Spatial resolution enhancement of ultrasound images using neural networks

Spatial resolution in modern ultrasound imaging systems is limited by the high cost of large aperture transducer arrays, which require a large number of transducer elements and electronic channels. A new technique to enhance the spatial resolution of pulse-echo imaging systems is presented. The method attempts to build an image that could be obtained with a transducer array aperture larger than that physically available. We consider two images of the same object obtained with two different apertures, the full aperture and a subaperture, of the same transducer. A suitable artificial neural network (ANN) is trained to reproduce the relationship between the image obtained with the transducer full aperture and the image obtained with a subaperture. The inputs of the neural network are portions of the image obtained with the subaperture (low resolution image), and the target outputs are the corresponding portions of the image produced by the full aperture (high resolution image). After the network is trained, it can produce images with almost the same resolution of the full aperture transducer, but using a reduced number of real transducer elements. All computations are carried out on envelope-detected decimated images; for this reason, the computational cost is low and the method is suitable for real-time applications. The proposed method was applied to experimental data obtained with the ultrasound synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT), giving quite promising results. Realtime implementation on a modern, full-digital echographic system is currently being developed.     

Representation of Preferences by Quasi-Linear Means

Starting by quasilinear means, we propose and analyze functionals that allow to represent the preferences of the decision maker in a more general setting; the preference order in the set of the alternatives depends on the way the functional has been generated. The functionals of this kind enjoy classical properties as independence and dominance principle. Anyway we stress that to make use of a single functional is not sufficient to describe paradoxical situations that arise for istance in the Kahneman and Tversky experiment.     

An Algorithm to Evaluate Quantified Boolean Formulae and Its Experimental Evaluation

The high computational complexity of advanced reasoning tasks such as reasoning about knowledge and planning calls for efficient and reliable algorithms for reasoning problems harder than NP. In this paper we propose Evaluate, an algorithm for evaluating quantified Boolean formulae (QBFs). Algorithms for evaluation of QBFs are suitable for experimental analysis of problems that belong to a wide range of complexity classes, a property not easily found in other formalisms. Evaluate is a generalization of the Davis–Putnam procedure for SAT and is guaranteed to work in polynomial space. Before presenting the algorithm, we discuss several abstract properties of QBFs that we singled out to make it more efficient. We also discuss various options that were investigated about heuristics and data structures and report the main results of the experimental analysis. In particular, Evaluate is orders of magnitude more efficient than a nested backtracking procedure that resorts to a Davis–Putnam algorithm for handling the innermost set of quantifiers. Moreover, experiments show that randomly generated QBFs exhibit regular patterns such as phase transition and easy-hard-easy distribution.     

Enhancement of interconnected power system stability using a control strategy involving static phase shifters

The static phase shifting transformer is one of the potential options of the recently proposed FACTS (flexible AC transmission systems). Promising results have been obtained for enhancing the small-disturbance and the transient stability of interconnected power systems.

In this paper, the important concept of involving in the same control strategy both generating units and static phase shifters has been considered. A systematic procedure for designing co-ordinated and decentralized controllers of these components is provided to assure a satisfactory dynamic performance of an interconnected power system under both small and large perturbations. The approach uses optimal control theory as a basis for the co-ordination of static phase shifter and governor controllers. A suboptimal decentralized control scheme is derived from the designed optimal controller by using a ‘minimum norm’ nearness criterion. The resulting feedback control signals for each generating unit and for each phase shifter is expressed in terms of measurable and local variables only.

Test results show the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy and the usefulness of control actions on static phase shifters.     

On the Extendibility of Near-MDS Elliptic Codes

The Main Conjecture on maximum distance separable (MDS) codes states that, except for some special cases, the maximum length of a q-ary linear MDS code of is q+1. This conjecture does not hold true for near maximum distance separable codes because of the existence of q-ary near-MDS elliptic codes having length bigger than q+1. An interesting related question is whether a near-MDS elliptic code may be extended to a longer near-MDS code. In this paper we prove some non-extendibility results for certain near-MDS elliptic codes.     

Top-down characterization of nucleic acids modified by structural probes using high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry and automated data interpretation

