Star Imaging Research Articles

High-Resolution Iodine-Enhanced Micro-Computed Tomography of Intact Human Hearts for Detailed Coronary Microvasculature Analyses.

Identifying the detailed anatomies of the coronary microvasculature remains an area of research; one needs to develop methods for non-destructive, high-resolution, three-dimensional imaging of these vessels for computational modeling. Currently employed Micro-Computed Tomography (Micro-CT) protocols for vasa vasorum analyses require organ dissection and, in most cases, non-clearable contrast agents. Here, we describe a method developed for a non-destructive, economical means to achieve high-resolution images of the human coronary microvasculature without organ dissection. Formalin-fixed human hearts were cannulated using venogram balloon catheters, which were then fixed into the specimen's aortic root. The canulated hearts, protected by a polyethylene bag, were placed in radiolucent containers filled with insulating polyurethane foam to reduce movement. For vasculature staining, iodine potassium iodide (IKI, Lugol's solution; 6.3% Potassium Iodide, 4.1% Iodide) was injected. Contrast distributions were monitored using a North Star Imaging X3000 micro-CT scanner with low-radiation settings, followed by high-radiation scanning (3600 rad, 60 kV, 900 mA) for the final high-resolution imaging. We successfully imaged four intact human hearts presenting with chronic total coronary occlusions of the right coronary artery. This imaging enabled detailed analyses of the vasa vasorum surrounding stenosed and occluded segments. After imaging, the hearts were cleared of iodine and excess polyurethane foam and returned to their initial formalin-fixed state for indefinite storage. Conclusions: the described methodologies allow for the non-destructive, high-resolution micro-CT imaging of coronary microvasculature in intact human hearts, paving the way for detailed computational 3D microvascular reconstructions with a macrovascular context.

T1 mapping for Head and Neck Cancer Patients undergoing Chemoradiotherapy: Feasibility of 3D Stack of Star Imaging

BackgroundMeasuring tissue oxygen concentration is crucial in understanding the pathophysiological process of hypoxia in head and neck cancer (HNC) and its significant role in cancer biology. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of T1 mapping using a variable flip angle (VFA) technique with stack of stars (SOS) trajectory sampling in HNC patients undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). MethodsTo evaluate the ability of SOS acquisition to detect T1, a phantom study was conducted and compared to conventional Cartesian acquisition (CART). Additionally, four newly diagnosed patients were recruited and underwent two scans each at baseline and inter-treatment. The repeatability of SOS and CART acquisitions was assessed by comparing the T1 measurements of CSF from the baseline and intra-treatment MRI studies. The changes in ∆T1 of the tumors during air and oxygen inhalation between baseline and inter-treatment scans were also evaluated. ResultsOur study found that the 3D VFA SOS sequence was effective in reducing motion artifacts compared to the conventional VFA sequence with CART sampling and the same scan time, as demonstrated by the results from the phantom and patient studies. In terms of repeatability, no significant correlation was observed between the variability in ΔT1 measurements of CSF obtained from SOS T1 maps. The SOS ΔT1 measurements showed higher consistency, as evidenced by the ICC values ranging from 0.52 to 0.92. The ∆T1 measurements on the primary tumors increased after the first CRT (p<0.05) for all patients who showed a positive treatment response, except for one patient (0.05<p<0.1) who did not respond to the treatment. ConclusionThe 3D VFA SOS sequence is a feasible and reliable method for T1 mapping in HNC patients undergoing CRT. The use of this technique could potentially aid in the assessment of treatment response and contribute to improving patient outcomes.

Assessment of incidence of cerebral vascular diseases and prediction of stroke risk in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients using multimodal biomarkers.

