropic fibrous micro-structures, such as collagen fibers, elastin fibers, and muscle fibers. Changes of these fibrous structures are potentially good indicators for some pathological variations. In this paper, we propose a quantitative analysis technique based on Mueller matrix for mapping local anisotropy axis of scattering media. By conducting both experiments on silk sample and Monte Carlo simulation based on the sphere-cylinder scattering model (SCSM), we extract anisotropy axis parameters from different backscattering Mueller matrix elements. Moreover, we testify the possible applications of these parameters for biological tissues. The preliminary experimental results of human cancerous samples show that, these parameters are capable to map the local axis of fibers. Since many pathological changes including early stage cancers affect the well aligned structures for tissues, the experimental results indicate that these parameters can be used as potential tools in clinical applications for biomedical diagnosis purposes.

  9. Accuracy of right and left ventricular functional assessment by short-axis vs axial cine steady-state free-precession magnetic resonance imaging: intrapatient correlation with main pulmonary artery and ascending aorta phase-contrast flow measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    James, Susan H; Wald, Rachel; Wintersperger, Bernd J; Jimenez-Juan, Laura; Deva, Djeven; Crean, Andrew M; Nguyen, Elsie; Paul, Narinder S; Ley, Sebastian

    2013-08-01

    The left ventricle (LV) is routinely assessed with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) by using short-axis orientation; it remains unclear whether the right ventricle (RV) can also be adequately assessed in this orientation or whether dedicated axial orientation is required. We used phase-contrast (PC) flow measurements in the main pulmonary artery (MPA) and the ascending aorta (Aorta) as nonvolumetric standard of reference and compared RV and LV volumes in short-axis and axial orientations. A retrospective analysis identified 30 patients with cardiac MRI data sets. Patients underwent MRI (1.5 T or 3 T), with retrospectively gated cine steady-state free-precession in axial and short-axis orientations. PC flow analyses of MPA and Aorta were used as the reference measure of RV and LV output. There was a high linear correlation between MPA-PC flow and RV-stroke volume (SV) short axis (r = 0.9) and RV-SV axial (r = 0.9). Bland-Altman analysis revealed a mean offset of 1.4 mL for RV axial and -2.3 mL for RV-short-axis vs MPA-PC flow. There was a high linear correlation between Aorta-PC flow and LV-SV short-axis (r = 0.9) and LV-SV axial (r = 0.9). Bland-Altman analysis revealed a mean offset of 4.8 m for LV short axis and 7.0 mL for LV axial vs Aorta-PC flow. There was no significant difference (P = .6) between short-axis-LV SV and short-axis-RV SV. No significant impact of the slice acquisition orientation for determination of RV and LV stroke volumes was found. Therefore, cardiac magnetic resonance workflow does not need to be extended by an axial data set for patients without complex cardiac disease for assessment of biventricular function and volumes. Copyright © 2013 Canadian Association of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Synthesis and ultrastructure of plate-like apatite single crystals as a model for tooth enamel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuang, Zhi; Yoshimura, Hideyuki; Aizawa, Mamoru

    2013-01-01

    Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is an inorganic constituent compound of human bones and teeth, with superior biocompatibility and bioactivity characteristics. Its crystal structure is hexagonal, characterized by a(b)- and c-planes. In vertebrate long bones, HAp crystals have a c-axis orientation, while in tooth enamel, they have an a(b)-axis orientation. Many methods can be used to synthesize c-axis oriented HAp single crystals; however, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports on a synthesis method for a(b)-axis oriented HAp single crystals. In this study, we successfully synthesized plate-like HAp crystals at the air–liquid interface of a starting solution via an enzyme reaction of urea with urease. Crystal phase analysis and ultrastructure observations were carried out, and the results indicated that the particles were single crystals, with almost the same a(b)-axis orientation as tooth enamel. It is hoped that by utilizing their unique surface charge and atomic arrangement, the resulting particles can be used as a high-performance biomaterial, capable of adsorbing bio-related substances and a model for tooth enamel. - Highlights: ► Synthesis of plate-like hydroxyapatite crystals at air–liquid interface ► Ultrastructural analysis of plate-like hydroxyapatite crystals ► Plate-like hydroxyapatite single crystals with a high a(b)-axis orientation ► Plate-like hydroxyapatite single crystals as a model for tooth enamel

  11. Synthesis and ultrastructure of plate-like apatite single crystals as a model for tooth enamel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhuang, Zhi, E-mail: zhuang@meiji.ac.jp [Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571 (Japan); Yoshimura, Hideyuki, E-mail: hyoshi@isc.meiji.ac.jp [Department of Physics, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571 (Japan); Aizawa, Mamoru, E-mail: mamorua@isc.meiji.ac.jp [Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science and Technology, Meiji University, 1-1-1 Higashimita, Tama-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa 214-8571 (Japan)

    2013-07-01

    Hydroxyapatite (HAp) is an inorganic constituent compound of human bones and teeth, with superior biocompatibility and bioactivity characteristics. Its crystal structure is hexagonal, characterized by a(b)- and c-planes. In vertebrate long bones, HAp crystals have a c-axis orientation, while in tooth enamel, they have an a(b)-axis orientation. Many methods can be used to synthesize c-axis oriented HAp single crystals; however, to the best of our knowledge, there have been no reports on a synthesis method for a(b)-axis oriented HAp single crystals. In this study, we successfully synthesized plate-like HAp crystals at the air–liquid interface of a starting solution via an enzyme reaction of urea with urease. Crystal phase analysis and ultrastructure observations were carried out, and the results indicated that the particles were single crystals, with almost the same a(b)-axis orientation as tooth enamel. It is hoped that by utilizing their unique surface charge and atomic arrangement, the resulting particles can be used as a high-performance biomaterial, capable of adsorbing bio-related substances and a model for tooth enamel. - Highlights: ► Synthesis of plate-like hydroxyapatite crystals at air–liquid interface ► Ultrastructural analysis of plate-like hydroxyapatite crystals ► Plate-like hydroxyapatite single crystals with a high a(b)-axis orientation ► Plate-like hydroxyapatite single crystals as a model for tooth enamel.

  12. Time-of-flight neutron Bragg-edge transmission imaging of microstructures in bent steel plates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Su, Yuhua, E-mail: yuhua.su@j-parc.jp [J-PARC Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Oikawa, Kenichi; Harjo, Stefanus; Shinohara, Takenao; Kai, Tetsuya; Harada, Masahide; Hiroi, Kosuke [J-PARC Center, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 2-4 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1195 (Japan); Zhang, Shuoyuan; Parker, Joseph Don [Neutron R& D Division, CROSS-Tokai, 162-1 Shirakata, Tokai, Ibaraki 319-1106 (Japan); Sato, Hirotaka [Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo 060-8628 (Japan); Shiota, Yoshinori; Kiyanagi, Yoshiaki [Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi 464-8603 (Japan); Tomota, Yo [Research Center for Strategic Materials, National Institute for Materials Science, Tsukuba 305-0047 (Japan)

    2016-10-15

    Neutron Bragg-edge transmission imaging makes it possible to quantitatively visualize the two-dimensional distribution of microstructure within a sample. In order to examine its application to engineering products, time-of-flight Bragg-edge transmission imaging experiments using a pulsed neutron source were performed for plastically bent plates composed of a ferritic steel and a duplex stainless steel. The non-homogeneous microstructure distributions, such as texture, crystalline size, phase volume fraction and residual elastic strain, were evaluated for the cross sections of the bent plates. The obtained results were compared with those by neutron diffraction and electron back scatter diffraction, showing that the Bragg-edge transmission imaging is powerful for engineering use.

  13. Remote defect imaging for plate-like structures based on the scanning laser source technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayashi, Takahiro; Maeda, Atsuya; Nakao, Shogo

    2018-04-01

    In defect imaging with a scanning laser source technique, the use of a fixed receiver realizes stable measurements of flexural waves generated by laser at multiple rastering points. This study discussed the defect imaging by remote measurements using a laser Doppler vibrometer as a receiver. Narrow-band burst waves were generated by modulating laser pulse trains of a fiber laser to enhance signal to noise ratio in frequency domain. Averaging three images obtained at three different frequencies suppressed spurious distributions due to resonance. The experimental system equipped with these newly-devised means enabled us to visualize defects and adhesive objects in plate-like structures such as a plate with complex geometries and a branch pipe.

  14. Imaging of soft and hard materials using a Boersch phase plate in a transmission electron microscope

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alloyeau, D., E-mail: alloyeau.damien@gmail.com [National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, MS/72, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Hsieh, W.K. [National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, MS/72, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Anderson, E.H.; Hilken, L. [Center for X-ray Optics, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA 94720 (United States); Benner, G. [Carl Zeiss NTS GmbH, Oberkochen 73447 (Germany); Meng, X. [Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-1770 (United States); Chen, F.R. [Department of Engineering and System Science, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Kisielowski, C. [National Center for Electron Microscopy, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, One Cyclotron Road, MS/72, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States)

    2010-04-15

    Using two levels of electron beam lithography, vapor phase deposition techniques, and FIB etching, we have fabricated an electrostatic Boersch phase plate for contrast enhancement of weak phase objects in a transmission electron microscope. The phase plate has suitable dimensions for the imaging of small biological samples without compromising the high-resolution capabilities of the microscope. A micro-structured electrode allows for phase tuning of the unscattered electron beam, which enables the recording of contrast enhanced in-focus images and in-line holograms. We have demonstrated experimentally that our phase plate improves the contrast of carbon nanotubes while maintaining high-resolution imaging performance, which is demonstrated for the case of an AlGaAs heterostructure. The development opens a new way to study interfaces between soft and hard materials.

  15. TractoR: Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Tractography with R

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chris A. Clark

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Statistical techniques play a major role in contemporary methods for analyzing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI data. In addition to the central role that classical statistical methods play in research using MRI, statistical modeling and machine learning techniques are key to many modern data analysis pipelines. Applications for these techniques cover a broad spectrum of research, including many preclinical and clinical studies, and in some cases these methods are working their way into widespread routine use. In this manuscript we describe a software tool called TractoR (for “Tractography with R”, a collection of packages for the R language and environment, along with additional infrastructure for straightforwardly performing common image processing tasks. TractoR provides general purpose functions for reading, writing and manipulating MR images, as well as more specific code for fitting signal models to diffusion MRI data and performing tractography, a technique for visualizing neural connectivity.

  16. Absolute Calibration of Image Plate for electrons at energy between 100 keV and 4 MeV

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Chen, H; Back, N L; Eder, D C; Ping, Y; Song, P M; Throop, A

    2007-12-10

    The authors measured the absolute response of image plate (Fuji BAS SR2040) for electrons at energies between 100 keV to 4 MeV using an electron spectrometer. The electron source was produced from a short pulse laser irradiated on the solid density targets. This paper presents the calibration results of image plate Photon Stimulated Luminescence PSL per electrons at this energy range. The Monte Carlo radiation transport code MCNPX results are also presented for three representative incident angles onto the image plates and corresponding electron energies depositions at these angles. These provide a complete set of tools that allows extraction of the absolute calibration to other spectrometer setting at this electron energy range.

  17. A quantitative damage imaging technique based on enhanced CCRTM for composite plates using 2D scan

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Jiaze; Yuan, Fuh-Gwo

    2016-10-01

    A two-dimensional (2D) non-contact areal scan system was developed to image and quantify impact damage in a composite plate using an enhanced zero-lag cross-correlation reverse-time migration (E-CCRTM) technique. The system comprises a single piezoelectric wafer mounted on the composite plate and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) for scanning a region in the vicinity of the PZT to capture the scattered wavefield. The proposed damage imaging technique takes into account the amplitude, phase, geometric spreading, and all of the frequency content of the Lamb waves propagating in the plate; thus, a reflectivity coefficients of the delamination is calculated and potentially related to damage severity. Comparisons are made in terms of damage imaging quality between 2D areal scans and 1D line scans as well as between the proposed and existing imaging conditions. The experimental results show that the 2D E-CCRTM performs robustly when imaging and quantifying impact damage in large-scale composites using a single PZT actuator with a nearby areal scan using LDV.

  18. Imaging plates for nuclear radiations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abe, Ken; Takebe, Masahiro

    1997-01-01

    Full text. The imaging plate (IP, hereafter) is a new opto-electronic X-ray film developed by Fuji Photo Film Co. Ltd., formed with a large area of thin flexible plastic plate coated with photo-estimulable storage phosphor (e.g. Ba F Br: Eu 2+ ). Recently, it has been found highly sensitive to soft X-ray (SR), soft electrons, and also usual alpha, beta, gamma rays and others, e.g. cosmic rays, energy heavy ions, and moreover neutrons through suitable converters inside or outside of the IP. Many types of IP are now used in various fields, such as medical examinations, auto-radiography in vivo/ in situ/ in vitro, X-ray/neutron diffraction/ radiography, electron microscopy. RI contamination, assay of ore. The IP has other striking performances, e.e. extremely low intrinsic noises, a high position resolution, high detection efficiency (100-1000 times) as high as an X-ray film), extremely wide dynamic range of dose (more than 10 5 ). Besides the thermal fading yet left unresolved materially, the only feature lacking and that one has ben longing for is the radiation identification by itself. We found out that the IP has a full potential ability of radiation identification in itself. One evidence found is that the ratio of the twin peaks of the PSL (photo-stimulated luminescence) excitation spectra indicates simply the particle energies, studied and now established. Another is that the photo-beaching provides the fluorescent responses different enough to discriminate the radiations, yet in progress with cyclotron experiments, into the usage of double labeled bio tracers

  19. Color, Scale, and Rotation Independent Multiple License Plates Detection in Videos and Still Images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Narasimha Reddy Soora

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Most of the existing license plate (LP detection systems have shown significant development in the processing of the images, with restrictions related to environmental conditions and plate variations. With increased mobility and internationalization, there is a need to develop a universal LP detection system, which can handle multiple LPs of many countries and any vehicle, in an open environment and all weather conditions, having different plate variations. This paper presents a novel LP detection method using different clustering techniques based on geometrical properties of the LP characters and proposed a new character extraction method, for noisy/missed character components of the LP due to the presence of noise between LP characters and LP border. The proposed method detects multiple LPs from an input image or video, having different plate variations, under different environmental and weather conditions because of the geometrical properties of the set of characters in the LP. The proposed method is tested using standard media-lab and Application Oriented License Plate (AOLP benchmark LP recognition databases and achieved the success rates of 97.3% and 93.7%, respectively. Results clearly indicate that the proposed approach is comparable to the previously published papers, which evaluated their performance on publicly available benchmark LP databases.

  20. Hierarchical and successive approximate registration of the non-rigid medical image based on thin-plate splines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Jinyan; Li, Li; Yang, Yunfeng

    2017-06-01

    The hierarchical and successive approximate registration method of non-rigid medical image based on the thin-plate splines is proposed in the paper. There are two major novelties in the proposed method. First, the hierarchical registration based on Wavelet transform is used. The approximate image of Wavelet transform is selected as the registered object. Second, the successive approximation registration method is used to accomplish the non-rigid medical images registration, i.e. the local regions of the couple images are registered roughly based on the thin-plate splines, then, the current rough registration result is selected as the object to be registered in the following registration procedure. Experiments show that the proposed method is effective in the registration process of the non-rigid medical images.

  1. Dike-induced contraction along oceanic and continental divergent plate boundaries

    KAUST Repository

    Trippanera, D.

    2014-10-28

    The axis of divergent plate boundaries shows extension fractures and normal faults at the surface. Here we present evidence of contraction along the axis of the oceanic ridge of Iceland and the continental Main Ethiopian Rift. Contraction is found at the base of the tilted hanging wall of dilational normal faults, balancing part of their extension. Our experiments suggest that these structures result from dike emplacement. Multiple dike injection induces subsidence above and uplift to the sides of the dikes; the transition in between is accommodated by reverse faults and subsequent peripheral inward dipping normal faults. Our results suggest that contraction is a direct product of magma emplacement along divergent plate boundaries, at various scales, marking a precise evolutionary stage and initiating part of the extensional structures (extension fractures and normal faults). Key Points Contraction along divergent plate boundaries results from dike emplacementContraction generates extensional structures along divergent plate boundariesSurface deformation along divergent plate boundaries may be magma induced

  2. Dike-induced contraction along oceanic and continental divergent plate boundaries

    KAUST Repository

    Trippanera, D.; Acocella, V.; Ruch, Joel

    2014-01-01

    The axis of divergent plate boundaries shows extension fractures and normal faults at the surface. Here we present evidence of contraction along the axis of the oceanic ridge of Iceland and the continental Main Ethiopian Rift. Contraction is found at the base of the tilted hanging wall of dilational normal faults, balancing part of their extension. Our experiments suggest that these structures result from dike emplacement. Multiple dike injection induces subsidence above and uplift to the sides of the dikes; the transition in between is accommodated by reverse faults and subsequent peripheral inward dipping normal faults. Our results suggest that contraction is a direct product of magma emplacement along divergent plate boundaries, at various scales, marking a precise evolutionary stage and initiating part of the extensional structures (extension fractures and normal faults). Key Points Contraction along divergent plate boundaries results from dike emplacementContraction generates extensional structures along divergent plate boundariesSurface deformation along divergent plate boundaries may be magma induced

  3. Dust Plate, Retina, Photograph: Imaging on Experimental Surfaces in Early Nineteenth-Century Physics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramalingam, Chitra

    2015-09-01

    This article explores the entangled histories of three imaging techniques in early nineteenth-century British physical science, techniques in which a dynamic event (such as a sound vibration or an electric spark) was made to leave behind a fixed trace on a sensitive surface. Three categories of "sensitive surface" are examined in turn: first, a metal plate covered in fine dust; second, the retina of the human eye; and finally, a surface covered with a light-sensitive chemical emulsion (a photographic plate). For physicists Michael Faraday and Charles Wheatstone, and photographic pioneer William Henry Fox Talbot, transient phenomena could be studied through careful observation and manipulation of the patterns wrought on these different surfaces, and through an understanding of how the imaging process unfolded through time. This exposes the often-ignored materiality and temporality of epistemic practices around nineteenth-century scientific images said to be "drawn by nature."

  4. Imaging flaws in thin metal plates using a magneto-optic device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wincheski, B.; Prabhu, D. R.; Namkung, M.; Birt, E. A.

    1992-01-01

    An account is given of the capabilities of the magnetooptic/eddy-current imager (MEI) apparatus in the case of aging aircraft structure-type flaws in 2024-T3 Al alloy plates. Attention is given to images of cyclically grown fatigue cracks from rivetted joints in fabricated lap-joint structures, electrical discharge machining notches, and corrosion spots. Although conventional eddy-current methods could have been used, the speed and ease of MEI's use in these tests is unmatched by such means. Results are displayed in real time as a test piece is scanned, furnishing easily interpreted flaw images.

  5. Identification of two novel compound heterozygous mutations of ADGRV1 in a Chinese family with Usher syndrome type IIC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Nian; Wang, Juan; Liu, Shuting; Liu, Mugen; Jiang, Fagang

    2018-06-08

    To describe the clinical and genetic findings in a Chinese family with three sibs diagnosed with Usher syndrome type IIC. Four members received ophthalmic and otologic tests to ascertain the clinical characteristics. According to the clinical phenotype, we focused attention on a total of 658 genes associated with them. We screened the possible pathogenic mutation sites, used Sanger to exclude the false positive and verified whether there were co-segregated among the family members. Typical fundus features found in the proband supported the diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa (RP). Audiometric test indicated moderate to severe sensorineural hearing impairment while the vestibular function was normal. Whole-exome sequencing identified the presence of two novel compound heterozygous mutations in ADGRV1, a known gene responsible for Usher syndrome type IIC. Mutationc.15008delG/p.Gly5003AlafsTer13 was inherited from the mother while c.18383_18386dupACAG/p.His6130GlnfsTer84 was inherited from the father, and they were co-segregated with the disease phenotype in the family. The mutations found in our study not only broaden the mutation spectrum of ADGRV1, but also provide assistances for future genetic diagnosis and treatment for Usher syndrome patients.

  6. The use of BAS-TR imaging plates calibration in determining the resolving power of Fuji BAS-1800II image plate reader

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alnaimi, R.

    2018-01-01

    The importance of this work lies in assuring the reliability of the results obtained from both imaging plates type BAS-TR and Fuji Image Reader BAS-1800II as they are widely used in calculating essential x-ray sources parameters such as the source size, x-ray flux and brilliance, hence, the calibration presented in this work. For such quantitative analysis, a common practice used by many researchers, where Gold resolution meshes are utilised for such purpose, however not quite successful due to the transmission effect of high energy photons at their edges as well as the pixeling effect while magnifying the scanned image to secure the edge spread function (ESF) data. In contrast, the use of resolution test target (RTT) and wire mesh grid together with a set of test samples i.e. Stanley blades, Ta, Ti and Si wafer of 100, 300, 15, and 490 micron thickness respectively appeared to be efficient in determining IP pixel size and the resolution of the reader. Two different experiments were conducted using two different targets and lasers of very different performance. The first, was a 15 μm VHS video tape composed of Mylar as carrier film with Fe2O3 and CrO2 powder. Nd:YAG laser of long pulse 800 ps, 50 Hz repetition rate and single shot were utilised. Whereas, the second experiment were conducted on a 9μm C wire and a short pulse 500fs Cerberus single shot laser was used. The results obtained from both experiments were pretty much similar. The imaging plate spatial resolution was measured to be: 3.4 ± 0.2 pixels and a pixel size of 41.26 ± 1.4 μm, whereas the smallest resolvable object visible to the reader (1:1 imaging with magnification factor) was of order 140.3 ± 0.3 microns. This appeared to be worse by a factor of three which indicates the importance of the reader's calibration on a regular basis, and at the same time one has to reconsider any related work and calculation based upon the previous nominal values.

  7. Rigid two-axis MEMS force plate for measuring cellular traction force

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takahashi, Hidetoshi; Jung, Uijin G; Shimoyama, Isao; Kan, Tetsuo; Tsukagoshi, Takuya; Matsumoto, Kiyoshi

    2016-01-01

    Cellular traction force is one of the important factors for understanding cell behaviors, such as spreading, migration and differentiation. Cells are known to change their behavior according to the mechanical stiffness of the environment. However, the measurement of cell traction forces on a rigid environment has remained difficult. This paper reports a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) force plate that provides a cellular traction force measurement on a rigid substrate. Both the high force sensitivity and high stiffness of the substrate were obtained using piezoresistive sensing elements. The proposed force plate consists of a 70 µ m  ×  15 µ m  ×  5 µ m base as the substrate for cultivating a bovine aortic smooth muscle cell, and the supporting beams with piezoresistors on the sidewall and the surface were used to measure the forces in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The spring constant and force resolution of the fabricated force plate in the horizontal direction were 0.2 N m −1 and less than 0.05 µ N, respectively. The cell traction force was measured, and the traction force increased by approximately 1 µ N over 30 min. These results demonstrate that the proposed force plate is applicable as an effective traction force measurement. (paper)

  8. The Involvement of miR-23a/APAF1 Regulation Axis in Colorectal Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fung Lin Yong

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Recent advances in microRNAome have made microRNAs (miRNAs a compelling novel class of biomarker in cancer biology. In the present study, the role of miR-23a in the carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC was investigated. Cell viability, apoptosis, and caspase 3/7 activation analyses were conducted to determine the potentiality of apoptosis resistance function of miR-23a in CRC. Luciferase assay was performed to verify a putative target site of miR-23a in the 3'-UTR of apoptosis protease activating factor 1 (APAF1 mRNA. The expression levels of miR-23a and APAF1 in CRC cell lines (SW480 and SW620 and clinical samples were assessed using reverse transcription-quantitative real-time PCR (RT-qPCR and Western blot. We found that the inhibition of miR-23a in SW480 and SW620 cell lines resulted in significant reduction of cell viability and promotion of cell apoptosis. Moreover, miR-23a up-regulation was coupled with APAF1 down-regulation in CRC tissue samples. Taken together, miR-23a was identified to regulate apoptosis in CRC. Our study highlights the potential application of miR-23a/APAF1 regulation axis in miRNA-based therapy and prognostication.

  9. An enhanced CCRTM (E-CCRTM) damage imaging technique using a 2D areal scan for composite plates

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Jiaze; Yuan, Fuh-Gwo

    2016-04-01

    A two-dimensional (2-D) non-contact areal scan system was developed to image and quantify impact damage in a composite plate using an enhanced zero-lag cross-correlation reverse-time migration (E-CCRTM) technique. The system comprises a single piezoelectric actuator mounted on the composite plate and a laser Doppler vibrometer (LDV) for scanning a region to capture the scattered wavefield in the vicinity of the PZT. The proposed damage imaging technique takes into account the amplitude, phase, geometric spreading, and all of the frequency content of the Lamb waves propagating in the plate; thus, the reflectivity coefficients of the delamination can be calculated and potentially related to damage severity. Comparisons are made in terms of damage imaging quality between 2-D areal scans and linear scans as well as between the proposed and existing imaging conditions. The experimental results show that the 2-D E-CCRTM performs robustly when imaging and quantifying impact damage in large-scale composites using a single PZT actuator with a nearby areal scan using LDV.

  10. Developmental Mechanism of Limb Field Specification along the Anterior–Posterior Axis during Vertebrate Evolution

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikiko Tanaka

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available In gnathostomes, limb buds arise from the lateral plate mesoderm at discrete positions along the body axis. Specification of these limb-forming fields can be subdivided into several steps. The lateral plate mesoderm is regionalized into the anterior lateral plate mesoderm (ALPM; cardiac mesoderm and the posterior lateral plate mesoderm (PLPM. Subsequently, Hox genes appear in a nested fashion in the PLPM and provide positional information along the body axis. The lateral plate mesoderm then splits into the somatic and splanchnic layers. In the somatic layer of the PLPM, the expression of limb initiation genes appears in the limb-forming region, leading to limb bud initiation. Furthermore, past and current work in limbless amphioxus and lampreys suggests that evolutionary changes in developmental programs occurred during the acquisition of paired fins during vertebrate evolution. This review presents these recent advances and discusses the mechanisms of limb field specification during development and evolution, with a focus on the role of Hox genes in this process.

  11. A high-speed data-collection system for large-unit-cell crystals using an imaging plate as a detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Mamoru; Yamamoto, Masaki; Imada, Katsumi; Katsube, Yukiteru; Tanaka, Nobuo; Higashi, Tsuneyuki

    1992-01-01

    A high-speed data-collection system for large-unit-cell crystals is presented, using the Fuji Imaging Plate as an X-ray detector and a rotating-anode generator as the X-ray source. It is an automatic data-acquisition system that requires almost no manual intervention. The quality of data collected on the system is discussed. Merging R values ranged from 0.04 to 0.05. Compared with a four-circle diffractometer, data reproducibility was better, isomorphous/anomalous Patterson maps were almost identical in quality and data from a small-molecule crystal, cytidine, were of almost the same quality. Protein structures were refinable using the data measured on the system, the final crystallographic R value of the 2.2 A 3-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase structure being 0.185 and that of the 1.88 A Flammulina veltipes agglutinin structure being 0.199. (orig.)

  12. Comparative evaluation of image quality in computed radiology systems using imaging plates with different usage time

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lazzaro, M.V.; Luz, R.M. da; Capaverde, A.S.; Silva, A.M. Marques da

    2015-01-01

    Computed Radiology (CR) systems use imaging plates (IPs) for latent image acquisition. Taking into account the quality control (QC) of these systems, imaging plates usage time is undetermined. Different recommendations and publications on the subject suggest tests to evaluate these systems. The objective of this study is to compare the image quality of IPs of a CR system, in a mammography service, considering the usage time and consistency of assessments. 8 IPs were used divided into two groups: the first group included 4 IPs with 3 years of use (Group A); the second group consisted of 4 new IPs with no previous exposure (Group B). The tests used to assess the IP's quality were: Uniformity, Differential Signal to Noise Ratio (SDNR), Ghost Effect and Figure of Merit (FOM). Statistical results show that the proposed tests are shown efficient in assessing the conditions of image quality obtained in CR systems in mammography and can be used as determining factors for the replacement of IP's. Moreover, comparing the two sets of IP, results led to the replacement of all the set of IP’s with 3 years of use. This work demonstrates the importance of an efficient quality control, not only with regard to the quality of IP's used, but in the acquisition system as a whole. From this work, these tests will be conducted on an annual basis, already targeting as future work, monitoring the wear of IP's Group B and the creation of a baseline for analysis and future replacements. (author)

  13. Magnetic resonance imaging of hypothalamus hypophysis axis lesions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shiina, Takeki; Uno, Kimiichi; Arimizu, Noboru; Yoshida, Sho; Yamada, Kenichi.

    1990-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a 0.5T superconductive machine was performed to the thirty three cases with a variety of the sellar and parasellar tumors and with dysfunction of the hypothalamus-hypophysis axis. Posterior pituitary bright spot (PBS) on T1 weighted image was evaluated with the pituitary hormonal function. These cases were 12 cases of post-treated tumors including pituitary adenoma (9 patients), suprasellar germinoma (2 patients) and craniopharyngioma (one patient), and non-tumorous conditions including 15 cases of central diabetes insipidus (DI), Syndrome of inappropriate secretion of ADH (SIADH) (one patient), Sheehan's syndrome (3 patients) and anorexia nervosa (2 patients). Pituitary bright spot was not seen in all 19 cases with overt DI. On the other hand, PBS was not seen in 9 cases without overt DI. Three cases of these 9 cases showing Sheehan's syndrome with insufficient antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion was considered as the state of subclinical DI. Posterior bright spot was not seen in all 13 cases of empty sella including partial empty sella. The results suggested that disappearance of PBS represents abnormality or loss of posterior pituitary function and also it was considered to be closely related to the empty sella. (author)

  14. Simplified quality control of radioactive seeds in sterile cartridge for prostate brachytherapy using an imaging plate and a collimator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saze, T.; Miyoshi, H.; Maezawa, H.; Kubota, M.; Furutani, S.; Nishitani, H.; Kawaguchi, Y.; Nakayama, S.; Ito, S.; Nishizawa, K.

    2008-01-01

    Image analyzer system and collimator has been successfully applied to calibrate simultaneously multiple 125 I seeds in a sterile cartridge. Seeds within the cartridge were placed on an imaging plate, and the imaging plate irradiated. To remove scatter radiation, and improve spatial resolution of seed images, this study used a specially designed collimator. The irradiated imaging plate was scanned using an image analyzer system, and radioactivity intensities of seed images were given in counts. Counts could be translated to profiles, and each seed within the cartridge was analyzed. It is observed that a good correlation between counts and total radioactivity of the seeds within the cartridge. Thus, using a least-squares line, it was possible to calibrate a seed with unknown apparent activity. By analyzing the profiles, it was possible not only to detect a mis calibrated seed in the cartridge from its relative difference in counts, but also to identify its position in the cartridge. Using an imaging analyzer system, all seeds in a cartridge could be calibrated in a sterile environment. (author)

  15. Fast susceptibility-weighted imaging with three-dimensional short-axis propeller (SAP)-echo-planar imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holdsworth, Samantha J; Yeom, Kristen W; Moseley, Michael E; Skare, S

    2015-05-01

    Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) in neuroimaging can be challenging due to long scan times of three-dimensional (3D) gradient recalled echo (GRE), while faster techniques such as 3D interleaved echo-planar imaging (iEPI) are prone to motion artifacts. Here we outline and implement a 3D short-axis propeller echo-planar imaging (SAP-EPI) trajectory as a faster, motion-correctable approach for SWI. Experiments were conducted on a 3T MRI system. The 3D SAP-EPI, 3D iEPI, and 3D GRE SWI scans were acquired on two volunteers. Controlled motion experiments were conducted to test the motion-correction capability of 3D SAP-EPI. The 3D SAP-EPI SWI data were acquired on two pediatric patients as a potential alternative to 2D GRE used clinically. The 3D GRE images had a better target resolution (0.47 × 0.94 × 2 mm, scan time = 5 min), iEPI and SAP-EPI images (resolution = 0.94 × 0.94 × 2 mm) were acquired in a faster scan time (1:52 min) with twice the brain coverage. SAP-EPI showed motion-correction capability and some immunity to undersampling from rejected data. While 3D SAP-EPI suffers from some geometric distortion, its short scan time and motion-correction capability suggest that SAP-EPI may be a useful alternative to GRE and iEPI for use in SWI, particularly in uncooperative patients. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Magnetic imaging with a Zernike-type phase plate in a transmission electron microscope

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pollard, Shawn; Malac, Marek; Beleggia, Marco

    2013-01-01

    We demonstrate the use of a hole-free phase plate (HFPP) for magnetic imaging in transmission electron microscopy by mapping the domain structure in PrDyFeB samples. The HFPP, a Zernike-like imaging method, allows for detecting magnetic signals in-focus to correlate the sample crystal structure...... the reference wave distortion from long-range fields affecting electron holography....

  17. Radioactivity distribution measurement of various natural material surfaces with imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, C.; Suzuki, T.; Koido, S.; Uritani, A.; Yanagida, K.; Wu, Y.; Nishizawa, K.

    1996-01-01

    Distribution images of natural radioactivity in natural materials such as vegetables were obtained by using Imaging Platc. In ssuch cases, it is necessary to reduce background radiation intensity by one order or more. Graded shielding is very important. Espacially, the innermost surface of a shielding box sshould be covered with acrylic rein plate. We obtained natural radioactivity distribution images of vegetable, sea food, mea etc. Most β-rays emitted from 40 K print the radioactivity distribution image. Comparison between γ-ray intensity of KCL solution measured with HPGe detector and that of natural material specimen gave the radioactivity around 0.06- 0.04Bq/g depending on the kind and the part of specimens. (author). 6 refs., 5 figs., 1 tab

  18. Anterior fixation of the axis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traynelis, Vincent C; Fontes, Ricardo B V

    2010-09-01

    Although anterior fixation of the axis is not commonly performed, plate fixation of C2 is an important technique for treating select upper cervical traumatic injuries and is also useful in the surgical management of spondylosis. To report the technique and outcomes of C2 anterior plate fixation for a series of patients in which the majority presented with symptomatic degenerative spondylosis. Forty-six consecutive patients underwent single or multilevel fusions over a 7-year period; 30 of these had advanced degenerative disease manifested by myelopathy or deformity. Exposure was achieved with rostral extension of the standard anterior cervical exposure via careful soft tissue dissection, mobilization of the superior thyroid artery, and the use of a table-mounted retractor. It was not necessary to remove the submandibular gland, section the digastric muscle, or make additional skin incisions. Screws were placed an average of 4.6 mm (+/- 2.3 mm) from the inferior C2 endplate with a mean sagittal trajectory of 15.7 degrees (+/- 7.6 degrees). Short- and long-term procedure-related mortality was 4.4%, and perioperative morbidity was 8.9%. Patients remained intubated an average of 2.5 days following surgery. Dysphagia was initially reported by 15.2% of patients but resolved by the 8th postoperative week in all patients. Arthrodesis was achieved in all patients available for long-term follow-up. Multilevel fusions were not associated with longer hospitalization or morbidity. Anterior plate fixation of the axis for degenerative disease can be accomplished with acceptable morbidity employing an extension of the standard anterolateral route.

  19. Tilted c-Axis Thin-Film Bulk Wave Resonant Pressure Sensors With Improved Sensitivity

    OpenAIRE

    Anderås, Emil; Katardjiev, Ilia; Yantchev, Ventsislav

    2012-01-01

    Aluminum nitride thin film bulk wave resonant pressure sensors employing c- and tilted c-axis texture, have been fabricated and tested for their pressure sensitivities. The c-axis tilted FBAR pressure sensors demonstrate substantially higher pressure sensitivity compared to its c-axis oriented counterpart. More specifically the thickness plate quasi-shear resonance has demonstrated the highest pressure sensitivity while further being able to preserve its performance in liquid environment.

  20. Precise natural radiography of seafloor sedimentary cores by using imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sugihara, Makoto; Tsuchiya, Noriyoshi

    2007-01-01

    The radiation measurement for seafloor sedimentary cores was carried out by using the Imaging Plate (IP). The precise natural radiography was obtained with 48 hours (exposure time) in a shield box. Layered structures of seafloor sediments that have relatively low radioactivity like biogenic matters could be detected by autoradiography, and it was possible to identify optically unclear layers of sediments with differences of radiation characteristics. The detection limit of thickness of suspended particle layers like volcanic ashes might be sub millimeters. It was possible to identify the pinpoint position where radioactive mineral emitted α-rays at the surface of sample. Identification of pinpoint position could be possible suppose radioactive minerals that emits α-ray exposed at the surface of sample. Distribution of dose (PSL value of IP) was related to CT value (X-ray CT), which indicates dose of sedimentary core have relationships with density and atomic number of sediments. The natural radiography for seafloor sediments cores by using the Imaging Plate is considered to be a powerful new tool as a non-destructive core analysis. (author)

  1. Guided-wave tomography imaging plate defects by laser-based ultrasonic techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jun Pil; Lim, Ju Young; Cho, Youn Ho [School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Pusan (Korea, Republic of)

    2014-12-15

    Contact-guided-wave tests are impractical for investigating specimens with limited accessibility and rough surfaces or complex geometric features. A non-contact setup with a laser-ultrasonic transmitter and receiver is quite attractive for guided-wave inspection. In the present work, we developed a non-contact guided-wave tomography technique using the laser-ultrasonic technique in a plate. A method for Lamb-wave generation and detection in an aluminum plate with a pulsed laser-ultrasonic transmitter and Michelson-interferometer receiver was developed. The defect shape and area in the images obtained using laser scanning, showed good agreement with the actual defect. The proposed approach can be used as a non-contact online inspection and monitoring technique.

  2. Spatial resolution of imaging plate with flash X-rays and its utilization for radiography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shaikh, A. M., E-mail: shaikham@barc.gov.in [Physics Group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400085 (India); Romesh, C.; Kolage, T. S.; Sharma, Archana [Accelerator and Pulsed Power Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai-400085 (India)

    2015-06-24

    A flash X-ray source developed using pulsed electron accelerator with electron energy range of 400keV to 1030keV and a field emission cathode is characterized using X-ray imaging plates. Spatial resolution of the imaging system is measured using edge spread function fitted to data obtained from radiograph of Pb step wedge. A spatial resolution of 150±6 µm is obtained. The X-ray beam size is controlled by the anode-cathode configuration. Optimum source size of ∼13±2 mm diameter covering an area with intensity of ∼27000 PSL/mm{sup 2} is obtained on the imaging plate kept at a distance of ∼200 mm from the tip of the anode. It is used for recording radiographs of objects like satellite cable cutter, aero-engine turbine blade and variety of pyro-devices used in aerospace industry.

  3. Development of 99mTc imaging method using multiple imaging plates for reduction of patient's dose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ito, Shigeki; Nishizawa, Kunihide; Ariga, Eiji; Saze, Takuya

    2008-01-01

    A system for taking static thyroid 99m Tc images was devised by using multiple imaging plates (IPs) and a low energy high resolution collimator. Sensitivity was represented by using lower detection limits (LDL). The sensitivity and resolution of IP systems using a collimator and 9 IPs were determined by using a 20 ml thyroid phantom, and compared with the sensitivity of gamma cameras. The sensitivity of the IP systems increased in proportion to the number of IPs. The sensitivity and resolution of a probe using 9 IPs and a high resolution collimator were equivalent to or superior to the gamma camera for taking static thyroid 99m Tc images. IP systems can be applied clinically as static nuclear imaging devices as same as a gamma camera. (author)

  4. Interlaced zone plate optics for hard X-ray imaging in the 10 nm range

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohacsi, Istvan; Vartiainen, Ismo; Rösner, Benedikt; Guizar-Sicairos, Manuel; Guzenko, Vitaliy A.; McNulty, Ian; Winarski, Robert; Holt, Martin V.; David, Christian

    2017-03-01

    Multi-keV X-ray microscopy has been particularly successful in bridging the resolution gap between optical and electron microscopy. However, resolutions below 20 nm are still considered challenging, as high throughput direct imaging methods are limited by the availability of suitable optical elements. In order to bridge this gap, we present a new type of Fresnel zone plate lenses aimed at the sub-20 and the sub-10 nm resolution range. By extending the concept of double-sided zone plate stacking, we demonstrate the doubling of the effective line density and thus the resolution and provide large aperture, singlechip optical devices with 15 and 7 nm smallest zone widths. The detailed characterization of these lenses shows excellent optical properties with focal spots down to 7.8 nm. Beyond wave front characterization, the zone plates also excel in typical imaging scenarios, verifying their resolution close to their diffraction limited optical performance.

  5. Resistive Plate Chambers for Imaging Calorimetry - the DHCAL

    CERN Document Server

    Repond, Jose

    2014-01-01

    The DHCAL, the Digital Hadron Calorimeter, is a prototype calorimeter based on Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs). The design emphasizes the imaging capabilities of the detector in an effort to optimize the calorimeter for the application of Particle Flow Algorithms (PFAs) to the reconstruction of hadronic jet energies in a colliding beam environment. The readout of the chambers is segmented into 1 x 1 cm2 pads, each read out with a 1-bit (single threshold) resolution. The prototype with approximately 500,000 readout channels underwent extensive testing in both the Fermilab and CERN test beams. This talk presents preliminary findings from the analysis of data collected at the test beams.

  6. Apparent Polar Wander of the Pacific Plate Since the Cretaeous and Implications for True Polar Wander and for the Plate Motion Circuit Through Antarctica

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gordon, R. G.; Woodworth, D.

    2017-12-01

    In this presentation we review prior work on Pacific plate apparent polar wander and its implications (1) for true polar wander since ≈125 Ma and (2) for testing the global plate motion circuit through Antarctica. We furthermore update prior analyses using our recently improved and expanded apparent polar wander path for the Pacific plate [Woodworth et al., this meeting]. Three episodes of rapid motion of Pacific hotspots relative to the spin axis have occurred in the past ≈125 Ma: a ≈15° shift near 85 Ma [Gordon, 1983; Sager and Koppers, 2000], an ≈8° shift near the age of the Hawaiian-Emperor Bend [Petronotis et al., 1994; Woodworth et al., this meeting], and a 3°-°4 shift since 12 Ma [Woodworth et al., this meeting]. These shifts are in general agreement with the shifts of Indo-Atlantic hotspots relative to the spin axis. It has long been recognized that paleomagnetic poles from the continents, when rotated into the Pacific plate reference frame through plate motion circuits through Antarctica, are inconsistent with indigenous Pacific plate paleomagnetic poles and paleolatitudes [Suárez and Molnar, 1980; Gordon and Cox, 1980; Acton and Gordon, 1994]. We update such tests using our new and improved Pacific apparent polar wander path and show that the plate motion circuit through Antarctica still fails such paleomagnetic tests of consistency. Implications for global plate reconstructions and the hotspot reference frame will be discussed.

  7. Feasibility of in vivo thyroid {sup 131}I monitoring with an imaging plate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirota, Masahiro; Saze, Takuya; Ogata, Yoshimune; Nishizawa, Kunihide E-mail: nishizawa@nucc.cc.nagoya-u.ac.jp

    2001-10-01

    A new in vivo thyroid {sup 131}I monitoring method was devised by using an imaging plate (IP). A thyroid image obtained with a realistic neck-thyroid phantom showed a unique shape characteristic of the thyroid gland. A {sup 131}I thyroid imaging allows visual confirmation of thyroid accumulation of {sup 131}I. The detection limit of the IP system of 290 Bq was about ((1)/(100)) of the screening level of 30 kBq in cases of public emergencies. The IP system is applicable for thyroid {sup 131}I monitoring.

  8. Seismicity and state of stress near the Japan Trench axis off Miyagi, northeast Japan, after the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake

    Science.gov (United States)

    Obana, K.; Kodaira, S.; Takahashi, T.; Yamamoto, Y.; Nakamura, Y.; No, T.; Fujie, G.; Hino, R.; Shinohara, M.

    2013-12-01

    The 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake ruptured roughly 200 km wide and 500 km long megathrust along the Japan Trench. The rupture propagated to the trench axis with a maximum slip about 50 m near the trench axis. As a consequence of this large near-trench slip, earthquakes have been activated near the axis of the Japan Trench off Miyagi, northeast Japan. We have conducted ocean bottom seismograph (OBS) experiments in the Japan Trench axis area, surrounding area of the IODP JFAST drilling site, since the occurrence of the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Although conventionally used OBS cannot be deployed at seafloor deeper than 6000 m water depth, we used newly developed ultra-deep OBS using ceramic sphere, which can be deployed at a depth of 9000 m, for the observations in the trench axis. The ultra-deep OBS has almost equivalent dimensions and weight with the conventionally used OBS, thus we can handle it in the same manner with the conventionally OBS without any special operation. As a result of a series of the OBS observations, we obtained accurate hypocenter locations and focal mechanisms in both seaward and landward of the trench axis. Earthquakes near the trench axis area were located within the overriding and incoming/subducting plates with very few on the plate interface below the inner trench slope landward of the trench axis. Most of the earthquakes both in the overriding and incoming/subducting plates having normal or strike-slip faulting focal mechanisms with T-axis normal to the trench axis. This indicates that tensional stress is dominant in the trench axis area. However, most seaward part of the seismicity within the overriding plate is characterized by a localized cluster of trench-normal compressional earthquakes, which may relate to spatial variation of the frictional behavior of the shallowest part of the megathrust. On the other hand, trench-normal extensional earthquakes in the incoming/subducting Pacific plate were located at depths shallower than about

  9. The miR-383-LDHA axis regulates cell proliferation, invasion and glycolysis in hepatocellular cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhixiong Fang

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Objective(s: To explore the correlation between expression patterns and functions of miR-383 and LDHA in hepatocellular cancer (HCC. Materials and Methods: We detected the expression of miR-383 and LDHA in 30 HCC tissues and their matched adjacent normal tissues using qRT-PCR. Then we performed MTT assay, foci formation assay, transwell migration assay, glucose uptake assay and lactate production assay to explore the function of miR-383 in cell proliferation, invasion and glycolysis in HCC cell lines. Luciferase reporter assay was used to explore whether LDHA was a target gene of miR-383. Western blot and qRT-PCR were used to further confirm LDHA was targeted by miR-383. Then the above functional experiments were repeated to see whether the function of LDHA could be inhibited by miR-383. Results: The results of qRT-PCR showed that miR-383 was down-regulated in HCC tissues compared with their matched adjacent normal tissues. Functional experiments showed that overexpression of miR-383 significantly suppressed cell proliferation, invasion and glycolysis. Luciferase reporter assay showed LDHA was a target gene of miR-383 and expression of LDHA was inversely correlated with that of miR-383 in HCC. Besides, increased cell proliferation, invasion and glycolysis triggered by LDHA could be inhibited by overexpression of miR-383 in HCC cell lines. Conclusion: Our study proved that miR-383 is down-regulated in HCC and acts as a tumor suppressor through targeting LDHA. Targeting the miR-383-LDHA axis might be a promising strategy in HCC treatment.

  10. A new method of the light irradiation image by the computed radiography (imaging plate) system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aiba, Susumu; Nishi, Katsuki.

    1997-01-01

    There are two method for the purpose of diagnosing medically by using gamma-ray light irradiation image. One is to use of the scintillation camera for gamma-ray, the other is to use of the photostimulable luminescence point by the secondary excitation of the image plate (IP) system for X-ray. The standpoint of the spatial resolution at the total medical image, using gamma-ray, the first can get the image on a short time, but the first is a poor image quality, and the second is good image quality, but the second can get the image on a long time, because of insensitive to gamma-ray. We report on the improvement for IP's week point by our proposal method, and by our clinical and quantitative analysis data, to use the highly efficient IP (ST-III). We make the improvement on the imaging time (from 30 minutes to 20 minutes), and the inprocessing time (from 33-50 minutes to 27 minutes) for a former method on an organism. We strongly believe that our convenience improvement method, and our clinical quantitative analysis data can contribute to the wide application as well as the quality up for the clinical diagnosis to use gamma-ray. (author)

  11. Evaluation and reduction of magnetic resonance imaging artifacts induced by distinct plates for osseous fixation: an in vitro study @ 3T.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rendenbach, Carsten; Schoellchen, Maximilian; Bueschel, Julie; Gauer, Tobias; Sedlacik, Jan; Kutzner, Daniel; Vallittu, Pekka K; Heiland, Max; Smeets, Ralf; Fiehler, Jens; Siemonsen, Susanne

    2018-05-02

    To analyze Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) artifact induced at 3 Tesla by bioresorbable, titanium and glass fiber reinforced composite (GFRC) plates for osseous reconstruction. Fixation plates including bioresorbable polymers (Inion CPS, Inion Oy, Tampere, Finland; Rapidsorb, DePuy Synthes, Umkirch, Germany; Resorb X, Gebrueder KLS Martin GmbH, Tuttlingen, Germany), Glass fiber reinforced composite (Skulle Implants Oy, Turku, Finland) and titanium plates of varying thickness and design (DePuy Synthes, Umkirch, Germany) were embedded in agarose gel and a 3T MRI was performed using a standard protocol for head and neck imaging including T1w and T2w sequences. Additionally, different artifact reducing sequence techniques (slice encoding for metal artifact reduction (SEMAC) & ultrashort echotime (UTE)) were used and their impact on the extent of artifacts evaluated for each material. All titanium plates induced significantly more artefacts than resorbable plates in T1w and T2w sequences. Glass fiber-reinforced composites induced the least artefacts in both sequences. The total extent of artefacts increased with plate thickness and height. Plate thickness had no influence on the percentage of overestimation in all three dimensions. Titanium induced artefacts were significantly reduced by both artifact reducing sequence techniques. Polylactide, glass fiber-reinforced composite and magnesium plates produce less susceptibility artefacts in MRI compared to titanium, while the dimensions of titanium plates directly influence artifact extension. SEMAC and UTE significantly reduce metal artefacts at the expense of image resolution.

  12. Distortion definition and correction in off-axis systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Da Deppo, Vania; Simioni, Emanuele; Naletto, Giampiero; Cremonese, Gabriele

    2015-09-01

    Off-axis optical configurations are becoming more and more used in a variety of applications, in particular they are the most preferred solution for cameras devoted to Solar System planets and small bodies (i.e. asteroids and comets) study. Off-axis designs, being devoid of central obstruction, are able to guarantee better PSF and MTF performance, and thus higher contrast imaging capabilities with respect to classical on-axis designs. In particular they are suitable for observing extended targets with intrinsic low contrast features, or scenes where a high dynamical signal range is present. Classical distortion theory is able to well describe the performance of the on-axis systems, but it has to be adapted for the off-axis case. A proper way to deal with off-axis distortion definition is thus needed together with dedicated techniques to accurately measure and hence remove the distortion effects present in the acquired images. In this paper, a review of the distortion definition for off-axis systems will be given. In particular the method adopted by the authors to deal with the distortion related issues (definition, measure, removal) in some off-axis instruments will be described in detail.

  13. Guided-wave tomographic imaging of plate defects by laser-based ultrasonic techniques

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Junpil; Lim, Ju Young; Cho, Youn Ho [School of Mechanical Engineering, Pusan National University, Busan (Korea, Republic of)

    2016-12-15

    Contact-guided-wave tests are impractical for investigating specimens with limited accessibility and rough surfaces or complex geometric features. A non-contact setup with a laser-ultrasonic transmitter and receiver is quite attractive for guided-wave inspection. In the present work, we developed a non-contact guided-wave tomography technique using the laser-ultrasonic technique in a plate. A method for Lamb-wave generation and detection in an aluminum plate with a pulsed laser-ultrasonic transmitter and Michelson-interferometer receiver was developed. The defect shape and area in the images obtained using laser scanning, showed good agreement with the actual defect. The proposed approach can be used as a non-contact online inspection and monitoring technique.

  14. Application of an imaging plate system to in vivo thyroid 131I monitoring

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirota, M.; Saze, T.; Nishizawa, K.

    2002-01-01

    An imaging plate (IP) system was applied to in vivo thyroid radioactive iodine 131 ( 131 I) monitoring. Thyroid contamination by 131 I occurs when medical staffs and patient's families take in 131 I used as treatment agent for thyroid cancer and hyperthyroidism in nuclear medicine, inhabitants take in 131 I released into environment by an accident of nuclear facilities, or worker take in 131 I used by experiment of research. The IP system is a two-dimensional integrating radiation detector which is a plate thinly coated plastic sheet with a kind of phosphore. The IP was exposed to a neck-thyroid phantom loaded 131 I aqueous solution. The IP system displayed a thyroid image that reflects a unique shape characteristic of the thyroid gland. A 131 I thyroid imaging allows visual confirmation of thyroid contamination by 131 I. The counting efficiency was approximately constant when neck diameter, thyroid volume and prethyroid tissue thickness varied within the normal adult. The detection limit of 450Bq was about 1/65 of the screening level of 30kBq. The IP system is applicable for thyroid 131 I monitoring

  15. Calibration of BAS-TR image plate response to high energy (3-300 MeV) carbon ions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doria, D.; Kar, S.; Ahmed, H.; Alejo, A.; Fernandez, J.; Cerchez, M.; Gray, R. J.; Hanton, F.; MacLellan, D. A.; McKenna, P.; Najmudin, Z.; Neely, D.; Romagnani, L.; Ruiz, J. A.; Sarri, G.; Scullion, C.; Streeter, M.; Swantusch, M.; Willi, O.; Zepf, M.; Borghesi, M.

    2015-12-01

    The paper presents the calibration of Fuji BAS-TR image plate (IP) response to high energy carbon ions of different charge states by employing an intense laser-driven ion source, which allowed access to carbon energies up to 270 MeV. The calibration method consists of employing a Thomson parabola spectrometer to separate and spectrally resolve different ion species, and a slotted CR-39 solid state detector overlayed onto an image plate for an absolute calibration of the IP signal. An empirical response function was obtained which can be reasonably extrapolated to higher ion energies. The experimental data also show that the IP response is independent of ion charge states.

  16. Lithospheric Structure of the Incoming Nazca Plate Adjacent to the 2014 Iquique Earthquake Rupture Zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Myers, E. K.; Trehu, A. M.; Davenport, K. K.; Roland, E. C.

    2017-12-01

    The 2014 Iquique Mw 8.1 earthquake occurred within a 500-km long segment of the Peru-Chile subduction zone that had not experienced a significant earthquake since 1877. This event did not fill the entire seismic gap and details of the deformation, along with local gravity anomalies, point to a geologic control on slip behavior. To better constrain along-strike changes in geologic or morphologic features and the correlation with earthquake rupture, the 2016 PICTURES (Pisagua-Iquique Crustal Tomography to Understand the Region of the Earthquake Source) experiment collected multichannel seismic (MCS) and ocean bottom seismometer (OBS) data from across the deformation front and incoming Nazca plate within the area of the 2014 earthquake. Here, we provide a first look at MCS reflection data from this experiment that images the Nazca plate along an uninterrupted 170 km line perpendicular to the region of greatest slip, acquired using the R/V Langseth's 12.5 km streamer and 6600 cc gun array. We summarize structural features of the incoming oceanic lithosphere and present a preliminary 2D velocity model that spans the Nazca outer rise to the trench along the Iquique Ridge (IR). The IR represents a broad, high oceanic feature (HOF) that roughly spans the entire seismic gap. The source of buoyancy and reduced seismic velocities of the IR swell are thought to be produced by isostatically compensated, overthickened crust or anomalously low density mantle due to heating or serpentinization, and we explore these two hypotheses using our preliminary velocity model. Past outer rise deformation modeling suggests a significant bending moment and vertical force at the trench axis, a source for broad, homogenous coupling as the HOF converges the margin. However, decreased incoming sediment and rough topography associated with numerous large seamounts may also lead to a thin subduction channel, influencing heterogeneous rupture behavior. Seaward of the Iquique 2014 event, our initial

  17. New technique for number-plate recognition

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Jie; Shi, Peng-Fei

    2001-09-01

    This paper presents an alternative algorithm for number plate recognition. The algorithm consists of three modules. Respectively, they are number plate location module, character segmentation module and character recognition module. Number plate location module extracts the number plate from the detected car image by analyzing the color and the texture properties. Different from most license plate location methods, the algorithm has fewer limits to the car size, the car position in the image and the image background. Character segmentation module applies connected region algorithm both to eliminate noise points and to segment characters. Touching characters and broken characters can be processed correctly. Character recognition module recognizes characters with HHIC (Hierarchical Hybrid Integrated Classifier). The system has been tested with 100 images obtained from crossroad and parking lot, etc, where the cars have different size, position, background and illumination. Successful recognition rate is about 92%. The average processing time is 1.2 second.

