On estimation of bias field in MRI images: polynomial vs Gaussian surface fitting method

Surface fitting is one of the well‐known retrospective methods for bias field estimation from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images. Bias field in MRI images is primarily caused because of radio frequency–coil nonuniformity, improper image acquisition process, patient movement, and so on. The bias field can be characterized by any slow variant and smooth function because of its slow variant nature. In this paper, we present a comparative study between polynomial and Gaussian surface fitting methods. In particular, we have used both the second‐ and third‐order polynomial functions to estimate the bias field. In this study, we approximate the bias field in two different ways. In the first method, the surfaces are fitted on the anatomical tissue regions individually and then fused to estimate the bias field. Conversely, in the second method, we have done the same over the entire image region. We have tested on three volumes of simulated and one volume of real‐patient MRI brain images and validated the results by both the qualitative and quantitative analyses. The quantitative analyses are presented in standard deviation and coefficient of joint variation. The analysis of the simulation results show that the Gaussian surface fitting method yields better results in both the cases, where the surface fitting is done on entire image and individual tissue regions.     

最大泡压法测表面张力等温线的数据处理方法比较*

对乙酸、丙酸、正丁酸、2-甲基丁酸、3-甲基丁酸、正戊酸、正己酸、乙醇、丙醇、异丙醇、正丁醇、异丁醇、1,2-丙二醇等13种常用试剂在25 ℃下的表面张力数据拟合方法进行了比较,分析了图解法处理数据及多项式、一阶指数函数、幂函数、Shishkovsky经验公式拟合数据的优缺点。指出Shishkovsky经验公式拟合结果准确,受数据样本量影响小,是理想的表面张力数据拟合方法。     

Synthesis of a novel oil‐absorption resin and optimization of its performance parameters using response surface design

A novel porous oil absorbing resin with the main monomers of stearyl methacrylate and isooctyl methacrylate was synthesized using suspension polymerization. The synthesis experiments were conducted using the response surface design method. And the influences of initiator concentration, cross‐linker concentration, and dispersant concentration were investigated. Through analyzing the second‐order polynomial mathematical models and the corresponding data, the mutual effects between these factors on the oil‐absorption performance were obtained. The response surface was used to analyze the oil (gasoline, diesel, and kerosene) absorption performance in the pure oil samples and oily water samples, respectively. The content of initiator and cross‐linker exhibited a necessary effect on the absorption of gasoline and kerosene. Moreover, the two most significant factors for diesel are the amount of initiator and dispersant. The experimental results showed that the oil‐absorbing resin synthesized under the optimized condition could achieve better oil‐absorption rate on all three oils. The absorption rates of gasoline, diesel, and kerosene are 10.14, 10.73, and 11.69 g/g, respectively, which the deoiling rate can reach closed 100% in the water sample containing gasoline and kerosene.     

A realistic double many-body expansion potential energy surface for SO2(X1A') from a multiproperty fit to accurate ab initio energies and vibrational levels

A single-valued double many-body expansion potential energy surface (DMBE I) recently obtained for the ground electronic state of the sulfur dioxide molecule by fitting correlated ab initio energies suitably corrected by scaling the dynamical correlation energy is now refined by fitting simultaneously available spectroscopic levels up to 6886 cm(-1) above the minimum. The topographical features of the novel potential energy surface (DMBE II) are examined in detail, and the method is emphasized as a robust route to fit together state-of-the-art theoretical calculations and spectroscopic measurements using a single fully dimensional potential form.     

Characterization of calcium carbonate polymorphs with Ca K edge X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy

Ca K edge X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy was utilized for the characterization and quantification of calcium carbonate polymorphs and their mixtures. The advantage of the XAFS is the small sample quantity required for measurements, and a flexible sample environment. The near-edge XAFS spectra of calcite, aragonite and vaterite were measured with the conversion electron yield (CEY) method, and the obtained spectra showed characteristic features that can be utilized as fingerprints. The quantification of mixed polymorphs was examined by using a linear combination fitting of reference XAFS spectra. Though the quality of the fits was satisfactory, discrepancies in the evaluated values were observed between those with X-ray diffraction (XRD) and XAFS. The nonuniformity of samples may be enhanced by the surface sensitivity of the CEY method.     

