Empirical optimization of ASL data analysis using an ASL data processing toolbox: ASLtbx

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) perfusion fMRI data differ in important respects from the more familiar blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) fMRI data and require specific processing strategies. In this paper, we examined several factors that may influence ASL data analysis, including data storage bit resolution, motion correction, preprocessing for cerebral blood flow (CBF) calculations and nuisance covariate modeling. Continuous ASL data were collected at 3 T from 10 subjects while they performed a simple sensorimotor task with an epoch length of 48 s. These data were then analyzed using systematic variations of the factors listed above to identify the approach that yielded optimal signal detection for task activation. Improvements in statistical power were found for use of at least 10 bits for data storage at 3 T. No significant difference was found in motor cortex regarding using simple subtraction or sinc subtraction, but the former presented minor but significantly (P<.024) larger peak t value in visual cortex. While artifactual head motion patterns were observed in synthetic data and background-suppressed ASL data when label/control images were realigned to a common target, independent realignment of label and control images did not yield significant improvements in activation in the sensorimotor data. It was also found that CBF calculations should be performed prior to spatial normalization and that modeling of global fluctuations yielded significantly increased peak t value in motor cortex. The implementation of all ASL data processing approaches is easily accomplished within an open-source toolbox, ASLtbx, and is advocated for most perfusion fMRI data sets.     

一种用于fMRI的嗅觉刺激装置优化与验证

为搭建可用于磁共振环境下的自动控制嗅觉刺激器,本文根据刺激装置搭建的通用要求和实验室已有装置的性能提出了改进需求和系统整体设计方案．刺激装置分为控制系统与气体输送系统两部分．控制系统的软件部分基于LabVIEW平台编程,采用了虚拟仪器方案,提供可输入刺激序列的人机界面,并根据不同的刺激需求来控制电磁阀动作,以切换不同气路．气体输送系统由4条可变支路和1条恒流支路组成,其中的3条可变气路由洁净空气分别通过装有不同气味液体的洗气瓶来产生3种刺激气味．系统搭建完成后,使用霍尼韦尔AWM43600空气流量传感器测量了系统气体流量波动率为0.3%,同时测得不同刺激气路切换时的切换响应时间为1.07 s．最后使用该刺激装置对8名被试进行嗅觉刺激的同时进行功能磁共振成像（fMRI）实验,实验采用了乙醇、吡啶和乙酸异戊酯3种刺激气味,fMRI图像结果显示被试的嗅觉受到刺激后,丘脑、杏仁核、梨状皮质、眶额皮层等嗅觉相关脑区激活．以上实验表明,本文搭建的指标可量化的刺激器更能满足嗅觉fMRI实验的要求．     

一种用于fMRI的嗅觉刺激装置设计与验证

为了实现任务态f MRI的嗅觉刺激装置的设计和功能验证.满足嗅觉f MRI实验的自动化刺激要求.首先,针对嗅觉刺激和人体嗅觉感受的特点,结合使用环境的要求,总结嗅觉f MRI的实验设计方法,归纳出用于f MRI的嗅觉刺激装置的具体需求.将刺激装置分为气路系统和控制系统、气路系统采用洁净空气通过气味溶液产生相应的气味气体,通过多支路切换达到输出不同气味的目的;控制系统采用虚拟仪器方案,其软件基于Lab VIEW平台编程,提供可输入刺激序列的人机界面,并根据要求控制电磁阀切换不同气路.然后,使用该刺激装置对单个被试进行嗅觉刺激并成像,刺激气体采用乙酸异戊酯和吡啶,实验为组块设计,使用Siemens 3.0 T MRI仪器EPI序列进行扫描,数据处理采用基于Matlab软件的SPM8和Mars Ba R工具包.选取眶额叶和岛叶中的脑激活团簇作为感兴趣区域(ROI)进行分析,激活信号在时间上的强度变化与刺激序列变化基本一致,吡啶组块的激活信号强度大于乙酸异戊酯组块激活强度,且其强度变化比乙酸异戊酯组块更符合刺激序列.ROI分析证明刺激装置基本满足嗅觉f MRI实验需要,具有较强的可用性.此外,在相同的刺激时间和间隔时间下,人脑同一区域对不同刺激气味的激活反应可能不同.     

