Healthy and unhealthy red blood cell detection in human blood smears using neural networks

One of the most common diseases that affect human red blood cells (RBCs) is anaemia. To diagnose anaemia, the following methods are typically employed: an identification process that is based on measuring the level of haemoglobin and the classification of RBCs based on a microscopic examination in blood smears. This paper presents a proposed algorithm for detecting and counting three types of anaemia-infected red blood cells in a microscopic coloured image using circular Hough transform and morphological tools. Anaemia cells include sickle, elliptocytosis, microsite cells and cells with unknown shapes. Additionally, the resulting data from the detection process have been analysed by a prevalent data analysis technique: the neural network. The experimental results for this model have demonstrated high accuracy for analysing healthy/unhealthy cells. This algorithm has achieved a maximum detection of approximately 97.8% of all cells in 21 microscopic images. Effectiveness rates of 100%, 98%, 100%, and 99.3% have been achieved using neural networks for sickle cells, elliptocytosis cells, microsite cells and cells with unknown shapes, respectively.     

非晶态金属Al中微团簇多面体结构及其演变规律的模拟研究

对50 000个金属Al原子从液态急冷形成非晶态结构的过程进行了分子动力学模拟研究.采用原子键型和原子团簇类型指数法,发现在其微观结构的转变过程中,与不断增加的1551键型密切相关的二十面体及其缺陷结构的形成起了非常突出的作用.通过各种键型原子团簇的计算,获得团簇多面体结构的分布数据.在可视化的显示下,得到一幅十分清晰的关于团簇多面体结构的特征及其演变的图景.建立了一种简单而有效的团簇多面体结构研究方法.同时也对模拟计算结果的微观机理给出了相应的讨论,这对于深入理解非晶态结构的形成机制及其微观过程,将有重     

On biomembrane electrodiffusive models

Two models are used in the literature, to study the electric behaviour of cellular membranes such as in protein aggregates, excitable media or ionic currents for examples. The first one is the Electroneutral Model based on Nernst-Planck and Poisson equations with a specific condition of microscopic electroneutrality. The second one is the Cable Model valid for long wavelengths based on an analogy between an electric cable and a cell. Convincing experiments have justified the Cable equation. First, we show that these two models are in contradiction. More precisely the assumption of electroneutrality is not considered in the Cable Model. The main difference between the two models is highlighted by the analysis of the well known voltage instability due to a negative differential conductance. Then, we derive a new semi-microscopic model (the Biomembrane Electrodiffusive Model, called BEM) valid for phenomena at any wavelength. The BEM is based on Nernst-Planck and Poisson equations but, doesn't imply microscopic electroneutrality. It reveals the capacitive behaviour of the membrane. In the limit of long wavelengths, one recovers the behaviour described within the Cable framework, as shown precisely in the study of the negative differential conductance analysis. Finally, we demonstrate the intimate link between the last models: the Cable Model appears as the limit of the BEM for large wavelengths with some prerequisites which are discussed. The effects of geometry and asymmetrical media are introduced. Received: 8 November 1996 / Revised: 23 July 1997 and 8 December 1997 / Accepted: 23 January 1998     

The atomic and molecular reaction statics

This work presents a new science called atomic and molecular reaction statics (AMRS). There are four parts for AMRS, i.e. the group theoretical derivation of molecular electronic states, the principle of microscopic reversibility, the principle of microscopic transitivity and the optimum energy process rule. AMRS has been developed for about twenty years.     

