Direction-of-arrival estimation using matrix spatial prefiltering approach

An approach to direction-of-arrival （DOA） estimation for multiple narrowband farfield signals is proposed. The technique uses a novel matrix spatial prefiltering approach. Specifically, a matrix filter is designed to spatially filter the incoming data snapshots. The un-wanted components arriving from the stopband angular sectors are attenuated and the desired components from the angular sector of interest pass with minimal distortion. The matrix filter spatially filters the element-space data and the output reserves the element-space data property, which makes it very useful by passing sensor data through a spatial prefilter prior to applying many other array processors to attenuate interferences and improve system performance. Several examples of DOA estimation problem are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed spatial prefiltering approach. Results of simulation and real data show that the pre-filter can efficiently attenuate the spatial interferences and significantly improve the estimation and resolution capability of DOA estimators at low signal-to-noise ratios for the sources located inside the passband sector. In addition, the use of spatial prefilter makes it possible to estimate DOAs for multiple sources more than the number of the elements of an array.     

Kalman filtering for reliable estimation of BBB permeability

INTRODUCTION: The blood-brain barrier (BBB) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of a number of central nervous system disorders. In the past, a number of laboratory techniques have been proposed to quantify permeability coefficient ki, an important index of barrier function. Recently, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used to estimate ki based on graphical plot technique. The MR technique was found to be in good agreement with the gold standard, quantitative autoradiography (QAR). However, a reduced image signal-to-noise ratio, among other factors such as partial volume effects, did not allow reliable estimation of permeability coefficients. This proof-of-principle study proposes the use of Kalman filter as a filtering technique for a reliable estimation of permeability coefficients. The results are compared to those obtained using the Wiener filter technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MRI experiments were performed in Wistar rats (N=2) using a 4.7-T Bruker Biospec MR system (Bruker Biospin, Billerica, MA). After acquiring localizer images, T2-weighted diffusion-weighted imaging images were acquired. Finally, a rapid T1 mapping protocol was implemented to acquire one pre-gadolinium diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid baseline data set followed by postinjection data sets at 3-min intervals for 45 min. Data were postprocessed with and without the application of Kalman and Wiener filters to obtain an estimate of ki. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: Comparing T1 maps, Patlak plots and permeability maps with and without the Kalman filtering presented several interesting observations. Kalman-filtered Patlak plots, compared to nonfiltered plots, showed that discrete data points on the plot were closer to the line fit. The number of time points used for the construction of the graphical plot had no effect on permeability coefficient estimates when the Kalman filter was used. A box-and-whiskers plot showed longer Y-error bars for nonfiltered and Wiener data compared to Kalman-filtered data. These observations suggest that it may be possible to obtain reliable permeability coefficient estimates in a short study time by applying the Kalman filter to the data. Future work involves investigating the application of this filter on a large-sample-size animal study and evaluating the role of partial volume effects on BBB permeability estimation.     

优化Savitzky-Golay滤波器的参数及其在傅里叶变换红外气体光谱数据平滑预处理中的应用

对傅里叶变换中红外光谱数据的平滑预处理中,通常采用Savitzky-Golay滤波器的方法进行光谱数据的平滑预处理,然而Savitzky-Golay滤波器的多项式拟合阶次和窗宽等参数的合理选则始终是一个难题,并无统一的选择依据,通常在一定数值范围内,采用多组数据进行遍历尝试,最终选择一组相对较优的数据作为Savitzky-Golay滤波器的多项式拟合阶次和窗宽参数。文中探索了Savitzky-Golay滤波器的多项式拟合阶次和窗宽等参数的优化选取这一问题,并对其主要频率指标参数与多项式拟合阶次和窗宽等参数进行了定性定量分析,得出了截至频率、阻带起始点频率、第一旁瓣峰值频率及第一旁瓣峰值幅度与窗宽和阶次之间具体的计算方程表达式。随后,根据采集的中红外气体组分的光谱数据特征,依据上述计算方程式,优化计算选取多项式拟合阶次和窗宽分别为8和11时,其Savitzky-Golay滤波器的中红外气体组分的光谱数据平滑效果最优。最后通过实际采集的0.1%, 0.2%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 5%浓度的CH₄光谱数据进行平滑预处理,在次吸收峰区域,原始光谱的折算吸光率相对最大误差和最小误差分别为17.230 5%和0.243 0%, 平滑处理后的光谱的折算吸光率相对最大误差和最小误差分别为0.088 0%和0.020 6%。可见经过Savitzky-Golay滤波器进行所探索的光谱数据预处理之后其相对误差基本稳定,并且相对较低,为后期光谱数据的准确定性和定量分析奠定了基础。     

