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At least 451 records · Page 25

Do Remote Camera Arrangements and Image Capture Settings Improve Individual Identification of Golden Eagles?

Individual identification of animals from camera traps has become an important task in wildlife research, but camera deployment methods often do not facilitate this important undertaking. Identification of individual golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) is possible using uniquely marked rectrices, but no studies have explored methods to maximize the rate of individual identification from camera images. Furthermore, our objectives were to assess whether different camera heights (1 m vs. 3 m), image capture settings (one image after a 1-min delay vs. burst of 5 images after a 30 sec delay), and arrangements relative to bait (dorsally vs. ventrally aimed) affected views of rectrices on golden eagles and our ability to identify individuals. We conducted our study from 15 December 2016 to 3 March 2017 on the Savannah River Site, South Carolina. First, we developed a scoring system based on views of rectrices and used a linear mixed-effects model to compare image scores among different camera arrangements and image settings. Next, after identifying individual eagles, we used generalized linear mixed-effects models to compare total individual eagle detections, total days an individual was detected, and probability of obtaining an unknown individual identification among camera arrangements and settings. Overall, we scored a total of 27,499 images, with 8,083 providing views of marked rectrices that allowed identification of 18 individual eagles. Average image scores and proportion of images suitable for individual identification were higher from elevated (3 m) camera arrangements than standard arrangements (1 m) across sites. Regardless of camera height, faster frequency of image capture provided more images that could be used to identify individuals and the most trap days per individual. Researchers and managers should consider deploying elevated cameras traps with faster frequency of image capture to improve data quality and potential for analysis of golden eagle populations and trends across the species’ range.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Society of abdominal radiology gastrointestinal bleeding disease-focused panel consensus recommendations for CTA technical parameters in the evaluation of acute overt gastrointestinal bleeding

Purpose: To formulate consensus recommendations for CT angiography technical parameters used to evaluate overt gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. Methods: An electronic questionnaire consisting of 17 questions was sent to a panel of 16 radiologists with expertise on the imaging of GI bleeding from the Society of Abdominal Radiology GI Bleeding disease-focused panel to obtain consensus agreement on issues related to CTA technical parameters for imaging overt GI bleeding. A multi-round Delphi method of voting was performed to obtain consensus which was defined as ≥ 80% agreement. Results: Consensus agreement was reached in 15/17 (89%) of the questions including the technique for the administration of IV contrast, the number of phases, scan timing, and image reconstruction. Conclusions: A panel of experts on the imaging of GI bleeding from the Society of Abdominal Radiology was able to reach consensus on the majority of technical parameters used for CTA of overt GI bleeding. These recommendations should improve the quality of patient care by adopting these minimal technical requirements for optimal exam performance and lead to less variation in the performance of these exams which will facilitate collecting and comparing published data from different centers. These recommendations will need revisions as additional scientific data become available.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Improving perfusion defect detection with respiratory motion correction in cardiac SPECT at standard and reduced doses

