A simple cardiac contractility computer

A single-purpose analogue-computing device is described for the online assessment of the contractile state of the human myocardium from the left ventricular pressure (P_lv) data available during routine cardiac catheterisation. Due attention has been paid to the design of the computer circuits so that they will not process pressure phenomena outside the isovolumic contractile period. Either a \(\left( {\frac{1}{{P_{lv} }}\frac{{dP_{lv} }}{{dt}}} \right)_{max} \) or a plain \(\left( {\frac{{dP_{lv} }}{{dt}}} \right)_{max} \) index is presented on a digitalvoltmeter display, thus obviating the need for any graphical extrapolation or additional computation.     

Moving Mesh Method for Reconstructing Some Spread Sources in the Brain

The purpose of this paper is to propose a new algorithm for the analysis of biomagnetic field data obtained from magnetoencephalography (MEG) measurements. This new method overcomes two major problems faced by the current method of data analysis. The first problem is the need to determine the number of sites of brain activity before calculations can be performed. The second problem is inability of the analysis to provide any information regarding the volume of the brain activity. The new data analysis method, called the Moving Mesh Method (MMM), is capable of analyzing MEG data without the need to determine the number of sources beforehand. In addition, the MMM determines the location of brain activity as a three dimensional volume, instead of as a point source of activity. The MMM uses an iterative method of calculating the position of the sources to achieve greater accuracy, and a regularized g-inverse matrix to stabilize its solution. The feasibility of the MMM was examined by two methods. First, a computer simulation was used to confirm the MMM's capability to analyzing MEG data. In the second experiment, the MMM was applied to analyze somatosensory evoked fields obtained using a new imaging system (Shimadzu Biomagnetic Imaging System, Model-100). From the interpretation of the results, we have concluded that the MMM is a feasible method of biomagnetic data analysis.     

熵正则化磁共振成像理论及迭代算法

实际的磁共振成像系统 ,通常仅能收集有限的频谱数据 ,傅立叶变换法重建的图像存在Gibbs伪影 ,且分辨率有限。我们提出的熵正则化磁共振成像方法是考虑与原始频谱数据一致性的条件下 ,熵极大化而获得的结果。重建的图像具有无限的分辨率 ,降低Gibbs伪影及信号中的噪声。本算法的稳定性优于模型最大熵法[12 ] 。对截断及噪声的频谱数据的成像结果证实了我们方法的有效性     

Iterative reconstruction algorithms

In this paper a survey of recent results on iterative reconstruction algorithms is given. These results, many of which have not yet appeared elsewhere, are applicable to a very general formulation of the reconstruction problem based on the series expansion approach. A set of optimization criteria and a number of iterative reconstruction algorithms are stated, together with theorems on the convergence of the algorithms to optimum images. The efficacy of the algorithms is compared to that of the convolution method. In particular, the falseness of the claim that ART and the backprojection method are the same is demonstrated.     

Improvement of brain single photon emission tomography (SPET) using transmission data acquisition in a four-head SPET scanner

Attenuation coefficient maps (-maps) are a useful way to compensate for non-uniform attenuation when performing single photon emission tomography (SPET). A new method was developed to record single photon transmission data and a-map for the brain was produced using a four-head SPET scanner. Transmission data were acquired by a gamma camera opposite to a flood radioactive source attached to one of four gamma cameras in the four-head SPET scanner. Attenuation correction was performed using the iterative expectation maximization algorithm and the-map. Phantom studies demonstrated that this method could reconstruct the distribution of radioactivity more accurately than conventional methods, even for a severely non-uniform-map, and could improve the quality of SPET images. Clinical application to technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (HMPAO) brain SPET also demonstrated the usefulness of this method. Thus, this method appears to be promising for improvement in the image quality and quantitative accuracy of brain SPET.This work was presented in part at the World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, 7–12 July 1991, Kyoto, Japan     

Emphysema quantification on low-dose CT using percentage of low-attenuation volume and size distribution of low-attenuation lung regions: Effects of adaptive iterative dose reduction using 3D processing

PurposeTo evaluate the effects of adaptive iterative dose reduction using 3D processing (AIDR 3D) for quantification of two measures of emphysema: percentage of low-attenuation volume (LAV%) and size distribution of low-attenuation lung regions.Method and materials: Fifty-two patients who underwent standard-dose (SDCT) and low-dose CT (LDCT) were included. SDCT without AIDR 3D, LDCT without AIDR 3D, and LDCT with AIDR 3D were used for emphysema quantification. First, LAV% was computed at 10 thresholds from −990 to −900 HU. Next, at the same thresholds, linear regression on a log–log plot was used to compute the power law exponent (D) for the cumulative frequency-size distribution of low-attenuation lung regions. Bland–Altman analysis was used to assess whether AIDR 3D improved agreement between LDCT and SDCT for emphysema quantification of LAV% and D.ResultsThe mean relative differences in LAV% between LDCT without AIDR 3D and SDCT were 3.73%–88.18% and between LDCT with AIDR 3D and SDCT were −6.61% to 0.406%. The mean relative differences in D between LDCT without AIDR 3D and SDCT were 8.22%–19.11% and between LDCT with AIDR 3D and SDCT were 1.82%–4.79%. AIDR 3D improved agreement between LDCT and SDCT at thresholds from −930 to −990 HU for LAV% and at all thresholds for D.ConclusionAIDR 3D improved the consistency between LDCT and SDCT for emphysema quantification of LAV% and D.     