  18. A Baseline-Free Defect Imaging Technique in Plates Using Time Reversal of Lamb Waves

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jeong, Hyunjo; Cho, Sungjong; Wei, Wei

    2011-01-01

    We present an analytical investigation for a baseline-free imaging of a defect in plate-like structures using the time-reversal of Lamb waves. We first consider the flexural wave (A 0 mode) propagation in a plate containing a defect, and reception and time reversal process of the output signal at the receiver. The received output signal is then composed of two parts: a directly propagated wave and a scattered wave from the defect. The time reversal of these waves recovers the original input signal, and produces two additional sidebands that contain the time-of-flight information on the defect location. One of the side-band signals is then extracted as a pure defect signal. A defect localization image is then constructed from a beamforming technique based on the time-frequency analysis of the side band signal for each transducer pair in a network of sensors. The simulation results show that the proposed scheme enables the accurate, baseline-free imaging of a defect. (fundamental areas of phenomenology(including applications))

  19. Radiation monitoring using imaging plate technology: A case study of leaves affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and JCO criticality accidents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kimura Shinzo

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available This paper describes the use of a photostimulable phosphor screen imaging technique to detect radioactive contamination in the leaves of wormwood (Artemisia vulgaris L and fern (Dryopteris filix-max CL. Schoff plants affected by the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident. The imaging plate technology is well known for many striking performances in two-dimensional radiation detection. Since imaging plate comprises an integrated detection system, it has been extensively applied to surface contamination distribution studies. In this study, plant samples were collected from high- and low-contaminated areas of Ukraine and Belarus, which were affected due to the Chernobyl accident and exposed to imaging technique. Samples from the highly contaminated areas revealed the highest photo-stimulated luminescence on the imaging plate. Moreover, the radio nuclides detected in the leaves by gamma and beta ray spectroscopy were 137Cs and 90Sr, respectively. Additionally, in order to assess contamination, a comparison was also made with leaves of plants affected during the JCO criticality accident in Japan. Based on the results obtained, the importance of imaging plate technology in environmental radiation monitoring has been suggested.

  20. Off-axis holographic laser speckle contrast imaging of blood vessels in tissues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abdurashitov, Arkady; Bragina, Olga; Sindeeva, Olga; Sergey, Sindeev; Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya, Oxana V.; Tuchin, Valery V.

    2017-09-01

    Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) has become one of the most common tools for functional imaging in tissues. Incomplete theoretical description and sophisticated interpretation of measurement results are completely sidelined by a low-cost and simple hardware, fastness, consistent results, and repeatability. In addition to the relatively low measuring volume with around 700 μm of the probing depth for the visible spectral range of illumination, there is no depth selectivity in conventional LSCI configuration; furthermore, in a case of high NA objective, the actual penetration depth of light in tissues is greater than depth of field (DOF) of an imaging system. Thus, the information about these out-of-focus regions persists in the recorded frames but cannot be retrieved due to intensity-based registration method. We propose a simple modification of LSCI system based on the off-axis holography to introduce after-registration refocusing ability to overcome both depth-selectivity and DOF problems as well as to get the potential possibility of producing a cross-section view of the specimen.

  1. MT2D Inversion to Image the Gorda Plate Subduction Zone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lubis, Y. K.; Niasari, S. W.; Hartantyo, E.

    2018-04-01

    The magnetotelluric method is applicable for studying complicated geological structures because the subsurface electrical properties are strongly influenced by the electric and magnetic fields. This research located in the Gorda subduction zone beneath the North American continental plate. Magnetotelluric 2D inversion was used to image the variation of subsurface resistivity although the phase tensor analysis shows that the majority of dimensionality data is 3D. 19 MT sites were acquired from EarthScope/USArray Project. Wepresent the image of MT 2D inversion to exhibit conductivity distribution from the middle crust to uppermost asthenosphere at a depth of 120 kilometers. Based on the inversion, the overall data misfit value is 3.89. The Gorda plate subduction appears as a high resistive zone beneath the California. Local conductive features are found in the middle crust downward Klamath Mountain, Bonneville Lake, and below the eastern of Utah. Furthermore, mid-crustal is characterized by moderately resistive. Below the extensional Basin and Range province was related to highly resistive. The middle crust to the uppermost asthenosphere becomes moderately resistive. We conclude that the electrical parameters and the dimensionality of datain the shallow depth(about 22.319 km) beneath the North American platein accordance with surface geological features.

  2. 2017 Bipolar Plate Workshop Summary Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kopasz, John P. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Benjamin, Thomas G. [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States); Schenck, Deanna [Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)

    2017-08-17

    The Bipolar Plate (BP) Workshop was held at USCAR1 in Southfield, Michigan on February 14, 2017 and included 63 participants from industry, government agencies, universities, and national laboratories with expertise in the relevant fields. The objective of the workshop was to identify research and development (R&D) needs, in particular early-stage R&D, for bipolar plates for polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells for transportation applications. The focus of the workshop was on materials, manufacturing, and design aspects of bipolar plates with the goal of meeting DOE’s 2020 bipolar plate targets. Of special interest was the cost target of ≤$3/kW for the bipolar plate.

  3. Active optics: off axis aspherics generation for high contrast imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hugot, E.; Laslandes, M.; Ferrari, M.; Vives, S.; Moindrot, S.; El Hadi, K.; Dohlen, K.

    2017-11-01

    Active Optics methods, based on elasticity theory, allow the aspherisation of optical surfaces by stress polishing but also active aspherisation in situ. Researches in this field will impact the final performance and the final cost of any telescope or instrument. The stress polishing method is well suited for the superpolishing of aspheric components for astronomy. Its principle relies on spherical polishing with a full-sized tool of a warped substrate, which becomes aspherical once unwarped. The main advantage of this technique is the very high optical quality obtained either on form or on high spatial frequency errors. Furthermore, the roughness can be decreased down to a few angstroms, thanks the classical polishing with a large pitch tool, providing a substantial gain on the final scientific performance, for instance on the contrast on coronagraphic images, but also on the polishing time and cost. Stress polishing is based on elasticity theory, and requires an optimised deformation system able to provide the right aspherical form on the optical surface during polishing. The optical quality of the deformation is validated using extensive Finite Element Analysis, allowing an estimation of residuals and an optimisation of the warping harness. We describe here the work realised on stress polishing of toric mirrors for VLT-SPHERE and then our actual work on off axis aspherics (OAA) for the ASPIICS-Proba3 mission for solar coronagraphy. The ASPIICS optical design made by Vives et al is a three mirrors anastigmat including a concave off axis hyperboloid and a convex off axis parabola (OAP). We are developing a prototype in order to demonstrate the feasibility of this type of surface, using a multi-mode warping harness (Lemaitre et al). Furthermore, we present our work on variable OAP, meaning the possibility to adjust the shape of a simple OAP in situ with a minimal number of actuators, typically one actuator per optical mode (Focus, Coma and Astigmatism

  4. Coating Thickness Measurement of the Simulated TRISO-Coated Fuel Particles using an Image Plate and a High Resolution Scanner

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Woong Ki; Kim, Yeon Ku; Jeong, Kyung Chai; Lee, Young Woo; Kim, Bong Goo; Eom, Sung Ho; Kim, Young Min; Yeo, Sung Hwan; Cho, Moon Sung

    2014-01-01

    In this study, the thickness of the coating layers of 196 coated particles was measured using an Image Plate detector, high resolution scanner and digital image processing techniques. The experimental results are as follows. - An X-ray image was acquired for 196 simulated TRISO-coated fuel particles with ZrO 2 kernel using an Image Plate with high resolution in a reduced amount of time. - We could observe clear boundaries between coating layers for 196 particles. - The geometric distortion error was compensated for the calculation. - The coating thickness of the TRISO-coated fuel particles can be nondestructively measured using X-ray radiography and digital image processing technology. - We can increase the number of TRISO-coated particles to be inspected by increasing the number of Image Plate detectors. A TRISO-coated fuel particle for an HTGR (high temperature gas-cooled reactor) is composed of a nuclear fuel kernel and outer coating layers. The coating layers consist of buffer PyC (pyrolytic carbon), inner PyC (I-PyC), SiC, and outer PyC (O-PyC) layer. The coating thickness is measured to evaluate the soundness of the coating layers. X-ray radiography is one of the nondestructive alternatives for measuring the coating thickness without generating a radioactive waste. Several billion particles are subject to be loaded in a reactor. A lot of sample particles should be tested as much as possible. The acquired X-ray images for the measurement of coating thickness have included a small number of particles because of the restricted resolution and size of the X-ray detector. We tried to test many particles for an X-ray exposure to reduce the measurement time. In this experiment, an X-ray image was acquired for 196 simulated TRISO-coated fuel particles using an image plate and high resolution scanner with a pixel size of 25Χ25 μm 2 . The coating thickness for the particles could be measured on the image

  5. Investigating the effect of a targets time-varying doppler generating axis of rotation on isar image distortion

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Abdul Gaffar, MY

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available , contributes to ISAR image blurring. Quaternion algebra is used to aid the characterisation of a time-varying Doppler generating axis of rotation on the migration through cross-range cells. Real motion data of a sailing yacht is used to examine the effects of 3...

  6. Family history study of the familial coaggregation of borderline personality disorder with axis I and nonborderline dramatic cluster axis II disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zanarini, Mary C; Barison, Leah K; Frankenburg, Frances R; Reich, D Bradford; Hudson, James I

    2009-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to assess the familial coaggregation of borderline personality disorder (BPD) with a full array of axis I disorders and four axis II disorders (antisocial personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and sadistic personality disorder) in the first-degree relatives of borderline probands and axis II comparison subjects. Four hundred and forty-five inpatients were interviewed about familial psychopathology using the Revised Family History Questionnaire-a semistructured interview of demonstrated reliability. Of these 445 subjects, 341 met both DIB-R and DSM-III-R criteria for BPD and 104 met DSM-III-R criteria for another type of personality disorder (and neither criteria set for BPD). The psychopathology of 1,580 first-degree relatives of borderline probands and 472 relatives of axis II comparison subjects was assessed. Using structural models for familial coaggregation, it was found that BPD coaggregates with major depression, dysthymic disorder, bipolar I disorder, alcohol abuse/dependence, drug abuse/dependence, panic disorder, social phobia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, somatoform pain disorder, and all four axis II disorders studied. Taken together, the results of this study suggest that common familial factors, particularly in the areas of affective disturbance and impulsivity, contribute to borderline personality disorder.

  7. Gabor zone-plate apertures for imaging with the mercuric iodide gamma-ray camera

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patt, B E [EG and G Energy Measurements, Inc., Goleta, CA (USA); Meyyappan, A; Cai, A; Wade, G [California Univ., Santa Barbara (USA). Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering

    1990-12-20

    Gabor zone-plate (GZP) apertures have been developed for use in EG and G EM's mercuric iodide (HgI{sub 2}) gamma-ray camera. The purpose of such an aperture is to increase efficiency, while maintaining good resolution. The GZP is similar to the Fresnel zone plate (FZP) but it has continuous transitions between opaque and transparent regions. Because there are no sharp transitions in the transmission, the inherent interference noise in GZP imaging is lower than that in FZP imaging. GZP parameters were chosen by considering the effects of constraints such as detector pixel size, number of pixels, minimum field of view required, maximum angle of incidence tolerated, and the Nyquist criterion for the minimum sampling rate. As a result an aperture was designed and fabricated with eight zones and a diameter of 3 cm. Lead was chosen as the aperture medium due to its high attenuation coefficient. Experimental data were obtained from the camera with the above GZP aperture. The point-spread function was determined and compared to the calculated response. Excellent agreement was obtained. The reconstruction process involves simulating, by computer, planar-wave illumination of a scaled transparency of the image and recording the intensity pattern at the focal plane. (orig.).

  8. Long Noncoding RNA-1604 Orchestrates Neural Differentiation through the miR-200c/ZEB Axis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weng, Rong; Lu, Chenqi; Liu, Xiaoqin; Li, Guoping; Lan, Yuanyuan; Qiao, Jing; Bai, Mingliang; Wang, Zhaojie; Guo, Xudong; Ye, Dan; Jiapaer, Zeyidan; Yang, Yiwei; Xia, Chenliang; Wang, Guiying; Kang, Jiuhong

    2018-03-01

    Clarifying the regulatory mechanisms of embryonic stem cell (ESC) neural differentiation is helpful not only for understanding neural development but also for obtaining high-quality neural progenitor cells required by stem cell therapy of neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we found that long noncoding RNA 1604 (lncRNA-1604) was highly expressed in cytoplasm during neural differentiation, and knockdown of lncRNA-1604 significantly repressed neural differentiation of mouse ESCs both in vitro and in vivo. Bioinformatics prediction and mechanistic analysis revealed that lncRNA-1604 functioned as a novel competing endogenous RNA of miR-200c and regulated the core transcription factors ZEB1 and ZEB2 during neural differentiation. Furthermore, we also demonstrated the critical role of miR-200c and ZEB1/2 in mouse neural differentiation. Either introduction of miR-200c sponge or overexpression of ZEB1/2 significantly reversed the lncRNA-1604 knockdown-induced repression of mouse ESC neural differentiation. Collectively, these findings not only identified a previously unknown role of lncRNA-1604 and ZEB1/2 but also elucidated a new regulatory lncRNA-1604/miR-200c/ZEB axis in neural differentiation. Stem Cells 2018;36:325-336. © 2017 AlphaMed Press.

  9. Coded aperture imaging and the introduction of the modulated zone plate in nuclear medicine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Berg, C.J.M. van den

    1976-01-01

    Imaging radioactive distributions is an elementary problem in nuclear medicine. There are no media with refracting properties large enough to obtain a gamma lens. At this moment the images in nuclear medicine are produced with help of collimators. The disadvantages of the use of collimators are: limited resolution; low efficiency; only a small fraction of the total of the emitted radiation is detected; without special techniques a collimator cannot produce tomographic images. Recent developments of coded aperture imaging are trying to meet these disadvantages. One of the coded apertures is the Fresnel Zone Plate. In order to understand its use some of its optical properties are briefly discussed

  10. Elasto-plastic deformation and plate weakening due to normal faulting in the subducting plate along the Mariana Trench

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Zhiyuan; Lin, Jian

    2018-06-01

    We investigated variations in the elasto-plastic deformation of the subducting plate along the Mariana Trench through an analysis of flexural bending and normal fault characteristics together with geodynamic modeling. Most normal faults were initiated at the outer-rise region and grew toward the trench axis with strikes mostly subparallel to the local trench axis. The average trench relief and maximum fault throws were measured to be significantly greater in the southern region (5 km and 320 m, respectively) than the northern and central regions (2 km and 200 m). The subducting plate was modeled as an elasto-plastic slab subjected to tectonic loading at the trench axis. The calculated strain rates and velocities revealed an array of normal fault-like shear zones in the upper plate, resulting in significant faulting-induced reduction in the deviatoric stresses. We then inverted for solutions that best fit the observed flexural bending and normal faulting characteristics, revealing normal fault penetration to depths of 21, 20, and 32 km beneath the seafloor for the northern, central, and southern regions, respectively, which is consistent with the observed depths of the relocated normal faulting earthquakes in the central Mariana Trench. The calculated deeper normal faults of the southern region might lead to about twice as much water being carried into the mantle per unit trench length than the northern and central regions. We further calculated that normal faulting has reduced the effective elastic plate thickness Te by up to 52% locally in the southern region and 33% in both the northern and central regions. The best-fitting solutions revealed a greater apparent angle of the pulling force in the southern region (51-64°) than in the northern (22-35°) and central (20-34°) regions, which correlates with a general southward increase in the seismically-determined dip angle of the subducting slab along the Mariana Trench.

  11. Electric alignment of plate shaped clay aggregates in oils

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castberg, Rene; Rozynek, Zbigniew; Måløy, Knut Jørgen; Flekkøy, Eirik

    2016-01-01

    We experimentally investigate the rotation of plate shaped aggregates of clay mineral particles immersed in silicone oil. The rotation is induced by an external electric field. The rotation time is measured as a function of the following parameters: electric field strength, the plate geometry (length and width) and the dielectric properties of the plates. We find that the plates always align with their longest axis parallel to the direction of the electric field (E), independently of the arrangement of individual clay -2 mineral particles within the plate. The rotation time is found to scale as E and is proportional to the viscosity (μ), which coincides well with a model that describes orientation of dipoles in electric fields. As the length of the plate is increased we quantify a difference between the longitudinal and transverse polarisability. Finally, we show that moist plates align faster. We attribute this to the change of the dielectric properties of the plate due to the presence of water.

  12. Electric alignment of plate shaped clay aggregates in oils

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rene Christian Castberg

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We experimentally investigate the rotation of plate shaped aggregates of clay mineral particles immersed in silicone oil. The rotation is induced by an external electric field. The rotation time is measured as a function of the following parameters: electric field strength, the plate geometry (length and width and the dielectric properties of the plates. We find that the plates always align with their longest axis parallel to the direction of the electric field (E, independently of the arrangement of individual clay−2 mineral particles within the plate. The rotation time is found to scale as E and is proportional to the viscosity (μ, which coincides well with a model that describes orientation of dipoles in electric fields. As the length of the plate is increased we quantify a difference between the longitudinal and transverse polarisability. Finally, we show that moist plates align faster. We attribute this to the change of the dielectric properties of the plate due to the presence of water.

  13. Robot Arm with Tendon Connector Plate and Linear Actuator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ihrke, Chris A. (Inventor); Diftler, Myron A. (Inventor); Bridgwater, Lyndon (Inventor); Nguyen, Vienny (Inventor); Millerman, Alexander (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    A robotic system includes a tendon-driven end effector, a linear actuator, a flexible tendon, and a plate assembly. The linear actuator assembly has a servo motor and a drive mechanism, the latter of which translates linearly with respect to a drive axis of the servo motor in response to output torque from the servo motor. The tendon connects to the end effector and drive mechanism. The plate assembly is disposed between the linear actuator assembly and the tendon-driven end effector and includes first and second plates. The first plate has a first side that defines a boss with a center opening. The second plate defines an accurate through-slot having tendon guide channels. The first plate defines a through passage for the tendon between the center opening and a second side of the first plate. A looped end of the flexible tendon is received within the tendon guide channels.

  14. On the Performance of X-ray Imaging Plates in Gamma Radiography employing Reactor-produced Radioisotopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Silvani, Maria Ines; de Almeida, Gevaldo L.; Furieri, Rosanne C.; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2011-08-01

    Gamma-radiography employing radiographic films is a well established technique for non-destructive assays. The advent of X-ray sensitive Imaging Plates opens up new possibilities to apply this technique thanks to the advantages exhibited by this new device. Indeed, besides a sensitivity about 20 times higher then the conventional photographic film, requiring thus a shorter exposure time, it does not require a dark room for a cumbersome and time-consuming chemical processing associated to the development, an can be erased to be reused many times. Moreover, its development carried out by means of a laser beam produces digitalized images which can be promptly stored in a computer. Although its resolution is still poorer than that of the conventional film, those advantages overwhelms this specific parameter when it is not an essential feature for the intended application. This work evaluates the feasibility of employing X-ray Imaging Plates as detector for higher photon energies as those emitted by reactor-produced radioisotopes. Within this frame, radioisotopes such as 198Au and 56Mn, produced at the Argonauta research reactor in the Instituto de Engenharia Nuclear-CNEN have been employed as sources to acquire radiographic images of several pieces of equipment, devices and components. In order to keep the source appearance—with regard to the detector—as punctual as possible, reducing hence the penumbra effect, the mass of the irradiated material had to be limited. Therefore, due to the low neutron flux available at the main port of the reactor, the exposure times have to be extended along several hours or even a couple of days in order to reach an image with adequate contrast. This demand, nevertheless, does not constitute a serious hindrance as the exposure process can be carried out without any intervention or surveillance. Results have shown that in spite of the higher photon energies used, surpassing the X-ray range for which the imaging plates have been

  15. Conversion from film to image plates for transfer method neutron radiography of nuclear fuel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Craft, Aaron E.; Papaioannou, Glen C.; Chichester, David L.; Williams, Walter J.

    2017-02-01

    This paper summarizes efforts to characterize and qualify a computed radiography (CR) system for neutron radiography of irradiated nuclear fuel at Idaho National Laboratory (INL). INL has multiple programs that are actively developing, testing, and evaluating new nuclear fuels. Irradiated fuel experiments are subjected to a number of sequential post-irradiation examination techniques that provide insight into the overall behavior and performance of the fuel. One of the first and most important of these exams is neutron radiography, which provides more comprehensive information about the internal condition of irradiated nuclear fuel than any other non-destructive technique to date. Results from neutron radiography are often the driver for subsequent examinations of the PIE program. Features of interest that can be evaluated using neutron radiography include irradiation-induced swelling, isotopic and fuel-fragment redistribution, plate deformations, and fuel fracturing. The NRAD currently uses the foil-film transfer technique with film for imaging fuel. INL is pursuing multiple efforts to advance its neutron imaging capabilities for evaluating irradiated fuel and other applications, including conversion from film to CR image plates. Neutron CR is the current state-of-the-art for neutron imaging of highly-radioactive objects. Initial neutron radiographs of various types of nuclear fuel indicate that radiographs can be obtained of comparable image quality currently obtained using film. This paper provides neutron radiographs of representative irradiated fuel pins along with neutron radiographs of standards that informed the qualification of the neutron CR system for routine use. Additionally, this paper includes evaluations of some of the CR scanner parameters and their effects on image quality.

  16. Phase-IIC experiments of the JAERI/USDOE collaborative program on fusion blanket neutronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oyama, Yukio

    1992-12-01

    Neutronics experiments on two types of heterogeneous blankets have been performed as the Phase-IIC experiment of JAERI/USDOE collaborative program on fusion blanket neutronics. The experimental system was used in the same geometry as the previous Phase-IIA series which was a closed geometry using neutron source enclosure of lithium carbonate. The heterogeneous blankets selected here are the beryllium edge-on and the water coolant channel assemblies. In the former the beryllium and lithium-oxide layers are piled up alternately in the front part of test blanket. In the latter, the three simulated water cooling channels are settled in the Li 2 O blanket. These are producing steep gradient of neutron flux around material boundary. The calculation accuracy and measurement method for these features is a key of interest in the experiments. The measurements were performed for tritium production rate and the other nuclear parameters as well as the previous experiments. This report describes the experimental detail and the results enough to use for the benchmark data for testing the data and method of design calculation of fusion reactors. (author)

  17. Anatomy of the western Java plate interface from depth-migrated seismic images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopp, H.; Hindle, D.; Klaeschen, D.; Oncken, O.; Reichert, C.; Scholl, D.

    2009-01-01

    Newly pre-stack depth-migrated seismic images resolve the structural details of the western Java forearc and plate interface. The structural segmentation of the forearc into discrete mechanical domains correlates with distinct deformation styles. Approximately 2/3 of the trench sediment fill is detached and incorporated into frontal prism imbricates, while the floor sequence is underthrust beneath the d??collement. Western Java, however, differs markedly from margins such as Nankai or Barbados, where a uniform, continuous d??collement reflector has been imaged. In our study area, the plate interface reveals a spatially irregular, nonlinear pattern characterized by the morphological relief of subducted seamounts and thicker than average patches of underthrust sediment. The underthrust sediment is associated with a low velocity zone as determined from wide-angle data. Active underplating is not resolved, but likely contributes to the uplift of the large bivergent wedge that constitutes the forearc high. Our profile is located 100 km west of the 2006 Java tsunami earthquake. The heterogeneous d??collement zone regulates the friction behavior of the shallow subduction environment where the earthquake occurred. The alternating pattern of enhanced frictional contact zones associated with oceanic basement relief and weak material patches of underthrust sediment influences seismic coupling and possibly contributed to the heterogeneous slip distribution. Our seismic images resolve a steeply dipping splay fault, which originates at the d??collement and terminates at the sea floor and which potentially contributes to tsunami generation during co-seismic activity. ?? 2009 Elsevier B.V.

  18. Anatomy of the western Java plate interface from depth-migrated seismic images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kopp, H.; Hindle, D.; Klaeschen, D.; Oncken, O.; Reichert, C.; Scholl, D.

    2009-11-01

    Newly pre-stack depth-migrated seismic images resolve the structural details of the western Java forearc and plate interface. The structural segmentation of the forearc into discrete mechanical domains correlates with distinct deformation styles. Approximately 2/3 of the trench sediment fill is detached and incorporated into frontal prism imbricates, while the floor sequence is underthrust beneath the décollement. Western Java, however, differs markedly from margins such as Nankai or Barbados, where a uniform, continuous décollement reflector has been imaged. In our study area, the plate interface reveals a spatially irregular, nonlinear pattern characterized by the morphological relief of subducted seamounts and thicker than average patches of underthrust sediment. The underthrust sediment is associated with a low velocity zone as determined from wide-angle data. Active underplating is not resolved, but likely contributes to the uplift of the large bivergent wedge that constitutes the forearc high. Our profile is located 100 km west of the 2006 Java tsunami earthquake. The heterogeneous décollement zone regulates the friction behavior of the shallow subduction environment where the earthquake occurred. The alternating pattern of enhanced frictional contact zones associated with oceanic basement relief and weak material patches of underthrust sediment influences seismic coupling and possibly contributed to the heterogeneous slip distribution. Our seismic images resolve a steeply dipping splay fault, which originates at the décollement and terminates at the sea floor and which potentially contributes to tsunami generation during co-seismic activity.

  19. The effects of axis ratio on laminar fluid flow around an elliptical cylinder

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Faruquee, Zakir; Ting, David S-K.; Fartaj, Amir; Barron, Ronald M.; Carriveau, Rupp

    2007-01-01

    An elliptical cylinder is a generic shape which represents a flat plate at its minor to major axis ratio (AR) limits of zero and infinity, and a circular cylinder at AR of unity. While incompressible flows over a streamwise flat plate (AR = 0), a cross-stream flat plate (AR = ∞), and a circular cylinder have been studied extensively, the role of AR on the detailed flow structure is still not well understood. Therefore, a numerical study was conducted to examine the flow field around an elliptical cylinder over a range of ARs from 0.3 to 1, with the major axis parallel to the free-stream, at a Reynolds number of 40 based on the hydraulic diameter. The control volume approach of FLUENT was used to solve the fluid flow equations, assuming the flow over the cylinder is unbounded, steady, incompressible and two-dimensional. It has been found that a pair of steady vortices forms when AR reaches a critical value of 0.34; below this value no vortices are formed behind the elliptical cylinder. Various wake parameters, drag coefficient, pressure and velocity distributions, have been characterized as functions of AR. The wake size and the drag coefficient are found to increase with the increase of AR. Quadratic correlations have been obtained to describe the relations of wake length and drag coefficient with axis ratio

  20. Mitochondrial fission determines cisplatin sensitivity in tongue squamous cell carcinoma through the BRCA1–miR-593-5p–MFF axis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Weixiong; Chen, Weiliang; Tang, Qionglan; Wang, Youyuan; Su, Yuxiong; Jin, Shaowen; Zhang, Daming; Zhong, Jianglong; Li, Yilin; Wen, Bin; Zhang, Zhang; Yang, Pu; Zhou, Bin; Liang, Qixiang; Yu, Xing; Zhu, Yinghua; Hu, Pengnan; Chu, Junjun; Huang, Wei; Feng, Yuhuan; Peng, Hongzhuang; Huang, Qihong; Song, Erwei; Li, Jinsong

    2015-01-01

    Cisplatin has been widely employed as a cornerstone chemotherapy treatment for a wide spectrum of solid neoplasms; increasing tumor responsiveness to cisplatin has been a topic of interest for the past 30 years. Strong evidence has indicated that mitochondrial fission participates in the regulation of apoptosis in many diseases; however, whether mitochondrial fission regulates cisplatin sensitivity remains poorly understood. Here, we show that MFF mediated mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC) cells after cisplatin treatment and that miR-593-5p was downregulated in this process. miR-593-5p attenuated mitochondrial fission and cisplatin sensitivity by targeting the 3′ untranslated region sequence of MFF and inhibiting its translation. In exploring the underlying mechanism of miR-593-5p downregulation, we observed that BRCA1 transactivated miR-593-5p expression and attenuated cisplatin sensitivity in vitro. The BRCA1-miR-593-5p-MFF axis also affected cisplatin sensitivity in vivo. Importantly, in a retrospective analysis of multiple centers, we further found that the BRCA1-miR-593-5p-MFF axis was significantly associated with cisplatin sensitivity and the survival of patients with TSCC. Together, our data reveal a model for mitochondrial fission regulation at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels; we also reveal a new pathway for BRCA1 in determining cisplatin sensitivity through the mitochondrial fission program. PMID:25912308

  1. Pyramidal approach to license plate segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postolache, Alexandru; Trecat, Jacques C.

    1996-07-01

    Car identification is a goal in traffic control, transport planning, travel time measurement, managing parking lot traffic and so on. Most car identification algorithms contain a standalone plate segmentation process followed by a plate contents reading. A pyramidal algorithm for license plate segmentation, looking for textured regions, has been developed on a PC based system running Unix. It can be used directly in applications not requiring real time. When input images are relatively small, real-time performance is in fact accomplished by the algorithm. When using large images, porting the algorithm to special digital signal processors can easily lead to preserving real-time performance. Experimental results, for stationary and moving cars in outdoor scenes, showed high accuracy and high scores in detecting the plate. The algorithm also deals with cases where many character strings are present in the image, and not only the one corresponding to the plate. This is done by the means of a constrained texture regions classification.

  2. Neutron stress measurement using image plate and the cos α method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sasaki, Toshihiko; Hirose, Yukio; Minakawa, Nobuaki; Morii, Yukio

    2004-01-01

    A new type of the neutron stress measurement method, in which the stress is determined by the cos α method, was studied. A neutron image plate was used in this study for detecting the diffraction image. Steel specimens of 5 mm thickness were used for the tensile stress test. The stresses obtain from the experiment showed one-to-one ratio with respect to the applied stresses, though the misfit stress of about 400 MPa was also observed in the result. A simple correction technique for calibrating raw data was proposed to obtain the true stress. A simulation study was carried out to check the experimental result on the peak positions in the diffraction ring and the stress calculation by the cos α method. (author)

  3. Late Tertiary Motion of the Hawaiian Hot Spot Relative to the Spin Axis and Implications for True Polar Wander

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gaastra, K.; Gordon, R. G.

    2017-12-01

    Recent work on Pacific plate paleomagnetic poles, when combined with analyses of equatorial sediment facies [Suárez and Molnar, 1980; Gordon and Cape, 1981; Parés and Moore, 2005], demonstrates that the Hawaiian hotspot lay 3° to 4° north of its present latitude during formation of most of the Hawaiian chain [Woodworth et al., this meeting]. Available Pacific plate paleomagnetic and equatorial sediment facies data constrain the hotspot to this latitude from 44 Ma until 12 Ma, with the hotspot shifting to its present latitude since 12 Ma. Comparison with the apparent polar wander of the Indo-Atlantic hotspots inferred from continental paleomagnetic poles combined with plate reconstructions indicates that global hotspots have moved in unison relative to the spin axis since 12 Ma, indicating the occurrence of an episode of true polar wander, but the timing is not well constrained from available data. The direction of the indicated true polar wander is similar to that observed over the past few decades from space geodetic data [Argus and Gross, 2004], which suggests that the same episode of true polar wander may be occurring today.For these reasons we present a skewness analysis of marine magnetic anomaly 3r ( 5.5 Ma) with the goal of limiting the timing and rate of the shift of the Hawaiian hotspot (and other hotspots) relative to the spin axis. We will determine whether the shift occurred partly or entirely in the past 5.5 Ma, which has implications for the hotspot and paleomagnetic reference frames.

  4. Hydroelastic Oscillations of a Circular Plate, Resting on Winkler Foundation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondratov, D. V.; Mogilevich, L. I.; Popov, V. S.; Popova, A. A.

    2018-01-01

    The forced hydroelastic oscillations of a circular plate resting on elastic foundation are investigated. The oscillations are caused by a stamp vibration under interaction with a plate through a thin layer of viscous incompressible liquid. The axis-symmetric problem for the regime of the steady-state harmonic oscillations is considered. On the basis of hydroelasticity problem solution the laws of plate deflection and pressure in the liquid are found. The functions of the amplitudes deflection distribution and liquid pressure along the plate are constructed. The presented mathematical model provides for investigating viscous liquid layer interaction dynamics with a circular plate resting on an elastic foundation. The above-mentioned model makes it possible to define the plate oscillations resonance frequencies and the corresponding amplitudes of deflection and liquid pressure, as well.

  5. Imaging plates for use with synchrotron radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amemiya, Yoshiyuki

    1995-01-01

    This review summarizes the principles and performance characteristics of the imaging-plate (IP) X-ray area detector, which is based on the photo-stimulable phosphor BaF(Br,I):Eu 2+ , together with some of its applications at the Photon Factory. The photo-stimulable phosphor can temporarily store an X-ray image. The stored image is reat out by measuring the intensity of luminescence, which is stimulated by an He-Ne laser beam scanning the phosphor surface. The IP has a spatial resolution of 170 μm (FWHM) with a pixel size of 100 x 100 μm and area sizes ranging from 127 x 127 to 201 x 400 mm 2 . The dynamic range is over 1:10 5 . The detective quantum efficiency, which is a function of exposure level, is more than 80% for 8-20 keV X-rays at medium exposure levels. The background noise level is equivalent to less than 3 X-ray photons/pixel of 8 keV. The precision in intensity measurement is 0.5-1% at best. These performance characteristics of the IP depend largely on the performance of the IP readout system. Two applications of the IP to time-resolved measurements are discussed: one is based on a cinema method which achieves a 0.3 s time resolution for 40 exposures of size 127 x 127 mm 2 , and the other uses the IP as a linear detector of length 200 mm with a 23 μs time resolution for a time period of 45 ms, based on the steak-camera method. (au) (17 refs.)

  6. Surface enhanced Raman scattering imaging of developed thin-layer chromatography plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freye, Chris E; Crane, Nichole A; Kirchner, Teresa B; Sepaniak, Michael J

    2013-04-16

    A method for hyphenating surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is presented that employs silver-polymer nanocomposites as an interface. Through the process of conformal blotting, analytes are transferred from TLC plates to nanocomposite films before being imaged via SERS. A procedure leading to maximum blotting efficiency was established by investigating various parameters such as time, pressure, and type and amount of blotting solvent. Additionally, limits of detection were established for test analytes malachite green isothiocyanate, 4-aminothiophenol, and Rhodamine 6G (Rh6G) ranging from 10(-7) to 10(-6) M. Band broadening due to blotting was minimal (∼10%) as examined by comparing the spatial extent of TLC-spotted Rh6G via fluorescence and then the SERS-based spot size on the nanocomposite after the blotting process. Finally, a separation of the test analytes was carried out on a TLC plate followed by blotting and the acquisition of distance × wavenumber × intensity three-dimensional TLC-SERS plots.

  7. An augmented reality C-arm for intraoperative assessment of the mechanical axis: a preclinical study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fallavollita, Pascal; Brand, Alexander; Wang, Lejing; Euler, Ekkehard; Thaller, Peter; Navab, Nassir; Weidert, Simon

    2016-11-01

    Determination of lower limb alignment is a prerequisite for successful orthopedic surgical treatment. Traditional methods include the electrocautery cord, alignment rod, or axis board which rely solely on C-arm fluoroscopy navigation and are radiation intensive. To assess a new augmented reality technology in determining lower limb alignment. A camera-augmented mobile C-arm (CamC) technology was used to create a panorama image consisting of hip, knee, and ankle X-rays. Twenty-five human cadaver legs were used for validation with random varus or valgus deformations. Five clinicians performed experiments that consisted in achieving acceptable mechanical axis deviation. The applicability of the CamC technology was assessed with direct comparison to ground-truth CT. A t test, Pearson's correlation, and ANOVA were used to determine statistical significance. The value of Pearson's correlation coefficient R was 0.979 which demonstrates a strong positive correlation between the CamC and ground-truth CT data. The analysis of variance produced a p value equal to 0.911 signifying that clinician expertise differences were not significant with regard to the type of system used to assess mechanical axis deviation. All described measurements demonstrated valid measurement of lower limb alignment. With minimal effort, clinicians required only 3 X-ray image acquisitions using the augmented reality technology to achieve reliable mechanical axis deviation.

  8. Shaping the zebrafish heart: from left-right axis specification to epithelial tissue morphogenesis.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bakkers, J.; Verhoeven, M.C.; Abdelilah-Seyfried, S.

    2009-01-01

    Although vertebrates appear bilaterally symmetric on the outside, various internal organs, including the heart, are asymmetric with respect to their position and/or their orientation based on the left/right (L/R) axis. The L/R axis is determined during embryo development. Determination of the L/R

  9. Automatic localization of the left ventricular blood pool centroid in short axis cardiac cine MR images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Li Kuo; Liew, Yih Miin; Lim, Einly; Abdul Aziz, Yang Faridah; Chee, Kok Han; McLaughlin, Robert A

    2018-06-01

    In this paper, we develop and validate an open source, fully automatic algorithm to localize the left ventricular (LV) blood pool centroid in short axis cardiac cine MR images, enabling follow-on automated LV segmentation algorithms. The algorithm comprises four steps: (i) quantify motion to determine an initial region of interest surrounding the heart, (ii) identify potential 2D objects of interest using an intensity-based segmentation, (iii) assess contraction/expansion, circularity, and proximity to lung tissue to score all objects of interest in terms of their likelihood of constituting part of the LV, and (iv) aggregate the objects into connected groups and construct the final LV blood pool volume and centroid. This algorithm was tested against 1140 datasets from the Kaggle Second Annual Data Science Bowl, as well as 45 datasets from the STACOM 2009 Cardiac MR Left Ventricle Segmentation Challenge. Correct LV localization was confirmed in 97.3% of the datasets. The mean absolute error between the gold standard and localization centroids was 2.8 to 4.7 mm, or 12 to 22% of the average endocardial radius. Graphical abstract Fully automated localization of the left ventricular blood pool in short axis cardiac cine MR images.

  10. Mammography imaging studies using a laue crystal analyzer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chapman, D.; Thomlinson, W.; Arfelli, F.

    1995-01-01

    Synchrotron based mammography imaging experiments have been performed with monochromatic x-rays in which a laue crystal placed after the object being imaged has been used to split the beam transmitted through the object. The X27C R ampersand D beamline at the National Synchrotron Light Source was used with the white beam monochromatized by a double crystal Si(111) monochromator tuned to 18 keV. The imaging beam was a thin horizontal line approximately 0.5 mm high by 100 mm wide. Images were acquired in line scan mode with the phantom and detector both scanned together. The detector for these experiments was an image plate. A thin Si(l11) laue analyzer was used to diffract a portion of the beam transmitted through the phantom before the image plate detector. This ''scatter free'' diffracted beam was then recorded on the image plate during the phantom scan. Since the thin laue crystal also transmitted a fraction of the incident beam, this beam was also simultaneously recorded on the image plate. The imaging results are interpreted in terms of an x-ray schliere or refractive index inhomogeneities. The analyzer images taken at various points in the rocking curve will be presented

  11. UARS PEM Level 2 AXIS 2 V001 (UARPE2AXIS2) at GES DISC

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The UARS Particle Environment Monitor (PEM) level 2 Atmosphere X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (AXIS) unit 2 daily product contains the X-ray high-resolution spectral...

  12. UARS PEM Level 2 AXIS 1 V001 (UARPE2AXIS1) at GES DISC

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The UARS Particle Environment Monitor (PEM) level 2 Atmosphere X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (AXIS) unit 1 daily product contains the X-ray high-resolution spectral...

  13. Time resolution of Burle 85001 micro-channel plate photo-multipliers in comparison with Hamamatsu R2083

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    V. Baturin; V. Burkert; W. Kim; S. Majewsky; D. Nekrasov; K. Park; V. Popov; E. S. Smith; D. Son; S. S. Stepanyan; C. Zorn

    2005-06-01

    The CLAS detector will require improvements in its particle identification system to take advantage of the higher energies provided by the Jefferson Laboratory accelerator upgrade to 12 GeV. To this end, we have studied the timing characteristics of the micro-channel plate photo-multiplier 85001 from Burle, which can be operated in a high magnetic field environment. For reference and comparison, measurements were also made using the standard PMT R2083 from Hamamatsu using two timing methods. The cosmic ray method, which utilizes three identical scintillating counters 2cm x 3cm x 50cm with PMs at the ends, yields 59.1(0.7)ps. The location method of particles from radiative source with known coordinates has been used to compare timing resolutions of R2083 and Burle-85001. This ''coordinate method'' requires only one counter instrumented with two PMs and it yields 59.5(0.7)ps. For the micro-channel plate photomultiplier from Burle with an external amplification of 10 to the signals, the co ordinate method yields 130(4)ps. This method also makes it possible to estimate the number of primary photo-electrons.

  14. Integrated manufacture of a freeform off-axis multi-reflective imaging system without optical alignment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Zexiao; Liu, Xianlei; Fang, Fengzhou; Zhang, Xiaodong; Zeng, Zhen; Zhu, Linlin; Yan, Ning

    2018-03-19

    Multi-reflective imaging systems find wide applications in optical imaging and space detection. However, it is faced with difficulties in adjusting the freeform mirrors with high accuracy to guarantee the optical function. Motivated by this, an alignment-free manufacture approach is proposed to machine the optical system. The direct optical performance-guided manufacture route is established without measuring the form error of freeform optics. An analytical model is established to investigate the effects of machine errors to serve the error identification and compensation in machining. Based on the integrated manufactured system, an ingenious self-designed testing configuration is constructed to evaluate the optical performance by directly measuring the wavefront aberration. Experiments are carried out to manufacture a three-mirror anastigmat, surface topographical details and optical performance shows agreement to the designed expectation. The final system works as an off-axis infrared imaging system. Results validate the feasibility of the proposed method to achieve excellent optical application.

  15. Anatomy of the western Java plate interface from depth-migrated seismic images

    OpenAIRE

    Kopp, Heidrun; Hindle, David; Klaeschen, Dirk; Oncken, O.; Scholl, D.

    2009-01-01

    Newly pre-stack depth-migrated seismic images resolve the structural details of the western Java forearc and plate interface. The structural segmentation of the forearc into discrete mechanical domains correlates with distinct deformation styles. Approximately 2/3 of the trench sediment fill is detached and incorporated into frontal prism imbricates, while the floor sequence is underthrust beneath the décollement. Western Java, however, differs markedly from margins such as Nankai or Barbados...

  16. SOX9/miR-130a/CTR1 axis modulates DDP-resistance of cervical cancer cell.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Chenzhe; Ma, Fang; Hu, Chunhong; Ma, Jin-An; Wang, Jingjing; Zhang, Yang; Wu, Fang; Hou, Tao; Jiang, Shun; Wang, Yapeng; Feng, Yeqian

    2018-01-01

    Cisplatin (DDP) -based chemotherapy is a standard strategy for cervical cancer, while chemoresistance remains a huge challenge. Copper transporter protein 1 (CTR1), a copper influx transporter required for high affinity copper (probably reduced Cu I) transport into the cell, reportedly promotes a significant fraction of DDP internalization in tumor cells. In the present study, we evaluated the function of CTR1 in the cell proliferation of cervical cancer upon DDP treatment. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been regarded as essential regulators of cell proliferation, apoptosis, migration, as well as chemoresistance. By using online tools, we screened for candidate miRNAs potentially regulate CTR1, among which miR-130a has been proved to promote cervical cancer cell proliferation through targeting PTEN in our previous study. In the present study, we investigated the role of miR-130a in cervical cancer chemoresistance to DDP, and confirmed the binding of miR-130a to CTR1. SOX9 also reportedly act on cancer chemoresistance. In the present study, we revealed that SOX9 inversely regulated miR-130a through direct targeting the promoter of miR-130a. Consistent with previous studies, SOX9 could affect cervical cancer chemoresistance to DDP. Taken together, we demonstrated a SOX9/miR-130a/CTR1 axis which modulated the chemoresistance of cervical cancer cell to DDP, and provided promising targets for dealing with the chemoresistance of cervical cancer.

  17. An algorithm for automatic detection of chromosome aberrations induced by radiation using features of gray level profile across the main axis of chromosome image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kawashima, Hironao; Imai, Katsuhiro; Fukuoka, Hideya; Yamamoto, Mikio; Hayata, Isamu.

    1990-01-01

    A simple algorithm for detecting chromosome aberrations induced by radiation is developed. Microscopic images of conventional Giemsa stained chromosomes of rearranged chromosomes (abnormal chromosomes) including dicentric chromosomes, ordinary acentric fragments, small acentric fragments, and acentric rings are used as samples. Variation of width along the main axis and gray level profile across the main axis of the chromosome image are used as features for classification. In 7 microscopic images which include 257 single chromosomes, 90.0% (231 chromosomes) are correctly classified into 6 categories and 23 of 26 abnormal chromosomes are correctly identified. As a result of discrimination between a normal and an abnormal chromosome, 95.3% of abnormal chromosomes are detected. (author)

  18. Novel Algorithms for Astronomical Plate Analyses

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hudec, René; Hudec, L.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 32, 1-2 (2011), s. 121-123 ISSN 0250-6335. [Conference on Multiwavelength Variability of Blazars. Guangzhou, 22,09,2010-24,09,2010] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA205/08/1207 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA102/09/0997; MŠMT(CZ) ME09027 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : astronomical plates * plate archives archives * astronomical algorithms Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 0.400, year: 2011

  19. Image tuning techniques for enhancing the performance of pure permanent magnet undulators with small gap/period ratios

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tatchyn, R. [Stanford Univ., CA (United States)

    1995-12-31

    The on-axis field of a small-gap undulator constricted out of pure permanent magnet (PM) blocks arranged in an alternating-dipole (i.e., 2 dipoles/period) array can be substantially varied by positioning monolithic permeable plates above and below the undulator jaws. This simple technique, which can be used to control the 1st harmonic energy in conventional synchrotron radiation (SR) or Free Electron Laser (FEL) applications requiring sub-octave tuning, can also be shown to suppress magnetic inhomogeneities that can contribute to the undulator`s on-axis field errors. If a standard 4 block/period Halbach undulator, composed of PM blocks with square cross sections, is rearranged into an alternating-dipole array with the same period, the peak field that can be generated with superimposed image plates can substantially exceed that of the pure-PM Halbach array. This design technique, which can be viewed as intermediate between the {open_quotes}pure-PM{close_quotes} and standard {open_quotes}hybrid/PM{close_quotes} configurations, provides a potentially cost-effective method of enhancing the performance of small-gap, pure-PM insertion devices. In this paper we report on the analysis and recent characterization of pure-PM undulator structures with superimposed image plates, and discuss possible applications to FEL research.

  20. Fluid Flow and Infrared Image Analyses on Endwall Fitted with Short Rectangular Plate Fin

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Kenyu OYAKAWA; Islam Md. DIDARUL; Minoru YAGA

    2006-01-01

    An experimental investigation is carried out to study fluid flow and heat transfer characteristics on the endwall fitted with arrays ( 7 × 7 ) of short rectangular plate fins of different pattern (co-angular and zigzag) for different pitch ratio. Experiments were conducted in a rectangular duct of 50 mm height for an air flow of Reynolds number ranged from 18750 to 62500 based on the equivalent diameter and air velocity of the duct. Infrared image analysis technique was employed to make clear the characteristics of local heat transfer coefficients on fin base, endwall and overall surface. Flow pattern around the short rectangular plates were visualized by inducing fluorescent dye in a water channel and longitudinal vortices were observed. Increasing the distance between plates in flow direction causes heat transfer enhancement for co-angular pattern, while decreasing the distance causes heat transfer enhancement for zigzag pattern. Zigzag pattern with pitch ratio 2 is found to be more effective in heat transfer enhancement than any other cases investigated.

  1. Spirit Begins Drive Around Home Plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    The hazard avoidance camera on the front of NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit took this image after a drive by Spirit on the 1,829th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on the surface of Mars (Feb. 24, 2009). On Sol 1829, Spirit drove 6.29 meters (21 feet) northwestward, away from the northern edge of the low plateau called 'Home Plate.' The track dug by the dragged right-front wheel as the rover drove backward is visible in this image, receding toward the southeast. Rock layers of the northern slope of Home Plate are visible in the upper right portion of the image. In sols prior to 1829, the rover team had been trying to maneuver Spirit to climb onto the northern edge of Home Plate, ready to drive southward across the top of the plateau toward science destinations south of Home Plate. The Sol 1829 drive was the first move of a revised strategy to circle at least partway around Home Plate on the trek toward the sites south of the plateau.

  2. miR-24-3p/FGFR3 Signaling as a Novel Axis Is Involved in Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition and Regulates Lung Adenocarcinoma Progression

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pengyu Jing

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Our previous studies showed that Fibroblast growth factor receptor 3 (FGFR3 contributed to cell growth in lung cancer. However, the correlation between FGFR3 and tumor progression, coupled with the underlying mechanisms, are not fully understood. The clinical significance of FGFR3 was determined in two cohorts of clinical samples (n=22, n=78. A panel of biochemical assays and functional experiments was utilized to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and effects of FGFR3 and miR-24-3p on lung adenocarcinoma progression. Upregulated FGFR3 expression indicated an adverse prognosis for lung adenocarcinoma individuals and promoted metastatic potential of lung adenocarcinoma cells. Owing to the direct regulation towards FGFR3, miR-24-3p could interfere with the potential of proliferation, migration, and invasion in lung adenocarcinoma, following variations of EMT-related protein expression. As a significant marker of EMT, E-cadherin was negatively correlated with FGFR3, of which ectopic overexpression could neutralize the antitumour effects of miR-24-3p and reverse its regulatory effects on EMT markers. Taken together, these findings define a novel insight into the miR-24-3p/FGFR3 signaling axis in regulating lung adenocarcinoma progression and suggest that targeting the miR-24-3p/FGFR3 axis could be an effective and efficient way to prevent tumor progression.

  3. Flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of R134a, R1234yf and R1234ze in a plate heat exchanger for organic Rankine cycle units

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zhang, Ji; Desideri, Adriano; Kærn, Martin Ryhl

    2017-01-01

    . This paper is aimed at obtaining flow boiling heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics in a plate heat exchanger under the working conditions prevailing in the evaporator of organic Rankine cycle units. Two hydrofluoroolefins R1234yf and R1234ze, and one hydrofluorocarbon R134a, were selected...... as the working fluids. The heat transfer coefficients and pressure drops of the three working fluids were measured with varying saturation temperatures, mass fluxes, heat fluxes and outlet vapour qualities, which range from 60°C to 80°C, 86 kg/m2 s to 137 kg/m2 s, 9.8 kW/m2 to 36.8 kW/m2 and 0.5 to 1...... developed that are more suitable for evaporation in organic Rankine cycles. The experimental results indicate that heat transfer coefficients are strongly dependent upon the heat flux and saturation temperature. Moreover, the results suggest better thermal-hydraulic performance for R1234yf than the other...

  4. Computer graphics of SEM images facilitate recognition of chromosome position in isolated human metaphase plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hodge, L D; Barrett, J M; Welter, D A

    1995-04-01

    There is general agreement that at the time of mitosis chromosomes occupy precise positions and that these positions likely affect subsequent nuclear function in interphase. However, before such ideas can be investigated in human cells, it is necessary to determine first the precise position of each chromosome with regard to its neighbors. It has occurred to us that stereo images, produced by scanning electron microscopy, of isolated metaphase plates could form the basis whereby these positions could be ascertained. In this paper we describe a computer graphic technique that permits us to keep track of individual chromosomes in a metaphase plate and to compare chromosome positions in different metaphase plates. Moreover, the computer graphics provide permanent, easily manipulated, rapid recall of stored chromosome profiles. These advantages are demonstrated by a comparison of the relative position of group A-specific and groups D- and G-specific chromosomes to the full complement of chromosomes in metaphase plates isolated from a nearly triploid human-derived cell (HeLa S3) to a hypo-diploid human fetal lung cell.

  5. Radioisotope imaging using gamma-ray shadow hologram

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kojima, Kazuhiko; Itaya, Gensei; Hisada, Kin-ichi.

    1975-01-01

    Use of holography for the imaging of radioisotope distribution, reported by Barrett, H.H. in 1972, has been marked as a new γ-ray imaging. Generally, in optical fields, holography was often used for recording and processing three dimensional images by coherent waves such as laser beams. However, γ-rays are incoherent and are not condensed by optical lenses. So it was necessary that the holograms of incoherent sources were formed without optical lenses. A method which records the shadows of on axis zone plate with a Fresnnel diffraction pattern was used for obtaining an incoherent hologram. This method has the advantages of improved resolution and γ-ray detection efficiency, and also has a constitution of this system which is simple and economical. But, the disadvantage is, that the process consists of two steps, forming holograms and reconstructing images. The fundamental problems of γ-ray holograms and the practicabilities of γ-ray imaging of this method were discussed. In this system medical x-ray films combined with industrial intensifying screens were used as detectors, and γ-ray shadow holograms were obtained for about 3 minutes. From the shadow holograms, images were reconstructed, using a parallel laser beams, (He-Ne laser, single mode, 6328 A, 1mW). The zone plate consisted of coaxial lead rings with 10 open zones. The aperture area of this zone plate collimator was several hundreds times larger than the pinhole, so the detection efficiency, of γ-rays was improved. Using sup(99m)Tc 10 mCi as a γ-ray source, an attempt was made to image points, English characters and thyroid phantoms, and these reconstructed images were shown. An image resolution of 3-5 mm was obtained in the reconstructed image of an object at a distance of 10 cm from the collimator. (auth.)

  6. Formation of three-dimensional images using selectograms and diffraction gratings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ganzherli, N.M.; Denisyuk, Yu. N.

    1995-01-01

    The results of experiments on recording referenceless selectograms reconstructing three-dimensional images are reported. Selectograms were formed by separating the radiation of an object into two components using diffraction gratings placed in front of a photosensitive layer. They were recorded on thin-layer inclined light-sensitive plates using pseudodeep holograms. The possibilities of recording referenceless selectograms by coherent radiation and radiation with disturbed spatial coherence are studied. In the case of recording a selectogram by coherent radiation, the radiation scattered by an object was separated into two components by means of a diffraction grating placed in front of an inclined photosensitive plate. Selectograms recorded in such a way reconstructed volume images of objects with resolution sufficient for visual perception. For recording by incoherent radiation, an interferometer was proposed that consisted of two diffraction gratings and translated the plane of zero phase difference of interfering beams to the center of an inclined plate. Coherence of a beam illuminating an object was disturbed by moving a diffuser illuminating an object transparency. A selectogram recorded in such a way reconstructed an image in the form of a narrow horizontal luminous strip corresponding to one of horizontal cross sections of the object being recorded. An experiment on multiple recording selectograms on a single plate using a sequential shift of the interferometer alone the optical axis of the system was performed. In this case, the reconstructed image represented a system of horizontal luminous strips, each representing one of the lines of the image of the object being recorded. 8 refs., 3 figs

  7. Aperture-based antihydrogen gravity experiment: Parallel plate geometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rocha, J. R.; Hedlof, R. M.; Ordonez, C. A.

    2013-10-01

    An analytical model and a Monte Carlo simulation are presented of an experiment that could be used to determine the direction of the acceleration of antihydrogen due to gravity. The experiment would rely on methods developed by existing antihydrogen research collaborations. The configuration consists of two circular, parallel plates that have an axis of symmetry directed away from the center of the earth. The plates are separated by a small vertical distance, and include one or more pairs of circular barriers that protrude from the upper and lower plates, thereby forming an aperture between the plates. Antihydrogen annihilations that occur just beyond each barrier, within a "shadow" region, are asymmetric on the upper plate relative to the lower plate. The probability for such annihilations is determined for a point, line and spheroidal source of antihydrogen. The production of 100,000 antiatoms is predicted to be necessary for the aperture-based experiment to indicate the direction of free fall acceleration of antimatter, provided that antihydrogen is produced within a sufficiently small antiproton plasma at a temperature of 4 K.

