Measurement of T1 of human arterial and venous blood at 7 T

Techniques for measuring cerebral perfusion require accurate longitudinal relaxation (T1) of blood, an MRI parameter that is field dependent. T1 of arterial and venous human blood was measured at 7 T using three different sources — pathology laboratory, blood bank and in vivo. The T1 of venous blood was measured from sealed samples from a pathology lab and in vivo. Samples from a blood bank were oxygenated and mixed to obtain different physiological concentrations of hematocrit and oxygenation. T1 relaxation times were estimated using a three-point fit to a simple inversion recovery equation. At 37 °C, the T1 of blood at arterial pO₂ was 2.29 ± 0.1 s and 2.07 ± 0.12 at venous pO₂. The in vivo T1 of venous blood, in three subjects, was slightly longer at 2.45 ± 0.11 s. T1 of arterial and venous blood at 7 T was measured and found to be significantly different. The T1 values were longer in vivo than in vitro. While the exact cause for the discrepancy is unknown, the additives in the blood samples, degradation during experiment, oxygenation differences, and the non-stagnant nature of blood in vivo could be potential contributors to the lower values of T1 in the venous samples.     

Feasibility of coronary artery wall thickening assessment in asymptomatic coronary artery disease using phase-sensitive dual-inversion recovery MRI at 3 T

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to (a) investigate the image quality of phase-sensitive dual-inversion recovery (PS-DIR) coronary wall imaging in healthy subjects and in subjects with known coronary artery disease (CAD) and to (b) investigate the utilization of PS-DIR at 3 T in the assessment of coronary artery thickening in subjects with asymptomatic but variable degrees of CAD.

Materials and Methods

A total of 37 subjects participated in this institutional review board-approved and HIPAA-compliant study. These included 21 subjects with known CAD as identified on multidetector computed tomography angiography (MDCT). Sixteen healthy subjects without known history of CAD were included. All subjects were scanned using free-breathing PS-DIR magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the assessment of coronary wall thickness at 3 T. Lumen–tissue contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR), signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and quantitative vessel parameters including lumen area and wall thickness were measured. Statistical analyses were performed.

Results

PS-DIR was successfully completed in 76% of patients and in 88% of the healthy subjects. Phase-sensitive signed-magnitude reconstruction, compared to modulus-magnitude images, significantly improved lumen–tissue CNR in healthy subjects (26.73 ± 11.95 vs. 14.65 ± 9.57, P < .001) and in patients (21.45 ± 7.61 vs. 16.65 ± 5.85, P < .001). There was no difference in image CNR and SNR between groups. In arterial segments free of plaques, coronary wall was thicker in patients in comparison to healthy subjects (1.74 ± 0.27 mm vs. 1.17 ± 0.14 mm, P < .001), without a change in lumen area (4.51 ± 2.42 mm² vs. 5.71 ± 3.11 mm², P = .25).

Conclusions

This is the first study to demonstrate the feasibility of successfully obtaining vessel wall images at 3 T using PS-DIR in asymptomatic patients with known variable degrees of CAD as detected by MDCT. This was achieved with a fixed subject-invariant planning of blood signal nulling. With that limitation alleviated, PS-DIR coronary wall MRI is capable of detecting arterial thickening and positive arterial remodeling at 3 T in asymptomatic CAD.     

Clarification of the recovery mechanism of Escherichia coli after hydrostatic pressure treatment

High hydrostatic pressure (HP) technology has gained more attention as a non-thermal food pasteurization technology. Recently, a limitation of the HP technology was reported by Koseki and Yamamoto [Recovery of Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 in phosphate buffered saline after treatment with high hydrostatic pressure. Int. J. Food Microbiol. 2006;110:108–111], who completely recovered Escherichia coli species after HP treatment. We investigated the recovery mechanism of E. coli after HP treatment. The cells were treated with 200–300 MPa at 0–25°C for 24 h. The HP-treated E. coli was recovered in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) during 120 h of incubation at 25°C, confirming the results reported by them. However, E. coli did not grow in PBS but grew with inactivated cells in PBS. In addition, the results of our “population size experiments” demonstrated that the recovery of E. coli cells depended on both the degree of pressure and the population size. These results suggest that some portion of cells recovered from the damage and then grew by using inactivated cells.     

