Multi-parameter Data Acquisition Research Articles

Design of a multiparameter data acquisition and control system for in situ seabed observation base stations

AbstractWith the exploration, development, and research of deep‐sea resources, there is an urgent need for long‐term and continuous observation data of the deep‐sea seabed boundary layer. The traditional method of deep‐sea seabed survey and sampling based on scientific research vessels has the discontinuity of observation data in space and time scales. There are some problems in the seabed in situ observation method based on the seabed observation network for low mobility and high operation and maintenance costs, restricting the in‐depth understanding of the dynamic change process of the deep‐sea floor. To solve the above problems, an open and modular data acquisition control system was designed based on an embedded system and signal processing technology. In terms of the physical, chemical, geological, and ecosystem characteristics of the seafloor or near the seafloor boundary layer, various functional sensors and instrumentation were matched to form an independent underwater integrated measurement or experimental device, eventually realizing in situ multiparameter and long‐time series observations of the seafloor. The system data acquisition and control test were completed through laboratory experiments, which verified the feasibility of the system design. The research showed important theoretical and technical reference significance for the exploration and development of resources in the submarine boundary layer and the promotion of deep‐sea scientific research.

Rapid Chemical Screening of Microplastics and Nanoplastics by Thermal Desorption and Pyrolysis Mass Spectrometry with Unsupervised Fuzzy Clustering.

The transport and chemical identification of microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are critical to the concerns over plastic accumulation in the environment. Chemically and physically transient MNP species present unique challenges for isolation and analysis due to many factors such as their size, color, surface properties, morphology, and potential for chemical change. These factors contribute to the eventual environmental and toxicological impact of MNPs. As analytical methods and instrumentation continue to be developed for this application, analytical test materials will play an important role. Here, a direct mass spectrometry screening method was developed to rapidly characterize manufactured and weathered MNPs, complementing lengthy pyrolysis-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. The chromatography-free measurements took advantage of Kendrick mass defect analysis, in-source collision-induced dissociation, and advancements in machine learning approaches for the data analysis of complex mass spectra. In this study, we applied Gaussian mixture models and fuzzy c-means clustering for the unsupervised analysis of MNP sample spectra, incorporating clustering stability and information criterion measurements to determine latent dimensionality. These models provided insight into the composition of mixed and weathered MNP samples. The multiparametric data acquisition and machine learning approach presented improved confidence in polymer identification and differentiation.

The research on data acquisition and processing method of photovoltaic special metering protection unit based on LMS adaptive filtering

In order to solve the problem of synchronous acquisition of multi-parameter data of photovoltaic special metering protection unit and reduce the noise pollution of sensor data, this paper designs a multi-parameter data acquisition system of photovoltaic special metering protection unit; The system uses RN7326 and SWM32F103R chips as the main and auxiliary microprocessors, and designs a scheme of multi-sensor signal filtering and interface resource acquisition; The standardized data communication protocol is studied and designed to realize the synchronous data acquisition of multiple sensors; Finally, the LMS (Least mean square) based on adaptive filtering method is used to reduce the noise of multi-parameter data. In this paper, the temperature sensor pt100 is taken as an example to conduct temperature acquisition and filtering processing experiments. After data filtering, the noise above 1Hz is basically eliminated, and the noise pollution is effectively reduced when the noise amplitude is less than 1Hz, and the accuracy of sensor data is improved.

A Neuroimaging Preparation Protocol Tailored for Autism.

This paper describes the key basic elements required for a successful multi-parametric MRI data acquisition in awake children with autism. The procedure was designed by taking into account methodological challenges arising from the acquisition of Resting State fMRI (RS fMRI) data, and factors such as cost, time, and staff availability. The ultimate aim was to prepare an imaging preparation protocol with high transferability to the whole autism spectrum, adaptable for use in a multi-site research with multiple time points. As part of a randomized pharmaco-intervention study, 31 children aged 4-10 years with Neurofibromatosis 1 and autism underwent MR imaging at baseline and end of intervention. The protocol consisted of tailored habituation instructions including gradual exposure to scanner noise, a social stories booklet, positive incentive strategies, and Play Therapy support. Success rate for initial acquisition was 71% for GABA+ MR spectroscopy at either location, 87% for perfusion, and 67% for diffusion assessment, and 71% for RS fMRI. Qualitative data indicated that 84% parents found the habituation protocol helpful. LAY SUMMARY: Here we describe a protocol for brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) tailored for children with ASD to help reduce stress and avoid sedation during scanning. This procedure can make advanced medical imaging more accessible and promote a better MRI experience for families of children with ASD.