Background: In cardiac SPECT perfusion imaging, respiratory motion can cause non-uniform blurring in the reconstructed myocardium. We investigate the potential benefit of respiratory correction with respiratory-binned acquisitions, both at standard dose and at reduced dose, for defect detection and for left ventricular (LV) wall resolution. Methods: We applied two reconstruction methods for respiratory motion correction: post-reconstruction motion correction (PMC) and motion-compensated reconstruction (MCR), and compared with reconstruction without motion correction (Non-MC). We quantified the presence of perfusion defects in reconstructed images by using the total perfusion deficit (TPD) scores and conducted receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) studies using TPD. We quantified the LV spatial resolution by using the FWHM of its cross-sectional intensity profile. Results: The values in the area-under-the-ROC-curve (AUC) achieved by MCR, PMC, and Non-MC at standard dose were 0.835, 0.830, and 0.798, respectively. Similar AUC improvements were also obtained by MCR and PMC over Non-MC at 50%, 25%, and 12.5% of full dose. Improvements in LV resolution were also observed with motion correction. Conclusions: Respiratory-binned acquisitions can improve perfusion-defect detection accuracy over traditional reconstruction both at standard dose and at reduced dose. Motion correction may contribute to achieving further dose reduction while maintaining the diagnostic accuracy of traditional acquisitions. [French] French Abstract: Contexte: Les mouvements respiratoires peuvent entrainer des artefacts de uniformité lors de la reconstruction des images de perfusion myocardique en SPECT. Dans cet article, nous rapportons nos résultats sur le bénéfice potentiel du « gating » respiratoire avec des doses standards et réduites de radio-pharmaceutiques pour la détection des anomalies de perfusion et les mesures de la paroi ventriculaire gauche. Méthodes: Nous avons appliqué deux méthodes de reconstruction pour la correction du mouvement respiratoire: la première fait appel a une correction après reconstruction des images (PMC) ; la seconde fait appel à la correction des images avant reconstruction (MRC). Les deux approches ont été comparées à la reconstruction sans correction de mouvement (Non-MC). Nous avons quantifié les déficits de perfusion myocardiques sur les images reconstruites avec le système des scores de déficit de perfusion et analysé les résultats en utilisant les courbes ROC. Nous avons quantifié la résolution spatiale du VG en utilisant le FWHM du profil d’intensité de sa section transversale. Résultats: Les valeurs des surfaces en dessous des courbes ROC (AUC) obtenues par MCR, PMC et Non-MC avec doses standard de radio-pharmaceutiques étaient de 0,835, 0,830 et 0,798, respectivement. Des améliorations similaires de l’AUC ont également été obtenues par MCR et PMC sur Non-MC avec 50%, 25% et 12,5% des doses entières. Les mesures de résolution spatiale de la paroi du VG ont également été améliorées avec la correction des mouvements respiratoires. Conclusions: La correction des images de perfusion myocardiques en SPECT par « gating » respiratoire paraît améliorer la quantification des déficits perfusionels à la fois à dose standard et à dose réduite de radio-pharmaceutiques. L’application de cette correction devrait permettre de réduire les doses de radio-pharmaceutiques utilisées tout en maintenant la précision diagnostique des acquisitions traditionnelles. [Spanish] Spanish Abstract: Antecedentes: En los estudios de perfusión cardiaca por SPECT, los movimientos respiratorios pueden causar distorsión no uniforme en el miocardio reconstruido. Investigamos el beneficio potencial de la corrección respiratoria con adquisición de imágenes sincronizadas con la respiración, tanto a dosis estándar como a dosis reducida, para detección de defectos y para resolución de pared de ventrículo izquierdo (VI). Métodos: Aplicamos dos métodos de reconstrucción para corrección de movimientos respiratorios: Corrección de movimiento post reconstrucción (PMC) y reconstrucción compensada a movimiento (MCR), y los comparamos con la reconstrucción sin corrección de movimiento (Non-MC). Cuantificamos la presencia de defectos de perfusión en las imágenes reconstruidas usando los scores de déficit total de perfusión (TPD) y análisis ROC usando el TPD. Cuantificamos la resolución espacial del VI usando la anchura a media altura de su perfil de intensidad transversal. Resultados: Los valores en el área bajo la curva ROC (ABC) obtenidos por MCR, PMC y Non-MC a dosis estándar fueron 0.835, 0.830 y 0.798, respectivamente. Mejorías similares del ABC también se obtuvieron por MCR y PMC, sobre Non-MC a 50%, 25% y 12.5% de la dosis completa. Las mejorías en la resolución del VI fueron observadas también con corrección del movimiento. Conclusiones: Las adquisiciones sincronizadas con la respiración pueden mejorar la precisión de la detección de defectos de perfusión sobre las reconstrucciones tradicionales tanto a dosis estándar como a dosis reducida. La corrección de movimiento puede contribuir a lograr mayor reducción de la dosis manteniendo la precisión diagnóstica de las adquisiciones tradicionales. [Chinese] Chinese Abstract: 背景: 在心脏 SPECT 灌注成像中, 呼吸运动会导致心肌重建的不均匀模糊。我们研究了无论是标准剂量还是减少剂量的情况下, 呼吸跟踪采集的呼吸校正用于图像缺损检测和左心室 (LV) 室壁分辨率的潜在益处。 方法: 我们使用了两种呼吸运动校正的重建方法:重建后运动校正 (PMC) 和运动补偿重建 (MCR), 并与没有运动校正的重建 (Non-MC) 进行比较。 通过总灌注缺损 (TPD) 评分和其接受者操作特性曲线 (ROC) 来量化重建图像中的灌注缺陷。通过LV横截面强度分布的 FWHM来量化 LV 空间分辨率。 结果: MCR, PMC 和 Non-MC 在标准剂量下所获得的 ROC 曲线下面积 (AUC) 的值分别为0.835, 0.830 和 0.798。 在全剂量下, MCR, PMC和 Non-MC也获得类似的 AUC 提高, 分别为 50%, 25% 和 12.5%。 在运动校正下, LV的分辨率也得到了改善。 结论: 在标准剂量和减少剂量的情况下, 呼吸跟踪采集可以改善灌注缺损检测的准确性。 运动校正可能有助于进一步实现减少剂量的目标, 同时保证通过传统检测方法的诊断准确性。.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Selection of abstracts from the scientific sessions of The Society Of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging annual meeting Anaheim CA