Development of an optical trap for microparticle clouds in dilute gases

Long-duration experiments with clouds of microparticles are planned for the ICAPS facility on board the International Space Station ISS. The scientific objectives of such experiments are widespread and are ranging from the simulation of aerosol behaviour in Earths atmosphere to the formation of planets in the early solar system. It is, however, even under microgravity conditions, impossible to sustain a cloud of free-floating, microscopic particles for an extended period of time, due to thermal diffusion and due to unavoidable external accelerations. Therefore, a trap for dust clouds is required which prevents the diffusion of the particles, which provides a source of relative velocities between the dust grains and which can also concentrate the dust to higher number densities that are otherwise not achievable. We are planning to use the photophoretic effect for such a particle trap. First short-duration microgravity experiments on the photophoretic motion of microscopic particles show that such an optical particle-cloud trap is feasible. First tests of a two-dimensional trap were performed in the Bremen drop tower.     

Crystal Shape Characterisation of Dry Samples using Microscopic and Dynamic Image Analysis

A standard method to determine particle shape and size is by image analysis. This paper addresses microscopic image analysis (semi‐automated) investigations of two different organic crystalline chemicals generated by batch cooling crystallisation. The results generated from microscopic image analysis were compared with data obtained by dynamic image analysis (automated) because very few contributions are available in the open literature. The chemical systems were polymorphic L‐glutamic acid which crystallises into α (prismatic) or β (needle) form and the non‐polymorphic mono sodium glutamate which crystallises into needles. The images from these techniques were processed to generate information on crystal shape and size. It has been observed that shape effects can distort the size obtained in size characterization studies. In this study, comparisons were made of processing time, number of crystals and accuracy between microscopic and dynamic image analysis. For representative microscopic image analysis, 5000 crystals were analysed in an average of eight hours while several hundred thousand crystals were processed using dynamic image analysis within 15 minutes. Using the parameters D₁₀, D₅₀, D₉₀, span and aspect ratio for statistical comparison, it was found that the results obtained for D₅₀ by the two techniques were comparable and in accordance with other measurements (laser diffraction spectroscopy and ultrasonic attenuation spectroscopy) even though these non‐spherical particles had different orientations during measurement by the two methods. However, substantial differences in span of the distribution and aspect ratio were returned by the two techniques.     

On the microscopic derivation of mode-mode coupling equations

Alternative results derived on a microscopic basis for the mode-mode coupling kinetic equations are shown to be identical. It is also emphasized that nonlinear kinetic equations for the gross variables describing the system are only suggested but not implied by the corresponding equations obeyed by their dynamical variables. Finally an equivalent closed form for the renormalized transport coefficients is shown to hold in mode-mode coupling theory.Miembro del Colegio Nacional. On sabbatical leave from UAM—Iztapalapa, Mexico.     

Atomistic explanation of the Gough-Joule-effect

An interpretation of the Gough-Joule-Effect from an atomistic point of view is given by a special investigation of lattice vibrations using a non-interacting model. The calculations are restricted to crystals with ideal crystal structure built up of only one kind of particles. Approximate analytical formulas are derived. A comparison between the classical macroscopic theory and the here presented microscopic calculations is drawn. Received 5 April 2001 and Received in final form 16 August 2001     

Microscopic information processing and communication in crowd dynamics

Due, perhaps, to the historical division of crowd dynamics research into psychological and engineering approaches, microscopic crowd models have tended toward modelling simple interchangeable particles with an emphasis on the simulation of physical factors. Despite the fact that people have complex (non-panic) behaviours in crowd disasters, important human factors in crowd dynamics such as information discovery and processing, changing goals and communication have not yet been well integrated at the microscopic level. We use our Microscopic Human Factors methodology to fuse a microscopic simulation of these human factors with a popular microscopic crowd model. By tightly integrating human factors with the existing model we can study the effects on the physical domain (movement, force and crowd safety) when human behaviour (information processing and communication) is introduced.In a large-room egress scenario with ample exits, information discovery and processing yields a crowd of non-interchangeable individuals who, despite close proximity, have different goals due to their different beliefs. This crowd heterogeneity leads to complex inter-particle interactions such as jamming transitions in open space; at high crowd energies, we found a freezing by heating effect (reminiscent of the disaster at Central Lenin Stadium in 1982) in which a barrier formation of naïve individuals trying to reach blocked exits prevented knowledgeable ones from exiting. Communication, when introduced, reduced this barrier formation, increasing both exit rates and crowd safety.     