多模型迭代重建算法对腹部体模CT扫描图像质量和辐射剂量的影响

目的 分析前置全模型迭代重建算法（ASIR-V）在腹部体模CT扫描中图像质量的变化规律及辐射剂量的降低程度,探讨优化图像质量和辐射剂量的最佳前置ASIR-V。方法 采用腹部仿真体模和Revolution CT机。根据噪声指数（NI）设置（6、8、10、12、14）分为5组。每组设置0~100%（间隔10%）前置ASIR-V扫描和常规扫描（即不联合迭代）,共获得55组图像。分析各NI组图像CT值、噪声、主观评分及辐射剂量随ASIR-V比例的变化规律。各NI组图像的主观评分比较采用秩和检验,CT值、噪声和辐射剂量比较采用单因素方差分析和配对t检验。结果 在0~40%前置ASIR-V水平,NI为6、8、10组图像主观评分基本稳定,NI为12、14组图像主观评分呈略升高趋势;50%~100%前置ASIR-V,各组主观评分均呈逐渐降低趋势;NI为6、8、10组,超过70%前置ASIR-V图像主观评分降至3分以下,NI为12、14组,超过60%前置ASIR-V主观评分降至3分以下;NI为6、8、10组,常规扫描图像主观评分与40%前置ASIR-V图像差异无统计学意义（P=0.626、0.915、0.514）,NI为12、14组,常规扫描图像主观评分略低于40%前置ASIR-V图像（P=0.041、0.036）;各NI组常规扫描图像主观评分均优于60%前置ASIR-V图像（（P=0.021、0.012、0.015、0.014、0.007））。各NI组中不同部位CT值、噪声随前置ASIR-V比例的增高呈基本稳定状态（P均>0.05）。各NI组CTDIvol随前置ASIR-V比例的增高,呈逐渐下降趋势。40%、50%和60%前置ASIR-V比例条件下,CTDIvol较常规扫描组下降比率分别为49.82%、62.51%、71.63%。结论 前置ASIR-V可在保证图像质量的条件下明显降低辐射剂量;腹部前置ASIR-V比例推荐40%~60%。     

优化前后置全模型迭代重建技术低剂量腹部CT扫描

目的 观察全模型实时迭代重建技术（ASiR-V）对腹部CT图像质量和辐射剂量的影响,优化ASiR-V前置联合后置百分比方案。方法 将160例接受上腹部CT扫描的患者随机分为试验组或对照组,各80例。试验组在平扫、动脉期、门静脉期和延迟期分别采用前置20% ASiR-V扫描联合后置20%、40%、60%、80% ASiR-V重建,前置40%联合后置40%、60%、80%,前置60%联合后置60%、80%及前置80%联合后置80%扫描及重建方法;对照组采用前置0% ASiR-V扫描,并分别采用FBP和后置20%、40%、60%和80% ASiR-V两种方式进行重建。对所有图像进行客观评价和主观评分,并进行比较。结果 试验组各期相CT剂量指数、剂量长度乘积及有效剂量均低于对照组（P均< 0.001）。相同期相内,随后置迭代比例增加,SD值逐渐减小（P<0.01）,而CNR值无变化或增加;试验组图像随后置ASiR-V（20%~60%）增高,图像主观评分增加,ASiR-V为80%时图像质量较差。试验组平扫前置20%联合后置40%、60%图像与对照组平扫ASiR-V重建图像、试验组动脉期前置40%联合后置60%图像与对照组动脉期ASiR-V重建图像质量评分差异无统计学意义（P均> 0.05）,其余试验组图像质量评分均小于对照组ASiR-V图像。结论 一定比例ASiR-V重建可提高腹部CT图像质量,推荐使用ASiR-V前置40%联合后置60%扫描方案。     

迭代重建联合低电压技术应用于儿童低剂量CT的进展

CT检查以其快速、简便、无创的特点在临床应用日益广泛,如何降低CT检查的辐射剂量,尤其是降低儿童CT检查的辐射剂量是热点问题。迭代重建技术（IR）可降低儿童CT扫描剂量,联合低电压技术可进一步实现降低辐射剂量。本文对IR联合低电压技术应用于儿童低剂量CT的研究进展进行综述。     

Experimental quantum coding against qubit loss error

The fundamental unit for quantum computing is the qubit, an isolated, controllable two-level system. However, for many proposed quantum computer architectures, especially photonic systems, the qubits can be lost or can leak out of the desired two-level systems, posing a significant obstacle for practical quantum computation. Here, we experimentally demonstrate, both in the quantum circuit model and in the one-way quantum computer model, the smallest nontrivial quantum codes to tackle this problem. In the experiment, we encode single-qubit input states into highly entangled multiparticle code words, and we test their ability to protect encoded quantum information from detected 1-qubit loss error. Our results prove in-principle the feasibility of overcoming the qubit loss error by quantum codes.