一种用于fMRI的温度觉刺激装置的设计与验证

介绍了一种用于功能磁共振成像(f MRI)的温度觉刺激装置的设计与验证,该装置能够用于f MRI温度觉的脑功能研究,满足温度觉f MRI实验的自动化刺激要求.整个刺激装置设计了以微控制器为核心的控制电路,通过数据采集卡能够与上位机Lab VIEW软件进行数据通讯,并将获取的数据通过特定的串口协议传递给数字PID温控模块,实现对刺激端温度的精确调控.最后,使用该刺激装置对多名被试进行了温度觉的脑功能实验,实验结果验证了该设计的可行性.     

A two-compartment gel phantom for optimization and quality assurance in clinical BOLD fMRI

Clinical applications of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) depend heavily on robust paradigms, imaging methods and analysis procedures. In this work, as a means to optimize and perform quality assurance of the entire imaging and analysis chain, a phantom that provides a well known and reproducible signal change similar to a block type fMRI experiment is presented. It consists of two gel compartments with slightly different T2 that dynamically enter and leave the imaged volume. The homogeneous gel in combination with a cylindrical geometry results in a well-defined T*2 difference causing a signal difference between the two compartments in T*2-weighted MR images. From time series data obtained with the phantom, maps of percent signal change (PSC) and t-values are calculated. As an example of image parameter optimisation, the phantom is demonstrated to be useful for accurate determination of the influence of echo time (TE) on BOLD fMRI results, taking the t-value as a measure of sensitivity. In addition, the phantom is proposed as a tool for quality assurance (QA) since reproducible time series and t-maps are obtained in a series of independent repeat experiments. The phantom is relatively simple to build and can therefore be used by any clinical fMRI center.     

Complimentary aspects of diffusion imaging and fMRI: II. Elucidating contributions to the fMRI signal with diffusion sensitization

Tissue water molecules reside in different biophysical compartments. For example, water molecules in the vasculature reside for variable periods of time within arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venuoles and veins, and may be within blood cells or blood plasma. Water molecules outside of the vasculature, in the extravascular space, reside, for a time, either within cells or within the interstitial space between cells. Within these different compartments, different types of microscopic motion that water molecules may experience have been identified and discussed. These range from Brownian diffusion to more coherent flow over the time scales relevant to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiments, on the order of several 10s of milliseconds. How these different types of motion are reflected in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods developed for "diffusion" imaging studies has been an ongoing and active area of research. Here we briefly review the ideas that have developed regarding these motions within the context of modern "diffusion" imaging techniques and, in particular, how they have been accessed in attempts to further our understanding of the various contributions to the fMRI signal changes sought in studies of human brain activation.     

CCD成像系统信号处理过程的软件仿真与参数优化

对CCD成像系统的AGC(Automatic Gain Control)、背光补偿、伽玛校正等信号处理过程进行了理论分析,在此基础上,讨论了CCD成像系统信号处理过程的仿真与参数优化方法,编写了相关仿真软件。实验结果表明:所讨论的方法能够实现CCD成像系统信号处理过程的软件仿真,并同时实现相关控制参数的优化。     

应用未确知数学理论评价物理实验室的优劣

应用未确知数学的理论与方法,给出了一种较科学的物理实验室评价方法,该方法能够全面、客观和准确地反映被评实验室的优劣,可广泛用于各类评价工作.     

SNR and functional sensitivity of BOLD and perfusion-based fMRI using arterial spin labeling with spiral SENSE at 3 T

Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies using parallel imaging to reduce the readout window have reported a loss in temporal signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) that is less than would be expected given a purely thermal noise model. In this study, the impact of parallel imaging on the noise components and functional sensitivity of both BOLD and perfusion-based fMRI data was investigated. Dual-echo arterial spin labeling data were acquired on five subjects using sensitivity encoding (SENSE), at reduction factors (R) of 1, 2 and 3. Direct recording of cardiac and respiratory activity during data acquisition enabled the retrospective removal of physiological noise. The temporal SNR of the perfusion time series closely followed the thermal noise prediction of a √R loss in SNR as the readout window was shortened, with temporal SNR values (relative to the R=1 data) of 0.72 and 0.56 for the R=2 and R=3 data, respectively, after accounting for physiological noise. However, the BOLD temporal SNR decreased more slowly than predicted even after accounting for physiological noise, with relative temporal SNR values of 0.80 and 0.63 for the R=2 and R=3 data, respectively. Spectral analysis revealed that the BOLD trends were dominated by low-frequency fluctuations, which were not dominant in the perfusion data due to signal processing differences. The functional sensitivity, assessed using mean F values over activated regions of interest (ROIs), followed the temporal SNR trends for the BOLD data. However, results for the perfusion data were more dependent on the threshold used for ROI selection, most likely due to the inherently low SNR of functional perfusion data.     

