Imaging Fourier Transform Research Articles

Effect of Vacuum Heat Treatment on Larch Earlywood and Latewood Cell Wall Properties

The aim of this study was to evaluate the hygroscopicity and nanomechanics of earlywood (EW) and latewood (LW) larch after thermal modification under vacuum conditions. Wood samples were heat-treated in a vacuum atmosphere at 180–220 °C for 6 h, then their cell wall properties were observed using dynamic water vapor sorption (DVS), imaging Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) microscopy, and nanoindentation. The results showed that the vacuum heat treatment reduced the hygroscopicity of EW and LW and increased hysteresis between the adsorption and desorption branches of the isotherm. Compared with EW, the treatment temperature had a more pronounced influence on the hygroscopicity of LW. The Hailwood-Horrobin model was found to accurately fit the experimental data. Imaging FTIR microscopy revealed degradation of hemicellulose, cross-linking, condensation reactions, and redistribution of lignin in the cell wall. The elastic modulus for the heat-treated EW and LW cell walls increased at first and then decreased as the treatment temperature increased; the increase in LW was more intense than that in EW. Cell wall hardness also markedly increased after heat treatment. Our analysis suggests that vacuum heat treatment decreases hygroscopicity and alters the chemical composition distribution of cell walls, thus improving wood cell wall mechanics.

Efficient quantum interpolation of natural data

We present efficient methods to interpolate data with a quantum computer that complement uploading techniques and quantum post-processing. The quantum algorithms are supported by the efficient Quantum Fourier Transform (QFT) and classical signal and imaging processing techniques, and open the door of quantum advantage to relevant families of data. We showcase a QFT interpolation method, a Quantum Cosine Transform (QCT) interpolation geared towards natural data, and we improve upon them by utilizing a quantum circuit's capabilities of processing data in superposition. A novel circuit for the QCT is presented. We demonstrate the methods on probability distributions and quantum encoded images, and discuss the precision of the resulting interpolations.

The influence of sodium alginate in water-based electrolyte on the morphology of TiO2 nanotube prepared by anodization method

Fabrication of a highly-ordered TiO2 nanotube array (TNA) with an anodization method in a water-based electrolyte using sodium alginate (NaAlg) as a thickening agent was presented for the first time. The titanium foil was anodized with various concentrations of NH4F, NaAlg, and the pH variation for the electrolyte solution. The anodization curve profile (current versus time) in various electrolyte compositions and their correlation to resulting morphologies, depletion layer values, and photocurrent of the fabricated samples were discussed. Based on SEM characterization and Fast Fourier Transformation (FFT) image, it is evidenced that the use of NaAlg can control the oxidation and dissolution rate in the anodization process so that a highly-ordered TNA with better uniformity and circularity can be obtained in 1.5 h anodization time. However, the presence of NaAlg was observed to give a wider variety of tube lengths. The increase in NH4F concentration led to a wider and uncircular nanotube but did not significantly affect wall thickness and tube length. The higher H+ concentration leads to wider tube diameter, thinner tube wall, and shorter tube length. The highest Regularity Ratio of the TNA sample was obtained when 0.3% NH4F and NaAlg at pH 3 was used, while the longest tube length was obtained at pH 4. It was found that the morphology observed follows a certain trend based on the nucleation time and anodization current density. It was also observed that the TNA porosity, wall thickness, tube length, and depletion layer influence photocurrent activity in complex relations. However, it was generally found that the NaAlg addition to the electrolyte resulted in a TNA having better regularity and photocurrent activity compared to the electrolyte without NaAlg.