Early assessment of cerebrovascular disease in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients is an important issue for a favorable influence on the quality of life. This cross-sectional case-control study was conducted on 38 eligible COPD patients (mean age 55.5 ± 11.5, 25 males, and 13 females) and 26 age-/sex-matched healthy controls. All participants were subjected to stroke risk screening instruments that included the Stroke Riskometer™, the Framingham 10-Year Risk Score, the stroke risk screening tool (the Department of Disease Control of Thailand), the My Risk Stroke Calculator, and Q Stroke. Radiologically, diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and echo-gradient MRI (T2 star) T2 star imaging were done. Color-coded duplex sonography was done. Laboratory investigations included C-reactive protein (CRP), serum amyloid A, plasma fibrinogen level, serum IL6, 8-Isoprostane, vWF and urinary albumin creatinine ratio. Stroke risk screening instruments revealed a significant increase in COPD patients. DTI showed a significant bilateral reduction in fractional isotropy and a significant bilateral increase in mean diffusivity of white matter through many areas in COPD patients. Patients also had a significant increase of intima-media thickness, presence of atherosclerotic focal thicknesses or plaques on duplex sonography. There was a significant elevation of CRP, serum amyloid A, plasma fibrinogen level, serum IL6, 8-isoprostane, von Willebrand factor (vWF), and urinary albumin creatinine ratio in COPD patients. COPD patients had an increased risk for stroke that could be assessed on stroke risk screening instruments, DTI, T2 star, duplex sonography, and laboratory investigation and could be correlated with the severity of the disease.

Near-infrared imaging of water vapour in air

This study proposes a near-infrared (NIR) imaging method for two-dimensional distributions of water vapour (WV) in the open air. A wavelength of 1872 nm, at which the dependence of the absorption coefficient on the WV concentration is the largest in the v 2 + v 3 band of water molecules, was employed for imaging. The measurement system was a star imaging system, comprising a laser light source and an NIR camera. A measurement space with 0.08 m diameter and 0.30 m length was ensured to obtain the 2D absorbance images of moist air emitted from a gas nozzle and the breath air exhaled from a human subject with and without a mask. The images clearly showed the distributions of WV that flowed around a pipe and impinged on a plate. The exhaled air was clearly visualised, and the difference in air permeability between the masks was demonstrated. These results indicate the potential of the NIR imaging method for various applications that require WV flow visualisation, WV source identification, and evaporation process observation.

The potential role of binary neutron star merger afterglows in multimessenger cosmology

Binary neutron star mergers offer a new and independent means of measuring the Hubble constant H0 by combining the gravitational-wave inferred source luminosity distance with its redshift obtained from electromagnetic follow-up. This method is limited by the intrinsic degeneracy between the system distance and orbital inclination in the gravitational-wave signal. Observing the afterglow counterpart to a merger can further constrain the inclination angle, allowing this degeneracy to be partially lifted and improving the measurement of H0. In the case of the binary neutron star merger GW170817, afterglow light-curve and imaging modeling thus allowed the H0 measurement to be improved by a factor of three. However, systematic access to afterglow data is far from guaranteed. In fact, though each one allows a leap in H0 precision, these afterglow counterparts should prove rare in forthcoming multimessenger campaigns. We combine models for emission and detection of gravitational-wave and electromagnetic radiation from binary neutron star mergers with realistic population models and estimates for afterglow inclination angle constraints. Using these models, we quantify how fast H0 will be narrowed down by successive multimessenger events with and without the afterglow. We find that because of its rareness and though it greatly refines angle estimates, the afterglow counterpart should not significantly contribute to the measurement of H0 in the long run.

Imaging modeling and error analysis of the star sensor under rolling shutter exposure mode

As the star sensor works under high dynamic conditions, the spot formed by the star on the imaging plane will become a tail, which directly reduces the accuracy of centroid positioning. In addition, the imaging quality of the star sensor is seriously hit by the rolling shutter effect in the rolling shutter exposure mode, which further increases positioning error. Considering the diffusion radius and the dynamic tailing of the star spot, the imaging trajectory and the energy distribution models of the star spot under the rolling shutter exposure mode are established in this paper. Furthermore, based on the purposed models, the influence of the starting positions of stars and the dispersion of star spots to the centroid positioning error are analyzed by numerical simulation respectively, from which the variation laws of the two kinds of errors are obtained. Then, the laboratory experiments are implemented to evaluate the latter error; it indicates from the experimental results that the variation of the latter error is consistent with the simulation results, which is simultaneously proved that it cannot be ignored in practical engineering application. These results can be a valuable reference for developing a high precision star sensor. The models proposed in this paper can describe the star imaging process and evaluate the centroid positioning accuracy under the roller shutter exposure mode effectively, which lays a foundation for further eliminating the rolling shutter effect in the following research and improving the dynamic performance of star sensors.