Integrated method for the detection and location of underwater pipelines

Five underwater pipelines with various outer diameters off the south-western coast of Taiwan were investigated with an integrated surveying system which included a dual-frequency side-scan sonar, a high resolution sub-bottom profiler, and a magnetometer. The pipelines consist of one water transport pipeline (with outer diameter of 0.2 m), one crude oil transmission pipeline (1.0 m) and three industrial waste water outflow pipelines (1.5 m, 1.7 m and 1.8 m). This study was aimed at discussing the performance of the integrated surveying system in searching for, monitoring and locating underwater proud and buried pipelines. Specific items associated with this research goal include: route of the pipeline, burial depth of the pipeline, composition and structure of surficial sediments, and artificial objects on and around the pipeline. This research demonstrated and confirmed the need for the multiple sensor approach to supplement an engineering evaluation of underwater pipelines.     

Signal fluctuations in fMRI data acquired with 2D-EPI and 3D-EPI at 7 Tesla

Segmented three-dimensional echo planar imaging (3D-EPI) provides higher image signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) than standard single-shot two-dimensional echo planar imaging (2D-EPI), but is more sensitive to physiological noise. The aim of this study was to compare physiological noise removal efficiency in single-shot 2D-EPI and segmented 3D-EPI acquired at 7 Tesla. Two approaches were investigated based either on physiological regressors (PR) derived from cardiac and respiratory phases, or on principal component analysis (PCA) using additional resting-state data. Results show that, prior to physiological noise removal, 2D-EPI data had higher temporal SNR (tSNR), while spatial SNR was higher in 3D-EPI. Blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) sensitivity was similar for both methods. The PR-based approach allowed characterization of relative contributions from different noise sources, confirming significant increases in physiological noise from 2D to 3D prior to correction. Both physiological noise removal approaches produced significant increases in tSNR and BOLD sensitivity, and these increases were larger for 3D-EPI, resulting in higher BOLD sensitivity in the 3D-EPI than in the 2D-EPI data. The PCA-based approach was the most effective correction method, yielding higher tSNR values for 3D-EPI than for 2D-EPI postcorrection.     

一种新的磁共振图像处理流水线的设计与实现

磁共振图像的重建、后处理及可视化是磁共振成像（MRI）系统的重要组成部分.本文开发了一个新的用于磁共振图像重建、后处理及可视化的开源框架YAP（Yet Another Pipeline），利用此框架可以方便地构建图像处理流水线.与现有的一些其他开源框架相比，本文开发的框架具有如下特点：（1）采用基于接口的设计，可使用基于接口的插件对流水线的功能进行扩展；（2）允许用户使用编写脚本的方式构建图像处理流水线，编辑与修改流水线都很方便；（3）支持带有分支结构的流水线，便于流水线的构建与调试.目前，该框架已经在商用系统中获得了应用.     

A new quantitative analysis of significant timing differences between externally cued and self-initiated motor tasks in an fMRI study

It is generally accepted that the temporal resolution of blood oxygenation level dependent functional MRI is limited due to the inherent latency and longevity of the haemodynamic response. However, in this study we introduce a technique for measurement of timing differences from within the same brain region in two (or more) separate tasks that allows accurate determination of cortical timing differences 200 ms. Our technique, based on a novel use of linear regression analysis, is shown to yield accurate results both in simulated and experimental data. We show that cortical timing differences measured using fMRI are consistent with published electrophysiological results. Measurement of timing differences using this technique could prove a useful strategy for identifying neural network components in a wide range of cognitive paradigms.     

Normalized linear variance decay dimension density and its application of dynamical complexity detection in physiological (fMRI) time series

The upper and lower bounds of the linear variance decay (LVD) dimension density are analytically deduced using multivariate series with uncorrelated and perfectly correlated component series. Then, the normalized LVD dimension density (δnormLVD) is introduced. In order to measure the complexity of a scalar series with δnormLVD, a pseudo-multivariate series was constructed from the scalar time series using time-delay embedding. Thus, δnormLVD is used to characterize the complexity of the pseudo-multivariate series. The results from the model systems and fMRI data of anxiety subjects reveal that this method can be used to analyze short and noisy time series.     