Area-selective signal parameter estimation for two-dimensional MR spectroscopy data

We consider the problem of parametric spectral analysis of two-dimensional (2D) magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) data. Estimating the signal components from 2D MRS data is becoming common practice in many clinical MR applications. The most frequently used signal processing tool for this estimation problem is the non-parametric 2D-FFT. There are several alternative parametric methods available to perform this analysis, yet their computational complexity is generally rather high and it becomes prohibitive when the number of points in the measured data matrix is large. In this paper, we propose a novel signal parameter estimation technique which operates on a pre-specified sub-area of the 2D spectrum. This area-selective approach can be used either to estimate only the signal components of main interest in the data, or to compute signal parameter estimates of all present signal components as the computational burden for each sub-area is low. In the numerical example section we consider both simulated data and in vitro 1H data acquired from a 1.5 T MR scanner.     

Design and fabrication of broadband rugate filter

The design and the deposition of a rugate filter for broadband applications are discussed.The bandwidth is extended by increasing the rugate period continuously with depth.The width and the smoothness of the reflection band with the distribution of the periods are investigated.The improvement of the steepness of the stopband edges and the suppression of the side lobes in the transmission zone are realized by adding two apodized rugate structures with fixed periods at the external broadband rugate filter interfaces.The rapidly alternating deposition technology is used to fabricate a rugate filter sample.The measured transmission spectrum with a reflection bandwidth of approximately 505 nm is close to that of the designed broadband rugate filter except a transmittance peak in the stopband.Based on the analysis of the cross-sectional scanning electron microscopic image of the sample,it is found that the transmission peak is most likely to be caused by the instability of the deposition rate.     

Cerebral blood flow estimation from perfusion-weighted MRI using FT-based MMSE filtering method

INTRODUCTION: Perfusion-weighted MRI can be used for estimating blood flow parameters using bolus tracking technique based on dynamic susceptibility contrast MRI. In order to extract flow parameters, several deconvolution techniques have been proposed, of which the singular value decomposition (SVD) and Fourier transform (FT)-based techniques are more popular and widely used. In this work, an FT-based method has been proposed that involves derivation of an optimal shaped filter (defined as a filter function) estimated using minimum mean-squared error (MMSE) technique in the frequency domain. The proposed technique has been compared with the well-established SVD technique using simulation experiments. SIMULATION METHODS: Simulation was performed in multiple steps. An arterial input function (AIF) was first defined based on a certain blood flow value. The T2* signal change was then derived from this AIF, and noise was added to the signal. Then, a unique and optimal shaped filter function Phi(f) was derived in order to obtain the best estimate of scaled residue function. One way is by minimizing the mean-squared error between the noiseless and noisy scaled residue function, i.e., using an MMSE method. The effect of low and moderate noise and distorted AIF on cerebral blood flow (CBF) estimates was obtained by using FT-based MMSE method. Results were compared with the SVD technique. In this work, SVD technique was assumed to be the standard reference deconvolution technique. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: For low-noise condition, the FT-based technique was more stable than the SVD technique, while for moderate noise, both techniques consistently underestimated CBF. SVD technique was found to be more stable in presence of AIF distortions. However, SVD technique was found to be unstable due to AIF delay compared to the FT-based MMSE method. The shaped filter function was found to be sensitive to effect of AIF distortions.     