Single-exposure Fourier-transform ghost imaging based on spatial correlation

Ultrafast x-ray diffraction imaging provides an opportunity to realize x-ray nanoimaging of biomolecules before radiation damage, while the image resolution is still restricted by the photon flux. Fourier-transform ghost imaging based on the temporal intensity correlation can achieve diffraction-limited imaging. However, a large number of temporal samplings are inevitable, which makes it almost impossible to be implemented in the ultrafast x-ray imaging. Here, we propose an x-ray single-exposure Fourier-transform ghost imaging (SFGI) approach. The Fourier information of an unknown sample can be obtained by measuring the spatial intensity correlation between two speckle fields, and the sample needs to be exposed only once. In our demonstration experiment of SFGI, the Fourier-transform diffraction pattern of a two-dimensional sample is achieved, and its face-centered-cubic feature in the spatial domain is retrieved successfully. The simulation results of the DNA origami and rice dwarf virus indicate that a spatial resolution of 10 nm may be reached, and x-ray ghost imaging with 0.1 photon/pixel speckle detection can be expected. Our research paves the way for the future application of ultrafast x-ray ghost imaging.

Image temperature calculation for gas and particle system by the mid-infrared spectrum using DRESOR and SNBCK model

The balance between spatial and spectral resolutions plays a key role in image temperature measurement using Imaging Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (IFTS). In this study, the performance of different combinations of spatial and spectral resolutions was investigated in a two-dimensional (2D) rectangular enclosure filled with gas and particle. The distributions of ratios of energy scattered or reflected (DRESOR) method combined with the statistical narrow band correlated-k (SNBCK) model was developed to obtain the radiative intensity image. Then the image temperature was calculated by the spectral thermometry. The accuracy of the DRESOR-SNBCK method was examined by comparison with the finite volume method (FVM)-line by line (LBL) method. The results showed that the average relative deviation of the image temperatures calculated by the spatial resolutions of 1 × 57 pixel and 1 × 140 pixel was <0.4%, indicating the accuracy of image temperatures was not improved by the increment of spatial resolution. However, the average relative error increased from 4.3% to 7.0% with the number of spectral bands increasing from 18 to 36. In addition, the large relative error of DRESOR-SNBCK method occurred in the low image temperature region due to the scattering effects. The average relative deviation of the homogeneous and inhomogeneous cases was <0.5%, indicating that the image temperatures were not affected by the gas homogeneity.

Optical Ultrastructure of Large Mammalian Hearts Recovers Discordant Alternans by In Silico Data Assimilation.

Understanding and predicting the mechanisms promoting the onset and sustainability of cardiac arrhythmias represent a primary concern in the scientific and medical communities still today. Despite the long-lasting effort in clinical and physico-mathematical research, a critical aspect to be fully characterized and unveiled is represented by spatiotemporal alternans patterns of cardiac excitation. The identification of discordant alternans and higher-order alternating rhythms by advanced data analyses as well as their prediction by reliable mathematical models represents a major avenue of research for a broad and multidisciplinary scientific community. Current limitations concern two primary aspects: 1) robust and general-purpose feature extraction techniques and 2) in silico data assimilation within reliable and predictive mathematical models. Here, we address both aspects. At first, we extend our previous works on Fourier transformation imaging (FFI), applying the technique to whole-ventricle fluorescence optical mapping. Overall, we identify complex spatial patterns of voltage alternans and characterize higher-order rhythms by a frequency-series analysis. Then, we integrate the optical ultrastructure obtained by FFI analysis within a fine-tuned electrophysiological mathematical model of the cardiac action potential. We build up a novel data assimilation procedure demonstrating its reliability in reproducing complex alternans patterns in two-dimensional computational domains. Finally, we prove that the FFI approach applied to both experimental and simulated signals recovers the same information, thus closing the loop between the experiment, data analysis, and numerical simulations.

Measurement of Blood Velocity With Laser Scanning Microscopy: Modeling and Comparison of Line-Scan Image-Processing Algorithms.

Laser scanning microscopy is widely used to measure blood hemodynamics with line-scans in physiological and pathological vessels. With scans of broken lines, i.e., lines made of several segments with different orientations, it also allows simultaneous monitoring of vessel diameter dynamics or the activity of specific cells. Analysis of red blood cell (RBC) velocity from line-scans requires specific image-processing algorithms, as angle measurements, Line-Scanning Particle Image Velocimetry (LSPIV) or Fourier transformation of line-scan images. The conditions under which these image-processing algorithms give accurate measurements have not been fully characterized although the accuracy of measurements vary according to specific experimental parameters: the vessel type, the RBC velocity, the scanning parameters, and the image signal to noise ratio. Here, we developed mathematical models for the three previously mentioned line-scan image-processing algorithms. Our models predict the experimental conditions in which RBC velocity measurements are accurate. We illustrate the case of different vessel types and give the parameter space available for each of them. Last, we developed a software generating artificial line-scan images and used it to validate our models.

