Adaptive framework for robust high-resolution image reconstruction in multiplexed computational imaging architectures

In multiplexed computational imaging schemes, high-resolution images are reconstructed by fusing the information in multiple low-resolution images detected by a two-dimensional array of low-resolution image sensors. The reconstruction procedure assumes a mathematical model for the imaging process that could have generated the low-resolution observations from an unknown high-resolution image. In practical settings, the parameters of the mathematical imaging model are known only approximately and are typically estimated before the reconstruction procedure takes place. Violations to the assumed model, such as inaccurate knowledge of the field of view of the imagers, erroneous estimation of the model parameters, and/or accidental scene or environmental changes can be detrimental to the reconstruction quality, even if they are small in number. We present an adaptive algorithm for robust reconstruction of high-resolution images in multiplexed computational imaging architectures. Using robust M-estimators and incorporating a similarity measure, the proposed scheme adopts an adaptive estimation strategy that effectively deals with violations to the assumed imaging model. Comparisons with nonadaptive reconstruction techniques demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed algorithm in terms of reconstruction quality and robustness.     

Prototype development and field-test results of an adaptive multiresolution PANOPTES imaging architecture

The design, development, and field-test results of a visible-band, folded, multiresolution, adaptive computational imaging system based on the Processing Arrays of Nyquist-limited Observations to Produce a Thin Electro-optic Sensor (PANOPTES) concept is presented. The architectural layout that enables this imager to be adaptive is described, and the control system that ensures reliable field-of-view steering for precision and accuracy in subpixel target registration is explained. A digital superresolution algorithm introduced to obtain high-resolution imagery from field tests conducted in both nighttime and daytime imaging conditions is discussed. The digital superresolution capability of this adaptive PANOPTES architecture is demonstrated via results in which resolution enhancement by a factor of 4 over the detector Nyquist limit is achieved.     

Surface plasmon resonance imaging measurements of antibody arrays for the multiplexed detection of low molecular weight protein biomarkers

This paper describes a simple methodology for the creation of high-density multiplexed antibody arrays on gold surfaces that can be used to detect low molecular weight protein biomarkers with surface plasmon resonance imaging (SPRI). A one-step carbonyldiimidazole (CDI) surface reaction was utilized to attach antibodies onto alkanethiol-modified gold surfaces and characterized with polarization modulation FT-IR reflection absorption spectroscopy. The CDI chemistry was then employed to create an antibody microarray with array element sizes varying from 750 microm down to 200 microm. As a demonstration, a three-component antibody array was employed to detect two clinically important protein biomarkers, beta2-microglobulin (11.8 kDa) and cystatin C (13.4 kDa). SPRI measurements could simultaneously detect both of these small unlabeled proteins with no cross talk at solution concentrations from 300 nM down to 1 nM. In addition, the adsorption strengths of these biomarkers onto an antibody array were measured with SPRI and compared to those obtained from the kinetic analysis of single-channel angle shift SPR measurements.     

Description and simulation of an active imaging technique utilizing two speckle fields: iterative reconstructors

Quasi-monochromatic light will form laser speckle upon reflection from a rough object. This laser speckle provides information about the shape of the illuminated object. In a prior paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 19, 444 (2002)], it was shown that two intensities of two speckle patterns and their interference are sufficient to produce an unambiguous (except for object translation) band-limited image of the object, based on a root-matching technique described therein, in the absence of measurement error and in the case of distinct roots of the field polynomials and their complex conjugates. On the other hand, algorithms based on the root-matching technique are found to be slow and sensitive to noise. So motivated, several other techniques are applied to the problem, including phase retrieval, expectation maximization, and statistical maximization. The phase-retrieval and expectation-maximization techniques proved to be most effective for reconstructions of complex objects larger than 10 pixels across, and high-quality images were formed by using three independent sets of two-field data (three frames of two-wavelength data), each comprising two speckle intensity patterns and their interference. Two additional results of note are reported. First, the expectation-maximization algorithm produced relatively good images when three or more frames each of only one speckle intensity pattern (data at just one wavelength) were used and second, the phase-retrieval algorithm when only the object autocorrelation was used also produced relatively good images for the chosen test object.     