  8. Aperture-based antihydrogen gravity experiment: Parallel plate geometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rocha, J. R.; Hedlof, R. M.; Ordonez, C. A. [Department of Physics, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas 76203 (United States)

    2013-10-15

    An analytical model and a Monte Carlo simulation are presented of an experiment that could be used to determine the direction of the acceleration of antihydrogen due to gravity. The experiment would rely on methods developed by existing antihydrogen research collaborations. The configuration consists of two circular, parallel plates that have an axis of symmetry directed away from the center of the earth. The plates are separated by a small vertical distance, and include one or more pairs of circular barriers that protrude from the upper and lower plates, thereby forming an aperture between the plates. Antihydrogen annihilations that occur just beyond each barrier, within a “shadow” region, are asymmetric on the upper plate relative to the lower plate. The probability for such annihilations is determined for a point, line and spheroidal source of antihydrogen. The production of 100,000 antiatoms is predicted to be necessary for the aperture-based experiment to indicate the direction of free fall acceleration of antimatter, provided that antihydrogen is produced within a sufficiently small antiproton plasma at a temperature of 4 K.

  9. Aperture-based antihydrogen gravity experiment: Parallel plate geometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. R. Rocha

    2013-10-01

    Full Text Available An analytical model and a Monte Carlo simulation are presented of an experiment that could be used to determine the direction of the acceleration of antihydrogen due to gravity. The experiment would rely on methods developed by existing antihydrogen research collaborations. The configuration consists of two circular, parallel plates that have an axis of symmetry directed away from the center of the earth. The plates are separated by a small vertical distance, and include one or more pairs of circular barriers that protrude from the upper and lower plates, thereby forming an aperture between the plates. Antihydrogen annihilations that occur just beyond each barrier, within a “shadow” region, are asymmetric on the upper plate relative to the lower plate. The probability for such annihilations is determined for a point, line and spheroidal source of antihydrogen. The production of 100,000 antiatoms is predicted to be necessary for the aperture-based experiment to indicate the direction of free fall acceleration of antimatter, provided that antihydrogen is produced within a sufficiently small antiproton plasma at a temperature of 4 K.

  10. Gain stabilized microchannel plates and a treatment method for microchannel plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    1979-01-01

    Microchannel plates having increased gain and significantly improved aging characteristics are provided by forming a thin film of a cesium compound on the channel walls. In an exemplary embodiment, a suface film of cesium hydroxide is applied to the interior wall surfaces of an MCP by saturating the plate with a solution of the compound, then allowing the solvent to evaporate. The cesium hydroxide residue on the walls subsequently is converted to cesium oxide by a high temperature bake. Microchannel plates are used in image amplifiers, radiation detectors and such like equipment. (Auth.)

  11. Study for a novel tomography technique using an imaging plate

    CERN Document Server

    Kobayashi, H; Matsubayashi, M

    1999-01-01

    A sinogram is directly recorded onto an imaging plate for neutron tomography, which has excellent capability to detect neutrons. A sinogram-recording-system and outline of the data processing are explained briefly. A tomogram of a test object is reconstructed and shown as the preliminary result. The linearity of CT values was experimentally confirmed up to 1.6 cm sup - sup 1 of effective total macroscopic cross section, but about 10% lower CT value was observed at 2.7 cm sup - sup 1. The linearity limitation and statistical character of CT values are discussed with regard to the dynamic range of the system as well as the effect of background components.

  12. TUG1 mediates methotrexate resistance in colorectal cancer via miR-186/CPEB2 axis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Changfeng; Gao, Yongjian; Li, Yongchao; Ding, Dayong

    2017-09-16

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common malignancy, most of which remain unresponsive to chemotherapy. Methotrexate (MTX) is one of the earliest cytotoxic drugs and serves as an anti-metabolite and anti-folate chemotherapy for various types of cancer. However, MTX resistance prevents its clinical application in cancer therapy. Thereby, overcoming the drug resistance is an alternative strategy to maximize the efficacy of MTX therapies in clinics. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have gained widespread attention in recent years. More and more evidences have shown that lncRNAs play regulatory roles in various biological activities and disease progression including drug resistance in cancer cells. Here, we observed lncRNA TUG1 was associated to the MTX resistant in colorectal cancer cells. Firstly, quantitative analysis indicated that TUG1 was significantly increased in tumors which were resistant to MTX treatment. TUG1 knockdown re-sensitized the MTX resistance in colorectal cancer cells, which were MTX-resistant colorectal cell line. Furthermore, bioinformatics analysis showed that miR-186 could directly bind to TUG1, suggesting TUG1 might worked as a ceRNA to sponge miR-186. Extensively, our study also showed that CPEB2 was the direct target of miR-186 in colorectal cancer cells. Taken together, our study suggests that lncRNA TUG1 mediates MTX resistance in colorectal cancer via miR-186/CPEB2 axis. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy with integrated dual-axis MEMS scanner for fast 3D imaging and metrology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canavesi, Cristina; Cogliati, Andrea; Hayes, Adam; Santhanam, Anand P.; Tankam, Patrice; Rolland, Jannick P.

    2015-10-01

    Fast, robust, nondestructive 3D imaging is needed for characterization of microscopic structures in industrial and clinical applications. A custom micro-electromechanical system (MEMS)-based 2D scanner system was developed to achieve 55 kHz A-scan acquisition in a Gabor-domain optical coherence microscopy (GD-OCM) instrument with a novel multilevel GPU architecture for high-speed imaging. GD-OCM yields high-definition volumetric imaging with dynamic depth of focusing through a bio-inspired liquid lens-based microscope design, which has no moving parts and is suitable for use in a manufacturing setting or in a medical environment. A dual-axis MEMS mirror was chosen to replace two single-axis galvanometer mirrors; as a result, the astigmatism caused by the mismatch between the optical pupil and the scanning location was eliminated and a 12x reduction in volume of the scanning system was achieved. Imaging at an invariant resolution of 2 μm was demonstrated throughout a volume of 1 × 1 × 0.6 mm3, acquired in less than 2 minutes. The MEMS-based scanner resulted in improved image quality, increased robustness and lighter weight of the system - all factors that are critical for on-field deployment. A custom integrated feedback system consisting of a laser diode and a position-sensing detector was developed to investigate the impact of the resonant frequency of the MEMS and the driving signal of the scanner on the movement of the mirror. Results on the metrology of manufactured materials and characterization of tissue samples with GD-OCM are presented.

  14. Comparison of five-axis milling and rapid prototyping for implant surgical templates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Ji-Man; Yi, Tae-Kyoung; Koak, Jai-Young; Kim, Seong-Kyoon; Park, Eun-Jin; Heo, Seong-Joo

    2014-01-01

    This study aims to compare and evaluate the accuracy of surgical templates fabricated using coordinate synchronization processing with five-axis milling and design-related processing with rapid prototyping (RP). Master phantoms with 10 embedded gutta-percha cylinders hidden under artificial gingiva were fabricated and imaged using cone beam computed tomography. Vectors of the hidden cylinders were extracted and transferred to those of the planned implants through reverse engineering using virtual planning software. An RP-produced template was fabricated by stereolithography in photopolymer at the RP center according to planned data. Metal sleeves were bonded after holes were bored (group RP). For the milled template, milling coordinates were synchronized using the conversion process for the coordinate synchronization platform located on the model's bottom. Metal bushings were set on holes milled on the five-axis milling machine, on which the model was fixed through the coordinate synchronization plate, and the framework was constructed on the model using orthodontic resin (group CS). A computed tomography image was taken with templates firmly fixed on models using anchor pins (RP) or anchor screws (CS). The accuracy was analyzed via reverse engineering. Differences between the two groups were compared by repeated measures two-factor analysis. From the reverse-engineered image of the template on the experimental model, RP-produced templates showed significantly larger deviations than did milled surgical guides. Maximum deviations of the group RP were 1.58 mm (horizontal), 1.68 mm (vertical), and 8.51 degrees (angular); those of the group CS were 0.68 mm (horizontal), 0.41 mm (vertical), and 3.23 degrees (angular). A comparison of milling and RP template production methods showed that a vector-milled surgical guide had significantly smaller deviations than did an RP-produced template. The accuracy of computer-guided milled surgical templates was within the safety

  15. A miR-590/Acvr2a/Rad51b Axis Regulates DNA Damage Repair during mESC Proliferation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qidong Liu

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available Embryonic stem cells (ESCs enable rapid proliferation that also causes DNA damage. To maintain genomic stabilization during rapid proliferation, ESCs must have an efficient system to repress genotoxic stress. Here, we show that withdrawal of leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF, which maintains the self-renewal capability of mouse ESCs (mESCs, significantly inhibits the cell proliferation and DNA damage of mESCs and upregulates the expression of miR-590. miR-590 promotes single-strand break (SSB and double-strand break (DSB damage repair, thus slowing proliferation of mESCs without influencing stemness. miR-590 directly targets Activin receptor type 2a (Acvr2a to mediate Activin signaling. We identified the homologous recombination-mediated repair (HRR gene, Rad51b, as a downstream molecule of the miR-590/Acvr2a pathway regulating the SSB and DSB damage repair and cell cycle. Our study shows that a miR-590/Acvr2a/Rad51b signaling axis ensures the stabilization of mESCs by balancing DNA damage repair and rapid proliferation during self-renewal.

  16. Evaluation of the Effect of Light and Scanning Time Delay on The Image Quality of Intra Oral Photostimulable Phosphor Plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eskandarloo, Amir; Yousefi, Arman; Soheili, Setareh; Ghazikhanloo, Karim; Amini, Payam; Mohammadpoor, Haniyeh

    2017-01-01

    Nowadays, digital radiography is widely used in dental practice. One of the most common types is Photo Stimulated Phosphor Plate (PSP). The aims of this experimental study were to evaluate the impacts of different combinations of storage conditions and varying delays in reading of digital images captured using PSPs. Standardized images of a step wedges were obtained using PSPs from the Digora digital systems. Plates were exposed and immediately scanned to produce the baseline gold standard. The plates were re-exposed and stored in four different storage conditions: white light, yellow light, natural light environment and dark room, then scanned after 10 and 30 minutes and 4 and 8 hours. Objective analysis was conducted by density measurements and the data were analyzed statistically using GEE test. Subjective analysis was performed by two oral and maxillofacial radiologists and the results were analyzed using McNemar's test. The results from GEE analysis show that in the natural light environment, the densities in 10 minutes did not differ from the baseline. The mean densities decreased significantly during the time in all environments. The mean densities in step 2 for the dark room environment decreased with a slighter slope in comparison to yellow environment significantly. PSP images showed significant decrease in the density in plates scanned for 10 minutes or longer after exposure which may not be detected clinically. The yellow light environment had a different impact on the quality of PSP images. The spatial resolution did not change significantly with time.

  17. Energy response of imaging plates to radiation beams from standard beta sources, ortho-voltage and cobalt-60 units and linear accelerators

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Albin Leonel

    The response to different types of radiation beams of commercial imaging plates used for diagnostic computed radiography has been investigated in this work. Imaging plates are designed with a phosphor layer which after been irradiated; information is stored in the form of photostimulable luminescence (PSL) centers. Initial measurements of the dose distribution of a radioactive stent with the imaging plates showed similar results to those with radiochromic films, but with much shorter exposure time due to their higher sensitivity. In order to investigate further their response, the imaging plates were irradiated with calibrated beams from: standard beta sources, orthovoltage and Co-60 units and therapy linear accelerator. Initially it was found that the energy to create the storage centers (generation efficiency) when irradiated with the three standard beta sources (225 keV to 2.28 MeV) was the same. For the rest of the calibrated beams an in house reader system was built in order to perform the bleaching of the plates with a He-Ne laser (632.8 nm) and to measure the absolute number of the emitted PSL photons (storage centers produced). Bleaching curves were then obtained for different exposure times for each beam. From the graph of the calculated area under the bleaching curves (total number of storage center) versus the absorbed dose to the phosphor layer it was possible to calculate the energy to create the storage centers (generation efficiency) for photon and electron beams. The dose to the phosphor layer was calculated in the case of the electron beams following a scaling procedure, while in the case of the photon beams Monte Carlo simulations were performed. For the photons beams the measurement of the generation efficiency energy of 126 +/- 8% eV per PSL storage center, coincide with measurements using a different approach (˜148 eV) by previous investigators. The generation efficiency for the electron beam was 807 +/- 3% eV, no reference was found in the

  18. Sigmoid plate dehiscence: Congenital or acquired condition?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Zhaohui, E-mail: lzhtrhos@163.com [Capital Medical University, Beijing Tongren Hospital, No 1 Dong Jiao Min Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730 (China); Li, Jing, E-mail: lijingxbh@yahoo.com.cn [Capital Medical University, Beijing Tongren Hospital, No 1 Dong Jiao Min Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100730 (China); Zhao, Pengfei, E-mail: zhaopengf05@163.com [Capital Medical University, Beijing Friendship Hospital, No 95 Yongan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100050 (China); Lv, Han, E-mail: chrislvhan@126.com [Capital Medical University, Beijing Friendship Hospital, No 95 Yongan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100050 (China); Dong, Cheng, E-mail: derc007@sina.com [Capital Medical University, Beijing Friendship Hospital, No 95 Yongan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100050 (China); Liu, Wenjuan, E-mail: wenjuanliu@163.com [Jining No. 1 People' s Hospital, No. 6 Health Street, Jining 272100 (China); Wang, Zhenchang, E-mail: cjr.wzhch@vip.163.com [Capital Medical University, Beijing Friendship Hospital, No 95 Yongan Road, Xicheng District, Beijing 100050 (China)

    2015-05-15

    Highlights: • CT with multiplanar reformations can accurately display the sigmoid platet dehiscence. • The prevalence of sigmoid plate dehiscence was no significant difference among different age groups. • The size of sigmoid plate bony defects were not statistically different among different age groups. • The sigmoid plate dehiscence is more commonly a congenital than an acquired condition. - Abstract: Background and purpose: The imaging features of sigmoid plate dehiscence-induced pulsatile tinnitus have been presented. The origin of the sigmoid plate dehiscence, however, remains unclear. Our aim was to assess the prevalence and extent of sigmoid plate dehiscence on computed tomography (CT) images in multiple age groups to determine whether this condition is more likely to be congenital or acquired. Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed contrast-enhanced CT images of sigmoid plates of temporal bones in 504 patients. Each temporal bone was characterized as normal or dehiscent. Patients were then subcategorized into four age groups, and the prevalence and extent of dehiscent sigmoid plates in each group were calculated and compared. Results: Overall, 80 patients had sigmoid plate dehiscence, nine of whom had it bilaterally. In successively older age groups, the prevalences of sigmoid plate dehiscence were 18.9%, 20.1%, 14.5%, and 12.7%, respectively. Respective average anteroposterior bony defect diameters were 3.7 ± 1.7, 3.0 ± 1.3, 3.1 ± 1.5, and 3.0 ± 1.1 mm. Respective average vertical bony defect diameters were 3.6 ± 2.3, 2.6 ± 1.2, 3.2 ± 1.5, and 3.0 ± 1.7 mm. The prevalence and extent of sigmoid plate dehiscence were not statistically different among the four age groups. Conclusions: The similar radiologic prevalence and extent of dehiscent sigmoid plates among the age groups suggest that the dehiscence is more commonly a congenital than an acquired condition.

  19. Sigmoid plate dehiscence: Congenital or acquired condition?

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Zhaohui; Li, Jing; Zhao, Pengfei; Lv, Han; Dong, Cheng; Liu, Wenjuan; Wang, Zhenchang

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • CT with multiplanar reformations can accurately display the sigmoid platet dehiscence. • The prevalence of sigmoid plate dehiscence was no significant difference among different age groups. • The size of sigmoid plate bony defects were not statistically different among different age groups. • The sigmoid plate dehiscence is more commonly a congenital than an acquired condition. - Abstract: Background and purpose: The imaging features of sigmoid plate dehiscence-induced pulsatile tinnitus have been presented. The origin of the sigmoid plate dehiscence, however, remains unclear. Our aim was to assess the prevalence and extent of sigmoid plate dehiscence on computed tomography (CT) images in multiple age groups to determine whether this condition is more likely to be congenital or acquired. Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed contrast-enhanced CT images of sigmoid plates of temporal bones in 504 patients. Each temporal bone was characterized as normal or dehiscent. Patients were then subcategorized into four age groups, and the prevalence and extent of dehiscent sigmoid plates in each group were calculated and compared. Results: Overall, 80 patients had sigmoid plate dehiscence, nine of whom had it bilaterally. In successively older age groups, the prevalences of sigmoid plate dehiscence were 18.9%, 20.1%, 14.5%, and 12.7%, respectively. Respective average anteroposterior bony defect diameters were 3.7 ± 1.7, 3.0 ± 1.3, 3.1 ± 1.5, and 3.0 ± 1.1 mm. Respective average vertical bony defect diameters were 3.6 ± 2.3, 2.6 ± 1.2, 3.2 ± 1.5, and 3.0 ± 1.7 mm. The prevalence and extent of sigmoid plate dehiscence were not statistically different among the four age groups. Conclusions: The similar radiologic prevalence and extent of dehiscent sigmoid plates among the age groups suggest that the dehiscence is more commonly a congenital than an acquired condition

  20. Circulation shedding in viscous starting flow past a flat plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nitsche, Monika; Xu, Ling

    2014-01-01

    Numerical simulations of viscous flow past a flat plate moving in the direction normal to itself reveal details of the vortical structure of the flow. At early times, most of the vorticity is attached to the plate. This paper introduces a definition of the shed circulation at all times and shows that it indeed represents vorticity that separates and remains separated from the plate. During a large initial time period, the shed circulation satisfies the scaling laws predicted for self-similar inviscid separation. Various contributions to the circulation shedding rate are presented. The results show that during this initial time period, viscous diffusion of vorticity out of the vortex is significant but appears to be independent of the value of the Reynolds number. At later times, the departure of the shed circulation from its large Reynolds number behaviour is significantly affected by diffusive loss of vorticity through the symmetry axis. A timescale is proposed that describes when the viscous loss through the axis becomes relevant. The simulations provide benchmark results to evaluate simpler separation models such as point vortex and vortex sheet models. A comparison with vortex sheet results is included. (paper)

  1. Modeling susceptibility difference artifacts produced by metallic implants in magnetic resonance imaging with point-based thin-plate spline image registration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pauchard, Y; Smith, M; Mintchev, M

    2004-01-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) suffers from geometric distortions arising from various sources. One such source are the non-linearities associated with the presence of metallic implants, which can profoundly distort the obtained images. These non-linearities result in pixel shifts and intensity changes in the vicinity of the implant, often precluding any meaningful assessment of the entire image. This paper presents a method for correcting these distortions based on non-rigid image registration techniques. Two images from a modelled three-dimensional (3D) grid phantom were subjected to point-based thin-plate spline registration. The reference image (without distortions) was obtained from a grid model including a spherical implant, and the corresponding test image containing the distortions was obtained using previously reported technique for spatial modelling of magnetic susceptibility artifacts. After identifying the nonrecoverable area in the distorted image, the calculated spline model was able to quantitatively account for the distortions, thus facilitating their compensation. Upon the completion of the compensation procedure, the non-recoverable area was removed from the reference image and the latter was compared to the compensated image. Quantitative assessment of the goodness of the proposed compensation technique is presented.

  2. Automatic Number Plate Recognition System for IPhone Devices

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Călin Enăchescu

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a system for automatic number plate recognition, implemented for devices running the iOS operating system. The methods used for number plate recognition are based on existing methods, but optimized for devices with low hardware resources. To solve the task of automatic number plate recognition we have divided it into the following subtasks: image acquisition, localization of the number plate position on the image and character detection. The first subtask is performed by the camera of an iPhone, the second one is done using image pre-processing methods and template matching. For the character recognition we are using a feed-forward artificial neural network. Each of these methods is presented along with its results.

  3. Development and validation of a subject-specific moving-axis tibiofemoral joint model using MRI and EOS imaging during a quasi-static lunge

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dzialo, C M; Pedersen, P H; Simonsen, C W

    2018-01-01

    were constructed in the AnyBody Modeling System (AMS) from Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)-extracted anatomical surfaces and compared against the experimental data. The tibiofemoral axis of the hinge model was defined between the epicondyles while the moving-axis model was defined based on two......: medial-lateral, AP: anterior-posterior, SI: superior-inferior, IE: internal-external, AA: adduction-abduction) were better approximated by the moving-axis model with mean differences and standard errors of (ML: -1.98 ± 0.37 mm, AP: 6.50 ± 0.82 mm, SI: 0.05 ± 0.20 mm, IE: 0.59 ± 0.36°, AA: 1...

  4. Astronomical Plate Archives and Binary Blazars Studies

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Hudec, René

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 32, 1-2 (2011), s. 91-95 ISSN 0250-6335. [Conference on Multiwavelength Variability of Blazars. Guangzhou, 22,09,2010-24,09,2010] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA205/08/1207 Grant - others:GA ČR(CZ) GA102/09/0997; MŠMT(CZ) ME09027 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10030501 Keywords : astronomical plates * plate archives archives * binary blazars Subject RIV: BN - Astronomy, Celestial Mechanics, Astrophysics Impact factor: 0.400, year: 2011

  5. Impact of uranium concentration reduction in side plates of the fuel elements of IEA-R1 reactor on neutronic and thermal hydraulic analyses

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rios, Ilka Antonia

    2013-01-01

    This master thesis presents a study to verify the impact of the uranium concentration reduction in the side plates of the reactor IEA-R1 fuel elements on the neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analyses. To develop such study, a previous IPEN-CNEN/SP research was reproduced by simulating the fuel elements burn-up, with side plate uranium density reduced to 50, 60 and 70% of the standard fuel element plates. This research begins with the neutronic analysis using the computer code HAMMER and the first step consists in the calculation of the cross section of all materials presented at the reactor core, with their initial concentration; the second step consists in the calculation of the fast and thermal neutron group fluxes and power densities for fuel elements using the computer code CITATION. HAMMER output data is used as input data. Once the neutronic analysis is finished and the most critical fuel elements with highest power density have been defined, the thermal-hydraulics analysis begins. This analysis uses MCTR-IEA-R1 thermal-hydraulics model, which equations are solved by commercial code EES. Thermalhydraulics analysis input is the power density data calculated by CITATION: it is considered the highest power density on each fuel element, where there is a higher energy release and, consequently, higher temperatures. This data is used on energy balance equations to calculate temperatures on critical fuel element regions. Reactor operation comparison for three different uranium densities on fuel side plates is presented. Uranium density reduction contributes to the cladding surface temperature to remain below the established limit, as reactor operation safety requirement and it does not affect significantly fuel element final burn-up nor reactor reactivity. The reduction of uranium in the side plates of the fuel elements of the IEA-R1 showed to be a viable option to avoid corrosion problems due to high temperatures. (author)

  6. Coupled oscillations of flow along a perforated plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Celik, E.; Rockwell, D.

    2004-01-01

    Turbulent shear flow past a perforated plate bounded by a closed cavity can give rise to highly coherent oscillations, which have a wavelength of the order of the plate length. The present investigation focuses on the coupling between unsteady events on either side of the plate when the oscillations are self-sustaining. A cinema technique of high-image-density particle image velocimetry, which provides a space-time representation of the unsteadiness at a large number of locations over entire planes, is employed to characterize the distinctively different patterns of flow structure on the back (low-speed) side of the plate relative to those on the front (high-speed) side. Global cross-spectral analysis leads to patterns of spectral peaks and phase variations, along and across the plate. This approach, along with complementary types of image evaluation, delineates the physics of the oscillations, which include downstream propagating disturbances along either side of the plate and a coherent region of unsteadiness at its trailing-edge. On the backside of the plate, a sequence of upstream-oriented, pulsatile jets are formed, and the time-averaged flow pattern is a counterflow wall jet

  7. Pathologically decreased expression of miR-193a contributes to metastasis by targeting WT1-E-cadherin axis in non-small cell lung cancers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Junjie Chen

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The metastatic cascade is a complex and multistep process with many potential barriers. Recently, miR-193a has been reported to be a suppressive miRNA in multiple types of cancers, but its underlying anti-oncogenic activity in non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC is not fully elucidated. Methods The expressions of miR-193a (miR-193a-5p in human lung cancer tissues and cell lines were detected by real-time PCR. Dual-luciferase reporter assay was used to identify the direct target of miR-193a. Cell proliferation, apoptosis, and metastasis were assessed by CCK-8, flow cytometry, and Transwell assay, respectively. Results The expression of miR-193a in lung cancer tissues was decreased comparing to adjacent non-tumor tissues due to DNA hypermethylation in lung cancer tissues. Ectopic expression of miR-193a inhibited cell proliferation, colony formation, migration, and invasion in A549 and H1299 cells. Moreover, overexpression of miR-193a partially reversed tumor growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1-induced epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT in NSCLC cells. Mechanistically, miR-193a reduced the expression of WT1, which negatively regulated the protein level of E-cadherin, suggesting that miR-193a might prevent EMT via modulating WT1-E-cadherin axis. Importantly, knockdown of WT1 resembled the anti-cancer activity by miR-193a and overexpression of WT1 partially reversed miR-193a-induced anti-cancer activity, indicating that WT1 plays an important role in miR-193a-induced anti-cancer activity. Finally, overexpression of miR-193a decreased the growth of tumor xenografts in mice. Conclusion Collectively, our results have revealed an important role of miR-193a-WT1-E-cadherin axis in metastasis, demonstrated an important molecular cue for EMT, and suggested a therapeutic strategy of restoring miR-193a expression in NSCLC.

  8. Paper microzone plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrilho, Emanuel; Phillips, Scott T; Vella, Sarah J; Martinez, Andres W; Whitesides, George M

    2009-08-01

    This paper describes 96- and 384-microzone plates fabricated in paper as alternatives to conventional multiwell plates fabricated in molded polymers. Paper-based plates are functionally related to plastic well plates, but they offer new capabilities. For example, paper-microzone plates are thin (approximately 180 microm), require small volumes of sample (5 microL per zone), and can be manufactured from inexpensive materials ($0.05 per plate). The paper-based plates are fabricated by patterning sheets of paper, using photolithography, into hydrophilic zones surrounded by hydrophobic polymeric barriers. This photolithography used an inexpensive formulation photoresist that allows rapid (approximately 15 min) prototyping of paper-based plates. These plates are compatible with conventional microplate readers for quantitative absorbance and fluorescence measurements. The limit of detection per zone loaded for fluorescence was 125 fmol for fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin, and this level corresponds to 0.02 the quantity of analyte per well used to achieve comparable signal-to-noise in a 96-well plastic plate (using a solution of 25 nM labeled protein). The limits of detection for absorbance on paper was approximately 50 pmol per zone for both Coomassie Brilliant Blue and Amaranth dyes; these values were 0.4 that required for the plastic plate. Demonstration of quantitative colorimetric correlations using a scanner or camera to image the zones and to measure the intensity of color, makes it possible to conduct assays without a microplate reader.

  9. A novel phantom design for emission tomography enabling scatter- and attenuation-''free'' single-photon emission tomography imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Larsson, S.A.; Johansson, L.; Jonsson, C.; Pagani, M.; Jacobsson, H.

    2000-01-01

    A newly designed technique for experimental single-photon emission tomography (SPET) and positron emission tomography (PET) data acquisition with minor disturbing effects from scatter and attenuation has been developed. In principle, the method is based on discrete sampling of the radioactivity distribution in 3D objects by means of equidistant 2D planes. The starting point is a set of digitised 2D sections representing the radioactivity distribution of the 3D object. Having a radioactivity-related grey scale, the 2D images are printed on paper sheets using radioactive ink. The radioactive sheets can be shaped to the outline of the object and stacked into a 3D structure with air or some arbitrary dense material in between. For this work, equidistantly spaced transverse images of a uniform cylindrical phantom and of the digitised Hoffman rCBF phantom were selected and printed out on paper sheets. The uniform radioactivity sheets were imaged on the surface of a low-energy ultra-high-resolution collimator (4 mm full-width at half-maximum) of a three-headed SPET camera. The reproducibility was 0.7% and the uniformity was 1.2%. Each rCBF sheet, containing between 8.3 and 80 MBq of 99m TcO 4 - depending on size, was first imaged on the collimator and then stacked into a 3D structure with constant 12 mm air spacing between the slices. SPET was performed with the sheets perpendicular to the central axis of the camera. The total weight of the stacked rCBF phantom in air was 63 g, giving a scatter contribution comparable to that of a point source in air. The overall attenuation losses were <20%. A second SPET study was performed with 12-mm polystyrene plates in between the radioactive sheets. With polystyrene plates, the total phantom weight was 2300 g, giving a scatter and attenuation magnitude similar to that of a patient study. With the proposed technique, it is possible to obtain ''ideal'' experimental images (essentially built up by primary photons) for comparison with

  10. Micro calcification evaluation using CR plates in computerized mammography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bustos F, M.; Prata M, A.

    2017-10-01

    Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. In 2012, about 14 million new cases were registered, of which 1.6 million are breast cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The National Cancer Institute of Brazil estimated 57 thousand new cases of breast cancer by 2016. Mammography is the imaging technique most used worldwide for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Computed radiography (CR) plates are used for digital radiography, and are widely used to obtain digital mammograms. This work aims to evaluate te response of CR plates to the variation of exposure in mammography equipment. Three CR plates for mammography of different models were used for the study. X-ray beams were selected to perform successive exposures of CR plates by varying the exposure time. These exposures were performed to obtain raw images that were subsequently analyzed using ImageJ software, from which the value of intensity recorded in the central region of each image was obtained, correlating it with the exposure time. From these data the necessary correlations were made to determine the exposure time for which the CR plate begins to saturate, observing that the saturation occurs first for the highest value of the applied voltage. Finally, successive exposures of the CR plate were made using the compressed breast simulator made of acrylic plates and containing microcalcifications of different sizes to determine the qualitative resolution of CR plates, observing that only microcalcifications above 177 μm are visible in the image. The knowledge of saturation characteristics and resolution of the CR plate allows the selection of more adequate parameters to work without approaching the saturation region. (Author)

  11. Micro calcification evaluation using CR plates in computerized mammography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bustos F, M.; Prata M, A., E-mail: mabelita.bfm@gmail.com [Federal University of Minas Gerais, School of Engineering, Department of Nuclear Engineering, Av. Antonio Carlos CEP 131270-901 Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

    2017-10-15

    Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. In 2012, about 14 million new cases were registered, of which 1.6 million are breast cancer, according to the World Health Organization. The National Cancer Institute of Brazil estimated 57 thousand new cases of breast cancer by 2016. Mammography is the imaging technique most used worldwide for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. Computed radiography (CR) plates are used for digital radiography, and are widely used to obtain digital mammograms. This work aims to evaluate te response of CR plates to the variation of exposure in mammography equipment. Three CR plates for mammography of different models were used for the study. X-ray beams were selected to perform successive exposures of CR plates by varying the exposure time. These exposures were performed to obtain raw images that were subsequently analyzed using ImageJ software, from which the value of intensity recorded in the central region of each image was obtained, correlating it with the exposure time. From these data the necessary correlations were made to determine the exposure time for which the CR plate begins to saturate, observing that the saturation occurs first for the highest value of the applied voltage. Finally, successive exposures of the CR plate were made using the compressed breast simulator made of acrylic plates and containing microcalcifications of different sizes to determine the qualitative resolution of CR plates, observing that only microcalcifications above 177 μm are visible in the image. The knowledge of saturation characteristics and resolution of the CR plate allows the selection of more adequate parameters to work without approaching the saturation region. (Author)

  12. Earth Reflected Solar Radiation Incident upon an Arbitrarily Oriented Spinning Flat Plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cunningham, Fred G.

    1963-01-01

    A general derivation is given for the earth reflected solar radiation input to a flat plate--a solar cell paddle, for example--which is spinning about an axis coincident with the axis of symmetry of the satellite to which it is affixed. The resulting equations are written for the general case so that arbitrary orientations of the spin axis with respect to the earth-satellite line and arbitrary orientations of the normal to the plate with respect to the spin axis can be treated. No attempt is made to perform the resulting integrations because of the complexity of the equations; nor is there any attempt to delineate the integration limits for the general case. However, the equations governing these limits are given. The appendixes contain: the results, in graphical form, of two representative examples; the general computer program for the calculation is given in Fortran notation; and the results of a calculation of the distribution of albedo energy on the proposed Echo II satellite. The value of the mean solar constant used is 1.395 times 10 (sup 4) ergs per centimeters-squared per second; the mean albedo of the earth is assumed to be 0.34; and the earth is assumed to be a diffuse reflector.

  13. Dependence of fading patterns of photo-stimulated luminescence from imaging plates on radiation, energy, and image reader

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohuchi, H.; Yamadera, A.

    2002-01-01

    We have been investigating the fading characteristics of imaging plates (IPs) as integral type detectors. The dependence on alpha, beta, and gamma ray radiation and their energies of the fading effect was measured using three types of IPs (BAS-UR, BAS-TR, and BAS-MS). The functions to correct the fading were determined by using the method reported in a previous paper. In all types of IPs, we confirmed that the fading effect is independent of the energy of the incident particles of beta and gamma rays and also independent of radiation except for the first component, which fades out in a very short time after irradiation with alpha rays. These results are very useful in the utilization of IPs as integral detectors in practical radiation fields. Empirically, the fading pattern is known to change when the IP is scanned by different types of image readers. The differences in the fading patterns obtained with two types of image readers, the BAS-1000 and the BAS-5000 (Fuji Film Co.), is discussed. Development of an equation for correcting the effects of the differences in the image readers was attempted

  14. The Complement C3a-C3aR Axis Promotes Development of Thoracic Aortic Dissection via Regulation of MMP2 Expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Weihong; Liu, Yan; Wang, Xuerui; Piao, Chunmei; Ma, Youcai; Qiu, Shulan; Jia, Lixin; Chen, Boya; Wang, Yuan; Jiang, Wenjian; Zheng, Shuai; Liu, Chang; Dai, Nan; Lan, Feng; Zhang, Hongjia; Song, Wen-Chao; Du, Jie

    2018-03-01

    Thoracic aortic dissection (TAD), once ruptured, is devastating to patients, and no effective pharmaceutical therapy is available. Anaphylatoxins released by complement activation are involved in a variety of diseases. However, the role of the complement system in TAD is unknown. We found that plasma levels of C3a, C4a, and C5a were significantly increased in patients with TAD. Elevated circulating C3a levels were also detected in the developmental process of mouse TAD, which was induced by β-aminopropionitrile monofumarate (BAPN) treatment, with enhanced expression of C1q and properdin in mouse dissected aortas. These findings indicated activation of classical and alternative complement pathways. Further, expression of C3aR was obviously increased in smooth muscle cells of human and mouse dissected aortas, and knockout of C3aR notably inhibited BAPN-induced formation and rupture of TAD in mice. C3aR antagonist administered pre- and post-BAPN treatment attenuated the development of TAD. We found that C3aR knockout decreased matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2) expression in BAPN-treated mice. Additionally, recombinant C3a stimulation enhanced MMP2 expression and activation in smooth muscle cells that were subjected to mechanical stretch. Finally, we generated MMP2-knockdown mice by in vivo MMP2 short hairpin RNA delivery using recombinant adeno-associated virus and found that MMP2 deficiency significantly reduced the formation of TAD. Therefore, our study suggests that the C3a - C3aR axis contributes to the development of TAD via regulation of MMP2 expression. Targeting the C3a-C3aR axis may represent a strategy for inhibiting the formation of TAD. Copyright © 2018 by The American Association of Immunologists, Inc.

  15. Broaching installation for cutting holes in a plate and broaching process

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Beraudier, D.; Douheret, J.Y.

    1995-01-01

    The installation consists of two lines of broaching with successive actions, each containing a pulling unit and an attachment having their axes of displacement aligned to follow the common work axis. The axes of work of the two broaching lines are separated by a distance at least equal to the diameter of the plate. The two pulling units and the two attachments are placed one on either side of the plate to be broached. 6 figs

  16. Illumination estimation via thin-plate spline interpolation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Lilong; Xiong, Weihua; Funt, Brian

    2011-05-01

    Thin-plate spline interpolation is used to interpolate the chromaticity of the color of the incident scene illumination across a training set of images. Given the image of a scene under unknown illumination, the chromaticity of the scene illumination can be found from the interpolated function. The resulting illumination-estimation method can be used to provide color constancy under changing illumination conditions and automatic white balancing for digital cameras. A thin-plate spline interpolates over a nonuniformly sampled input space, which in this case is a training set of image thumbnails and associated illumination chromaticities. To reduce the size of the training set, incremental k medians are applied. Tests on real images demonstrate that the thin-plate spline method can estimate the color of the incident illumination quite accurately, and the proposed training set pruning significantly decreases the computation.

  17. Recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) enhances somatic growth by regulating the GH-IGF axis in fingerlings of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vélez, Emilio J; Perelló, Miquel; Azizi, Sheida; Moya, Alberto; Lutfi, Esmail; Pérez-Sánchez, Jaume; Calduch-Giner, Josep A; Navarro, Isabel; Blasco, Josefina; Fernández-Borràs, Jaume; Capilla, Encarnación; Gutiérrez, Joaquim

    2018-02-01

    The growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) endocrine axis is the main growth-regulator system in vertebrates. Some authors have demonstrated the positive effects on growth of a sustained-release formulation of a recombinant bovine GH (rBGH) in different fish species. The aim of this work was to characterize the effects of a single injection of rBGH in fingerlings of gilthead sea bream on growth, GH-IGF axis, and both myogenic and osteogenic processes. Thus, body weight and specific growth rate were significantly increased in rBGH-treated fish respect to control fish at 6weeks post-injection, whereas the hepatosomatic index was decreased and the condition factor and mesenteric fat index were unchanged, altogether indicating enhanced somatic growth. Moreover, rBGH injection increased the plasma IGF-I levels in parallel with a rise of hepatic mRNA from total IGF-I, IGF-Ic and IGF-II, the binding proteins IGFBP-1a and IGFBP-2b, and also the receptors IGF-IRb, GHR-I and GHR-II. In skeletal muscle, the expression of IGF-Ib and GHR-I was significantly increased but that of IGF-IRb was reduced; the mRNA levels of myogenic regulatory factors, proliferation and differentiation markers (PCNA and MHC, respectively), or that of different molecules of the signaling pathway (TOR/AKT) were unaltered. Besides, the growth inhibitor myostatin (MSTN1 and MSTN2) and the hypertrophic marker (MLC2B) expression resulted significantly enhanced, suggesting altogether that the muscle is in a non-proliferative stage of development. Contrarily in bone, although the expression of most molecules of the GH/IGF axis was decreased, the mRNA levels of several osteogenic genes were increased. The histology analysis showed a GH induced lipolytic effect with a clear decrease in the subcutaneous fat layer. Overall, these results reveal that a better growth potential can be achieved on this species and supports the possibility to improve growth and quality through the optimization of its

  18. Use of imaging plates at near saturation for high energy density particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tanimoto, Tsuyoshi; Ohta, Kazuhide; Habara, Hideaki; Kodama, Ryousuke; Tanaka, Kazuo A.; Yabuuchi, Toshinori; Tampo, Motonobu; Zheng Jian

    2008-01-01

    Since an imaging plate (IP) is sensitive to electron, ion, and x rays, it can be used as a detector for laser plasma experiment using ultraintense laser. Moreover, an IP has the advantageous features such as high sensitivity, wide dynamic range, and high spatial resolution. Even though IP itself has a considerable wide dynamic range up to 10 5 , the IP data have appeared often saturated at an IP reading device. We propose a reading technique by inserting optical density filters so that an apparently saturated IP data can be saved.

  19. Coherent x-ray diffraction imaging of paint pigment particles by scanning a phase plate modulator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chu, Y.S.; Chen, B.; Zhang, F.; Berenguer, F.; Bean, R.; Kewish, C.; Vila-Comamala, J.; Rodenburg, J.; Robinson, I.

    2011-01-01

    We have implemented a coherent x-ray diffraction imaging technique that scans a phase plate to modulate wave-fronts of the x-ray beam transmitted by samples. The method was applied to measure a decorative alkyd paint containing iron oxide red pigment particles. By employing an iterative algorithm for wave-front modulation phase retrieval, we obtained an image of the paint sample that shows the distribution of the pigment particles and is consistent with the result obtained from a transmission x-ray microscope. The technique has been experimentally proven to be a feasible coherent x-ray imaging method with about 120 nm spatial resolution and was shown to work well with industrially relevant specimens.

  20. Time-of-flight resolution of scintillating counters with Burle 85001 microchannel plate photomultipliers in comparison with Hamamatsu R2083

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Baturin, V. [Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Burkert, V. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, Virginia 23606 (United States); Kim, W. [Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of)]. E-mail: wooyoung@jlab.org; Majewsky, S. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, Virginia 23606 (United States); Park, K. [Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Popov, V. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, Virginia 23606 (United States); Smith, E.S. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, Virginia 23606 (United States); Son, D. [Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Stepanyan, S.S. [Department of Physics, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 702-701 (Korea, Republic of); Zorn, C. [Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility, Newport News, Virginia 23606 (United States)

    2006-06-15

    Improvements in the time resolution of the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS) below {approx}50ps will be required for experiments using the planned upgraded accelerator facility at Jefferson Lab. The improved time resolution will allow particle identification using time-of-flight techniques to be used effectively up to the proposed operating energy of 12GeV. The challenge of achieving this time resolution over a relatively large area is compounded because the photomultipliers (PM) in the CLAS 'time-zero' scintillating counters must operate in very high magnetic fields. Therefore, we have studied the resolution of 'time-zero' prototypes with microchannel plate PMs 85001-501 from Burle. For reference and comparison, measurements were also made using the standard PMs R2083 from Hamamatsu using two timing methods. The cosmic ray method, which utilizes three identical scintillating counters (Bicron BC-408, 2x3x50cm{sup 3}) with PMs at the ends, yields {sigma}{sub R2083}=59.1+/-0.7ps. The location method of particles from a radiative source with known coordinates has been used to compare timing resolutions of R2083 and 85001-501. This method yields {sigma}{sub R2083}=59.5+/-0.7ps and it also provides an estimate of the number of primary photoelectrons. For the microchannel plate PM from Burle the method yields {sigma}{sub 85001}=130+/-4ps due to lower number of primary photoelectrons.

  1. Fratura distal do rádio em pacientes com mais de 60 anos: placas ortogonais versus placa volar Distal radial fractures in patients over 60 years old: orthogonal plates versus volar plate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edgard Novaes de França Bisneto

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available OBJETIVO: Comparar os resultados do tratamento cirúrgico entre placa volar com estabilidade angular e placas ortogonais em fraturas instáveis de rádio distal em pacientes com mais de 60 anos. MÉTODOS: Pacientes foram divididos em dois grupos tratados com placa volar ou placas ortogonais. Resultados clínicos e radiográficos foram analisados prospectivamente. RESULTADOS: Os grupos de estudo apresentaram resultados clínicos e radiográficos semelhantes seis meses após a operação. No entanto três meses após a cirurgia, o grupo onde foi utilizada a placa volar obteve resultados superiores. CONCLUSÃO: Ambos os grupos apresentaram bons resultados funcionais. O tratamento cirúrgico facilita a reabilitação precoce. A técnica das placas ortogonais requer uma curva de aprendizado maior e apresentou mais complicações e piores resultados iniciais.OBJECTIVE: To compare the results from surgical treatment between volar plates with angular stability and orthogonal plates of unstable distal radius fractures in patients aged over 60 years. METHODS: Selected patients were randomized in two groups treated with volar plates or orthogonal plates. Clinic al and radiographic results were analyzed prospectively. RESULTS: The study groups presented similar clinical and radiographic results six months after the operation. However three months after surgery the volar plate group obtained superior results considering most of the parameters studied. CONCLUSION: Both the volar plates and the orthogonal plates presented good functional results. Surgical treatment enabled early rehabilitation for these patients. Orthogonal plate technique required a longer learning curve, presented more complications and worst early results.

  2. Evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction from radial long-axis tomography. A new reconstruction algorithm for ECG-gated technetium-99m Sestamibi SPECT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsujimura, Eiichiro; Kusuoka, Hideo; Uehara, Toshiisa

    1997-01-01

    Radial long-axis tomography can provide views similar to contrast left ventriculography (LVG) including the basal and apical areas of the left ventricle, not possible in routine short-axis tomography. We applied this method to ECG-gated Tc-99m Sestamibi (MIBI) myocardial SPECT images to estimate the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). ECG-gated Tc-99m MIBI SPECT was performed with a temporal resolution of 10 frames per R-R interval. LVEF was calculated on the basis of left ventricular volume estimates at end diastole (ED) and end systole (ES) with using an ellipsoid body model. To validate this method, LVEF's derived from ECG-gated Tc-99m MIBI SPECT were compared with those from LVG in 11 patients with coronary artery disease. There was a close linear correlation between LVEF values calculated from Tc-99m MIBI SPECT and those from LVG (r=0.89, p<0.001), although the gated SPECT underestimated LVEF compared to LVG. The technique showed excellent reproducibility (intra-observer variability, r=0.96, p<0.001; inter-observer variability, r=0.71, p<0.005). The radial long-axis tomography technique gives a good estimate of LVEF, in agreement with estimates based on LVG. ECG-gated Tc-99m MIBI SPECT can, therefore, be applicable to assess myocardial perfusion and ventricular function at the same time. (author)

  3. Evaluation of left ventricular ejection fraction from radial long-axis tomography. A new reconstruction algorithm for ECG-gated technetium-99m Sestamibi SPECT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tsujimura, Eiichiro; Kusuoka, Hideo; Uehara, Toshiisa [Osaka Univ. (Japan). Faculty of Medicine] [and others

    1997-08-01

    Radial long-axis tomography can provide views similar to contrast left ventriculography (LVG) including the basal and apical areas of the left ventricle, not possible in routine short-axis tomography. We applied this method to ECG-gated Tc-99m Sestamibi (MIBI) myocardial SPECT images to estimate the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). ECG-gated Tc-99m MIBI SPECT was performed with a temporal resolution of 10 frames per R-R interval. LVEF was calculated on the basis of left ventricular volume estimates at end diastole (ED) and end systole (ES) with using an ellipsoid body model. To validate this method, LVEF`s derived from ECG-gated Tc-99m MIBI SPECT were compared with those from LVG in 11 patients with coronary artery disease. There was a close linear correlation between LVEF values calculated from Tc-99m MIBI SPECT and those from LVG (r=0.89, p<0.001), although the gated SPECT underestimated LVEF compared to LVG. The technique showed excellent reproducibility (intra-observer variability, r=0.96, p<0.001; inter-observer variability, r=0.71, p<0.005). The radial long-axis tomography technique gives a good estimate of LVEF, in agreement with estimates based on LVG. ECG-gated Tc-99m MIBI SPECT can, therefore, be applicable to assess myocardial perfusion and ventricular function at the same time. (author)

  4. Low-frequency rTMS in the superior parietal cortex affects the working memory in horizontal axis during the spatial task performance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribeiro, Jéssica Alves; Marinho, Francisco Victor Costa; Rocha, Kaline; Magalhães, Francisco; Baptista, Abrahão Fontes; Velasques, Bruna; Ribeiro, Pedro; Cagy, Mauricio; Bastos, Victor Hugo; Gupta, Daya; Teixeira, Silmar

    2018-03-01

    Spatial working memory has been extensively investigated with different tasks, treatments, and analysis tools. Several studies suggest that low frequency of the repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) applied to the parietal cortex may influence spatial working memory (SWM). However, it is not yet known if after low-frequency rTMS applied to the superior parietal cortex, according to Pz electroencephalography (EEG) electrode, would change the orientation interpretation about the vertical and horizontal axes coordinates in an SWM task. The current study aims at filling this gap and obtains a better understanding of the low-frequency rTMS effect in SWM. In this crossover study, we select 20 healthy subjects in two conditions (control and 1-Hz rTMS). The subjects performed an SWM task with two random coordinates. Our results presented that low-frequency rTMS applied over the superior parietal cortex may influence the SWM to lead to a larger distance of axes interception point (p low-frequency rTMS over the superior parietal cortex (SPC) changes the SWM performance, and it has more predominance in horizontal axis.

  5. Improvement of visualization efficiency for the nondestructive inspection image of internal defects in plate type nuclear fuel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Seung Kyu; Park, Nak Kyu; Baik, Sung Hoon; Lee, Yoon Sang; Cheong, Yong Moo; Kang, Young June

    2012-01-01

    Plate type nuclear fuel has been adopted in most research reactors. The production quality of the fuel is a key part for an efficient and stable generation of thermal energy in research reactors. Thus, a nondestructive quality inspection for the internal defects of plate type nuclear fuel is a key process during the production of nuclear fuel for safety insurance. Nondestructive quality inspections based on X rays and ultrasounds have been widely used for the defect detection of plate type nuclear fuel. X ray testing is a simple and fast inspection method, and provides an image in real time as the inspection results. Thus, the testing can be carried out by a non expert field worker. However, it is hard to detect closed type defects that should be detected during the production of plate type nuclear fuel. Ultrasonic testing is a powerful tool to detect internal defects including open type and closed type defects in plate type nuclear fuel. However, the inspection process is complicated because an immersion test should be carried out in a water tank. It is also a time consuming inspection method because area testing to acquire image is based on the scanning of the point by point inspections. Among nondestructive inspection techniques, the techniques based on laser interferometry and infrared thermography have been widely used in the detection of internal defects of plate type composite materials, such as aircraft, automotive etc. While infrared thermography technique (IRT) analyses the thermal behavior of the specimen surface, laser interferometry technique (LIT) analyses the deformation field. Both techniques are useful tools for detection and evaluation of internal defects in composite materials. Especially, the laser interferometry technique can provide the depth information of internal defects. Laser interferometry technique (LIT) is a non contact inspection method faster than thermography. Also, this technique requires less energy than thermography and the

  6. Multi-photon vertical cross-sectional imaging with a dynamically-balanced thin-film PZT z-axis microactuator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choi, Jongsoo; Duan, Xiyu; Li, Haijun; Wang, Thomas D; Oldham, Kenn R

    2017-10-01

    Use of a thin-film piezoelectric microactuator for axial scanning during multi-photon vertical cross-sectional imaging is described. The actuator uses thin-film lead-zirconate-titanate (PZT) to generate upward displacement of a central mirror platform, micro-machined from a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafer to dimensions compatible with endoscopic imaging instruments. Device modeling in this paper focuses on existence of frequencies near device resonance producing vertical motion with minimal off-axis tilt even in the presence of multiple vibration modes and non-uniformity in fabrication outcomes. Operation near rear resonance permits large stroke lengths at low voltages relative to other vertical microactuators. Highly uniform vertical motion of the mirror platform is a key requirement for vertical cross-sectional imaging in the remote scan architecture being used for multi-photon instrument prototyping. The stage is installed in a benchtop testbed in combination with an electrostatic mirror that performs in-plane scanning. Vertical sectional images are acquired from 15 μm diameter beads and excised mouse colon tissue.

  7. Calcium imaging with genetically encoded sensor Case12: Facile analysis of α7/α9 nAChR mutants.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Irina Shelukhina

    Full Text Available Elucidation of the structural basis of pharmacological differences for highly homologous α7 and α9 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs may shed light on their involvement in different physiological functions and diseases. Combination of site-directed mutagenesis and electrophysiology is a powerful tool to pinpoint the key amino-acid residues in the receptor ligand-binding site, but for α7 and α9 nAChRs it is complicated by their poor expression and fast desensitization. Here, we probed the ligand-binding properties of α7/α9 nAChR mutants by a proposed simple and fast calcium imaging method. The method is based on transient co-expression of α7/α9 nAChR mutants in neuroblastoma cells together with Ric-3 or NACHO chaperones and Case12 fluorescent calcium ion sensor followed by analysis of their pharmacology using a fluorescence microscope or a fluorometric imaging plate reader (FLIPR with a GFP filter set. The results obtained were confirmed by electrophysiology and by calcium imaging with the conventional calcium indicator Fluo-4. The affinities for acetylcholine and epibatidine were determined for human and rat α7 nAChRs, and for their mutants with homologous residues of α9 nAChR incorporated at positions 117-119, 184, 185, 187, and 189, which are anticipated to be involved in ligand binding. The strongest decrease in the affinity was observed for mutations at positions 187 and 119. The L119D mutation of α7 nAChR, showing a larger effect for epibatidine than for acetylcholine, may implicate this position in pharmacological differences between α7 and α9 nAChRs.

  8. Study on radioactive fallout from Fukushima nuclear accident by plant samples using an imaging plate system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minowa, Haruka

    2011-01-01

    The radioactive fallout from the Fukushima nuclear accident was investigated by the radiation images of plant samples using an Imaging Plate System. Plant samples exposed by an imaging plate BASIII 2040 (Fujifilm, Japan) in overnight to one week, and radiation images were read by Typhoon FLA7000 (GE Healthcare Japan Corp.). Identifying and quantitative analysis of radionuclides were measured by Auto Well Gamma System ARC-380CL (Aloha Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan). In the cross-sectional images of the bamboo shoot, the radioactive material is shown in heterogeneous distribution, it was found that it concentrated on the tip of the edible portion, and thin skin. These radionuclides were identified as "1"3"7Cs, "1"3"4Cs, and "4"0K. "4"0K is a natural radionuclide, on the other hand "1"3"7Cs and "1"3"4Cs would be derived from the accident of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. A high concentration of "1"3"4Cs was shown at the distance of 150 mm from the base of the bamboo shoot by cross-sectional cutting into the width of about 1 mm. It was estimated about 1 kBq of "1"3"4Cs would be included in about 400 g (wet weight) of this one bamboo shoot in an edible part. Imaging data suggests that the contamination of radioactive cesium in this bamboo shoot was caused not by the extraneous attachment but by the absorption from roots. Because bamboo is gather water from extensive area, bamboo shoot concentrates the radioactive material contained in the rain even at low concentrations of radioactive materials in soil. (author)

  9. Automatic system for localization and recognition of vehicle plate numbers

    OpenAIRE

    Vázquez, N.; Nakano, M.; Pérez-Meana, H.

    2003-01-01

    This paper proposes a vehicle numbers plate identification system, which extracts the characters features of a plate from a captured image by a digital camera. Then identify the symbols of the number plate using a multilayer neural network. The proposed recognition system consists of two processes: The training process and the recognition process. During the training process, a database is created using 310 vehicular plate images. Then using this database a multilayer neural network is traine...

  10. Avoiding Stair-Step Artifacts in Image Registration for GOES-R Navigation and Registration Assessment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grycewicz, Thomas J.; Tan, Bin; Isaacson, Peter J.; De Luccia, Frank J.; Dellomo, John

    2016-01-01

    In developing software for independent verification and validation (IVV) of the Image Navigation and Registration (INR) capability for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite R Series (GOES-R) Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI), we have encountered an image registration artifact which limits the accuracy of image offset estimation at the subpixel scale using image correlation. Where the two images to be registered have the same pixel size, subpixel image registration preferentially selects registration values where the image pixel boundaries are close to lined up. Because of the shape of a curve plotting input displacement to estimated offset, we call this a stair-step artifact. When one image is at a higher resolution than the other, the stair-step artifact is minimized by correlating at the higher resolution. For validating ABI image navigation, GOES-R images are correlated with Landsat-based ground truth maps. To create the ground truth map, the Landsat image is first transformed to the perspective seen from the GOES-R satellite, and then is scaled to an appropriate pixel size. Minimizing processing time motivates choosing the map pixels to be the same size as the GOES-R pixels. At this pixel size image processing of the shift estimate is efficient, but the stair-step artifact is present. If the map pixel is very small, stair-step is not a problem, but image correlation is computation-intensive. This paper describes simulation-based selection of the scale for truth maps for registering GOES-R ABI images.