Comparison of Curve Fitting Models for Ligand Binding Assays

In the case of ligand binding assays the relationship between instrumental response and analyte concentration is non-linear, usually either hyperbolic or sigmoidal. As it is not possible to calibrate an assay at all the levels to be measured a suitable method of constructing a concentration-response relationship (the standard curve), based on a limited number of carefully spaced standards is required. The method should be robust and operator independent. The two main approaches that have been used involve empirical and mechanistic (theoretical) models. Empirical models utilise any mathematical function(s) that appears to have the characteristics of the experimentally derived assay data. Empirical models require no understanding of the principles of the assay. Mechanistic models make assumptions about the physico-chemical processes involved in the assay procedure. In practice either single function or spline models are used. The curve fitting solution may be explicit (in the case of spline interpolation), or by least-squares curve fitting regression methods, including polynomial and logistic equations, the latter involving many iterations. Examples of good curve fitting selection are presented and contrasted with inappropriate models in a number of common assay formats.     

The influence of substrate surface roughness on microstrip transmission line loss using conventional analyses and length‐scale fractal analysis

Two components of conductor topography can impact conductor loss for signals in the GHz frequency range: conductor–ceramic interface roughness and conductor edge angle. This study is an experimental investigation of the influence of these conductor topographies on conductor loss in microstrip circuits produced by thick‐film technology. The aluminum nitride ceramic substrates have different surface roughnesses due to different surface finish processes. The substrate surfaces were characterized using conventional and length‐scale fractal analysis. The conductor–ceramic interface was measured with a contact profilometer. The conductor edge angle and conductor edge profile were measured optically. It was found that there is a direct correlation between conductor loss and conductor edge angle, whereas there is an inverse correlation between loss and substrate roughness or relative length of the conductor–ceramic interface. This is the opposite result to the conventional expectation of surface roughness effects on conductor loss. There is also a negative correlation between conductor edge angle and surface roughness or relative length. The loss behavior can be explained by the interaction of the conductor paste with the surfaces during processing. The paste tends to spread more on the smoother surfaces, and thus creates an elongated edge of diminishing cross‐section and a small edge angle. This leads to greater conductor loss. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical interpretation of molecular surface field in dielectric modeling of solvation

Continuum solvent models, particularly those based on the Poisson‐Boltzmann equation (PBE), are widely used in the studies of biomolecular structures and functions. Existing PBE developments have been mainly focused on how to obtain more accurate and/or more efficient numerical potentials and energies. However to adopt the PBE models for molecular dynamics simulations, a difficulty is how to interpret dielectric boundary forces accurately and efficiently for robust dynamics simulations. This study documents the implementation and analysis of a range of standard fitting schemes, including both one‐sided and two‐sided methods with both first‐order and second‐order Taylor expansions, to calculate molecular surface electric fields to facilitate the numerical calculation of dielectric boundary forces. These efforts prompted us to develop an efficient approximated one‐dimensional method, which is to fit the surface field one dimension at a time, for biomolecular applications without much compromise in accuracy. We also developed a surface‐to‐atom force partition scheme given a level set representation of analytical molecular surfaces to facilitate their applications to molecular simulations. Testing of these fitting methods in the dielectric boundary force calculations shows that the second‐order methods, including the one‐dimensional method, consistently perform among the best in the molecular test cases. Finally, the timing analysis shows the approximated one‐dimensional method is far more efficient than standard second‐order methods in the PBE force calculations. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Surface Properties of Polydimethylsiloxane-Based Inorganic/Organic Hybrid Films Deposited on Polyimide Sheets by the Sol-Gel Method

Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based inorganic/organic hybrids films were prepared on polyimide sheets by the sol-gel method using silanol-terminated PDMS and titanium tetraisopropoxide as starting materials. The effect of heat-treatment temperature on the surface property of the hybrid films was examined in terms of contact angle of water and Tapping-Mode Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM). AFM phase images showed the presence of domains, 200–500 nm in size, on the surface of these films after heat-treatment below 300°C. These regions were more hydrophilic than the rest of the area. The domains disappeared at 300°C and the surface became homogeneous surface of the peak to valley value, about 10 nm. It is also uniformly hydrophobic and a maximum contact angle (about 115°C) was obtained.     

Morphological investigations of crosslinked polystyrene microspheres by seeded polymerization

 Crosslinked polystyrene microspheres with novel surface and inner morphologies were synthesized by seeded polymerization following a seed-swelling method, using uncrosslinked polystyrene microspheres as seeds and a mixture of toluene, styrene (St), and divinylbenzene (DVB) as the swelling agent. With the increasing toluene/ (St+DVB) ratio, the crosslinked particles changed from smooth-surfaced spheres to deformed spheres with dimples or heavy dents at the surface. A single hole inside the spherical particles was produced at low St/DVB ratio, while higher St/DVB ratios gave irregular dented or dimpled particles. Ultrathin cross-section observation by TEM revealed a non-uniformly crosslinked inner structure. Received: 20 January 1998 Accepted: 14 April 1998     