A top-down approach based on sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation (SORI-CID) has been implemented on an electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform mass spectrometer (FTMS) to characterize nucleic acid substrates modified by structural probes. Solvent accessibility reagents, such as dimethyl sulfate (DMS), 1-cyclohexyl-3-(2-morpholinoethyl)carbodiimide metho-p-toluenesulfonate (CMCT), and beta-ethoxy-alpha-ketobutyraldehyde (kethoxal, KT) are widely employed to reveal the position of single- vs double-stranded regions and obtain the footprint of bound proteins onto nucleic acids structures. Established methods require end-labeling of the nucleic acid constructs, probe-specific chemistry to produce strand cleavage at the modified nucleotides, and analysis by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine the position of the susceptible sites. However, these labor-intensive procedures can be avoided when mass spectrometry is used to identify the probe-induced modifications from their characteristic mass signatures. In particular, ESI-FTMS can be directly employed to monitor the conditions of probe application to avoid excessive alkylation, which could induce unwanted distortion or defolding of the substrate of interest. The sequence position of the covalent modifications can be subsequently obtained from classic tandem techniques, which allow for the analysis of individual target adducts present in complex reaction mixtures with no need for separation techniques. Selection and activation by SORI-CID has been employed to reveal the position of adducts in nucleic acid substrates in excess of 6 kDa. The stability of the different covalent modifications under SORI-CID conditions was investigated. Multiple stages of isolation and activation were employed in MS(n)() experiments to obtain the desired sequence information whenever the adduct stability was not particularly favorable, and SORI-CID induced the facile loss of the modified base. A new program called MS2Links was developed for the automated reduction and interpretation of fragmentation data obtained from modified nucleic acids. Based on an algorithm that searches for plausible isotopic patterns, the data reduction module is capable of discriminating legitimate signals from noise spikes of comparable intensity. The fragment identification module calculates the monoisotopic mass of ion products expected from a certain sequence and user-defined covalent modifications, which are finally matched with the signals selected by the data reduction program. Considering that MS2Links can generate similar fragment libraries for peptides and their covalent conjugates with other peptides or nucleic acids, this program provides an integrated platform for the structural investigation of protein-nucleic acid complexes based on cross-linking strategies and top-down ESI-FTMS.     

MIPAS-ENVISAT limb-sounding measurements: trade-off study for improvement of horizontal resolution

The Michelson Interferometer for Passive Atmospheric Sounding (MIPAS) is a limb-scanning spectrometer that has operated onboard the Environmental Satellite since the end of March 2002. Common features of limb-scanning experiments are both high vertical resolution and poor horizontal resolution. We exploit the two-dimensional geo-fit retrieval approach [Appl. Opt. 40, 1872-1875 (2001)] to investigate the possibility of improving the horizontal resolution of MIPAS measurements. Two different strategies are considered for this purpose, one exploiting the possibility (offered by the geo-fit analysis method) for an arbitrary definition of the retrieval grid, the other based on the possibility of saving measurement time by degrading the spectral resolution of the interferometer. The performances of the two strategies are compared in terms of the trade-off between the attained horizontal resolution and the retrieval precision. We find that for ozone it is possible to improve by a factor of 2 the horizontal resolution, which in the nominal measurement plan is approximately 530 km. This improvement corresponds to a degradation of the retrieval precision, which on average varies from a factor of 1.4 to 2.5, depending on the adopted spectral resolution.     

An Integrated CMOS Front-End for Optical Absolute Rotary Encoders

This paper presents a front-end circuit for optical rotary encoders. The light pulses modulated by the encoder disc are transduced into current signals, which are pre-processed and converted into digital waveforms related to the disc angular position information. The proposed front-end circuit is compensated against temperature drifts. Digitally programmable calibration is provided to account for spreads in impinging light pulse power. Measurement results on integrated prototypes are shown, demonstrating correct operation of the front-end with an optical input power from 0.5 W to 3 W up to a signal frequency of 500 kHz in a temperature range from 0 °C to 80 °C.     

Houghton anastigmatic telescope containing aspheric mirrors that allows corrector position as a free parameter

A family of catadioptric telescopes is investigated, characterzied with two-element, full-aperture afocal corrector lenses and aspherical, focusing, primary mirrors or primary-secondary mirror combination. Third-order aberration and design equation are provided for anastigmatic systems in which corrector position must be a free parameter, forcing the consideration of aspherics on the mirrored surfaces.     

Engineered articular cartilage: influence of the scaffold on cell phenotype and proliferation

Articular cartilage defects do not heal. Biodegradable scaffolds have been studied for cartilage engineering in order to implant autologous chondrocytes and help cartilage repair. We tested some new collagen matrices differing in collagen type, origin, structure and methods of extraction and purification, and compared the behavior of human chondrocytes cultured on them. Human chondrocytes were grown for three weeks on four different equine type I collagen matrices, one type I, III porcine collagen matrix and one porcine type II collagen matrix. After 21 days, samples were subjected to histochemical, immunohistochemical and histomorphometric analysis to study phenotype expression and cell adhesion. At 7, 14 and 21 days cell proliferation was studied by incorporation of [3H]-thymidine. Our data evidence that the collagen type influences cell morphology, adhesion and growth; indeed, cellularity and rate of proliferation were significantly higher and cells were rounder on the collagen II matrix than on either of the collagen I matrices. Among the collagen I matrices, we observed a great variability in terms of cell adhesion and proliferation. The present study allowed us to identify one type I collagen matrix and one type II collagen matrix that could be usefully employed as a scaffold for chondrocyte transplantation.