Deployable teleradiology: Bosnia and beyond

The United States military has been an effective proponent of digital imaging and teleradiology. A digital imaging network that eliminates the use of X-ray film makes military medicine requirements simpler. X-ray film requirements include storage of new, unexposed films, storage and use of chemicals and water for processing, and disposal of chemicals. In some deployed situations, the chemical discharge needs to be collected and shipped out of the area. Therefore, the ability to implement electronic imaging and eliminate or greatly reduce the dependence on film, chemicals, and water are intrinsically important to military medicine. In December 1995, the United States government began deployment of 20,000 United States troops to Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of NATO's peacekeeping implementation force (IFOR) operation. A full complement of military medical support facilities was established in Bosnia. An army base in Hungary was the location from which the deployment was staged. The project to deploy telemedicine and teleradiology capabilities to the medical treatment facilities (MTF) in Bosnia and Hungary became known as PrimeTime III. This paper deals with the deployable teleradiology (DEPRAD) system that was installed by the Imaging Science and Information Systems (ISIS) Center, Department of Radiology, Georgetown Medical Center, Washington, DC, at a number of facilities to implement filmless radiology and teleradiology services in support of PrimeTime III     

Virtual Control of Optical Axis of the 3DTV Camera for Reducing Visual Fatigue in Stereoscopic 3DTV

In stereoscopic television, there is a trade‐off between visual comfort and 3‐dimensional (3D) impact with respect to the baseline‐stretch of a 3DTV camera. It is necessary to adjust the baseline‐stretch at an appropriate distance depending on the contents of a scene if we want to obtain a subjectively optimal quality of an image. However, it is very hard to obtain a small baseline‐stretch using commercially available cameras of broadcasting quality where the sizes of the lens and CCD module are large. In order to overcome this limitation, we attempt to freely control the baseline‐stretch of a stereoscopic camera by synthesizing the virtual views at the desired location of interval between two cameras. This proposed technique is based on the stereo matching and view synthesis techniques. We first obtain a dense disparity map using a hierarchical stereo matching with the edge‐adaptive multiple shifted windows. Then, we synthesize the virtual views using the disparity map. Simulation results with various stereoscopic images demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed technique.     

Temperature‐responsive linear polyelectrolytes and hydrogels based on [2‐(methacryloyloxy)ethyl] trimethylammonium chloride and N‐isopropylacrylamide and their complex formation with potassium hexacyanoferrates (II,III)

Water‐soluble temperature‐responsive polyelectrolytes and hydrogels have been synthesized by γ‐radiation copolymerization of [2‐(methacryloyloxy)‐ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride with N‐isopropylacrylamide. Complex formation of soluble copolymers with potassium hexacyanoferrates (II, III) was studied in aqueous solutions. It was shown that, depending on the concentration and temperature, the formation of soluble or insoluble polycomplexes is observed. The hydrogels show good ability to absorb potassium hexacyanoferrates (II, III) from aqueous solutions. Sorption ability of hydrogels depends on the content of cationic monomer in copolymer and the nature of coordination ion. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 515–522, 2004     

The contraction of lattice constant and the reduction of growth rate in p-InGaAs grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

We have investigated the effect of diethylzinc (DEZn) on the lattice constant and the growth rate of InGaAs. Introducing DEZn for p-type doping induces the contraction of lattice constant and the reduction of growth rate compared to undoped InGaAs. Depletion of indium is responsible for these effects. These effects are reduced at lower growth temperatures or at lower growth pressures. From the observed effects of the growth temperatures and the growth pressures on the contraction of the lattice constant, it is concluded that depletion of indium occurs in the gas phase.     

Array Calibration for CDMA Smart Antenna Systems

In this paper, we investigate array calibration algorithms to derive a further improved version for correcting antenna array errors and RF transceiver errors in CDMA smart antenna systems. The structure of a multi‐channel RF transceiver with a digital calibration apparatus and its calibration techniques are presented, where we propose a new RF receiver calibration scheme to minimize interference of the calibration signal on the user signals. The calibration signal is injected into a multichannel receiver through a calibration signal injector whose array response vector is controlled in order to have a low correlation with the antenna response vector of the receive signals. We suggest a model‐based antenna array calibration to remove the antenna array errors including mutual coupling errors or to predict the element patterns from the array manifold measured at a small number of angles. Computer simulations and experiment results are shown to verify the calibration algorithms.     

Stabilization of water/n‐hexane emulsions by amphiphilic copolymers based on vinyl ethers and their polycomplexes with poly(acrylic acid)

Amphiphilic random copolymers based on vinyl ether of ethylene glycol and vinyl butyl ether as well as their polycomplexes with poly(acrylic acid) were studied as polymeric reagents for the stabilization of water/n‐hexane emulsions. The emulsion stability strongly depended on the content of vinyl butyl ether in the copolymers as well as their concentration in solution. The more hydrophobic copolymers stabilized emulsions more efficiently. An increase in the temperature and the addition of inorganic salts reduced the emulsion lifetime. The formation of interpolymer complexes between the copolymers and poly(acrylic acid) significantly influenced the stability of the emulsions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2625–2632, 2004     

Constructing Polymorphic Nanodomains in BaTiO3 Films via Epitaxial Symmetry Engineering

Ferroelectric materials owning a polymorphic nanodomain structure usually exhibit colossal susceptibilities to external mechanical, electrical, and thermal stimuli, thus holding huge potential for relevant applications. Despite the success of traditional strategies by means of complex composition design, alternative simple methods such as strain engineering have been intensively sought to achieve a polymorphic nanodomain state in lead‐free, simple‐composition ferroelectric oxides in recent years. Here, a nanodomain configuration with morphed structural phases is realized in an epitaxial BaTiO₃ film grown on a (111)‐oriented SrTiO₃ substrate. Using a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches, it is revealed that a threefold rotational symmetry element enforced by the epitaxial constraint along the [111] direction of BaTiO₃ introduces considerable instability among intrinsic tetragonal, orthorhombic, and rhombohedral phases. Such phase degeneracy induces ultrafine ferroelectric nanodomains (1–10 nm) with low‐angle domain walls, which exhibit significantly enhanced dielectric and piezoelectric responses compared to the (001)‐oriented BaTiO₃ film with uniaxial ferroelectricity. Therefore, the finding highlights the important role of epitaxial symmetry in domain engineering of oxide ferroelectrics and facilitates the development of dielectric capacitors and piezoelectric devices.     

Spectrophotometric determination of periodate and glycerol with 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione bisthiosemicarbazone monohydrochloride

A direct spectrophotometric method for the determination of periodate (1—10 ppm) is based on the formation of a yellow oxidation product of 5,5-dimethyl-1,3-cyclohexanedione bisthiosemicarbazone monohydrochloride in aqueous solution at pH 0.5—1.2. The molar absorptivity at 415 nm is 1.72 × 10⁴ l mol^-1 cm^-1. The relative standard deviation is 0.8% for 8.0 ppm periodate. A modification to this procedure is used for the indirect spectrophotometric determination of glycerol (2–10 ppm), via the Malaprade reaction.