Fish Oil Recovery from Viscera of Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta) by Supercritical Fluid: An Optimization Approach

Fish viscera, a waste of fish processing industry, can be exploited as a source of PUFA‐rich fish oil for use in food or pharmaceutical industry and at the same time the environment can be protected from pollution by fish wastes. Fish oil was recovered from viscera of Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger kanagurta), by different supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) e.g. continuous, co‐solvent, soaking, and pressure swing techniques and the yields were compared with that of the solvent extraction method. The SFE parameters such as pressure, temperature, and CO₂ flow rate were optimised by employing Response Surface Methodology (RSM) with a view to maximize the oil yield and minimize CO₂ consumption. The central composite rotatable design (CCRD) consisting of three variables provided 20 experimental settings. Multiple regressions determined the coefficients of the second‐order polynomial equation. The optimum parameters for all 4 techniques applied were found to be 35 MPa, 60 °C, and 2 mL min^?1 with an Oil recovery ranging from 93 to 99%. The study demonstrated a lower CO₂ consumption by the soaking and pressure swing techniques at the optimized conditions. Thus, the soaking and pressure swing techniques were most effective for extracting oil from fish viscera.     

纳米多孔金膜表面等离子体共振效应的理论分析和传感应用

纳米多孔金膜(NPGF)化学和热力学稳定性好,比表面积大,具有显著的表面等离子体共振(SPR)效应,适宜于用作SPR生化传感芯片。本文对NPGF的SPR效应进行了理论分析,得到了在NPGF/空气界面传播的表面等离子体色散曲线,获得了优化NPGF-SPR传感性能所需的最佳薄膜厚度约为60nm;在此基础上利用溅射沉积-化学脱合金两步法在玻璃基板上制备出大面积均匀的超薄NPGF,采用Krestchmann棱镜耦合结构测试了NPGF在可见-近红外波段的SPR共振光谱及其传感特性,通过利用菲涅耳公式并结合Bruggeman介电常数近似理论对测得的共振波长进行拟合,得出NPGF的孔隙率约为0.38。未经修饰的NPGF是亲水薄膜,能够有效富集水中的双酚A,使得NPGF-SPR传感器对双酚A的探测下限达到5nmol?L~(-1);经过疏水化处理后,NPGF对非极性苯并芘分子的富集能力获得显著增强,使得传感器对苯并芘的探测下限达到1 nmol?L~(-1)。     

Interactions between apolar,basic and acidic model oils and a calcite surface

Abstract

In this study, the atomic force microscopy colloidal probe technique was employed to investigate the interaction between apolar, basic and acidic model oil probes and a calcite surface in solutions containing different concentrations of NaCl, CaCl₂ and Na₂SO₄. In the presence of SO₄^2?, hydration and structural forces were observed between apolar model oil probes and a calcite surface on approach. Relatively low adhesion forces were observed between the basic model oil probes and the calcite surface, while higher adhesion forces were observed between the acidic model oil probes and the calcite surface. Furthermore, the adhesion forces between the basic model oil probes and the calcite surface significantly increased in the presence of SO₄^2?, while the adhesion force between the acidic model oil probes and the calcite surface decreased in the presence of Ca²⁺ or SO₄^2?. The differences in the adhesion forces are related to electrostatic attraction and ion bridging forces between the model oil probes and the calcite surface.     

Approximate polynomial expressions for Rydberg-Klein-Rees curves of diatomic covalent molecules

A systematic method for fitting Rydberg -Klein -Rees (RKR) data with polynomial expressions is presented. The procedure is based on a change of variables that takes into account the form of the potential energy curve for large internuclear distances. The coefficients of the polynomial am determined by least squares. Results are presented for CO, HgH, and Ar₂. The form of the potential energy curves obtained is quite reasonable and the dissociation energies calculated are in satisfactory agreement with experimental data.     

