An Optical Imaging Technique Using Deep Illumination in the Angular Domain

This paper describes a novel optical imaging method, deep illumination angular domain imaging (ADI), for detecting micron-scale objects within highly scattering media. The new optical imaging is a much simpler and less expensive solution as compared to other available optical imaging techniques. In principle, deep illumination ADI uses collimation detection capabilities of small acceptance angle devices to extract photons emitted from the scattered light created by a laser source, aimed deep beneath the turbid medium surface. The laser source forms an illumination ball within the medium that emits scattered light in all directions and illuminates objects near the surface from behind. Consequently, when photons from this illumination ball pass an object and reach the angular filter, light that is not subsequently scattered passes through to a camera detector, whereas scattered photons are rejected by the filter. Image results obtained are recorded for different phantom locations, phantom sizes, and medium scattering levels. Our images clearly display sub-204 m phantoms when placed 3 mm deep within a test scattering medium with total effective attenuation coefficient (mu'_eff) up to 5.8^-1 cm or 2.5 mm deep in chicken tissue tests. Preliminary digital image processing shows the image contrast enhancement and the definition improvement.     

水下主动激光扫描系统中光场记录及散射背景分离研究

传统水下主动激光扫描系统采用普通相机对反射光接收记录,反射激光点被掩埋在背景噪声中无法分离,影响成像质量。该文在水下激光主动扫描成像系统中采用光场相机记录了包括激光反射光线和各种散射背景杂光的位置和方向信息,为抑制散射背景杂光提供了可能。在后续光场记录图像处理中,首先,对记录的光场图像进行前后两次重聚焦,第一次是对激光照射到物面激光光点的重聚焦,第二次是对激光光点前景散射光的重聚焦,再对两幅图像进行差分处理;提出一种计算机自动判断流程,使得差分所得图像上激光点的衬度最大,或足够大。实验结果表明,上述方法可以达到较好的散射背景抑制作用,是对现有同步扫描主动激光成像系统空间分离散射背景抑制技术的必要补充。     

Investigation of near-infrared autofluorescence imaging for the detection of breast cancer

Detection of breast cancer in fresh tissue obtained from surgery is investigated using near-infrared autofluorescence imaging under laser excitation at 532 and 632.8 nm. The differences in intensity between the three main components of breast tissue (cancer, fibrous, and adipose) are estimated and compared to those obtained from cross-polarized light scattering images recorded under polarized illumination at 700 nm. The optical spectroscopic images for each tissue sample were subsequently compared with the histopathology slides. The experimental results indicate that the intensity of the near-infrared emission is considerably different in breast cancer compared to that of the adjacent nonneoplastic tissues (adipose and fibrous tissue). The experimental results suggest that 632.8-nm excitation offers key advantages compared to 532 nm excitation.     

Extinction coefficients of hemoglobin for near-infrared spectroscopy of tissue.

Extinction coefficients of hemoglobin have been studied for five decades by clinical chemists and biochemists, particularly for laboratory spectrophotometric measurements. In the last ten to 15 years, near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and imaging for tissue vascular oxygenation, breast tumor detection, and functional brain imaging have been intensively developed for in vivo measurements by groups of physicists, biomedical engineers, and mathematicians. In the approach of NIRS, NIR light in the wavelength range of 650-900 nm is utilized to illuminate tissue in vivo, and the transmitted or reflected light through tissue is recorded for the quantification of hemoglobin concentrations of the measured tissue vasculature. In order to achieve mathematical conversion from the detected light intensity at different wavelengths to hemoglobin concentration, extinction coefficients of hemoglobin, /spl epsiv/, must be used. While the engineers and physicists working in the NIR field have found the correct /spl epsiv/ values to use, there has been controversy on what /spl epsiv/ values should be used for in vivo NIRS in comparison with the conventional e/spl epsiv/ that most biochemists have used in the laboratories for in vitro measurements. The purpose of this article is to address this issue and help biomedical engineers and physicists gain a better understanding of e to be used for NIRS and NIR imaging.     