  11. A simulation study on the multi-pass rolling bond of 316L/Q345R stainless clad plate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qin Qin

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available This article describes an investigation into interface bonding research of 316L/Q345R stainless clad plate. A three-dimensional thermal–elastic–plastic model has been established using finite element analysis to model the multi-pass hot rolling process. Results of the model have been compared with those obtained from a rolling experiment of stainless clad plate. The comparisons of temperature and profile of the rolled stainless clad plate have indicated a satisfactory accuracy of finite element analysis simulation. Effects on interface bonding by different parameters including pre-heating temperature, multi-pass thickness reduction rules, rolling speed, covering rate, and different assemble patterns were analyzed systematically. The results show that higher temperature and larger thickness reduction are beneficial to achieve the bonding in vacuum hot rolling process. The critical reduction in the bond at the temperature of 1200 °C is 28%, and the critical thickness reduction reduces by about 2% when the temperature increases by 50 °C during the range from 1000 °C to 1250 °C. And the relationship between the minimum pass number and thickness reduction has been suggested. The results also indicate that large covering rate in the assemble pattern of outer soft and inner hard is beneficial to achieve the bond of stainless clad plate.

  12. A New Omni-Directional EMAT for Ultrasonic Lamb Wave Tomography Imaging of Metallic Plate Defects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Songling Huang

    2014-02-01

    Full Text Available This paper proposes a new omni-directional electromagnetic acoustic transducer (EMAT for the ultrasonic Lamb wave (ULW tomography imaging (TI of defects in metallic plates. The proposed EMAT is composed of a permanent magnet and a coil with a contra-flexure structure. This new EMAT coil structure is used for omni-directional ULW transmission and reception and ULW TI for the first time. The theoretical background and the working principles of this EMAT are presented and analyzed. The experimental results of its use on a 3 mm thick aluminum plate indicate that the EMAT with a contra-flexure coil (CFC can transmit and receive a pure single A0 mode ULW with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR. Thus, the extraction of the projection data used for ULW TI may be performed accurately. The circumferential consistency of the projection data is only slightly influenced by the distortion of the eddy current field that is induced by the new CFC with an irregular shape. When the new EMAT array is used for ULW TI using the cross-hole method and SIRT arithmetic, a desirable imaging quality can be achieved, and the estimated size of an artificial corrosion defect agreed well with its actual value. The relation between the reconstruction resolution and the number of the new EMATs used is analyzed. More TI experiments are carried out when the aluminum plate defect is in two different locations relative to the EMAT array, for the further investigation of the performances of the new EMATs.

  13. Dynamic Characterizations of an 8-frame, Half-Strip, High-speed X-ray Microchannel Plate Imager

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ken Moy; Ming Wu; Craig Kruschwitz; Aric Tibbits; Matt Griffin; Greg Rochau

    2008-01-01

    High-speed microchannel plate (MCP)-based imagers are critical detectors for x-ray diagnostics employed on Z-experiments at Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) to measure time-resolved x-ray spectra and to image dynamic hohlraums. A multiframe design using eight half strips in one imager permits recordings of radiation events in discrete temporal snapshots to yield a time-evolved movie. We present data using various facilities to characterize the performance of this design. These characterization studies include DC and pulsed-voltage biased measurements in both saturated and linear operational regimes using an intense, short-pulsed UV laser. Electrical probe measurements taken to characterize the shape of the HV pulse propagating across the strips help to corroborate the spatial gain dependence

  14. High energy muon induced radioactive nuclides in nickel plate and its use for 2-D muon-beam image profile

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kurebayashi, Y.; Sakurai, H.; Takahashi, Y.; Doshita, N.; Kikuchi, S.; Tokanai, F.; Horiuchi, K.; Tajima, Y.; Oe, T.; Sato, T.; Gunji, S.; Inui, E.; Kondo, K.; Iwata, N.; Sasaki, N.; Matsuzaki, H.; Kunieda, S.

    2015-01-01

    Target materials were exposed to a muon beam with an energy of 160 GeV/c at the COMPASS experiment line in CERN-SPS to measure the production cross-sections for muon-induced radionuclides. A muon imager containing four nickel plates, each measuring 100 mm×100 mm, exposed to the IP plate successfully detected the muon beam image during an irradiation period of 33 days. The contrasting density rate of the nickel plate was (5.2±0.7)×10 –9 PSL/muon per one-day exposure to IP. The image measured 122 mm and 174 mm in horizontal and vertical lengths, respectively, in relation to the surface of the base, indicating that 50±6% of the muon beam flux is confined to an area of 18% of the whole muon beam. The number of muons estimated from the PSL value in the total beam image area (0.81±0.1)×10 13 was comparable to the total muon counts of the ion-chamber at the M2 beam line in the CERN-SPS. The production cross-sections of Cr-51, Mn-54, Co-56, Co-57, and Co-58 in nickel were 0.19±0.08, 0.34±0.06, 0.5±0.05, 3.44±0.07, 0.4±0.03 in the unit of mb, respectively, reducing muon associated particles effects. They are approximately 10 times smaller than that a proceeding study by Heisinger et al

  15. Ultra-compact imaging plate scanner module using a MEMS mirror and specially designed MPPC

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miyamoto, Yuichi; Sasaki, Kensuke; Takasaka, Masaomi; Fujimoto, Masatoshi; Yamamoto, Koei

    2017-02-01

    Computed radiography (CR), which is one of the most useful methods for dental imaging and nondestructive testing, uses a phosphor imaging plate (IP) because it is flexible, reusable, and inexpensive. Conventional IP scanners utilize a galvanometer or a polygon mirror as a scanning device and a photomultiplier as an optical sensor. Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) technology currently provides silicon-based devices and has the potential to replace such discrete devices and sensors. Using these devices, we constructed an ultra-compact IP scanner. Our extremely compact plate scanner utilizes a module that is composed of a one-dimensional MEMS mirror and a long multi-pixel photon counter (MPPC) that is combined with a specially designed wavelength filter and a rod lens. The MEMS mirror, which is a non-resonant electromagnetic type, is 2.6 mm in diameter with a recommended optical scanning angle up to +/-15°. The CR's wide dynamic range is maintained using a newly developed MPPC. The MPPC is a sort of silicon photomultiplier and is a high-sensitivity photon-counting device. To achieve such a wide dynamic range, we developed a long MPPC that has over 10,000 pixels. For size reduction and high optical efficiency, we set the MPPC close to an IP across the rod lens. To prevent the MPPC from detecting excitation light, which is much more intense than photo-stimulated light, we produced a sharp-cut wavelength filter that has a wide angle (+/-60°) of tolerance. We evaluated our constructed scanner module through gray chart and resolution chart images.

  16. Comparison of the new and the used imaging plates on computed radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Weihong; Zhang Weimin; Wang Jiawei

    2008-01-01

    Objective: To compare image quality and radiation dose of the new imaging plate (IP) with the used IP on computed radiography (CR), and to investigate the using principle in the two kinds of IP. Methods: The dark noise, uniformity and erasure thoroughness of the new and the used IP were measured respectively. Based on threshold contrast-detail detectability (TCCD) technique, the phantom TO, 16 photography was done at 75 kV, and with the two kinds of IP respectively. Three observers scored each image sequence using double blind method, calculated the threshold detection index (H T ). The volunteers were randomly divided into three groups: the knee joint group, the chest group and the lumbar group. Each group had 50 cases and checked with the same condition as the phantom. Three radiologists using double blind method evaluated the imaging quality of knee joint, chest and lumbar. Results: The physical characteristic indexes of the new and the used IP were similar to each other. Under the same condition, the detection ability of the new IP was better than that of the used one. When the dose of exposure was raised about 20%, the detection ability of the used IP was close to that of the new one. Conclusions: The dose of exposure can be raised to keep the same imaging quality with the increase times of IP used. The detection ability of IP can decrease with the same dose as before, and the image quality decreases too. (authors)

  17. Registration of segmented histological images using thin plate splines and belief propagation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kybic, Jan

    2014-03-01

    We register images based on their multiclass segmentations, for cases when correspondence of local features cannot be established. A discrete mutual information is used as a similarity criterion. It is evaluated at a sparse set of location on the interfaces between classes. A thin-plate spline regularization is approximated by pairwise interactions. The problem is cast into a discrete setting and solved efficiently by belief propagation. Further speedup and robustness is provided by a multiresolution framework. Preliminary experiments suggest that our method can provide similar registration quality to standard methods at a fraction of the computational cost.

  18. High spatial resolution X-UV Fresnel zone plates imaging; Imagerie a haute resolution spatiale dans le domaine X-UV a l'aide de lentilles a zone de Fresnel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Pichet-Thomasset, M

    1999-07-01

    The goal of this work is to study the capabilities of imaging of Fresnel zone plates in the 1.5. and 2 keV X-ray range for the imaging of laser-produced plasmas. The diagnostic is composed of a Fresnel zone plate with good imaging capabilities and a multilayer mirror to select the spectral emission bandwidth of the plasma we want to study. This diagnostic was evaluated at the Centre d'Etudes de Limeil-Valenton experiments to study spatial resolution with this kind of X-ray source. The images we obtained showed that there is no geometric aberrations over an object field of several millimetre. Fresnen zone plates are often used for monochromatic biological objects imaging in the water window around 400 eV but they offer large prospects for laser produced plasma imaging. (author)

  19. The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis in major affective disorder

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, M V; Kessing, L V

    2001-01-01

    disorder. The HPA axis is a complex neuroendocrine network with multiple integrated levels of control, and it is likely that the dysregulation involves abnormalities at several sites within the axis. At present, it is not clear whether the abnormalities are related to the affective episodes only......This paper reviews studies of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA)-axis activity in patients with affective disorders. It is concluded that, despite methodological drawbacks in most studies, dysregulation of the HPA axis seems to be a consistent finding in a proportion of patients with affective...... or to the disorder itself. There is a need for prospective studies of larger samples of patients to be followed during successive affective episodes with a combination of measurements of the HPA-axis activity and brain imaging....

  20. Real-Time Amplitude and Phase Imaging of Optically Opaque Objects by Combining Full-Field Off-Axis Terahertz Digital Holography with Angular Spectrum Reconstruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamagiwa, Masatomo; Ogawa, Takayuki; Minamikawa, Takeo; Abdelsalam, Dahi Ghareab; Okabe, Kyosuke; Tsurumachi, Noriaki; Mizutani, Yasuhiro; Iwata, Testuo; Yamamoto, Hirotsugu; Yasui, Takeshi

    2018-06-01

    Terahertz digital holography (THz-DH) has the potential to be used for non-destructive inspection of visibly opaque soft materials due to its good immunity to optical scattering and absorption. Although previous research on full-field off-axis THz-DH has usually been performed using Fresnel diffraction reconstruction, its minimum reconstruction distance occasionally prevents a sample from being placed near a THz imager to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in the hologram. In this article, we apply the angular spectrum method (ASM) for wavefront reconstruction in full-filed off-axis THz-DH because ASM is more accurate at short reconstruction distances. We demonstrate real-time phase imaging of a visibly opaque plastic sample with a phase resolution power of λ/49 at a frame rate of 3.5 Hz in addition to real-time amplitude imaging. We also perform digital focusing of the amplitude image for the same object with a depth selectivity of 447 μm. Furthermore, 3D imaging of visibly opaque silicon objects was achieved with a depth precision of 1.7 μm. The demonstrated results indicate the high potential of the proposed method for in-line or in-process non-destructive inspection of soft materials.

  1. Real-Time Amplitude and Phase Imaging of Optically Opaque Objects by Combining Full-Field Off-Axis Terahertz Digital Holography with Angular Spectrum Reconstruction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamagiwa, Masatomo; Ogawa, Takayuki; Minamikawa, Takeo; Abdelsalam, Dahi Ghareab; Okabe, Kyosuke; Tsurumachi, Noriaki; Mizutani, Yasuhiro; Iwata, Testuo; Yamamoto, Hirotsugu; Yasui, Takeshi

    2018-04-01

    Terahertz digital holography (THz-DH) has the potential to be used for non-destructive inspection of visibly opaque soft materials due to its good immunity to optical scattering and absorption. Although previous research on full-field off-axis THz-DH has usually been performed using Fresnel diffraction reconstruction, its minimum reconstruction distance occasionally prevents a sample from being placed near a THz imager to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in the hologram. In this article, we apply the angular spectrum method (ASM) for wavefront reconstruction in full-filed off-axis THz-DH because ASM is more accurate at short reconstruction distances. We demonstrate real-time phase imaging of a visibly opaque plastic sample with a phase resolution power of λ/49 at a frame rate of 3.5 Hz in addition to real-time amplitude imaging. We also perform digital focusing of the amplitude image for the same object with a depth selectivity of 447 μm. Furthermore, 3D imaging of visibly opaque silicon objects was achieved with a depth precision of 1.7 μm. The demonstrated results indicate the high potential of the proposed method for in-line or in-process non-destructive inspection of soft materials.

  2. Simplified description of out-of-plane waves in thin annular elastic plates

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zadeh, Maziyar Nesari; Sorokin, Sergey

    2013-01-01

    Dispersion relations are derived for the out-of-plane wave propagation in planar elastic plates with constant curvature using the classical Kirchhoff thin plate theory. The dispersion diagrams and the mode shapes are compared with their counterparts for a straight plate strip and the role...... of curvature is assessed for plates with unconstrained edges. Elementary Bernoulli–Euler theory for a beam of rectangular cross-section with the circular shape of its axis is also employed to analyze the wave guide properties of this structure in its out-of-plane deformation. The applicability range...... of the elementary beam theory is validated. The wave finite element method in the formulation of the three-dimensional elasticity theory is used to ensure that the comparison of dispersion diagrams is performed in the frequency range, where the classical thin plate theory is valid. Thus, the paper summarizes...

  3. Single-shot dual-wavelength in-line and off-axis hybrid digital holography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Fengpeng; Wang, Dayong; Rong, Lu; Wang, Yunxin; Zhao, Jie

    2018-02-01

    We propose an in-line and off-axis hybrid holographic real-time imaging technique. The in-line and off-axis digital holograms are generated simultaneously by two lasers with different wavelengths, and they are recorded using a color camera with a single shot. The reconstruction is carried using an iterative algorithm in which the initial input is designed to include the intensity of the in-line hologram and the approximate phase distributions obtained from the off-axis hologram. In this way, the complex field in the object plane and the output by the iterative procedure can produce higher quality amplitude and phase images compared to traditional iterative phase retrieval. The performance of the technique has been demonstrated by acquiring the amplitude and phase images of a green lacewing's wing and a living moon jellyfish.

  4. An Algorithm for Data Hiding in Radiographic Images and ePHI/R Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Aqsa Rashid

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Telemedicine is the use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT for clinical health care from a distance. The exchange of radiographic images and electronic patient health information/records (ePHI/R for diagnostic purposes has the risk of confidentiality, ownership identity, and authenticity. In this paper, a data hiding technique for ePHI/R is proposed. The color information in the cover image is used for key generation, and stego-images are produced with ideal case. As a result, the whole stego-system is perfectly secure. This method includes the features of watermarking and steganography techniques. The method is applied to radiographic images. For the radiographic images, this method resembles watermarking, which is an ePHI/R data system. Experiments show promising results for the application of this method to radiographic images in ePHI/R for both transmission and storage purpose.

  5. Digital Archive of the Astrograph Plates Stored at the Inasan Zvenigorod Observatory

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vereshchagin S. V.

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available The plate collection of the Zvenigorod 40-cm Carl Zeiss astrograph, obtained in 1972-2003, contains direct photographs of star fields, comets, asteroids, Pluto, and Mars. The electronic library of images from photographic plates was created from scanning the astronomical negatives. We present information on programs scheduled at the telescope and the structure and maintenance of the plate stacks. We also list the plates with images of asteroids and comets. Access to all our plate lists is provided at the web sites of the Institute of Astronomy (INASAN and WFPDB. It is possible to select plates by the date of observation, by the coordinates of the sky area, by the object type. Preview images can be inspected.

  6. Free-breathing motion-corrected late-gadolinium-enhancement imaging improves image quality in children

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olivieri, Laura; O'Brien, Kendall J.; Cross, Russell; Xue, Hui; Kellman, Peter; Hansen, Michael S.

    2016-01-01

    The value of late-gadolinium-enhancement (LGE) imaging in the diagnosis and management of pediatric and congenital heart disease is clear; however current acquisition techniques are susceptible to error and artifacts when performed in children because of children's higher heart rates, higher prevalence of sinus arrhythmia, and inability to breath-hold. Commonly used techniques in pediatric LGE imaging include breath-held segmented FLASH (segFLASH) and steady-state free precession-based (segSSFP) imaging. More recently, single-shot SSFP techniques with respiratory motion-corrected averaging have emerged. This study tested and compared single-shot free-breathing LGE techniques with standard segmented breath-held techniques in children undergoing LGE imaging. Thirty-two consecutive children underwent clinically indicated late-enhancement imaging using intravenous gadobutrol 0.15 mmol/kg. Breath-held segSSFP, breath-held segFLASH, and free-breathing single-shot SSFP LGE sequences were performed in consecutive series in each child. Two blinded reviewers evaluated the quality of the images and rated them on a scale of 1-5 (1 = poor, 5 = superior) based on blood pool-myocardial definition, presence of cardiac motion, presence of respiratory motion artifacts, and image acquisition artifact. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare groups. Patients ranged in age from 9 months to 18 years, with a mean +/- standard deviation (SD) of 13.3 +/- 4.8 years. R-R interval at the time of acquisition ranged 366-1,265 milliseconds (ms) (47-164 beats per minute [bpm]), mean +/- SD of 843+/-231 ms (72+/-21 bpm). Mean +/- SD quality ratings for long-axis imaging for segFLASH, segSSFP and single-shot SSFP were 3.1+/-0.9, 3.4+/-0.9 and 4.0+/-0.9, respectively (P < 0.01 by ANOVA). Mean +/- SD quality ratings for short-axis imaging for segFLASH, segSSFP and single-shot SSFP were 3.4+/-1, 3.8+/-0.9 and 4.3+/-0.7, respectively (P < 0.01 by ANOVA). Single-shot late

  7. Free-breathing motion-corrected late-gadolinium-enhancement imaging improves image quality in children

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Olivieri, Laura; O' Brien, Kendall J. [Children' s National Health System, Division of Cardiology, Washington, DC (United States); National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (United States); Cross, Russell [Children' s National Health System, Division of Cardiology, Washington, DC (United States); Xue, Hui; Kellman, Peter; Hansen, Michael S. [National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD (United States)

    2016-06-15

    The value of late-gadolinium-enhancement (LGE) imaging in the diagnosis and management of pediatric and congenital heart disease is clear; however current acquisition techniques are susceptible to error and artifacts when performed in children because of children's higher heart rates, higher prevalence of sinus arrhythmia, and inability to breath-hold. Commonly used techniques in pediatric LGE imaging include breath-held segmented FLASH (segFLASH) and steady-state free precession-based (segSSFP) imaging. More recently, single-shot SSFP techniques with respiratory motion-corrected averaging have emerged. This study tested and compared single-shot free-breathing LGE techniques with standard segmented breath-held techniques in children undergoing LGE imaging. Thirty-two consecutive children underwent clinically indicated late-enhancement imaging using intravenous gadobutrol 0.15 mmol/kg. Breath-held segSSFP, breath-held segFLASH, and free-breathing single-shot SSFP LGE sequences were performed in consecutive series in each child. Two blinded reviewers evaluated the quality of the images and rated them on a scale of 1-5 (1 = poor, 5 = superior) based on blood pool-myocardial definition, presence of cardiac motion, presence of respiratory motion artifacts, and image acquisition artifact. We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare groups. Patients ranged in age from 9 months to 18 years, with a mean +/- standard deviation (SD) of 13.3 +/- 4.8 years. R-R interval at the time of acquisition ranged 366-1,265 milliseconds (ms) (47-164 beats per minute [bpm]), mean +/- SD of 843+/-231 ms (72+/-21 bpm). Mean +/- SD quality ratings for long-axis imaging for segFLASH, segSSFP and single-shot SSFP were 3.1+/-0.9, 3.4+/-0.9 and 4.0+/-0.9, respectively (P < 0.01 by ANOVA). Mean +/- SD quality ratings for short-axis imaging for segFLASH, segSSFP and single-shot SSFP were 3.4+/-1, 3.8+/-0.9 and 4.3+/-0.7, respectively (P < 0.01 by ANOVA). Single-shot late

  8. Significance of MR imaging in patients with pulmonary hypertension

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Frank, H.; Globits, S.; Mayr, H.; Lang, I.; Kneussl, M.; Glogar, D.; Miczoch, J.; Neuhold, A.; Imhof, H.

    1989-01-01

    To determine the diagnostic impact of MR imaging in pulmonary hypertension (PH), the authors have examined 12 PH patients with a 0.5- or 1.5-T magnet in a double-angulation projection with multisection, multiphase technique and a gradient-echo sequence. MR data were evaluated for right ventricular volumes or function and compared with data from 10 control subjects. In PH patients, MR imaging showed right ventricular enlargement with hypertrophy, right atrial enlargement, and abnormal septal motion. Right ventricular (RV) function was compromised, with reduced RV circumferential shortening. PH patients had a severe reduction of long-axis shortening and variable reduction of short-axis shortening that correlated with the degree of PH (r = .68, P <.01)

  9. Circularly Polarized Microwave Antenna Element with Very Low Off-Axis Cross-Polarization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greem. David; DuToit, Cornelis

    2013-01-01

    The goal of this work was to improve off-axis cross-polarization performance and ease of assembly of a circularly polarized microwave antenna element. To ease assembly, the initial design requirement of Hexweb support for the internal circuit part, as well as the radiating disks, was eliminated. There is a need for different plating techniques to improve soldering. It was also desirable to change the design to eliminate soldering as well as the need to use the Hexweb support. Thus, a technique was developed to build the feed without using solder, solving the lathing and soldering issue. Internal parts were strengthened by adding curvature to eliminate Hexweb support, and in the process, the new geometries of the internal parts opened the way for improving the off-axis cross-polarization performance as well. The radiating disks curvatures were increased for increased strength, but it was found that this also improved crosspolarization. Optimization of the curvatures leads to very low off-axis cross-polarization. The feed circuit was curved into a cylinder for improved strength, eliminating Hexweb support. An aperture coupling feed mechanism eliminated the need for feed pins to the disks, which would have required soldering. The aperture coupling technique also improves cross-polarization performance by effectively exciting the radiating disks very close to the antenna s central axis of symmetry. Because of the shape of the parts, it allowed for an all-aluminum design bolted together and assembled with no solder needed. The advantage of a solderless design is that the reliability is higher, with no single-point failure (solder), and no need for special plating techniques in order to solder the unit together. The shapes (curved or round) make for a more robust build without extra support materials, as well as improved offaxis cross-polarization.

  10. Heat transfer effects on a viscous dissipative fluid flow past a vertical plate in the presence of induced magnetic field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M.C. Raju

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available A theoretical analysis is performed to study induced magnetic field effects on free convection flow past a vertical plate. The x¯-axis is taken vertically upwards along the plate, y¯-axis normal to the plate into the fluid region. It is assumed that the plate is electrically non-conducting and the applied magnetic field is of uniform strength (H0 and perpendicular to the plate. The magnetic Reynolds number of the flow is not taken to be small enough so that the induced magnetic field is taken into account. The coupled nonlinear partial differential equations are solved by Perturbation technique and the effects of various physical parameters on velocity, temperature, and induced magnetic fields are studied through graphs and tables. Variations in Skin friction and rate of heat transfer are also studied. It is observed that an increase in magnetic parameter decreases the velocity for both water and air. It is also seen that there is a fall in induced magnetic field as magnetic Prandtl number, and magnetic field parameter increase.

  11. Optimized image processing with modified preprocessing of image data sets of a transparent imaging plate by way of the lateral view of the cervical spine

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reissberg, S.; Hoeschen, C.; Redlich, U.; Scherlach, C.; Preuss, H.; Kaestner, A.; Doehring, W.; Woischneck, D.; Schuetze, M.; Reichardt, K.; Firsching, R.

    2002-01-01

    Purpose: To improve the diagnostic quality of lateral radiographs of the cervical spine by pre-processing the image data sets produced by a transparent imaging plate with both-side reading and to evaluate any possible impact on minimizing the number of additional radiographs and supplementary investigations. Material and Methods: One hundred lateral digital radiographs of the cervical spine were processed with two different methods: processing of each data set using the system-imminent parameters and using the manual model. The difference between the two types of processing is the level of the latitude value. Hard copies of the processed images were judged by five radiologists and three neurosurgeons. The evaluation applied the image criteria score (ICS) without conventional reference images. Results: In 99% of the lateral radiographs of the cervical spine, all vertebral bodies could be completed delineated using the manual mode, but only 76% of the images processed by the system-imminent parameters showed all vertebral bodies. Thus, the manual mode enabled the evaluation of up to two additional more caudal vertebral bodies. The manual mode processing was significantly better concerning object size and processing artifacts. This optimized image processing and the resultant minimization of supplementary investigations was calculated to correspond to a theoretical dose reduction of about 50%. (orig.) [de

  12. Avalanche transistor pulser for fast-gated operation of micro-channel plate image-intensifiers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lundy, A.; Parker, J.R.; Lunsford, J.S.; Martin, A.D.

    1977-01-01

    Transistors operated in the avalanche mode are employed to generate a 1000 volt 10 to 30 nsec wide pulse with less than 4 nsec rise and fall times. This pulse is resistively attenuated to approximately equal to 270 volts and drives the image intensifier tube which is a load of approximately equal to 200 pf. To reduce stray inductance and capacitance, transistor chips were assembled on a thick-film hybrid substrate. Circuit parameters, operating conditions, and coupling to the microchannel plate image-intensifier (MCPI 2 ) tube are described. To provide dc operating voltages and control of transient voltages on the MCPI 2 tube a resistance-capacitance network has been developed which (a) places the MCPI 2 output phosphor at ground, (b) provides programmable gains in ''f-stop'' steps, and (c) minimizes voltage transients on the MCPI 2 tube

  13. Characterization of an in vivo thyroid 131I monitoring system using an imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirota, Masahiro; Saze, Takuya; Nishizawa, Kunihide

    2004-01-01

    The effects of neck diameter, thyroid volume, and prethyroid tissue thickness on a count-activity conversion coefficient and the detection limit of a thyroid 131 I monitoring system with an imaging plate (IP) were estimated by using an anthropomorphic thyroid-neck phantom. The conversion coefficient and detection limit of the IP system was approximately constant for normal Japanese adults regardless of their neck diameters, thyroid volumes, and prethyroid tissue thicknesses. The IP system is a new option for thyroid 131 I monitoring

  14. Imaging microchannel plate detectors for XUV sky survey experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Barstow, M.A.; Fraser, G.W.; Milward, S.R.

    1986-01-01

    Attention is given to the development of microchannel plate detectors for the Wide Field Camera (WFC) XUV (50-300 A) sky survey experiment on Rosat. A novel feature of the detector design is that the microchannel plates and their resistive anode readout are curved to the same radius as the WFC telescope focal surface. It is shown that curving the channel plates is not detrimental to gain uniformity. The paper describes the design of a curved resistive anode readout element and contrasts the present measurements of spatial resolution, global and local uniformity and temperature coefficient of resistance with the poor performance recently ascribed to resistive anodes in the literature. 18 references

  15. Measurement of leakage dose distribution from Crookes tube using imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujibuchi, Toshioh; Obara, Satoshi; Inoue, Hajime; Kato, Hideyuki; Kobayashi, Ikuo; Hosoda, Masahiro

    2011-01-01

    Crookes tube is used on an educational site in the junior high school and the high school, etc. for the purpose to learn the character of cathode rays. When using the tube, X rays are generated, however, there is few example of confirming in which direction to scatter in detail. Understanding how the distribution of the leakage dose is important because of efficient exposure decrease. The distribution of X rays generated from Crookes tube was measured by arranging imaging plates in six surroundings to enclose Crookes tube. The electron collided with a metal target and X rays had extended backward. The dose was greatly different depending on the direction. When experimenting with Crookes tube, it is necessary to consider not only the dose but also distribution. (author)

  16. UARS PEM Level 2 AXIS 1 V001

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The UARS Particle Environment Monitor (PEM) level 2 Atmosphere X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (AXIS) unit 1 daily product contains the X-ray high-resolution spectral...

  17. UARS PEM Level 2 AXIS 2 V001

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — The UARS Particle Environment Monitor (PEM) level 2 Atmosphere X-Ray Imaging Spectrometer (AXIS) unit 2 daily product contains the X-ray high-resolution spectral...

  18. Image quality in conventional film screen system, digital phosphor storage plate mammography in magnification technique and digital mammography in CCD-technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz-Wendtland, R.; Aichinger, U.; Boehner, C.; Dobritz, M.; Bautz, W.; Saebel, M.

    2000-01-01

    Purpose: Comparison of image quality between conventional film screen system, digital phosphor storage plate mammography in magnification technique and digital mammography in CCD-technique. Materials and Methods: Radiograms of a RMI-mammography phantom were acquired using a conventional film screen system, two digital storage plate systems and two digital systems in CCD-technique. Additionally, the radiograms of one digital phosphor storage plate system were post-processed emphasizing contrast and included in the comparison. Results: The detectability of details was the best with the digital mammography in CCD-technique in comparison with the conventional film screen technique resp. digital phosphor storage plate in magnification technique. Conclusions: Based on these results there is the possibility to replace the conventional film screen system by further studies - this has to be confirmed. (orig.) [de

  19. Applicability and performance of an imaging plate at subzero temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakoda, Akihiro; Ishimori, Yuu; Hanamoto, Katsumi; Kawabe, Atsushi; Kataoka, Takahiro; Nagamatsu, Tomohiro; Yamaoka, Kiyonori

    2010-01-01

    The performance of imaging plates (IPs) has not been studied at temperatures lower than 0 o C. In the present study, an IP was irradiated with gamma rays emitted from the mineral monazite at temperatures between -80 and 30 o C to determine its fundamental properties. The IP response as a function of irradiation time was found to be linear, suggesting that the IP works properly at low temperatures. Fading, an effect which should be considered at temperatures of more than 0 o C, was not observed at -30 and -80 o C. Furthermore, the fading-corrected PSL value of the IP irradiated at -80 o C was lower than at other temperatures (30, 5 and -30 o C). This can be explained by thermostimulated luminescence (TSL). Since the only intensive TSL peak in the temperature range from -80 to 30 o C is present at about -43 o C, some of the electrons trapped at F centers recombine with holes through the process of TSL before the stored radiation image is read out at room temperature. This finding suggests that the apparent sensitivity of the IP is lower at -80 o C although it is similar to sensitivities between -30 and 30 o C. This low sensitivity should be corrected to perform quantitative measurements.

  20. Depth profiling of hydrogen in ferritic/martensitic steels by means of a tritium imaging plate technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Otsuka, Teppei; Tanabe, Tetsuo

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► We applied a tritium imaging plate technique to depth profiling of hydrogen in bulk. ► Changes of hydrogen depth profiles in the steel by thermal annealing were examined. ► We proposed a release model of plasma-loaded hydrogen in the steel. ► Hydrogen is trapped at trapping sites newly developed by plasma loading. ► Hydrogen is also trapped at surface oxides and hardly desorbed by thermal annealing. -- Abstract: In order to understand how hydrogen loaded by plasma in F82H is removed by annealing at elevated temperatures in vacuum, depth profiles of plasma-loaded hydrogen were examined by means of a tritium imaging plate technique. Owing to large hydrogen diffusion coefficients in F82H, the plasma-loaded hydrogen easily penetrates into a deeper region becoming solute hydrogen and desorbs by thermal annealing in vacuum. However the plasma-loading creates new hydrogen trapping sites having larger trapping energy than that for the intrinsic sites beyond the projected range of the loaded hydrogen. Some surface oxides also trap an appreciable amount of hydrogen which is more difficult to remove by the thermal annealing

  1. Long non-coding RNA TUG1 promotes cervical cancer progression by regulating the miR-138-5p-SIRT1 axis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jie; Shi, Huirong; Liu, Huina; Wang, Xiaojuan; Li, Fengmei

    2017-09-12

    Increasing evidences showed that long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) play vital roles in tumor progression. Recent studies indicated that lncRNA TUG1 was upregulated and promoted tumor processes in several cancers. However, the expression and underlying mechanism of TUG1 in cervical cancer remain unclear. In the present study, we found that TUG1 expression was upregulated in cervical cancer tissues and correlated with advanced clinical features and poor overall survival. TUG1 knockdown suppressed cervical cancer cell growth and metastasis in vitro and tumor growth in vivo . In addition, our results indicated that TUG1 could act as an endogenous sponge by directly binding to miR-138-5p and suppressed miR-138-5p expression. Furthermore, we found that TUG1 could reverse the inhibitory effect of miR-138-5p on cervical cancer cells processes, which might be involved in the activation of SIRT1, a target gene of miR-138-5p, and activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway. Taken together, we elucidated that TUG1 might promote cervical cancer malignant progression via miR-138-5p-SIRT1-Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway axis.

  2. Distribution of radiocesium in bamboo leaves, roots and shoots. Application of an imaging plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Minowa, Haruka; Ogata, Yoshimune; Satou, Yukihiko

    2012-01-01

    When radiocesium is taken into a wild plant accidentally, it will circulate for a certain period of time. Bamboo is that in some cases relative high concentration of radiocesium have been reported. Radiocesium is considered to be concentrated in bamboo shoot by translocation in plants from bamboo leaves or roots. In this study, to investigate the behavior of radiocesium, shoots, roots, branches and leaves of bamboo (Phyllostadhys edulis) were collected at Yamakiya area, Kawamata-machi, Date-gun, Fukushima Prefecture. Radiation image analysis was conducted using an imaging plate BAS 2040 (Fujifilm) and an image analyzer Typhoon FLA7000 (GE Healthcare Japan Corp.). The content of radiocesium was about 500 Bq for "1"3"4Cs and 700 Bq for "1"3"7Cs per the bamboo shoot (500 g approximately). In the edible parts of bamboo shoots, the skin of bamboo shoots and leaves of newly-grown, radiocesium uptake was in high concentration, especially at the tip. (author)

  3. Gene expression profiling of the Notch-AhR-IL22 axis at homeostasis and in response to tissue injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weidenbusch, Marc; Rodler, Severin; Song, Shangqing; Romoli, Simone; Marschner, Julian A; Kraft, Franziska; Holderied, Alexander; Kumar, Santosh; Mulay, Shrikant R; Honarpisheh, Mohsen; Kumar Devarapu, Satish; Lech, Maciej; Anders, Hans-Joachim

    2017-12-22

    Notch and interleukin-22 (IL-22) signaling are known to regulate tissue homeostasis and respond to injury in humans and mice, and the induction of endogenous aryl hydrocarbon receptor (Ahr) ligands through Notch links the two pathways in a hierarchical fashion. However in adults, the species-, organ- and injury-specific gene expression of the Notch-AhR-IL22 axis components is unknown. We therefore performed gene expression profiling of DLL1, DLL3, DLL4, DLK1, DLK2, JAG1, JAG2, Notch1, Notch2, Notch3, Notch4, ADAM17/TNF-α ADAM metalloprotease converting enzyme (TACE), PSEN1, basigin (BSG)/CD147, RBP-J, HES1, HES5, HEY1, HEYL, AHR, ARNT, ARNT2, CYP1A1, CYP24A1, IL-22, IL22RA1, IL22RA2, IL10RB, and STAT3 under homeostatic conditions in ten mature murine and human organs. Additionally, the expression of these genes was assessed in murine models of acute sterile inflammation and progressive fibrosis. We show that there are organ-specific gene expression profiles of the Notch-AhR-IL22 axis in humans and mice. Although there is an overall interspecies congruency, specific differences between human and murine expression signatures do exist. In murine tissues with AHR/ARNT expression CYP1A1 and IL-22 were correlated with HES5 and HEYL expression, while in human tissues no such correlation was found. Notch and AhR signaling are involved in renal inflammation and fibrosis with specific gene expression changes in each model. Despite the presence of all Notch pathway molecules in the kidney and a model-specific induction of Notch ligands, IL-22 was only up-regulated in acute inflammation, but rapidly down-regulated during regeneration. This implies that for targeting injury responses, e.g. via IL-22, species-specific differences, injury type and time points have to be considered. © 2017 The Author(s).

  4. Optics for People Stuck in Traffic: License Plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chagnon, Paul

    1995-01-01

    Explains the theory behind the working of Scotchlite, a retrodirective material used for coating automotive license plates, and the Ensure Imaging System that allows law enforcement officers to verify the authenticity of the plate. (JRH)

  5. Thin plate spline feature point matching for organ surfaces in minimally invasive surgery imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Bingxiong; Sun, Yu; Qian, Xiaoning

    2013-03-01

    Robust feature point matching for images with large view angle changes in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) is a challenging task due to low texture and specular reflections in these images. This paper presents a new approach that can improve feature matching performance by exploiting the inherent geometric property of the organ surfaces. Recently, intensity based template image tracking using a Thin Plate Spline (TPS) model has been extended for 3D surface tracking with stereo cameras. The intensity based tracking is also used here for 3D reconstruction of internal organ surfaces. To overcome the small displacement requirement of intensity based tracking, feature point correspondences are used for proper initialization of the nonlinear optimization in the intensity based method. Second, we generate simulated images from the reconstructed 3D surfaces under all potential view positions and orientations, and then extract feature points from these simulated images. The obtained feature points are then filtered and re-projected to the common reference image. The descriptors of the feature points under different view angles are stored to ensure that the proposed method can tolerate a large range of view angles. We evaluate the proposed method with silicon phantoms and in vivo images. The experimental results show that our method is much more robust with respect to the view angle changes than other state-of-the-art methods.

  6. Reconstruction of on-axis lensless Fourier transform digital hologram with the screen division method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Hongzhen; Liu, Xu; Liu, Yong; Li, Dong; Chen, Zhu; Zheng, Fanglan; Yu, Deqiang

    2017-10-01

    An effective approach for reconstructing on-axis lensless Fourier Transform digital hologram by using the screen division method is proposed. Firstly, the on-axis Fourier Transform digital hologram is divided into sub-holograms. Then the reconstruction result of every sub-hologram is obtained according to the position of corresponding sub-hologram in the hologram reconstruction plane with Fourier transform operation. Finally, the reconstruction image of on-axis Fourier Transform digital hologram can be acquired by the superposition of the reconstruction result of sub-holograms. Compared with the traditional reconstruction method with the phase shifting technology, in which multiple digital holograms are required to record for obtaining the reconstruction image, this method can obtain the reconstruction image with only one digital hologram and therefore greatly simplify the recording and reconstruction process of on-axis lensless Fourier Transform digital holography. The effectiveness of the proposed method is well proved with the experimental results and it will have potential application foreground in the holographic measurement and display field.

  7. X-ray Talbot interferometry with capillary plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Momose, Atsushi; Kawamoto, Shinya

    2006-01-01

    An X-ray Talbot interferometer consisting of two capillary plates, which were used as X-ray amplitude gratings, was evaluated for X-ray phase imaging. A theoretical aspect of capillary X-ray Talbot interferometry is presented with a preliminary operation result using synchrotron radiation. A two-dimensional X-ray Talbot effect, or self-imaging effect, which was the basis of Talbot interferometry, was observed with the capillary plate, and moire images formed by the X-ray Talbot interferometer exhibited contrasts corresponding to the differential phase shift caused by phase objects placed in front of the interferometer. Finally, the possibility of quantitative phase measurement with a fringe scanning technique is discussed. (author)

  8. Spirit Beside 'Home Plate,' Sol 1809

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images assembled into this 120-degree view southward after a short drive during the 1,809th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on the surface of Mars (February 3, 2009). Spirit had driven about 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) that sol, continuing a clockwise route around a low plateau called 'Home Plate.' In this image, the rocks visible above the rovers' solar panels are on the slope at the northern edge of Home Plate. This view is presented as a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction.

  9. 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.

  10. Visualization and quantification of capillary drainage in the pore space of laminated sandstone by a porous plate method using differential imaging X-ray microtomography

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Qingyang; Bijeljic, Branko; Rieke, Holger; Blunt, Martin J.

    2017-08-01

    The experimental determination of capillary pressure drainage curves at the pore scale is of vital importance for the mapping of reservoir fluid distribution. To fully characterize capillary drainage in a complex pore space, we design a differential imaging-based porous plate (DIPP) method using X-ray microtomography. For an exemplar mm-scale laminated sandstone microcore with a porous plate, we quantify the displacement from resolvable macropores and subresolution micropores. Nitrogen (N2) was injected as the nonwetting phase at a constant pressure while the porous plate prevented its escape. The measured porosity and capillary pressure at the imaged saturations agree well with helium measurements and experiments on larger core samples, while providing a pore-scale explanation of the fluid distribution. We observed that the majority of the brine was displaced by N2 in macropores at low capillary pressures, followed by a further brine displacement in micropores when capillary pressure increases. Furthermore, we were able to discern that brine predominantly remained within the subresolution micropores, such as regions of fine lamination. The capillary pressure curve for pressures ranging from 0 to 1151 kPa is provided from the image analysis compares well with the conventional porous plate method for a cm-scale core but was conducted over a period of 10 days rather than up to few months with the conventional porous plate method. Overall, we demonstrate the capability of our method to provide quantitative information on two-phase saturation in heterogeneous core samples for a wide range of capillary pressures even at scales smaller than the micro-CT resolution.

  11. A License Plate Locating Method Based on Tophat-bothat Changing and Line Scanning

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou, P G; Zhao, J; Liu, M

    2006-01-01

    The automatic license plate recognition is an important technique to obtain traffic information, it mixes computer vision, image processing techniques and pattern recognition techniques, it is an important technique in intelligent traffic system. In a vehicle license plate recognition system, plate region detection is the key step before the final recognition. This article introduces the whole process of plate region detection. Top - hat and bot - hat transformation are used for enhancing the image contrast in this paper, and wavelet threshold method is used as image filter, and a improved line scanning is used for plate region detection at last. This method has strong practicability. The experimental results demonstrate that the method introduced in this paper is effective

  12. Evaluation of In-Vacuum Imaging Plate Detector for X-Ray Diffraction Microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nishino, Yoshinori; Takahashi, Yukio; Yamamoto, Masaki; Ishikawa, Tetsuya

    2007-01-01

    We performed evaluation tests of a newly developed in-vacuum imaging plate (IP) detector for x-ray diffraction microscopy. IP detectors have advantages over direct x-ray detection charge-coupled device (CCD) detectors, which have been commonly used in x-ray diffraction microscopy experiments, in the capabilities for a high photon count and for a wide area. The detector system contains two IPs to make measurement efficient by recording data with the one while reading or erasing the other. We compared speckled diffraction patterns of single particles taken with the IP and a direct x-ray detection CCD. The IP was inferior to the CCD in spatial resolution and in signal-to-noise ratio at a low photon count

  13. The A/P axis in echinoderm ontogeny and evolution: evidence from fossils and molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peterson, K. J.; Arenas-Mena, C.; Davidson, E. H.

    2000-01-01

    Even though echinoderms are members of the Bilateria, the location of their anterior/posterior axis has remained enigmatic. Here we propose a novel solution to the problem employing three lines of evidence: the expression of a posterior class Hox gene in the coeloms of the nascent adult body plan within the larva; the anatomy of certain early fossil echinoderms; and finally the relation between endoskeletal plate morphology and the associated coelomic tissues. All three lines of evidence converge on the same answer, namely that the location of the adult mouth is anterior, and the anterior/posterior axis runs from the mouth through the adult coelomic compartments. This axis then orients the animal such that there is but a single plane of symmetry dividing the animal into left and right halves. We tentatively hypothesize that this plane of symmetry is positioned along the dorsal/ventral axis. These axis identifications lead to the conclusion that the five ambulacra are not primary body axes, but instead are outgrowths from the central anterior/posterior axis. These identifications also shed insight into several other evolutionary mysteries of various echinoderm clades such as the independent evolution of bilateral symmetry in irregular echinoids, but do not elucidate the underlying mechanisms of the adult coelomic architecture.

  14. An experimental observation of the effect of flow direction for evaporation heat transfer in plate heat exchanger

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lin, Yueh-Hung; Li, Guang-Cheng; Yang, Chien-Yuh

    2015-01-01

    This study provides an Infrared Thermal Image observation on the evaporation heat transfer of refrigerant R-410A in plate heat exchanger with various flow arrangement and exit superheat conditions. An experimental method was derived for estimating the superheat region area of two-phase refrigerant evaporation in plate heat exchanger. The experimental results show that the superheat region area for parallel flow is much larger than that for counter flow as that estimated by Yang et al. [9]. There is an early superheated region at the central part of the plate heat exchanger for parallel flow arrangement. This effect is not significant for counter flow arrangement. The Yang et al. [9] method under estimated the superheat area approximately 40%–53% at various flow rates and degree of exit superheat. Even though the flow inside a plate heat exchanger is extremely turbulent because of the chevron flow passages, the assumption of uniform temperature distribution in the cross section normal to the bulk flow direction will cause significant uncertainties for estimating the superheat area for refrigerant evaporating in a plate heat exchanger

  15. Multi-axis force sensing using a resonant composite piezoelectric plate: model and experiments

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castaño-Cano, Davinson; Grossard, Mathieu; Hubert, Arnaud

    2015-05-01

    Wrist force/torque sensors used in robotic applications increase the performances and flexibility of the automated tasks. They also offer new possibilities in the manufacturing process, where physical contact between the work-piece and environment is required. The wide spreading of these sensors is for now restricted by their features. As an alternative to the existing strain-gauges force sensors, this paper presents a resonant composite structure, which is sensitive to multiple components of force that are considered via the pre-stress effect. Structurally bonded piezoelectric patches are used to bring the structure to its resonance, which is shifted according to applied forces. The relationship between force and frequency shift is modelled considering the multi-physics of this smart structure. This model is built using Hamilton's principle and takes into account pre-stress phenomena. A finite element model (FEM) based on Mindlin theory for plates, has been derived from the analytical model. The FEM model is implemented in MATLAB and compared with commercial FE software. Finally, an experimental prototype validates the model, and shows that it is possible to measure multiple force-components with one single sensing element such as a plate.

  16. Multi-axis force sensing using a resonant composite piezoelectric plate: model and experiments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Castaño-Cano, Davinson; Grossard, Mathieu; Hubert, Arnaud

    2015-01-01

    Wrist force/torque sensors used in robotic applications increase the performances and flexibility of the automated tasks. They also offer new possibilities in the manufacturing process, where physical contact between the work-piece and environment is required. The wide spreading of these sensors is for now restricted by their features. As an alternative to the existing strain-gauges force sensors, this paper presents a resonant composite structure, which is sensitive to multiple components of force that are considered via the pre-stress effect. Structurally bonded piezoelectric patches are used to bring the structure to its resonance, which is shifted according to applied forces. The relationship between force and frequency shift is modelled considering the multi-physics of this smart structure. This model is built using Hamilton's principle and takes into account pre-stress phenomena. A finite element model (FEM) based on Mindlin theory for plates, has been derived from the analytical model. The FEM model is implemented in MATLAB and compared with commercial FE software. Finally, an experimental prototype validates the model, and shows that it is possible to measure multiple force-components with one single sensing element such as a plate. (paper)

  17. Distal radius plate of CFR-PEEK has minimal effect compared to titanium plates on bone parameters in high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, Joost J A; Lataster, Arno; van Rietbergen, Bert; Arts, Jacobus J; Geusens, Piet P; van den Bergh, Joop P W; Willems, Paul C

    2017-02-27

    Carbon-fiber-reinforced poly-ether-ether-ketone (CFR-PEEK) has superior radiolucency compared to other orthopedic implant materials, e.g. titanium or stainless steel, thus allowing metal-artifact-free postoperative monitoring by computed tomography (CT). Recently, high-resolution peripheral quantitative CT (HRpQCT) proved to be a promising technique to monitor the recovery of volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD), micro-architecture and biomechanical parameters in stable conservatively treated distal radius fractures. When using HRpQCT to monitor unstable distal radius fractures that require volar distal radius plating for fixation, radiolucent CFR-PEEK plates may be a better alternative to currently used titanium plates to allow for reliable assessment. In this pilot study, we assessed the effect of a volar distal radius plate made from CFR-PEEK on bone parameters obtained from HRpQCT in comparison to two titanium plates. Plates were instrumented in separate cadaveric human fore-arms (n = 3). After instrumentation and after removal of the plates duplicate HRpQCT scans were made of the region covered by the plate. HRpQCT images were visually checked for artifacts. vBMD, micro-architectural and biomechanical parameters were calculated, and compared between the uninstrumented and instrumented radii. No visible image artifacts were observed in the CFR-PEEK plate instrumented radius, and errors in bone parameters ranged from -3.2 to 2.6%. In the radii instrumented with the titanium plates, severe image artifacts were observed and errors in bone parameters ranged between -30.2 and 67.0%. We recommend using CFR-PEEK plates in longitudinal in vivo studies that monitor the healing process of unstable distal radius fractures treated operatively by plating or bone graft ingrowth.

  18. A water-cooled x-ray monochromator for using off-axis undulator beam

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Khounsary, A.; Maser, J.

    2000-01-01

    Undulator beamlines at third-generation synchrotrons x-ray sources are designed to use the high-brilliance radiation that is contained in the central cone of the generated x-ray beams. The rest of the x-ray beam is often unused. Moreover, in some cases, such as in the zone-plate-based microfocusing beamlines, only a small part of the central radiation cone around the optical axis is used. In this paper, a side-station branch line at the Advanced Photon Source that takes advantage of some of the unused off-axis photons in a microfocusing x-ray beamline is described. Detailed information on the design and analysis of a high-heat-load water-cooled monochromator developed for this beamline is provided

  19. Structural factors controlling inter-plate coupling and earthquake rupture process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodaira, S.

    2007-05-01

    Recent availability of a large number of ocean bottom seismographs (OBSs), a large volume of air-gun array and a long streamer cable for academics provide several new findings of lithospheric scale structures in subduction seismogenic zones. JAMSTEC has acquired long-offset seismic data using a super-densely deploy OBS (i.e. 1 - 5 km spacing OBSs along 100 - 500 km long profiles) in the Nankai seismogeinc zone, SW. Japan, since 1999. Long-offset multichannel seismic (MCS) data by a two-ship experiment, as well as conventional 2D MCS data, have been also acquired at a part of the profiles. Some of those profiles have been designed as combined onshore - offshore profiles for imaging a land-ocean transition zone. One of the most striking findings is an image of several scales of subducted seamounts/ridges in the Nankai trough seismogenic zone. We detected the subducted seamount/ridges, which are 50 - 100 km wide, distributing from near trough axis to ~ 40 km deep beneath the Japanese island. From a point of seismogenic process, an important aspect is that those structures are strongly correlated with slip zones of magnitude 8-class earthquakes, i.e.; subducted seamounts/ridge control the rupture propagations. Moreover, the most recent seismic study crossing the segmentation boundary between M=8 class earthquakes detected a high seismic velocity body forming a strongly coupled patch at the segmentation boundary. The numerical simulation incorporating all those structures explained the historic rupture patterns, and shows the occurrence of a giant earthquake along the entire Nankai trough, a distance of over 600 km long (Mw=8.7). The growth processes of a rupture revealed from the simulation are; 1) prior to the giant earthquake, a small slow event (or earthquake) occurs near the segmentation boundary, 2) this accelerates a very slow slip (slower than the plate convergent rate), at the strong patch, which reduces a degree of coupling, 3) then a rupture easily propagates

  20. Quantitative and clinical evaluation of whole CSF-axis RI image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomono, Yuji; Nose, Tadao; Maki, Yutaka

    1987-01-01

    Whole CSF-axis RI scintigraphy was evaluated in 122 adult patients intending to know not only intracranial CSF flow but also the dynamics of whole CSF axis, particularly of spinal CSF flow. The change of radioactivity in several compartments was studied quantitatively with a dataprocessor on 18 cases with dilated ventricles, and more practically, clinical features and the findings of the films were comparatively studied on all the cases. The results were as follows: (1) Roughly speaking, the findings were classified into two types, i.e. a type with early RI movement to the intracranial CSF space and another with stagnation of radioactivity in spinal space till late stage, even 48 hours after RI injection (spinal stasis). (2) Although majority of the cases with spinal stasis did not show ventricular stasis, a shunt operation was not effective even when ventricular stasis was observed. (3) Spinal stasis tended to increase with aging, and was observed more frequently in cases with possible severe cerebral damage, as severe cerebrovascular disease and severe deterioration of mental activity. (4) The clearance of radioactivity of whole CSF-axis was remarkably delayed. It is considered that the spinal CSF flow is generated by intracranial CSF pulsation and, so, that spinal stasis shows the condition of lowered CSF flow by pulsation due to cerebral parenchymal damages. (author)

  1. How axi-symmetric is the inner HI disc of the Milky Way?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marasco A.

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available We modelled the distribution and the kinematics of HI in the inner Milky Way (R < R☉ at latitude b = 0∘ assuming axi-symmetry. We fitted the line profiles of the LAB 21-cm survey using an iterative approach based on the tangent-point method. The resulting model reproduces the H I data remarkably well, with significant differences arising only for R ≲ 2 kpc. This suggests that, despite the presence of a barred potential, the neutral gas in the inner Milky Way is distributed in a fairly axi-symmetric disc.

  2. Proceedings of Image Understanding Workshop Held in Palo Alto, California on 23-26 May 1989.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1989-05-01

    CL IO r:it ’A I~ ~ pitrI: iic~i a ii it: I, I I I 7tI I’’e i u r’ xrai ri It oT l Ihri e Q i,i \\iiticr~ ’ar I) r’>ero ~ I t. ..c’ enviro -iments to... iot taco i’ixuil-, itiniaL/at tine .I I’’ ’ I I’’’ itir- smnoothness), constrraint-. itfiitiiar% e ke oclsare petrturpict i11L’ m caniera routatioin...containin buildings. tree cover, and hig~h relief features. because the matching aIuorithms do not "ndertand" the three-dimensional nature of these things

  3. Evaluation on Bending Properties of Biomaterial GUM Metal Meshed Plates for Bone Graft Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Hiromichi; He, Jianmei

    2017-11-01

    There are three bone graft methods for bone defects caused by diseases such as cancer and accident injuries: Autogenous bone grafts, Allografts and Artificial bone grafts. In this study, meshed GUM Metal plates with lower elasticity, high strength and high biocompatibility are introduced to solve the over stiffness & weight problems of ready-used metal implants. Basic mesh shapes are designed and applied to GUM Metal plates using 3D CAD modeling tools. Bending properties of prototype meshed GUM Metal plates are evaluated experimentally and analytically. Meshed plate specimens with 180°, 120° and 60° axis-symmetrical types were fabricated for 3-point bending tests. The pseudo bending elastic moduli of meshed plate specimens obtained from 3-point bending test are ranged from 4.22 GPa to 16.07 GPa, within the elasticity range of natural cortical bones from 2.0 GPa to 30.0 GPa. Analytical approach method is validated by comparison with experimental and analytical results for evaluation on bending property of meshed plates.

  4. In vitro comparison between the image obtained using PSP plates and Kodak E-speed films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petel, R; Yaroslavsky, L; Kaffe, I

    2014-07-01

    The aim of this study was to compare the intra-oral radiographic images obtained by a PSP digital radiography system ("Orex", Israel) with that obtained using Kodak Ultra speed films in terms of image quality, radiation dosage and diagnostic value. The physical measurement of image quality was conducted with an aluminum step-wedge. Radiation dosage was measured with a dosimeter. Fog and base levels were measured by developing unexposed films and scanning unexposed PSP plates. The in vitro model included preparation and radiographic evaluation of approximal artificial lesions in premolars and molars in depths ranging from 0.25 mm to 1.00 mm. Radiographs were evaluated for the existence of a lesion and its size by 8 experienced clinicians. Relative contrast was similar in both methods. The resolving power of the digital system was lower than that of the E-speed film. As for the subjective evaluation of artificial lesions, there was no significant difference between the two methods excluding those tooth images without lesions, where the analog method was found to be more accurate. The PSP system ("Orex") provides good image quality and diagnostic information with reduced exposure when compared with E-speed film.