ИССЛЕДОВАНИЕ ОБРАЗЦОВ ИЗ ПОЛИМЕРНЫХ КОМПОЗИЦИОННЫХ МАТЕРИАЛОВ МЕТОДОМ РЕНТГЕНОВСКОЙ КОМПЬЮТЕРНОЙ ТОМОГРАФИИ И ОБРАБОТКА ТОМОГРАММ С ИЗОБРАЖЕНИЕМ ОБЪЕМНОЙ ДОЛИ ПОРИСТОСТИ

The question of the quality of samples made of polymer composite materials and its verification by x-ray computed tomography is considered. The capabilities of North Star Imaging X5000 tomograph were studied and the samples from PCM were examined for detection and evaluation of the porosity volume fraction. The factors influencing the accuracy of the estimation of the porosity volume fraction are investigated. Namely the size voxel, a filter material, quantity of projections. On the other hand, the size вокселя defines resolution of the digital image, the relation depends on a material of the applied filter a signal/noise, productivity of control worsens with growth of quantity of projections. The choice of optimum values of the listed parametres is necessary for satisfactory quality received tomographic images.

Application Test and Analysis of 2m/8m optical satellite in coastal zone survey

The 2-meter/8meter optical satellite (GF-1 B, C, D) constellation was successfully launched on March 31, 2018. The constellation consists of three operational satellites with the same performance and status. The design life of the satellite is 6 years;The panchromatic spatial resolution is 2m and the multispectral resolution was better than 8 m; single star imaging width is greater than 60 km The three satellites will have a global coverage of 15 days and a revisit capacity of two days. In this paper, GF-1C satellite was used to investigate the ecological and geological environmental problems in the silty coastal zone in northern Jiangsu province, and we contrast and analysis the ability of ecological and geological environmental investigations of GF1C satellite in the coastal water boundary line, coastal type, human engineering activities and so on[1] [3].

Analysis of the Influence of Tilt Angle on Star Identification of Digital Zenith Camera

Considering that the tilt angle of the digital zenith camera in the fine state affects the position of the star image on the CCD sensor, this paper established the CCD image coordinate calculation model in the horizontal state according to the principle of quaternion coordinate transformation, and analyzed the influence of the tilt angle on the star map identification combined with the experimental data. The experimental results show that the tilt angle has a significant impact on the position of star imaging, but does not affect the results of star map identification.

Looping Star.

To introduce a novel MR pulse sequence, termed Looping Star, for fast, robust, and yet quiet, 3D radial multi-gradient echo T2* MR imaging. The Looping Star pulse sequence is based on the 3D radial Rotating Ultra-Fast Imaging Sequence (RUFIS) extended by a time-multiplexed gradient-refocusing mechanism. First, multiple magnetic coherences are excited, which are subsequently gradient-refocused in form of a looping k-space trajectory. Accordingly, Looping Star captures an initial FID image followed by gradient echo images at equidistant echo times. Looping Star was demonstrated in phantom and in vivo volunteer experiments for 3D, high resolution T2* weighted imaging, T2* mapping, and quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM). The method is fast, quiet, and robust against imperfections including Eddy currents, motion, and geometric distortions. When applied to a motor task fMRI experiment a BOLD sensitivity of 5% was achieved at minimal acoustic noise (i.e. 2.7dB(A) above ambient noise) and with images congruent to other anatomical scans. Looping Star imaging provides new and exciting opportunities for fast, robust and yet quiet T2* MR imaging. Potential applications include T2*-weighted imaging, T2* mapping, QSM, and fMRI.

Stray light characteristics of the diffractive telescope system

Diffractive telescope technology is an innovation solution in construction of large light-weight space telescope. However, the nondesign orders of diffractive optical elements (DOEs) may affect the imaging performance as stray light. To study the stray light characteristics of a diffractive telescope, a prototype was developed and its stray light analysis model was established. The stray light characteristics including ghost, point source transmittance, and veiling glare index (VGI) were analyzed. During the star imaging test of the prototype, the ghost images appeared around the star image as the exposure time of the charge-coupled device improving, consistent with the simulation results. The test result of VGI was 67.11%, slightly higher than the calculated value 57.88%. The study shows that the same order diffraction of the diffractive primary lens and correcting DOE is the main factor that causes ghost images. The stray light sources outside the field of view can illuminate the image plane through nondesign orders diffraction of the primary lens and contributes to more than 90% of the stray light flux on the image plane. In summary, it is expected that these works will provide some guidance for optimizing the imaging performance of diffractive telescopes.

