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At least 1,117 records · Page 62

Characterize the Rings in Protoplanetary Disks Formed by an Eccentric Instability [Slides]

Typical long-term time evolution of gas surface density in a disk undergoing eccentric mode instability (EMI). In a disk with no initial substructures or external perturbers, EMI generates a growing one arm spiral (top right). After EMI saturates, the disk continues to evolve with a long-lived coherent eccentric pattern. If the disk has strong wave damping, the disk is then left with circular rings. Synthesized dust continuum images of some EMI simulations from this IC project show some characteristics similar to the actual PPD images.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

TU-FG-209-11: Validation of a Channelized Hotelling Observer to Optimize Chest Radiography Image Processing for Nodule Detection: A Human Observer Study

Purpose: To validate the use of a Channelized Hotelling Observer (CHO) model for guiding image processing parameter selection and enable improved nodule detection in digital chest radiography. Methods: In a previous study, an anthropomorphic chest phantom was imaged with and without PMMA simulated nodules using a GE Discovery XR656 digital radiography system. The impact of image processing parameters was then explored using a CHO with 10 Laguerre-Gauss channels. In this work, we validate the CHO’s trend in nodule detectability as a function of two processing parameters by conducting a signal-known-exactly, multi-reader-multi-case (MRMC) ROC observer study. Five naive readers scored confidence of nodule visualization in 384 images with 50% nodule prevalence. The image backgrounds were regions-of-interest extracted from 6 normal patient scans, and the digitally inserted simulated nodules were obtained from phantom data in previous work. Each patient image was processed with both a near-optimal and a worst-case parameter combination, as determined by the CHO for nodule detection. The same 192 ROIs were used for each image processing method, with 32 randomly selected lung ROIs per patient image. Finally, the MRMC data was analyzed using the freely available iMRMC software of Gallas et al. Results: The image processing parameters which were optimized for the CHO led to a statistically significant improvement (p=0.049) in human observer AUC from 0.78 to 0.86, relative to the image processing implementation which produced the lowest CHO performance. Conclusion: Differences in user-selectable image processing methods on a commercially available digital radiography system were shown to have a marked impact on performance of human observers in the task of lung nodule detection. Further, the effect of processing on humans was similar to the effect on CHO performance. Future work will expand this study to include a wider range of detection/classification tasks and more observers, including experienced chest radiologists.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Unreal Engine Testbed for Computer Vision of Tall Lunar Tower Assembly

The Tall Lunar Tower project at the NASA Langley Research Center is focused on the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of a supervised autonomously assembly engineering development unit for tall lunar towers. The lunar south pole environment poses many challenges for robotic assembly of the tall tower, particularly to computer vision camera systems due to a high-contrast lighting environment. This paper will present an Unreal Engine 5 video game engine Lunar South Pole Lighting Testbed to simulate realistic lunar lighting conditions for synthetic image generation. The fidelity of the simulation environment is investigated by comparing the accuracy of computer vision models trained using synthetic image data and trained from real image data collected in a lunar analog environment.

Unreal Engine↗

Unreal Engine Testbed for Computer Vision of Tall Lunar Tower Assembly

The Tall Lunar Tower project at the NASA Langley Research Center is focused on the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of a supervised autonomously assembled engineering development unit for tall lunar towers. The lunar south pole environment poses many challenges for robotic assembly of the tall tower, particularly to computer vision camera systems due to a high-contrast lighting environment. This paper will present an Unreal Engine 5 video game engine Lunar South Pole Lighting Testbed to simulate realistic lunar lighting conditions for synthetic image generation. The fidelity of the simulation environment is investigated by comparing the accuracy of computer vision models trained using synthetic image data and trained from real image data collected in a lunar analog environment.

Unreal Engine↗

Unreal Engine Testbed for Computer Vision of Tall Lunar Tower Assembly

The Tall Lunar Tower project at the NASA Langley Research Center is focused on the design, modeling, fabrication, and testing of a supervised autonomously assembly engineering development unit for tall lunar towers. The lunar south pole environment poses many challenges for robotic assembly of the tall tower, particularly to computer vision camera systems due to a high-contrast lighting environment. This paper will present an Unreal Engine 5 video game engine Lunar South Pole Lighting Testbed to simulate realistic lunar lighting conditions for synthetic image generation. The fidelity of the simulation environment is investigated by comparing the accuracy of computer vision models trained using synthetic image data and trained from real image data collected in a lunar analog environment.