  5. Optimal pitching axis location of flapping wings for efficient hovering flight.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Q; Goosen, J F L; van Keulen, F

    2017-09-01

    Flapping wings can pitch passively about their pitching axes due to their flexibility, inertia, and aerodynamic loads. A shift in the pitching axis location can dynamically alter the aerodynamic loads, which in turn changes the passive pitching motion and the flight efficiency. Therefore, it is of great interest to investigate the optimal pitching axis for flapping wings to maximize the power efficiency during hovering flight. In this study, flapping wings are modeled as rigid plates with non-uniform mass distribution. The wing flexibility is represented by a linearly torsional spring at the wing root. A predictive quasi-steady aerodynamic model is used to evaluate the lift generated by such wings. Two extreme power consumption scenarios are modeled for hovering flight, i.e. the power consumed by a drive system with and without the capacity of kinetic energy recovery. For wings with different shapes, the optimal pitching axis location is found such that the cycle-averaged power consumption during hovering flight is minimized. Optimization results show that the optimal pitching axis is located between the leading edge and the mid-chord line, which shows close resemblance to insect wings. An optimal pitching axis can save up to 33% of power during hovering flight when compared to traditional wings used by most of flapping wing micro air vehicles (FWMAVs). Traditional wings typically use the straight leading edge as the pitching axis. With the optimized pitching axis, flapping wings show higher pitching amplitudes and start the pitching reversals in advance of the sweeping reversals. These phenomena lead to higher lift-to-drag ratios and, thus, explain the lower power consumption. In addition, the optimized pitching axis provides the drive system higher potential to recycle energy during the deceleration phases as compared to their counterparts. This observation underlines the particular importance of the wing pitching axis location for energy-efficient FWMAVs when

  6. Imaging and dosimetric considerations for titanium prosthesis implanted within the irradiated region by high photon beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Indogo, V.

    2014-07-01

    The aim of this research was to observe dose distributions in the vicinity of titanium prosthetic implants during radiotherapy procedures. Data were obtained using a locally fabricated tissue equivalent phantom CT images, and in blue water phantom with titanium prosthesis which was irradiated with 60 Co gamma radiation and Elekta Platform photon beams. Images obtained were loaded into Prowess Panther and Oncentra treatment planning systems (TPSs) for dose simulations. Prowess TPS (1.25 MeV) estimated lesser errors whilst Oncentra (6 and 15 MV) dose simulations yielded large variations. Proximal ends of the metal recorded slight increase in doses as a rcsult of backscatter with dose increment below acceptable tolerance of ±3%. Doses measured decreases on the distal side of the prosthesis at a distance less than d max from the plate on each beam energy. Beyond certain depth along the axis, depth doses increased slightly mainly due to increase in electron fluence by portions receiving unperturbed dose. An increase in the plate thickness showed a corresponding decrease on percentage depth dose. A reduction in the above trend was also noticed with an increase in beam energy primarily because scattered photons are more forwardly directed. Prowess TPS (convolution superposition algorithm) was found to be better at reducing dose variation than OMP (collapse cone algorithm) when correction for artifact. Manual calculations on blue phantom data agree with results from Prowess. Oncentra is not capable of simulating dose around titanium prosthesis as its range of densities, 0.00121 to 2.83, excludes titanium density (rED for titanium is 3.74). (au)

  7. Reconstructed image of human heart for total artificial heart implantation, based on MR image and cast silicone model of heart

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komoda, Takashi; Maeta, Hajime; Uyama, Chikao.

    1991-01-01

    Based on transverse (TRN) and LV long axis (LAX) MR images of two cadaver hearts, three-dimensional (3-D) computer models of the connecting interface between remaining heart and total artificial heart, i.e., mitral and tricuspid valvular annuli (MVA and TVA), ascending aorta (Ao) and pulmonary artery (PA), were reconstructed to compare the shape and the size of MVA and those of TVA, the distance between the center of MVA and TVA (D G ), the angle between the plane of MVA and that of TVA (R T ), and the angles of Ao and PA, respectively, to the plane of MVA (R A , R P ), with those obtained in cast silicone models. It was found that based on LAX rather than TRN MR image, MVA and TVA might be more precisely reconstructed. The data obtained in 3-D images of MVA, TVA, Ao and PA based on silicone models of 32 hearts were as follows: D G (cm): 4.17±0.43, R T (degrees): 22.1±11.3, R A (degrees): 54.9±15.3, R P (degrees): 30.8±17.1. (author)

  8. Long-Term Instrumentation, Information, and Control Systems (II&C) Modernization Future Vision and Strategy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kenneth Thomas; Bruce Hallbert

    2013-02-01

    Life extension beyond 60 years for the U.S operating nuclear fleet requires that instrumentation and control (I&C) systems be upgraded to address aging and reliability concerns. It is impractical for the legacy systems based on 1970’s vintage technology operate over this extended time period. Indeed, utilities have successfully engaged in such replacements when dictated by these operational concerns. However, the replacements have been approached in a like-for-like manner, meaning that they do not take advantage of the inherent capabilities of digital technology to improve business functions. And so, the improvement in I&C system performance has not translated to bottom-line performance improvement for the fleet. Therefore, wide-scale modernization of the legacy I&C systems could prove to be cost-prohibitive unless the technology is implemented in a manner to enable significant business innovation as a means of off-setting the cost of upgrades. A Future Vision of a transformed nuclear plant operating model based on an integrated digital environment has been developed as part of the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) research pathway, under the Light Water Reactor (LWR) Sustainability Program. This is a research and development program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), performed in close collaboration with the nuclear utility industry, to provide the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe and economical operation of current nuclear power plants. DOE’s program focus is on longer-term and higher-risk/reward research that contributes to the national policy objectives of energy security and environmental security . The Advanced II&C research pathway is being conducted by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The Future Vision is based on a digital architecture that encompasses all aspects of plant operations and support, integrating plant systems, plant work processes, and plant workers in a

  9. Long-Term Instrumentation, Information, and Control Systems (II&C) Modernization Future Vision and Strategy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kenneth Thomas

    2012-02-01

    Life extension beyond 60 years for the U.S operating nuclear fleet requires that instrumentation and control (I&C) systems be upgraded to address aging and reliability concerns. It is impractical for the legacy systems based on 1970's vintage technology operate over this extended time period. Indeed, utilities have successfully engaged in such replacements when dictated by these operational concerns. However, the replacements have been approached in a like-for-like manner, meaning that they do not take advantage of the inherent capabilities of digital technology to improve business functions. And so, the improvement in I&C system performance has not translated to bottom-line performance improvement for the fleet. Therefore, wide-scale modernization of the legacy I&C systems could prove to be cost-prohibitive unless the technology is implemented in a manner to enable significant business innovation as a means of off-setting the cost of upgrades. A Future Vision of a transformed nuclear plant operating model based on an integrated digital environment has been developed as part of the Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) research pathway, under the Light Water Reactor (LWR) Sustainability Program. This is a research and development program sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), performed in close collaboration with the nuclear utility industry, to provide the technical foundations for licensing and managing the long-term, safe and economical operation of current nuclear power plants. DOE's program focus is on longer-term and higher-risk/reward research that contributes to the national policy objectives of energy security and environmental security . The Advanced II&C research pathway is being conducted by the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). The Future Vision is based on a digital architecture that encompasses all aspects of plant operations and support, integrating plant systems, plant work processes, and plant workers in a

  10. RECOGNITION DESIGN OF LICENSE PLATE AND CAR TYPE USING TESSERACT OCR AND EmguCV

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonius Herusutopo

    2012-10-01

    Full Text Available The goal of the research is to design and implement software that can recognize license plates and car types from images. The method used for the research is soft computing using library of EmguCV. There are four phases in creating the software, i.e., input image process, pre-processing, training processing and recognition. Firstly, user enters the car image. Then, the program reads and does pre-processing the image from bitmap form into vector. The next process is training process, which is learning phase in order the system to be able recognize an object (in this case license plate and car type, and in the end is the recognition process itself. The result is data about the car types and the license plates that have been entered. Using simulation, this software successfully recognized license plate by 80.223% accurate and car type 75% accurate.Keywords: Image; Pre-Processing; License plate and Car Type Recognition, Training

  11. Digital Archive of UkrVO: first results of MAO NASU Solar System Bodies photographic plate processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ivanov, G.; Pakuliak, L.; Shatokhina, S.; Yizhakevych, E.; Kazantseva, L.; Andruk, V.

    The digitizing and processing of photographic plates with the images of the outer planets and their satellites from the archive collections of MAO NASU and AO of Kiev university included into the UkrVO Joint Digital Archive (JDA) have been made. Plates were obtained in the last half of the 20th century. The digitizing of JDA archive plates and inclusion of plate preview images into GPA database has been under way, using two models of flatbed scanners: Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL TMA and Epson Expression 10000XL. The database with metadata of plates is allocated on the computational resources of MAO NASU (http://gua.db.ukr-vo.org). Plates have been scanned at 16-bits grey dynamic range, with a resolution of 1200-1600 dpi, and saved in TIFF format. Linear dimensions of images are up to 13 thousand pixels (for plates 30.30 cm). The astrometric and photometric calibration procedures have been done in the LINUX-MIDASROMAFOT environment and Tycho-2 as reference with the image processing procedure specially developed for digitized images of huge linear dimensions on the basis of the image inherent traits. First results of digitized plate processing give the rms errors of 10 and 20 mas for RA, DEC respectively. (O-C) for plates with Pluto in comparison to JPL PLU021.DE405 has been derived of 140(RA) and 270(DEC) mas.

  12. LICENSE PLATE LOCALIZATION USING GABOR FILTERS AND NEURAL NETWORKS

    OpenAIRE

    Sami Ktata; Faouzi Benzarti; Hamid Amiri

    2013-01-01

    Vehicle License Plate Detection (LPD) is an important step for the vehicle plate recognition which can be used in the intelligent transport systems. Many methods have been proposed for the detection of license plates based on: Mathematical morphology, Discrete Wavelet Transform, Hough Transform and others. In general, an LPR system includes four main parts: Vehicle image acquisition, license plate detection, character segmentation and character recognition. In this study, we present a robust ...

  13. TUG1 promotes lens epithelial cell apoptosis by regulating miR-421/caspase-3 axis in age-related cataract.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Guoxing; Song, Huiyang; Chen, Lei; Yang, Weihua; Nan, Kaihui; Lu, Peirong

    2017-07-01

    Age-related cataract is among the most common chronic disorders of ageing and the apoptosis of lens epithelial cells contributes to non-congenital cataract development. We amid to explore the role of TUG1 and miR-421 in the age-related cataract. The expression level of TUG1, miR-421 and caspase-3 were detected by RT-qPCR. The apoptotic-related protein, caspase-3, Bax and blc-2 were analyzed by western blot. We performed ultraviolet (UV) irradiation to induce SAR01/04 cell apoptosis which was analyzed by flow cytometry. RIP pull-down and luciferase reporter assay were used to verified the combination and regulating among TUG1, miR-421 and caspase-3. Here, we observed that the expression level of TUG1 and caspase-3 in the anterior lens capsules of age-related cataract were significantly higher and miR-421 was significantly lower than that in the normal anterior lens capsules. The apoptosis-related protein, caspase-3, Bax and blc-2 were abnormal expression in the anterior lens capsules of age-related cataract tissue. Our data showed that the expression level of TUG1 and caspase-3 and cell apoptosis rate in SAR01/04 cells treated with UV irradiation was remarkably higher than that in the control. TUG1 negatively regulated miR-421 expression and promoted UV irradiation-induced SAR01/04 cell apoptosis. However, miR-421 inhibitor and pcDNA-caspase-3 could reverse the action of the SRA01/04 cell apoptosis by si-TUG1, which suggested TUG1 promoted UV irradiation-induced apoptosis through downregulating miR-421 expression. Furthermore, this study confirmed TUG1 could been in combination with miR-421, and TUG1 and caspase-3 were both a directly target of miR-421. TUG1 modulated lens epithelial cell apoptosis through miR-421/caspase-3 axis. These findings will offer a novel insight into the pathogenesis of cataract. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Fatigue accumulation in an oscillating plate

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Eleuteri, M.; Kopfová, J.; Krejčí, Pavel

    2013-01-01

    Roč. 6, č. 4 (2013), s. 909-923 ISSN 1937-1632 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP201/10/2315 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : elastoplastic plate * Prandtl-Ishlinskii operator * material fatigue Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics http://www.aimsciences.org/journals/displayArticlesnew.jsp?paperID=8092

  15. Adrenaline promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition via HuR-TGFβ regulatory axis in pancreatic cancer cells and the implication in cancer prognosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pu, Jun; Zhang, Xiaorui; Luo, Huiwen; Xu, Lijuan; Lu, Xiaozhao; Lu, Jianguo

    2017-11-25

    Psychological stress has recently been described as a risk factor in the development of pancreatic cancer. Here, we reported that increased neurotransmitter adrenaline was associated with the poor survival in pancreatic cancer patients. Moreover, in the cell model study, we found adrenaline promoted pancreatic cell PANC-1 migration in a dose dependent manner. Block of the β2-adrenoreceptor with ICI118,551, significantly reduced cell migration. Further study found that adrenaline induced a cytoplasmic translocation of RNA binding protein HuR, which in turn activated TGFβ, as shown by the SBE luciferase assay and phosphorylation of Smad2/3. Either HuR knockdown or TGFβ inhibition reduced cell migration induced by adrenaline. Taken together, our study here revealed that adrenaline-HuR-TGFβ regulatory axis at least partially contributes to the psychological stress induced metastasis in PANC-1 cells, shedding light on therapeutic targeting psychological stress in improving the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Pc-based car license plate reading

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanabe, Katsuyoshi; Marubayashi, Eisaku; Kawashima, Harumi; Nakanishi, Tadashi; Shio, Akio

    1994-03-01

    A PC-based car license plate recognition system has been developed. The system recognizes Chinese characters and Japanese phonetic hiragana characters as well as six digits on Japanese license plates. The system consists of a CCD camera, vehicle sensors, a strobe unit, a monitoring center, and an i486-based PC. The PC includes in its extension slots: a vehicle detector board, a strobe emitter board, and an image grabber board. When a passing vehicle is detected by the vehicle sensors, the strobe emits a pulse of light. The light pulse is synchronized with the time the vehicle image is frozen on an image grabber board. The recognition process is composed of three steps: image thresholding, character region extraction, and matching-based character recognition. The recognition software can handle obscured characters. Experimental results for hundreds of outdoor images showed high recognition performance within relatively short performance times. The results confirmed that the system is applicable to a wide variety of applications such as automatic vehicle identification and travel time measurement.

  17. BEPLATE emdash simulation of electrochemical plating

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Giles, G.E. (Oak Ridge K-25 Site, TN (USA)); Gray, L.J. (Oak Ridge National Lab., TN (USA)); Bullock, J.S. IV (Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant, TN (USA))

    1990-09-01

    BEPLATE is a FORTRAN code that uses the boundary element method to simulate the electrochemical plating of material on parts, primarily rotating axisymmetric parts. A boundary element technique is used to solve for the local current density and thus the plating rate on the part, which is used to calculate the growth in the plated layer over a user-specified time step. The surface is moved to reflect this growth, and the new surface is used to generate the local current density. This cycle is repeated until the final time specified by the analyst, producing the final plated thickness. BEPLATE includes models for the polarization effects at both the part (cathode) and anode and allows the use of symmetry planes and nonconducting shields. For electroplating simulations, the part shape is normally assumed to be axisymmetric with a centerline along the z-axis. More general part shapes can be analyzed by BEPLATE if the surface growth simulation is not needed. In either case, the shield, anode, and tank geometries are not restricted to specific shapes. This report includes the information required to run BEPLATE, specifically, a brief description of the BEPLATE system including hardware and software requirements, a description of the complete simulation process, discussion of rules for generating models, and additional reference material. This system of codes consists of model generators (PIGS or PATRAN), input processor (BEPIN), the simulation code (BEPLATE) and postprocessing codes (PATRAN or CONPLOT).

  18. The MiR-495/Annexin A3/P53 Axis Inhibits the Invasion and EMT of Colorectal Cancer Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhigang Bai

    2017-12-01

    -activation of the miR-495/Annexin A3/ p53 axis may represent a new strategy for overcoming metastasis of CRC.

  19. The GAS5/miR-222 Axis Regulates Proliferation of Gastric Cancer Cells Through the PTEN/Akt/mTOR Pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yanhua; Gu, Junjiao; Lu, Hong

    2017-12-01

    Several lines of evidence have indicated that growth arrest-specific transcript 5 (GAS5) functions as a tumor suppressor and is aberrantly expressed in multiple cancers. GAS5 was found to be downregulated in gastric cancer (GC) tissues, and ectopic expression of GAS5 inhibited GC cell proliferation. The present study aimed to explore the underlying mechanisms of GAS5 involved in GC cell proliferation. GAS5 and miR-222 expressions in GC cell lines were estimated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction. The effects of GAS5 and miR-222 on GC cell proliferation were assessed by MTT assay and 5-bromo-2-deoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation assays. The interaction between GAS5 and miR-222 was confirmed by luciferase reporter assay and RNA immunoprecipitation assay. The protein levels of the phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN), phosphorylated protein kinase B (Akt) (p-Akt), Akt, phosphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) (p-mTOR), and mTOR were determined by western blot. GAS5 was downregulated and miR-222 was upregulated in GC cells. GAS5 directly targeted and suppressed miR-222 expression. GAS5 overexpression and miR-222 inhibition suppressed cell proliferation, increased PTEN protein level and decreased p-Akt and p-mTOR protein levels in GC cells while GAS5 knockdown and miR-222 overexpression exhibited the opposite effects. Moreover, mechanistic analyses revealed that GAS5 regulated GC cell proliferation through the PTEN/Akt/mTOR pathway by negatively regulating miR-222. GAS5/miR-222 axis regulated proliferation of GC cells through the PTEN/Akt/mTOR pathway, which facilitated the development of lncRNA-directed therapy against this deadly disease.

  20. Support and tool displacement device for the attachment of a tube bundle on a tubular plate of a steam generator

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Morisot, M.; Werle, R.; Michaud, J.P.

    1983-01-01

    The steam generator is being assembled, disposed with its axis horizontal and its tubular plate vertical; the device described in this patent, allows to automatize the preparation stages of the tubular plate and the attachment of the bundle, to shorten the construction of the steam generator and to remove drudgeries done by hand on the tubular plate or the tubes of the bundle. The invention can be applied to the construction of PWR steam generators [fr

  1. Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control Systems Technologies Technical Program Plan for 2014

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hallbert, Bruce [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Thomas, Ken [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2014-07-01

    The Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) Systems Technologies Pathway conducts targeted research and development (R&D) to address aging and reliability concerns with the legacy instrumentation and control and related information systems of the U.S. operating light water reactor (LWR) fleet. This work involves two major goals: (1) to ensure that legacy analog II&C systems are not life-limiting issues for the LWR fleet, and (2) to implement digital II&C technology in a manner that enables broad innovation and business improvement in the nuclear power plant operating model. Resolving long-term operational concerns with the II&C systems contributes to the long-term sustainability of the LWR fleet, which is vital to the nation's energy and environmental security.

  2. ^<90>Sr in mammal teeth taken in the Semipalatinsk Test Site measured by imaging plates

    OpenAIRE

    Toyoda, Shin; Pivovarov, Sergey; Hoshi, Masaharu; Seredavina, Tatyana

    2012-01-01

    The concentrations of 90Sr in mammal teeth taken in north-west part of Semipalatinsk Test Site were measured by using imaging plates. The highest concentration detected in the present study was 13Bq/g, being comparable with the values previously detected in cow teeth from South Ural region. It suggests that, at least locally, the soil in north-west part of the Test Site is possibly highly contaminated. It would be necessary to investigate the source of this high level of contamination, such a...

  3. Modal radiation patterns of baffled circular plates and membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann; Hansen, Ole; Thomsen, Erik Vilain; Jensen, Jørgen Arendt

    2014-05-01

    The far field velocity potential and radiation pattern of baffled circular plates and membranes are found analytically using the full set of modal velocity profiles derived from the corresponding equation of motion. The derivation is valid for a plate or membrane subjected to an external excitation force, which is used as a sound receiver in any medium or as a sound transmitter in a gaseous medium. A general, concise expression is given for the radiation pattern of any mode of the membrane and the plate with arbitrary boundary conditions. Specific solutions are given for the four special cases of a plate with clamped, simply supported, and free edge boundary conditions as well as for the membrane. For all non-axisymmetric modes, the velocity potential along the axis of the radiator is found to be strictly zero. In the long wavelength limit, the radiation pattern of all axisymmetric modes approaches that of a monopole, while the non-axisymmetric modes exhibit multipole behavior. Numerical results are also given, demonstrating the implications of having non-axisymmetric excitation using both a point excitation with varying eccentricity and a homogeneous excitation acting on half of the circular radiator.

  4. Photovoltaic energy: environmental and economic analysis of axis solar trackers for photovoltaic installations; Energia fotovoltaica: analise economica ambiental de seguidores solares para instalacoes fotovoltaicas

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paes, Andrea Galvao; Bertolon, Expedito; Pacca, Sergio [Universidade de Sao Paulo (EACH/USP), SP (Brazil). Escola de Artes, Ciencias e Humanidades. Curso de Gestao Ambiental

    2008-07-01

    In this work we present an economic assessment photovoltaic systems using single axis and dual axis solar trackers. The analysis was carried out for the city of Sao Paulo and the results show that in comparison with fixed installations, the single axis system and the dual axis system produce respectively 19.6% and 24.7% more power. The power output of the dual axis system is 4.3% greater than the power output of the single axis system. Considering an annual discount rate of 12% and the equipment cost, the cost of the surplus energy due to the use of the single axis and the dual axis trackers was R$0.25/kWh and R$0.18/kWh. Because the average cost of electricity produced by photovoltaic modules is R$3/kWh, we recommend the installation of solar trackers. (author)

  5. Energy response of an imaging plate exposed to standard beta sources

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez, A.L.; Li, H.; Mitch, M.; Tolk, N.; Duggan, D.M.

    2002-01-01

    Imaging plates (IPs) are a reusable media, which when exposed to ionizing radiation, store a latent image that can be read out with a red laser as photostimulated luminescence (PSL). They are widely used as a substitute for X-ray films for diagnostic studies. In diagnostic radiology this technology is known as computed radiography. In this work, the energy response of a commercial IP to beta-particle reference radiation fields used for calibrations at the National Institute of Standards and Technology was investigated. The absorbed dose in the active storage phosphor layer was calculated following the scaling procedure for depth dose for high Z materials with reference to water. It was found that the beta particles from Pm-147 and Kr-85 gave 68% and 24% higher PSL responses than that induced by Sr-90, respectively, which was caused by the different PSL detection efficiencies. In addition, normalized response curves of the IPs as a function of depth in polystyrene were measured and compared with the data measured using extrapolation chamber techniques. The difference between both sets of data resulted from the continuous energy change as the beta particle travels across the material, which leads to a different PSL response

  6. On the contact interaction of two identical stringers with an elastic semi-infinite continuous or vertically cracked plate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Grigoryan, M. S.

    2018-04-01

    This paper considers two connected contact problems on the interaction of stringers with an elastic semi-infinite plate. In the first problem, an elastic half-infinite continuous plate is reinforced on its boundary by two identical stringers exposed to a tensile external force. In the second problem, in the presence of the same stringers, the plate contains a collinear system of cracks on its vertical axis. The solution of both problems is reduced to the solution of singular integral equations (SIE) that are solved by a known numerical-analytical method.

  7. Radial Ultrashort TE Imaging Removes the Need for Breath-Holding in Hepatic Iron Overload Quantification by R2* MRI.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tipirneni-Sajja, Aaryani; Krafft, Axel J; McCarville, M Beth; Loeffler, Ralf B; Song, Ruitian; Hankins, Jane S; Hillenbrand, Claudia M

    2017-07-01

    The objective of this study is to evaluate radial free-breathing (FB) multiecho ultrashort TE (UTE) imaging as an alternative to Cartesian FB multiecho gradient-recalled echo (GRE) imaging for quantitative assessment of hepatic iron content (HIC) in sedated patients and subjects unable to perform breath-hold (BH) maneuvers. FB multiecho GRE imaging and FB multiecho UTE imaging were conducted for 46 test group patients with iron overload who could not complete BH maneuvers (38 patients were sedated, and eight were not sedated) and 16 control patients who could complete BH maneuvers. Control patients also underwent standard BH multiecho GRE imaging. Quantitative R2* maps were calculated, and mean liver R2* values and coefficients of variation (CVs) for different acquisitions and patient groups were compared using statistical analysis. FB multiecho GRE images displayed motion artifacts and significantly lower R2* values, compared with standard BH multiecho GRE images and FB multiecho UTE images in the control cohort and FB multiecho UTE images in the test cohort. In contrast, FB multiecho UTE images produced artifact-free R2* maps, and mean R2* values were not significantly different from those measured by BH multiecho GRE imaging. Motion artifacts on FB multiecho GRE images resulted in an R2* CV that was approximately twofold higher than the R2* CV from BH multiecho GRE imaging and FB multiecho UTE imaging. The R2* CV was relatively constant over the range of R2* values for FB multiecho UTE, but it increased with increases in R2* for FB multiecho GRE imaging, reflecting that motion artifacts had a stronger impact on R2* estimation with increasing iron burden. FB multiecho UTE imaging was less motion sensitive because of radial sampling, produced excellent image quality, and yielded accurate R2* estimates within the same acquisition time used for multiaveraged FB multiecho GRE imaging. Thus, FB multiecho UTE imaging is a viable alternative for accurate HIC assessment

  8. Recognition of objects and position recovery from microdensitometer measurements of large field plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Caprioli, G.; Nanni, D.; Palma, A.; Vignato, A.

    1977-01-01

    The Coma region on a glass copy of the Palomar Sky Survey has been scanned by the PDS microdensitometer at the Napoli Observatory. A method is described for obtaining the photometric parameters and positions of the images: 12 316 objects have been found. The repositioning of the scanner over the computed coordinates is satisfactory. AGK3 stars were considered to evaluate the plate constants and the precision. Comparison with Dressel and Condon's positions of galaxies gives a r.m.s. scatter consistent with the internal error of the published list. (Auth.)

  9. Quality control of nuclear fuel plates using digital image processing techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Salinas, Renato; Radd, Ulrich; Coronado, Harold; Olivares, Luis

    2003-01-01

    The Chilean Atomic Energy Commission (CCHEN) has developed the technology requires to manufacture low enriched uranium-235 nuclear fuel elements used in non-power reactor applications and in research. These fuel plates are assembled in two nuclear facilities located at La Reina (RECH-1) and Lo Aguirre where the present work was developed. Furthermore since high quality standards have been met, these facilities are able to export these nuclear fuel plates to foreign countries. Each MTR fuel elements consists of 16 low enriched uranium silicide (U 3 Si 2 ) fuel plates. A stringent quality assurance program requires among others, homogeneity measurements of uranium surface density values of these fuel plates, which are traditionally accomplished with optical densitometry methods. We have implemented and alternative technique which uses computer vision to determine uranium surface density values in these fuel plates. Both techniques are compared. Advantages of machine vision methods include considerable time saving and a complete quantitative evaluation of uranium densities as compared to the sparse technique involved in the optical densitometry method (Au)

  10. The role of BDNF and HPA axis in the neurobiology of burnout syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onen Sertoz, Ozen; Tolga Binbay, Ibrahim; Koylu, Ersin; Noyan, Aysin; Yildirim, Emre; Elbi Mete, Hayriye

    2008-08-01

    Chronic stress is known to affect the HPA axis. The few clinical studies which have been conducted on HPA-axis function in burnout have produced inconsistent results. The etiological relationship between sBDNF and burnout has not yet been studied. The aim of the current study was to investigate the role of BDNF and HPA axis in the neurobiology of burnout. In the current study 37 clinically diagnosed burnout participants were compared with 35 healthy controls in terms of BDNF, HPA axis, burnout symptoms, depression, anxiety and psychosomatic complaints. Basal serum cortisol, sBDNF and cortisol level after 1 mg DST was sampled. We found no significant differences in terms of HPA-axis function (for basal serum cortisol, p=0.592; for cortisol level after 1 mg DST, p=0.921), but we did find lowered sBDNF levels in burnout group (88.66+/-18.15 pg/ml) as compared to healthy controls (102.18+/-20.92 pg/ml) and the difference was statistically significant (p=0.005). Logistic Regression Analysis revealed that emotional exhaustion (p=0.05), depersonalization (p=0.005) and depression (p=0.025) were significantly associated with burnout. sBDNF levels correlated negatively with emotional exhaustion (r=-,268, p=0.026), depersonalization (r=-,333, p=0.005) and correlated positively with competence (r=0.293, p=0.015) sub-scales of burnout inventory. However, there were no significant relationships between cortisol levels and sBDNF levels (r=0.80, p=0.51), depression, anxiety, psychosomatic complaints and burnout inventory. Our results suggest that low BDNF might contribute to the neurobiology of burnout syndrome and it seems to be associated with burnout symptoms including altered mood and cognitive functions.

  11. Attempts of Thermal Imaging Camera Usage in Estimations of the Convective Heat Loss From a Vertical Plate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Denda Hubert

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available In this paper a new method for determining heat transfer coefficients using a gradient method has been developed. To verify accuracy of the proposed method vertical isothermal heating plate with natural convection mechanism has been examined. This configuration was deliberately chosen, because of the fact that such case is historically the earliest and most thoroughly studied and its rich scientific documentation – the most reliable. New method is based on temperature field visualization made in perpendicular plane to the heating surface of the plate using infrared camera. Because the camera does not record temperature of air itself but the surface only, therefore plastic mesh with low thermal conductivity has been used as a detector. Temperature of each mesh cell, placed perpendicular to the vertical heating surface and rinsed with convection stream of heated air could be already recorded by infrared camera. In the same time using IR camera surface of heating plate has been measured. By numerical processing of the results matrix temperature gradient on the surface ∂T/∂x │ x=0, local heat transfer coefficients αy, and local values of Nusselt number Nuy, can be calculated. After integration the average Nusselt number for entire plate can be calculated. Obtained relation characteristic numbers Nu = 0.647 Ra 0.236 (R2 = 0.943, has a good correlation with literature reports and proves usefulness of the method.

  12. Simple determination of 99Tc in radioactive waste using Tc extraction disk and imaging plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kameo, Y.; Katayama, A.; Hoshi, A.; Haraga, T.; Nakashima, M.

    2010-01-01

    A simple method was developed for determination of 99 Tc in low-level radioactive waste: Technetium-99 retained by a solid phase extraction disk was directly measured with imaging plates system. It was found that more than 97% of Tc were retained by the disk from a solution of pH 2 to 12, whereas depth profile of Tc in the disk, which greatly influences the counting efficiency, depended on solution pH. The present method was successfully applied to actual radioactive liquid waste samples arising from nuclear research facilities.

  13. IGF-1R signaling in chondrocytes modulates growth plate development by interacting with the PTHrP/Ihh pathway.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yongmei; Cheng, Zhiqiang; Elalieh, Hashem Z; Nakamura, Eiichiro; Nguyen, Minh-Thanh; Mackem, Susan; Clemens, Thomas L; Bikle, Daniel D; Chang, Wenhan

    2011-07-01

    Systemic derangements and perinatal death of generalized insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) knockout mice preclude definitive assessment of IGF-1R actions in growth-plate (GP) chondrocytes. We generated cartilage-specific Igf1r knockout ((Cart) Igf1r(-/-)) mice to investigate local control of chondrocyte differentiation in the GP by this receptor. These mice died shortly after birth and showed disorganized chondrocyte columns, delayed ossification and vascular invasion, decreased cell proliferation, increased apoptosis, and increased expression of parathyroid hormone-related protein (Pthrp) RNA and protein in their GPs. The increased Pthrp expression in the knockout GPs likely was due to an increase in gene transcription, as determined by the increased activity of a LacZ reporter that was inserted downstream of the endogenous PTHrP promoter and bred into the knockout mice. To circumvent the early death of (Cart) Igf1r(-/-) mice and investigate the role of IGF-1R during postnatal growth, we made tamoxifen (Tam)-inducible, cartilage-specific Igf1r knockout ((TamCart) Igf1r(-/-)) mice. At 2 weeks of age and 7 to 8 days after Tam injection, the (TamCart) Igf1r(-/-) mice showed growth retardation with a disorganized GP, reduced chondrocyte proliferation, decreased type 2 collagen and Indian Hedgehog (Ihh) expression, but increased expression of PTHrP. Consistent with in vivo observations, in vitro knockout of the Igf1r gene by adenoviral expression of Cre recombinase suppressed cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, and increased Pthrp expression. Our data indicate that the IGF-1R in chondrocytes controls cell growth, survival, and differentiation in embryonic and postnatal GPs in part by suppression of Pthrp expression. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

  14. A unidirectional subwavelength focusing near-field plate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Imani, Mohammadreza F.; Grbic, Anthony [Radiation Laboratory, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109 (United States)

    2014-01-28

    Near-field plates consist of non-periodically patterned surfaces that can overcome the diffraction limit and confine electromagnetic fields to subwavelength dimensions. Previous near-field plates experimentally demonstrated extreme field tailoring capabilities. However, their performance suffered from radiation/reflection in undesired directions, those other than the subwavelength focus. This issue can limit the practical use of near-field plates. In this paper, we address this issue by designing a unidirectional near-field plate that can form a subwavelength focal pattern, while suppressing the field radiated/reflected in other directions. The design and operation of the proposed unidirectional near-field plate are verified through full-wave simulation. The unidirectional near-field plate may find application in high resolution imaging and probing, high density data storage, and wireless power transfer systems. As an example, its utility as a high resolution probe is demonstrated through full-wave electromagnetic simulation.

  15. Global Dynamic Numerical Simulations of Plate Tectonic Reorganizations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morra, G.; Quevedo, L.; Butterworth, N.; Matthews, K. J.; Müller, D.

    2010-12-01

    We use a new numerical approach for global geodynamics to investigate the origin of present global plate motion and to identify the causes of the last two global tectonic reorganizations occurred about 50 and 100 million years ago (Ma) [1]. While the 50 Ma event is the most well-known global plate-mantle event, expressed by the bend in the Hawaiian-Emperor volcanic chain, a prominent plate reorganization at about 100 Ma, although presently little studied, is clearly indicated by a major bend in the fracture zones in the Indian Ocean and by a change in Pacific plate motion [2]. Our workflow involves turning plate reconstructions into surface meshes that are subsequently employed as initial conditions for global Boundary Element numerical models. The tectonic setting that anticipates the reorganizations is processed with the software GPlates, combining the 3D mesh of the paleo-plate morphology and the reconstruction of paleo-subducted slabs, elaborated from tectonic history [3]. All our models involve the entire planetary system, are fully dynamic, have free surface, are characterized by a spectacular computational speed due to the simultaneous use of the multi-pole algorithm and the Boundary Element formulation and are limited only by the use of sharp material property variations [4]. We employ this new tool to unravel the causes of plate tectonic reorganizations, producing and comparing global plate motion with the reconstructed ones. References: [1] Torsvik, T., Müller, R.D., Van der Voo, R., Steinberger, B., and Gaina, C., 2008, Global Plate Motion Frames: Toward a unified model: Reviews in Geophysics, VOL. 46, RG3004, 44 PP., 2008 [2] Wessel, P. and Kroenke, L.W. Pacific absolute plate motion since 145 Ma: An assessment of the fixed hot spot hypothesis. Journal of Geophysical Research, Vol 113, B06101, 2008 [3] L. Quevedo, G. Morra, R. D. Mueller. Parallel Fast Multipole Boundary Element Method for Crustal Dynamics, Proceeding 9th World Congress and 4th Asian

  16. Basal-plane stacking faults in non-polar GaN studied by off-axis electron holography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Lewis Z-Y; Rao, D V Sridhara; Kappers, M J; Humphreys, C J [Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ (United Kingdom); Geiger, D, E-mail: ZL249@cam.ac.u [Triebenberg Laboratory, Institute for Structure Physics, Technische Universitaet Dresden, D-01062 Dresden (Germany)

    2010-02-01

    We have studied basal-plane stacking faults in a non-polar (11-20) GaN epilayer using high-resolution electron microscopy and off-axis electron holography. The microstructure of the basal-plane stacking faults (BSFs) has been determined to be I{sub 1} type from high-resolution TEM images. High-resolution holograms along the [11-20] zone axis were obtained by off-axis electron holography on a Cs-corrected TEM, providing {approx}2 A spatial resolution in the reconstructed amplitude and phase images. Phase fluctuations across the stacking faults were detected, suggesting the presence of a built-in electric field. The uncertainties in the experiments and their interpretation are discussed.

  17. A two-dimensional matrix correction for off-axis portal dose prediction errors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bailey, Daniel W.; Kumaraswamy, Lalith; Bakhtiari, Mohammad; Podgorsak, Matthew B.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: This study presents a follow-up to a modified calibration procedure for portal dosimetry published by Bailey et al. [“An effective correction algorithm for off-axis portal dosimetry errors,” Med. Phys. 36, 4089–4094 (2009)]. A commercial portal dose prediction system exhibits disagreement of up to 15% (calibrated units) between measured and predicted images as off-axis distance increases. The previous modified calibration procedure accounts for these off-axis effects in most regions of the detecting surface, but is limited by the simplistic assumption of radial symmetry. Methods: We find that a two-dimensional (2D) matrix correction, applied to each calibrated image, accounts for off-axis prediction errors in all regions of the detecting surface, including those still problematic after the radial correction is performed. The correction matrix is calculated by quantitative comparison of predicted and measured images that span the entire detecting surface. The correction matrix was verified for dose-linearity, and its effectiveness was verified on a number of test fields. The 2D correction was employed to retrospectively examine 22 off-axis, asymmetric electronic-compensation breast fields, five intensity-modulated brain fields (moderate-high modulation) manipulated for far off-axis delivery, and 29 intensity-modulated clinical fields of varying complexity in the central portion of the detecting surface. Results: Employing the matrix correction to the off-axis test fields and clinical fields, predicted vs measured portal dose agreement improves by up to 15%, producing up to 10% better agreement than the radial correction in some areas of the detecting surface. Gamma evaluation analyses (3 mm, 3% global, 10% dose threshold) of predicted vs measured portal dose images demonstrate pass rate improvement of up to 75% with the matrix correction, producing pass rates that are up to 30% higher than those resulting from the radial correction technique alone. As

  18. Determination of alpha particle detection efficiency of an imaging plate (IP) detector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rahman, N.M; Iida, Takao; Yamazawa, Hiromi; Moriizumi, Jun

    2006-01-01

    In order to determine the detection efficiency of the imaging plate (IP) detector, the true radioactivity of the alpha particles, which sampled in the collection media, should be known. The true radioactivity could be accurately predicted with the help of the reference alpha spectrometer measurement. The detection efficiency calculated for the IP was estimated with the theoretical curve and the experimental data. It is assumed that the air sample contained the decay products of both 222 Rn and 220 Rn series, the most significant sources of alpha particles. The present study estimated the detection efficiency of the IP as 39.3% with an uncertainty of 2.9 that is well enough to confirm the future use of the IP as a radiation detector. Experimental materials and methods are described. (S.Y.)

  19. An Expert System to Analyze Homogeneity in Fuel Element Plates for Research Reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tolosa, S.C.; Marajofsky, A.

    2004-01-01

    In the manufacturing control of Fuel Element Plates for Research Reactors, one of the problems to be addressed is how to determine the U-density homogeneity in a fuel plate and how to obtain qualitative and quantitative information in order to establish acceptance or rejection criteria for such, as well as carrying out the quality follow-up. This paper is aimed at developing computing software which implements an Unsupervised Competitive Learning Neural Network for the acknowledgment of regions belonging to a digitalized gray scale image. This program is applied to x-ray images. These images are generated when the x-ray beams go through a fuel plate of approximately 60 cm x 8 cm x 0.1 cm thick. A Nuclear Fuel Element for Research Reactors usually consists of 18 to 22 of these plates, positioned in parallel, in an arrangement of 8 x 7 cm. Carrying out the inspection of the digitalized x-ray image, the neural network detects regions with different luminous densities corresponding to U-densities in the fuel plate. This is used in quality control to detect failures and verify acceptance criteria depending on the homogeneity of the plate. This modality of inspection is important as it allows the performance of non-destructive measurements and the automatic generation of the map of U-relative densities of the fuel plate

  20. An expert system to analyze homogeneity in fuel element plates for research reactors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cativa Tolosa, Sebastian; Marajofsky, Adolfo

    2004-01-01

    In the manufacturing control of Fuel Element Plates for Research Reactors, one of the problems to be addressed is how to determine the U-density homogeneity in a fuel plate and how to obtain qualitative and quantitative information in order to establish acceptance or rejection criteria for such, as well as carrying out the quality follow-up.This paper is aimed at developing computing software which implements an Unsupervised Competitive Learning Neural Network for the acknowledgment of regions belonging to a digitalized gray scale image. This program is applied to X-ray images. These images are generated when the X-ray beams go through a fuel plate of approximately 60 cm x 8 cm x 0.1 cm thick. A Nuclear Fuel Element for Research Reactors usually consists of 18 to 22 of these plates, positioned in parallel, in an arrangement of 8 x 7 cm. Carrying out the inspection of the digitalized X-ray image, the neural network detects regions with different luminous densities corresponding to U-densities in the fuel plate. This is used in quality control to detect failures and verify acceptance criteria depending on the homogeneity of the plate. This modality of inspection is important as it allows the performance of non-destructive measurements and the automatic generation of the map of U-relative densities of the fuel plate. (author)

  1. R and D activities for the design of the MITICA Plasma Driver Plate manufacturing process via explosion bonding technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pavei, M.; Dal Bello, S.; Groeneveld, H.; Rizzolo, A.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► The work is focused on the manufacturing process of the Plasma Driver Plate of MITICA. ► A clad plate of molybdenum and copper has been manufactured. ► Simulations have been carried out to improve the design geometry of the component. ► The driver-hole rim have been machined and hot formed. ► No delamination were found in the molybdenum. -- Abstract: The back plate of the MITICA plasma source, named Plasma Driver Plate (PDP), will be protected from the impact of the highly energetic back-streaming positive ions (BSI+), generated inside the accelerator, by a 1.0 mm thick molybdenum layer that will be joined by Explosion Bonding (EB) technique to the copper heat sink. This technology has been investigated and used for manufacturing prototypes, demonstrating very high strength of the obtained molybdenum–copper interface. The production of the shaped edge profile of the driver-hole, after the EB, is an open point. In order to demonstrate the possibility to produce the PDP by explosion bonding, the manufacturing of a full scale prototype of the area just around one of the PDP driver-holes was identified as the road to address most of the manufacturing issues. Elasto-plastic finite element analyses have been carried out to improve the hole rim geometry and the process parameters of all the manufacturing steps. A full scale prototype of the PDP driver-hole has been manufactured and tested. This contribution gives an overview of the R and D activities carried out to address the main open issues, to define the PDP component detailed geometry and its manufacturing processes, via EB technique

  2. Robust motion control design for dual-axis motion platform using ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    control for the multi-axis systems has attracted much attention. As an ... mechanisms interact under different environmental conditions. ...... Subbu R, Goebel K, Frederick D K 2005 Evolutionary design and optimization of aircraft engine.

  3. High resolution inverse synthetic aperture radar imaging of three-axis-stabilized space target by exploiting orbital and sparse priors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma Jun-Tao; Gao Mei-Guo; Xiong Di; Feng Qi; Guo Bao-Feng; Dong Jian

    2017-01-01

    The development of inverse synthetic aperture radar (ISAR) imaging techniques is of notable significance for monitoring, tracking and identifying space targets in orbit. Usually, a well-focused ISAR image of a space target can be obtained in a deliberately selected imaging segment in which the target moves with only uniform planar rotation. However, in some imaging segments, the nonlinear range migration through resolution cells (MTRCs) and time-varying Doppler caused by the three-dimensional rotation of the target would degrade the ISAR imaging performance, and it is troublesome to realize accurate motion compensation with conventional methods. Especially in the case of low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), the estimation of motion parameters is more difficult. In this paper, a novel algorithm for high-resolution ISAR imaging of a space target by using its precise ephemeris and orbital motion model is proposed. The innovative contributions are as follows. 1) The change of a scatterer projection position is described with the spatial-variant angles of imaging plane calculated based on the orbital motion model of the three-axis-stabilized space target. 2) A correction method of MTRC in slant- and cross-range dimensions for arbitrarily imaging segment is proposed. 3) Coarse compensation for translational motion using the precise ephemeris and the fine compensation for residual phase errors by using sparsity-driven autofocus method are introduced to achieve a high-resolution ISAR image. Simulation results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method. (paper)

  4. Therapeutic effects of Fuzhenghuayu decoction on nonalcoholic steatohepatic fibrosis rats by regulating ACE-Ang Ⅱ-AT1R axis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miao-miao HUO

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Objective To evaluate the influence of Fuzhenghuayu decoction on fibrotic liver tissue and angiotensin- converting enzyme- angiotensin Ⅱ- angiotensin Ⅱ 1 receptor (ACE-Ang Ⅱ-AT1R axis using a nonalcoholic fatty liver fibrosis rat model system. Methods Forty male Sprague-Dawley (SD rats were randomly divided into the following groups: normal control group, liver fibrosis model group, and liver fibrosis model Fuzhenghuayu drug intervention at low-dose [0.75g/(kg.d] group and high-dose [1.5g/(kg.d] group. Except the normal control group, the other three groups were fed high-fat diet for 24 weeks to induce nonalcoholic hepatic fibrosis model. The drug intervention was administered via oral-gastric irrigation once daily for 6 times per week over a 6-week period. The rats were sacrificed at the end of 6 weeks for serum and liver tissue collection. The levels of serum total cholesterol (TC, triglycerides (TG, alanine aminotransferase (ALT, aspartate aminotransferase (AST were measured by standard biochemical assays. The Ang Ⅱ contents of plasma and liver tissue were surveyed and evaluated by the radioimmunoassay method. Liver pathology was detected using HE staining and Masson trichrome staining. The mRNA and protein expressions of ACE, AT1R, α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA in the liver tissue were evaluated with real time-PCR, immunohistochemical staining, respectively. Results Compared with the model group, the levels of serum ALT and AST in the low-dose group and high-dose group decreased conspicuously, especially in the high-dose group, with a statistically significant difference (P0.05; While the level of liver tissue Ang Ⅱ decreased significantly in the low-dose group and high-dose group than that in model group (P<0.05. Compared with the model group, the extent of pathological changes in hepatic tissues ameliorated after Fuzhenghuayu intervention according to HE and Masson staining, especially in the high-dose group. According to real

  5. Mirror-image duplication of the primary axis and heart in Xenopus embryos by the overexpression of Msx-1 gene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Y; Solursh, M

    1995-10-01

    The Msx-1 gene (formerly known as Hox-7) is a member of a discrete subclass of homeobox-containing genes. Examination of the expression pattern of Msx-1 in murine and avian embryos suggests that this gene may be involved in the regionalization of the medio-lateral axis during earlier development. We have examined the possible functions of Xenopus Msx-1 during early Xenopus embryonic development by overexpression of the Msx-1 gene. Overexpression of Msx-1 causes a left-right mirror-image duplication of primary axial structures, including notochord, neural tube, somites, suckers, and foregut. The embryonic developing heart is also mirror-image duplicated, including looping directions and polarity. These results indicate that Msx-1 may be involved in the mesoderm formation as well as left-right patterning in the early Xenopus embryonic development.

  6. Instruments for radiation measurement in biosciences. Series 3. radioluminography. 11. Application of imaging plate in transmission electron microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oikawa, Tetsuo

    1999-01-01

    Properties and application of the imaging plate (IP) in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are reviewed. TEM has the resolution level of around 0.2 nm, which enables direct observation of molecules and atoms. In TEM, there are such recording systems as photographic film, TV camera, slow-scan CCD camera and IP. IP, to the electron beam, has the higher sensitivity than the film and has the broad dynamic range. Linearity between the input beam intensity and output signal is good, which makes it possible to record the image even with the small electron dose. Signal/noise ratio and detective quantum efficiency are important factors for precise image analysis. Fading phenomenon is a defect of IP, which weakens the signal output as time passing. For instance of application, IP is used for imaging of AgBr crystal fragile to strong electron beam required for the film. IP is necessary for quantitative analysis of TEM images and for the recently developed energy-filter TEM. (K.H.)

  7. Clinical estimation of myocardial infarct volume with MR imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Johns, J.A.; Leavitt, M.B.; Field, B.D.; Yasuda, T.; Gold, H.; Leinbach, R.C.; Brady, T.J.; Dinsmore, R.E.

    1987-01-01

    MR imaging has not previously been used to assess infarct size in humans. Short-axis spin-echo cardiac MR imaging was performed in 20 patients who had undergone intravenous thrombolytic therapy and angiography, 10 days after myocardial infarct. A semi-automated computer program was used to outline the infarct region on each section. The outlines were algorithmically stacked and a three-dimensional representation of the infarct was created. The MR imaging infarct volume was then computed using the Simpson rule. Comparison with ventriculographic infarct size as determined by the computed severely hypokinetic segment length showed excellent correlation (r = .84, P < .001)

  8. Phase IIC experiments of the USDOE/JAERI collaborative program on fusion blanket neutronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Youssef, M.Z.

    1992-12-01

    Effort in Phase IIC of the US/JAERI Collaborative Program on Fusion Neutronics was focused on performing integral experiments and post analyses on blankets that include the actual heterogeneities found in several blanket designs. Two geometrical arrangements were considered for the blanket assembly, namely multi-layers of Li 2 O and beryllium in an edge-on, horizontally alternating configuration for a front depth of 30 cm, followed by the Li 2 O breeding zone (Be edge-on, BEO, experiment), and vertical water coolant channels arrangement (WCC experiment). The objectives are to examine the accuracy of predicting tritium production. In the BEO system, it was shown that, with the zonal method to measure tritium production from natural lithium (Tn), the calculated-to-measured values (C/E) are 0.95-1.05 (JAERI) and 0.98-0.9 (U.S.), which is consistent with the results obtained in other Phases of the Program (Phases IIA and IIb)). In the WCC experiment, there is a noticeable change in C/E values for T 6 near the coolant channels where steep gradients in T 6 production are observed. The C/E values obtained with the Li-foil detectors are on the average closer to unity than those obtained by the Li-glass method. As for T 7 , the values obtained by NE213 method are within ±15% in JAERI's calculations, but larger values (∼20-25%) are obtained in the U.S. calculations due to the differences of cross-sections data files. Around heterogeneities, the prediction accuracy for T 7 is better than for T 6 . (J.P.N.)

  9. BRD4 regulates cellular senescence in gastric cancer cells via E2F/miR-106b/p21 axis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Xingchen; Hu, Xiangming; Chen, Jinjing; Hu, Dan; Chen, Lin-Feng

    2018-02-12

    Small molecules targeting bromodomains of BET proteins possess strong anti-tumor activities and have emerged as potential therapeutics for cancer. However, the underlying mechanisms for the anti-proliferative activity of these inhibitors are still not fully characterized. In this study, we demonstrated that BET inhibitor JQ1 suppressed the proliferation and invasiveness of gastric cancer cells by inducing cellular senescence. Depletion of BRD4, which was overexpressed in gastric cancer tissues, but not other BET proteins recapitulated JQ1-induced cellular senescence with increased cellular SA-β-Gal activity and elevated p21 levels. In addition, we showed that the levels of p21 were regulated at the post-transcriptional level by BRD4-dependent expression of miR-106b-5p, which targets the 3'-UTR of p21 mRNA. Overexpression of miR-106b-5p prevented JQ1-induced p21 expression and BRD4 inhibition-associated cellular senescence, whereas miR-106b-5p inhibitor up-regulated p21 and induced cellular senescence. Finally, we demonstrated that inhibition of E2F suppressed the binding of BRD4 to the promoter of miR-106b-5p and inhibited its transcription, leading to the increased p21 levels and cellular senescence in gastric cancer cells. Our results reveal a novel mechanism by which BRD4 regulates cancer cell proliferation by modulating the cellular senescence through E2F/miR-106b-5p/p21 axis and provide new insights into using BET inhibitors as potential anticancer drugs.

  10. Measuring plate thickness using spatial local wavenumber filtering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, To; Han, Soon Woo; Park, Jin Ho; Lee, Jeong Han; Park, Gyu Hae; Jeon, Jun Young

    2016-01-01

    Corrosion on the surface of a structure can generate cracks or cause walls to thin. This can lead to fracturing, which can eventually lead to fatalities and property loss. In an effort to prevent this, laser imaging technology has been used over the last ten years to detect thin-plate structure, or relatively thin piping. The most common laser imaging was used to develop a new technology for inspecting and imaging a desired area in order to scan various structures for thin-plate structure and thin piping. However, this method builds images by measuring waves reflected from defects, and subsequently has a considerable time delay of a few milliseconds at each scanning point. In addition, the complexity of the system is high, due to additional required components, such as laser-focusing parts. This paper proposes a laser imaging method with an increased scanning speed, based on excitation and the measurement of standing waves in structures. The wavenumber of standing waves changes at sections with a geometrical discontinuity, such as thickness. Therefore, it is possible to detect defects in a structure by generating standing waves with a single frequency and scanning the waves at each point by with the laser scanning system. The proposed technique is demonstrated on a wall-thinned plate with a linear thickness variation

  11. An Optimal Image-Based Method for Identification of Acoustic Emission (AE) Sources in Plate-Like Structures Using a Lead Zirconium Titanate (PZT) Sensor Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Li

    2018-01-01

    This paper proposes an innovative method for identifying the locations of multiple simultaneous acoustic emission (AE) events in plate-like structures from the view of image processing. By using a linear lead zirconium titanate (PZT) sensor array to record the AE wave signals, a reverse-time frequency-wavenumber (f-k) migration is employed to produce images displaying the locations of AE sources by back-propagating the AE waves. Lamb wave theory is included in the f-k migration to consider the dispersive property of the AE waves. Since the exact occurrence time of the AE events is usually unknown when recording the AE wave signals, a heuristic artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm combined with an optimal criterion using minimum Shannon entropy is used to find the image with the identified AE source locations and occurrence time that mostly approximate the actual ones. Experimental studies on an aluminum plate with AE events simulated by PZT actuators are performed to validate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed optimal image-based AE source identification method. PMID:29466310

  12. An Optimal Image-Based Method for Identification of Acoustic Emission (AE) Sources in Plate-Like Structures Using a Lead Zirconium Titanate (PZT) Sensor Array.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Gang; Zhou, Li

    2018-02-21

    This paper proposes an innovative method for identifying the locations of multiple simultaneous acoustic emission (AE) events in plate-like structures from the view of image processing. By using a linear lead zirconium titanate (PZT) sensor array to record the AE wave signals, a reverse-time frequency-wavenumber (f-k) migration is employed to produce images displaying the locations of AE sources by back-propagating the AE waves. Lamb wave theory is included in the f-k migration to consider the dispersive property of the AE waves. Since the exact occurrence time of the AE events is usually unknown when recording the AE wave signals, a heuristic artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm combined with an optimal criterion using minimum Shannon entropy is used to find the image with the identified AE source locations and occurrence time that mostly approximate the actual ones. Experimental studies on an aluminum plate with AE events simulated by PZT actuators are performed to validate the applicability and effectiveness of the proposed optimal image-based AE source identification method.

  13. Local charge measurement using off-axis electron holography

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beleggia, Marco; Gontard, L.C.; Dunin-Borkowski, R.0E.

    2016-01-01

    A model-independent approach based on Gauss’ theorem for measuring the local charge in a specimen from an electron-optical phase image recorded using off-axis electron holography was recently proposed. Here, we show that such a charge measurement is reliable when it is applied to determine the to...

