The Spatial LASSO With Applications to Unmixing Hyperspectral Biomedical Images

Hyperspectral imaging (HSI) is a spectroscopic method that uses densely sampled measurements along the electromagnetic spectrum to identify the unique molecular composition of an object. Traditionally HSI has been associated with remote sensing-type applications, but recently has found increased use in biomedicine, from investigations at the cellular to the tissue level. One of the main challenges in the analysis of HSI is estimating the proportions, also called abundance fractions of each of the molecular signatures. While there is great promise for HSI in the area of biomedicine, large variability in the measurements and artifacts related to the instrumentation has slow adoption into more widespread practice. In this article, we propose a novel regularization and variable selection method called the spatial LASSO (SPLASSO). The SPLASSO incorporates spatial information via a graph Laplacian-based penalty to help improve the model estimation process for multivariate response data. We show the strong performance of this approach on a benchmark HSI dataset with considerable improvement in predictive accuracy over the standard LASSO. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.     

Differences between oculomotor and perceptual artifacts for temporally limited head mounted displays

We used perceptual and oculomotor measures to understand the negative impacts of low (phantom array) and high (motion blur) duty cycles with a high‐speed, AR‐likehead‐mounted display prototype. We observed large intersubject variability for the detection of phantom array artifacts but a highly consistent and systematic effect on saccadic eye movement targeting during low duty cycle presentations. This adverse effect on saccade endpoints was also related to an increased error rate in a perceptual discrimination task, showing a direct effect of display duty cycle on the perceptual quality. For high duty cycles, the probability of detecting motion blur increased during head movements, and this effect was elevated at lower refresh rates. We did not find an impact of the temporal display characteristics on compensatory eye movements during head motion (e.g., VOR). Together, our results allow us to quantify the tradeoff of different negative spatiotemporal impacts of user movements and make subsequent recommendations for optimized temporal HMD parameters.     

Network topology and the theory of rubber elasticity

The earliest investigations on rubber elasticity, commencing in the 19th century, were necessarily limited to phenomenological interpretations. The realisation that polymers consist of very long molecular chains. commencing c. 1930, gave impetus to the molecular theory of rubber elasticity (1932-). according to which the high deformability of an elastomer, and the elastic force generated by deformation, stem from the configurations accessible to long molecular chains. Theories of rubber elasticity put forward from 1934-1946 relied on the assumption that the junctions of the rubber network undergo displacements that are affine in macroscopic strain. The theory of James and Guth (1947) dispensed with this premise, and demonstrated instead that the mean positions of the junctions of a ‘phantom’ network consisting of Gaussian chains devoid of material properties are affine in the strain. The vital significance of the distinction between the actual distribution of chain vectors in a network and their distribution if the junctions would be fixed at their mean positions went unnoticed for nearly 30 years. Experimental investigations, commencing with the incisive work of Gee in 1946. revealed large departures from the relationship of stress to strain predicted by the theories cited. This discrepancy prompted extensive studies, theoretical and experimental, during succeeding years. Inquiry into the fundamentals of polymer networks, formed for example by interlinking very long polymer molecules, exposed the need to take account of network imperfections, typically consisting of chains attached at only one end to a network junction. Various means were advocated to make corrections for these imperfections. The cycle rank ζ of the network has been shown (1976) to be the fundamental measure of its connectivity, regardless of the junction functionality and pattern of imperfections. Often overlooked is the copious interpenetration of the chains comprising typical elastomeric networks. Theories that attempt to represent such networks on a lattice are incompatible with this universal feature. Moreover, the dense interpenetration of chains may limit the ability of junctions in real networks to accommodate the fluctuations envisaged in the theory of phantom networks. It was suggested in 1975 that departures from the form predicted for the elastic equation of state are due to constraints on the fluctuations of junctions whose effect diminishes with deformation and with dilation. Formulation of a self-consistent theory based on this suggestion required recognition of the non-affine connection between the chain vector distribution function and the macroscopic strain in a real network, which may partake of characteristics of a phantom network in some degree. Implementation of the idea was achieved through postulation of domains of constraint affecting the equilibrium distribution of fluctuations of network junctions from their mean positions. This led in due course to a theory that accounts for the relationship of stress to strain virtually throughout the ranges of strain accessible to measurement. The theory establishes connections between structure and elastic properties. This is achieved with utmost frugality in arbitrary parameters.     

一种鲁棒性强的无线传感器网络位置隐私保护方案

传统无线传感器网络（WSNs）位置隐私保护方案难以解决安全性与网络能耗之间的均衡,为了提高网络隐私信息的安全性,提出一种鲁棒性强的无线传感器网络位置隐私保护方案.首先通过增加伪源节点和伪汇聚节点防止攻击者获得关键节点的位置信息;然后采用伪汇聚节点分组、概率丢弃冗余数据包降低网络资源消耗;最后在Matlab 2012平台下进行仿真对比实验.结果表明：该方案可以提高网络攻击事件检测率,降低网络时延,有效地保护源节点和汇聚节点的位置隐私.     