Origins of intersubject variability of blood oxygenation level dependent and arterial spin labeling fMRI: implications for quantification of brain activity

Accurate localization of brain activity using blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has been challenged because of the large BOLD signal within distal veins. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) techniques offer greater sensitivity to the microvasculature but possess low temporal resolution and limited brain coverage. In this study, we show that the physiological origins of BOLD and ASL depend on whether percent change or statistical significance is being considered. For BOLD and ASL fMRI data collected during a simple unilateral hand movement task, we found that in the area of the contralateral motor cortex the centre of gravity (CoG) of the intersubject coefficient of variation (CV) of BOLD fMRI was near the brain surface for percent change in signal, whereas the CoG of the intersubject CV for Z-score was in close proximity of sites of brain activity for both BOLD and ASL. These findings suggest that intersubject variability of BOLD percent change is vascular in origin, whereas the origin of inter-subject variability of Z-score is neuronal for both BOLD and ASL. For longer duration tasks (12 s or greater), however, there was a significant correlation between BOLD and ASL percent change, which was not evident for short duration tasks (6 s). These findings suggest that analyses directly comparing percent change in BOLD signal between pre-defined regions of interest using short duration stimuli, as for example in event-related designs, may be heavily weighted by large-vessel responses rather than neuronal responses.     

基于容限近集理论的光学伪装评价研究

在对地面目标光学伪装评价的研究中,根据地面背景伪装图像的特点,提出了一种基于容限近集理论的评价地面目标光学伪装效果的方法。提取伪装图像中的目标和背景区域,将这些区域作为容限空间中的集合分别进行分块,每块子图像作为集合元素,提取各子图像的统计、颜色和纹理等特征,在容限空间中计算背景与目标并集集合的所有容限近似类,用近似测量(tNM)指标评价伪装效果,并将tNM与豪斯多夫距离（tHD）比较。结果表明,容限近似理论作为一种新的评价伪装图像伪装效果的方法能很好地代替人眼主观评价;tNM作为评价伪装效果的指标优于tHD。     

混沌激光相关法测距系统的信号采集与处理

 混沌激光相关法测距技术可用于汽车防撞、光纤及电缆断点检测等,其中混沌信号的快速采集、存储以及处理是重要的单元技术。基于数据采集卡设计并实现了混沌激光测距系统的数据采集与处理,利用Visual Basic平台,开发了采集、存储的控制软件,并提出和编制了平均离散消除算法以实时地实现混沌信号的高信噪比相关运算。利用该采集处理系统,实验获得了低于±0.25 m的光纤断点定位精度。     

基于AXI总线的视频数据传输处理的FPGA实现

为了保证铁路视频监控系统实时性,提高视频数据的传输和处理速度,提出了基于AXI总线的视频数据传输处理的FPGA实现,将XSVI(XILINX Streaming Video Interface)视频格式滤除扫描信号,只处理数据,在数据处理传输结束后,通过视频时间控制器产生扫描信号,和视频数据时序对应后输出。XSVI和AXI的转换接口控制器在modelsim软件上实现功能仿真,在ISE软件上实现综合与应用,并在Sparten6开发板上得到验证。     

X光编码孔径成像和处理技术

本文论述了编码孔径成像的基本原理.讨论了孔径编码的方法和相机的制作,侧重于均匀冗余阵列(URA)的编码技术.介绍了编码孔径图像的光学处理和数字处理的研究成果.给出了实验和实际应用的结果.     

双光子阵列点激发同时多维荧光信息的处理

五维同时荧光信息显微成像方法是一种新的荧光信息获取技术，它采用了双光子阵列点激发方式.这一方法可同时获取激发阵列点每点荧光的位置信息、荧光光谱信息和荧光寿命信息，弥补了现有荧光检测技术的不同功能信息不具有同时性的缺陷.给出了从这种技术的复合信息中提取复合光谱几何强度结构图像、不同光谱几何强度结构图像、不同光谱寿命图像的方法.提出了一种激发荧光强度修正系数矩阵方法，消除阵列点激发光强不均匀对激发荧光强弱产生的不利影响，取得明显效果.实验对实际样品做了数据采集和处理，给出图像结果，表明处理的效果良好.对存在的问题也作了讨论. 关键词： 荧光信息处理 双光子 荧光光谱 荧光寿命