Learning a Fully Connected U-Net for Spectrum Reconstruction of Fourier Transform Imaging Spectrometers

Fourier transform imaging spectrometers (FTISs) are widely used in global hyperspectral remote sensing due to the advantages of high stability, high throughput, and high spectral resolution. Spectrum reconstruction (SpecR) is a classic problem of FTISs determining the acquired data quality and application potential. However, the state-of-the-art SpecR algorithms were restricted by the length of maximum optical path difference (MOPD) of FTISs and apodization processing, resulting in a decrease in spectral resolution; thus, the applications of FTISs were limited. In this study, a deep learning SpecR method, which directly learned an end-to-end mapping between the interference/spectrum information with limited MOPD and without apodization processing, was proposed. The mapping was represented as a fully connected U-Net (FCUN) that takes the interference fringes as the input and outputs the highly precise spectral curves. We trained the proposed FCUN model using the real spectra and simulated pulse spectra, as well as the corresponding simulated interference curves, and achieved good results. Additionally, the performance of the proposed FCUN on real interference and spectral datasets was explored. The FCUN could obtain similar spectral values compared with the state-of-the-art fast Fourier transform (FFT)-based method with only 150 and 200 points in the interferograms. The proposed method could be able to enhance the resolution of the reconstructed spectra in the case of insufficient MOPD. Moreover, the FCUN performed well in visual quality using noisy interferograms and gained nearly 70% to 80% relative improvement over FFT for the coefficient of mean relative error (MRE). All the results based on simulated and real satellite datasets showed that the reconstructed spectra of the FCUN were more consistent with the ideal spectrum compared with that of the traditional method, with higher PSNR and lower values of spectral angle (SA) and relative spectral quadratic error (RQE).

Imaging from STIX visibility amplitudes

Aims. This study is aimed at providing the first demonstration of STIX Fourier-transform X-ray imaging using semi-calibrated (amplitude-only) visibility data acquired during Solar Orbiter’s cruise phase. Methods. We used a parametric imaging approach whereby STIX visibility amplitudes are fitted by means of two non-linear optimization methods: a fast meta-heuristic technique inspired by social behavior and a Bayesian Monte Carlo sampling method that, although slower, provides a better way of quantifying the uncertainties. Results. When applied to a set of solar flare visibility amplitudes recorded by STIX on November 18, 2020, the two parametric methods provide very coherent results. The analysis also demonstrates the ability of STIX to reconstruct data at a high time resolution and, from a spectral viewpoint, it shows the reliability of a double-source scenario that is consistent with a thermal versus nonthermal interpretation. Conclusions. In this preliminary analysis of STIX imaging based only on visibility amplitudes, we formulate the imaging problem as a non-linear parametric issue addressed by means of two high-performance optimization techniques that both show the ability to sample the parametric space in an effective fashion, thus avoiding any local minima.

Non-circular flows in HIghMass galaxies in a test of the late accretion hypothesis

ABSTRACT We present H α velocity maps for the HIghMass galaxies UGC 7899, UGC 8475, UGC 9037, and UGC 9334, obtained with the SITELLE Imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer on the Canada–France–Hawaii Telescope, to search for kinematic signatures of late gas accretion to explain their large atomic gas reservoirs. The maps for UGC 7899, UGC 9037, and UGC 9334 are amenable to disc-wide radial flow searches with the DiskFit algorithm, and those for UGC 7899 and UGC 9037 are also amenable to inner-disc kinematic analyses. We find no evidence for outer disc radial flows down to $\bar{V}_{\mathrm r} \sim 20 \ \mathrm{km\, s}^{-1}$ in UGC 9037 and UGC 9334, but hints of such flows in UGC 7899. Conversely, we find clear signatures of inner (r ≲ 5 kpc) non-circularities in UGC 7899 and UGC 9037 that can be modelled as either bisymmetric (which could be produced by a bar) or radial flows. Comparing these models to the structure implied by photometric disc–bulge–bar decompositions, we favour inner radial flows in UGC 7899 and an inner bar in UGC 9037. With hints of outer disc radial flows and an outer disc warp, UGC 7899 is the best candidate for late accretion among the galaxies examined, but additional modelling is required to disentangle potential degeneracies between these signatures in H i and H α velocity maps. Our search provides only weak constraints on hot-mode accretion models that could explain the unusually high H i content of HIghMass galaxies.