Unreal Engine↗

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↗

Measurement and simulation of ICRF wave intensity with a recalibrated phase contrast imaging diagnostic on Alcator C-Mod

Waves in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) are one of the major tools to heat fusion plasmas. Full-wave simulations are essential to predict the wave propagation and absorption quantitatively, and it is important that these codes be validated against actual experimental measurements. In this work, the absolute intensity of the ICRF waves previously measured with a phase contrast imaging diagnostic was recalibrated and compared once more with full-wave predictions. In the earlier work, significant discrepancies were found between the measured and the simulated mode converted wave intensity [N. Tsujii et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 082508]. With the new calibration of the detector array, the measured mode converted wave intensity is now in much better agreement with the full-wave predictions. The agreement is especially good for comparisons performed close to the antenna.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Linking Transient Voltage to Spatially-Resolved Luminescence Imaging to Understand Reliability of Perovskite Photovoltaics

In this work, we present a methodology to separate effects of perovskite device metastability from irreversible degradation, using stress/rest cycling under constant current bias while collecting a series of electroluminescence images and continuously monitoring voltage. We develop a simulation model and procedures for image processing to better understand the effects of ion parameters on the transient nature of voltage and evolving electroluminescence images.

electroluminescence↗

Simulation Studies of the Effect of Forest Spatial Structure on InSAR Signature

The height of scattering phase retrieved from InSAR data is considered being correlated with the tree height and the spatial structure of the forest stand. Though some researchers have used simple backscattering models to estimate tree height from the height of scattering center, the effect of forest spatial structure on InSAR data is not well understood yet. A three-dimensional coherent radar backscattering model for forest canopies based on realistic three-dimensional scene was used to investigate the effect in this paper. The realistic spatial structure of forest canopies was established either by field measurements (stem map) or through use of forest growth model. Field measurements or a forest growth model parameterized using local environmental parameters provides information of forest species composition and tree sizes in certain growth phases. A fractal tree model (L-system) was used to simulate individual 3- D tree structure of different ages or heights. Trees were positioned in a stand in certain patterns resulting in a 3-D medium of discrete scatterers. The radar coherent backscatter model took the 3-D forest scene as input and simulates the coherent radar backscattering signature. Interferometric SAR images of 3D scenes were simulated and heights of scattering phase centers were estimated from the simulated InSAR data. The effects of tree height, crown cover, crown depth, and the spatial distribution patterns of trees on the scattering phase center were analyzed. The results will be presented in the paper.

Sun, Guoqing↗

Linking Transient Voltage to Spatially-Resolved Luminescence Imaging to Understand Reliability of Perovskite Photovoltaics: Preprint

In this work, we present a methodology to separate effects of perovskite device metastability from irreversible degradation, using stress/rest cycling under constant current bias while collecting a series of electroluminescence images and continuously monitoring voltage. We develop a simulation model and procedures for image processing to better understand the effects of ion parameters on the transient nature of voltage and evolving electroluminescence images.

41 EE - Solar Energy Technologies Office (EE-4S)↗

A NOVEL TECHNIQUE TO IMPROVE PHOTOMETRY IN CONFUSED IMAGES USING GRAPHS AND BAYESIAN PRIORS

We present a new technique for overcoming confusion noise in deep far-infrared Herschel space telescope images making use of prior information from shorter λ < 2 μm wavelengths. For the deepest images obtained by Herschel, the flux limit due to source confusion is about a factor of three brighter than the flux limit due to instrumental noise and (smooth) sky background. We have investigated the possibility of de-confusing simulated Herschel PACS 160 μm images by using strong Bayesian priors on the positions and weak priors on the flux of sources. We find the blended sources and group them together and simultaneously fit their fluxes. We derive the posterior probability distribution function of fluxes subject to these priors through Monte Carlo Markov Chain (MCMC) sampling by fitting the image. Assuming we can predict the FIR flux of sources based on the ultraviolet-optical part of their SEDs to within an order of magnitude, the simulations show that we can obtain reliable fluxes and uncertainties at least a factor of three fainter than the confusion noise limit of 3σ {sub c} = 2.7 mJy in our simulated PACS-160 image. This technique could in principle be used to mitigate the effects of source confusion in any situation where one has prior information of positions and plausible fluxes of blended sources. For Herschel, application of this technique will improve our ability to constrain the dust content in normal galaxies at high redshift.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Hexagonal Uniformly Redundant Arrays (HURAs) for scintillator based coded aperture neutron imaging