Description and simulation of an active imaging technique utilizing two speckle fields: root reconstructors

Quasi-monochromatic light will form laser speckle upon reflection from a rough object. This laser speckle provides information about the shape of the illuminated object. Further information can be obtained if two colors of coherent light are used, provided that the colors are sufficiently close in wavelength that the interference is also measurable. It is shown that no more than two intensities of two speckle patterns and their interference are required to produce an unambiguous band-limited image of an object, to within an overall spatial translation of the image, in the absence of measurement errors and in the case where all roots of both fields and their complex conjugates are distinct. This result is proven with a root-matching technique, which treats the electric fields as polynomials in the pupil plane, the coefficients of which form the desired complex object. Several root-matching algorithms are developed and tested. These algorithms are generally slow and sensitive to noise. So motivated, several other techniques are applied to the problem, including phase retrieval, expectation maximization, and probability maximization in a sequel paper [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A 19, 458 (2002)]. The phase-retrieval and expectation-maximization techniques proved to be most effective for reconstructions of complex objects larger than 10 pixels across.     

Performance and optimum design analysis of convective fin arrays attached to flat and curved primary surfaces

A model has been developed analytically to carry out the performance and optimum design analysis of four fin arrays, namely, longitudinal rectangular fin array (LRFA), annular rectangular fin array (ARFA), longitudinal trapezoidal fin array (LTRA) and annular trapezoidal fin array (ATFA) under convective cooling conditions. The performance parameters such as fin efficiency, fin effectiveness and augmentation factor are evaluated for a wide range of design variables. It has been observed that the conduction through the supporting structure and the convection from the interfin spacing have a pronounced effect on the performance of a fin array. The optimum fin dimensions in a fin assembly have been determined by consideration of the constant total height of the fin assembly and interfin spacing. From the results, it can be highlighted that the optimum fin dimensions in fin arrays differ from that of the individual fins.     

Neutron laminography—a novel approach to three-dimensional imaging of flat objects with neutrons

Computed tomography (CT) is a three-dimensional (3D) imaging method which, for compact or prolate (i.e. rather isotropically extended around the rotation axis) specimens, can yield artefact-free reconstructed cross-sections. Laterally extended specimens like plate-like objects, however, are much less amenable to CT since reliable projection data cannot be acquired from angles where the plate is oriented parallel to the irradiation direction.To overcome this drawback, computed laminography (CL) was introduced recently to imaging set-ups at synchrotron storage rings. Here, we report on the first implementation of computed laminography with neutron radiation, showing measurements that were performed at the ANTARES neutron imaging facility at the FRM II research reactor of Technische Universität München. In general, neutrons are highly interesting probes for imaging since they provide a sensitivity to chemical elements very different from X-rays, yielding complementary information about the specimens investigated. Like for X-ray laminography, we avoid the projection directions where the beam is parallel to the long extensions of the specimen. We accomplish this by tilting of the rotation axis with respect to the transmitted-beam to an angle smaller than 90° (which would be the limiting case of CT) and roughly aligning the specimen's surface normal parallel to this rotation axis. The principles of neutron laminography are introduced and first test experiments are described.     

Changing from image intensifier to flat detector technology for interventional cardiology procedures: a practical point of view

A small-scale internal audit has been used to evaluate the impact of the use of a dynamic flat panel detector in the clinical routine in the National Interventional Cardiology Centre in Luxembourg. The parameters tested during commissioning and constancy control of an X-ray system, the introduction of new clinical protocols, the patient and the personal staff dosimetry were considered. The technical parameters tested by the hospital physicist stay the same as for the image intensifier. No innovative protocols have been adopted due to the existence of the flat panel detector. A reduction in dose was noted after the installation of a flat detector, due mostly to the continuing education of the interventional cardiologists as well as the initial calibration of the radiological system. The understanding of the X-ray system and its possibilities is vital for the optimisation of clinical procedures in patient and staff exposure.     

Scanning tunnelling spectroscopy on arrays of CdSe quantum dots: response of wave functions to local electric fields

We use scanning tunnelling microscopy (STM) to controllably contact individual CdSe quantum dots (QDs) in a multilayer array to study electrical contacts to a model QD solid. The probability of electron injection into the QD array depends strongly on the symmetry of the QD wave functions and their response to the local electric field. Quantitative spectroscopy of the QD energy levels is possible if the potential distribution in the STM tip-QD array-substrate system is taken into account.     