High-Accuracy Synchronous Extraction Algorithm of Star and Celestial Body Features for Optical Navigation Sensor

This paper provides an optimal high-performance image processing algorithm for a miniaturized independent optical navigation sensor, which combines the functions of a star tracker and a navigation camera. This novel image processing algorithm is capable of extracting two different types of optical navigation measurements from a raw image. The aim is to simultaneously extract stars and target celestial body features with high accuracy and reliability to estimate observer-to-body relative position in subsequent navigation process. This paper presents star and celestial body imaging models and a novel slope edge model. We propose an high-performance algorithm to achieve the synchronous extraction of star and celestial body image features based on the aforementioned models. Double-window variance difference method is proposed to segment and classify stars and edge image regions of a celestial body with strong robustness. The sub-pixel level position of star centroid and celestial body edges are then simultaneously extracted by using the same operator on the basis of the consistency of the derivative distribution of star and celestial body edge profiles. The edge extraction deviation when using the slope edge model is also analyzed and compensated, and the accuracy of the celestial body edge extraction is improved to a higher level. The proposed algorithm has excellent feature extraction performance in terms of qualitative and quantitative measurements. This paper has established a technical foundation for the development of the miniaturized independent optical navigation sensor, which is low cost, light weight and has flexible applicability due to its high accuracy and robustness.

Modeling of intensified high dynamic star tracker.

An intensified high dynamic star tracker (IHDST) is a photoelectric instrument and stably outputs three-axis attitude for a spacecraft at very high angular velocity. The IHDST uses an image intensifier to multiply the incident starlight. Thus, high sensitivity of the star detection is achieved under short exposure time such that extremely high dynamic performance is achieved. The IHDST differs from a traditional star tracker in terms of the imaging process. Therefore, we establish a quantum transfer model of IHDST based on stochastic process theory. By this model, the probability distribution of the output quantum number is obtained accurately. Then, we introduce two-dimensional Lorentz functions to describe the spatial spreading process of the IHDST. Considering the interaction of these two processes, a complete star imaging model of IHDST is provided. Using this model, the centroiding accuracy of the IHDST is analyzed in detail. Accordingly, a working parameter optimizing strategy is developed for high centroiding accuracy and improved dynamic performance. Finally, the laboratory tests and the night sky experiment support the conclusions.

First light on an adaptive optics system using a non-modulation pyramid wavefront sensor for a 1.8 m telescope

Our adaptive optics system based on a non-modulation pyramid wavefront sensor is integrated into a 1.8 m astronomical telescope installed at the Yunnan Observatory in LiJiang, and the first light with high-resolution imaging of an astronomical star is successfully achieved. In this Letter, the structure and performance of this system are introduced briefly, and then the observation results of star imaging are reported to show that the angular resolution of an adaptive optics system using a non-modulation pyramid wavefront sensor can approach the diffraction limit quality of a 1.8 m telescope. © 2016 Chinese Optics Letters.

Near-Band IR Small Scene Star Image Segmentation Based on Partial Histogram Grey Level

The near-band IR star images segmentation and recognition is key technique in day time star navigation. Due to the scene of near-band IR star imaging relative small and stellar with high star grade are limited. Pertinence and dynamic grey level threshold is necessary for image processing arithmetic. In order to enhance near-band IR star images segmentation and recognition in real-time, this paper present the process of partial histogram grey level threshold and improve for actually near-band IR star images with scene of no more than 1.5°×1.5°. It can reduce the calculation of near-band IR star images with adjustable threshold. And get rid of disturbance of small imaging square stars and noise points.

Early electrocardiographic evaluation of atrial fibrillation risk in beta-thalassemia major patients

Although previous studies have documented a variety of electrocardiogram abnormalities in beta-thalassemia major (β-TM), little is known about P-wave dispersion (PD), an independent risk factor for development of atrial fibrillation. The aim of our study was to evaluate PD in β-TM patients with conserved systolic and diastolic functions. The study involved 40 β-TM patients (age 37.5±10.2; 33M) and 40 healthy subjects used as controls, matched for age and gender. PD was carefully measured using a 12-lead electrocardiogram. Cardiac iron levels were measured by cardiac magnetic resonance T2 star (CMR T2*) imaging. Comparing to the healthy control group, β-TM group presented increased values of the PD (40.1±12.9 vs. 24±7ms; P<0.004) and decreased CMR T2* imaging (29±15 vs. 55±13ms; P=0.03). We found a significant correlation between PD and CMR T2* values. Our study showed a significant increase of PD in β-TM patients with conserved systolic and diastolic cardiac functions. Our results indicate that PD is correlated to myocardial iron deposit, as assessed by CMR T2* imaging.