法庭科学领域中微量物证的显微红外技术鉴定

在法庭科学领域中,由于案件现场提取到的物证通常是极微量的,另外样品形态各异、成分复杂,常规红外光谱分析技术常常无法达到检测要求。显微红外技术是基于傅里叶变换红外光谱技术与显微镜技术的结合发展起来的。与常规红外光谱技术相比,显微红外技术具有检测灵敏度高、微区分析和无损检测等优点,测试时几乎不引入外部干扰,卓有成效地解决了法庭科学领域中微量物证鉴定的难题,可以满足微量物证必须保留以用于法庭作证的特殊需要。通过本实验中心测试的真实案例分析,详细阐述了显微红外技术在法庭科学领域中微量物证鉴定方面的优势。采用显微红外技术,本文分别对油漆物证、塑料物证、橡胶物证、纤维物证、药物和毒物物证进行了红外光谱振动特征的比对分析,为各类刑事案件和交通肇事案件的定性提供有力的谱学依据。实验结果表明,显微红外技术具有常规红外测试技术无法比拟的优势,是法庭科学领域中微量物证鉴定的有效手段。     

The effect of oxidation on physical properties of porous silicon layers for optical applications

In order to understand the optical loss mechanisms in porous silicon based waveguides, structural and optical studies have been performed. Scanning and transmission electron microscopic observations of porous silicon layers are obtained before and after an oxidation process at high temperature in wet O₂. Pore size and shape of heavily p-type doped Si wafers are estimated and correlated to the optical properties of the material before and after oxidation. The refractive index was measured and compared to that determined by the Bruggeman model.     

量子物理学百年回顾

简述了量子物理学诞生的背景。它的诞生,打开了人们认识微观物质世界运动规律的大门。物质属性及其微观结构问题,只有在量子物理的基础上才在原则上得以解决．量子力学提供了所有现代科学的基础支柱。在过去一百年中,量子物理不仅对于说明众多自然现象取得了无与伦比的成功,它还引发了大量的技术应用。由于量子物理学的基本概念与人们日常生活经验如此不同,诞生伊始至今,对于量子力学原理的诠释存在持续不断的争论。量子理论以前所未有的深度改变了人们的世界观。     

High-energy probes

We review some results on energetic particle production in heavy-ion collisions below roughly 100A·MeV, both theoretically and experimentally. We discuss the possible mechanisms of particle production, as well as the possibility to gather information on the nuclear equation of state (EOS) from data. Results on subthreshold pions, energetic photons, nucleons and light charged particles (Z ⩽ 2) are discussed and contrasted to microscopic models. Important information about the first stages of the reaction are obtained by such probes. At present, we can conclude that we have at least a qualitative understanding of the processes involved when such particles are produced. However, a quantitative determination of relevant EOS parameters is still missing. The production mechanism close to the kinematical threshold (incoherent, cooperative or statistical) is not completely elucidated either. This calls for new data using more modern detector systems and comparison to more refined microscopic models.     

Electron microscopy of pharmaceutical systems

During the last decades, the focus of research in pharmaceutical technology has steadily shifted towards the development and optimisation of nano-scale drug delivery systems. As a result, electron microscopic methods are increasingly employed for the characterisation of pharmaceutical systems such as nanoparticles and microparticles, nanoemulsions, microemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, different types of vesicles, nanofibres and many more. Knowledge of the basic properties of these systems is essential for an adequate microscopic analysis. Classical transmission and scanning electron microscopic techniques frequently have to be adapted for an accurate analysis of formulation morphology, especially in case of hydrated colloidal systems. Specific techniques such as environmental scanning microscopy or cryo preparation are required for their investigation. Analytical electron microscopic techniques such as electron energy-loss spectroscopy or energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy are additional assets to determine the elemental composition of the systems, but are not yet standard tools in pharmaceutical research. This review provides an overview of pharmaceutical systems of interest in current research and strategies for their successful electron microscopic analysis. Advantages and limitations of the different methodological approaches are discussed and recent findings of interest are presented.     