Colour stability of wood coatings pigmented with natural indigo from Isatis tinctoria after accelerated weathering

AbstractAn experimental study of artificial weathering of two outdoor coatings pigmented with natural indigo from Isatis tinctoria was carried out. The two coatings, natural indigo‐pigmented boat varnish and outdoor paint, were exposed to cycles of ultraviolet light, water condensation and water spray for 40 days in a QUV test chamber. Synthetic indigo and commercial ultramarine pigment were employed as reference materials. The effects of artificial weathering on the coatings were evaluated with CIELab parameters, as well as visual inspection. Coating and pigment stability during artificial weathering were studied with reflectance spectrometry, hyperspectral imaging technology and Fourier Transform–infrared spectroscopy. According to the results, coatings with indigo proved to be more resistant to visual and spectral changes than unpigmented or commercially pigmented coatings.

Fabrication and Photocatalytic Properties of Electrospun Fe-Doped TiO2 Nanofibers Using Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone Precursors.

For the removal of pollutants, a modified TiO2 photocatalyst is attracting attention. Fe-doped TiO2 nanofibers were prepared through a combination of electrospinning and calcination. Morphological characterization of the sample was conducted using field-emission scanning electron and transmission electron microscopy. The crystal structure of each sample was analyzed using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, and Fast Fourier Transform imaging. The average diameter of the Fe-doped TiO2 nanofibers was measured to be 161.5 nm and that of the pure TiO2 nanofibers was 181.5 nm. The crystal phase when heat treated at 350 °C was anatase for TiO2 nanofibers and rutile for Fe-doped TiO2 nanofibers. The crystal phase of the TiO2 matrix was easily transitioned to rutile by Fe-doping. The photocatalytic performance of each sample was compared via the photodegradation of methylene blue and acid orange 7 under ultraviolet and visible light irradiation. In the Fe-doped TiO2 nanofibers, photodegradation rates of 38.3% and 27.9% were measured under UV irradiation and visible light, respectively. Although other catalysts were not activated, the photodegradation rate in the Fe-doped TiO2 nanofibers was 9.6% using acid orange 7 and visible light. For improved photocatalytic activity, it is necessary to study the concentration control of the Fe dopant.

Validation of an imaging FTIR spectroscopic method for analyzing microplastics ingestion by Finnish lake fish (Perca fluviatilis and Coregonus albula)

Despite the ubiquitousness of microplastics, knowledge on the exposure of freshwater fish to microplastics is still limited. Moreover, no standard methods are available for analyzing microplastics, and the quality of methods used for the quantification of ingested microplastics in fish should be improved. In this study, we studied microplastic ingestion of common wild freshwater fish species, perch (Perca fluviatilis) and vendace (Coregonus albula). Further, our aim was to develop and validate imaging Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopic method for the quantification of ingested microplastics. For this purpose, enzymatically digested samples were measured with focal plane array (FPA) based infrared microscope. Data was analyzed with siMPle software, which provides counts, mass estimations, sizes, and materials for the measured particles. Method validation was conducted with ten procedural blanks and recovery tests, resulting in 75% and 77% recovery rates for pretreatment and infrared imaging, respectively. Pretreatment caused contamination principally by small <100 μm microplastics. The results showed that 17% of perch and 25% of vendace had ingested plastic. Most of the fish contained little or no plastics, while some individuals contained high numbers of small particles or alternatively few large particles. Perch from one sampling site out of five had ingested microplastics, but vendace from all sampling sites had ingested microplastics. The microplastics found from fish were mostly small: 81% had particle size between 20 and 100 μm, and most of them were polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyethylene terephthalate. In conclusion, the implemented method revealed low numbers of ingested microplastics on average but needs further development for routine monitoring of small microplastics.