A high-resolution MACROscope with differential phase contrast, transmitted light, confocal fluorescence, and hyperspectral capabilities for large-area tissue imaging

Recent advances in imaging technology have contributed greatly to biological science. Confocal fluorescence microscopes can acquire two-dimensional and three-dimensional images of biological samples such as live or fixed cells and tissues. Specimens that are large (e.g., a 10 mm/spl times/10 mm tissue section) and overfill the field of view (FOV) of typical microscope objectives require the use of image tiling to cover the entire specimen. This can be time consuming and cause artifacts in the composite image. The MACROscope system (Biomedical Photometrics Inc., Waterloo, ON, Canada) is a confocal device with a 22 mm/spl times/70 mm FOV designed for imaging large tissue sections in a single frame. The prototype demonstrated here can obtain images in reflected, transmitted, fluorescence, phase contrast, and hyperspectral modes. The new spectral imaging mode is characterized with a series of test targets, and sampled spectra are compared to a commercial spectrometer. Fluorescence images of human SiHa tumor xenografts stained with CD31-Cy3, showing blood vessel location, and EF5-Cy5, showing areas of tissue hypoxia, were collected. Differential phase contrast images of the same section, as well as human epithelial cells, were recorded to assess the phase contrast mode. Additionally, fluorescence images of Cytokeratin-Cy3 stained squamous cell carcinoma tissue sections were captured. Finally, red, green, blue transmitted light images of human tongue were obtained. This new device avoids the need for image tiling and provides simultaneous imaging of multiple fluorescently labeled tissue-specific markers in large biological samples. This enables time- and cost-efficient imaging of (immuno)histopathological samples. This device may also serve in the imaging of high-throughput DNA and tissue arrays.     

LED单边侧入式导光板的网点设计

单边侧入式导光板可降低其设计成本和制作成本,为了获得均匀的表面照度,本文介绍了LED为光源的单边侧入式导光板散射网点设计方法。建立了相应模型,得到这种导光板散射网点的一种排布公式和计算方法,并用TracePro软件进行模拟仿真,验证了网点设计方法的正确性。模拟和实验结果表明通过这种网点设计方法可获得均匀度优于90%的表面照度分布。     

Enhanced Near-Field Imaging Contrasts of Silver Nanoparticles by Localized Surface Plasmon

Near-field images of Ag nanoparticles are studied using a near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) operating at illumination mode with blue, green, and red probing lights. The obtained far-field intensity contrast between the nanoparticle and background strongly depends on the sizes of nanoparticles and the wavelength of probing light. Experimental NSOM images supported by theoretical 3-D finite-difference time-domain simulation demonstrate that the intensity contrast is enhanced at wavelength close to the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) peak of the nanoparticle. The abilities to distinguish nanoparticles with different LSPR properties on the same substrate can lead to a material-specific NSOM imaging technique.      

Optoacoustic imaging using a three-dimensional reconstructionalgorithm

A novel three-dimensional (3-D) computational algorithm to reconstruct 3-D optoacoustic images from two-dimensional (2-D) pressure distributions generated at the sample surface is presented. The 2-D pressure distributions were measured as images at different delay times after the excitation laser pulse. The pressure images were captured with a gated CCD camera as the local pressure induces intensity changes of a reflected probe beam at the surface of the irradiated sample. The illumination time was 10 ns and the resolution of the surface pressure image was 20 μm. The reconstruction algorithm is based on the decomposition into plane waves. The algorithm was tested in the back projection of simulated pressure transients of three sources, and applied to different biological systems. Furthermore the algorithm was compared with the time of flight back projection algorithm. Optoacoustic images with a depth resolution of 15 μm and a lateral resolution of 100 μm are presented     

Near-infrared (NIR) tomography breast image reconstruction with a priori structural information from MRI: algorithm development for reconstructing heterogeneities

A combined magnetic resonance and near-infrared (MRI-NIR) imaging modality can potentially yield high resolution maps of optical properties from noninvasive simultaneous measurement. The main disadvantage of near-infrared (NIR) tomography lies in the low spatial resolution resulting from the highly scattering nature of tissue for these wavelengths. MRI has achieved high resolution, but suffers from low specificity. In this study, NIR image reconstruction algorithms that incorporate a priori structural information provided by MRI are investigated in an attempt to optimize recovery of a simulated optical property distribution. The effect of high levels of tissue heterogeneity are evaluated to determine the limitations of incorporating prior information into a realistic set of patient breast images. We assume absorption coefficient (/spl mu//sub a/) variations near /spl plusmn/40%, and transport scattering coefficient (/spl mu//sub s//sup //) variations near /spl plusmn/20%, in a coronal breast MRI geometry. Changes in tissue pathology due to tumor growth can be observed with NIR tompgraphy, and so the goal here is to determine how best to quantify these tumor-based contrast regions within the presence of high tissue heterogeneity. By applying knowledge of tissue's layered structure in reconstruction through various constraints in the iterative algorithm, quantitative recovery of the tumor optical properties improves from 69% to 74%, and localization improves as well. However, only when the true heterogeneity of the tissue distribution was included was accurate quantification of the tumor region possible. Using a good initial guess of /spl mu//sub a/ and /spl mu//sub s//sup //, derived from the regional structure of the model, quantification of the region reaches 99% of the true value, and spatial resolution retains a similar value to the original MRI image.     

