4-D x 3-D ultrasound: real-time scan conversion, filtering, and display of displacement vectors with a motorized curvilinear transducer

Recent research in the field of elastography has sought to expand displacement tracking to three dimensions. Once the 3-D volumes of displacement data have been obtained, they must be scan converted so that further processing, such as inversion methods to obtain tissue elasticity, can take place in Cartesian coordinates. This paper details an efficient and geometrically accurate algorithm to scan convert 3-D volumes of displacement vectors obtained from a motorized sector transducer. The proposed algorithm utilizes the physical scan geometry to convert the 3-D volumes of displacement data to both Cartesian coordinates and Cartesian displacements. Spatially varying filters are also proposed to prevent aliasing while minimizing data loss. Validation of the system has shown the algorithm to be correct to floating point precision, and the 3-D scan conversion and filtering can be performed faster than the native rate of data acquisition for the motorized transducer.     

2-D high-frame-rate dynamic elastography using delay compensated and angularly compounded motion vectors: preliminary results

This paper describes a new ultrasound-based system for high-frame-rate measurement of periodic motion in 2-D for tissue elasticity imaging. Similarly to conventional 2-D flow vector imaging, the system acquires the RF signals from the region of interest at multiple steering angles. A custom sector subdivision technique is used to increase the temporal resolution while keeping the total acquisition time within the range suitable for real-time applications. Within each sector, 1-D motion is estimated along the beam direction. The intra- and inter-sector delays are compensated using our recently introduced delay compensation algorithm. In-plane 2-D motion vectors are then reconstructed from these delay-compensated 1-D motions. We show that Young's modulus images can be reconstructed from these 2-D motion vectors using local inversion algorithms. The performance of the system is validated quantitatively using a commercial flow phantom and a commercial elasticity phantom. At the frame rate of 1667 Hz, the estimated flow velocities with the system are in agreement with the velocity measured with a pulsed-wave Doppler imaging mode of a commercial ultrasound machine with manual angle correction. At the frame rate of 1250 Hz, phantom Young's moduli of 29, 6, and 54 kPa for the background, the soft inclusion, and the hard inclusion, are estimated to be 30, 11, and 53 kPa, respectively.     

Study of scattering by a perfectly conducting wedge with finite sized faces

In this work the scattering of plane waves from a finite sized perfectly conducting wedge as a function of its opening angle and the width of its faces is studied using the combination of physical optics (po) and the physical theory of diffraction (ptd). To find out under which circumstances the ptd contribution is significant compared to the PO, the ratio of the ptd field and the po field is evaluated as a maximum and a mean value over every direction of observation in the Keller cone, as well as in the special direction of backscattering. We employ the incremental length diffraction coefficients for a wedge with finite sized faces based on equivalent edge currents derived recently for truncated wedge strips. The numerical behaviour in the limiting cases of the diffraction coefficients are discussed extensively.     

Quality factor of an electrically small antenna radiating close toa conducting plane

Expressions are derived for the smallest achievable radiation quality factor (Q) of an electrically small antenna in front of a conducting plane. Applying the low-frequency approximation to the source region involving an electric or a magnetic point dipole plus their images behind the plane, an expression is formed for the field in the radiation zone. The contribution of non-propagating energy in the near field is obtained explicitly using a spherical harmonics decomposition. The radiation Q is found to depend on the radius (relative to wavelength) of the smallest sphere that encloses the antenna and its image, the ratio of the vertical and horizontal dipole moments, as well as the positions of the dipoles relative to each other and to the plane. A number of simple wire structures are analysed with NEC (based on the method of moments), and the approximate Q obtained from their fractional bandwidth are compared to the corresponding theoretical minima     

Cost-effective energy carriers for transport – The role of the energy supply system in a carbon-constrained world

The aim of this study is to examine how the options for producing electricity, fuels, and heat in a carbon-constrained world affect the cost-effectiveness of a range of fuels and propulsion technologies in the transportation sector. GET 7.0, a global energy system model with five end-use sectors, is used for the analysis. We find that an energy system dominated either by solar or by nuclear tends to make biofuels in plug-in hybrids cost-effective. If coal with carbon capture and storage (CCS) dominates the energy system, hydrogen cars, rather than plug-in hybrids tend to become cost-effective. Performing a Monte Carlo simulation, we then show that the general features of our results hold for a wide range of assumptions for the costs of vehicle propulsion technologies (e.g., batteries and fuel cells). However, sufficiently large changes in say the battery costs may overturn the impact of changes in the energy supply system, so that plug-in hybrid vehicles become cost-effective even if coal with CCS dominate the energy supply. We conclude that analyses of future energy carriers and propulsion technologies need to consider developments in the energy supply system.     

