Advances in the application of auxiliary imaging techniques in parathyroid diseases

Hypoparathyroidism is one of the main complications after total thyroidectomy,severely affecting patients’quality of life.How to effectively protect parathyroid function after surgery and reduce the incidence of hypoparathyroidism has always been a key research area in thyroid surgery.Therefore,precise localization of parathyroid glands during surgery,effective imaging,and accurate surgical resection have become hot topics of concern for thyroid surgeons.In response to this clinical phenomenon,this study compared several different imaging methods for parathyroid surgery,including nanocarbon,indocyanine green,near-infrared imaging techniques,and technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile combined with gamma probe imaging technology.The advantages and disadvantages of each method were analyzed,providing scientific recommendations for future parathyroid imaging.In recent years,some related basic and clinical research has also been conducted in thyroid surgery.This article reviewed relevant literature and provided an overview of the practical application progress of various imaging techniques in parathyroid surgery.

Benign gallbladder diseases:Imaging techniques and tips for differentiating with malignant gallbladder diseases

Benign gallbladder diseases usually present with intraluminal lesions and localized or diffuse wall thickening.Intraluminal lesions of the gallbladder include gallstones,cholesterol polyps,adenomas,or sludge and polypoid type of gallbladder cancer must subsequently be excluded.Polyp size,stalk width,and enhancement intensity on contrast-enhanced ultrasound and degree of diffusion restriction may help differentiate cholesterol polyps and adenomas from gallbladder cancer.Localized gallbladder wall thickening is largely due to segmental or focal gallbladder adenomyomatosis,although infiltrative cancer may present similarly.Identification of Rokitansky-Aschoff sinuses is pivotal in diagnosing adenomyomatosis.The layered pattern,degree of enhancement,and integrity of the wall are imaging clues that help discriminate innocuous thickening from gallbladder cancer.High-resolution ultrasound is especially useful for analyzing the layering of gallbladder wall.A diffusely thickened wall is frequently seen in inflammatory processes of the gallbladder.Nevertheless,it is important to check for coexistent cancer in instances of acute cholecystitis.Ultrasound used alone is limited in evaluating complicated cholecystitis and often requires complementary computed tomography.In chronic cholecystitis,preservation of a two-layered wall and weak wall enhancement are diagnostic clues for excluding malignancy.Magnetic resonance imaging in conjunction with diffusion-weighted imaging helps to differentiate xathogranulomatous cholecystitis from gallbladder cancer by identifying the presence of fat and degree of diffusion restriction.Such distinctions require a familiarity with typical imaging features of various gallbladder diseases and an understanding of the roles that assorted imaging modalities play in gallbladder evaluations.

Recent advances in imaging techniques of renal masses

Multiphasic multidetector computed tomography(CT)forms the mainstay for the characterization of renal masses whereas magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)acts as a problem-solving tool in some cases.However,a few of the renal masses remain indeterminate even after evaluation by conventional imaging methods.To overcome the deficiency in current imaging techniques,advanced imaging methods have been devised and are being tested.This review will cover the role of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography,shear wave elastography,dual-energy CT,perfusion CT,MR perfusion,diffusion-weighted MRI,blood oxygen leveldependent MRI,MR spectroscopy,positron emission tomography(PET)/prostate-specific membrane antigen-PET in the characterization of renal masses.

Non-invasive evaluation of liver steatosis with imaging modalities:New techniques and applications

In the world,nonalcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)accounts for majority of diffuse hepatic diseases.Notably,substantial liver fat accumulation can trigger and accelerate hepatic fibrosis,thus contributing to disease progression.Moreover,the presence of NAFLD not only puts adverse influences for liver but is also associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.Therefore,early detection and quantified measurement of hepatic fat content are of great importance.Liver biopsy is currently the most accurate method for the evaluation of hepatic steatosis.However,liver biopsy has several limitations,namely,its invasiveness,sampling error,high cost and moderate intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility.Recently,various quantitative imaging techniques have been developed for the diagnosis and quantified measurement of hepatic fat content,including ultrasound-or magnetic resonancebased methods.These quantitative imaging techniques can provide objective continuous metrics associated with liver fat content and be recorded for comparison when patients receive check-ups to evaluate changes in liver fat content,which is useful for longitudinal follow-up.In this review,we introduce several imaging techniques and describe their diagnostic performance for the diagnosis and quantified measurement of hepatic fat content.

