An improved automatic time-of-flight picker for medical ultrasound tomography

Objective and motivationTime-of-flight (TOF) tomography used by a clinical ultrasound tomography device can efficiently and reliably produce sound-speed images of the breast for cancer diagnosis. Accurate picking of TOFs of transmitted ultrasound signals is extremely important to ensure high-resolution and high-quality ultrasound sound-speed tomograms. Since manually picking is time-consuming for large datasets, we developed an improved automatic TOF picker based on the Akaike information criterion (AIC), as described in this paper.MethodsWe make use of an approach termed multi-model inference (model averaging), based on the calculated AIC values, to improve the accuracy of TOF picks. By using multi-model inference, our picking method incorporates all the information near the TOF of ultrasound signals. Median filtering and reciprocal pair comparison are also incorporated in our AIC picker to effectively remove outliers.ResultsWe validate our AIC picker using synthetic ultrasound waveforms, and demonstrate that our automatic TOF picker can accurately pick TOFs in the presence of random noise with absolute amplitudes up to 80% of the maximum absolute signal amplitude. We apply the new method to 1160 in vivo breast ultrasound waveforms, and compare the picked TOFs with manual picks and amplitude threshold picks. The mean value and standard deviation between our TOF picker and manual picking are 0.4 μs and 0.29 μs, while for amplitude threshold picker the values are 1.02 μs and 0.9 μs, respectively. Tomograms for in vivo breast data with high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) (∼25 dB) and low SNR (∼18 dB) clearly demonstrate that our AIC picker is much less sensitive to the SNRs of the data, compared to the amplitude threshold picker.Discussion and conclusionsThe picking routine developed here is aimed at determining reliable quantitative values, necessary for adding diagnostic information to our clinical ultrasound tomography device - CURE. It has been successfully adopted into CURE, and allows us to generate such values reliably. We demonstrate that in vivo sound-speed tomograms with our TOF picks significantly improve the reconstruction accuracy and reduce image artifacts.     

一种正交二视角光学层析重建算法

提出了一种基于最大熵原理的正交二视角重建算法,该算法能够较好地重建多峰非对称待测场,且只需两个正交方向的投影数据。算法中融合了含有轴对称因子的先验知识,该先验知识可由两个正交方向的投影数据迭代算出,并分析了正交投影方向这个因素对重建结果的影响。通过计算机数值模拟,结果表明,融合先验知识的正交二视角重建算法与没有融合先验知识的正交二视角重建算法相比重建精度全面超出。其中,在两峰随机余弦高斯模拟待测场的情况下均方根误差减少了73％。在三峰随机高斯模拟待测场的情况下均方根误差减少了47％。该算法充分显示了在重建多峰非对称待测场时的优越性。同时,由于只需要两个正交方向的投影数据,可使实验系统得到简化。     

表面活性剂添加对水平管内气液两相流含液率的影响

应用电导断层测量技术研究表面活性剂添加对水平管内气液两相流含液率的影响,实验工质为空气/水、空气/100 mg/kg十二烷基硫酸钠(SDS)水溶液。结果表明,空气/水气液两相流动在光滑分层流型区,表面活性剂添加对平均截面含液率基本没有影响。随着液体流速的增加,空气/水气液两相流动进入波状分层流型区域,添加表面活性剂可以抑制或消除界面波动,增大平均截面含液率。表面活性剂的添加使弹状流含液率下降,气液流速较低时这一现象尤为明显。     

CONTROLLING THE 3D NANOSCALE ORGANIZATION OF BULK HETEROJUNCTION POLYMER SOLAR CELLS

In this study,the three dimensional nanoscale organization in the photoactive layers of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and a methanofullerene derivative (PCBM) is revealed by transmission electron tomography.After annealing treatment,either at elevated temperature or during slow solvent evaporation,nanoscale interpenetrating networks are formed with high crystalline order and favorable concentration gradients of both components through the thickness of the photoactive layer.Such a tailored morphology acco...     