Quality Control and Pre-Analysis Treatment of the Environmental Datasets Collected by an Internet Operated Deep-Sea Crawler during Its Entire 7-Year Long Deployment (2009-2016).

Deep-sea environmental datasets are ever-increasing in size and diversity, as technological advances lead monitoring studies towards long-term, high-frequency data acquisition protocols. This study presents examples of pre-analysis data treatment steps applied to the environmental time series collected by the Internet Operated Deep-sea Crawler “Wally” during a 7-year deployment (2009–2016) in the Barkley Canyon methane hydrates site, off Vancouver Island (BC, Canada). Pressure, temperature, electrical conductivity, flow, turbidity, and chlorophyll data were subjected to different standardizing, normalizing, and de-trending methods on a case-by-case basis, depending on the nature of the treated variable and the range and scale of the values provided by each of the different sensors. The final pressure, temperature, and electrical conductivity (transformed to practical salinity) datasets are ready for use. On the other hand, in the cases of flow, turbidity, and chlorophyll, further in-depth processing, in tandem with data describing the movement and position of the crawler, will be needed in order to filter out all possible effects of the latter. Our work evidences challenges and solutions in multiparametric data acquisition and quality control and ensures that a big step is taken so that the available environmental data meet high quality standards and facilitate the production of reliable scientific results.

Integrated imaging: A powerful but undervalued tool

Following the 2018 SEG Annual Meeting, the Gravity and Magnetics Committee held a postconvention workshop titled “Integrated imaging.” The half-day workshop attracted nearly 50 participants from various backgrounds. Three primary objectives of the workshop were to explore the nonseismic toolbox, highlight real examples of integrated projects that benefitted (or did not benefit) from nonseismic data, and provide geoscientists from all backgrounds a learning opportunity to see how they might optimize the value of their imaging projects via integration with relatively low-cost nonseismic methods. The workshop had a highly interactive format that differed from traditional presentation-based settings. After eight brief case studies were presented, three concurrent guided discussions ensued. Participants were divided into three groups, and each group focused on one discussion topic at a time. The groups rotated, allowing everyone to discuss all three topics. The first discussion was centered on two general questions: what is integrated imaging, and what tools are available for it? The second discussion provided an opportunity to examine the relationships between different physical properties that must be managed during integrated multiphysics analysis. The third discussion focused on the costs and benefits of a multiparameter data acquisition. According to feedback from participants, these discussions were the most valuable part of the workshop. The participants agreed that an integrated approach in geophysical data analysis is a powerful but currently undervalued tool. Also noted were the value of integration with nonseismic methods illustrated in the case studies and the need for the integrated approach in data analysis to be taught in schools in addition to the classic overview of individual geophysical methods.

PI-RADS Steering Committee: The PI-RADS Multiparametric MRI and MRI-directed Biopsy Pathway.

High-quality evidence shows that MRI in biopsy-naive men can reduce the number of men who need prostate biopsy and can reduce the number of diagnoses of clinically insignificant cancers that are unlikely to cause harm. In men with prior negative biopsy results who remain under persistent suspicion, MRI improves the detection and localization of life-threatening prostate cancer with greater clinical utility than the current standard of care, systematic transrectal US-guided biopsy. Systematic analyses show that MRI-directed biopsy increases the effectiveness of the prostate cancer diagnosis pathway. The incorporation of MRI-directed pathways into clinical care guidelines in prostate cancer detection has begun. The widespread adoption of the Prostate Imaging Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) for multiparametric MRI data acquisition, interpretation, and reporting has promoted these changes in practice. The PI-RADS MRI-directed biopsy pathway enables the delivery of key diagnostic benefits to men suspected of having cancer based on clinical suspicion. Herein, the PI-RADS Steering Committee discusses how the MRI pathway should be incorporated into routine clinical practice and the challenges in delivering the positive health impacts needed by men suspected of having clinically significant prostate cancer.