Spatially selective T2 and T2 * measurement with line-scan echo-planar spectroscopic imaging

Line-scan echo planar spectroscopic imaging (LSEPSI) is applied to quickly measure the T2 and T2* relaxation time constants in pre-selected 2D or 3D regions. Results from brain imaging studies at 3T suggest that the proposed method may prove valuable for both basic research (e.g., quantifying the changes of T2/T2* values in functional MRI with blood oxygenation level-dependent contrast) and clinical studies (e.g., measuring the T2' shortening due to iron deposition). The proposed spatially selective T2 and T2* mapping technique is especially well suited for studies, where T2/T2* quantification needs to be performed dynamically in a pre-selected 2D or 3D region.     

Spectral restoration from low signal-to-noise,distorted NMR signals: application to hyphenated capillary electrophoresis-NMR

In capillary electrophoresis separations coupled to NMR signal detection using small solenoidal coils, electrophoretic currents cause substantial distortion in the NMR spectral linewidths and peak heights, distortions which cannot be fully counteracted through shimming. The NMR spectra also have a low signal-to-noise ratio due to the small amounts of material, typically <1nmol, associated with such microseparations. This study proposes a two-step, signal processing method to restore spectral lines from the distorted NMR spectrum. First, a reference signal is acquired to estimate the broadening function, as a combination of several Lorentzian functions, using a gradient descent method. Then multi-resolution wavelet analysis is applied to the distorted spectrum to determine an initial estimate of the frequencies of the spectral lines. Convergence to the final spectrum, a second set of Lorentzians, involves deconvolution with the estimated broadening function using a gradient descent method. Experimental CE-NMR data show that considerable improvements in spectral quality are possible using this approach, although fine splittings can not be resolved if the broadening function is large.     

Necessary conditions for a maximum likelihood estimate to become asymptotically unbiased and attain the Cramer-Rao lower bound. Part I. General approach with an application to time-delay and Doppler shift estimation.

Analytic expressions for the first order bias and second order covariance of a general maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) are presented. These expressions are used to determine general analytic conditions on sample size, or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), that are necessary for a MLE to become asymptotically unbiased and attain minimum variance as expressed by the Cramer-Rao lower bound (CRLB). The expressions are then evaluated for multivariate Gaussian data. The results can be used to determine asymptotic biases. variances, and conditions for estimator optimality in a wide range of inverse problems encountered in ocean acoustics and many other disciplines. The results are then applied to rigorously determine conditions on SNR necessary for the MLE to become unbiased and attain minimum variance in the classical active sonar and radar time-delay and Doppler-shift estimation problems. The time-delay MLE is the time lag at the peak value of a matched filter output. It is shown that the matched filter estimate attains the CRLB for the signal's position when the SNR is much larger than the kurtosis of the expected signal's energy spectrum. The Doppler-shift MLE exhibits dual behavior for narrow band analytic signals. In a companion paper, the general theory presented here is applied to the problem of estimating the range and depth of an acoustic source submerged in an ocean waveguide.     

强激光系统波前功率谱密度的数值计算研究

惯性约束聚变(ICF)系统中,影响激光聚焦性能的一个重要指标是波前功率谱密度(PSD),它所对应的空间周期为0.12～33mm。对PSD的数值计算所涉及到的关键技术进行了详细的理论及实验分析研究。通过对中频段的波前位相均方根值的分析表明,波前数据的空域处理采用Quad flip技术较为合适,对频域滤波器的选用需要综合考虑滤波的有效性及波前的失真。通过对二维PSD的分析表明,空域处理采用加窗技术较为合适。该项研究为ICF系统中的PSD指标的确定及检测算法奠定了基础。     