Synthesis of [carbonyl-C]acetophenone via the Stille cross-coupling reaction of [1-C]acetyl chloride with tributylphenylstannane mediated by Pd2(dba)3/P(MeNCH2CH2)3N·HCl

The Stille cross-coupling reaction of [1-¹¹C]acetyl chloride with tributylphenylstannane leading to [carbonyl-¹¹C]acetophenone was studied with the goal of developing a new ¹¹C-labeling method for positron emission tomography tracer synthesis. The coupled product [carbonyl-¹¹C]acetophenone was synthesized using the Pd₂(dba)₃/P(MeNCH₂CH₂)₃N·HCl system with a 60-61% radiochemical conversion from [1-¹¹C]acetyl chloride (decay-corrected, n = 3).     

An investigation of the accelerated thermal degradation of different epoxy resin composites using X-ray microcomputed tomography and optical coherence tomography

Epoxy resin composites reinforced with hollow glass microspheres, microlight microspheres, 3D parabeam glass, and E-Glass individually were subjected to accelerated thermal degradation conditions. X-ray microcomputed tomography (XμCT) was used to evaluate density changes, reinforcement filler damage, homogeneity, cracks and microcracks in the bulk of the different epoxy resin composites. XμCT 3D images, 2D reconstructed images and voids calculations revealed microspheres damage, filler distributions and showed cracks in all composites with different shapes and volume in response to the thermal degradation conditions. In addition, expansion of air bubbles/voids was observed and recorded in the microsphere and microlight epoxy composite samples. In a complementary way, optical coherence tomography (OCT) was used as a novel optical characterisation technique to study structural changes of the surface and near-surface regions of the composites, uncovering signs of surface shrinkage caused by the thermal treatment. Thus, combining XμCT and OCT proved useful in examining epoxy resin composites' structure, filler-resin interface and surface characteristics.     

氮化硅陶瓷烧结微结构演化的同步辐射CT实时研究

利用同步辐射CT (SR-CT)技术, 在氮化硅陶瓷样品烧结过程中对其进行实时投影成像, 并应用滤波反投影算法和数字图像处理技术, 得到了样品在整个烧结过程中内部微结构演化的二维和三维重建图像, 实现了对陶瓷固相烧结过程实时、无损的观测. 通过重建图像清晰观测到了陶瓷样品在烧结三个阶段中颗粒接触、烧结颈形成、晶粒和气孔长大、气孔球化并收缩等烧结现象; 统计了样品在不同烧结时刻的孔隙率, 得到了孔隙率随烧结时间对数的变化曲线, 并根据曲线分析了样品在不同烧结时刻致密化速率的变化, 得到了烧结中期孔隙率和时间对数的线性关系. 实验的结果和现有烧结理论相吻合, 并为进一步完善烧结理论提供了有效的实验数据.     

A Supramolecular Approach for Preparation of Size‐Controlled Nanoparticles

A supramolecular approach has been developed for the preparation of supramolecular nanoparticles (SNPs) with variable sizes (30–450 nm) from three different molecular building blocks using a cyclodextrin/adamantane recognition system. Positron emission tomography (PET) was employed to study the biodistribution and lymph node drainage of the SNPs in mice. The sizes of the SNPs affect their in vivo characteristics (see picture).

     

Molecular Photoacoustic Tomography with Colloidal Nanobeacons

Spotting clots : Vascularly constrained colloidal gold nanobeacons (GNBs; see picture) can be used as exogenous photoacoustic contrast agents for the targeted detection of fibrin, a major biochemical feature of thrombus. Fibrin‐targeted GNBs provide a more than tenfold signal enhancement in photoacoustic tomography in the near‐IR wavelength window, indicating their potential for diagnostic imaging.

     

The covariogram determines three-dimensional convex polytopes

The cross covariogram g_K,L of two convex sets is the function which associates to each the volume of the intersection of K with L+x. The problem of determining the sets from this function is relevant in stochastic geometry, in probability and it is equivalent to a particular case of the phase retrieval problem in Fourier analysis. It is also relevant for the inverse problem of determining the atomic structure of a quasicrystal from its X-ray diffraction image. The two main results of this paper are that g_K,K determines three-dimensional convex polytopes K and that g_K,L determines both K and L when K and L are convex polyhedral cones satisfying certain assumptions. These results settle a conjecture of G. Matheron in the class of convex polytopes. Further results regard the known counterexamples in dimension n4.