  14. Spirit's View Beside 'Home Plate' on Sol 1823

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images that have been combined into this 180-degree view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,823rd Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's surface mission (Feb. 17, 2009). The center of the view is toward the south-southwest. The rover had driven 7 meters (23 feet) eastward earlier on Sol 1823, part of maneuvering to get Spirit into a favorable position for climbing onto the low plateau called 'Home Plate.' However, after two driving attempts with negligible progress during the following three sols, the rover team changed its strategy for getting to destinations south of Home Plate. The team decided to drive Spirit at least partway around Home Plate, instead of ascending the northern edge and taking a shorter route across the top of the plateau. Layered rocks forming part of the northern edge of Home Plate can be seen near the center of the image. Rover wheel tracks are visible at the lower edge. This view is presented as a cylindrical projection with geometric seam correction.

  15. Extracellular matrix dynamics during vertebrate axis formation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Czirók, András; Rongish, Brenda J; Little, Charles D

    2004-04-01

    The first evidence for the dynamics of in vivo extracellular matrix (ECM) pattern formation during embryogenesis is presented below. Fibrillin 2 filaments were tracked for 12 h throughout the avian intraembryonic mesoderm using automated light microscopy and algorithms of our design. The data show that these ECM filaments have a reproducible morphogenic destiny that is characterized by directed transport. Fibrillin 2 particles initially deposited in the segmental plate mesoderm are translocated along an unexpected trajectory where they eventually polymerize into an intricate scaffold of cables parallel to the anterior-posterior axis. The cables coalesce near the midline before the appearance of the next-formed somite. Moreover, the ECM filaments define global tissue movements with high precision because the filaments act as passive motion tracers. Quantification of individual and collective filament "behaviors" establish fate maps, trajectories, and velocities. These data reveal a caudally propagating traveling wave pattern in the morphogenetic movements of early axis formation. We conjecture that within vertebrate embryos, long-range mechanical tension fields are coupled to both large-scale patterning and local organization of the ECM. Thus, physical forces or stress fields are essential requirements for executing an emergent developmental pattern-in this case, paraxial fibrillin cable assembly.

  16. Experimental and theoretical study of bragg-Fresnel optics etched on multilayer structures. Application: lenses for X-Ray imaging; Etude experimentale et theorique d`optiques de bragg-Fresnel gravees sur miroirs interferentiels multicouches. Application: lentilles pour l`imagerie X

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Soullie, G.

    1996-10-01

    This work concerns the study of a new type of X-ray focusing optics known as Bragg-Fresnel lenses developed for imaging in the X and X-UV range. These optics, etched on multilayer structure, combine the focusing properties of zone plate with the Bragg reflection of multilayer used like support. Using synchrotron sources and a plasma source produced by a laser, we tested the efficiency and the spatial resolution of these lenses. With a monochromatic beam, we first obtained the image of a object by using the first order diffraction of an elliptical off-axis Bragg-Fresnel lens. By using only one part of a lens, the superposition of different diffraction orders in focal plane can be avoided, thus improving the image contrast. In order to evaluate the chromatic aberrations of these lenses, we have summed on the same image, three exposures at different energies in the band pass of the multilayer. To reduce these kind of aberrations, we used a system composed of two off-axis lenses. To simplify the alignment, we tested an elliptical off-axis lens associated with a lamellar grating. Thus we are able to validate the theoretical approximation of an off-axis Bragg-Fresnel lens to a variable spaced grating. Finally, to show the perturbation brought by the zeroth order, we successively imaged a laser plasma source with a centred and an off-axis elliptical lenses. As with the synchrotron source, a set of images of a test object enabled us to improve the spatial resolution. (author).

  17. Phosphor plate mammography: contrast studies and clinical experience

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, C.H.J.; Martin, N.L.; Templeton, A.W.; Cook, L.T.; Harrison, L.A.; McFadden, M.A.; Dwyer, S.J. III; Spicer, J.; Crystal, J.M.

    1992-01-01

    Mammography and accurate microcalcification detection require very good spatial resolution. We have compared the diagnostic capabilities of reduced-exposure, third-generation, 5 cycles/mm computed radiography (CR) phosphor plates with conventional screen-film in 67 patients. No difference in diagnostic accuracy was detected. The digital characteristics of storage phosphor plates erabled us to study the relationship between contrast and spatial resolution. We developed a computer program to identify a single 100 μm pixel in a digital image and assign various gray levels to that pixel. Using this model, we determined that, for our 5 cycles/mm CR system, the imaged contrast of a 100 μm object was 62% of the original contrast. Current 5 cycles/mm phosphor plate systems cannot adequately detect microcalcifications that approximate 100 μm or smaller unless a magnification technique is used. (orig.)

  18. A Malaysian Vehicle License Plate Localization and Recognition System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ganapathy Velappa

    2008-02-01

    Full Text Available Technological intelligence is a highly sought after commodity even in traffic-based systems. These intelligent systems do not only help in traffic monitoring but also in commuter safety, law enforcement and commercial applications. In this paper, a license plate localization and recognition system for vehicles in Malaysia is proposed. This system is developed based on digital images and can be easily applied to commercial car park systems for the use of documenting access of parking services, secure usage of parking houses and also to prevent car theft issues. The proposed license plate localization algorithm is based on a combination of morphological processes with a modified Hough Transform approach and the recognition of the license plates is achieved by the implementation of the feed-forward backpropagation artificial neural network. Experimental results show an average of 95% successful license plate localization and recognition in a total of 589 images captured from a complex outdoor environment.

  19. Low order physical models of vertical axis wind turbines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Craig, Anna; Dabiri, John; Koseff, Jeffrey

    2016-11-01

    In order to examine the ability of low-order physical models of vertical axis wind turbines to accurately reproduce key flow characteristics, experiments were conducted on rotating turbine models, rotating solid cylinders, and stationary porous flat plates (of both uniform and non-uniform porosities). From examination of the patterns of mean flow, the wake turbulence spectra, and several quantitative metrics, it was concluded that the rotating cylinders represent a reasonably accurate analog for the rotating turbines. In contrast, from examination of the patterns of mean flow, it was found that the porous flat plates represent only a limited analog for rotating turbines (for the parameters examined). These findings have implications for both laboratory experiments and numerical simulations, which have previously used analogous low order models in order to reduce experimental/computational costs. NSF GRF and SGF to A.C; ONR N000141211047 and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grant GBMF2645 to J.D.; and the Bob and Norma Street Environmental Fluid Mechanics Laboratory at Stanford University.

  20. Parametric study of single-axis acoustic levitation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xie, W. J.; Wei, B.

    2001-08-06

    Remarkable enhancement of the single-axis acoustic levitation force is achieved by properly curving the surface and enlarging the section of the reflector so as to levitate high density material like tungsten ({rho}{sub s}=18.92g/cm{sup 3}). A two-cylinder model incorporating the boundary element method simulations is presented for systematic study of the relationship between levitation capabilities and geometric parameters. The model proves to be successful in predicting resonant modes and explaining deviation of the levitated samples near the reflector and driver. The dependence of levitation force on resonant mode, reflector section radius R{sub b} and curvature radius R is revealed and summarized, which agrees with the experiment in principle and suggests that a reflector with large R{sub b} and small R (when R{sub b}/{lambda}{>=}0.982) working under mode 1 assures better levitation capabilities. {copyright} 2001 American Institute of Physics.

  1. Parametric study of single-axis acoustic levitation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xie, W. J.; Wei, B.

    2001-01-01

    Remarkable enhancement of the single-axis acoustic levitation force is achieved by properly curving the surface and enlarging the section of the reflector so as to levitate high density material like tungsten (ρ s =18.92g/cm 3 ). A two-cylinder model incorporating the boundary element method simulations is presented for systematic study of the relationship between levitation capabilities and geometric parameters. The model proves to be successful in predicting resonant modes and explaining deviation of the levitated samples near the reflector and driver. The dependence of levitation force on resonant mode, reflector section radius R b and curvature radius R is revealed and summarized, which agrees with the experiment in principle and suggests that a reflector with large R b and small R (when R b /λ≥0.982) working under mode 1 assures better levitation capabilities. Copyright 2001 American Institute of Physics

  2. Study of imaging plate detector sensitivity to 5-18 MeV electrons

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Boutoux, G., E-mail: boutoux@celia.u-bordeaux1.fr; Rabhi, N.; Batani, D.; Ducret, J.-E. [Univ. de Bordeaux, CNRS, CEA, CELIA (Centre Lasers Intenses et Applications), UMR 5107, F-33405 Talence (France); Binet, A.; Nègre, J.-P.; Reverdin, C.; Thfoin, I. [CEA DAM DIF, F-91297 Arpajon (France); Jakubowska, K. [Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Hery Street 23, 01-497 Warsaw (Poland)

    2015-11-15

    Imaging plates (IPs) are commonly used as passive detectors in laser-plasma experiments. We calibrated at the ELSA electron beam facility (CEA DIF) the five different available types of IPs (namely, MS-SR-TR-MP-ND) to electrons from 5 to 18 MeV. In the context of diagnostic development for the PETawatt Aquitaine Laser (PETAL), we investigated the use of stacks of IP in order to increase the detection efficiency and get detection response independent from the neighboring materials such as X-ray shielding and detector supports. We also measured fading functions in the time range from a few minutes up to a few days. Finally, our results are systematically compared to GEANT4 simulations in order to provide a complete study of the IP response to electrons over the energy range relevant for PETAL experiments.

  3. Calibration of imaging plates to electrons between 40 and 180 MeV

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rabhi, N.; Batani, D.; Boutoux, G.; Ducret, J.-E.; Bohacek, K.; Guillaume, E.; Thaury, C.; Jakubowska, K.; Thfoin, I.

    2016-01-01

    This paper presents the response calibration of Imaging Plates (IPs) for electrons in the 40-180 MeV range using laser-accelerated electrons at Laboratoire d’Optique Appliquée (LOA), Palaiseau, France. In the calibration process, the energy spectrum and charge of electron beams are measured by an independent system composed of a magnetic spectrometer and a Lanex scintillator screen used as a calibrated reference detector. It is possible to insert IPs of different types or stacks of IPs in this spectrometer in order to detect dispersed electrons simultaneously. The response values are inferred from the signal on the IPs, due to an appropriate charge calibration of the reference detector. The effect of thin layers of tungsten in front and/or behind IPs is studied in detail. GEANT4 simulations are used in order to analyze our measurements.

  4. Diffraction contrast STEM of dislocations: Imaging and simulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phillips, P.J.; Brandes, M.C.; Mills, M.J.; De Graef, M.

    2011-01-01

    The application of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) to crystalline defect analysis has been extended to dislocations. The present contribution highlights the use of STEM on two oppositely signed sets of near-screw dislocations in hcp α-Ti with 6 wt% Al in solid solution. In addition to common systematic row diffraction conditions, other configurations such as zone axis and 3g imaging are explored, and appear to be very useful not only for defect analysis, but for general defect observation. It is demonstrated that conventional TEM rules for diffraction contrast such as g.b and g.R are applicable in STEM. Experimental and computational micrographs of dislocations imaged in the aforementioned modes are presented. -- Highlights: → STEM defect analysis has been extended to include dislocations. → Systematic row, zone axis and 3g diffraction conditions are all found to be useful for general defect observations in STEM mode. → Conventional contrast visibility rules for diffraction contrast are found to remain valid for STEM observations. → Multi-beam dynamical scattering matrix simulations provide excellent agreement with experimental images.

  5. A New, Adaptable, Optical High-Resolution 3-Axis Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Niels Buchhold

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available This article presents a new optical, multi-functional, high-resolution 3-axis sensor which serves to navigate and can, for example, replace standard joysticks in medical devices such as electric wheelchairs, surgical robots or medical diagnosis devices. A light source, e.g., a laser diode, is affixed to a movable axis and projects a random geometric shape on an image sensor (CMOS or CCD. The downstream microcontroller’s software identifies the geometric shape’s center, distortion and size, and then calculates x, y, and z coordinates, which can be processed in attached devices. Depending on the image sensor in use (e.g., 6.41 megapixels, the 3-axis sensor features a resolution of 1544 digits from right to left and 1038 digits up and down. Through interpolation, these values rise by a factor of 100. A unique feature is the exact reproducibility (deflection to coordinates and its precise ability to return to its neutral position. Moreover, optical signal processing provides a high level of protection against electromagnetic and radio frequency interference. The sensor is adaptive and adjustable to fit a user’s range of motion (stroke and force. This recommendation aims to optimize sensor systems such as joysticks in medical devices in terms of safety, ease of use, and adaptability.

  6. Size measurement of radioactive aerosol particles in intense radiation fields using wire screens and imaging plates

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oki, Yuichi; Tanaka, Toru; Takamiya, Koichi; Ishi, Yoshihiro; UesugI, Tomonori; Kuriyama, Yasutoshi; Sakamoto, Masaaki; Ohtsuki, Tsutomu [Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, Osaka (Japan); Nitta, Shinnosuke [Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto University, Kyoto (Japan); Osada, Naoyuki [Advanced Science Research Center, Okayama University, Okayama (Japan)

    2016-09-15

    Very fine radiation-induced aerosol particles are produced in intense radiation fields, such as high-intensity accelerator rooms and containment vessels such as those in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant (FDNPP). Size measurement of the aerosol particles is very important for understanding the behavior of radioactive aerosols released in the FDNPP accident and radiation safety in high-energy accelerators. A combined technique using wire screens and imaging plates was developed for size measurement of fine radioactive aerosol particles smaller than 100 nm in diameter. This technique was applied to the radiation field of a proton accelerator room, in which radioactive atoms produced in air during machine operation are incorporated into radiation-induced aerosol particles. The size of 11C-bearing aerosol particles was analyzed using the wire screen technique in distinction from other positron emitters in combination with a radioactive decay analysis. The size distribution for 11C-bearing aerosol particles was found to be ca. 70 μm in geometric mean diameter. The size was similar to that for 7Be-bearing particles obtained by a Ge detector measurement, and was slightly larger than the number-based size distribution measured with a scanning mobility particle sizer. The particle size measuring method using wire screens and imaging plates was successfully applied to the fine aerosol particles produced in an intense radiation field of a proton accelerator. This technique is applicable to size measurement of radioactive aerosol particles produced in the intense radiation fields of radiation facilities.

  7. Evaluation of mammographic X-ray beams using a phosphor plate

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bustos F, M.; Prata M, A., E-mail: mbustos@ufmg.br [Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Departamento de Engenharia Nuclear, Av. Pte. Antonio Carlos 6627, 31270-901 Pampulha, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais (Brazil)

    2016-10-15

    Currently, breast cancer is the second type of cancer more with higher overall incidence recorded in 2015, more than 57,000 new cases according to the National Cancer Institute of Brazil Mammography is now one of the imaging technique most widely used worldwide for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The computed radiography (Cr) plates are used to obtain digital radiographs, and are widely used for digital mammogram production. This study aims to evaluate the variation response in the exposure of a Cr plate in mammography unit. For this study a mammography device model Graph A F Mammo, made by Vmi and a Cr plate, model Regius, were used for mammography. Experiments were made with two X-ray beams of 20 and 25 kV. Successive exposures of the Cr plate were made in a time range time from 0.5 to 2.5 s., to obtain unprocessed images .raw and subsequently make the measurement of time, air kerma and air kerma rate using a Ray Safe Xi meter. Five measurements for each exposure time were performed and the images were analyzed using the Image J software. A matrix of 21 x 21 pixels was selected in the central region of each image to obtain the intensity value, in grey scale, for each exposure time. From these data, a correlation of the degree of darkening was made with time and the air kerma. The behavior of the curves corresponding to the intensity average values of central pixels in relation to the exposure time and air kerma are similar for both voltages,showing an initially linear behavior and then a plate saturation region, whichever occurs first at the greatest value of the applied voltage. (Author)

  8. Evaluation of mammographic X-ray beams using a phosphor plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bustos F, M.; Prata M, A.

    2016-10-01

    Currently, breast cancer is the second type of cancer more with higher overall incidence recorded in 2015, more than 57,000 new cases according to the National Cancer Institute of Brazil Mammography is now one of the imaging technique most widely used worldwide for the early diagnosis of breast cancer. The computed radiography (Cr) plates are used to obtain digital radiographs, and are widely used for digital mammogram production. This study aims to evaluate the variation response in the exposure of a Cr plate in mammography unit. For this study a mammography device model Graph A F Mammo, made by Vmi and a Cr plate, model Regius, were used for mammography. Experiments were made with two X-ray beams of 20 and 25 kV. Successive exposures of the Cr plate were made in a time range time from 0.5 to 2.5 s., to obtain unprocessed images .raw and subsequently make the measurement of time, air kerma and air kerma rate using a Ray Safe Xi meter. Five measurements for each exposure time were performed and the images were analyzed using the Image J software. A matrix of 21 x 21 pixels was selected in the central region of each image to obtain the intensity value, in grey scale, for each exposure time. From these data, a correlation of the degree of darkening was made with time and the air kerma. The behavior of the curves corresponding to the intensity average values of central pixels in relation to the exposure time and air kerma are similar for both voltages,showing an initially linear behavior and then a plate saturation region, whichever occurs first at the greatest value of the applied voltage. (Author)

  9. Quantitative evaluation of ASiR image quality: an adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van de Casteele, Elke; Parizel, Paul; Sijbers, Jan

    2012-03-01

    Adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) is a new reconstruction algorithm used in the field of medical X-ray imaging. This new reconstruction method combines the idealized system representation, as we know it from the standard Filtered Back Projection (FBP) algorithm, and the strength of iterative reconstruction by including a noise model in the reconstruction scheme. It studies how noise propagates through the reconstruction steps, feeds this model back into the loop and iteratively reduces noise in the reconstructed image without affecting spatial resolution. In this paper the effect of ASiR on the contrast to noise ratio is studied using the low contrast module of the Catphan phantom. The experiments were done on a GE LightSpeed VCT system at different voltages and currents. The results show reduced noise and increased contrast for the ASiR reconstructions compared to the standard FBP method. For the same contrast to noise ratio the images from ASiR can be obtained using 60% less current, leading to a reduction in dose of the same amount.

  10. Generation of Binary Off-axis Digital Fresnel Hologram with Enhanced Quality

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Wai Ming Tsang

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available The emergence of high resolution printer and digital micromirror device (DMD has enabled real, off-axis holograms to be printed, or projected onto a screen. As most printers and DMD can only reproduce binary dots, the pixels in a hologram have to be truncated to 2 levels. However, direct binarizing a hologram will lead to severe degradation on its reconstructed image. In this paper, a method for generating binary off-axis digital Fresnel hologram is reported. A hologram generated with the proposed method is referred to as the "Enhanced Sampled Binary Hologram" (ESBH. The reconstructed image of the ESBH is superior in visual quality as compare with the one obtained with existing technique, and also resistant to noise contamination.

  11. SPET imaging of central muscarinic receptors with (R,R)[123I]-I-QNB: methodological considerations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Norbury, R.; Travis, M.J.; Erlandsson, K.; Waddington, W.; Owens, J.; Ell, P.J.; Murphy, D.G.

    2004-01-01

    Investigations on the effect of normal healthy ageing on the muscarinic system have shown conflicting results. Also, in vivo determination of muscarinic receptor binding has been hampered by a lack of subtype selective ligands and differences in methods used for quantification of receptor densities. Recent in vitro and in vivo work with the muscarinic antagonist (R,R)-I-QNB indicates this ligand has selectivity for m 1 and m 4 muscarinic receptor subtypes. Therefore, we used (R,R)[ 123 I]-I-QNB and single photon emission tomography to study brain m 1 and m 4 muscarinic receptors in 25 healthy female subjects (11 younger subjects, age range 26-32 years and 14 older subjects, age range 57-82 years). Our aims were to ascertain the viability of tracer administration and imaging within the same day, and to evaluate whether normalization to whole brain, compared to normalization to cerebellum, could alter the clinical interpretation of results. Images were analyzed using the simplified reference tissue model and by two ratio methods: normalization to whole brain and normalization to cerebellum. Significant correlations were observed between kinetic analysis and normalization to cerebellum, but not to whole brain. Both the kinetic analysis and normalization to cerebellum showed age-related reductions in muscarinic binding in frontal, orbitofrontal, and parietal regions. Normalization to whole brain, however, failed to detect age-related changes in any region. Here we show that, for this radiotracer, normalizing to a region of negligible specific binding (cerebellum) significantly improves sensitivity when compared to global normalization

  12. Development of five axis robotic system for an industrial neutron tomography imaging system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vyas, R J; Radke, M G; Mishra, J K; Arunkumar, G V.D.; Ramakumar, M S [Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai (India). Div. of Remote Handling and Robotics

    1994-12-31

    Tomography is one of the latest techniques in the field of nondestructive testing. X-rays, gamma rays or neutrons are used as an energy source whereas five axis manipulator is designed to move the specimen across the beam. The 5 axis robotic system has been indigenously developed, designed, manufactured and tested to move up to 10 kg payload. Computer is necessary to process and store data and retrieve it for processing. The same computer is used for control of manipulator. Computer aided tomography is carried out for research and industrial use. Neutron beam will be used either for evaluation of organic materials in attenuation based measurements or for evaluation on the basis of neutron activation of materials like nuclear fuels. The paper describes the indigenously developed 5-axis robotic system as a part of a facility built around Kamini reactor at Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam. (author). 4 figs.

  13. M.R. imaging of spinal disorders

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Akino, Minoru; Isu, Toyohiko; Iwasaki, Yoshinobu; Abe, Hiroshi; Abe, Satoru; Miyasaka, Kazuo; Nomura, Mikio; Saito, Hisatoshi.

    1987-01-01

    In many papers about the M.R. imaging of spinal disorders, almost all the diagnoses have been carried out using only the sagittal image. However, we ourselves have thus for diagnosed about 500 cases of spinal disorders using the resistive type of MRI (0.15 T). On the basis of our experience, we have established two main principles as regards the MRI diagnosis of spinal disorders: 1) a surface coil must be used in the diagnosis of spinal disorders, and 2) diagnosis must be carried out by the use of both sagittal and axial images. We present some typical cases of spinal disorders in this paper. From these cases, we see that MRI has advantages and disadvantages as regards the diagnosis of spinal disorders compared with X-ray diagnostic apparatus. The first advantageous point is that we can directly obtain an image of the spinal cord without the intrathecal injection of a contrast material. The second point is that MRI can avoid the bone artifacts which often occur when using the X-ray CT; moreover, there is none of the hazard connected with the use of X-rays. The biggest disadvantage is that the spatial resolution of the resistive type of MRI is slightly inferior to that of the high-resolutional X-ray CT. The second disadvantage is that the ability to detect an ossificative process, such as disc disease or OPLL, is very restricted because of the low signal intensity from the cortical bone. We propose two points for the improvement of the MR imaging of spinal disorders. One is the production of a high-sensitivity surface coil. The other is the application of Gd-DTPA, which is thought to have a high potential to detect spinal disorders. If we can realize these points, the images of spinal disorders produced by the resistive type of MRI will be clearer and more informative. (J.P.N.)

  14. An autoradiographical method using an imaging plate for the analyses of plutonium contamination in a plutonium handling facility

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Takasaki, Koji; Sagawa, Naoki; Kurosawa, Shigeyuki; Mizuniwa, Harumi

    2011-01-01

    An autoradiographical method using an imaging plate (IP) was developed to analyze plutonium contamination in a plutonium handling facility. The IPs were exposed to ten specimens having a single plutonium particle. Photostimulated luminescence (PSL) images of the specimens were taken using a laser scanning machine. One relatively large spot induced by α-radioactivity from plutonium was observed in each PSL image. The plutonium-induced spots were discriminated by a threshold derived from background and the size of the spot. A good relationship between the PSL intensities of the spots and α-radioactivities measured using a radiation counter was obtained by least-square fitting, taking the fading effect into consideration. This method was applied to workplace monitoring in an actual uranium-plutonium mixed oxide (MOX) fuel fabrication facility. Plutonium contaminations were analyzed in ten other specimens having more than two plutonium spots. The α-radioactivities of plutonium contamination were derived from the PSL images and their relative errors were evaluated from exposure time. (author)

  15. [The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and depressive disorder: recent progress].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kunugi, Hiroshi; Hori, Hiroaki; Numakawa, Tadahiro; Ota, Miho

    2012-08-01

    Depression is a stress-induced disorder and there is compelling evidence for the involvement of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis abnormalities in the disease. Chronic hyperactivity of the HPA axis and resultant excessive glucocorticoid (hypercortisolism) may be causal to depression. We demonstrated that the dexamethasone (DEX)/CRH test is a sensitive state-dependent marker to monitor HPA axis abnormalities. Restoration from HPA axis abnormalities occurs with clinical responses to treatment. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has also been implicated in depression. We found that glucocorticoid (DEX) suppresses BDNF-induced dendrite outgrowth and synaptic formation via blocking the MAPK pathway in early-developing cultured hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, we demonstrated that glucocorticoid receptor (GR) and TrkB (a specific receptor of BDNF) interact and that DEX acutely suppresses BDNF-induced glutamate release by affecting the PLC-gamma pathway in cultured cortical neurons, indicating a mechanism underlying the effect of excessive glucocorticoid on BDNF function and resultant damage in cortical neurons. In a macroscopic view using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), we found that individuals with hypercortisolism detected by the DEX/CRH test demonstrated volume loss in gray matter and reduced neural network assessed with diffusion tensor imaging in several brain regions. Finally, we observed that individuals with hypocortisolism detected by the DEX/CRH test tend to present more distress symptoms, maladaptive coping styles, and schizotypal personality traits than their counterparts, which points to the important role of hypocortisolism as well as hypercortisolism in depression spectrum disorders.

  16. X-ray microscopy with high resolution zone plates -- Recent developments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schneider, G.; Wilhein, T.; Niemann, B.; Guttmann, P.

    1995-01-01

    In order to expand the applications of X-ray microscopy, developments in the fields of zone plate technology, specimen preparation and imaging techniques have been made. A new cross-linked polymer chain electron beam resist allows to record zone plate pattern down to 19 nm outermost zone width. High resolution zone plates in germanium with outermost zone widths down to 19 nm have been developed. In addition, phase zone plates in nickel down to 30 nm zone width have been made by electroplating. In order to enhance the image contrast for weak absorbing objects, the phase contrast method for X-ray microscopy was developed and implemented on the Goettingen X-ray microscope at BESSY. The effects of X-ray absorption on the structure of biological specimen limits the maximum applicable radiation dose and therefore the achievable signal to noise ratio for an artifact-free X-ray image. To improve the stability especially of biological specimen, a cryogenic object chamber has been developed and tested. It turns out that at the operating temperature T ≤ 130 K unfixed biological specimen can be exposed to a radiation dose of 10 9 --10 10 Gy without any observable structural changes. A multiple-angle viewing stage allows to take stereoscopic images with the X-ray microscope, giving a 3D-impression of the object

  17. Quantification of the volumetric benefit of image-guided radiotherapy (I.G.R.T.) in prostate cancer: Margins and presence probability map

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cazoulat, G.; Crevoisier, R. de; Simon, A.; Louvel, G.; Manens, J.P.; Haigron, P.; Crevoisier, R. de; Louvel, G.; Manens, J.P.; Lafond, C.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: To quantify the prostate and seminal vesicles (S.V.) anatomic variations in order to choose appropriate margins including intrapelvic anatomic variations. To quantify volumetric benefit of image-guided radiotherapy (I.G.R.T.). Patients and methods: Twenty patients, receiving a total dose of 70 Gy in the prostate, had a planning CT scan and eight weekly CT scans during treatment. Prostate and S.V. were manually contoured. Each weekly CT scan was registered to the planning CT scan according to three modalities: radiopaque skin marks, pelvis bone or prostate. For each patient, prostate and S.V. displacements were quantified. 3-dimensional maps of prostate and S.V. presence probability were established. Volumes including minimal presence probabilities were compared between the three modalities of registration. Result: For the prostate intrapelvic displacements, systematic and random variations and maximal displacements for the entire population were: 5 mm, 2.7 mm and 16.5 mm in anteroposterior axis; 2.7 mm, 2.4 mm and 11.4 mm in supero-inferior axis and 0.5 mm, 0.8 mm and 3.3 mm laterally. Margins according to van Herk recipe (to cover the prostate for 90% of the patients with the 95% isodose) were: 8 mm, 8.3 mm and 1.9 mm, respectively. The 100% prostate presence probability volumes correspond to 37%, 50% and 61% according to the registration modality. For the S.V., these volumes correspond to 8%, 14% and 18% of the S.V. volume. Conclusions: Without I.G.R.T., 5 mm prostate posterior margins are insufficient and should be at least 8 mm, to account for intrapelvic anatomic variations. Prostate registration almost doubles the 100% presence probability volume compared to skin registration. Deformation of S.V. will require either to increase dramatically margins (simple) or new planning (not realistic). (authors)

  18. Decreased hyperintense vessels on FLAIR images after endovascular recanalization of symptomatic internal carotid artery occlusion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Wenhua; Yin Qin; Yao Lingling; Zhu Shuanggen; Xu Gelin; Zhang Renliang; Ke Kaifu; Liu Xinfeng

    2012-01-01

    Background and purpose: Hyperintense vessels (HV) on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images were assumed to be explained by slow antegrade or retrograde leptomeningeal collateral flow related to extracranial or intracranial artery steno-occlusion. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of recanalization after endovascular therapy of symptomatic internal carotid artery (ICA) occlusion on the presence of HV. Methods: Eleven patients with symptomatic ICA occlusion were retrospectively enrolled. Changes in the HV on FLAIR images were examined in affected hemisphere of each patient after successful treatment with endovascular recanalization (angioplasty, n = 3; stent-assisted angioplasty, n = 8). The relationship between postoperative changes in the HV and Thrombolysis In Cerebral Ischemia (TICI) scale (I-III) was assessed. Results: After operation, HV of the 11 affected hemispheres were showed to be decreased (n = 3) or disappeared (n = 8) in treated side. The median interval between pre- and postoperative MRI examinations was 97.0 h (range, from 69. to 48.7 h). Of the 8 patients with disappeared HV, 7 achieved high TICI grade flow (III) and 1 had relatively low TICI grade flow (IIc) in treated side. However, all the 3 patients with decreased HV were found to be relatively low TICI grade flow (IIc). Conclusion: Our data indicate that endovascular recanalization of ICA occlusion was effective for decreasing HV. Postoperative decrease in HV can be considered as a marker for hemodynamic improvement.

  19. Characterization of a novel EPID designed for simultaneous imaging and dose verification in radiotherapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blake, Samuel J.; McNamara, Aimee L.; Deshpande, Shrikant; Holloway, Lois; Greer, Peter B.; Kuncic, Zdenka; Vial, Philip

    2013-01-01

    Purpose: Standard amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging devices (a-Si EPIDs) are x-ray imagers used frequently in radiotherapy that indirectly detect incident x-rays using a metal plate and phosphor screen. These detectors may also be used as two-dimensional dosimeters; however, they have a well-characterized nonwater-equivalent dosimetric response. Plastic scintillating (PS) fibers, on the other hand, have been shown to respond in a water-equivalent manner to x-rays in the energy range typically encountered during radiotherapy. In this study, the authors report on the first experimental measurements taken with a novel prototype PS a-Si EPID developed for the purpose of performing simultaneous imaging and dosimetry in radiotherapy. This prototype employs an array of PS fibers in place of the standard metal plate and phosphor screen. The imaging performance and dosimetric response of the prototype EPID were evaluated experimentally and compared to that of the standard EPID.Methods: Clinical 6 MV photon beams were used to first measure the detector sensitivity, linearity of dose response, and pixel noise characteristics of the prototype and standard EPIDs. Second, the dosimetric response of each EPID was evaluated relative to a reference water-equivalent dosimeter by measuring the off-axis and field size response in a nontransit configuration, along with the off-axis, field size, and transmission response in a transit configuration using solid water blocks. Finally, the imaging performance of the prototype and standard EPIDs was evaluated quantitatively by using an image quality phantom to measure the contrast to noise ratio (CNR) and spatial resolution of images acquired with each detector, and qualitatively by using an anthropomorphic phantom to acquire images representative of human anatomy.Results: The prototype EPID's sensitivity was 0.37 times that of the standard EPID. Both EPIDs exhibited responses that were linear with delivered dose over a range of 1

  20. Exact thermal representation of multilayer rectangular structures by infinite plate structures using the method of images

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palisoc, Arthur L.; Lee, Chin C.

    1988-12-01

    Using the method of images and the analytical temperature solution to the multilayer infinite plate structure, the thermal profile over finite rectangular multilayer integrated circuit devices can be calculated exactly. The advantage of using the image method lies in the enhanced capability of arriving at an analytical solution for structures where analytical solutions do not apparently exist, e.g., circular or arbitrarily oriented rectangular sources over multilayered rectangular structures. The new approach results in large savings in computer CPU time especially for small sources over large substrates. The method also finds very important applications to integrated circuit devices with heat dissipating elements close to the edge boundaries. Results from two examples indicate that the edge boundaries of a device may also be utilized to remove heat from it. This additional heat removing capability should have important applications in high power devices.

  1. Uses of microchannel plate intensified detectors for imaging applications in the X-ray, EUV and visible wavelength regions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Read, P.D.; Carter, M.K.; Pike, C.D.; Harrison, R.A.; Kent, B.J.; Swinyard, B.M.; Patchett, B.E.; Redfern, R.M.; Shearer, A.; Colhoun, M.

    1997-01-01

    The Rutherford Appleton laboratory photon counting detector (RALPCD) has been refined to meet project requirements for a flexible imaging arrangement with applications at X-ray, EUV and visible wavelengths. The basic detector design comprises commercially available high gain microchannel plate intensifiers fibre optically coupled to CID or CCD cameras, to form a modular detector arrangement with the appropriate RAL detection and centroiding software. Frames of data from the cameras are detected and centroided in a transputer or C40 parallel processor array where correction algorithms use look up tables to produce pattern free images at high resolution. Data from completed applications are used to illustrate the performance and future advances are discussed. (orig.)

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

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohuchi, Hiroko; Kondo, Yasuhiro

    2010-01-01

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

  3. License plate recognition using DTCNNs

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    ter Brugge, M.H; Stevens, J.H; Nijhuis, J.A G; Spaanenburg, L; Tavsanonoglu, V

    1998-01-01

    Automatic license plate recognition requires a series of complex image processing steps. For practical use, the amount of data to he processed must be minimized early on. This paper shows that the computationally most intensive steps can be realized by DTCNNs. Moreover; high-level operations like

  4. Landmark-based elastic registration using approximating thin-plate splines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohr, K; Stiehl, H S; Sprengel, R; Buzug, T M; Weese, J; Kuhn, M H

    2001-06-01

    We consider elastic image registration based on a set of corresponding anatomical point landmarks and approximating thin-plate splines. This approach is an extension of the original interpolating thin-plate spline approach and allows to take into account landmark localization errors. The extension is important for clinical applications since landmark extraction is always prone to error. Our approach is based on a minimizing functional and can cope with isotropic as well as anisotropic landmark errors. In particular, in the latter case it is possible to include different types of landmarks, e.g., unique point landmarks as well as arbitrary edge points. Also, the scheme is general with respect to the image dimension and the order of smoothness of the underlying functional. Optimal affine transformations as well as interpolating thin-plate splines are special cases of this scheme. To localize landmarks we use a semi-automatic approach which is based on three-dimensional (3-D) differential operators. Experimental results are presented for two-dimensional as well as 3-D tomographic images of the human brain.

  5. Hyperactivity of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis Due to Dysfunction of the Hypothalamic Glucocorticoid Receptor in Sigma-1 Receptor Knockout Mice

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tingting Di

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Sigma-1 receptor knockout (σ1R-KO mice exhibit a depressive-like phenotype. Because σ1R is highly expressed in the neuronal cells of hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei (PVN, this study investigated the influence of σ1R deficiency on the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA axis. Here, we show that the levels of basal serum corticosterone (CORT, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH and corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF as well as the level of CRF mRNA in PVN did not significantly differ between adult male σ1R-KO mice and wild-type (WT mice. Acute mild restraint stress (AMRS induced a higher and more sustainable increase in activity of HPA axis and CRF expression in σ1R-KO mice. Percentage of dexamethasone (Dex-induced reduction in level of CORT was markedly attenuated in σ1R−/− mice. The levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GR and protein kinase C (PKC phosphorylation were reduced in the PVN of σ1R-KO mice and σ1R antagonist NE100-treated WT mice. The exposure to AMRS in σ1R-KO mice induced a stronger phosphorylation of cAMP-response element binding protein (CREB in PVN than that in WT mice. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v. injection of PKC activator PMA for 3 days in σ1R-KO mice not only recovered the GR phosphorylation and the percentage of Dex-reduced CORT but also corrected the AMRS-induced hyperactivity of HPA axis and enhancement of CRF mRNA and CREB phosphorylation. Furthermore, the injection (i.c.v. of PMA in σ1R-KO mice corrected the prolongation of immobility time in forced swim test (FST and tail suspension test (TST. These results indicate that σ1R deficiency causes down-regulation of GR by reducing PKC phosphorylation, which attenuates GR-mediated feedback inhibition of HPA axis and facilitates the stress response of HPA axis leading to the production of depressive-like behaviors.

  6. Ground Vibration Attenuation Measurement using Triaxial and Single Axis Accelerometers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammad, A. H.; Yusoff, N. A.; Madun, A.; Tajudin, S. A. A.; Zahari, M. N. H.; Chik, T. N. T.; Rahman, N. A.; Annuar, Y. M. N.

    2018-04-01

    Peak Particle Velocity is one of the important term to show the level of the vibration amplitude especially traveling wave by distance. Vibration measurement using triaxial accelerometer is needed to obtain accurate value of PPV however limited by the size and the available channel of the data acquisition module for detailed measurement. In this paper, an attempt to estimate accurate PPV has been made by using only a triaxial accelerometer together with multiple single axis accelerometer for the ground vibration measurement. A field test was conducted on soft ground using nine single axis accelerometers and a triaxial accelerometer installed at nine receiver location R1 to R9. Based from the obtained result, the method shows convincing similarity between actual PPV with the calculated PPV with error ratio 0.97. With the design method, vibration measurement equipment size can be reduced with fewer channel required.

  7. A study on the pressure ripple characteristics in a bent-axis type oil hydraulic piston pump

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cho, Ihn Sung; Jung, Jae Youn

    2013-01-01

    To improve the performance of a bent-axis type axial piston pump driven by tapered pistons, it is necessary to know the pressure ripple characteristics. The purpose of this paper is to understand the effect on the pressure ripple characteristics, and to predict by comparing experimental and theoretical analysis results. The simulation model of a bent-axis type axial piston pump is developed in the AMESim environment using the geometrical dimension, and the driving mechanism of the piston pump, such as the stroke of pump, the velocity of piston, the instantaneous volumetric flow, the overlap area of valve plate opening to cylinder bore, the angle of notch, and so on. The results show that theoretical analysis results of the bent-axis type axial piston pump by using the AMESim approximate the pressure ripple characteristic of the test pump, and through this, simulations can be obtained that predict the performance characteristics of a bentaxis type axial piston pump.

  8. Micro-channel plates and vacuum detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gys, T., E-mail: Thierry.Gys@cern.ch

    2015-07-01

    A micro-channel plate is an array of miniature electron multipliers that are each acting as a continuous dynode chain. The compact channel structure results in high spatial and time resolutions and robustness to magnetic fields. Micro-channel plates have been originally developed for night vision applications and integrated as an amplification element in image intensifiers. These devices show single-photon sensitivity with very low noise and have been used as such for scintillating fiber tracker readout in high-energy physics experiments. Given their very short transit time spread, micro-channel plate photomultiplier tubes are also being used in time-of-flight and particle identification detectors. The present paper will cover the history of the micro-channel plate development, basic features, and some of their applications. Emphasis will be put on various new manufacturing processes that have been developed over the last few years, and that result in a significant improvement in terms of efficiency, noise, and lifetime performance.

  9. System Advisor Model: Flat Plate Photovoltaic Performance Modeling Validation Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Freeman, Janine [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Whitmore, Jonathan [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Kaffine, Leah [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Blair, Nate [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Dobos, Aron P. [National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)

    2013-12-01

    The System Advisor Model (SAM) is a free software tool that performs detailed analysis of both system performance and system financing for a variety of renewable energy technologies. This report provides detailed validation of the SAM flat plate photovoltaic performance model by comparing SAM-modeled PV system generation data to actual measured production data for nine PV systems ranging from 75 kW to greater than 25 MW in size. The results show strong agreement between SAM predictions and field data, with annualized prediction error below 3% for all fixed tilt cases and below 8% for all one axis tracked cases. The analysis concludes that snow cover and system outages are the primary sources of disagreement, and other deviations resulting from seasonal biases in the irradiation models and one axis tracking issues are discussed in detail.

  10. Exo-planet Direct Imaging with On-Axis and/or Segmented Apertures in Space: Adaptive Compensation of Aperture Discontinuities

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soummer, Remi

    Capitalizing on a recent breakthrough in wavefront control theory for obscured apertures made by our group, we propose to demonstrate a method to achieve high contrast exoplanet imaging with on-axis obscured apertures. Our new algorithm, which we named Adaptive Compensation of Aperture Discontinuities (ACAD), provides the ability to compensate for aperture discontinuities (segment gaps and/or secondary mirror supports) by controlling deformable mirrors in a nonlinear wavefront control regime not utilized before but conceptually similar to the beam reshaping used in PIAA coronagraphy. We propose here an in-air demonstration at 1E- 7 contrast, enabled by adding a second deformable mirror to our current test-bed. This expansion of the scope of our current efforts in exoplanet imaging technologies will enabling us to demonstrate an integrated solution for wavefront control and starlight suppression on complex aperture geometries. It is directly applicable at scales from moderate-cost exoplanet probe missions to the 2.4 m AFTA telescopes to future flagship UVOIR observatories with apertures potentially 16-20 m. Searching for nearby habitable worlds with direct imaging is one of the top scientific priorities established by the Astro2010 Decadal Survey. Achieving this ambitious goal will require 1e-10 contrast on a telescope large enough to provide angular resolution and sensitivity to planets around a significant sample of nearby stars. Such a mission must of course also be realized at an achievable cost. Lightweight segmented mirror technology allows larger diameter optics to fit in any given launch vehicle as compared to monolithic mirrors, and lowers total life-cycle costs from construction through integration & test, making it a compelling option for future large space telescopes. At smaller scales, on-axis designs with secondary obscurations and supports are less challenging to fabricate and thus more affordable than the off-axis unobscured primary mirror designs

  11. First results of astrometric and photometric processing of scanned plates DLFA MAO NAS of Ukraine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shatokhina, S.; Andruk, V.; Yatsenko, A.

    2011-02-01

    In the paper the first estimation of astrometric and photometric results of digitization of images on plates of Double Long Focus Astrograph (DLFA) was made. The digitization of plates was carried out with the scanner Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL TMA. For image processing the package LINUX/MIDAS/ROMAFOT was used. For selected plates DLFA mean square errors for equatorial coordinates (in a system of TYCHO-2 catalogue) and stellar magnitudes (in the Johnson B-system) per one image are 0.06" and 0.13m. The errors are of random nature and there are no systematic dependences on coordinates, magnitudes and colour of stars. The comparison of obtained results with that of earlier plate measurements obtained with complex PARSEC was made.

  12. Transient vibration of thin viscoelastic orthotropic plates

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Soukup, J.; Valeš, František; Volek, J.; Skočilas, J.

    2011-01-01

    Roč. 27, č. 1 (2011), s. 98-107 ISSN 0567-7718. [International Conference on Dynamical Systems - Theory and Applications /10./. Lodz, 07.12.2009-10.12.2009] R&D Projects: GA ČR GA101/07/0946 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z20760514 Keywords : transient vibration thin plate * orthotropic * general viscoelastic standard solid Subject RIV: BI - Acoustics Impact factor: 0.860, year: 2011 http://www.springerlink.com/content/hn67324178846n4r/

  13. Tooth axis and skeletal structures in mandibular molar vertical sections in jaw deformity with facial asymmetry using MPR images

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nojima, Kunihiko; Yokose, Taishi; Ishii, Takenobu; Kobayashi, Makoto; Nishii, Yasushi

    2007-01-01

    The objective of the present study was to investigate frontal morphological asymmetry in the mandibular molar region in terms of tooth axis and skeletal structures using vertical MPR sections in jaw deformity accompanied by facial asymmetry. Subjects consisted of 15 patients with jaw deformity accompanied by facial asymmetry aged 17.4 years to 37.8 years. There were four men and eleven women. Based on X-ray computed tomography (CT) scans, Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) viewer software was used to prepare multiplanar reconstruction (MPR) sections. The mandible was then positioned on a reference plane based on the menton and left and right gonions, and a vertical MPR section passing through the mesial root of the first mandibular molar was prepared. The following measurements were made on both the shifted and non-shifted sides: maximum buccolingual width of the mandibular body; height of the mandibular body; inclination angle of the mandibular body; degree of buccal protrusion of the mandibular body; and inclination angle of the buccolingual tooth axis of the first molar. Furthermore, degree of median deviation in the menton was measured using frontal cephalograms. Differences in morphological parameters between the shifted and non-shifted sides were assessed. Furthermore, the relationship between median deviation and asymmetry were statistically analyzed. There was no significant asymmetry in the maximum buccolingual width of the mandibular body, the height of the mandibular body or the degree of buccal protrusion of the mandibular body. However, when compared to the shifted side, the inclination angle of the buccolingual tooth axis of the first molar for the non-shifted side was significantly greater. There was a relatively strong correlation between median deviation and inclination angle of the mandibular body. The above findings clarified that, in orthognathic surgery for jaw deformity accompanied by facial asymmetry, actively improving

  14. Impact of uranium concentration reduction in side plates of the fuel elements of IEA-R1 reactor on neutronic and thermal hydraulic analyses; Impacto da reducao na concentracao de uranio nas placas laterais dos elementos combustiveis do reator IEA-R1 nas analises neutronica e termo-hidraulica

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rios, Ilka Antonia

    2013-09-01

    This master thesis presents a study to verify the impact of the uranium concentration reduction in the side plates of the reactor IEA-R1 fuel elements on the neutronic and thermal-hydraulic analyses. To develop such study, a previous IPEN-CNEN/SP research was reproduced by simulating the fuel elements burn-up, with side plate uranium density reduced to 50, 60 and 70% of the standard fuel element plates. This research begins with the neutronic analysis using the computer code HAMMER and the first step consists in the calculation of the cross section of all materials presented at the reactor core, with their initial concentration; the second step consists in the calculation of the fast and thermal neutron group fluxes and power densities for fuel elements using the computer code CITATION. HAMMER output data is used as input data. Once the neutronic analysis is finished and the most critical fuel elements with highest power density have been defined, the thermal-hydraulics analysis begins. This analysis uses MCTR-IEA-R1 thermal-hydraulics model, which equations are solved by commercial code EES. Thermalhydraulics analysis input is the power density data calculated by CITATION: it is considered the highest power density on each fuel element, where there is a higher energy release and, consequently, higher temperatures. This data is used on energy balance equations to calculate temperatures on critical fuel element regions. Reactor operation comparison for three different uranium densities on fuel side plates is presented. Uranium density reduction contributes to the cladding surface temperature to remain below the established limit, as reactor operation safety requirement and it does not affect significantly fuel element final burn-up nor reactor reactivity. The reduction of uranium in the side plates of the fuel elements of the IEA-R1 showed to be a viable option to avoid corrosion problems due to high temperatures. (author)

  15. CREATION OF MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF EXTRACTION BY CHEESE WHEY FROM A LUPINE IN THE FORM OF A PLATE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Y. I. Shishatskii

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Prerequisites for creation of model are stated. At a problem definition consideration of a particle of a lupine as unlimited plate is proved. The main assumptions are formulated, regional conditions are written out. Partial solutions of the differential equation, and also the common decision for the current value of a concentration pressure С'(x,у. Distribution of concentration is symmetric concerning ordinate axis. Final expression for a field of concentration at extraction of a flat plate in a dimensionless look is written out. It is shown that distribution of concentration is rather precisely described by the first member of a row. Th e conclusion is drawn that for any timepoint under the set boundary conditions the field of concentration has an appearance of a symmetric curve with a maximum on a plate axis (Х=0. For each subsequent timepoint there will be the curve which is monotonously decreasing to a plate surface. It is proved that it is possible to define nature of change of concentration in a body at a preset value the case when strives for infinity at the set physical parameters, thickness of a plate and the organization of high intensity of branch of extractive substances from a surface Is considered. For this case the equations of rather dimensionless concentration and Fourier's numb er are received. Also the equation for definition of final time of extraction is written out. It is shown that the received solutions of the eq uations of model are found in a good consent with experimental data.

  16. Image encryption based on fractal-structured phase mask in fractional Fourier transform domain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Meng-Dan; Gao, Xu-Zhen; Pan, Yue; Zhang, Guan-Lin; Tu, Chenghou; Li, Yongnan; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2018-04-01

    We present an optical encryption approach based on the combination of fractal Fresnel lens (FFL) and fractional Fourier transform (FrFT). Our encryption approach is in fact a four-fold encryption scheme, including the random phase encoding produced by the Gerchberg–Saxton algorithm, a FFL, and two FrFTs. A FFL is composed of a Sierpinski carpet fractal plate and a Fresnel zone plate. In our encryption approach, the security is enhanced due to the more expandable key spaces and the use of FFL overcomes the alignment problem of the optical axis in optical system. Only using the perfectly matched parameters of the FFL and the FrFT, the plaintext can be recovered well. We present an image encryption algorithm that from the ciphertext we can get two original images by the FrFT with two different phase distribution keys, obtained by performing 100 iterations between the two plaintext and ciphertext, respectively. We test the sensitivity of our approach to various parameters such as the wavelength of light, the focal length of FFL, and the fractional orders of FrFT. Our approach can resist various attacks.

  17. Forces Between a Permanent Magnet and a Soft Magnetic Plate

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beleggia, Marco; Vokoun, David; De Graef, Marc

    2012-01-01

    Forces between a hard/permanent magnet of arbitrary shape and an ideally soft magnetic plate in close proximity are derived analytically from the image method applied to magnetostatics. We found that the contact force, defined as the force required to detach the hard magnet from the plate, coinci...

  18. Visual illusions and plate design: the effects of plate rim widths and rim coloring on perceived food portion size.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McClain, A D; van den Bos, W; Matheson, D; Desai, M; McClure, S M; Robinson, T N

    2014-05-01

    The Delboeuf Illusion affects perceptions of the relative sizes of concentric shapes. This study was designed to extend research on the application of the Delboeuf illusion to food on a plate by testing whether a plate's rim width and coloring influence perceptual bias to affect perceived food portion size. Within-subjects experimental design. Experiment 1 tested the effect of rim width on perceived food portion size. Experiment 2 tested the effect of rim coloring on perceived food portion size. In both experiments, participants observed a series of photographic images of paired, side-by-side plates varying in designs and amounts of food. From each pair, participants were asked to select the plate that contained more food. Multilevel logistic regression examined the effects of rim width and coloring on perceived food portion size. Experiment 1: participants overestimated the diameter of food portions by 5% and the visual area of food portions by 10% on plates with wider rims compared with plates with very thin rims (Pfood portion sizes. Experiment 2: participants overestimated the diameter of food portions by 1.5% and the visual area of food portions by 3% on plates with rim coloring compared with plates with no coloring (P=0.01). The effect of rim coloring was greater with smaller food portion sizes. The Delboeuf illusion applies to food on a plate. Participants overestimated food portion size on plates with wider and colored rims. These findings may help design plates to influence perceptions of food portion sizes.

  19. Effect of mixed adhesive joints and tapered plate on stresses in retrofitted beams bonded with a fiber-reinforced polymer plate

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bouchikhi, A.S.; Megueni, A.; Gouasmi, S.; Boukoulda, F.B.

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: • Interface stress distribution in beams reinforced composites jointed by homogeneous adhesive. • The reduction of stresses interfaces by using the tapered plate at edges. • The reduction of stresses interfaces by using the bi-adhesive. • The reduction of stresses interfaces by combining between the tapered plate and the bi-adhesive. - Abstract: This paper focuses on the reduction of interfacial stresses when using bonded laminates in strengthening existing structures. The presence of high interfacial stresses that develop near the end of composite known as edge effect may compromise the résistance to failure of strengthened structure. It is known that the decrease of plate thickness and fitness of adhesive (Young modulus) reduces the stress concentration at plate ends. Another way to tackle the problem is proper design of the plate end shape (tapered plate) and using mixed adhesive joints (MAJs) between the adherents. In this paper, a comprehensive finite element (FE) study has been conducted to investigate the effect of mixed adhesive joints (MAJs) and tapering plate on the interfacial stress distribution in the adhesive layer in retrofitted steel beam with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) plate, This results indicate that using the correct combination of tapering plate at the end and mixed adhesive joints can reduce the magnitude of the interfacial stresses significantly

  20. Migration of Older to New Digital Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plant Main Control Rooms

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kovesdi, Casey Robert [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States); Joe, Jeffrey Clark [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

    2016-04-01

    The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) has the primary mission to advance nuclear power by resolving socio-technical issues through research and development (R&D). One DOE-NE activity supporting this mission is the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. LWRS has the overall objective to sustain the operation of existing commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) through conducting R&D across multiple “pathways,” or R&D focus areas. The Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) Systems Technologies pathway conducts targeted R&D to address aging and reliability concerns with the legacy instrumentation and control (I&C) and related information systems in operating U.S. NPPs. This work involves (1) ensuring that legacy analog II&C systems are not life-limiting issues for the LWR fleet, and (2) implementing digital II&C technology in a manner that enables broad innovation and business improvement in the NPP operating model. Under the LWRS Advanced II&C pathway, Human Factors experts at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have been conducting R&D in support of NPP main control room (MCR) modernization activities. Work in prior years has focused on migrating analog I&C systems to new digital I&C systems (). In fiscal year 2016 (FY16), one new focus area for this research is migrating older digital I&C systems to new and advanced digital I&C systems. This report summarizes a plan for conducting a digital-to-digital migration of a legacy digital I&C system to a new digital I&C system in support of control room modernization activities.

  1. Migration of Older to New Digital Control Systems in Nuclear Power Plant Main Control Rooms

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kovesdi, Casey Robert; Joe, Jeffrey Clark

    2016-01-01

    The United States (U.S.) Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Nuclear Energy (NE) has the primary mission to advance nuclear power by resolving socio-technical issues through research and development (R&D). One DOE-NE activity supporting this mission is the Light Water Reactor Sustainability (LWRS) program. LWRS has the overall objective to sustain the operation of existing commercial nuclear power plants (NPPs) through conducting R&D across multiple ''pathways,'' or R&D focus areas. The Advanced Instrumentation, Information, and Control (II&C) Systems Technologies pathway conducts targeted R&D to address aging and reliability concerns with the legacy instrumentation and control (I&C) and related information systems in operating U.S. NPPs. This work involves (1) ensuring that legacy analog II&C systems are not life-limiting issues for the LWR fleet, and (2) implementing digital II&C technology in a manner that enables broad innovation and business improvement in the NPP operating model. Under the LWRS Advanced II&C pathway, Human Factors experts at Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have been conducting R&D in support of NPP main control room (MCR) modernization activities. Work in prior years has focused on migrating analog I&C systems to new digital I&C systems (). In fiscal year 2016 (FY16), one new focus area for this research is migrating older digital I&C systems to new and advanced digital I&C systems. This report summarizes a plan for conducting a digital-to-digital migration of a legacy digital I&C system to a new digital I&C system in support of control room modernization activities.