CytoBinning: Immunological insights from multi-dimensional data.

New cytometric techniques continue to push the boundaries of multi-parameter quantitative data acquisition at the single-cell level particularly in immunology and medicine. Sophisticated analysis methods for such ever higher dimensional datasets are rapidly emerging, with advanced data representations and dimensional reduction approaches. However, these are not yet standardized and clinical scientists and cell biologists are not yet experienced in their interpretation. More fundamentally their range of statistical validity is not yet fully established. We therefore propose a new method for the automated and unbiased analysis of high-dimensional single cell datasets that is simple and robust, with the goal of reducing this complex information into a familiar 2D scatter plot representation that is of immediate utility to a range of biomedical and clinical settings. Using publicly available flow cytometry and mass cytometry datasets we demonstrate that this method (termed CytoBinning), recapitulates the results of traditional manual cytometric analyses and leads to new and testable hypotheses.

Detecting ordered small molecule drug aggregates in live macrophages: a multi-parameter microscope image data acquisition and analysis strategy.

Following prolonged administration, certain orally bioavailable but poorly soluble small molecule drugs are prone to precipitate out and form crystal-like drug inclusions (CLDIs) within the cells of living organisms. In this research, we present a quantitative multi-parameter imaging platform for measuring the fluorescence and polarization diattenuation signals of cells harboring intracellular CLDIs. To validate the imaging system, the FDA-approved drug clofazimine (CFZ) was used as a model compound. Our results demonstrated that a quantitative multi-parameter microscopy image analysis platform can be used to study drug sequestering macrophages, and to detect the formation of ordered molecular aggregates formed by poorly soluble small molecule drugs in animals.

A tailored 200 parameter VME based data acquisition system for IBA at the Lund Ion Beam Analysis Facility – Hardware and software

With the recent advances towards modern Ion Beam Analysis (IBA), going from one- or few-parameter detector systems to multi-parameter systems, it has been necessary to expand and replace the more than twenty years old CAMAC based system. A new VME multi-parameter (presently up to 200 channels) data acquisition and control system has been developed and implemented at the Lund Ion Beam Analysis Facility (LIBAF).The system is based on the VX-511 Single Board Computer (SBC), acting as master with arbiter functionality and consists of standard VME modules like Analog to Digital Converters (ADC’s), Charge to Digital Converters (QDC’s), Time to Digital Converters (TDC’s), scaler’s, IO-cards, high voltage and waveform units. The modules have been specially selected to support all of the present detector systems in the laboratory, with the option of future expansion. Typically, the detector systems consist of silicon strip detectors, silicon drift detectors and scintillator detectors, for detection of charged particles, X-rays and γ-rays.The data flow of the raw data buffers out from the VME bus to the final storage place on a 16 terabyte network attached storage disc (NAS-disc) is described. The acquisition process, remotely controlled over one of the SBCs ethernet channels, is also discussed. The user interface is written in the Kmax software package, and is used to control the acquisition process as well as for advanced online and offline data analysis through a user-friendly graphical user interface (GUI). In this work the system implementation, layout and performance are presented. The user interface and possibilities for advanced offline analysis are also discussed and illustrated.

The Research about No-Vibration Data Storage of Micro-Scale and Long-Term Ocean Turbulence Measurement

Turbulence played an important role in the evolution of the seawater energy and exchange. Multi-scale, long-term, fixed-point and continuous sampling is a new research direction in the turbulence observation. This dissertation designed high-capacity and no-vibration data storage solutions aiming at long-term, continuous turbulence observations. First a multi-scale submerged buoy observing platform is designed. Base on the turbulence observing platform, a multi-parameter data acquisition and no vibrations storage system is designed. This paper describes the hardware and software design implementation of large-capacity data storage arrays in details as well as the readability and easy operation of the transplant of FatFS. Actual test and sea trial prove the design can be achieved large-capacity data access of long-term observation of ocean turbulence base on the submerged buoy.