快乐中的虚假——中国大众文化“快乐幻象”本质探究简

我国现阶段的大众文化现象明显,各种“快乐幻象”普遍存在,如娱乐节目,影视大片和青春小说。大众文化有其特殊的形成背景,也有不同的表现形式。从文化的角度来剖析大众文化,大众文化对社会和个人都有诸多不良影响。要从价值追求、主体意识和批判精神着手,构建具有中国社会主义特色的大众文化。     

Performance tests of a new non-invasive sensor unit and ultrasound electronics

Industrial applications involving pulsed ultrasound instrumentation require complete non-invasive setups due to high temperatures, pressures and possible abrasive fluids. Recently, new pulser-receiver electronics and a new sensor unit were developed by Flow-Viz. The complete sensor unit setup enables non-invasive Doppler measurements through high grade stainless steel. In this work a non-invasive sensor unit developed for one inch pipes (22.5 mm ID) and two inch pipes (48.4 mm ID) were evaluated. Performance tests were conducted using a Doppler string phantom setup and the Doppler velocity results were compared to the moving string target velocities. Eight different positions along the pipe internal diameter (22.5 mm) were investigated and at each position six speeds (0.1–0.6 m/s) were tested. Error differences ranged from 0.18 to 7.8% for the tested velocity range. The average accuracy of Doppler measurements for the 22.5 mm sensor unit decreased slightly from 1.3 to 2.3% across the ultrasound beam axis. Eleven positions were tested along the diameter of the 48.4 mm pipe (eight positions covered the pipe radius) and five speeds were tested (0.2–0.6 m/s). The average accuracy of Doppler measurements for the 48.4 mm sensor unit was between 2.4 and 5.9%, with the lowest accuracy at the point furthest away from the sensor unit. Error differences varied between 0.07 and 11.85% for the tested velocity range, where mostly overestimated velocities were recorded. This systematic error explains the higher average error difference percentage when comparing the 48.4 mm (2.4–5.9%) and 22.5 mm (1.3–2.3%) sensor unit performance. The overall performance of the combined Flow-Viz system (electronics, software, sensor) was excellent as similar or higher errors were typically reported in the medical field. This study has for the first time validated non-invasive Doppler measurements through high grade stainless steel pipes by using an advanced string phantom setup.     

Studies on thin film based flexible gold electrode arrays for resistivity imaging in electrical impedance tomography

Practical phantoms are essential to assess the electrical impedance tomography (EIT) systems for their validation, calibration and comparison purposes. Metal surface electrodes are generally used in practical phantoms which reduce the SNR of the boundary data due to their design and development errors. Novel flexible and biocompatible gold electrode arrays of high geometric precision are proposed to improve the boundary data quality in EIT. The flexible gold electrode arrays are developed on flexible FR4 sheets using thin film technology and practical gold electrode phantoms are developed with different configurations. Injecting a constant current to the phantom boundary the surface potentials are measured by a LabVIEW based data acquisition system and the resistivity images are reconstructed in EIDORS. Boundary data profile and the resistivity images obtained from the gold electrode phantoms are compared with identical phantoms developed with stainless steel electrodes. Surface profilometry, microscopy and the impedance spectroscopy show that the gold electrode arrays are smooth, geometrically precised and less resistive. Results show that the boundary data accuracy and image quality are improved with gold electrode arrays. Results show that the diametric resistivity plot (DRP), contrast to noise ratio (CNR), percentage of contrast recovery (PCR) and coefficient of contrast (COC) of reconstructed images are improved in gold electrode phantoms.     

Construction of a head phantom for mixed neutron and gamma field dosimetry in TRR

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) project in Tehran Research Reactor (TRR) is currently ongoing and an appropriate neutron beam for BNCT has been provided by modification of TRR thermal column. In order to measure the neutron beam characteristics inside of a phantom, a standard phantom is needed. The present paper describes details of the head phantom construction and its different potential. The constructed head phantom permits us to put different dosimeters with different sizes in many locations of the phantom volume. Foils, wires, TLDs and ion chamber can be placed inside of its volume. Gel dosimeter can also be poured into the phantom volume and removed from it easily.     

BNCT project at Tehran Research Reactor: Current and prospective plans

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) for brain tumor treatment is under development at the Tehran Research Reactor (TRR). This paper presents all current research activities that were performed during recent years as well as the prospective of BNCT research at TRR. The theoretical and experimental investigations show that TRR has a very good potential to consider it as a pilot facility for BNCT research in the Middle East and could be facilitated for clinical applications. In this way, there are some steps and also some challenges which are described in the paper.     

近距离放射治疗剂量计算固体水模型的设计与实现

讨论了新型近距离放射治疗粒子源125I和103Pd的使用,并以美国医学物理学家协会推荐的近距离放射治疗剂量计算草案为依据,利用蒙特卡罗程序MCNP4C模拟国际近距离放射治疗公司(IBt)生产的新型粒子125I源在固体水模型中的剂量计算几何模型;MCNP4C模拟得到的几何水模型可对AAPM工作组43号报道推荐的剂量测定参量如剂量率常数、径向剂量函数和各向异性函数进行精确计算;近距放射治疗源的剂量学特征就可以通过计算这些剂量测定参量得到.