求解欠定线性方程组稀疏解的算法

针对欠定线性方程组稀疏解的求解问题,文中提出两个改进的迭代重加权最小范数解算法(IRMNS)及一个光滑的0函数算法.其中,第一个算法基于 q(q∈(0,1])范数提出的,当q较小的时候,算法可以增强恢复稀疏解的能力;第二个算法是直接由0范数最小化问题提出的,它可以看做是第一个算法在q =0时的拓展;第三个算法是通过用一个光滑函数来近似0范数从而将原问题进行转化求解的.数值例子表明这三种算法都是快速有效的.     

环境温度影响下基于支持向量机与强化飞蛾扑火优化算法的结构稀疏损伤识别

结构处于自然环境中常会受到环境温度变化的影响,引起实测动力响应出现较大误差,进一步影响对结构健康状况的判定.另外,基于优化算法的损伤识别在反演损伤位置及量化损伤程度时,易出现局部最优解,且计算效率低下.针对以上难题,本文提出一种结合支持向量机与强化飞蛾扑火优化算法的损伤识别方法,用于对环境温度影响下的结构稀疏损伤进行识...     

Proximity point algorithm for low-rank matrix recovery from sparse noise corrupted data

The method of recovering a low-rank matrix with an unknown fraction whose entries are arbitrarily corrupted is known as the robust principal component analysis （RPCA）. This RPCA problem, under some conditions, can be exactly solved via convex optimization by minimizing a combination of the nuclear norm and the 11 norm. In this paper, an algorithm based on the Douglas-Rachford splitting method is proposed for solving the RPCA problem. First, the convex optimization problem is solved by canceling the constraint of the variables, and ~hen the proximity operators of the objective function are computed alternately. The new algorithm can exactly recover the low-rank and sparse components simultaneously, and it is proved to be convergent. Numerical simulations demonstrate the practical utility of the proposed algorithm.     

Some Aspects of Current Interruption Physics in High Voltage Circuit Breakers

Recent results of experimental and theoretical investigations on current interruption processes are presented with a focus on SF₆ high voltage circuit breakers. Various aspects of thermal interruption at the zero crossing of the current are shown, including the scatter and the distribution of arc voltage shortly before CZ and the role of turbulence. The thermal interruption capability of air and CO₂ are compared to that of SF₆. Investigations on the dielectric recovery are shown for SF₆ and CO₂. The breakdown voltage during the dielectric recovery can be described by simple streamer and leader inception models. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

一种基于混沌和汉明码的数字图像篡改检测及修复算法

提出了一种基于混沌映射和汉明码的数字图像篡改检测及修复算法.该算法采用了目前在信道编码中广泛使用的编组码汉明码,将差错控制应用于图像认证和修复,并使用混沌映射保证算法的有效性和安全性.分析及实验表明:该算法在保证良好的视觉效果,嵌入较少认证信息的前提下,可以有效地进行数字图像篡改检测,并能够完成一定程度的图像修复.     

基于压缩感知超分辨鬼成像

分辨率是成像系统的一个重要参数, 获得高分辨率图像一直是鬼成像系统的一个目标. 本文提出了以成像系统点扩散函数作为先验知识, 基于稀疏测量的超分辨压缩感知鬼成像重建模型. 搭建了一套计算鬼成像实验装置, 用于验证该模型对于提高鬼成像系统分辨率的有效性, 并与传统的鬼成像计算模型进行了对比. 实验表明, 利用该模型可突破成像系统衍射极限分辨率的限制, 得到超分辨鬼成像. 关键词： 鬼成像 压缩感知 超分辨 稀疏测量     

基于稀疏优化的计算机断层成像图像不完全角度重建综述

计算机断层成像(computed tomography,CT)技术在医学和工业无损检测中都具有非常广泛的应用,CT重建算法是其中的核心,而不完全角度重建问题则是实际应用中重建算法研究领域的一个热点和难点问题.近年来,随着稀疏优化理论与算法的飞速发展,基于稀疏优化的重建算法已经在不完全角度重建问题中得到了较广泛的应用,且表现出了良好的精度与速度性能.本文首先对稀疏优化的基本理论结论与常用算法进行了介绍;而后对稀疏优化理论在CT图像不完全角度重建中的应用进行归纳,分类介绍了其主要研究成果及稀疏优化所发挥的作用;最后对基于稀疏优化的不完全角度重建研究进行了展望.