Fractal analysis of polyethylene catalysts surface morphologies based on wavelet transform modulus maxima method

Surface morphologies of supported polyethylene (PE) catalysts are investigated by an approach combining fractal with wavelet. The multiscale edge (detail) pictures of catalyst surface are extracted by wavelet transform modulus maxima (WTMM) method. And, the distribution of edge points on the edge image at every scale is studied with fractal and multifractal method. Furthermore, the singularity intensity distribution of edge points in the PE catalyst is analyzed by multifractal spectrum based on WTMM. The results reveal that the fractal dimension values and multifractal spectrums of edge images at small scales have a good relation with the activity and surface morphology of PE catalyst. Meanwhile the catalyst exhibiting the higher activity shows the wider singular strength span of multifractal spectrum based on WTMM, as well as the more edge points with the higher singular intensity. The research on catalyst surface morphology with hybrid fractal and wavelet method exerts the superiorities of wavelet and fractal theories and offers a thought for studying solid surfaces morphologies. Supported by the Chinese Petroleum & Chemical Corporation Development Department (Grant No. x504024)     

Total vapour pressure and excess Gibbs energy for binary mixtures of 1,1,2,2-tetrachlorethane or tetrachloroethene with benzene at nine temperatures

Vapour pressures of (benzene + 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCANE)), or (benzene + tetrachloroethene (TCENE)) at nine temperatures between 283.15 and 323.15 K were measured by a static method. The reduction of the vapour pressures to obtain activity coefficients and excess molar Gibbs energies was carried out by fitting the vapour pressure data to the Redlich–Kister polynomial according to Barker's method. A comparative analysis about the thermodynamic behaviour of both systems is performed, taking into account the resonance effect in tetrachloroethene.     

Total vapour pressure and excess Gibbs energy for binary mixtures of 1,1,2,2-tetrachlorethane or tetrachloroethene with cyclohexane at nine temperatures

Vapour pressures of (cyclohexane + 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCANE)) or (cyclohexane + tetrachloroethene (TCENE)) mixtures at nine temperatures between 283.15 and 323.15 K were measured by a static method. The reduction of the vapour pressures to obtain activity coefficients and excess molar Gibbs energies was carried out by fitting the vapour-pressure data to the Redlich–Kister polynomial according to Barker’s method. A comparative analysis about the thermodynamic behaviour of both systems is performed, taking into account the resonance effect in tetrachloroethene. For 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane + cyclohexane mixtures, we have tested the DISQUAC model observing that reproduces satisfactorily the G^E experimental values at all temperatures.     

Reversible Hydrophobic Barriers Introduced by Microcontact Printing: Application to Protein Microarrays

Microcontact printing (µCP) has been used to introduce temporary hydrophobic barriers on carboxymethylated dextran (CMD) hydrogels on gold. Among the investigated types of inks, tetraoctadecylammonium bromide (TOAB), electrostatically bound to the CMD layer, provided the most well-defined features both with respect to pattern-definition and reversibility upon exposure to a regeneration solution. The printed patterns were characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microscopic wetting and imaging null ellipsometry to explore the influence of concentration of ink solution and contact time on the appearance of the printed layer. AFM revealed that the printed TOAB molecules aggregated into clusters rather than into a homogeneous mono- or multilayer on the CMD hydrogel. It was also observed that printed areas of TOAB that are larger than 25µm are inhomogeneous most likely because of an edge transfer lithography (ETL) mechanism. A protein model system based on Protein A-rabbit antimouse Fc was used to evaluate the potential of the patterned surface as a protein microarray chip by means of surface plasmon microscopy (SPM). Moreover, non-specific adsorption of several proteins onto TOAB barriers was also studied using surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and it is evident that undesired adsorption can be eliminated by removing barriers after ligand immobilization, but prior to analyte exposure, by treating the patterned surface with a simple salt regeneration solution.     

Calculation of the surface excitation parameter for Si and Ge from measured electron backscattered spectra by means of a Monte-Carlo simulation.

A new Monte Carlo method has been developed for simulating backscattered electron spectra, and this was applied for determining the surface excitation parameter (SEP). The simulation is based on direct tracking of electron trajectories in the solid, taking into account elastic and inelastic events. The elastic scattering cross sections are taken from literature, while inelastic cross section data are obtained by a fitting procedure. After some iterations, the program produces electron spectra fitting well to the experimental ones. Si and Ge electron spectra were simulated and SEP values were calculated. The SEP values are compared to other ones from literature.     

应用于助航系统的赋形曲面光学系统研究

非对称式光度系统技术可以实现光能量的收集与再分配，已经广泛应用于照明领域。基于非成像光学理论的自由曲面照明光学设计具有体积小、设计自由度高、出光光形准确可控等优点。通过采用自由曲面对LED进行合理的二次配光，可以实现绿色环保的照明，给未来照明行业的发展指明了新的方向。本文通过对关于LED自由曲面的光学设计进行研究，提出了一种满足侧边发光照明方式的自由曲面透镜设计方法。将得到的自由曲面透镜实体模型作为立式滑行道边灯透镜设计的基本结构。仿真与实验结果表明，仅用一颗LED光源即可实现联邦航空局（FAA）对立式滑行道边灯的光强分布要求。