A series of Monte Carlo simulations have been conducted, making use of the EJ-426 neutron scintillator detector, to investigate the potential of using hexagonal uniformly redundant arrays (HURAs) for scintillator based coded aperture neutron imaging. This type of scintillator material has a low sensitivity to gamma rays, therefore, is of particular use in a system with a source that emits both neutrons and gamma rays. The simulations used an AmBe source, neutron images have been produced using different coded-aperture materials (boron- 10, cadmium-113 and gadolinium-157) and location error has also been estimated. In each case the neutron image clearly shows the location of the source with a relatively small location error. Neutron images with high resolution can be easily used to identify and locate nuclear materials precisely in nuclear security and nuclear decommissioning applications. (authors)

42 ENGINEERING↗

TH-AB-209-03: Overcoming Resolution Limitations of Diffuse Optical Signals in X-Ray Induced Luminescence (XIL) Imaging Via Selective Plane Illumination and 2D Deconvolution

Purpose: To evaluate the resolution and sensitivity of XIL imaging using a surface radiance simulation based on optical diffusion and maximum likelihood expectation maximization (MLEM) image reconstruction. XIL imaging seeks to determine the distribution of luminescent nanophosphors, which could be used as nanodosimeters or radiosensitizers. Methods: The XIL simulation generated a homogeneous slab with optical properties similar to tissue. X-ray activated nanophosphors were placed at 1.0 cm depth in the tissue in concentrations of 10{sup −4} g/mL in two volumes of 10 mm{sup 3} with varying separations between each other. An analytical optical diffusion model determined the surface radiance from the photon distributions generated at depth in the tissue by the nanophosphors. The simulation then determined the detected luminescent signal collected with a f/1.0 aperture lens and back-illuminated EMCCD camera. The surface radiance was deconvolved using a MLEM algorithm to estimate the nanophosphors distribution and the resolution. To account for both Poisson and Gaussian noise, a shifted Poisson imaging model was used in the deconvolution. The deconvolved distributions were fitted to a Gaussian after radial averaging to measure the full width at half maximum (FWHM) and the peak to peak distance between distributions was measured to determine the resolving power. Results: Simulated surface radiances for doses from 1mGy to 100 cGy were computed. Each image was deconvolved using 1000 iterations. At 1mGy, deconvolution reduced the FWHM of the nanophosphors distribution by 65% and had a resolving power is 3.84 mm. Decreasing the dose from 100 cGy to 1 mGy increased the FWHM by 22% but allowed for a dose reduction of a factor of 1000. Conclusion: Deconvolving the detected surface radiance allows for dose reduction while maintaining the resolution of the nanophosphors. It proves to be a useful technique in overcoming the resolution limitations of diffuse optical imaging in tissue. C. S. acknowledges support from the NIH National Institute of General Medical Sciences (Award number R25GM109439, Project Title: University of Chicago Initiative for Maximizing Student Development, IMSD). B. Q. and P. L. acknowledge support from NIH grant R01EB017293.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Clinical evaluation of a medical high dynamic range display

Purpose: Recent new medical displays do have higher contrast and higher luminance but do not have a High Dynamic Range (HDR). HDR implies a minimum luminance value close to zero. A medical HDR display prototype based on two Liquid Crystal layers has been developed. The goal of this study is to evaluate the potential clinical benefit of such display in comparison with a low dynamic range (LDR) display. Methods: The study evaluated the clinical performance of the displays in a search and detection task. Eight radiologists read chest x-ray images some of which contained simulated lung nodules. The study used a JAFROC (Jacknife Free Receiver Operating Characteristic) approach for analyzing FROC data. The calculated figure of merit (FoM) is the probability that a lesion is rated higher than all rated nonlesions on all images. Time per case and accuracy for locating the center of the nodules were also compared. The nodules were simulated using Samei’s model. 214 CR and DR images [half were “healthy images” (chest nodule-free) and half “diseased images”] were used resulting in a total number of nodules equal to 199 with 25 images with 1 nodule, 51 images with 2 nodules, and 24 images with 3 nodules. A dedicated software interface was designed for visualizing the images for each session. For the JAFROC1 statistical analysis, the study is done per nodule category: all nodules, difficult nodules, and very difficult nodules. Results: For all nodules, the averaged FoM{sub HDR} is slightly higher than FoM{sub LDR} with 0.09% of difference. For the difficult nodules, the averaged FoM{sub HDR} is slightly higher than FoM{sub LDR} with 1.38% of difference. The averaged FoM{sub HDR} is slightly higher than FoM{sub LDR} with 0.71% of difference. For the true positive fraction (TPF), both displays (the HDR and the LDR ones) have similar TPF for all nodules, but looking at difficult and very difficult nodules, there are more TP for the HDR display. The true positive fraction has been also computed in function of the local average luminance around the nodules. For the lowest luminance range, there is more than 30% in favor of the HDR display. For the highest luminance range, there is less than 6% in favor of the LDR display. Conclusions: This study shows the potential benefit of using a HDR display in radiology.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Physics-Based Constraints in the Forward Modeling Analysis of Time-Correlated Image Data (Long Version)