E-Cervix imaging displaying cervical elasticity characteristics of healthy adult nulliparous women at different age groups and different menstrual cycle stages

Objective To observe the cervical elasticity of healthy adult nulliparous women at different age groups and different stages of menstrual cycle with E-Cervix imaging technology.Methods A total of 218 healthy adult nulliparous women who underwent transvaginal ultrasound examination for routine physical examination were retrospectively enrolled,including 103 in follicular phase,78 in ovulation phase and 37 in luteal phase.Cervical canal length(CL)and E-Cervix elasticity parameters were compared among different age groups and different stages of menstrual cycle,including elasticity contrast index(ECI),hardness ratio(HR),cervical internal and external orifice strain values(IOS and EOS)and IOS/EOS ratio.Results No significant difference of CL nor cervical elasticity parameters was detected among healthy adult nulliparous women at different age groups(all P>0.05).There were significant differences of ECI,HR and IOS among different menstrual cycle stages(all P<0.05),among which women in follicular phase had higher ECI and IOS but lower HR than those in luteal phase(all P<0.05).Conclusion No significant difference of cervical elasticity existed among healthy adult nulliparous women at different age groups.Meanwhile,cervical elasticity of healthy adult nulliparous women changed during menstrual cycle,in follicular phase had higher ECI and IOS but lower HR than in luteal phase.

A Systematic Review of Computer Vision Techniques for Quality Control in End-of-Line Visual Inspection of Antenna Parts

The rapid evolution of wireless communication technologies has underscored the critical role of antennas in ensuring seamless connectivity.Antenna defects,ranging from manufacturing imperfections to environmental wear,pose significant challenges to the reliability and performance of communication systems.This review paper navigates the landscape of antenna defect detection,emphasizing the need for a nuanced understanding of various defect types and the associated challenges in visual detection.This review paper serves as a valuable resource for researchers,engineers,and practitioners engaged in the design and maintenance of communication systems.The insights presented here pave the way for enhanced reliability in antenna systems through targeted defect detection measures.In this study,a comprehensive literature analysis on computer vision algorithms that are employed in end-of-line visual inspection of antenna parts is presented.The PRISMA principles will be followed throughout the review,and its goals are to provide a summary of recent research,identify relevant computer vision techniques,and evaluate how effective these techniques are in discovering defects during inspections.It contains articles from scholarly journals as well as papers presented at conferences up until June 2023.This research utilized search phrases that were relevant,and papers were chosen based on whether or not they met certain inclusion and exclusion criteria.In this study,several different computer vision approaches,such as feature extraction and defect classification,are broken down and analyzed.Additionally,their applicability and performance are discussed.The review highlights the significance of utilizing a wide variety of datasets and measurement criteria.The findings of this study add to the existing body of knowledge and point researchers in the direction of promising new areas of investigation,such as real-time inspection systems and multispectral imaging.This review,on its whole,offers a complete study of computer vision approaches for quality control in antenna parts.It does so by providing helpful insights and drawing attention to areas that require additional exploration.

Super-resolution Imaging of Telescopic Systems based on Optical-neural Network Joint Optimization

Optical telescopes are an important tool for acquiring optical information about distant objects,and resolution is an important indicator that measures the ability to observe object details.However,due to the effects of system aberration,atmospheric seeing,and other factors,the observed image of ground-based telescopes is often degraded,resulting in reduced resolution.This paper proposes an optical-neural network joint optimization method to improve the resolution of the observed image by co-optimizing the point-spread function(PSF)of the telescopic system and the image super-resolution(SR)network.To improve the speed of image reconstruction,we designed a generative adversarial net(LCR-GAN)with light parameters,which is much faster than the latest unsupervised networks.To reconstruct the PSF trained by the network in the optical path,a phase mask is introduced.It improves the image reconstruction effect of LCR-GAN by reconstructing the PSF that best matches the network.The results of simulation and verification experiments show that compared with the pure deep learning method,the SR image reconstructed by this method is rich in detail and it is easier to distinguish stars or stripes.