  2. Modeling particulate removal in plate-plate and wire-plate electrostatic precipitators

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    S Ramechecandane

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The present study is concerned with the modeling of electrically charged particles in a model plate-plate and a single wire-plate electrostatic precipitator (ESP. The particle concentration distributions for both a plate-plate and a wire-plate ESP are calculated using a modified drift flux model. Numerical investigations are performed using the modified drift flux model for particle number concentration, in addition to the RNG k - ε model for the mean turbulent flow field and the Poisson equation for the electric field. The proposed model and the outlined methodology for coupling the flow field, electric field, charging kinetics and particle concentration is applied to two model precipitators that are truly representative of a wide class of commercialized ESPs. The present investigation is quite different from the earlier studies as it does not make assumptions like a homogeneous electric field or an infinite turbulent diffusivity. The electric field calculated is a strong function of position and controls the migration velocity of particles. Hence, the proposed model can be implemented in a flow solver to obtain a full-fledged solution for any kind of ESP with no limitations on the particle number concentration, as encountered in a Lagrangian approach. The effect of turbulent diffusivity on particle number concentration in a plate-plate ESP is investigated in detail and the results obtained are compared with available experimental data. Similarly, the effect of particle size/diameter and applied electric potential on the accumulative collection performance in the case of a wire-plate ESP is studied and the results obtained are compared with available numerical data. The numerical results obtained using the modified drift flux model for both the plate-plate and wire-plate ESP are in close agreement with available experimental and numerical data.

  3. Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer (MaGIXS) Slit-Jaw Imaging System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilkerson, P.; Champey, P. R.; Winebarger, A. R.; Kobayashi, K.; Savage, S. L.

    2017-12-01

    The Marshall Grazing Incidence X-ray Spectrometer is a NASA sounding rocket payload providing a 0.6 - 2.5 nm spectrum with unprecedented spatial and spectral resolution. The instrument is comprised of a novel optical design, featuring a Wolter1 grazing incidence telescope, which produces a focused solar image on a slit plate, an identical pair of stigmatic optics, a planar diffraction grating and a low-noise detector. When MaGIXS flies on a suborbital launch in 2019, a slit-jaw camera system will reimage the focal plane of the telescope providing a reference for pointing the telescope on the solar disk and aligning the data to supporting observations from satellites and other rockets. The telescope focuses the X-ray and EUV image of the sun onto a plate covered with a phosphor coating that absorbs EUV photons, which then fluoresces in visible light. This 10-week REU project was aimed at optimizing an off-axis mounted camera with 600-line resolution NTSC video for extremely low light imaging of the slit plate. Radiometric calculations indicate an intensity of less than 1 lux at the slit jaw plane, which set the requirement for camera sensitivity. We selected a Watec 910DB EIA charge-coupled device (CCD) monochrome camera, which has a manufacturer quoted sensitivity of 0.0001 lux at F1.2. A high magnification and low distortion lens was then identified to image the slit jaw plane from a distance of approximately 10 cm. With the selected CCD camera, tests show that at extreme low-light levels, we achieve a higher resolution than expected, with only a moderate drop in frame rate. Based on sounding rocket flight heritage, the launch vehicle attitude control system is known to stabilize the instrument pointing such that jitter does not degrade video quality for context imaging. Future steps towards implementation of the imaging system will include ruggedizing the flight camera housing and mounting the selected camera and lens combination to the instrument structure.

  4. 2-Mercaptobenzimidazole, 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole, and Thioglycolic Acid in an Electroless Nickel-Plating Bath

    OpenAIRE

    Ahmet Ozan Gezerman; Burcu Didem Çorbacıoğlu

    2015-01-01

    The use of three different materials, 2-mercaptobenzimidazole, 2-mercaptobenzothiazole, and thioglycolic acid, was investigated to improve the performance of electroless nickel-plating baths. By changing the concentrations of these materials, sample plates were coated. Optical microscope images were obtained by selecting representative coated plates. From the results of the investigations, the effects of these materials on electroless nickel plating were observed, and the most appropriate amo...

  5. Multiframe Superresolution of Vehicle License Plates Based on Distribution Estimation Approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Renchao Jin

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Low-resolution (LR license plate images or videos are often captured in the practical applications. In this paper, a distribution estimation based superresolution (SR algorithm is proposed to reconstruct the license plate image. Different from the previous work, here, the high-resolution (HR image is estimated via the obtained posterior probability distribution by using the variational Bayesian framework. To regularize the estimated HR image, a feature-specific prior model is proposed by considering the most significant characteristic of license plate images; that is, the target has high contrast with the background. In order to assure the success of the SR reconstruction, the models representing smoothness constraints on images are also used to regularize the estimated HR image with the proposed feature-specific prior model. We show by way of experiments, under challenging blur with size 7 × 7 and zero-mean Gaussian white noise with variances 0.2 and 0.5, respectively, that the proposed method could achieve the peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR of 22.69 dB and the structural similarity (SSIM of 0.9022 under the noise with variance 0.2 and the PSNR of 19.89 dB and the SSIM of 0.8582 even under the noise with variance 0.5, which are 1.84 dB and 0.04 improvements in comparison with other methods.

  6. Developments in microchannel plate detectors for imaging x-ray astronomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fraser, G.W.; Whiteley, M.J.; Pearson, J.F.

    1985-01-01

    The authors present new results in four areas of microchannel plate (MCP) X-ray detector operation. The performance in pulse counting mode of MCPs with 8 micron channel diameters is reported. The effects on MCP quantum detection efficiency and energy discrimination of multiple CsI coatings are described. A new mode of operation of two-stage multipliers is evaluated. Replacing the conventional electron-accelerating inter-plate potential difference by a retarding field is shown to result in definite advantages with regard to X-ray energy discrimination and detector lifetime. The source of the MCP internal background is discussed

  7. Roll-Axis Hydrofluidic Stability Augmentation System Development

    Science.gov (United States)

    1975-09-01

    lifi .1035 SW 30 left for znro time delay - r Ight for other. 17 Preceding page Hank Recordings of the simulated aircraft performance to...DESIGN The analytical effort defined the gains and shaping networks required for the roll-axis damper system for the OH-58A helicopter, and the...Shaping Networks Usually a combination of resistors and capacitors (bellows) is designed to provide the following functions: a) b) 3.1.4 1 Lag

  8. Calibration for medium resolution off-axis electron holography using a flexible dual-lens imaging system in a JEOL ARM 200F microscope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cantu-Valle, Jesus; Ruiz-Zepeda, Francisco; Mendoza-Santoyo, Fernando; Jose-Yacaman, Miguel; Ponce, Arturo

    2014-01-01

    In this work the calibration of a medium resolution off-axis electron holography using a dual-lens imaging system in a JEOL ARM 200F is shown. The objective dual-lens configuration allows adjusting the field of view from 35 nm to 2.5 μm. Subsequently, the parameters used in phase shift reconstruction were calibrated considering biprism voltage versus fringe spacing (σ) and versus fringe width (W). The reliability of the transmission electron microscope performance using these parameters was achieved using gold nanoparticles of known size and adjusting the excitation voltage of the lenses. - Highlights: • We presented the off-axis electron holography calibration in dual-lens mode of a JEOL ARM 200F. • We provide optimal conditions for a wide field of views varying the objective lens excitation. • The calibration was made using Au-nanoparticles controlling fringe width, spacing and contrast. • Application of electron holography to nanoparticles is also shown

  9. Detection of License Plate using Sliding Window, Histogram of Oriented Gradient, and Support Vector Machines Method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astawa, INGA; Gusti Ngurah Bagus Caturbawa, I.; Made Sajayasa, I.; Dwi Suta Atmaja, I. Made Ari

    2018-01-01

    The license plate recognition usually used as part of system such as parking system. License plate detection considered as the most important step in the license plate recognition system. We propose methods that can be used to detect the vehicle plate on mobile phone. In this paper, we used Sliding Window, Histogram of Oriented Gradient (HOG), and Support Vector Machines (SVM) method to license plate detection so it will increase the detection level even though the image is not in a good quality. The image proceed by Sliding Window method in order to find plate position. Feature extraction in every window movement had been done by HOG and SVM method. Good result had shown in this research, which is 96% of accuracy.

  10. ROADS CENTRE-AXIS EXTRACTION IN AIRBORNE SAR IMAGES: AN APPROACH BASED ON ACTIVE CONTOUR MODEL WITH THE USE OF SEMI-AUTOMATIC SEEDING

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    R. G. Lotte

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Research works dealing with computational methods for roads extraction have considerably increased in the latest two decades. This procedure is usually performed on optical or microwave sensors (radar imagery. Radar images offer advantages when compared to optical ones, for they allow the acquisition of scenes regardless of atmospheric and illumination conditions, besides the possibility of surveying regions where the terrain is hidden by the vegetation canopy, among others. The cartographic mapping based on these images is often manually accomplished, requiring considerable time and effort from the human interpreter. Maps for detecting new roads or updating the existing roads network are among the most important cartographic products to date. There are currently many studies involving the extraction of roads by means of automatic or semi-automatic approaches. Each of them presents different solutions for different problems, making this task a scientific issue still open. One of the preliminary steps for roads extraction can be the seeding of points belonging to roads, what can be done using different methods with diverse levels of automation. The identified seed points are interpolated to form the initial road network, and are hence used as an input for an extraction method properly speaking. The present work introduces an innovative hybrid method for the extraction of roads centre-axis in a synthetic aperture radar (SAR airborne image. Initially, candidate points are fully automatically seeded using Self-Organizing Maps (SOM, followed by a pruning process based on specific metrics. The centre-axis are then detected by an open-curve active contour model (snakes. The obtained results were evaluated as to their quality with respect to completeness, correctness and redundancy.

  11. Multipactor saturation in parallel-plate waveguides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sorolla, E.; Mattes, M.

    2012-01-01

    The saturation stage of a multipactor discharge is considered of interest, since it can guide towards a criterion to assess the multipactor onset. The electron cloud under multipactor regime within a parallel-plate waveguide is modeled by a thin continuous distribution of charge and the equations of motion are calculated taking into account the space charge effects. The saturation is identified by the interaction of the electron cloud with its image charge. The stability of the electron population growth is analyzed and two mechanisms of saturation to explain the steady-state multipactor for voltages near above the threshold onset are identified. The impact energy in the collision against the metal plates decreases during the electron population growth due to the attraction of the electron sheet on the image through the initial plate. When this growth remains stable till the impact energy reaches the first cross-over point, the electron surface density tends to a constant value. When the stability is broken before reaching the first cross-over point the surface charge density oscillates chaotically bounded within a certain range. In this case, an expression to calculate the maximum electron surface charge density is found whose predictions agree with the simulations when the voltage is not too high.

  12. Fully Noncontact Wave Propagation Imaging in an Immersed Metallic Plate with a Crack

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jung-Ryul Lee

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available This study presents a noncontact sensing technique with ultrasonic wave propagation imaging algorithm, for damage visualization of liquid-immersed structures. An aluminum plate specimen (400 mm × 400 mm × 3 mm with a 12 mm slit was immersed in water and in glycerin. A 532 nm Q-switched continuous wave laser is used at an energy level of 1.2 mJ to scan an area of 100 mm × 100 mm. A laser Doppler vibrometer is used as a noncontact ultrasonic sensor, which measures guided wave displacement at a fixed point. The tests are performed with two different cases of specimen: without water and filled with water and with glycerin. Lamb wave dispersion curves for the respective cases are calculated, to investigate the velocity-frequency relationship of each wave mode. Experimental propagation velocities of Lamb waves for different cases are compared with the theoretical dispersion curves. This study shows that the dispersion and attenuation of the Lamb wave is affected by the surrounding liquid, and the comparative experimental results are presented to verify it. In addition, it is demonstrated that the developed fully noncontact ultrasonic propagation imaging system is capable of damage sizing in submerged structures.

  13. Return to axi-symmetry for pipe flows generated after a fractal orifice

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nicolleau, F C G A, E-mail: F.Nicolleau@Sheffield.ac.uk [SFMG, Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Sheffield, Mappin Street, Sheffield S1 3JD (United Kingdom)

    2013-12-15

    We present experimental results obtained from pipe flows generated by fractal shaped orifices or openings. We compare different fractal orifices and their efficiencies to re-generate axi-symmetric flows and to return to the standard flow generated by a perforated plate or a circular orifice plate. We consider two families of fractal openings: mono-orifice and complex orifice and emphasize the differences between the two fractal families. For the Reynolds number we used, we found that there is an optimum iteration for the fractal level above which no improvement for practical applications such as flowmetering is to be expected. The main parameters we propose for the characterization of the fractal orifice are the connexity parameter, the symmetry angle and the gap to the wall {delta}*{sub g}. The results presented here are among the first for flows forced through fractal openings and will serve as a reference for future studies and benchmarks for numerical applications. (paper)

  14. Return to axi-symmetry for pipe flows generated after a fractal orifice

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nicolleau, F C G A

    2013-01-01

    We present experimental results obtained from pipe flows generated by fractal shaped orifices or openings. We compare different fractal orifices and their efficiencies to re-generate axi-symmetric flows and to return to the standard flow generated by a perforated plate or a circular orifice plate. We consider two families of fractal openings: mono-orifice and complex orifice and emphasize the differences between the two fractal families. For the Reynolds number we used, we found that there is an optimum iteration for the fractal level above which no improvement for practical applications such as flowmetering is to be expected. The main parameters we propose for the characterization of the fractal orifice are the connexity parameter, the symmetry angle and the gap to the wall δ* g . The results presented here are among the first for flows forced through fractal openings and will serve as a reference for future studies and benchmarks for numerical applications. (paper)

  15. Fatigue accumulation in a thermo-visco-elastoplastic plate

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Eleuteri, M.; Kopfová, J.; Krejčí, Pavel

    2014-01-01

    Roč. 19, č. 7 (2014), s. 2091-2109 ISSN 1531-3492 R&D Projects: GA ČR GAP201/10/2315 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : elastoplastic plate * Prandtl-Ishlinskii operator * material fatigue Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics Impact factor: 0.768, year: 2014 http://www.aimsciences.org/journals/displayArticlesnew.jsp?paperID=10182

  16. Isolated tympanic plate fracture frequency and its relationship to mandibular trauma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Altay, Canan; Erdoğan, Nezahat; Batkı, Ozan; Eren, Erdem; Altay, Sedat; Karasu, Sebnem; Mete, Berna; Uluç, Engin

    2014-11-01

    This study evaluated the prevalence of isolated tympanic fractures and their correlation with mandibular fractures by using maxillofacial computed tomography (CT). We retrospectively evaluated the maxillofacial CT of 1590 patients who presented to our emergency department with maxillofacial trauma between December 2010 and December 2012. Maxillofacial CT was used as the criterion standard for evaluating patients with maxillofacial fractures. The CT images were evaluated by using an electronic picture archiving and communications system and interpreted independently by 2 radiologists. The maxillofacial CT images revealed mandibular fractures in 167 of the patients and isolated tympanic plate fractures in 35 of these 167 patients. Four patients (11%) had a bilateral tympanic plate fracture, and 31 patients (89%) had unilateral tympanic plate fracture. Of all the tympanic plate fractures, 19 (54%) were on the right side and 16 (46%) were on the left side (P > .05). In our results, a significant correlation between the presence of a right-sided tympanic plate fracture and fracture of the ipsilateral condylar process was found (P = .036). However, a statistically significant difference between the presence of a tympanic plate fracture and other mandible fractures, additional soft-tissue findings, or the number of fractures was not determined (P > .05). Sex had no impact on the presence of tympanic plate fracture (P > .05). The frequency of isolated tympanic plate fractures in maxillofacial trauma is low, but it is an important anatomic location. Condyle fractures are significantly associated with isolated tympanic plate fractures. The presence of these injuries should raise suspicion of a concomitant isolated tympanic plate fracture. Copyright © 2014 Canadian Association of Radiologists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Cerebral arteriovenous malformations. the relationship between clinical related events and rCBF SPECT imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Bo; Shi Xiangen

    1996-01-01

    To evaluate the relationship between clinical related events and rCBF SPECT imaging in patients with arteriovenous malformations (AVMs), the radioactive counting difference between normal and lesion site was divided by regional pixel considered as ischemic index (II). II was measured in 20 AVM cases and compared with patients' age, sex,neurological history and the size of lesions. The degree of rCBF reduction correlated with clinical neurological manifestation and showed no significant relationship with the age, sex and size of malformed vessels. II in patients with seizures was higher than that in patients with hemorrhage. The rCBF SPECT imaging may be useful for evaluation of the hemodynamics in AVMs

  18. Quantitative assessment of growth plate activity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Harcke, H.T.; Macy, N.J.; Mandell, G.A.; MacEwen, G.D.

    1984-01-01

    In the immature skeleton the physis or growth plate is the area of bone least able to withstand external forces and is therefore prone to trauma. Such trauma often leads to premature closure of the plate and results in limb shortening and/or angular deformity (varus or valgus). Active localization of bone seeking tracers in the physis makes bone scintigraphy an excellent method for assessing growth plate physiology. To be most effective, however, physeal activity should be quantified so that serial evaluations are accurate and comparable. The authors have developed a quantitative method for assessing physeal activity and have applied it ot the hip and knee. Using computer acquired pinhole images of the abnormal and contralateral normal joints, ten regions of interest are placed at key locations around each joint and comparative ratios are generated to form a growth plate profile. The ratios compare segmental physeal activity to total growth plate activity on both ipsilateral and contralateral sides and to adjacent bone. In 25 patients, ages 2 to 15 years, with angular deformities of the legs secondary to trauma, Blount's disease, and Perthes disease, this technique is able to differentiate abnormal segmental physeal activity. This is important since plate closure does not usually occur uniformly across the physis. The technique may permit the use of scintigraphy in the prediction of early closure through the quantitative analysis of serial studies

  19. Using R2* values to evaluate brain tumours on magnetic resonance imaging: Preliminary results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Zhenghua; Liao, Haibo; Yin, Jianhua; Li, Yanfang

    2014-01-01

    To determine the usefulness of the R2* value in assessing the histopathological grade of glioma at magnetic resonance imaging and differentiating various brain tumours. Sixty-four patients with brain tumours underwent R2* mapping and diffusion-weighted imaging examinations. ANOVA was performed to analyse R2* values among four groups of glioma and among high-grade gliomas (grades III and IV), low-grade gliomas (grades I and II), meningiomas, and brain metastasis. Spearman's correlation coefficients were used to determine the relationships between the R2* values or apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) and the histopathological grade of gliomas. R2* values of low- and high-grade gliomas were analysed with the receiver-operator characteristic curve. R2* values were significantly different among high-grade gliomas, low-grade gliomas, meningiomas, and brain metastasis, but not between grade I and grade II or between grade III and grade IV. The R2* value (18.73) of high-grade gliomas provided a very high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating low-grade gliomas. A strong correlation existed between the R2* value and the pathological grade of gliomas. R2* mapping is a useful sequence for determining grade of gliomas and in distinguishing benign from malignant tumours. R2* values are better than ADC for characterising gliomas. (orig.)

  20. Comparison Of Internal Adaptation Of Fixed Restorations Fabricated From Four Different Materials By A Three Axis Mill

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-06-26

    COMP ARIS ON OF INTERNAL ADAPTATION OF FIXED RESTO RA TIO NS FABRICATED FROM FOUR DIFFERENT MATERIALS BY A THREE-AXIS MILL by Bryan Paul...MATERIALS BY A THREE-AXIS MILL is appropriately acknowledged and, beyond brief excerpts, is with the permission of the copyright owner. ~r2L~ Bryan Paul...RESTORATIONS FABRICATED FROM FOUR DIFFERENT MATERIALS BY A THREE-AXIS MILL LCDR Bryan Paul Rasmussen, DC USN Prosthodontics Dept., 2016 Directed by

  1. Vehicle Plate Detection in Car Black Box Video

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dongjin Park

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Internet services that share vehicle black box videos need a way to obfuscate license plates in uploaded videos because of privacy issues. Thus, plate detection is one of the critical functions that such services rely on. Even though various types of detection methods are available, they are not suitable for black box videos because no assumption about size, number of plates, and lighting conditions can be made. We propose a method to detect Korean vehicle plates from black box videos. It works in two stages: the first stage aims to locate a set of candidate plate regions and the second stage identifies only actual plates from candidates by using a support vector machine classifier. The first stage consists of five sequential substeps. At first, it produces candidate regions by combining single character areas and then eliminates candidate regions that fail to meet plate conditions through the remaining substeps. For the second stage, we propose a feature vector that captures the characteristics of plates in texture and color. For performance evaluation, we compiled our dataset which contains 2,627 positive and negative images. The evaluation results show that the proposed method improves accuracy and sensitivity by at least 5% and is 30 times faster compared with an existing method.

  2. Automated CBED processing: sample thickness estimation based on analysis of zone-axis CBED pattern

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Klinger, Miloslav; Němec, Martin; Polívka, Leoš; Gärtnerová, Viera; Jäger, Aleš

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 150, Mar (2015), s. 88-95 ISSN 0304-3991 R&D Projects: GA ČR GBP108/12/G043 Institutional support: RVO:68378271 Keywords : TEM * CBED * thickness estimation * zone axis * computer vision * automatization Subject RIV: BM - Solid Matter Physics ; Magnetism Impact factor: 2.874, year: 2015

  3. Preliminary characterization of a one-axis acoustic system. [acoustic levitation for space processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oran, W. A.; Reiss, D. A.; Berge, L. H.; Parker, H. W.

    1979-01-01

    The acoustic fields and levitation forces produced along the axis of a single-axis resonance system were measured. The system consisted of a St. Clair generator and a planar reflector. The levitation force was measured for bodies of various sizes and geometries (i.e., spheres, cylinders, and discs). The force was found to be roughly proportional to the volume of the body until the characteristic body radius reaches approximately 2/k (k = wave number). The acoustic pressures along the axis were modeled using Huygens principle and a method of imaging to approximate multiple reflections. The modeled pressures were found to be in reasonable agreement with those measured with a calibrated microphone.

  4. Ponderomotive phase plate for transmission electron microscopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reed, Bryan W [Livermore, CA

    2012-07-10

    A ponderomotive phase plate system and method for controllably producing highly tunable phase contrast transfer functions in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) for high resolution and biological phase contrast imaging. The system and method includes a laser source and a beam transport system to produce a focused laser crossover as a phase plate, so that a ponderomotive potential of the focused laser crossover produces a scattering-angle-dependent phase shift in the electrons of the post-sample electron beam corresponding to a desired phase contrast transfer function.

  5. Quasi-Rayleigh waves in transversely isotropic half-space with inclined axis of symmetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yanovskaya, T.B.; Savina, L.S.

    2003-09-01

    A method for determination of characteristics of quasi-Rayleigh (qR) wave in a transversely isotropic homogeneous half-space with inclined axis of symmetry is outlined. The solution is obtained as a superposition of qP, qSV and qSH waves, and surface wave velocity is determined from the boundary conditions at the free surface and at infinity, as in the case of Rayleigh wave in isotropic half-space. Though the theory is simple enough, a numerical procedure for the calculation of surface wave velocity presents some difficulties. The difficulty is conditioned by necessity to calculate complex roots of a non-linear equation, which in turn contains functions determined as roots of nonlinear equations with complex coefficients. Numerical analysis shows that roots of the equation corresponding to the boundary conditions do not exist in the whole domain of azimuths and inclinations of the symmetry axis. The domain of existence of qR wave depends on the ratio of the elastic parameters: for some strongly anisotropic models the wave cannot exist at all. For some angles of inclination qR wave velocities deviate from those calculated on the basis of the perturbation method valid for weak anisotropy, though they have the same tendency of variation with azimuth. The phase of qR wave varies with depth unlike Rayleigh wave in isotropic half-space. Unlike Rayleigh wave in isotropic half-space, qR wave has three components - vertical, radial and transverse. Particle motion in horizontal plane is elliptic. Direction of the major axis of the ellipsis coincide with the direction of propagation only in azimuths 0 deg. (180 deg.) and 90 deg. (270 deg.). (author)

  6. Aluminum Nitride Ceramic as an Optically Stimulable Luminescence Dosimeter Plate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Go Okada

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available Photostimulable storage phosphors have been used in a wide range of applications including radiation measurements in one- and two-dimensional spaces, called point dosimetry and radiography. In this work, we report that an aluminum nitride (AlN ceramic plate, which is practically used as a heat sink (SHAPAL®, Tokuyama Corp., Yamaguchi, Japan, shows good optically-stimulated luminescence (OSL properties with sufficiently large signal and capability for imaging applications, and we have characterized the AlN plate for OSL applications. Upon interaction with X-rays, the sample color turns yellowish, due to a radiation-induced photoabsorption band in the UV-blue range below ~500 nm. After irradiating the sample with X-rays, an intense OSL emission can be observed in the UV (360 nm spectral region during stimulation by red light. Although our measurement setup is not optimized, dose detection was confirmed as low as ~3 mGy to over 20 Gy. Furthermore, we have successfully demonstrated that the SHAPAL® AlN ceramic plate has great potential to be used as an imaging plate in radiography.

  7. Registered error between PET and CT images confirmed by a water model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen Yangchun; Fan Mingwu; Xu Hao; Chen Ping; Zhang Chunlin

    2012-01-01

    The registered error between PET and CT imaging system was confirmed by a water model simulating clinical cases. A barrel of 6750 mL was filled with 59.2 MBq [ 18 F]-FDG and scanned after 80 min by 2 dimension model PET/CT. The CT images were used to attenuate the PET images. The CT/PET images were obtained by image morphological processing analyses without barrel wall. The relationship of the water image centroids of CT and PET images was established by linear regression analysis, and the registered error between PET and CT image could be computed one slice by one slice. The alignment program was done 4 times following the protocol given by GE Healthcare. Compared with centroids of water CT images, centroids of PET images were shifted to X-axis (0.011slice+0.63) mm, to Y-axis (0.022×slice+1.35) mm. To match CT images, PET images should be translated along X-axis (-2.69±0.15) mm, Y-axis (0.43±0.11) mm, Z-axis (0.86±0.23) mm, and X-axis be rotated by (0.06±0.07)°, Y-axis by (-0.01±0.08)°, and Z-axis by (0.11±0.07)°. So, the systematic registered error was not affected by load and its distribution. By finding the registered error between PET and CT images for coordinate rotation random error, the water model could confirm the registered results of PET-CT system corrected by Alignment parameters. (authors)

  8. Application of Artificial Neural Networks in the Heart Electrical Axis Position Conclusion Modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakanovskaya, L. N.

    2016-08-01

    The article touches upon building of a heart electrical axis position conclusion model using an artificial neural network. The input signals of the neural network are the values of deflections Q, R and S; and the output signal is the value of the heart electrical axis position. Training of the network is carried out by the error propagation method. The test results allow concluding that the created neural network makes a conclusion with a high degree of accuracy.

  9. Novel axolotl cardiac function analysis method using magnetic resonance imaging.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pedro Gomes Sanches

    Full Text Available The salamander axolotl is capable of complete regeneration of amputated heart tissue. However, non-invasive imaging tools for assessing its cardiac function were so far not employed. In this study, cardiac magnetic resonance imaging is introduced as a non-invasive technique to image heart function of axolotls. Three axolotls were imaged with magnetic resonance imaging using a retrospectively gated Fast Low Angle Shot cine sequence. Within one scanning session the axolotl heart was imaged three times in all planes, consecutively. Heart rate, ejection fraction, stroke volume and cardiac output were calculated using three techniques: (1 combined long-axis, (2 short-axis series, and (3 ultrasound (control for heart rate only. All values are presented as mean ± standard deviation. Heart rate (beats per minute among different animals was 32.2±6.0 (long axis, 30.4±5.5 (short axis and 32.7±4.9 (ultrasound and statistically similar regardless of the imaging method (p > 0.05. Ejection fraction (% was 59.6±10.8 (long axis and 48.1±11.3 (short axis and it differed significantly (p = 0.019. Stroke volume (μl/beat was 133.7±33.7 (long axis and 93.2±31.2 (short axis, also differed significantly (p = 0.015. Calculations were consistent among the animals and over three repeated measurements. The heart rate varied depending on depth of anaesthesia. We described a new method for defining and imaging the anatomical planes of the axolotl heart and propose one of our techniques (long axis analysis may prove useful in defining cardiac function in regenerating axolotl hearts.

  10. VERITAS: Versatile Triple-Axis Spectrometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Sung Il

    2006-04-15

    Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is planning to build a cold neutron triple-axis spectrometer at HANARO, the 30 MW research reactor. The spectrometer is expected to be completed in 2008 with the following configuration from the upstream to the downstream. Guide Supermirror m = 2, In-pile Straight Section, {approx} 5 m Curved Guide, {approx} 26 m w/ R 1500 m Straight Guide before the Instrument, {approx} 40 m Filters PG and Be Neutron Velocity Selector (Future) Monochromators Vertically Focusing Monochromators PG(002) and Heusler(111) Doubly Focusing Monochromators (Future) Monochromator-Sample Distance 2 m Collimation C1 Soller Collimators, 20', 40' 80'Beam Height at the Sample Table 1.5 m Sample-Analyzer Distance 1.0 m Collimation C2 Soller Collimators, 20', 40', 80' Radial Collimator Analyzers Horizontally Focusing Analyzers w/ Fixed Vertical Focusing PG(002) and Heusler(111) Analyzer-Detector Distance 0.5 m Detectors 5 cm Tube Detector 25 cm wide Position Sensitive Detector Once completed, the neutron flux at sample is expected to surpass that of SPINS at NCNR, making this instrument one of the most powerful 2nd generation cold neutron triple-axis spectrometers in the world.

  11. VERITAS: Versatile Triple-Axis Spectrometer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Sung Il

    2006-04-01

    Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute is planning to build a cold neutron triple-axis spectrometer at HANARO, the 30 MW research reactor. The spectrometer is expected to be completed in 2008 with the following configuration from the upstream to the downstream. Guide Supermirror m = 2, In-pile Straight Section, ∼ 5 m Curved Guide, ∼ 26 m w/ R 1500 m Straight Guide before the Instrument, ∼ 40 m Filters PG and Be Neutron Velocity Selector (Future) Monochromators Vertically Focusing Monochromators PG(002) and Heusler(111) Doubly Focusing Monochromators (Future) Monochromator-Sample Distance 2 m Collimation C1 Soller Collimators, 20', 40' 80'Beam Height at the Sample Table 1.5 m Sample-Analyzer Distance 1.0 m Collimation C2 Soller Collimators, 20', 40', 80' Radial Collimator Analyzers Horizontally Focusing Analyzers w/ Fixed Vertical Focusing PG(002) and Heusler(111) Analyzer-Detector Distance 0.5 m Detectors 5 cm Tube Detector 25 cm wide Position Sensitive Detector Once completed, the neutron flux at sample is expected to surpass that of SPINS at NCNR, making this instrument one of the most powerful 2nd generation cold neutron triple-axis spectrometers in the world

  12. On the isomorphism between the medial axis and a dual of the Delaunay graph

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sharma, Ojaswa; Anton, François; Mioc, Darka

    2009-01-01

    images. In color images, various features can be distinguished based on their color. The features are thus extracted as object borders, which are sampled in order to compute the medial axis transform. We present also a prototype application for the completely automated or semi-automated processing...

  13. A trial fabrication of activity standard surface sources and positional standard surface sources for an imaging plate system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sato, Yasushi; Hino, Yoshio; Yamada, Takahiro; Matsumoto, Mikio

    2003-01-01

    An imaging plate system can detect low level activity, but quantitative analysis is difficult because there are no adequate standard surface sources. A new fabrication method was developed for standard surface sources by printing on a sheet of paper using an ink-jet printer with inks in which a radioactive material was mixed. The fabricated standard surface sources had high uniformity, high positional resolution arbitrary shapes and a broad intensity range. The standard sources were used for measurement of surface activity as an application. (H. Yokoo)

  14. An automated wide-field time-gated optically sectioning fluorescence lifetime imaging multiwell plate reader for high-content analysis of protein-protein interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alibhai, Dominic; Kumar, Sunil; Kelly, Douglas; Warren, Sean; Alexandrov, Yuriy; Munro, Ian; McGinty, James; Talbot, Clifford; Murray, Edward J.; Stuhmeier, Frank; Neil, Mark A. A.; Dunsby, Chris; French, Paul M. W.

    2011-03-01

    We describe an optically-sectioned FLIM multiwell plate reader that combines Nipkow microscopy with wide-field time-gated FLIM, and its application to high content analysis of FRET. The system acquires sectioned FLIM images in fluorescent protein. It has been applied to study the formation of immature HIV virus like particles (VLPs) in live cells by monitoring Gag-Gag protein interactions using FLIM FRET of HIV-1 Gag transfected with CFP or YFP. VLP formation results in FRET between closely packed Gag proteins, as confirmed by our FLIM analysis that includes automatic image segmentation.

  15. Measurement of activity distribution using photostimulable phosphor imaging plates in decommissioned 10 MV medical linear accelerator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujibuchi, Toshioh; Yonai, Shunsuke; Yoshida, Masahiro; Sakae, Takeji; Watanabe, Hiroshi; Abe, Yoshihisa; Itami, Jun

    2014-08-01

    Photonuclear reactions generate neutrons in the head of the linear accelerator. Therefore, some parts of the linear accelerator can become activated. Such activated materials must be handled as radioactive waste. The authors attempted to investigate the distribution of induced radioactivity using photostimulable phosphor imaging plates. Autoradiographs were produced from some parts of the linear accelerator (the target, upper jaw, multileaf collimator and shielding). The levels of induced radioactivity were confirmed to be non-uniform within each part from the autoradiographs. The method was a simple and highly sensitive approach to evaluating the relative degree of activation of the linear accelerators, so that appropriate materials management procedures can be carried out.

  16. The role of minimally invasive plate osteosynthesis in rib fixation : A review

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bemelman, Michael; Van Baal, Mark; Yuan, Jian Zhang; Leenen, Luke

    2016-01-01

    More than a century ago, the first scientific report was published about fracture fixation with plates. During the 1950's, open reduction and plate fixation for fractures were standardized by the founders of Arbeitsgemeinschaft für osteosynthesefragen/Association for the Study of Internal Fixation.

  17. Steviamine, a new class of indolizidine alkaloid [(1R,2S,3R,5R,8aR-3-hydroxymethyl-5-methyloctahydroindolizine-1,2-diol hydrobromide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amber L. Thompson

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available X-ray crystallographic analysis of the title hydrobromide salt, C10H20N+·Br−, of (1R,2S,3R,5R,8aR-3-hydroxymethyl-5-methyloctahydroindolizine-1,2-diol defines the absolute and relative stereochemistry at the five chiral centres in steviamine, a new class of polyhydroxylated indolizidine alkaloid isolated from Stevia rebaudiana (Asteraceae leaves. In the crystal structure, molecules are linked by intermolecular O—H...Br and N—H...Br hydrogen bonds, forming double chains around the twofold screw axes along the b-axis direction. Intramolecular O—H...O interactions occur.

  18. Quantitative DIC microscopy using an off-axis self-interference approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Dan; Oh, Seungeun; Choi, Wonshik; Yamauchi, Toyohiko; Dorn, August; Yaqoob, Zahid; Dasari, Ramachandra R; Feld, Michael S

    2010-07-15

    Traditional Normarski differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy is a very powerful method for imaging nonstained biological samples. However, one of its major limitations is the nonquantitative nature of the imaging. To overcome this problem, we developed a quantitative DIC microscopy method based on off-axis sample self-interference. The digital holography algorithm is applied to obtain quantitative phase gradients in orthogonal directions, which leads to a quantitative phase image through a spiral integration of the phase gradients. This method is practically simple to implement on any standard microscope without stringent requirements on polarization optics. Optical sectioning can be obtained through enlarged illumination NA.

  19. Spirit Beside 'Home Plate,' Sol 1809 (Stereo)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11803 [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11803 NASA Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images assembled into this stereo, 120-degree view southward after a short drive during the 1,809th Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's mission on the surface of Mars (February 3, 2009). By combining images from the left-eye and right-eye sides of the navigation camera, the view appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. Spirit had driven about 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) that sol, continuing a clockwise route around a low plateau called 'Home Plate.' In this image, the rocks visible above the rovers' solar panels are on the slope at the northern edge of Home Plate. This view is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction.

  20. Pomegranate polyphenolics reduce inflammation and ulceration in intestinal colitis-involvement of the miR-145/p70S6K1/HIF1α axis in vivo and in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyemee; Banerjee, Nivedita; Sirven, Maritza A; Minamoto, Yasushi; Markel, Melissa E; Suchodolski, Jan S; Talcott, Stephen T; Mertens-Talcott, Susanne U

    2017-05-01

    This study investigated the potential role of the p70S6K1/HIF1α axis in the anti-inflammatory activities of pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) polyphenolics in dextran sodium sulfate (DSS)-induced colitis in Sprague-Dawley rats and in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated CCD-18Co colon-myofibroblastic cells. Rats were administered either control (CT) or pomegranate beverage (PG), containing ellagic acid and ellagitannins, then exposed to three cycles of 3% DSS followed by a 2-week recovery period. PG protected against DSS-induced colon inflammation and ulceration (50% and 66.7%, P=.05 and .045, respectively), and decreased the Ki-67 proliferative index in the central and basal regions compared to the control. PG also significantly reduced the expression of proinflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β), COX-2, and iNOS at mRNA and protein levels. In addition, the expression of p70S6K1 and HIF1α was reduced, while the tumor suppressor miR-145 was induced by PG. The intestinal microbiota of rats treated with PG showed a significant increase in Ruminococcaceae that include several butyrate producing bacteria (P=.03). In vitro, PG reduced the expression of p70S6K1 and HIF1α and induced miR-145 in a dose-dependent manner. The involvement of miR-145/p70S6K1 was confirmed by treating LPS-treated CCD-18Co cells with miR-145 antagomiR, where the pomegranate polyphenolics reversed the effects of the antagomiR for p70S6K1 mRNA and protein levels. These results suggest that pomegranate polyphenols attenuated DSS-induced colitis by modulating the miR-145/p70S6K/HIF1α axis, indicating potential use in therapeutic treatment of ulcerative colitis. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. A new license plate extraction framework based on fast mean shift

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Luning; Li, Shuguang

    2010-08-01

    License plate extraction is considered to be the most crucial step of Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) system. In this paper, a region-based license plate hybrid detection method is proposed to solve practical problems under complex background in which existing large quantity of disturbing information. In this method, coarse license plate location is carried out firstly to get the head part of a vehicle. Then a new Fast Mean Shift method based on random sampling of Kernel Density Estimate (KDE) is adopted to segment the color vehicle images, in order to get candidate license plate regions. The remarkable speed-up it brings makes Mean Shift segmentation more suitable for this application. Feature extraction and classification is used to accurately separate license plate from other candidate regions. At last, tilted license plate regulation is used for future recognition steps.

  2. Thermal performance of plate-type loop thermosyphon at sub-atmospheric pressures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsoi, Vadim; Chang, Shyy Woei; Chiang Kuei Feng; Huang, Chuan Chin

    2011-01-01

    This experimental study examines the thermal performance of a newly devised plate-type two-phase loop thermosyphon with cooling applications to electronic boards of telecommunication systems. The evaporation section is configured as the inter-connected multi channels to emulate the bridging boiling mechanism in pulsating thermosyphon. Two thermosyphon plates using water as the coolant with filling ratios (FR) of 0.22 and 0.32 are tested at sub-atmospheric pressures. The vapor-liquid flow images as well as the thermal resistances and effective spreading thermal conductivities are individually measured for each thermosyphon test plate at various heating powers. The high-speed digital images of the vapor-liquid flow structures reveal the characteristic boiling phenomena and the vapor-liquid circulation in the vertical thermosyphon plate, which assist to explore the thermal physics for this type of loop thermosyphon. The bubble agglomeration and pumping action in the inter-connected boiling channels take place at metastable non-equilibrium conditions, leading to the intermittent slug flows with a pulsation character. Such hybrid loop-pulsating thermosyphon permits the vapor-liquid circulation in the horizontal plate. Thermal resistances and spreading thermal conductivities detected from the present thermosyphon plates; the vapor chamber flat plate heat pipe and the copper plate at free and forced convective cooling conditions with both vertical and horizontal orientations are cross-examined. In most telecommunication systems and units, the electrical boards are vertical so that the thermal performance data on the vertical thermosyphon are most relevant to this particular application. - Highlights: → We examine thermal performances of plate-type loop thermosyphon. → Thermal resistances and spreading conductivities are examined. → Bubble agglomeration in inter-connected boiling channels generates intermittent slug flows with pulsations. → Boiling instability

  3. Meteosat third generation imager: simulation of the flexible combined imager instrument chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Just, Dieter; Gutiérrez, Rebeca; Roveda, Fausto; Steenbergen, Theo

    2014-10-01

    The Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Programme is the next generation of European geostationary meteorological systems. The first MTG satellite, MTG-I1, which is scheduled for launch at the end of 2018, will host two imaging instruments: the Flexible Combined Imager (FCI) and the Lightning Imager. The FCI will provide continuation of the SEVIRI imager operations on the current Meteosat Second Generation satellites (MSG), but with an improved spatial, temporal and spectral resolution, not dissimilar to GOES-R (of NASA/NOAA). Unlike SEVIRI on the spinning MSG spacecraft, the FCI will be mounted on a 3-axis stabilised platform and a 2-axis tapered scan will provide a full coverage of the Earth in 10 minute repeat cycles. Alternatively, a rapid scanning mode can cover smaller areas, but with a better temporal resolution of up to 2.5 minutes. In order to assess some of the data acquisition and processing aspects which will apply to the FCI, a simplified end-to-end imaging chain prototype was set up. The simulation prototype consists of four different functional blocks: - A function for the generation of FCI-like references images - An image acquisition simulation function for the FCI Line-of-Sight calculation and swath generation - A processing function that reverses the swath generation process by rectifying the swath data - An evaluation function for assessing the quality of the processed data with respect to the reference images This paper presents an overview of the FCI instrument chain prototype, covering instrument characteristics, reference image generation, image acquisition simulation, and processing aspects. In particular, it provides in detail the description of the generation of references images, highlighting innovative features, but also limitations. This is followed by a description of the image acquisition simulation process, and the rectification and evaluation function. The latter two are described in more detail in a separate paper. Finally, results

  4. A Study of Electron Modes in Off-axis Heated Alcator C-Mod Plasmas

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiore, C. L.; Ernst, D. R.; Mikkelsen, D.; Ennever, P. C.; Howard, N. T.; Gao, C.; Reinke, M. L.; Rice, J. E.; Hughes, J. W.; Walk, J. R.

    2013-10-01

    Understanding the underlying physics and stability of the peaked density internal transport barriers (ITB) that have been observed during off-axis ICRF heating of Alcator C-Mod plasmas is the goal of recent gyro-kinetic simulations. Two scenarios are examined: an ITB plasma formed with maximal (4.5 MW) off-axis heating power; also the use of off-axis heating in an I-mode plasma as a target in the hopes of establishing an ITB. In the former, it is expected that evidence of trapped electron mode instabilities could be found if a sufficiently high electron temperature is achieved in the core. Linear simulations show unstable modes are present across the plasma core from r/a = 0.2 and greater. In the latter case, despite establishing similar conditions to those in which ITBS were formed, none developed in the I-mode plasmas. Linear gyrokinetic analyses show no unstable ion modes at r/a < 0.55 in these I-mode plasmas, with both ITG and ETG modes present beyond r/a = 0.65. The details of the experimental results will be presented. Linear and non-linear simulations of both of these cases will attempt to explore the underlying role of electron and ion gradient driven instabilities to explain the observations. This work was supported by US-DoE DE-FC02-99ER54512 and DE-AC02-09CH11466.

  5. Growth plate injury at the base of the coracoid: MRI features

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    FitzGerald Alaia, Erin; Rosenberg, Zehava Sadka; Pinkney, Lynne [NYU Langone Medical Center, Department of Radiology, New York, NY (United States); Rossi, Ignacio [Centro de Diagnostico Dr. Enrique Rossi, Buenos Aires (Argentina); Zember, Jonathan [Children' s Hospital of Philadelphia, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Roedl, Johannes B. [Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Department of Radiology, Philadelphia, PA (United States); Steinbach, Lynne S. [University of California, San Francisco Medical Center, Department of Radiology, San Francisco, CA (United States)

    2017-11-15

    To assess the MRI features of growth plate injury at the base of the coracoid process. Subjects were identified through retrospective search of our department imaging database and teaching files and the teaching files of two outside academic institutions. The coracoid base growth plate was examined with attention to widening, irregularity, abnormal signal intensity of the growth plate, and the presence of adjacent soft tissue edema. The apposing coracoid and scapular bony surfaces were examined for signal intensity and morphology. Shoulder MRIs in eight patients with coracoid base growth plate disturbances were retrospectively reviewed (7 males, 1 female, mean age 15 years). Growth plate injury manifested as widening, irregularity and increased signal, apposing bony marrow edema and hypertrophy, and surrounding soft tissue edema. Five subjects were athletes (football, archery, basketball, swimming, rugby), two had a history of neuromuscular disorders, and one subject presented after a fall. Clinical indications included: rule out labral tear (n = 3), rule out rotator cuff tear or fracture after fall (n = 1), nonspecific pain (n = 1), shoulder subluxation, rule out glenoid pathology (n = 1, patient with underlying neuromuscular disorder), muscular dystrophy with shoulder pain (n = 1), and impingement (n = 1). Coracoid growth plate injury was not suspected clinically in any of the patients. Awareness of the imaging appearance of coracoid base growth plate injury can aid in a more accurate diagnosis of shoulder MRI studies in young pediatric athletes. While uncommon, coracoid growth plate injury should be considered when assessing children with shoulder symptomatology. (orig.)

  6. Growth plate injury at the base of the coracoid: MRI features

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FitzGerald Alaia, Erin; Rosenberg, Zehava Sadka; Pinkney, Lynne; Rossi, Ignacio; Zember, Jonathan; Roedl, Johannes B.; Steinbach, Lynne S.

    2017-01-01

    To assess the MRI features of growth plate injury at the base of the coracoid process. Subjects were identified through retrospective search of our department imaging database and teaching files and the teaching files of two outside academic institutions. The coracoid base growth plate was examined with attention to widening, irregularity, abnormal signal intensity of the growth plate, and the presence of adjacent soft tissue edema. The apposing coracoid and scapular bony surfaces were examined for signal intensity and morphology. Shoulder MRIs in eight patients with coracoid base growth plate disturbances were retrospectively reviewed (7 males, 1 female, mean age 15 years). Growth plate injury manifested as widening, irregularity and increased signal, apposing bony marrow edema and hypertrophy, and surrounding soft tissue edema. Five subjects were athletes (football, archery, basketball, swimming, rugby), two had a history of neuromuscular disorders, and one subject presented after a fall. Clinical indications included: rule out labral tear (n = 3), rule out rotator cuff tear or fracture after fall (n = 1), nonspecific pain (n = 1), shoulder subluxation, rule out glenoid pathology (n = 1, patient with underlying neuromuscular disorder), muscular dystrophy with shoulder pain (n = 1), and impingement (n = 1). Coracoid growth plate injury was not suspected clinically in any of the patients. Awareness of the imaging appearance of coracoid base growth plate injury can aid in a more accurate diagnosis of shoulder MRI studies in young pediatric athletes. While uncommon, coracoid growth plate injury should be considered when assessing children with shoulder symptomatology. (orig.)

  7. Assessment and validation of CT scanogram to compare per-operative and post-operative mechanical axis after navigated total knee replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jain, Sunil

    2008-01-01

    Our objective was to assess and validate low-dose computed tomography (CT) scanogram as a post-operative imaging modality to measure the mechanical axis after navigated total knee replacement. A prospective study was performed to compare intra-operative and post-operative mechanical axis after navigated total knee replacements. All consecutive patients who underwent navigated total knee replacement between May and December 2006 were included. The intra-operative final axis was recorded, and post-operatively a CT scanogram of lower limbs was performed. The mechanical axis was measured and compared against the intra-operative measurement. There were 15 patients ranging in age from 57 to 80 (average 70) years. The average final intra-operative axis was 0.56° varus (4° varus to 1.5° valgus) and post-operative CT scanogram axis was 0.52° varus (3.1° varus to 1.8° valgus). The average deviation from final axes to CT scanogram axes was 0.12° valgus with a correlation coefficient of 0.9. Our study suggests that CT scanogram is an imaging modality with reasonable accuracy for measuring mechanical axis despite significantly low radiation. It also confirms a high level of correlation between intra-operative and post-operative mechanical axis after navigated total knee replacement. PMID:18696064

  8. Assessment of the efficiency of SimPlate™ total plate count color indicator (TPC CI to quantify mesophilic aerobic microorganisms in pasteurized milk Avaliação da eficiência do SimPlate™ Total Plate Count Color Indicator (TPC CI para enumeração de microrganismos aeróbios mesófilos em leite pasteurizado

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luís Augusto Nero

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available The SimPlate™ TPC CI system is a rapid method to count mesophilic aerobic microorganisms (MAM in foods, based on the use of resazurine to indicate bacterial growth. Its efficiency in pasteurized milk was evaluated using 142 pasteurized milk samples (38 type A, 43 type B and 61 type C collected in Londrina, PR. The standard plating method, using Plate Count Agar (PCA was used for comparison. The plates of both systems were incubated at 35ºC and read after 24h and 48h. The occurrence of false-positive and false-negative wells and the predominant microorganisms in them were also evaluated. The results were compared by simple correlation and mean variance analyses. The correlation (r and mean variance values were 0.6811 and 0.7583 for the results obtained after 24h, respectively, and 0.9126 and 0.0842 for the results obtained after 48h, respectively. These results indicate that the performance of the system increases when the plates are incubated for 48h. When the three types of milk were evaluated separately, these values were 0.9285 and 0.0817 for type A milk, 0.9231 and 0.0466 for type B milk and 0.7209 and 0.1082 for type C milk. These results indicate that the better the quality of the milk the better the performance of SimPlate™ TPC CI. False-negative wells, found more frequently in samples with high MAM counts, were caused by Gram positive microorganisms, poorly detected by the SimPlate™ TPC CI system because they grew slowly and had low reduction capacity. The results indicated a higher efficiency of the SimPlate™ TPC CI system in the reading at 48h.O sistema SimPlate™ TPC CI é um método rápido para enumeração de microrganismos aeróbios mesófilos (MAM em alimentos que utiliza a resazurina como substância indicadora de crescimento bacteriano. Para avaliar sua eficiência em leite pasteurizado, 142 amostras (38 de leite tipo A, 43 de leite tipo B e 61 de leite tipo C foram colhidas em Londrina, PR, e analisadas pelo SimPlate

  9. Growth plate closure: Apex view on bone scan

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Giles, P.H.; Trochei, M.; Yeates, K.

    1984-01-01

    Angular deformities of the extremities in children following premature closure of the growth plate are well known. The deformities depend on the position of an osseus bridge which forms between the epiphysis and metaphysis. Several surgical procedures including resection of the osseus bridge have been described, however, delineation of the site of fusion is difficult to define. The commonest site of growth plate arrest is the distal femoral or proximal tibial growth plate. A new technique using the bone scan has been developed which accurately defines the area and position of these osseus bridges. Two hours after injection of technetium 99m methylene diphosphonate apex views of the affected distal femoral growth plate were performed. The knee was flexed into its smallest angle. Using a pinhole collimator the gamma camera was angled to face the affected growth plate end on. The image was collected onto computer and analysed by: (I) regions of interest over segments of the growth plate to calculate the relative area of total growth plate affected: (II) generating histograms: (III) thresholding or performing isocontours to accentuate abnormal areas. The growth plate is normally uniformly increased when compared to the normal shaft of the bone. Fusion across the plate appears as an area of diminished uptake. The apex view gives a unique functional map of the growth plate such that abnormal areas are displayed, and the site, size and position of osseus fusion obtained. The technique has the potential for determining the metabolic activity of the growth plate before and after surgery. Serial studies will allow assessment of regneration of the plate and reformation of new osseus bridges

  10. Hydrodynamics of a flexible plate between pitching rigid plates

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Junyoung; Kim, Daegyoum

    2017-11-01

    The dynamics of a flexible plate have been studied as a model problem in swimming and flying of animals and fluid-structure interaction of plants and flags. Motivated by fish schooling and an array of sea grasses, we investigate the dynamics of a flexible plate closely placed between two pitching rigid plates. In most studies on passive deformation of the flexible plate, the plate is immersed in a uniform flow or a wavy flow. However, in this study, the flexible plate experiences periodic deformation by the oscillatory flow generated by the prescribed pitching motion of the rigid plates. In our model, the pitching axes of the rigid plates and the clamping position of the flexible plate are aligned on the same line. The flexible plate shows various responses depending on length and pitching frequency of rigid plates, thickness of a flexible plate, and free-stream velocity. To find the effect of each variable on the response of the flexible plate, amplitude of a trailing edge and modal contribution of a flapping motion are compared, and flow structure around the flexible plate is examined.

  11. Evolution of the Northeastern Arabian Plate Margin and Shelf: Hydrocarbon Habitat and Conceptual Future Potential L'évolution géologique de la plate-forme arabe et de sa marge : répartition des hydrocarbures et concepts pour son potentiel futur

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beydoun Z. R.

    2006-11-01

    Full Text Available About 98% of the huge recoverable hydrocarbon reserves of the Arabian Plate are concentrated in the Northeastern Margin Shelf extending from NW Iraq through the Gulf to Central Oman. The plate tectonic evolution of this region is reviewed as background for its enormous hydrocarbon productivity. This is intimately linked to a near-continuous passive margin history and gentle subsidence of an extraordinarily wide epeiric shelf, which allowed repeated regional development of source rocks in large intra-shelf basins frequently in optimal juxtapositional relationships with good regional reservoirs and seals; these events are discussed. Although currently reported reserve figures relate to Mesozoic and Tertiary reservoirs, it is concluded that several pre-Mesozoic regional sources have generated enormous volumes of hydrocarbons, the bulk of which still await discovery in up-dip Paleozoic reservoirs, and that future ultimate recoverable reserves could conceivably double. Près de 98 % des énormes réserves récupérables d'hydrocarbures de la plaque arabique sont concentrés dans la marge nord-est qui s'étend du nord-ouest de l'Irak au centre d'Oman, à travers le Golfe. L'auteur passe en revue l'évolution tectonique de cette région, origine de son énorme productivité pétrolière. La passivité presque continue de cette marge, combinée à l'affaissement progressif d'un plateau épicontinental particulièrement large, a permis le développement local répété de roches mères, au sein du plateau, dans de vastes bassins bénéficiant souvent d'une juxtaposition optimale avec les roches réservoir et roche-couvertures. L'article étudie ces évènements. Si les réserves actuellement prises en compte sont essentiellement d'origine mésozoïque et tertiaire, l'auteur conclut que de nombreuses sources régionales pré-mésozoïques ont généré d'énormes volumes d'hydrocarbures, dont la majeur partie reste à découvrir dans des réservoirs pal

  12. Rates and timing of vertical-axis block rotations across the central Sierra Nevada-Walker Lane transition in the Bodie Hills, California/Nevada

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rood, Dylan H.; Burbank, Douglas W.; Herman, Scott W.; Bogue, Scott

    2011-10-01

    We use paleomagnetic data from Tertiary volcanic rocks to address the rates and timing of vertical-axis block rotations across the central Sierra Nevada-Walker Lane transition in the Bodie Hills, California/Nevada. Samples from the Upper Miocene (˜9 Ma) Eureka Valley Tuff suggest clockwise vertical-axis block rotations between NE-striking left-lateral faults in the Bridgeport and Mono Basins. Results in the Bodie Hills suggest clockwise rotations (R ± ΔR, 95% confidence limits) of 74 ± 8° since Early to Middle Miocene (˜12-20 Ma), 42 ± 11° since Late Miocene (˜8-9 Ma), and 14 ± 10° since Pliocene (˜3 Ma) time with no detectable northward translation. The data are compatible with a relatively steady rotation rate of 5 ± 2° Ma-1 (2σ) since the Middle Miocene over the three examined timescales. The average rotation rates have probably not varied by more than a factor of two over time spans equal to half of the total time interval. Our paleomagnetic data suggest that block rotations in the region of the Mina Deflection began prior to Late Miocene time (˜9 Ma), and perhaps since the Middle Miocene if rotation rates were relatively constant. Block rotation in the Bodie Hills is similar in age and long-term average rate to rotations in the Transverse Ranges of southern California associated with early transtensional dextral shear deformation. We speculate that the age of rotations in the Bodie Hills indicates dextral shear and strain accommodation within the central Walker Lane Belt resulting from coupling of the Pacific and North America plates.