基于插值处理的散射介质中偏振成像实验研究

针对散射介质中光学成像质量受散射效应干扰的问题,基于Jaffe 成像模型,实验研究了基于插值处理的偏振成像降 噪方法,实现目标信号与后向散射噪声的有效分离。首先,利用退偏振特性建立信息插值处理与信号提取模型;其次,搭建偏 振成像实验光路结构进行验证,以脂肪乳溶液模拟散射环境,在偏振激光照明条件下获取散射场景的相互正交的偏振探测通 道图像;最后,对所获取偏振图像进行插值处理并利用信噪比参数评价其可靠性。实验结果表明,当脂肪乳溶液浓度依次为 0.1%、0.2%、0.3%与0.4%时,基于插值处理的偏振成像方法所对应图像的信噪比依次为112.5、9.165、13.82与11.88,能 够有效地抑制后向散射噪声对光学成像过程的影响。     

Experimental validation of a backpropagation algorithm forthree-dimensional breast tumor localization

To validate a new backpropagation algorithm for three-dimensional (3-D) tumor localization in breast tissue with a two-dimensional measurement, we performed experiments on breast phantoms using a heterodyne, frequency-domain photon migration system. The near-infrared (680 or 780 nm) laser diode used to provide illumination was intensity modulated at both megahertz (20-60 MHz) and kilohertz (10 kHz) frequencies. The breast phantoms were made of plastic resin with a variety of simulated tumors imbedded inside and then scanned with the system in a planar geometry. With megahertz modulation signals, both of the amplitude and phase of the transmitted light were used in the data reduction process, whereas with kilohertz modulation signals only the amplitudes were used for the reconstruction. In both cases, the backpropagation reconstruction algorithm was used to accomplish 3-D localization of the imbedded tumors. In all cases, the reconstructed locations for the hidden objects are in good agreement with the true values. Our current work demonstrates the possibility and potential of developing low-cost optical tomographic instruments     

Recognizing the ID of modulated LED tube lights by using camera motion blur

In this paper, we present an image‐based ID recognition method for ID‐modulated light‐emitting diode (LED) tube lights by using the motion blur captured by a moving camera. This method is applied to a novel camera‐based indoor positioning system, which can provide exact location for mobile users. In this system, high‐intensity LED tubes are used concurrently as the illumination devices and optical markers. The flashing of each LED lamp is modulated, and the entire tube expresses an ID message, which can be captured by a normal camera installed in a mobile terminal. The flashing occurs at a high frequency and without degrading the illumination function. However, when the exposure time of the camera is longer than the flicker period of the LED lamps, it is difficult to capture the ID pattern. We propose a method that uses motion blur to overcome this limitation. During the period of exposure, if the user manually shakes the camera in the proper direction, a streaked pattern is developed on the captured image frame, which can be used for retrieving an ID number. Moreover, we can also obtain position estimation of the terminal from motion‐blurred images. Experimental results show that with careful operation it is feasible to recognize the ID of LED tubes successfully. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Depth-resolved holography through turbid media usingphotorefraction

A technique based on photorefractive holography for imaging objects obscured by a scattering medium is presented. Using ultrashort pulse illumination, depth-resolved whole-field images of three dimensional objects embedded in scattering media have been obtained. Bulk photorefractive crystals and photorefractive multiple quantum-well (MQW) devices have been investigated as the hologram recording element. Images have been obtained through media of up to 16 scattering mean free paths with a system based on bulk rhodium-doped barium titanate (Rh:BaTiO₃). Using MQW devices, a real-time image acquisition (<0.4 ms) has been demonstrated when imaging through eight scattering mean free paths. The relative merits of photorefractive holography are discussed, including its potential to provide a higher dynamic range of detection than traditional photographic film based or electronic holography. This could be important for in vivo imaging through biological tissue     

Optical Diffuse Imaging of an Ex Vivo Model Cancerous Human Breast Using Independent Component Analysis

Optical imaging using independent component analysis (OPTICA) has been used for detection, 3D localization, and cross-section imaging of a tumor inside a model human breast composed of ex vivo human breast tissues. OPTICA uses a multisource target illumination and multidetector signal acquisition scheme to obtain multiple spatial and angular views of the sample for target localization. Independent component analysis of the perturbations in the spatial light intensity distribution measured on the sample boundary sorts out the signal originating from individual targets. A back-projection technique estimates the cross-section of each target. The approach correctly provided the positions of a tumor located at the mid-plane and two glandular structures located at different positions within the 33-mm thick model breast. The reconstructed cross-section images are in good agreement with known dimensions of the structures, and pathological findings.     