Imaging of the small bowel in Crohn's disease: A review of old and new techniques

The investigation of small bowel morphology is often mandatory in many patients with Crohn's disease. Traditional radiological techniques (small bowel enteroclysis and small bowel follow-through) have long been the only suitable methods for this purpose. In recent years, several alternative imaging techniques have been proposed. To review the most recent advances in imaging studies of the small bowel, with particular reference to their possible application in Crohn's disease, we conducted a complete review of the most important studies in which traditional and newer imaging methods were performed and compared in patients with Crohn's disease. Several radiological and endoscopic techniques are now available for the study of the small bowel; each of them is characterized by a distinct profile of favourable and unfavourable features. In some cases, they may also be used as complementary rather than alternative techniques. In everyday practice, the choice of the technique to be used stands upon its availability and a careful evaluation of diagnostic accuracy, clinical usefulness, safety and cost. The recent development ofinnovative imaging techniques has opened a new and exciting area in the exploration of the small bowel in Crohn's disease patients.

Plant multiscale networks:charting plant connectivity by multi-level analysis and imaging techniques

In multicellular and even single-celled organisms,individual components are interconnected at multiscale levels to produce enormously complex biological networks that help these systems maintain homeostasis for development and environmental adaptation.Systems biology studies initially adopted network analysis to explore how relationships between individual components give rise to complex biological processes.Network analysis has been applied to dissect the complex connectivity of mammalian brains across different scales in time and space in The Human Brain Project.In plant science,network analysis has similarly been applied to study the connectivity of plant components at the molecular,subcellular,cellular,organic,and organism levels.Analysis of these multiscale networks contributes to our understanding of how genotype determines phenotype.In this review,we summarized the theoretical framework of plant multiscale networks and introduced studies investigating plant networks by various experimental and computational modalities.We next discussed the currently available analytic methodologies and multi-level imaging techniques used to map multiscale networks in plants.Finally,we highlighted some of the technical challenges and key questions remaining to be addressed in this emerging field.

Dynamics of chip formation during the cutting process using imaging techniques: A review

Imaging techniques have been widely implemented to study the dynamics of chip formation.They can offer a direct method and a full field measurement of the cutting process,providing kinematic information of the chip formation process.In this article,the state of the art of the imaging techniques reported in the literature has been summarized and analyzed.The imaging techniques have been applied to study the chip formation mechanism,friction behavior,strain/strain rate,and stress fields.Furthermore,the study of surface integrity has been advanced by deriving the thermo‐mechanical loading,subsurface deformation,and material constitutive model from the imaging technique.Finally,achievements in the area of imaging techniques have been summarized,followed by future directions for their application in the study of surface integrity.

Value of clinical applications of differential pressure and relative pressure imaging in the left ventricle

Regional pressure differences between sites within the left ventricular cavity have long been identified,and the potential clinical value of diastolic and systolic intraventricular pressure differences(IVPDs)is of increasing interest.This study concluded that the IVPD plays an important role in ventricular filling and emptying and is a reliable indicator of ventricular relaxation,elastic recoil,diastolic pumping,and effective left ventricular filling.Relative pressure imaging,as a novel and potentially clinically applicable measure of left IVPDs,enables early and more comprehensive identification of the temporal and spatial characteristics of IVPD.In the future,as research related to relative pressure imaging continues,this measurement method has the possibility to become more refined and serve as an additional clinical aid that can replace the gold standard cardiac catheterization technique for the diagnosis of diastolic dysfunction.

Principle of subtraction ghost imaging in scattering medium

Scattering medium in light path will cause distortion of the light field,resulting in poor signal-to-noise ratio(SNR)of ghost imaging.The disturbance is usually eliminated by the method of pre-compensation.We deduce the intensity fluctuation correlation function of the ghost imaging with the disturbance of the scattering medium,which proves that the ghost image consists of two correlated results:the image of scattering medium and the target object.The effect of the scattering medium can be eliminated by subtracting the correlated result between the light field after the scattering medium and the reference light from ghost image,which verifies the theoretical results.Our research may provide a new idea of ghost imaging in harsh environment.

