185 research outputs found
Recommended from our members
A digital-electronic video-rate reconstruction system for magnetic resonance imaging
No full textA digital-electronic video-rate reconstruction system for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been designed to first order. The maturation of ultra-fast acquisition techniques in MRI has produced the need for a reconstruction system that will enable dynamic processes to be viewed on-line. Conventional reconstruction hardware is not configured for real-time reconstruction and previous developments are limited in accuracy and flexibility. The real-time reconstruction system presented here consists of three main subsystems. A digitizer interfaces with an MR scanner to digitize data matrices of resolutions up to 256 x 256 at arbitrary rates up to video rates. A Fourier processor performs either 2D Fourier transformation or projection filtering on the digitized data at video-rates. A backprojector performs the backprojection operation on filtered-projection data at video-rates. The complete system would be able to reconstruct data acquired from nearly any acquisition technique. True real-time MRI is then possible
Recommended from our members
Multi-spectral confocal microendoscope for in-vivo imaging
No full textThe concept of in-vivo multi-spectral confocal microscopy is introduced. A slit-scanning multi-spectral confocal microendoscope (MCME) was built to demonstrate the technique. The MCME employs a flexible fiber-optic catheter coupled to a custom built slit-scan confocal microscope fitted with a custom built imaging spectrometer. The catheter consists of a fiber-optic imaging bundle linked to a miniature objective and focus assembly. The design and performance of the miniature objective and focus assembly are discussed. The 3mm diameter catheter may be used on its own or routed though the instrument channel of a commercial endoscope. The confocal nature of the system provides optical sectioning with 3μm lateral resolution and 30mum axial resolution. The prism based multi-spectral detection assembly is typically configured to collect 30 spectral samples over the visible chromatic range. The spectral sampling rate varies from 4nm/pixel at 490nm to 8nm/pixel at 660nm and the minimum resolvable wavelength difference varies from 7nm to 18nm over the same spectral range. Each of these characteristics are primarily dictated by the dispersive power of the prism. The MCME is designed to examine cellular structures during optical biopsy and to exploit the diagnostic information contained within the spectral domain. The primary applications for the system include diagnosis of disease in the gastro-intestinal tract and female reproductive system. Recent data from the grayscale imaging mode are presented. Preliminary multi-spectral results from phantoms, cell cultures, and excised human tissue are presented to demonstrate the potential of in-vivo multi-spectral imaging
Recommended from our members
High-resolution diffusion imaging with DIFRAD-FSE (diffusion-weighted radial acquisition with fast spin echo) MRI
No full textA novel MRI method, DIFRAD-FSE (D̲i̲f̲fusion with R̲adial A̲cquisition of D̲ata with F̲ast S̲pin-E̲cho) is presented that enables rapid, high-resolution, multi-shot diffusion-weighted MRI without significant artifacts due to motion. Following a diffusion-weighted spin-echo preparation, multiple radial lines of Fourier data are acquired using spin-echo refocusing. Data can be acquired in either 2D or 3D Fourier space. Motion correction is accomplished via one of four correction techniques: phase correction, shift correction, a combination of the phase and shift correction, or magnitude. Images from a radial data set are reconstructed with filtered back projection reconstruction. Results from human brain imaging will demonstrate the ability of DIFRAD-FSE to acquire high-resolution images without significant artifacts due to motion in both 2D and 3D. Results from liver and heart imaging demonstrate the versatility of the 2D DIFRAD-FSE
Recommended from our members
Noise-limited performance of a hybrid detector and high-resolution display monitors.