  13. Imaging an off-axis volcanic field in the Main Ethiopian Rift using 3-D magnetotellurics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huebert, J.; Whaler, K. A.; Fisseha, S.; Hogg, C.

    2017-12-01

    In active continental rifts, asthenospheric upwelling and crustal thinning result in the ascent of melt through the crust to the surface. In the Main Ethiopian Rift (MER), most volcanic activity is located in magmatic segments in the rift centre, but there are areas of significant off-axis magmatism as well. The Butajira volcanic field is part of the Silti Debre Zeyt Fault (SDZF) zone in the western Main Ethiopian Rift. It is characterized by densely clustered volcanic vents (mostly scoria cones) and by limited seismic activity, which is mainly located along the big border faults that form the edge of a steep escarpment. Seismic P-Wave tomography reveals a crustal low velocity anomaly in this area. We present newly collected Magnetotelluric (MT) data to image the electrical conductivity structure of the area. We deployed 12 LMT instruments and 27 broadband stations in the western flank of the rift to further investigate the along-rift and depth extent of a highly conductive region under the SDZF which was previously identified by MT data collected on the central volcano Aluto and along a cross-rift transverse. This large conductor was interpreted as potential pathways for magma and fluid in the crust. MT Stations were positioned in five NW-SE running 50 km long profiles, covering overall 100km along the rift and providing good coverage for a 3-D inversion of the data to image this enigmatic area of the MER.

  14. DARHT Axis-I Diode Simulations II: Geometrical Scaling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ekdahl, Carl A. Jr. [Los Alamos National Laboratory

    2012-06-14

    Flash radiography of large hydrodynamic experiments driven by high explosives is a venerable diagnostic technique in use at many laboratories. Many of the largest hydrodynamic experiments study mockups of nuclear weapons, and are often called hydrotests for short. The dual-axis radiography for hydrodynamic testing (DARHT) facility uses two electron linear-induction accelerators (LIA) to produce the radiographic source spots for perpendicular views of a hydrotest. The first of these LIAs produces a single pulse, with a fixed {approx}60-ns pulsewidth. The second axis LIA produces as many as four pulses within 1.6-{micro}s, with variable pulsewidths and separation. There are a wide variety of hydrotest geometries, each with a unique radiographic requirement, so there is a need to adjust the radiographic dose for the best images. This can be accomplished on the second axis by simply adjusting the pulsewidths, but is more problematic on the first axis. Changing the beam energy or introducing radiation attenuation also changes the spectrum, which is undesirable. Moreover, using radiation attenuation introduces significant blur, increasing the effective spot size. The dose can also be adjusted by changing the beam kinetic energy. This is a very sensitive method, because the dose scales as the {approx}2.8 power of the energy, but it would require retuning the accelerator. This leaves manipulating the beam current as the best means for adjusting the dose, and one way to do this is to change the size of the cathode. This method has been proposed, and is being tested. This article describes simulations undertaken to develop scaling laws for use as design tools in changing the Axis-1 beam current by changing the cathode size.

  15. Velocity measurement of model vertical axis wind turbines

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, D.A.; McWilliam, M. [Waterloo Univ., ON (Canada). Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

    2006-07-01

    An increasingly popular solution to future energy demand is wind energy. Wind turbine designs can be grouped according to their axis of rotation, either horizontal or vertical. Horizontal axis wind turbines have higher power output in a good wind regime than vertical axis turbines and are used in most commercial class designs. Vertical axis Savonius-based wind turbine designs are still widely used in some applications because of their simplistic design and low wind speed performance. There are many design variables that must be considered in order to optimize the power output in a given wind regime in a typical wind turbine design. Using particle image velocimetry, a study of the air flow around five different model vertical axis wind turbines was conducted in a closed loop wind tunnel. A standard Savonius design with two semi-circular blades overlapping, and two variations of this design, a deep blade and a shallow blade design were among the turbine models included in this study. It also evaluated alternate designs that attempt to increase the performance of the standard design by allowing compound blade curvature. Measurements were collected at a constant phase angle and also at random rotor orientations. It was found that evaluation of the flow patterns and measured velocities revealed consistent and stable flow patterns at any given phase angle. Large scale flow structures are evident in all designs such as vortices shed from blade surfaces. An important performance parameter was considered to be the ability of the flow to remain attached to the forward blade and redirect and reorient the flow to the following blade. 6 refs., 18 figs.

  16. Position-sensitive detector system OBI for High Resolution X-Ray Powder Diffraction using on-site readable image plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Knapp, M.; Joco, V.; Baehtz, C.; Brecht, H.H.; Berghaeuser, A.; Ehrenberg, H.; Seggern, H. von; Fuess, H.

    2004-01-01

    A one-dimensional detector system has been developed using image plates. The detector is working in transmission mode or Debye-Scherrer geometry and is on-site readable which reduces the effort for calibration. It covers a wide angular range up to 110 deg. and shows narrow reflection half-widths depending on the capillary diameter. The acquisition time is in the range of minutes and the data quality allows for reliable Rietveld refinement of complicated structures, even in multi-phase samples. The detector opens a wide field of new applications in kinetics and temperature resolved measurements

  17. Epiphyseal plate closure of radio-ulna bone in red Sokoto goat ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    They were classified into different age groups and subgroups, from 1-144 weeks. The radiographs of their forearms were taken and the proximal and distal epiphyseal plate lengths of both radius and ulna bones were measured. The radiographic images of the bones showed that the proximal and distal epiphyseal plates of ...

  18. The future of the cardiovascular image

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Serna M, J.A.

    2007-01-01

    In this work the future of the cardiovascular image is presented, it is important to know the advantages and disadvantages of the current image methods to apply them in each case. The characteristics of the methods are presented: X R simple plate, the cardiac ultrasound, the image by magnetic resonance, the computed tomography, the helicoid tomography, the SPECT of myocardial perfusion, the PET and the PET/CT and the used radiopharmaceuticals. The SPECT of myocardial perfusion is the more used method around the world for the evacuation of the coronary illness. It has a high sensitivity (between 90 and 97%), it is a non-invasive treatment (morbidity of 0.01%), of relative low cost and it is useful in the diagnosis of ischemia in groups of high risk like diabetics, dyslipidemia, obese and hypertension. (Author)

  19. Dose-image quality study in digital chest radiography using Monte Carlo simulation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Correa, S.C.A.; Souza, E.M.; Silva, A.X.; Lopes, R.T.; Yoriyaz, H.

    2008-01-01

    One of the main preoccupations of diagnostic radiology is to guarantee a good image-sparing dose to the patient. In the present study, Monte Carlo simulations, with MCNPX code, coupled with an adult voxel female model (FAX) were performed to investigate how image quality and dose in digital chest radiography vary with tube voltage (80-150 kV) using air-gap technique and a computed radiography system. Calculated quantities were normalized to a fixed value of entrance skin exposure (ESE) of 0.0136 R. The results of the present analysis show that the image quality for chest radiography with imaging plate is improved and the dose reduced at lower tube voltage

  20. PC-based car license plate reader

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hwang, Chung-Mu; Shu, Shyh-Yeong; Chen, Wen-Yu; Chen, Yie-Wern; Wen, Kuang-Pu

    1992-11-01

    A car license plate reader (CLPR) using fuzzy inference and neural network algorithm has been developed in Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and installed in highway toll stations to identify stolen cars. It takes an average of 0.7 seconds to recognize a car license plate by using a PC with 80486-50 CPU. The recognition rate of the system is about 97%. The techniques of CLPR include vehicle sensing, image grab control, optic pre- processing, lighting, and optic character recognition (OCR). The CLPR can be used in vehicle flow statistics, the checking of stolen vehicles, automatic charging systems in parking lots or garage management, and so on.

  1. Spirit's View Beside 'Home Plate' on Sol 1823 (Stereo)

    Science.gov (United States)

    2009-01-01

    [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Left-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11971 [figure removed for brevity, see original site] Right-eye view of a color stereo pair for PIA11971 NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit used its navigation camera to take the images that have been combined into this stereo, 180-degree view of the rover's surroundings during the 1,823rd Martian day, or sol, of Spirit's surface mission (Feb. 17, 2009). This view combines images from the left-eye and right-eye sides of the navigation camera. It appears three-dimensional when viewed through red-blue glasses with the red lens on the left. The center of the view is toward the south-southwest. The rover had driven 7 meters (23 feet) eastward earlier on Sol 1823, part of maneuvering to get Spirit into a favorable position for climbing onto the low plateau called 'Home Plate.' However, after two driving attempts with negligible progress during the following three sols, the rover team changed its strategy for getting to destinations south of Home Plate. The team decided to drive Spirit at least partway around Home Plate, instead of ascending the northern edge and taking a shorter route across the top of the plateau. Layered rocks forming part of the northern edge of Home Plate can be seen near the center of the image. Rover wheel tracks are visible at the lower edge. This view is presented as a cylindrical-perspective projection with geometric seam correction.

  2. Evolution of fuel plate parameters during deformation in rolling

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Durazzo, M., E-mail: mdurazzo@ipen.br [Nuclear and Energy Research Institute – IPEN/CNEN-SP, São Paulo (Brazil); Vieira, E.; Urano de Carvalho, E.F. [Nuclear and Energy Research Institute – IPEN/CNEN-SP, São Paulo (Brazil); Riella, H.G. [Nuclear and Energy Research Institute – IPEN/CNEN-SP, São Paulo (Brazil); Chemical Engineering Department, Santa Catarina Federal University, Florianópolis (Brazil)

    2017-07-15

    The Nuclear and Energy Research Institute – IPEN/CNEN-SP routinely produces the nuclear fuel necessary for operating its research reactor, IEA-R1. This fuel consists of fuel plates containing U{sub 3}Si{sub 2}-Al composites as the meat, which are fabricated by rolling. The rolling process currently deployed was developed based on information obtained from literature, which was used as a premise for defining the current manufacturing procedures, according to a methodology with an essentially empirical character. Despite the current rolling process being perfectly stable and highly reproducible, it is not well characterized and is therefore not fully known. The objective of this work is to characterize the rolling process for producing dispersion fuel plates. Results regarding the evolution of the main parameters of technological interest, after each rolling pass, are presented. Some defects that originated along the fuel plate deformation during the rolling process were characterized and discussed. The fabrication procedures for manufacturing the fuel plates are also presented. - Highlights: •Evolution of defects when manufacturing dispersion fuel plates. •Aspects of dispersion fuel plates fabrication. •What happen during the manufacturing of dispersion fuel plates? •Clarifying the deformation of fuel plates by rolling.

  3. Quantitative determination of uranium distribution homogeneity in MTR fuel type plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ferrufino, Felipe Bonito Jaldin

    2011-01-01

    IPEN/CNEN-SP produces the fuel to supply its nuclear research reactor IEA-R1. The fuel is assembled with fuel plates containing an U 3 Si 2 -Al composite meat. A good homogeneity in the uranium distribution inside the fuel plate meat is important from the standpoint of irradiation performance. Considering the lower power of reactor IEA-R1, the uranium distribution in the fuel plate has been evaluated only by visual inspection of radiographs. However, with the possibility of IPEN to manufacture the fuel for the new Brazilian Multipurpose Reactor (RMB), with higher power, it urges to develop a methodology to determine quantitatively the uranium distribution into the fuel. This paper presents a methodology based on X-ray attenuation, in order to quantify the uranium concentration distribution in the meat of the fuel plate by using optical densities in radiographs and comparison with standards. The results demonstrated the inapplicability of the method, considering the current specification for the fuel plates due to the high intrinsic error to the method. However, the study of the errors involved in the methodology, seeking to increase their accuracy and precision, can enable the application of the method to qualify the final product. (author)

  4. Lamb-Wave-Based Tomographic Imaging Techniques for Hole-Edge Corrosion Monitoring in Plate Structures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dengjiang Wang

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available This study presents a novel monitoring method for hole-edge corrosion damage in plate structures based on Lamb wave tomographic imaging techniques. An experimental procedure with a cross-hole layout using 16 piezoelectric transducers (PZTs was designed. The A0 mode of the Lamb wave was selected, which is sensitive to thickness-loss damage. The iterative algebraic reconstruction technique (ART method was used to locate and quantify the corrosion damage at the edge of the hole. Hydrofluoric acid with a concentration of 20% was used to corrode the specimen artificially. To estimate the effectiveness of the proposed method, the real corrosion damage was compared with the predicted corrosion damage based on the tomographic method. The results show that the Lamb-wave-based tomographic method can be used to monitor the hole-edge corrosion damage accurately.

  5. Possible application of an imaging plate to space radiation dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ohuchi, Hiroko; Yamadera, Akira

    2002-01-01

    Fading correction plays an important role in the application of commercially available BaBrF:Eu 2+ phosphors: imaging plates (IP) to dosimetry. We successfully determined a fading correction equation, which is a function of elapsed time and absolute temperature, as the sum of several exponentially decaying components having different half-lives. In this work, a new method was developed to eliminate a short half-life component by annealing the IP and estimating the radiation dose with the long half-life components. Annealing decreases the effect of fading on the estimated dose, however, it also causes the loss of photo-stimulated luminescence (PSL). Considering an IP as an integral detector for a specific period of up to one month, the practically optimum conditions for quantitative measurement with two types of IP (BAS-TR and BAS-MS) were evaluated by using the fading correction equation, which was obtained after irradiation with a 244 Cm source as the alpha-ray source having a specific radioactivity of 1,638.5 Bq/cm 2 including beta and gamma-ray (alpha energy of 5.763 and 5.805 MeV). Annealing at 80 deg C for 24 hours after irradiation for one month using BAS-MS should minimize the effect of the elapsed time, resulting in sufficient sensitivity. The results demonstrate new possibilities for radiation dosimetry offered by the use of an IP. (author)

  6. Use of an X-ray imaging plate for stress analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schubert, A.; Kaempfe, B.; Ermrich, M.; Auerswald, E.; Traenkner, K.

    1994-01-01

    The X-ray diffraction method for stress measurements has been successfully carried out for many years [1]. The basis for the determination of residual and load stresses is the Debye-Scherrer-method and Bragg's law. The Bragg angles of one or several reflections are measured with high precision in the back reflection region. The results permit the determination of changes in interplanar spacings of polycrystalline materials. Conventional stress analysis is based on two commonly used techniques, the so-called ''sin 2 ψ''- and ''φ''-methods, which require measurements at different tilting and rotating positions of the sample by the help of a Ψ- or Ω-goniometer [1, 2, 3]. In these cases the interplanar spacings and consequently the shift of the peak can be determined with conventional counters or position sensitive detectors. From the whole diffraction cone only a small part of lattice planes {hkl} with a special orientation (ψ, φ) is analysed. The use of a two-dimensional detector like an imaging plate [4] offers the possibility to get diffraction patterns in one measurement from lattice planes {hkl} having one ψ and all φ orientations (non-tilted case) or different ψ and different φ orientations (tilted case). Thus the number of measurements for the calculation of the stress components can be significantly reduced. Further it is possible to investigate both textured materials and coarse-grained samples. (orig.)

  7. Recognition Number of The Vehicle Plate Using Otsu Method and K-Nearest Neighbour Classification

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maulidia Rahmah Hidayah

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available The current topic that is interesting as a solution of the impact of public service improvement toward vehicle is License Plate Recognition (LPR, but it still needs to develop the research of LPR method. Some of the previous researchs showed that K-Nearest Neighbour (KNN succeed in car license plate recognition. The Objectives of this research was to determine the implementation and accuracy of Otsu Method toward license plate recognition. The method of this research was Otsu method to extract the characteristics and image of the plate into binary image and KNN as recognition classification method of each character. The development of the license plate recognition program by using Otsu method and classification of KNN is following the steps of pattern recognition, such as input and sensing, pre-processing, extraction feature Otsu method binary, segmentation, KNN classification method and post-processing by calculating the level of accuracy. The study showed that this program can recognize by 82% from 100 test plate with 93,75% of number recognition accuracy and 91,92% of letter recognition accuracy. 

  8. Comparison of plate counts, Petrifilm, dipslides, and adenosine triphosphate bioluminescence for monitoring bacteria in cooling-tower waters.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mueller, Sherry A; Anderson, James E; Kim, Byung R; Ball, James C

    2009-04-01

    Effective bacterial control in cooling-tower systems requires accurate and timely methods to count bacteria. Plate-count methods are difficult to implement on-site, because they are time- and labor-intensive and require sterile techniques. Several field-applicable methods (dipslides, Petrifilm, and adenosine triphosphate [ATP] bioluminescence) were compared with the plate count for two sample matrices--phosphate-buffered saline solution containing a pure culture of Pseudomonas fluorescens and cooling-tower water containing an undefined mixed bacterial culture. For the pure culture, (1) counts determined on nutrient agar and plate-count agar (PCA) media and expressed as colony-forming units (CFU) per milliliter were equivalent to those on R2A medium (p = 1.0 and p = 1.0, respectively); (2) Petrifilm counts were not significantly different from R2A plate counts (p = 0.99); (3) the dipslide counts were up to 2 log units higher than R2A plate counts, but this discrepancy was not statistically significant (p = 0.06); and (4) a discernable correlation (r2 = 0.67) existed between ATP readings and plate counts. For cooling-tower water samples (n = 62), (1) bacterial counts using R2A medium were higher (but not significant; p = 0.63) than nutrient agar and significantly higher than tryptone-glucose yeast extract (TGE; p = 0.03) and PCA (p < 0.001); (2) Petrifilm counts were significantly lower than nutrient agar or R2A (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively), but not statistically different from TGE, PCA, and dipslides (p = 0.55, p = 0.69, and p = 0.91, respectively); (3) the dipslide method yielded bacteria counts 1 to 3 log units lower than nutrient agar and R2A (p < 0.001), but was not significantly different from Petrifilm (p = 0.91), PCA (p = 1.00) or TGE (p = 0.07); (4) the differences between dipslides and the other methods became greater with a 6-day incubation time; and (5) the correlation between ATP readings and plate counts varied from system to system, was poor

  9. (2S,4R-2-[(1R-1-(4-Bromophenyl-2-nitroethyl]-4-ethylcyclohexanone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chi-Xiao Zhang

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available The crystal structure of the title compound, C16H20BrNO3, contains three chiral centers in the configuration 1R,2S,6R. The cyclohexane ring is in a chair conformation. In the crystal, molecules are linked by weak C—H...O interactions, forming chains along the a-axis direction.

  10. Relative range error evaluation of terrestrial laser scanners using a plate, a sphere, and a novel dual-sphere-plate target.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muralikrishnan, Bala; Rachakonda, Prem; Lee, Vincent; Shilling, Meghan; Sawyer, Daniel; Cheok, Geraldine; Cournoyer, Luc

    2017-12-01

    Terrestrial laser scanners (TLS) are a class of 3D imaging systems that produce a 3D point cloud by measuring the range and two angles to a point. The fundamental measurement of a TLS is range. Relative range error is one component of the overall range error of TLS and its estimation is therefore an important aspect in establishing metrological traceability of measurements performed using these systems. Target geometry is an important aspect to consider when realizing the relative range tests. The recently published ASTM E2938-15 mandates the use of a plate target for the relative range tests. While a plate target may reasonably be expected to produce distortion free data even at far distances, the target itself needs careful alignment at each of the relative range test positions. In this paper, we discuss relative range experiments performed using a plate target and then address the advantages and limitations of using a sphere target. We then present a novel dual-sphere-plate target that draws from the advantages of the sphere and the plate without the associated limitations. The spheres in the dual-sphere-plate target are used simply as fiducials to identify a point on the surface of the plate that is common to both the scanner and the reference instrument, thus overcoming the need to carefully align the target.

  11. Magnetic resonance imaging of hypothalamus hypophysis axis lesions; Relationship between posterior pituitary function and posterior bright spot

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Shiina, Takeki; Uno, Kimiichi; Arimizu, Noboru; Yoshida, Sho (Chiba Univ. (Japan). School of Medicine); Yamada, Kenichi

    1990-04-01

    Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a 0.5T superconductive machine was performed to the thirty three cases with a variety of the sellar and parasellar tumors and with dysfunction of the hypothalamus-hypophysis axis. Posterior pituitary bright spot (PBS) on T1 weighted image was evaluated with the pituitary hormonal function. These cases were 12 cases of post-treated tumors including pituitary adenoma (9 patients), suprasellar germinoma (2 patients) and craniopharyngioma (one patient), and non-tumorous conditions including 15 cases of central diabetes insipidus (DI), Syndrome of inappropriate secretion of ADH (SIADH) (one patient), Sheehan's syndrome (3 patients) and anorexia nervosa (2 patients). Pituitary bright spot was not seen in all 19 cases with overt DI. On the other hand, PBS was not seen in 9 cases without overt DI. Three cases of these 9 cases showing Sheehan's syndrome with insufficient antidiuretic hormone (ADH) secretion was considered as the state of subclinical DI. Posterior bright spot was not seen in all 13 cases of empty sella including partial empty sella. The results suggested that disappearance of PBS represents abnormality or loss of posterior pituitary function and also it was considered to be closely related to the empty sella. (author).

  12. Research of z-axis geometric dose efficiency in multi-detector computed tomography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, You Hyun; Kim, Moon Chan

    2006-01-01

    With the recent prevalence of helical CT and multi-slice CT, which deliver higher radiation dose than conventional CT due to overbeaming effect in X-ray exposure and interpolation technique in image reconstruction. Although multi-detector and helical CT scanner provide a variety of opportunities for patient dose reduction, the potential risk for high radiation levels in CT examination can't be overemphasized in spite of acquiring more diagnostic information. So much more concerns is necessary about dose characteristics of CT scanner, especially dose efficient design as well as dose modulation software, because dose efficiency built into the scanner's design is probably the most important aspect of successful low dose clinical performance. This study was conducted to evaluate z-axis geometric dose efficiency in single detector CT and each level multi-detector CT, as well as to compare z-axis dose efficiency with change of technical scan parameters such as focal spot size of tube, beam collimation, detector combination, scan mode, pitch size, slice width and interval. The results obtained were as follows; 1. SDCT was most highest and 4 MDCT was most lowest in z-axis geometric dose efficiency among SDCT, 4, 8, 16, 64 slice MDCT made by GE manufacture. 2. Small focal spot was 0.67-13.62% higher than large focal spot in z-axis geometric dose efficiency at MDCT. 3. Large beam collimation was 3.13-51.52% higher than small beam collimation in z-axis geometric dose efficiency at MDCT. Z-axis geometric dose efficiency was same at 4 slice MDCT in all condition and 8 slice MDCT of large beam collimation with change of detector combination, but was changed irregularly at 8 slice MDCT of small beam collimation and 16 slice MDCT in all condition with change of detector combination. 5. There was no significant difference for z-axis geometric dose efficiency between conventional scan and helical scan, and with change of pitch factor, as well as change of slice width or interval for

  13. Extended plate and beam demonstration home

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patricia Gunderson; Vladimir Kochkin; Xiping Wang

    2018-01-01

    An extended plate and beam (EP&B) design was developed at Home Innovation Research Labs (Upper Marlboro, Maryland) in an effort to provide traditional light-frame wall construction details that are compatible with continuous insulating sheathing. This would encourage wide-spread adoption of high-R walls and promote greater energy efficiency in new houses. The...

  14. Can pterygoid plate asymmetry be linked to temporomandibular joint disorders ?

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Guerrero, Maria Eugenia; Jacobs, Reinhilde [OIC, OMFS IMPATH Research Group, Department of Imaging and Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Leuven and Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University Hospitals Leuven, Leuven (Belgium); Beltran, Jorge [Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, Post-Graduate School, Universidad Privada Cayetano Heredia, Lima (Peru); Laat, Antoon [Stomatology and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dept. of Oral Health Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven (Belgium)

    2015-06-15

    This study was performed to evaluate the relationship between pterygoid plate asymmetry and temporomandibular joint disorders. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 60 patients with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) involving pain were analyzed and compared with images of 60 age- and gender-matched controls. Three observers performed linear measurements of the lateral pterygoid plates. Statistically significant differences were found between measurements of the lateral pterygoid plates on the site that had pain and the contralateral site (p<0.05). The average length of the lateral pterygoid plates (LPPs) in patients with TMD was 17.01±3.64 mm on the right side and 16.21±3.51 mm on the left side, and in patients without TMD, it was 11.86±1.97 mm on the right side and 11.98±1.85 mm on the left side. Statistically significant differences in the LPP length, measured on CBCT, were found between patients with and without TMD (p<0.05). The inter-examiner reliability obtained in this study was very high for all the examiners (0.99, 95% confidence interval: 0.98-0.99). Within the limits of the present study, CBCT lateral pterygoid plate measurements at the side with TMD were found to be significantly different from those on the side without TMD. More research is needed to explore potential etiological correlations and implications for treatment.

  15. Determination of Proper Motions of Circumpolar Stars by Using Images from Ukrvo Plate Archives

    Science.gov (United States)

    Protsyuk, Yu.; Andruk, V.; Mazhaev, A.; Kovylianska, O.; Protsyuk, S.; Golovnya, V.

    UkrVO plate archives contain informationobtained at different time periods and in different observatories for the same regions of the sky [3, 5, 6, 7, 8]. It allows us to carry out joint processing of plates and to receive new results for interesting objects. To obtain proper motions of stars in circumpolar areas, we selected 34 photographic plates from the RI NAO archive and 161 plates from the archive of the MAO NAS. A mean epoch difference between the plates from these archives is 55 years. Scanning of the plates and data processing were independently carried out by both observatories. A catalog of equatorial positions for 195 thousand stars up to 15m was compiled in the RI NAO (black dots in Fig. 1). A catalog of equatorial positions for 1050 thousand stars up to 16.5m was compiled in MAO (gray dots in Fig. 1). A comparison of positions for common stars contained in these catalogs was conducted. A catalog of proper motions for 30 thousand common stars up to 15m was compiled using these two input catalogs. The obtained result suggests the advisability of processing of all observations to receive proper motions of stars up to 14-15m in the declination zone of 65° to 90°.

  16. Three axis vector magnet set-up for cryogenic scanning probe microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Galvis, J. A.; Herrera, E.; Buendía, A.; Guillamón, I.; Vieira, S.; Suderow, H.; Azpeitia, J.; Luccas, R. F.; Munuera, C.; García-Hernandez, M.

    2015-01-01

    We describe a three axis vector magnet system for cryogenic scanning probe microscopy measurements. We discuss the magnet support system and the power supply, consisting of a compact three way 100 A current source. We obtain tilted magnetic fields in all directions with maximum value of 5T along z-axis and of 1.2T for XY-plane magnetic fields. We describe a scanning tunneling microscopy-spectroscopy (STM-STS) set-up, operating in a dilution refrigerator, which includes a new high voltage ultralow noise piezodrive electronics and discuss the noise level due to vibrations. STM images and STS maps show atomic resolution and the tilted vortex lattice at 150 mK in the superconductor β-Bi 2 Pd. We observe a strongly elongated hexagonal lattice, which corresponds to the projection of the tilted hexagonal vortex lattice on the surface. We also discuss Magnetic Force Microscopy images in a variable temperature insert

  17. Three axis vector magnet set-up for cryogenic scanning probe microscopy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Galvis, J. A. [Laboratorio de Bajas Temperaturas, Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales Nicolás Cabrera, Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Departamento de Ciencias Naturales Facultad de Ingeniería Universidad Central, Bogotá (Colombia); Herrera, E.; Buendía, A. [Laboratorio de Bajas Temperaturas, Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales Nicolás Cabrera, Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Guillamón, I.; Vieira, S.; Suderow, H. [Laboratorio de Bajas Temperaturas, Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales Nicolás Cabrera, Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC), Facultad de Ciencias Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid (Spain); Unidad Asociada de Bajas Temperaturas y Altos Campos Magnéticos, UAM, CSIC, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Azpeitia, J.; Luccas, R. F.; Munuera, C.; García-Hernandez, M. [Unidad Asociada de Bajas Temperaturas y Altos Campos Magnéticos, UAM, CSIC, Cantoblanco, E-28049 Madrid (Spain); Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICMM-CSIC), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid (Spain); and others

    2015-01-15

    We describe a three axis vector magnet system for cryogenic scanning probe microscopy measurements. We discuss the magnet support system and the power supply, consisting of a compact three way 100 A current source. We obtain tilted magnetic fields in all directions with maximum value of 5T along z-axis and of 1.2T for XY-plane magnetic fields. We describe a scanning tunneling microscopy-spectroscopy (STM-STS) set-up, operating in a dilution refrigerator, which includes a new high voltage ultralow noise piezodrive electronics and discuss the noise level due to vibrations. STM images and STS maps show atomic resolution and the tilted vortex lattice at 150 mK in the superconductor β-Bi{sub 2}Pd. We observe a strongly elongated hexagonal lattice, which corresponds to the projection of the tilted hexagonal vortex lattice on the surface. We also discuss Magnetic Force Microscopy images in a variable temperature insert.

  18. A vibrating thermoelastic plate in a contact with an obstacle

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Bock, I.; Jarušek, Jiří

    2015-01-01

    Roč. 63, č. 1 (2015), s. 39-52 ISSN 1210-3195 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GAP201/12/0671 Institutional support: RVO:67985840 Keywords : thermoelastic plate * unilateral dynamic contact * rigid obstacle Subject RIV: BA - General Mathematics http://tatra.mat.savba.sk/paper.php?id_paper=1244

  19. Insulin-Like Growth Factor-Independent Effects of Growth Hormone on Growth Plate Chondrogenesis and Longitudinal Bone Growth.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shufang; Yang, Wei; De Luca, Francesco

    2015-07-01

    GH stimulates growth plate chondrogenesis and longitudinal bone growth directly at the growth plate. However, it is not clear yet whether these effects are entirely mediated by the local expression and action of IGF-1 and IGF-2. To determine whether GH has any IGF-independent growth-promoting effects, we generated (TamCart)Igf1r(flox/flox) mice. The systemic injection of tamoxifen in these mice postnatally resulted in the excision of the IGF-1 receptor (Igf1r) gene exclusively in the growth plate. (TamCart)Igf1r(flox/flox) tamoxifen-treated mice [knockout (KO) mice] and their Igf1r(flox/flox) control littermates (C mice) were injected for 4 weeks with GH. At the end of the 4-week period, the tibial growth and growth plate height of GH-treated KO mice were greater than those of untreated C or untreated KO mice. The systemic injection of GH increased the phosphorylation of Janus kinase 2 and signal transducer and activator of transcription 5B in the tibial growth plate of the C and KO mice. In addition, GH increased the mRNA expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2 and the mRNA expression and protein phosphorylation of nuclear factor-κB p65 in both C and KO mice. In cultured chondrocytes transfected with Igf1r small interfering RNA, the addition of GH in the culture medium significantly induced thymidine incorporation and collagen X mRNA expression. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that GH can promote growth plate chondrogenesis and longitudinal bone growth directly at the growth plate, even when the local effects of IGF-1 and IGF-2 are prevented. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the intracellular molecular mechanisms mediating the IGF-independent, growth-promoting GH effects.

  20. miRNA-mRNA integrative analysis in primary myelofibrosis CD34+ cells: role of miR-155/JARID2 axis in abnormal megakaryopoiesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Norfo, Ruggiero; Zini, Roberta; Pennucci, Valentina; Bianchi, Elisa; Salati, Simona; Guglielmelli, Paola; Bogani, Costanza; Fanelli, Tiziana; Mannarelli, Carmela; Rosti, Vittorio; Pietra, Daniela; Salmoiraghi, Silvia; Bisognin, Andrea; Ruberti, Samantha; Rontauroli, Sebastiano; Sacchi, Giorgia; Prudente, Zelia; Barosi, Giovanni; Cazzola, Mario; Rambaldi, Alessandro; Bortoluzzi, Stefania; Ferrari, Sergio; Tagliafico, Enrico; Vannucchi, Alessandro M.

    2014-01-01

    Primary myelofibrosis (PMF) is a myeloproliferative neoplasm characterized by megakaryocyte (MK) hyperplasia, bone marrow fibrosis, and abnormal stem cell trafficking. PMF may be associated with somatic mutations in JAK2, MPL, or CALR. Previous studies have shown that abnormal MKs play a central role in the pathophysiology of PMF. In this work, we studied both gene and microRNA (miRNA) expression profiles in CD34+ cells from PMF patients. We identified several biomarkers and putative molecular targets such as FGR, LCN2, and OLFM4. By means of miRNA-gene expression integrative analysis, we found different regulatory networks involved in the dysregulation of transcriptional control and chromatin remodeling. In particular, we identified a network gathering several miRNAs with oncogenic potential (eg, miR-155-5p) and targeted genes whose abnormal function has been previously associated with myeloid neoplasms, including JARID2, NR4A3, CDC42, and HMGB3. Because the validation of miRNA-target interactions unveiled JARID2/miR-155-5p as the strongest relationship in the network, we studied the function of this axis in normal and PMF CD34+ cells. We showed that JARID2 downregulation mediated by miR-155-5p overexpression leads to increased in vitro formation of CD41+ MK precursors. These findings suggest that overexpression of miR-155-5p and the resulting downregulation of JARID2 may contribute to MK hyperplasia in PMF. PMID:25097177

  1. Mechanical Design of the HER Synchrotron Light Monitor Primary Mirror

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Daly, Edward F.; /SLAC; Fisher, Alan S.; Kurita, Nadine R.; Langton, J.; /SLAC

    2011-09-14

    This paper describes the mechanical design of the primary mirror that images the visible portion of the synchrotron radiation (SR) extracted from the High Energy Ring (HER) of the PEP-II B-Factory. During off-axis operation, the water-cooled GlidCop mirror is subjected to a heat flux in excess of 2000 W/cm2. When on-axis imaging occurs, the heat flux due to scattered SR, resistive wall losses and Higher-Order-Mode (HOM) heating is estimated at 1 W/cm2. The imaging surface is plated with Electroless Nickel to improve its optical characteristics. The design requirements for the primary mirror are listed and discussed. Calculated mechanical distortions and stresses experienced by the mirror during on-axis and off-axis operation will be presented.

  2. R and D on Radiation Hard Active Media Based on Quartz Plates

    CERN Document Server

    Onel, Yasar

    2014-01-01

    The need for radiation-hard active media in particle detectors is prominently dictated by the future colliders and the future operations of the Large Hadron Collider. The areas of implementation range from calorimetry to beamline instrumentation to specialized forward detectors e.g. luminosity monitors. In this context, we developed the idea of utilizing quartz plates with various surface coating properties as the active medium for such detectors. Plain quartz is a pure Cerenkov radiator which has quite limited photostatistics. In order to improve the efficiency of the photodetection, various methods were investigated including radiation hard wavelength shifters, p-terphenyl or 4pct gallium doped zinc oxide. The readout options include direct coupling of the photodetector to the quartz plate, or fibers. We have studied various geometries and readout options and constructed calorimeter prototypes. Here we report on the results of the previous tests, and the recent developments, which enable several factors of ...

  3. Stress and stability of plate-screw fixation and screw fixation in the treatment of Schatzker type IV medial tibial plateau fracture: a comparative finite element study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Xiaowei; Zhi, Zhongzheng; Yu, Baoqing; Chen, Fancheng

    2015-11-25

    The purpose of this study is to compare the stress and stability of plate-screw fixation and screw fixation in the treatment of Schatzker type IV medial tibial plateau fracture. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model of the medial tibial plateau fracture (Schatzker type IV fracture) was created. An axial force of 2500 N with a distribution of 60% to the medial compartment was applied to simulate the axial compressive load on an adult knee during single-limb stance. The equivalent von Mises stress, displacement of the model relative to the distal tibia, and displacement of the implants were used as the output measures. The mean stress value of the plate-screw fixation system was 18.78 MPa, which was significantly (P stress value of the triangular fragment in the plate-screw fixation system model was 42.04 MPa, which was higher than that in the screw fixation model (24.18 MPa). But the mean stress of the triangular fractured fragment in the screw fixation model was significantly higher in terms of equivalent von Mises stress (EVMS), x-axis, and z-axis (P < 0.001). This study demonstrated that the load transmission mechanism between plate-screw fixation system and screw fixation system was different and the stability provided by the plate-screw fixation system was superior to the screw fixation system.

  4. Experimental investigations of image quality in X-ray mammography with conventional screen film system (SFS), digital phosphor storage plate in/without magnification technique (CR) and digital CCD-technique (CCD)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz-Wendtland, R.; Aichinger, U.; Boehner, C.; Dobritz, M.; Wenkel, E.; Bautz, W.; Saebel, M.

    2001-01-01

    Comparison of image quality in X-ray mammography between conventional film screen film system (SFS), digital phosphor storage plate in and without magnification technique (CR) and digital CCD-technique (CCD). Radiograms of an RMI-mammography phantom were acquired using a conventional screen film system, three digital storage plate systems and two digital systems in CCD-technique. Additionally the radiograms of one digital phosphor storage plate system were post-processed regarding contrast and included in the comparison. The detectability of details was best with the digital mammography in CCD-technique. After confirming these promising results in clinical studies, digital mammography should be able to replace conventional screen film technique. (orig.)

  5. Image Navigation and Registration Performance Assessment Tool Set for the GOES-R Advanced Baseline Imager and Geostationary Lightning Mapper

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Luccia, Frank J.; Houchin, Scott; Porter, Brian C.; Graybill, Justin; Haas, Evan; Johnson, Patrick D.; Isaacson, Peter J.; Reth, Alan D.

    2016-01-01

    The GOES-R Flight Project has developed an Image Navigation and Registration (INR) Performance Assessment Tool Set (IPATS) for measuring Advanced Baseline Imager (ABI) and Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) INR performance metrics in the post-launch period for performance evaluation and long term monitoring. For ABI, these metrics are the 3-sigma errors in navigation (NAV), channel-to-channel registration (CCR), frame-to-frame registration (FFR), swath-to-swath registration (SSR), and within frame registration (WIFR) for the Level 1B image products. For GLM, the single metric of interest is the 3-sigma error in the navigation of background images (GLM NAV) used by the system to navigate lightning strikes. 3-sigma errors are estimates of the 99.73rd percentile of the errors accumulated over a 24-hour data collection period. IPATS utilizes a modular algorithmic design to allow user selection of data processing sequences optimized for generation of each INR metric. This novel modular approach minimizes duplication of common processing elements, thereby maximizing code efficiency and speed. Fast processing is essential given the large number of sub-image registrations required to generate INR metrics for the many images produced over a 24-hour evaluation period. Another aspect of the IPATS design that vastly reduces execution time is the off-line propagation of Landsat based truth images to the fixed grid coordinates system for each of the three GOES-R satellite locations, operational East and West and initial checkout locations. This paper describes the algorithmic design and implementation of IPATS and provides preliminary test results.

  6. Benchmark for license plate character segmentation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, Gabriel Resende; da Silva, Sirlene Pio Gomes; Menotti, David; Shwartz, William Robson

    2016-09-01

    Automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) has been the focus of many researches in the past years. In general, ALPR is divided into the following problems: detection of on-track vehicles, license plate detection, segmentation of license plate characters, and optical character recognition (OCR). Even though commercial solutions are available for controlled acquisition conditions, e.g., the entrance of a parking lot, ALPR is still an open problem when dealing with data acquired from uncontrolled environments, such as roads and highways when relying only on imaging sensors. Due to the multiple orientations and scales of the license plates captured by the camera, a very challenging task of the ALPR is the license plate character segmentation (LPCS) step, because its effectiveness is required to be (near) optimal to achieve a high recognition rate by the OCR. To tackle the LPCS problem, this work proposes a benchmark composed of a dataset designed to focus specifically on the character segmentation step of the ALPR within an evaluation protocol. Furthermore, we propose the Jaccard-centroid coefficient, an evaluation measure more suitable than the Jaccard coefficient regarding the location of the bounding box within the ground-truth annotation. The dataset is composed of 2000 Brazilian license plates consisting of 14000 alphanumeric symbols and their corresponding bounding box annotations. We also present a straightforward approach to perform LPCS efficiently. Finally, we provide an experimental evaluation for the dataset based on five LPCS approaches and demonstrate the importance of character segmentation for achieving an accurate OCR.

  7. Nuclear imaging using Fuji Computed Radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yodono, Hiraku; Tarusawa, Nobuko; Katto, Keiichi; Miyakawa, Takayoshi; Watanabe, Sadao; Shinozaki, Tatsuyo

    1988-01-01

    We studied the feasibility of the Fuji Computed Radiography system (FCR) in nuclear medicine. The basic principle of the system is the conversion of the X-ray energy pattern into digital signals utilizing scanning laser stimulated luminescence. A Rollo phantom filled with 12 mCi of Tc-99m pertechnetate was used in this study. In imaging by the FCR, a low energy high resolution parallel hole collimator for a gamma camera was placed over the phantom and photons through the collimator were stored on a single imaging plate (IP) or 3 IPs covered by the lead plate, 0.3 mm in thickness. For imaging, it took 30 minutes by a single IP and 20 minutes by 3 IPs with the lead plate respectively. Each image of the phantom by the FCR was compared with that of obtained by a gamma camera. The image by a single IP was inferior in quality than that of by a gamma camera. However using 3 IPs with the lead plate, same quality image as by a gamma camera was obtained. The image by 3 IPs is similar to that of by 3 IPs with the lead plate. Based on the results, we performed liver and lung imaging by FCR using 3 IPs. The imaging time is twenty minutes. The images obtained with FCR are as good as the scinticamera image. However it has two major flawes in that the sensitivity is poor and the imaging time is long. Furthermore, at present this method can only be employed for static imaging. However we feel that future improvements in the FCR system will overcome these problems. (author)

  8. Image quality of iterative reconstruction in cranial CT imaging: comparison of model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) and adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Notohamiprodjo, S; Deak, Z; Meurer, F; Maertz, F; Mueck, F G; Geyer, L L; Wirth, S

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to compare cranial CT (CCT) image quality (IQ) of the MBIR algorithm with standard iterative reconstruction (ASiR). In this institutional review board (IRB)-approved study, raw data sets of 100 unenhanced CCT examinations (120 kV, 50-260 mAs, 20 mm collimation, 0.984 pitch) were reconstructed with both ASiR and MBIR. Signal-to-noise (SNR) and contrast-to-noise (CNR) were calculated from attenuation values measured in caudate nucleus, frontal white matter, anterior ventricle horn, fourth ventricle, and pons. Two radiologists, who were blinded to the reconstruction algorithms, evaluated anonymized multiplanar reformations of 2.5 mm with respect to depiction of different parenchymal structures and impact of artefacts on IQ with a five-point scale (0: unacceptable, 1: less than average, 2: average, 3: above average, 4: excellent). MBIR decreased artefacts more effectively than ASiR (p ASiR was 2 (p ASiR (p ASiR. As CCT is an examination that is frequently required, the use of MBIR may allow for substantial reduction of radiation exposure caused by medical diagnostics. • Model-Based iterative reconstruction (MBIR) effectively decreased artefacts in cranial CT. • MBIR reconstructed images were rated with significantly higher scores for image quality. • Model-Based iterative reconstruction may allow reduced-dose diagnostic examination protocols.

  9. Rapid small-angle X-ray diffraction of a tonically contracting molluscan smooth muscle recorded with imaging plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tajima, Y.; Okada, K.; Yoshida, O.; Seto, T.; Amemiya, Y.

    1989-01-01

    Small-angle X-ray diffraction patterns from the anterior byssus retractor muscles of Mytilus edulis contracting tonically in response to stimulation with acetylcholine were recorded in a 30 s exposure with synchrotron radiation and a high-sensitivity X-ray area detector called an imaging plate. The 190 A layer line from the thin filaments increased in intensity with increase in tonic tension up to 6x10 4 kg m -2 . Above this value, the layer-line intensity remained almost constant and comparable to that for a contracting skeletal muscle, indicating that the same structural changes of the thin filaments occur in both muscles. (orig.)

  10. Unusual energy properties of leaky backward Lamb waves in a submerged plate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nedospasov, I A; Mozhaev, V G; Kuznetsova, I E

    2017-05-01

    It is found that leaky backward Lamb waves, i.e. waves with negative energy-flux velocity, propagating in a plate submerged in a liquid possess extraordinary energy properties distinguishing them from any other type of waves in isotropic media. Namely, the total time-averaged energy flux along the waveguide axis is equal to zero for these waves due to opposite directions of the longitudinal energy fluxes in the adjacent media. This property gives rise to the fundamental question of how to define and calculate correctly the energy velocity in such an unusual case. The procedure of calculation based on incomplete integration of the energy flux density over the plate thickness alone is applied. The derivative of the angular frequency with respect to the wave vector, usually referred to as the group velocity, happens to be close to the energy velocity defined by this mean in that part of the frequency range where the backward mode exists in the free plate. The existence region of the backward mode is formally increased for the submerged plate in comparison to the free plate as a result of the liquid-induced hybridization of propagating and nonpropagating (evanescent) Lamb modes. It is shown that the Rayleigh's principle (i.e. equipartition of total time-averaged kinetic and potential energies for time-harmonic acoustic fields) is violated due to the leakage of Lamb waves, in spite of considering nondissipative media. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Evaluation of Bone Atrophy After Treatment of Forearm Fracture Using Nonlinear Finite Element Analysis: A Comparative Study of Locking Plates and Conventional Plates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuura, Yusuke; Rokkaku, Tomoyuki; Suzuki, Takane; Thoreson, Andrew Ryan; An, Kai-Nan; Kuniyoshi, Kazuki

    2017-08-01

    Forearm diaphysis fractures are usually managed by open reduction internal fixation. Recently, locking plates have been used for treatment. In the long-term period after surgery, some patients present with bone atrophy adjacent to the plate. However, a comparison of locking and conventional plates as a cause of atrophy has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate long-term bone atrophy associated with use of locking and conventional plates for forearm fracture treatment. In this study we included 15 patients with forearm fracture managed by either locking or conventional plates and with more than 5 years of follow-up. Computed tomographic imaging of both forearms was performed to assess bone thickness and local bone mineral density and to predict bone strength without plate reinforcement based on finite element analysis. Mean patient age at surgery was 48.0 years. Eight patients underwent reduction with fixed locking plates and were followed up for a mean of 79.5 months; the remaining 7 patients were treated with conventional plates and were followed up for a mean of 105.0 months. Compared with the conventional plate group, the locking plate group had the same fractured limb-contralateral limb ratio of cortex bone thickness, but had significantly lower ratios of mineral density adjacent to the plate and adjusted bone strength. This study demonstrated bone atrophy after locking plate fixation for forearm fractures. Treatment plans for forearm fracture should take into consideration the impact of bone atrophy long after plate fixation. Therapeutic IV. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Surgery of the Hand. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. RITA-type triple axis spectrometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roennow, H.M.

    2001-01-01

    The RITA spectrometer at Risoe National Laboratory was the first to incorporate a complete re-thinking of the neutron-path from source, through detector to analysis. Since then, other RITA-type spectrometers such as SPINS at NIST, RITA-II at PSI have been built, and several new spectrometers around the world are adapting the same philosophy. The main novelty of RITA was the introduction of a single back-end tank featuring both an analyser block with multiple individually turnable analyser blades and a 2D position sensitive detector. Several new triple-axis spectrometers are presently being built at existing and future sources, and almost all of them have learnt from the experience with RITA. (R.P.)

  13. Critical current density and microwave surface resistance of 5-cm-diameter YBCO films on LaAlO3 substrates prepared by MOD using an infrared image furnace

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Manabe, T.; Kondo, W.; Yamaguchi, I.; Sohma, M.; Tsuchiya, T.; Tsukada, K.; Mizuta, S.; Kumagai, T.

    2005-01-01

    Inductive critical current density (J c ) and microwave surface resistance (R s ) were investigated for 0.7-μm-thick epitaxial YBa 2 Cu 3 O 7-y (YBCO) films on 5-cm-diameter LaAlO 3 substrates prepared by a chemical solution-based metal organic deposition (MOD) process using an infrared image furnace. By varying the heating rate at ramp during the final heat treatment, we obtained various orientations of YBCO; the c- and a-axis orientation at a slower rate, i.e., 20-100 deg C/min while the pure c-axis orientation at a faster rate, 200 deg C/min. The c-axis-oriented YBCO films showed excellent superconducting properties; for example, a high inductive-J c (77 K) of 2.6 MA/cm 2 and low R s (12 GHz)'s of 0.24 and 0.52 mΩ at 50 and 77 K, respectively, by a sapphire rod resonator method. The c- and a-axis-oriented films exhibited a lower J c and a higher R s . It was found that the J c and R s values of MOD-derived YBCO films showed a strong correlation; approximately, R s is inversely proportional to J c . This correlation is in good agreement with a previous report by Ohshima et al. for sputtered-YBCO films on BaSnO 3 -buffered MgO substrates

  14. Image characterization of computed radiography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Candeias, Janaina P.; Saddock, Aline; Oliveira, Davi F.; Lopes, Ricardo T.

    2007-01-01

    The digital radiographic image became a reality as of the 80's decade. Since then, several works have been developed with the aim of reducing the exposure time to ionizing radiation obtaining in this way an excellent image quality with a minimum exposure. In the Computerized Radiography, the conventional film is substituted for Image Plate (IP) which consists of a radiosensitive layer of phosphor crystals on a polyester backing plate. The unique design makes it reusable and easy to handle. When exposed, the IP accumulates and stores the irradiated radioactive energy. In order to qualify a computerized radiography system it is necessary to evaluate the Image Plate. In this work it was performed a series of experimental procedures with the aim of evaluating the responses characteristics for different plates. For this purpose it was used a computerized radiographic system CR Tower Scanner - GE, with three different types of IPs, all of them manufactured by GE, whose nomenclatures are IPC, IPX and IPS. It was used the Rhythm Acquire and Review programs for image acquisition and treatment, respectively. (author)

  15. Photographic simulation of off-axis blurring due to chromatic aberration in spectacle lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doroslovački, Pavle; Guyton, David L

    2015-02-01

    Spectacle lens materials of high refractive index (nd) tend to have high chromatic dispersion (low Abbé number [V]), which may contribute to visual blurring with oblique viewing. A patient who noted off-axis blurring with new high-refractive-index spectacle lenses prompted us to do a photographic simulation of the off-axis aberrations in 3 readily available spectacle lens materials, CR-39 (nd = 1.50), polyurethane (nd = 1.60), and polycarbonate (nd = 1.59). Both chromatic and monochromatic aberrations were found to cause off-axis image degradation. Chromatic aberration was more prominent in the higher-index materials (especially polycarbonate), whereas the lower-index CR-39 had more astigmatism of oblique incidence. It is important to consider off-axis aberrations when a patient complains of otherwise unexplained blurred vision with a new pair of spectacle lenses, especially given the increasing promotion of high-refractive-index materials with high chromatic dispersion. Copyright © 2015 American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Fast phase processing in off-axis holography by CUDA including parallel phase unwrapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Backoach, Ohad; Kariv, Saar; Girshovitz, Pinhas; Shaked, Natan T

    2016-02-22

    We present parallel processing implementation for rapid extraction of the quantitative phase maps from off-axis holograms on the Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) of the computer using computer unified device architecture (CUDA) programming. To obtain efficient implementation, we parallelized both the wrapped phase map extraction algorithm and the two-dimensional phase unwrapping algorithm. In contrast to previous implementations, we utilized unweighted least squares phase unwrapping algorithm that better suits parallelism. We compared the proposed algorithm run times on the CPU and the GPU of the computer for various sizes of off-axis holograms. Using the GPU implementation, we extracted the unwrapped phase maps from the recorded off-axis holograms at 35 frames per second (fps) for 4 mega pixel holograms, and at 129 fps for 1 mega pixel holograms, which presents the fastest processing framerates obtained so far, to the best of our knowledge. We then used common-path off-axis interferometric imaging to quantitatively capture the phase maps of a micro-organism with rapid flagellum movements.

  17. The MAO NASU Plate Archive: ``observations in the past'' of minor planets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sergeeva, T. P.; Golovnya, V. V.; Sergeev, A. V.

    2005-06-01

    The Plate Archive of the Main Astronomical Observatory of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (MAO NASU) includes 20 thousands of direct sky area plates, which have been taken for various astronomical projects during the period of about 50 years. Those plates contain more then hundred thousand images of minor planets with magnitude up to 16.7m. About 10% of minor planets, which may be found on our archive plates were firstly discovered after the time when plates have been taken. So, we can rediscovery them due to the so-called ``observations in the past''. In the paper the criteria for choose of objects and methods of their search, identification, and determination of their position are discussed. First results of the search for potentially hazardous asteroids in the MAO plate archive are presented.

  18. Faulting and hydration of the Juan de Fuca plate system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nedimović, Mladen R.; Bohnenstiehl, DelWayne R.; Carbotte, Suzanne M.; Pablo Canales, J.; Dziak, Robert P.

    2009-06-01

    Multichannel seismic observations provide the first direct images of crustal scale normal faults within the Juan de Fuca plate system and indicate that brittle deformation extends up to ~ 200 km seaward of the Cascadia trench. Within the sedimentary layering steeply dipping faults are identified by stratigraphic offsets, with maximum throws of 110 ± 10 m found near the trench. Fault throws diminish both upsection and seaward from the trench. Long-term throw rates are estimated to be 13 ± 2 mm/kyr. Faulted offsets within the sedimentary layering are typically linked to larger offset scarps in the basement topography, suggesting reactivation of the normal fault systems formed at the spreading center. Imaged reflections within the gabbroic igneous crust indicate swallowing fault dips at depth. These reflections require local alteration to produce an impedance contrast, indicating that the imaged fault structures provide pathways for fluid transport and hydration. As the depth extent of imaged faulting within this young and sediment insulated oceanic plate is primarily limited to approximately Moho depths, fault-controlled hydration appears to be largely restricted to crustal levels. If dehydration embrittlement is an important mechanism for triggering intermediate-depth earthquakes within the subducting slab, then the limited occurrence rate and magnitude of intraslab seismicity at the Cascadia margin may in part be explained by the limited amount of water imbedded into the uppermost oceanic mantle prior to subduction. The distribution of submarine earthquakes within the Juan de Fuca plate system indicates that propagator wake areas are likely to be more faulted and therefore more hydrated than other parts of this plate system. However, being largely restricted to crustal levels, this localized increase in hydration generally does not appear to have a measurable effect on the intraslab seismicity along most of the subducted propagator wakes at the Cascadia margin.

  19. Model-based segmentation of short-axis MR cardiac images

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Spreeuwers, Lieuwe Jan; Breeuwer, M.

    Reliable automatic segmentation of MR cardiac images is still an important problem in medical image processing. Although image data quality has improved considerably during the last years, this segmentation is still considered a difficult problem. Manual segmentation is hardly an option as this is

  20. Edge effects in four-point direct current potential drop measurements on metal plates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lu, Y; Bowler, N; Bowler, J R; Huang, Y

    2009-01-01

    Four-point direct current potential drop (DCPD) measurements are commonly used to measure the conductivity (or resistivity) of semiconductors and ferrous or non-ferrous metals. The measured electrical potential difference is often interpreted in terms of analytic expressions developed for large plates that are either 'thin' or 'thick' relative to the probe length. It is well known that the presence of the back surface of a plate leads to a solution expressed in terms of an infinite series representing the current source and its images. This approach can be generalized to account for multiple surfaces in order to obtain a solution for a finite plate, but convergence of the series is poor when the plate dimensions are similar to or smaller than the separation of the current injection and extraction points. Here, Fourier series representations of the infinite sums are obtained. It is shown that the Fourier series converge with many fewer terms than the series obtained from image theory, for plates with dimensions similar to or smaller than the separation of the current injection and extraction points. Comparing calculated results for the potential drop obtained by a four-point probe centred on finite plates of varying dimension, with those for a probe in contact with a large (laterally infinite) plate, estimates are given of the uncertainty due to edge effects in measurements on small plates interpreted using analytic formulae developed for large plates. It is also shown that these uncertainties due to edge effects are reduced, for a given plate size, if the probe pick-up points are moved closer to the current injection points, rather than adopting the common arrangement in which the four probe points are equally spaced. Calculated values of DCPD are compared with experimental data taken on aluminium and spring-steel plates of various sizes and excellent agreement is obtained.