Underwater binocular imaging of aerial objects versus the position of eyes relative to the flat water surface

The apparent position, size, and shape of aerial objects viewed binocularly from water change as a result of the refraction of light at the water surface. Earlier studies of the refraction-distorted structure of the aerial binocular visual field of underwater observers were restricted to either vertically or horizontally oriented eyes. Here we calculate the position of the binocular image point of an aerial object point viewed by two arbitrarily positioned underwater eyes when the water surface is flat. Assuming that binocular image fusion is performed by appropriate vergent eye movements to bring the object's image onto the foveae, the structure of the aerial binocular visual field is computed and visualized as a function of the relative positions of the eyes. We also analyze two erroneous representations of the underwater imaging of aerial objects that have occurred in the literature. It is demonstrated that the structure of the aerial binocular visual field of underwater observers distorted by refraction is more complex than has been thought previously.     

Reducing the computational cost of local search in the hybrid evolutionary algorithm with application to electronic imaging

This article focuses on the efficiency problems associated with the use of local search in the hybrid evolutionary algorithm. A two-phase cyclic local search is proposed that alternates the random search and the downhill simplex method (DSM), and helps prevent the algorithm from converging to a sub-optimal solution in multidimensional optimization. The algorithm utilizes a novel micro-model of image local response, in order to reduce the number of fitness evaluations during the local DSM search, with the application to the global optimization problem arising in electronic imaging. The problem is stated as the search for the feasible transformation parameters that minimize the difference between two images. Image local response is defined as the variation of the fitness function that occurs because of a small variation of the parameters, and is computed over a small pixel area. The computed response coefficients specify a contraction transformation applied to the vector of the regular DSM coefficients that control the movement and the shape of the simplex. The transformation adjusts the length of the vector, making the step size of the simplex adaptive to the local properties of the fitness landscape. The computational experiments with two-dimensional grayscale images provide the experimental support and justification of the analytical model of image local response and its utilization for the reduction of the computational cost of local search, without the loss of the quality of the final solution.     

Nitric-oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence applied to low-pressure hypersonic flow fields for the imaging of mixture fraction

The scalar-field imaging of a hypersonic mixing flow is performed in a mixing facility that is shock tunnel driven. The instantaneous mixture-fraction field of a hypersonic two-dimensional mixing layer (M1 = 5.1, M2 = 0.3) is determined with a temperature-insensitive planar laser-induced fluorescence technique with nitric oxide (NO) as the tracer species. Single-shot images are obtained with the broadband excitation of a reduced temperature-sensitivity transition in the A2 sigma+ <-- X2 II(1/2) (0, 0) band of NO near 226 nm. The instantaneous mixture-fraction field at a convective Mach number of 2.64 is shown to be nearly identical to a typical diffusive process, supporting the notion of gradient-transport mixing models for highly compressible mixing layers.     

High-resolution 3D imaging of microvascular architecture in human glioma tissues using X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography as a potential adjunct to histopathology

Gliomas are rich in blood vessels, and the generation of tumor-associated vessels plays an important role in glioma growth and transfer. Histology can directly depict microvascular architecture in the tumor, but it just provides two-dimensional (2D) images obtained by destroying three-dimensional (3D) tissue specimens. There is a lack of high-resolution 3D imaging methods for observing the microvasculature throughout the entire specimens. X-ray phase-contrast computed tomography (PCCT) which is an emerging imaging method has demonstrated its outstanding potential in imaging soft tissues. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the potential of PCCT as an adjunct to histopathology in nondestructive and 3D visualization of the microvascular architecture in human glioma tissues. In this study, seven resected glioma tissues were scanned via PCCT and then processed histologically. The obtained PCCT data was analyzed and compared with corresponding histological results. Significant anatomical structures of the glioma such as microvessels, thrombi inside the microvessels, and areas of vascular proliferation could be clearly presented via PCCT, confirmed by the histological findings. Moreover, PCCT data also provided additional 3D information such as morphological alterations of the microvasculature, 3D distribution of the thrombi and stenosis severity of the vessels in glioma tissues, which cannot be fully analyzed in 2D histological slices. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that PCCT can offer excellent images at a near-histological level and additional valuable information in screening gliomas, without impeding further histological investigations. Thus, this technique could be potentially used as an adjunct to conventional histopathology in 3D nondestructive characterization of glioma vasculature.