Translational motion compensation for coronary angiogram sequences

A method of compensating for the lag of the video cameras typically used in angiographic systems is presented for use in sequences of digitized X-ray images. The lag effect is reduced by a straightforward weighted subtraction, which has the undesirable side effect of increasing noise. By superimposing several lag-corrected and appropriately shifted images, however, the signal-to-noise ratio can be restored. The algorithm uses the phase-correlation method to measure the two-dimensional shift of a mobile coronary arterial structure. Processing is confined to a rectangular area of interest (AOI), which encloses a feature of clinical significance. The differences of the phases of the Fourier transforms of two frames is computed, combined with an appropriate filter, and inverse Fourier-transformed to produce a phase-correlation image. The vector separation from the origin of image space of the peak of the phase-correlation image is the estimate of the shift of the artery's position in the second frame as compared to the first. The isolation of the AOI from the surrounding image is achieved by the application of a window and correction for any linear trend in the background intensity.     

Essay on gravitation: Present-time variation of Newton's gravitational constant in superstring theories

Superstring theories provide an appropriate framework for studying the time variation of fundamental coupling constants. The present time variation of coupling constants in Superstring theories with currently favorable internal backgrounds critically depends on the shape of the potential for the size of internal space. If the potential is almost flat, as in perturbation theory to all orders, the present value of ¦/G¦ for Newton's gravitational constant is calculable and estimated to be 1×10^–11±1yr^–1, which is just at the edge of the present observational bound for/G. If the potential has a minimum with finite curvature due to unknown nonperturbative effects,/G will become unobservably small. The improvement of the measurement of/G of 1 or 2 orders of magnitude would discriminate between the two situations. Problems with the time variation of other coupling constants are also discussed.This essay received the fourth award from the Gravity Research Foundation for the year 1987-Ed.