This mini-review highlights cardiovascular studies that were presented during the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) 2019 annual meeting in Anaheim, California. The aim is to provide the readers insight to noteworthy studies related to the fields of nuclear cardiology presented during the conference. Although cardiovascular applications of positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are not the primary focus of the SNMMI, several scientific teams working in this field presented their latest findings in Anaheim. While this review is directed to the benefit of those who were not able to attend the annual meeting, we believe that a general overview may also be useful for those who did attend as it is often difficult to get exposure to all the high-quality abstracts presented at this large conference.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Leveraging latest computer science tools to advance nuclear cardiology

Nuclear cardiology has unique advantages compared to other modalities, since the image analysis is already much more automated compared to what is currently clinically performed for CT, MR, or echocardiography imaging. The diverse image and clinical data available to assess coronary disease function, perfusion, flow, and associated CT data provide new opportunities, but logistically these additional assessments increase the overall complexity of SPECT/PET reporting, necessitating additional expertise and time. The advances in artificial intelligence software can be leveraged to obtain comprehensive risk predictions and diagnoses from all available data. They will allow nuclear cardiology to retain competitive edge compared to other modalities and improve its overall clinical utility. These tools will enhance diagnosis and risk prediction beyond what is possible by subjective visual analysis and mental integration of data by physicians.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

Screening of the Suzuki Cross-Coupling Reaction Using Desorption Electrospray Ionization in High-Throughput and in Leidenfrost Droplet Experiments

Suzuki cross-coupling is a widely performed reaction, typically using metal catalysts under heated conditions. Acceleration of the Suzuki cross-coupling reaction has been previously explored in microdroplets using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS). Building upon previous work, presented here is the use of a high-throughput DESI-MS screening system to identify optimal reaction conditions. Multiple reagents, bases, and stoichiometries were screened using the automated system at rates that approach 10,000 reaction mixture systems per hour. The DESI-MS system utilizes reaction acceleration in microdroplets to allow rapid screening. The results of screening of an array of reaction mixtures using this technique are presented as product ion images via standard MS imaging software, facilitating quick readout. Instructive comparisons are provided with another method of generating droplets for reaction acceleration—the Leidenfrost technique. Acceleration factors greater than 200 were measured for brominated substrates, paralleling the DESI-MS results. Acceleration factors dropped to near unity with highly substituted pyridines, attributable to a steric effect. The reaction proceeded in the absence of a base in Leidenfrost droplets although no product formation was seen without base in the bulk or in the DESI-MS screening experiments. These differences between Leidenfrost chemistry and the bulk and in droplets formed in high-throughput DESI are tentatively attributed to extremes of pH associated with the surfaces of Leidenfrost droplets. .

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗

Automatic Determination of the Weak-Beam Condition in Dark Field X-ray Microscopy

Mechanical properties in crystals are strongly correlated to the arrangement of 1D line defects, termed dislocations. Recently, Dark field X-ray Microscopy (DFXM) has emerged as a new tool to image and interpret dislocations within crystals using multidimensional scans. However, the methods required to reconstruct meaningful dislocation information from high-dimensional DFXM scans are still nascent and require significant manual oversight (i.e. supervision). In this work, we present a new relatively unsupervised method that extracts dislocation-specific information (features) from a 3D dataset (x, y, Φ) using Gram-Schmidt orthogonalization to represent the large dataset as an array of 3-component feature vectors for each position, corresponding to the weak-beam conditions and the strong-beam condition. Finally, this method offers key opportunities to significantly reduce dataset size while preserving only the crystallographic information that is important for data reconstruction.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Understanding interactions between biomolecules and two-dimensional nanomaterials using in silico microscopes