No full textIn this dissertation I describe the analysis of two types of electronic devices. The first is an image intensifier/photomultiplier combination used in a laser communications receiver. The second type is high resolution display monitors to be used in digital radiology. The analysis of these devices centered on the influence of noise on their performance though I also measured other device characteristics. I present here a method of characterizing noise that can be used for a variety of detector and display devices; however, I concentrated my analysis on an optical communication receiver by ITT and high resolution display monitors by MegaScan, Tektronix and US Pixel. The optical receiver is called a hybrid device because it combines an image intensifier (II) and a photomultiplier tube. The II has a large active area and its specially processed photocathode gives it an extended red response. The photomultiplier tube (PMT) provides a high gain, low noise and low dark current. The hybrid tube had a maximum gain of 8 x 10⁶, a noise factor of 1.64 and an information capacity of 1.3 x 10⁶ bits per second. The high resolution monitors we examined were black and white monitors with a pixel matrix of at least 1024 x 1536 pixels and 256 grey levels. The maximum luminance from the monitors was 88 ft-Lamberts (for the US Pixel monitor) and a maximum information capacity of 8.9 x 10⁶ bits (for the MegaScan monitor). We measured spatial and temporal noise for the monitors. Spatial noise was the dominant noise, except at low grey levels. Veiling glare was evident in all three monitors and dramatically reduced the dynamic ranges of the monitors.This item was digitized from a paper original and/or a microfilm copy. If you need
higher-resolution images for any content in this item, please contact us at
[email protected] file replaced with corrected file August 2023
Recommended from our members
Computer-generated holograms for free-space optical interconnects
No full textThis dissertation describes an investigation into the use of computer generated holograms to implement free-space optical interconnects. Computer generated holograms are discussed in terms of their theory of operation, design principles, fabrication techniques, optical performance, and sources of error. To motivate the research, discussion of an optoelectronic computing module is included; the device uses computer generated holograms to implement large-fanout optical interconnects. The emphasis of this dissertation is not on a specific application, rather it is focused on understanding the abilities and limitations of computer generated holograms. New contributions are made in the area of hologram design, both individual and multifaceted elements. These design techniques were built into a computer aided design tool (SPIDER 3.0), which was developed to promote the use of computer generated holograms. Hologram fabrication techniques and optical performance are also carefully characterized. Measurements show that performance is poorer than what is expected. Several significant sources of error are identified in the design and fabrication of computer generated holograms, and these effects are shown to explain most of the measured results. The dissertation concludes that computer generated holograms are currently limited by errors in fabrication and in the approximate diffraction theories employed in the design process. While the optical performance of the holograms is not as good as expected, the results are shown to be adequate for successful use in real applications.This item was digitized from a paper original and/or a microfilm copy. If you need higher-resolution images for any content in this item, please contact us at [email protected] file replaced with corrected file October 2023
Recommended from our members
Remote-access slit-scanning confocal microscope for in vivo tumor diagnosis
No full textMicroscopic fluorescence imaging of thick biological tissue has been successfully demonstrated with a fiber-based, slit-scanning, confocal microscope. The system developed under this research consists of an illumination arm, a fiber-optic imaging system, and a detection arm. The illumination arm is an anamorphic optical system that converts a circular, laser beam into a cylindrical beam forming a line image at the proximal face of the fiber-optic relay. This relay system is comprised of a fiber-optic imaging bundle, a miniature objective lens, and a miniature hydraulic positioning mechanism. It delivers illumination to a remote sample and simultaneously collects the fluorescence from the sample. The miniature objective lens and positioning mechanism were specially designed and fabricated for this system, allowing for high resolution imaging and optical sectioning in-vivo. The detection arm relays the fluorescence image at the proximal face of the fiber-optic relay with magnification onto a two-dimensional CCD. Characterization of the system has demonstrated a lateral resolution of three microns. The axial resolution when imaging a point object is 10 microns. When imaging a planar object, the axial resolution is 25 microns. Images are acquired at a rate of 2-4 frames per second and the imaging performance has been evaluated with different biological models including animal peritoneal tissue and human prostate tissue in-vitro. In-vivo images of human skin and rat peritoneum have also been acquired to demonstrate that patient motion does not adversely affect the performance of the system. These in-vitro and in vivo images demonstrate the capability of the system to resolve cell nuclear morphology, to visualize cell density and organization, and to image at selected depths below the tissue surface.This item was digitized from a paper original and/or a microfilm copy. If you need higher-resolution images for any content in this item, please contact us at [email protected] file replaced with corrected file September 2023
Recommended from our members
Confocal microscopy through a fiber-optic imaging bundle.