基于计算机视觉的车灯光导色差检测

设计了一种汽车车灯光导的色差检测系统。该系统主要由计算机、高性能 CCD 摄像机硬件平台和LabVIEW软件平台组成。首先由摄像机分别对正常发光和有缺陷的光导进行图像拍摄,然后对图像进行直方图阈值分割,最后将图像的颜色模型由 RGB模型转换到 CIELAB 模型上,在此模型上分别应用 CIE L?a?b?和 CIE2000色差公式对正常发光的光导和有缺陷的光导图像进行计算和对比,从而完成车灯光导的色差检测。     

Imaging of tissue microstructures using a multimodal microscope design

We investigate a microscope design that offers high signal sensitivity and hyperspectral imaging capabilities and allows for implementation of various optical imaging approaches while its operational complexity is minimized. This system uses long working distance microscope objectives that enable for off-axis illumination of the tissue, thereby allowing for excitation at any optical wavelength and nearly eliminating spectral noise from the optical elements. Preliminary studies using human and animal tissues demonstrate the feasibility of this approach for real-time imaging of intact tissue microstructures using autofluorescence and light scattering imaging methods.     

Three-Dimensional Source Imaging From Simultaneously Recorded ERP and BOLD-fMRI

We present the 3-D EEG source images reconstructed by using the minimum norm least square (MNLS) method in combination with the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) statistical parametric mapping. For a group of five normal subjects, electroencephalogram (EEG) and fMRI signals responding to the full-view checkerboard pattern-reversal visual stimulation were recorded simultaneously and separately. The electrical activities in V1/V2 and V5 were successfully imaged in the N75-P100-N145 and P100-N145 components, respectively. The present results demonstrate the merits of high-resolution spatiotemporal functional neuroimaging by integrating the simultaneously recorded fMRI and EEG data.     

A hyperspectral imaging system for in vivo optical diagnostics

This paper details the basic principles and instrumental systems as well as applications of hyperspectral imaging system in the biomedical field. The development of an HSI system that combines recent advances in several photonic technologies, including an AOTF, a 2-D CCD detector, and imaging fiber optics. The integration of these technologies leads to a versatile and powerful imaging system that can rapidly record spectral images of samples. This imaging system could find useful applications in medical diagnostics applications where rapid in vivo detection of complex samples is required. The HSI technique has the potential for in site optical diagnosis on tissue and it can be use for guidance of surgical intervention and treatment. The optical diagnostic approaches may either be an imaging modality or a spectroscopic modality. The spectroscopic diagnostics may also provide real-time assessment of tissue response to therapy.     

Angular domain imaging of objects within highly scattering media using silicon micromachined collimating arrays

Optical imaging of objects within highly scattering media, such as tissue, requires the detection of ballistic/quasi-ballistic photons through these media. Recent works have used phase/coherence domain or time domain tomography (femtosecond laser pulses) to detect the shortest path photons through scattering media. This work explores an alternative, angular domain imaging, which uses collimation detection capabilities of small acceptance angle devices to extract photons emitted aligned closely to a laser source. It employs a high aspect ratio, micromachined collimating detector array fabricated by high-resolution silicon surface micromachining. Consider a linear collimating array of very high aspect ratio (200: 1) containing 51/spl times/1000 /spl mu/m etched channels with 102-/spl mu/m spacing over a 10-mm silicon width. With precise array alignment to a laser source, unscattered light passes directly through the channels to the charge coupled device detector and the channel walls absorb the scattered light at angles >0.29/spl deg/. Objects within a scattering medium were scanned quickly with a computer-controlled Z axis table. High-resolution images of 100-/spl mu/m-wide lines and spaces were detected at scattered-to-ballistic ratios of 5/spl times/10/sup 5/: 1, with objects located near the middle of the sample seen at even higher levels. At >5/spl times/10/sup 6/: 1 ratios, a uniform background of scattered illumination degrades the image contrast unless recovered by background subtraction. Monte Carlo simulation programs designed to test the angular domain imaging concept showed that the collimator detects the shortest path length photons, as in other optical tomography methods. Furthermore, the collimator acts as an optical filter to remove scattered light while preserving the image resolution. Simulations suggest smaller channels and longer arrays could enhance detection by >100.     

Time-gated transillumination of objects in highly scattering mediausing a subpicosecond optical amplifier

We have developed an optical system that simultaneously selects and amplifies photons in a time window of less than 10 ps. This new subpicosecond optical amplifier allowed us to realize one-dimensional images of a striped pattern with a spatial resolution of 200-μm through a 30-mm liquid scattering medium. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to study the relative importance of parameters characterizing the medium and the time-gated amplifying system in relation to the image sharpness. The potential application of this system in medical imaging is discussed