We report two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials such as graphene are increasingly used in research and industry for various biomedical applications. Extensive experimental and theoretical studies have revealed that 2D nanomaterials are promising drug delivery vehicles, yet certain materials exhibit toxicity under biological conditions. So far, it is known that 2D nanomaterials possess strong adsorption propensities for biomolecules. To mitigate potential toxicity and retain favorable physical and chemical properties of 2D nanomaterials, it is necessary to explore the underlying mechanisms of interactions between biomolecules and nanomaterials for the subsequent design of biocompatible 2D nanomaterials for nanomedicine. The purpose of this review is to integrate experimental findings with theoretical observations and facilitate the study of 2D nanomaterial interaction with biomolecules at the molecular level. We discuss the current understanding and progress of 2D nanomaterial interaction with proteins, lipid membranes, and DNA based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. In this review, we focus on the 2D graphene nanosheet and briefly discuss other 2D nanomaterials. With the ever-growing computing power, we can image nanoscale processes using MD simulation that are otherwise not observable in experiment. We expect that molecular characterization of the complex behavior between 2D nanomaterials and biomolecules will help fulfill the goal of designing effective 2D nanomaterials as drug delivery platforms.

2D nanomaterials↗

helixCAM: A platform for programmable cellular assembly in bacteria and human cells

Interactions between cells are indispensable for signaling and creating structure. The ability to direct precise cell-cell interactions would be powerful for engineering tissues, understanding signaling pathways, and directing immune cell targeting. In humans, intercellular interactions are mediated by cell adhesion molecules (CAMs). However, endogenous CAMs are natively expressed by many cells and tend to have cross-reactivity, making them unsuitable for programming specific interactions. Here, we showcase “helixCAM,” a platform for engineering synthetic CAMs by presenting coiled-coil peptides on the cell surface. helixCAMs were able to create specific cell-cell interactions and direct patterned aggregate formation in bacteria and human cells. Based on coiled-coil interaction principles, we built a set of rationally designed helixCAM libraries, which led to the discovery of additional high-performance helixCAM pairs. Finally, we applied this helixCAM toolkit for various multicellular engineering applications, such as spherical layering, adherent cell targeting, and surface patterning.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

edxia: Microstructure characterisation from quantified SEM-EDS hypermaps

The characterisation of cement paste microstructure is an important step towards understanding durability mechanisms in cementitious materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) is a widely used technique to analyse the microstructure at the micron-scale. However, it is challenging, notably because the characteristic size of many phases is found on a scale smaller than the EDS interaction volume. This work presents a new image analysis framework to identify phases and quantify the microstructure of cementitious materials from SEM-EDS hypermaps. By leveraging domain knowledge, representative points are attributed to phases and mixtures of phases based on ratio plots. Then, quantitative analysis of the microstructure can be carried out (chemical composition, particle size distributions, volume fractions, …). We demonstrate the abilities of the framework, and we present possible applications and extensions of the method. The framework is available as both a graphical interface and a Python code.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Quantitative assessment of the influence of external magnetic field on clustering of nano-Fe3O4 particles in cementitious paste

In view of active rheology control of cementitious materials, nano-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} can be added as responsive particles. Following the concept of magnetorheological fluids, it is assumed that magnetic nanoparticles will form chains or clusters in cementitious paste following magnetic field lines. A quantitative experimental validation of this assumption is presented herein. The clustering of nano-Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} particles under magnetic fields is studied by mapping iron (Fe) element distribution in cementitious paste using energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. By means of image analysis, the Fe-element patterns are quantified by the deviation of Fe-elements in a unit area from the mean value expected in case of a uniform distribution, as expressed by coefficient of variation (COV). The magneto-rheological responses of cementitious pastes are evaluated using small amplitude oscillatory shear technique. Results show that the magneto-rheological effect exhibits a linear relationship with the relative change of COV, providing a quantitative validation of magnetic clustering in cementitious paste.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Analysis of autogenous shrinkage-induced microcracks in concrete from 3D images