Quasistatic x-ray speckle metrology of microscopic magnetic return-point memory

We have used coherent, resonant, x-ray magnetic speckle patterns to measure the statistical evolution of the microscopic magnetic domains in perpendicular magnetic films as a function of the applied magnetic field. Our work constitutes the first direct, ensemble-averaged study of microscopic magnetic return-point memory, and demonstrates the profound impact of interfacial roughness on this phenomenon. At low fields, the microscopic magnetic domains forget their past history with an exponential field dependence.     

Half-lives of rp-process waiting point nuclei

We give results of microscopic calculations for the half-lives of various proton-rich nuclei in the mass region A = 60-90, which are involved in the astrophysical rp-process, and which are needed as input parameters of numerical simulations in Nuclear Astrophysics. The microscopic formalism consists of a deformed QRPA approach that involves a self-consistent quasiparticle deformed Skyrme Hartree-Fock basis and residual spin-isospin separable forces in both the particle-hole and particle-particle channels. The strength of the particle-hole residual interaction is chosen to be consistent with the Skyrme effective force and mean-field basis, while that of the particle-particle is globally fixed to = 0.07 MeV after a judicious choice from comparison to experimental half-lives. We study and discuss the sensitivity of the half-lives to deformation and residual interactions.     

Quantum theory of irreversibility

A generalization of the Gibbs–von Neumann entropy is proposed based on the quantum BBGKY (Bogolyubov–Born–Green–Kirkwood–Yvon) hierarchy as the non-equilibrium entropy for an N$N$-body system. By using a generalization of the Liouville–von Neumann equation describing the evolution of a density superoperator, the entropy production for an isolated system is calculated, being non-zero in general. The existence of a non-zero entropy production allows us, following the procedure of non-equilibrium thermodynamics to introduce a master matrix for which a microscopic expression is obtained. After this, as a test of our theory the quantum Boltzmann equation is derived in terms of a transition superoperator related to this master matrix.     

Sub-wavelength and non-periodic holes array based fully lensless imager

We present a novel concept for microscopic imaging. The proposed microscope-like device does not include an objective lens neither a condenser. Instead, a metallic plate of sub-wavelength hole-array with a varying pitch is used to illuminate the inspected object that is mounted very close to it. As a result, the transmitted spectrum through each hole differs from the others and therefore, each spot of the detected object is illuminated with a unique spectrum. By measuring a single spectrum that is the sum of all the spectra that are transmitted through the sample and by using spectral decomposition algorithms, the spatial transmission pattern of the object can be extracted.     

Molecular-dynamics simulations with explicit hydrodynamics II: On the collision of polymers with molecular obstacles

We present a study of the dynamics of single polymers colliding with molecular obstacles using Molecular-dynamics simulations. In concert with these simulations we present a generalized polymer-obstacle collision model which is applicable to a number of collision scenarios. The work focusses on three specific problems: i) a polymer driven by an external force colliding with a fixed microscopic post; ii) a polymer driven by a (plug-like) fluid flow colliding with a fixed microscopic post; and iii) a polymer driven by an external force colliding with a free polymer. In all three cases, we present a study of the length-dependent dynamics of the polymers involved. The simulation results are compared with calculations based on our generalized collision model. The generalized model yields analytical results in the first two instances (cases i) and ii)), while in the polymer-polymer collision example (case iii)) we obtain a series solution for the system dynamics. For the case of a polymer-polymer collision we find that a distinct V-shaped state exists as seen in experimental systems, though normally associated with collisions with multiple polymers. We suggest that this V-shaped state occurs due to an effective hydrodynamic counter flow generated by a net translational motion of the two-chain system.