Research on Intelligent Borehole-Surface Electrical Method Multi-Parameters Detection System

Accurate detection of the direction of hydraulic fracturing cracks in the oil field is one of the crucial factors in rational exploitation of the remaining oil and enhanced oil recovery. In this paper, using the potential and the potential gradient test methods and virtual instrument technology, we design and develop an intelligent borehole-surface electrical method multi-parameters detection system (BEMDS), which can achieve multi-channel, multi-parameter and high-precision borehole-surface electrical method data acquisition. Joint programming technology of Labview and Matlab gains the simultaneously measurement of the parameters of resistivity and induced polarization. As a result, the drawbacks of the original instrument that measuring single parameters and cannot mutually authenticate has been overcome.

Development of a multiplex phenotypic cell-based high throughput screening assay to identify novel hepatitis C virus antivirals

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a global health concern with chronic liver damage threatening 3% of the world’s population. To date, the standard of care is a combination of pegylated interferon-alpha with ribavirin, and recently two direct acting antivirals have entered the clinics. However, because of side effects, drug resistance and viral genotype-specific differences in efficacy current and potentially also future therapies have their limitations. Here, we describe the development of a phenotypic high-throughput assay to identify new cross-genotype inhibitors with novel mechanism of action, by combining a genotype (gt) 1 replicon with the infectious HCV gt2 cell culture system. To develop this phenotypic multiplex assay, HCV reporter cells expressing RFP-NLS-IPS and gt1b replicon cells expressing NS5A-GFP were co-plated and treated with compounds followed by inoculation with gt2a HCV. At 72h post treatment, RFP translocation as a marker for HCV infection and GFP fluorescence intensity as a marker for gt1 RNA replication were measured. Additionally, the total cell number, which serves as an indicator of cytotoxicity, was determined. This phenotypic strategy supports multi-parameter data acquisition from a single well to access cross-genotypic activity, provides an indication of the stage of the viral life cycle targeted, and also assesses compound cytotoxicity. Taken together, this multiplex phenotypic platform facilitates the identification of novel compounds for drug development and chemical probes for continuing efforts to understand the HCV life cycle.

Research on FFT and FBG Mechanical Vibration Monitoring System

The vibration sensor signal acquisition and FFT signal processing principle are described in detail, designed a fiber Bragg grating vibration monitoring system. On one hand, the system realized the multi-parameter data acquisition and remote transmission of fiber Bragg grating technology, on the other hand, provide complete data analysis and display functions. The experimental results show the system can be used effectively for turbine engine vibration monitoring, provides software support for subsequent fault diagnosis.

Multi-Parameter Test System Based on the Microcontroller and Labview

It put forward the design scheme of the multi-parameter data acquisition based on the existing sensors and related test equipment in laboratory. The system selected the acceleration and speed signals as the measured parameters. The PC computer was taken as the host computer and the PCI-6014 data acquisition card was used to achieve the data collection, analysis, storage and display of various parameters. At the same time the host computer sent the control signal to SCM. The SCM of AT89S52 was used as the slave computer to receive the control signal from the host computer and give an alarm signal. To achieve the real-time control for the data acquisition, the communication between the host and slave computer was achieved via the RS232 serial communication technology.

Response function and relative efficiency measurementsof the BC501A scintillator by usinga 252Cf fast fission chamber

The response function and relative efficiency of a Φ50.8 mm×50.8 mm BC501A scintillator has been measured by using a252Cf fast fission chamber. In this method,a multi-parameter data acquisition system is employed to take the time-of-flight (TOF),pulse shape discrimination (PSD) and recoil energy (RE. note: fission neutron induces recoil proton while the prompt gamma ray induces Compton recoil electron) of the fission neutron and prompt gamma ray in an event-by-event mode with a TOF gate. The off-line data analysis method for separating the prompt gamma ray from the fission neutron as well as its contribution to the TOF spectrum and RE spectrum to obtain the relative efficiency and response function is discussed in detail. An accurate calibration of the effective neutron detection threshold is carried out by a linear extrapolation of the section around the point of inflexion in the relative efficiency plots using neutron energy directly. The relative efficiency with 0.51 MeV effective neutron detection threshold agrees with the Monte Carlo calculation result of NEFF. The response function from 0.5 MeV to 5 MeV generally agrees with the published experimental result of the NE213 scintillator of the same size.