No full textThis dissertation describes the implementation of confocal microscopy through a fiber-optic imaging bundle. This system, the fiber-optic imaging-bundle confocal microscope, permits the optical-sectioning effect of confocal microscopy to be applied to a range of samples inaccessible to a conventional confocal microscope. Two such systems were designed and built. The first system is a modified laboratory microscope used to demonstrate and evaluate the performance of the fiber-optic imaging-bundle confocal microscope. The second system is a real-time slit-scanning microscope that is expected to be a suitable design for in-vivo medical applications. Fiber-optic imaging bundles are discussed in some detail. A number of parameters of three flexible silica imaging bundles were measured and the suitability of these bundles for use in the microscope is evaluated. A new reflection technique for measurement of optical-fiber refractive indices was developed and applied to the evaluation of these imaging bundles.This item was digitized from a paper original and/or a microfilm copy. If you need higher-resolution images for any content in this item, please contact us at [email protected] file replaced with corrected file October 2023
Recommended from our members
A Multi-Resolution Foveated Laparoscope
No full textLaparoscopic surgery or minimally invasive surgery has great advantages compared with the conventional open surgery, such as reduced pain, shorter recovery time and lower infection rate. It has become a standard clinical procedure for cholecystectomy, appendectomy and splenectomy. The state-of-the-art laparoscopic technologies suffer from several significant limitations, one of which is the tradeoff of the limited instantaneous field of view (FOV) for high spatial resolution versus the wide FOV for situational awareness but with diminished spatial resolution. Standard laparoscopes lack the ability to acquire both wide-angle and high-resolution images simultaneously through a single scope. During the surgery, a trained assistant is required to manipulate the laparoscope. The practice of frequently maneuvering the laparoscope by a trained assistant can lead to poor or awkward ergonomic scenarios. This type of ergonomic conflicts imposes inherent challenges to laparoscopic procedures, and it is further aggravated with the introduction of single port access (SPA) techniques to laparoscopic surgery. SPA uses one combined surgical port for all instruments instead of using multiple ports in the abdominal wall. The grouping of ports raises a number of challenges, including the tunnel vision due to the in-line arrangement of instruments, poor triangulation of instruments, and the instrument collision due to the close proximity to other surgical devices. A multi-resolution foveated laparoscope (MRFL) was proposed to address those limitations of the current laparoscopic surgery. The MRFL is able to simultaneously capture a wide-angle view for situational awareness and a high-resolution zoomed-in view for fine details. The high-resolution view can be scanned and registered anywhere within the wide-angle view, enabled by a 2D optical scanning mechanism. In addition, the high-resolution probe has optical zoom and autofocus capabilities, so that the field coverage can be dynamically varied while keep the same focus distance as the wide-angle probe. Moreover, the MRFL has a large working distance compared with the standard laparoscopes, the wide-angle probe has more than 8x field coverage than a standard laparoscope. On the other hand, the high-resolution probe has 3x spatial resolution than a standard one. These versatile capabilities are anticipated to have significant impacts on the diagnostic, clinical and technical aspects of minimally invasive surgery. In this dissertation, the development of the multi-resolution foveated laparoscope was discussed in detail. Starting from the refinement of the 1st order specifications, system configurations, and initial prototype demonstration, a customized dual-view MRFL system with fixed optical magnifications was developed and demonstrated. After the in-vivo test of the first generation prototype of the MRFL, further improvement was made on the high-resolution probe by adding an optical zoom and auto-focusing capability. The optical design, implementation and experimental validation of the MRFL prototypes were presented and discussed in detail
Recommended from our members
Investigation of the Feasibility of an Optical Imaging System for the Application of In Vivo Flow Cytometry
No full textThis thesis investigates the feasibility of employing an optical imaging system for the application of in vivo flow cytometry for detecting rare circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in vasculature. This investigation presented used three optical imaging configurations: a Nikon Eclipse E600 fluorescence microscope with a PIXIS 2048B CCD camera; a Nikon Eclipse E600 fluorescence microscope with a ThorLabs DCC 3240N CMOS camera; and a custom built confocal microendoscope with a ThorLabs DCC 3240N CMOS camera. These systems were employed to gain insight as to what signal to noise ratios and sensitivities are required to sufficiently detect fluorescently labeled cancer cells. This work presents general concepts of fluorescence and confocal microscopy, the experimental setups employed, and experimental measurements and results obtained. The experimental measurements involved the following: the simulation of flow cytometry by imaging green fluorescent microspheres, with a fluorescence excitation range of 505-515 nm and a diameter of 15µm, in a square crit tube moving on a translational stage, and imaging a selection of cells that included MCF10A breast cells (non-cancerous), OVCAR3 ovarian cancer cells, and patient derived xenogram (PDX) breast cancer cells, which express folate-receptor proteins on their surface. We fluorescently labeled these cells with the introduction of a new folate-receptor targeted fluorescent contrast agent OTL38, made by On Target Laboratories. The results established that we were able to image and detect fluorescence microspheres with a minimum signal to noise ratio (SNR) of 2.3 using the ThorLabs DCC 3240N camera on the Nikon Fluorescence microscope. We were able to image and detect the cells used on all three system configurations. Analyzing the different cell uptake efficacies of the contrast agent OTL38, we established that the SNR levels were variable when imaging PDX breast cancer cells. We propose future work to investigate possible effects on the variability of SNR results, as well as, and future steps in designing a real-time optical fluorescence imaging system for in vivo flow cytometry
- …