基于拉普拉斯塔型变换的Contourlet变换频谱混叠特性分析

针对Contourlet变换存在频谱混叠的问题,立足于拉普拉斯(Laplace)塔型变换的分析研究,指出了Contourlet变换频谱混叠的根本原因在于Laplace塔型变换中两个低通滤波器不满足Nyquist抽样定律,致使阻带截全频率大于π/2,导致Contourlet变换的频谱混叠.基此.设计了满足Nyquist抽样定律的低通滤波器,提出了一种新型的Contourlet变换,即抗混叠Contourlet变换.抗混叠Contourlet变换有效地抑制了频谱混叠,基函数的空频局域件均明显优于Contourlet.通过对Barbara图像的硬阈值去噪实验研究结果表明,抗混叠Contourlet变换去噪在峰值信噪比(PSNR)上高出Contou[et变换2.3 dB(噪声均方差为30),去噪效果好,同时还有效抑制了Contoulet变换去噪后的"划痕"现象,图像的视觉效果更佳.     

微机构可调谐阵列滤光片的设计与模型分析

提出一种新颖的采用薄膜技术在玻璃基底上构造微机可调谐二维窄带滤光片阵列的方法,对器件进行了膜系设计及光谱响应模拟,通过器件的电动力学模型分析,设计出器件的形状与尺寸。     

基于分离指标的宽阻带低通滤波器设计

常见的开路短截线和阶跃阻抗结构在微带低通器设计中较为成熟,但是这些结构的低通滤波器受到寄生通带的影响,阻带不够宽。提出了一种基于分离指标的宽阻带低通滤波器设计方法,利用计算机仿真软件ADS,对常见的阶跃阻抗低通滤波器进行结构改进。该方法将低通滤波器设计指标重点分为滚降率和宽阻带抑制两部分,分别利用椭圆滤波器和巴特沃斯滤波器的本身特性实现设计目的,最后进行级联优化。此结构综合设计方法简单严谨,易于实现,改进的低通滤波器性能优越,实现了宽阻带的设计需求,通带0~3GHz,插入损耗<0.5dB,阻带4~12GHz,抑制>45dB。     

Geometric distortion in clinical MRI systems Part II: correction using a 3D phantom

In this paper, we present the correction of the geometric distortion measured in the clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) systems reported in the preceding paper (Part I) using a 3D method based on the phantom-mapped geometric distortion data. This method allows the correction to be made on phantom images acquired without or with the vendor correction applied. With the vendor's 2D correction applied, the method corrects for both the "residual" geometric distortion still present in the plane in which the correction method was applied (the axial plane) and the uncorrected geometric distortion along the axis normal to the plane. The evaluation of the effectiveness of the correction using this new method was carried out through analyzing the residual geometric distortion in the corrected phantom images. The results show that the new method can restore the distorted images in 3D nearly to perfection. For all the MRI systems investigated, the mean absolute deviations in the positions of the control points (along x-, y- and z-axes) measured on the corrected phantom images were all less than 0.2 mm. The maximum absolute deviations were all below approximately 0.8 mm. As expected, the correction of the phantom images acquired with the vendor's correction applied in the axial plane performed equally well. Both the geometric distortion still present in the axial plane after applying the vendor's correction and the uncorrected distortion along the z-axis have all been "restored."     

0.23 eV energy resolution obtained using a cold field-emission gun and a streak imaging technique

We demonstrate that a high energy resolution of 0.23 eV is possible by using a cold field-emission electron gun (CFEG) without a monochromator. We have used a 300 kV transmission electron microscope (Hitachi, HF-3000) equipped with a CFEG and an energy filter (Gatan, GIF2002). Since energy instability is critical for high energy resolution in electron energy-loss spectroscopy, we have applied a high-speed 'streak imaging' acquisition technique, in which a series of time-resolved spectra are acquired as a two-dimensional spectrum. With this technique, we can easily record 1000-20,000 spectra with an exposure time of 0.353 ms per spectrum. Instability of less than 1.4 kHz has been corrected in the time-resolved spectra, allowing the inherent performance of the CFEG to be realized.     