A high-resolution, multi-parameter, β–γ coincidence, μ–γ anticoincidence system for radioxenon measurement

A high-resolution β–γ coincidence measurement system has been developed by combining a high-purity broad energy germanium and a silicon surface barrier detector. The system is intended for calibration of reference spikes and re-measurement of CTBT samples, by detection of coincident β–γ or conversion electron and X-ray radiation of the four radioxenon isotopes 131mXe, 133mXe, 133Xe and 135Xe. The use of a high-resolution, list-mode, multi-parameter data acquisition system allows off-line setup and optimization of the (anti)coincidence. A 166mHo β–γ source has been produced and validated for energy calibration and system check. The β–γ coincidence has been further enhanced by a cosmic muon veto based on six plastic scintillation detectors. The μ–γ anticoincidence has been implemented using a 50ns resolution real-time clock for time spectroscopy. This method has been verified by running conventional TAC-ADC (combined time–amplitude and analog–digital converter) based time spectroscopy in parallel. The whole measurement system has been characterized, by measuring various radioxenon spikes and backgrounds with and without (anti)coincidence. Peak efficiencies and minimum detectable activities (MDA) for the main radioxenon isotopes have been determined. Application of μ–γ anticoincidence reduced the MDA by about a factor of two for all four radioxenon isotopes. Complementary adoption of β–γ coincidence further reduced the MDA for the metastable isotopes by more than an order of magnitude. The MDA for 135Xe reaches about 6mBq after 1 day of measurement. For 131mXe, 133Xe and 133mXe a MDA of about 2mBq is obtained after one week measurement.

Mucin–lectin interactions assessed by flow cytometry

The O-glycosylated domains of mucins and mucin-type glycoproteins contain 50–80% of carbohydrate and possess expanded conformations. Herein, we describe a flow cytometry (FCM) method for determining the carbohydrate-binding specificities of lectins to mucin. Biotinylated mucin was immobilized on streptavidin-coated beads, and the binding specificities of the major mucin sugar chains, as determined by GC–MS and MALDI-ToF, were monitored using fluorescein-labeled lectins. The specificities of lectins toward specific biotinylated glycans were determined as controls. The advantage of flexibility, multiparametric data acquisition, speed, sensitivity, and high-throughput capability makes flow cytometry a valuable tool to study diverse interactions between glycans and proteins.

Flow cytometry applications in the food industry

Flow cytometry has become a valuable tool in food microbiology. By analysing large numbers of cells individually using light-scattering and fluorescence measurements, this technique reveals both cellular characteristics and the levels of cellular components. Flow cytometry has been developed to rapidly enumerate microorganisms; to distinguish between viable, metabolically active and dead cells, which is of great importance in food development and food spoilage; and to detect specific pathogenic microorganisms by conjugating antibodies with fluorochromes, which is of great use in the food industry. In addition, high-speed multiparametric data acquisition, analysis and cell sorting, which allow other characteristics of individual cells to be studied, have increased the interest of food microbiologists in this technique. This mini-review gives an overview of the principles of flow cytometry and examples of the application of this technique in the food industry.

Digital pulse processor for ion beam microprobe imaging

Capabilities of spectroscopic ion beam analysis (IBA) techniques that are available in ion microprobe facilities can be greatly improved by the use of digital pulse processing. We report here development of a digital multi parameter data acquisition system suitable for IBA imaging applications. Input signals from charge sensitive preamplifier are conditioned by using a simple circuit and digitized with fast ADCs. The digitally converted signals are processed in real time using FPGA. Implementation of several components of the system is presented.