A new image analysis procedure for quantifying microcracks from three-dimensional (3D) X-ray microCT images of concrete is presented. The method separates microcracks from air voids and aggregates by combining filtering and morphological operations. It was applied to study the effects of supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) and curing age on autogenous shrinkage-induced microcracks in low w/b ratio concretes, and to determine the representative elementary volume (REV) for various properties of microcracks and air voids. Results showed that slag and silica fume significantly increased autogenous shrinkage and related microcracking. These SCMs increased volume fraction, width, length, dendritic density, anisotropy, and connectivity of microcracks, but decreased specific surface and tortuosity. Similar trends were observed with age. Comparison between 3D and 2D measurements was made. REV analysis showed that a sampling volume of ~20 × 20 × 25 mm{sup 3} is sufficient for characterising most parameters of autogenous shrinkage microcracks and air voids in concrete.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Argon broad ion beam sectioning and high resolution scanning electron microscopy imaging of hydrated alite

Highlights: • The native fibrous outer and dense inner C-S-H structure are preserved by using low energy argon broad ion beam sectioning. • Possible artefacts of the preparation and imaging of hydrated alite are shown and discussed. • An approach for a semi automated pore analysis of the obtained high resolution images is demonstrated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging is able to visualize micro- to nano-structures of cement and concrete. A prerequisite is that the sample preparation preserves the native structure of the specimen. In this study, argon broad ion beam (BIB) sectioning is compared to state-of-the-art sample preparation (resin embedding, polishing) for hydrated alite. Additionally, it is investigated if during BIB, sample cooling is beneficial to avoid deterioration of cement hydrates. The aim is to quantitatively measure pore size distributions in hardened alite pastes. Therefore, not only optimized sample preparation but also optimized imaging conditions are investigated. Finally, it is demonstrated that by image analysis pores down to a diameter of 5 nm in hydrated alite pastes can be quantitatively analysed.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Multiresolution classification of turbulence features in image data through machine learning

During large-scale simulations, intermediate data products such as image databases have become popular due to their low relative storage cost and fast in-situ analysis. Serving as a form of data reduction, these image databases have become more acceptable to perform data analysis on. In this work, we present an image-space detection and classification system for extracting vortices at multiple scales through wavelet-based filtering. A custom image-space descriptor is used to encode a large variety of vortex-types and a machine learning system is trained for fast classification of vortex regions. By combining a radial-based histogram descriptor, a bag of visual words feature descriptor, and a support vector machine, our results show that we are able to detect and classify vortex features at various sizes at multiple scales. Once trained, our framework enables the fast extraction of vortices on new, unknown image datasets for flow analysis.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

An ensemble method for nuclei detection of overlapping cervical cells

The Pap test is a preventive approach that requires specialized and labor-intensive examination of cytological preparations to track potentially cancerous cells from the internal and external cervix surface. A cytopathologist must analyze many microscopic fields while screening for abnormal cells. Therefore the expectation is that a support decision system could assist with screening the most relevant cells, for example, by identifying sub-cellular abnormalities, such as changes in the nuclei features. Here, this work proposes a computational method for cervical nuclei detection aimed to reduce the workload of cytopathologists.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Using X-ray radiography to study oxygen flow in a proton exchange membrane electrolyzer operating under balanced pressure conditions

Of the various water electrolyzer technologies, the proton exchange membrane electrolyzer (PEMWE) is one of the best solutions for producing clean hydrogen without releasing CO 2 . In order to allow for widespread use of clean hydrogen, it is necessary to decrease its cost, which is intrinsically related to system operation. Current PEMWE plants operate in differential mode, directly pressurizing hydrogen and benefiting from thermodynamic compression, which increases overall system efficiency. However, high differential pressure above 30 bar can cause membrane stress, resulting in membrane creeping and failure. Pressurizing the water and operating at balanced pressure allows hydrogen to be produced at higher pressures while preserving the integrity of the membrane and porous layers. Nevertheless, the impact of pressurizing water on PEMWE performance must be better understood to maximize performance under balanced pressure conditions. Here, this study examined the impact of water pressure on two-phase flow. A high-pressure electrolyzer setup was developed to perform operando X-ray radiography and examine oxygen transport with high temporal resolution. The imaging segmentation process, developed to capture bubble properties in the channel, was applied to a specific experiment. The results clearly showed that as pressure increased up to 30 bars, the initial bubbly flow transitioned to slug flow, which led to channel saturation with oxygen. This work demonstrates that two-phase flow in an electrolyzer can be studied using X-ray radiography, which has the advantages of fast measurements and the ability to probe dense materials, such as those required for pressurized electrolyzers.

Balanced high pressure operation↗