Digital waveform generation by fractional addressing

This article concerns the generation of waveforms by a digital oscillator in which sampled data in a memory buffer are recycled. The buffer contains a fixed waveform and the output sample rate is also fixed. Despite these constraints, the oscillator is capable of arbitrarily high frequency resolution if the technique of fractional addressing is used. However, fractional addressing introduces distortion. This article gives a theory of fractional addressing, resembling the theory of diffraction in crystal lattices with a basis. The theory shows how the spectrum of the distortion components can be calculated and how the distortion can be minimized. Attention is called to numerous symmetries in the distortion spectrum. These symmetries are especially interesting if the purpose of the system is to make use of the distortion components to create inharmonic signals. Of particular importance is the gamma p symmetry theorem, which makes it possible to derive simple formulas for the level of the largest distortion component and for the total distortion power.     

Comparing anisotropic diffusion filters for the enhancement of sodium magnetic resonance images

The anisotropic diffusion (AND) filter, an image processing technique derived from physics, was applied to low-resolution sodium magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to examine the possibilities of image enhancement by postprocessing. We compared six different variants of AND filters. Besides the qualitative good results on phantom measurements, quantitative analyses on MRI of human kidney yielded major improvements in noise reduction and other quality measures: the noise (i.e., the standard deviation in the image background) could be reduced to 1%-2% of its original value, while linear filters (Gaussian, Fermi, Hamming) achieved a reduction to 42%-64%. Besides that, less than 5% of structures and intensities are lost when using AND filters. Comparing the different variants, the two-dimensional and the three-dimensional AND filter outperformed the histogram-of-gradient and tensor-based AND filter. We envision that by using these AND filters, quantitative analysis of sodium MRI of kidney could be improved.     

基于线性调频Z变换的差分吸收光谱数据处理方法研究

差分吸收光谱法(differential optical absorption spectroscopy,DOAS)是一种常用的污染气体监测方法,对所监测的光谱数据去噪可以提高反演精度。可采用傅里叶变换(fast Fourier transform, FFT)滤波法滤除光谱数据中的噪声,但该算法本身会引入误差。提出一种线性调频Z变换法(chirp Z transform,CZT),通过对傅里叶变换之后的频谱进行局部细化,能够在保留傅里叶变换滤波法去噪效果的基础上,对算法的误差进行补偿,从而进一步提高反演精度。实验配置了SO₂及NO₂进行浓度反演,结果表明,直接采用相除法反演浓度时误差较大且很不稳定,线性调频Z变换法能够获得比傅里叶变换滤波法更高的反演精度。模拟了SO₂和NO₂混合气体实验,频谱分析结果表明FFT算法无法解决特征吸收结构被扭曲、削弱等问题,CZT算法能完成特定频段频谱的精细化重构。     

一种用于红外目标信号接收的稳健匹配滤波算法

针对远距离红外探测目标信号的不确定性问题,提出一种稳健的红外信号匹配滤波新算法.定性分析了红外探测目标的有用信号谱畸变来源,基于巴什瓦定理建立了目标信号的不确定谱模型,并分析了信号谱畸变的相关因子.利用极大极小方法构建稳健匹配滤波的信噪比输出鞍点解,并基于内层极大和外层极小的二层遗传优化算法求解鞍点解和最不利信号频谱,...     

Fourier变换光谱学退卷积技术的理论研究

介绍了Fourier变换光谱退卷积技术的原理,通过数学推导从理论上对退卷积光谱的特性进行了分析,分别讨论了退卷积技术的两个重要参量,即退卷积系数和切趾长度,对复原光谱的线宽和信噪比的影响,从而得到三个结论:1) 退卷积技术的分辨率增强能力在实际中由于受到噪音的限制而不能无限提高.2) 对于光谱中宽度不同的谱线,退卷积将导致它们之间的峰高比失真.3) 在选定退卷积系数和切趾长度以满足谱线形状和宽度的要求后,只有通过选择合适的切趾函数来满足信噪比的要求.研究还发现,退卷积过程相当于一个带通滤波器,其中高通滤波器是退卷积函数,低通滤波器是切趾函数,它们共同决定着退卷积技术的滤波特性.