The forward-model approach has been shown to produce accurate model reconstructions of scientific measurements for single-time image data. Here we extend the approach to a series of images that are correlated in time using the physics-based constraints that are often available with scientific imaging. The constraints are implemented through a representational bias in the model and, owing to the smooth nature of the physics evolution in the specified model, provide an effective temporal regularization. Unlike more general temporal regularization techniques, this restricts the space of solutions to those that are physically realizable. We explore the performance of this approach on a simple radiographic imaging problem of a simulated object evolving in time. We demonstrate that the constrained simultaneous analysis of the image sequence outperforms the independent forward modeling analysis over a range of degrees of freedom in the physics constraints, including when the physics model is under-constrained. Further, this approach outperforms the independent analysis over a large range of signal-to-noise ratios.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

LogN-logS slope determination in imaging X-ray astronomy

The problem of estimating the slope of the number-counts relations for the specific case of imaging X-ray surveys is briefly discussed. Results have been obtained from extensive simulations of Einstein Observatory imaging X-ray data. It is concluded that the bias which affects the X-ray number-counts slope determination is much smaller than that which affects the radio number-counts slope.

Maccacaro, Tommaso↗

MODIS technical report series. Volume 3: MODIS airborne simulator level 1B data user's guide

The purpose of this document is to describe the characteristics of moderate resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) airborne simulator level 1B data, the calibration and geolocation methods used in processing, the structure and format of the level 1B data files, and methods for accessing the data. The MODIS airborne simulator is a scanning spectrometer which flies on a NASA ER-2 and provides spectral information similar to that which will be provided by the MODIS.

Gumley, Liam E.↗

SU-F-J-222: Using PET Imaging to Evaluate Proliferation and Blood Flow in Irradiated and Non-Irradiated Bone Marrow 1 Year After Chemoradiation Therapy

Purpose: To compare proliferation and blood flow in pelvic and thoracic bone marrow 1 year after pelvic chemoradiation. Methods: Sixteen pelvic cancer patients were enrolled in an IRB-approved protocol to acquire FLT PET images during radiation therapy simulation (baseline) and 1 year after chemoradiation therapy. Three subjects also had optional O-15 water PET images acquired 1 year after chemoradiation therapy. Baseline FLT PET images were used to create IMRT plans to spare pelvic bone marrow identified as regions with FLT SUV ≥ 2 without compromising PTV coverage or OAR sparing. Marrow VOIs were defined using a 50% maximum pixel value threshold on baseline FLT PET images (VIEW, PMOD version 3.5) in the sacrum and thoracic spine representing irradiated and non-irradiated regions, respectively. FLT PET and O-15 water PET images acquired 1 year after therapy were co-registered to baseline images (FUSION PMOD) and the same VOIs were used to measure proliferation (FLT SUV) and blood flow (O-15 water uptake). Separate image-based input functions were used for blood flow quantitation in each VOI. Results: Mean 1 year FLT SUV in sacral and thoracic VOIs for were 1.1 ± 0.4 and 6.5 ± 1.7, respectively for N = 16 subjects and were 1.2 ± 0.2 and 5.6 ± 1.6, respectively for N = 3 subjects who also underwent O-15 water imaging. Blood flow measures in equivalent sacral and thoracic marrow regions (N = 3) were 21.3 ± 8.7 and 18.3 ± 4.9 mL/min/100mL respectively. Conclusion: Decreased bone marrow proliferation measured by FLT SUV does not appear to correspond to decreased blood flow as measured by O-15 water PET imaging. Based on this small sample at a single time point, reduced blood supply does not explain reductions in bone marrow proliferative activity 1 year after chemoradiation therapy.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