Data reduction and calibration accuracy of the imaging Fourier transform spectrometer SITELLE

ABSTRACT SITELLE, an imaging Fourier Transform Spectrometer, is part of the Canada–France–Hawaii instrument suite. It delivers spectral cubes covering an 11 arcmin × 11 arcmin field of view with a seeing-limited spatial resolution and a tunable spectral resolution (R ∼ 1–10 000) in selected bands of the visible range (350–900 nm). We present a complete picture of the calibration accuracy obtained with the SITELLE processing pipeline ORBS. We put a particular emphasis on the description of our phase correction method and on the assessment of the flux calibration precision. We show that the absolute flux calibration uncertainty is to be considered between −15 per cent and 5 per cent. Flexure in the instrument is likely responsible for a wavelength calibration error gradient across the field of view, with an amplitude corresponding to 15 to 25 km s−1; measurements of the night-sky emission lines when present in a science cube reduces this error to ∼2 km s−1. The astrometric calibration is limited to ∼1 arcsec by the optical distortions. Considering that imaging Fourier transform spectrometers are not as widely used as dispersive spectrometers and because SITELLE and its prototype are the first instruments of their kind to provide data in the near-UV at a high spectral resolution and over a very large field of view, we took great care in explaining most of the core concepts behind this technique as well as exploring all the practical limitations that affect the precision of our calibrations. As such, this paper aims at providing a solid ground for subsequent developments of imaging Fourier transform spectrometers in astronomy.

Integration of Mass Spectrometry Imaging and Machine Learning Visualizes Region-Specific Age-Induced and Drug-Target Metabolic Perturbations in the Brain

Detailed metabolic imaging of specific brain regions in early aging may expose pathophysiological mechanisms and indicate effective neuropharmacological targets in the onset of cognitive decline. Comprehensive imaging of brain aging and drug-target effects is restricted using conventional methodology. We simultaneously visualized multiple metabolic alterations induced by normal aging in specific regions of mouse brains by integrating Fourier-transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry imaging and combined supervised and unsupervised machine learning models. We examined the interplay between aging and the response to tacrine-induced acetylcholinesterase inhibition, a well-characterized therapeutic treatment against dementia. The dipeptide carnosine (β-alanyl-l-histidine) and the vitamin α-tocopherol were significantly elevated by aging in different brain regions. l-Carnitine and acetylcholine metabolism were found to be major pathways affected by aging and tacrine administration in a brain region-specific manner, indicating altered mitochondrial function and neurotransmission. The highly interconnected hippocampus and retrosplenial cortex displayed different age-induced alterations in lipids and acylcarnitines, reflecting diverse region-specific metabolic effects. The subregional differences observed in the hippocampal formation of several lipid metabolites demonstrate the unique potential of the technique compared to standard mass spectrometry approaches. An age-induced increase of endogenous antioxidants, such as α-tocopherol, in the hippocampus was detected, suggesting an augmentation of neuroprotective mechanisms in early aging. Our comprehensive imaging approach visualized heterogeneous age-induced metabolic perturbations in mitochondrial function, neurotransmission, and lipid signaling, not always attenuated by acetylcholinesterase inhibition.

Correspondence Fourier-transform ghost imaging

Fourier-transform ghost imaging (FGI) enables us to realize diffraction imaging within the Fresnel region by calculating the second-order correlations of light fields. Existing FGI schemes reconstruct the Fourier frequency spectrum via correlation or sparsity constraints, which generally require object-arm detection values with relatively high signal-to-noise ratio. In this paper, we propose a correspondence FGI scheme, which reconstructs the object's Fourier spectrum by averaging partial reference patterns corresponding to object-arm detection values of high fluctuations. This conditional-averaging method is theoretically demonstrated and then explored and verified by both simulation and experiment. Moreover, an information-theory-based explanation of the simulation results is performed by studying the Fisher information of detection signals. The proposed scheme improves the sampling efficiency and is expected to expand the application of FGI by combining it with other reconstruction techniques.