EVALUATION OF SMALL ANIMAL IMAGING UNDER DIFFERENT SCAN CONDITIONS

To evaluae small animal imaging with individual different high voltage, filter thickness and tube current, an animal X-ray micro-computed tomography （micro-CT） system based on panel detector is developed and a rat is scanned by using the system with individual high voltage, tube current, filter thickness, and exposure time. A model is presented based on the Monte Carlo code PENELOPE for generating the X-ray spectra of X-ray tube used in the micro-CT system. A platform developed based on Matlab allows for calculating beam quality parameters, including the average energy of X-ray beam, the change of transmition rate and the input X-ray fluence. The factors affecting the signal difference to noise ratio （SDNR） of micro-CT are investigated and the relationship between SDNR and scan combinations is analyzed. A series of tools and methods are developed for small animal imaging and imaging performance evaluation in the field of small animal imaging.

Acoustic radiation force imaging sonoelastography for noninvasive staging of liver fibrosis

AIM:To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of acoustic radiation force impulse (ARFI) imaging as a noninvasive method for the assessment of liver fibrosis in chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients.METHODS:We performed a prospective blind com-parison of ARFI elastography,APRI index and FibroMax in a consecutive series of patients who underwent liver biopsy for CHC in University Hospital Bucharest. His-topathological staging of liver fibrosis according to the METAVIR scoring system served as the reference. A to-tal of 74 patients underwent ARFI elastography,APRI index,FibroMax and successful liver biopsy. RESULTS:The noninvasive tests had a good correlation with the liver biopsy results. The most powerful test in predicting fibrosis was ARFI elastography. The diagnostic accuracy of ARFI elastography,expressedas area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) had a validity of 90.2% (95% CI AUROC = 0.831-0.972,P < 0.001) for the diagnosis of significant f ibrosis (F ≥ 2). ARFI sonoelastography predicted even better F3 or F4 fibrosis (AUROC = 0.993,95% CI = 0.979-1).CONCLUSION:ARFI elastography had very good accuracy for the assessment of liver fibrosis and was superior to other noninvasive methods (APRI Index,FibroMax) for staging liver fibrosis.

Multimodality imaging in apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Apical hypertrophic cardiomyopathy(AHCM) is a relatively rare morphologic variant of HCM in which the hypertrophy of myocardium is localized to the left ventricular apex. Symptoms of AHCM might vary from none to others mimic coronary artery disease including acute coronary syndrome, thus resulting in inappropriate hospitalization. Transthoracic echocardiography is the firstline imaging technique for the diagnosis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathies. However, when the hypertrophy of the myocardium is localized in the ventricular apex might results in missed diagnosis. Aim of this paper is to review the different imaging techniques used for the diagnosis of AHCM and their role in the detection and comprehension of this uncommon disease.

Historical Development in Soil Micromorphological Imaging

The book ＂micropedolog＂ by Kubieana and a large number of publications has induced many people to practice soil micromorphology. Quantification of the soil fabric and its components was a major challenge. The use of the image analyses in soil science was a breakthrough. Attempts to make soil thin sections go back to the beginning of the 2oth century. Microscopic techniques and recently high resolution electron microscope and use of computer assisted imaging techniques enabled the in vitro study of soils in three dimensional levels. It is now possible to store and process massive amounts of data. Micro- morphological concepts and techniques are applied in paleopedological, ecological, and archaeological studies. The aim of this work was to examine soil micromorphological imaging in historical perspective.