Invited Article: Deep Impact instrument calibration

Calibration of NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft instruments allows reliable scientific interpretation of the images and spectra returned from comet Tempel 1. Calibrations of the four onboard remote sensing imaging instruments have been performed in the areas of geometric calibration, spatial resolution, spectral resolution, and radiometric response. Error sources such as noise (random, coherent, encoding, data compression), detector readout artifacts, scattered light, and radiation interactions have been quantified. The point spread functions (PSFs) of the medium resolution instrument and its twin impactor targeting sensor are near the theoretical minimum [ approximately 1.7 pixels full width at half maximum (FWHM)]. However, the high resolution instrument camera was found to be out of focus with a PSF FWHM of approximately 9 pixels. The charge coupled device (CCD) read noise is approximately 1 DN. Electrical cross-talk between the CCD detector quadrants is correctable to <2 DN. The IR spectrometer response nonlinearity is correctable to approximately 1%. Spectrometer read noise is approximately 2 DN. The variation in zero-exposure signal level with time and spectrometer temperature is not fully characterized; currently corrections are good to approximately 10 DN at best. Wavelength mapping onto the detector is known within 1 pixel; spectral lines have a FWHM of approximately 2 pixels. About 1% of the IR detector pixels behave badly and remain uncalibrated. The spectrometer exhibits a faint ghost image from reflection off a beamsplitter. Instrument absolute radiometric calibration accuracies were determined generally to <10% using star imaging. Flat-field calibration reduces pixel-to-pixel response differences to approximately 0.5% for the cameras and <2% for the spectrometer. A standard calibration image processing pipeline is used to produce archival image files for analysis by researchers.

Early Morphologic and Spectroscopic Magnetic Resonance in Severe Traumatic Brain Injuries Can Detect “Invisible Brain Stem Damage” and Predict “Vegetative States”

A precise evaluation of the brain damage in the first days of severe traumatic brain injured (TBI) patients is still uncertain despite numerous available cerebral evaluation methods and imaging. In 5-10% of severe TBI patients, clinicians remain concerned with prolonged coma and long-term marked cognitive impairment unexplained by normal morphological T2 star, flair, and diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). For this reason, we prospectively assessed the potential value of magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) of the brain stem to evaluate the functionality of the consciousness areas. Forty consecutive patients with severe TBI were included. Single voxel proton MRS of the brain stem and morphological MRI of the whole brain were performed at day 17.5 +/- 6.4. Disability Rating Scale and Glasgow Outcome Scale (GOS) were evaluated at 18 months posttrauma. MRS appeared to be a reliable tool in the exploration of brainstem metabolism in TBI. Three different spectra were observed (normal, cholinergic reaction, or neuronal damage) allowing an evaluation of functional damage. MRS disturbances were not correlated with anatomical MRI lesions suggesting that the two techniques are strongly complementarity. In two GOS 2 vegetative patients with normal morphological MRI, MRS detected severe functional damage of the brainstem (NAA/Cr < 1.50) that was described as "invisible brain stem damage." MRI and MRS taken separately could not distinguish patients GOS 3 (n = 7) from GOS 1-2 (n = 11) and GOS 4-5 (n = 20). However, a principal component analysis of combined MRI and MRS data enabled a clear-cut separation between GOS 1-2, GOS 3, and GOS 4-5 patients with no overlap between groups. This study showed that combined MRI and MRS provide a reliable evaluation of patients presenting in deep coma, specially when there are insufficient MRI lesions of the consciousness pathways to explain their status. In the first few days post-trauma metabolic (brainstem spectroscopy) and morphological (T2 star and Flair) MRI studies can predict the long-term neurological outcome, especially the persistent vegetative states and minimally conscious state.

Characterization of the imaging properties of x-ray focal spots

The imaging characteristics of diagnostic x-ray systems are dependent, in part, upon the size, shape, and intensity distribution of the x-ray source. These properties, however, vary with such parameters as kVp (tube mA (tube current), and, because of the steep anode face, field position. We have investigated the voltage), characterization of the focal spot using the image of a random array of small radiopaque objects. The Fourier transform of this image is, to a good approximation, the modulation transfer function (MTF) of the focal spot. We have compared the accuracy and reliability of this technique with both pinhole and star imaging Focal spot variations with kVp, mA, and field position have been measured, and the use of this techniques. technique with microfocus x-ray sources has been demonstrated.