Fast Quantification of Air Pollutants by Mid-Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging and Principal Component Analysis.

An imaging Fourier-transform spectrometer in the mid-infrared (1850–6667 cm) has been used to acquire transmittance spectra at a resolution of 1 cm of three atmospheric pollutants with known column densities (Q): methane (258 ppm·m), nitrous oxide (107.5 ppm·m) and propane (215 ppm·m). Values of Q and T have been retrieved by fitting them with theoretical spectra generated with parameters from the HITRAN database, based on a radiometric model that takes into account gas absorption and emission, and the instrument lineshape function. A principal component analysis (PCA) of experimental data has found that two principal components are enough to reconstruct gas spectra with high fidelity. PCA-processed spectra have better signal-to-noise ratio without loss of spatial resolution, improving the uniformity of retrieval. PCA has been used also to speed up retrieval, by pre-calculating simulated spectra for a range of expected Q and T values, applying PCA to them and then comparing the principal components of experimental spectra with those of the simulated ones to find the gas Q and T values. A reduction in calculation time by a factor larger than one thousand is achieved with improved accuracy. Retrieval can be further simplified by obtaining T and Q as quadratic functions of the two first principal components.

In Vitro Spectroscopy-Based Profiling of Urothelial Carcinoma: A Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman Imaging Study

Simple SummaryThe mortality and recurrence associated with urothelial carcinoma are high. High heterogeneity makes it hard to detect with currently available methods such as cytology and histology. We propose here vibrational spectroscopic imaging as an additional diagnostic tool for the classification of bladder cancer. Our study revealed that chemism-induced spectroscopic features of the cancer cells of various stages and invasiveness were specifically detected.Markers of bladder cancer cells remain elusive, which is a major cause of the low recognition of this malignant neoplasm and its recurrence. This implies an urgent need for additional diagnostic tools which are based on the identification of the chemism of bladder cancer. In this study, we employed label-free techniques of molecular imaging—Fourier Transform Infrared and Raman spectroscopic imaging—to investigate bladder cancer cell lines of various invasiveness (T24a, T24p, HT-1376, and J82). The urothelial HCV-29 cell line was the healthy control. Specific biomolecules discriminated spatial distribution of the nucleus and cytoplasm and indicated the presence of lipid bodies and graininess in some cell lines. The most prominent discriminators are the total content of lipids and sugar moieties as well as the presence of glycogen and other carbohydrates, un/saturated lipids, cytochromes, and a level of S-S bridges in proteins. The combination of the obtained hyperspectral database and chemometric methods showed a clear differentiation of each cell line at the level of the nuclei and cytoplasm and pointed out spectral signals which differentiated bladder cancer cells. Registered spectral markers correlated with biochemical composition changes can be associated with pathogenesis and potentially used for the diagnosis of bladder cancer and response to experimental therapies.

Image Quality Improvements by adopting MR Phase Scrambling Fourier Transform Imaging in Deep Learning Reconstruction

Image Quality Improvements by adopting MR Phase Scrambling Fourier Transform Imaging in Deep Learning Reconstruction

Optical Design and Investigation of a Dual-Interference Channels and Bispectrum Static Fourier-Transform Imaging Spectrometer Based on Stepped Micro-Mirror

We demonstrate a novel tempo-spatial mixed-modulation Fourier-transform infrared imaging spectrometer. The static interference channel based on a stepped micro-mirror contributes a compact system with high stability. The instrument functions in two spectral bands ranging between 3.7- 4.8 μm and 7.7-9.3 μm, and the spectral resolution of the dual-interference channels achieves 51.5 and 4.1 cm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">-1</sup> , respectively. The instantaneous field of view is 0.15 mrad, and the working F/1.93 enables high optical throughput. The optical design and tolerance are presented with experimental investigation results, showing attractive potential in remote sensing application.