Diagnostic and prognostic value of cardiac imaging in amyloidosis

Amyloidosis is an infiltrative disease caused by extracellular protein deposition that has accumulated a lot of scientific production in recent years.Different types of amyloidosis can affect the heart.Transthyretin amyloidosis and light chain amyloidosis are the two most common types of cardiac amyloidosis.These entities have a poor prognosis,so accurate diagnostic techniques are imperative for determining an early therapeutic approach.Recent advances in cardiac imaging and diagnostic strategies show that these tools are safe and can avoid the use of invasive diagnostic techniques to histological confirmation,such as endomyocardial biopsy.We performed a review on the diagnostic and prognostic implications of different cardiac imaging techniques in cardiac amyloidosis.We mainly focus on reviewing echocardiography,cardiac magnetic resonance,computed tomography and nuclear imaging techniques and the different safety measurements that can be done with each of them.

Preliminary study of the electrospray DPE peculiarities from the liquid surface in the presence of the CSWs

The Ultrasonic Electric Propulsion(UEP)system is a cutting-edge propulsion technology that is mostly used on platforms for small satellites(less than 10 kg).The characteristics of droplet partial emissions(DPEs)in the UEP system are investigated using a high-speed imaging technique(an ultra-high speed camera(NAC HX-6)and a long-distance microscope)in this work.The experiments demonstrate that there are a few partial emission modes,including left-side emission,double-side emission,and right-side emission,that are present in the droplet emission process of the UEP system.These modes are primarily caused by the partial formation of capillary standing waves(CSWs)on the emission surface of the ultrasonic nozzle.The emission rate for single-and double-sided emissions varies at different times,indicating that there are different CSWs engaged in droplet emission due to variations in the liquid film thickness and charge state of the liquid cones.Additionally,as the droplets emit continuously,a raised area on the emission surface appears,with several droplets emitting there as a result of charge accumulation.Additionally,photos of the CSWs with emitting droplets are obtained,which highlights the CSWs'distinctive wave morphology.

A Review on the Recent Trends of Image Steganography for VANET Applications

Image steganography is a technique of concealing confidential information within an image without dramatically changing its outside look.Whereas vehicular ad hoc networks(VANETs),which enable vehicles to communicate with one another and with roadside infrastructure to enhance safety and traffic flow provide a range of value-added services,as they are an essential component of modern smart transportation systems.VANETs steganography has been suggested by many authors for secure,reliable message transfer between terminal/hope to terminal/hope and also to secure it from attack for privacy protection.This paper aims to determine whether using steganography is possible to improve data security and secrecy in VANET applications and to analyze effective steganography techniques for incorporating data into images while minimizing visual quality loss.According to simulations in literature and real-world studies,Image steganography proved to be an effectivemethod for secure communication on VANETs,even in difficult network conditions.In this research,we also explore a variety of steganography approaches for vehicular ad-hoc network transportation systems like vector embedding,statistics,spatial domain(SD),transform domain(TD),distortion,masking,and filtering.This study possibly shall help researchers to improve vehicle networks’ability to communicate securely and lay the door for innovative steganography methods.

A Preliminary Comparative Study on the Centering Algorithms for CassiniISS NAC Images

Obtaining high precision is an important consideration for astrometric studies using images from the Narrow Angle Camera(NAC)of the Cassini Imaging Science Subsystem(ISS).Selecting the best centering algorithm is key to enhancing astrometric accuracy.In this study,we compared the accuracy of five centering algorithms:Gaussian fitting,the modified moments method,and three point-spread function(PSF)fitting methods(effective PSF(ePSF),PSFEx,and extended PSF(x PSF)from the Cassini Imaging Central Laboratory for Operations(CICLOPS)).We assessed these algorithms using 70 ISS NAC star field images taken with CL1 and CL2 filters across different stellar magnitudes.The ePSF method consistently demonstrated the highest accuracy,achieving precision below 0.03 pixels for stars of magnitude 8-9.Compared to the previously considered best,the modified moments method,the e PSF method improved overall accuracy by about 10%and 21%in the sample and line directions,respectively.Surprisingly,the xPSF model provided by CICLOPS had lower precision than the ePSF.Conversely,the ePSF exhibits an improvement in measurement precision of 23%and 17%in the sample and line directions,respectively,over the xPSF.This discrepancy might be attributed to the xPSF focusing on photometry rather than astrometry.These findings highlight the necessity of constructing PSF models specifically tailored for astrometric purposes in NAC images and provide guidance for enhancing astrometric measurements using these ISS NAC images.