The Yeast ATF1 Acetyltransferase Efficiently Acetylates Insect Pheromone Alcohols: Implications for the Biological Production of Moth Pheromones

Many moth pheromones are composed of mixtures of acetates of long‐chain (≥10 carbon) fatty alcohols. Moth pheromone precursors such as fatty acids and fatty alcohols can be produced in yeast by the heterologous expression of genes involved in insect pheromone production. Acetyltransferases that subsequently catalyze the formation of acetates by transfer of the acetate unit from acetyl‐CoA to a fatty alcohol have been postulated in pheromone biosynthesis. However, so far no fatty alcohol acetyltransferases responsible for the production of straight chain alkyl acetate pheromone components in insects have been identified. In search for a non‐insect acetyltransferase alternative, we expressed a plant‐derived diacylglycerol acetyltransferase (EaDAcT) (EC 2.3.1.20) cloned from the seed of the burning bush (Euonymus alatus) in a yeast system. EaDAcT transformed various fatty alcohol insect pheromone precursors into acetates but we also found high background acetylation activities. Only one enzyme in yeast was shown to be responsible for the majority of that background activity, the acetyltransferase ATF1 (EC 2.3.1.84). We further investigated the usefulness of ATF1 for the conversion of moth pheromone alcohols into acetates in comparison with EaDAcT. Overexpression of ATF1 revealed that it was capable of acetylating these fatty alcohols with chain lengths from 10 to 18 carbons with up to 27‐ and 10‐fold higher in vivo and in vitro efficiency, respectively, compared to EaDAcT. The ATF1 enzyme thus has the potential to serve as the missing enzyme in the reconstruction of the biosynthetic pathway of insect acetate pheromones from precursor fatty acids in yeast.     

Effect of Particle Additions on Drying Stresses and the Green Density of Sol-Gel-Processed Three-Dimensional Ceramic-Matrix Composites

This paper investigates sol-gel processing of three-dimensional (3-D) ceramic-matrix composites, focusing on the effect of addition of particles on drying stresses and composite green density. A 3-D woven carbon fiber/silica composite was used as the model material system for the investigation. Composites were fabricated with silica particle additions to the silica sol using a pressure infiltration technique, and the drying rate and matrix cracking were characterized. The particle size was varied in order to study the role of particle additions in the processing. Ammonium hydroxide (NH₄OH) and a particle coating agent, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate (TPM), were added in the mixture of particles and sol to improve particle packing in the preform. Sol-gel processing with the addition of particles proves to be an effective route to fabricate 3-D ceramic-matrix composites with higher green density and less matrix cracking.     

Dissolution of platinum in methoxy propionitrile containing LiI/I2

The stability of vapour deposited Pt and Pd as electrocatalysts on fluorine doped, tin oxide coated glass for the use as counter electrodes in dye senzitized electrochemical solar cells has been investigated. The electrocatalytically active layers did not seem to be chemically stable in an electrolyte consisting of LiI and I₂ dissolved in methoxy propionitrile. Thermodynamical calculations suggest the dissolution of Pt and Pd from the electrode surface to be caused by the formation of PtI₄ and PdI₆. Formation of complex species as PtI²⁻₄ and PdI²⁻₄ is less thermodynamically favoured, but PtI²⁻₄ may also be present in the solution.     

Cyclic distillation technology – a mini‐review

Process intensification in distillation systems has received much attention during past decades, with the aim of increasing both energy and separation efficiency. Various techniques, such as internal heat‐integrated distillation, membrane distillation, rotating packed bed, dividing‐wall columns and reactive distillation were studied and reported in the literature. All these techniques employ the conventional continuous counter‐current contact of vapor and liquid phases. Cyclic distillation technology is based on an alternative operating mode using separate phase movement which leads to key practical advantages in both chemical and biochemical processes. This article provides a mini‐review of cyclic distillation technology. The topics covered include the working principle, design and control methods, main benefits and limitations as well as current industrial applications. Cyclic distillation can be rather easily implemented in existing columns by simply changing the internals and the operating mode, thus bringing new life to old distillation towers by significantly increasing the column throughput, reducing the energy requirements and offering better separation performance. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry