A multi-aperture encoding scheme for increased SNR in photoacoustic Imaging.

Photoacoustic imaging creates light-induced ultrasonic signals to provide valuable information on internal body structures and tissue morphology non-invasively. A multi-aperture photoacoustic imaging (MP-PAI) system is an improvement over conventional photoacoustic imaging (PAI) systems in terms of resolution, contrast, and field of view. Previously, a prototype MP-PAI system was introduced based on multiple capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUTs) with shared channels, such that each element in a CMUT shares its channel with its counterpart in other CMUTs.

3-D motion tracking and vascular strain imaging using bistatic dual aperture ultrasound acquisitions.

This study demonstrates high volume rate bistatic 3-D vascular strain imaging, to overcome well-known challenges caused by the anisotropic resolution and contrast inherent to ultrasound imaging. Approach. Using two synchronized 32x32 element matrix arrays (3.

What Can Interactive Visualization do for Participatory Budgeting in Chicago?

Participatory budgeting (PB) is a democratic approach to allocating municipal spending that has been adopted in many places in recent years, including in Chicago. Current PB voting resembles a ballot where residents are asked which municipal projects, such as school improvements and road repairs, to fund with a limited budget. In this work, we ask how interactive visualization can benefit PB by conducting a design probe-based interview study (N = 13) with policy workers and academics with expertise in PB, urban planning, and civic HCI.

bistatic dual-aperture ultrasound imaging and elastography of the abdominal aorta.

In this paper we introduce multi-aperture ultrasound imaging and elastography of the abdominal aorta. Monitoring of the geometry and growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) is paramount for risk stratification and intervention planning. However, such an assessment is limited by the lateral lumen-wall contrast and resolution of conventional ultrasound.

Increasing abdominal aortic aneurysm curvature visibility using 3D dual probe bistatic ultrasound imaging combined with probe translation.

High frame rate ultrasound (US) imaging techniques in 3D are promising tools for capturing abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) over time, however, with the limited number of channel-to-element connections current footprints are small, which limits the field of view. Moreover, the maximal steering angle of the ultrasound beams in transmit and the maximal receptance angle in receive are insufficient for capturing the curvy shape of the AAA. Therefore, an approach is needed towards large arrays.

Enhanced Needle Visualization With Reflection Tuned Apodization Based on the Radon Transform for Ultrasound Imaging.

In ultrasound (US)-guided interventions, accurately tracking and visualizing needles during in-plane insertions are significant challenges due to strong directional specular reflections. These reflections violate the geometrical delay and apodization estimations in the conventional delay and sum beamforming (DASB) degrading the visualization of needles. This study proposes a novel reflection tuned apodization (RTA) to address this issue and facilitate needle enhancement through DASB.

Automatic Probe Localization in Multiaperture Ultrasound by Radon Domain Signal Matching.

In multiaperture ultrasound, several ultrasound probes with different insonification angles are combined to increase the field of view and angular coverage of image structures. A full reconstruction incorporating all possible combinations of transmitting and receiving probes has been shown to improve resolution, contrast, and angular coverage beyond what can be achieved by the registration of single images from different probes. A major challenge in multiaperture imaging is the correct determination of relative probe locations.

Enabling strain imaging in realistic Eulerian ultrasound simulation methods.

Cardiovascular strain imaging is continually improving due to ongoing advances in ultrasound acquisition and data processing techniques. The phantoms used for validation of new methods are often burdensome to make and lack flexibility to vary mechanical and acoustic properties. Simulations of US imaging provide an alternative with the required flexibility and ground truth strain data.

Coherent Bistatic 3-D Ultrasound Imaging Using Two Sparse Matrix Arrays.

In the last decade, many advances have been made in high frame rate 3-D ultrasound imaging, including more flexible acquisition systems, transmit (TX) sequences, and transducer arrays. Compounding multiangle transmits of diverging waves has shown to be fast and effective for 2-D matrix arrays, where heterogeneity between transmits is key in optimizing the image quality. However, the anisotropy in contrast and resolution remains a drawback that cannot be overcome with a single transducer.

A Radon diffraction theorem for plane wave ultrasound imaging.

The rising demand on high frame rate ultrasound imaging applications necessitates the development of fast algorithms for plane wave image reconstruction. We introduce a new class of plane wave reconstructions that relies on a relation between receive data and image data in the Radon domain. This relation is derived for arbitrary dimensions and validated on multiple two-dimensional plane wave data sets.

An aberration correction approach for single and dual aperture ultrasound imaging of the abdomen.

Abdominal ultrasound image quality is hampered by phase aberration, that is mainly caused by the large speed-of-sound (SoS) differences between fat and muscle tissue in the abdominal wall. The mismatch between the assumed and actual SoS distribution introduces general blurring of the ultrasound images, and acoustic refraction can lead to geometric distortion of the imaged features. Large aperture imaging or dual-transducer imaging can improve abdominal imaging at deep locations by providing increased contrast and resolution.

Local and global distensibility assessment of abdominal aortic aneurysms from probe tracked 2D ultrasound images.

Rupture risk estimation of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) patients is currently based on the maximum diameter of the AAA. Mechanical properties that characterize the mechanical state of the vessel may serve as a better rupture risk predictor. Non-electrocardiogram-gated (non-ECG-gated) freehand 2D ultrasound imaging is a fast approach from which a reconstructed volumetric image of the aorta can be obtained.

Impacts of Skin Eccrine Glands on the Measured Values of Transepidermal Water Loss.

Transepidermal water loss (TEWL) is widely used to assess and quantify skin insensible water loss to assess skin's barrier function integrity. Low TEWL values are normally indicative of intact skin and a healthy functional barrier, whereas an increased TEWL reveals a disturbed or disrupted skin barrier. Because most skin sites at which these measurements are made have eccrine glands present, the contribution of the sweat gland activity to these measurements is variable and, in most cases, unknown.

Bandwidth Improvement in Ultrasound Image Reconstruction Using Deep Learning Techniques.

Ultrasound (US) imaging is a medical imaging modality that uses the reflection of sound in the range of 2-18 MHz to image internal body structures. In US, the frequency bandwidth (BW) is directly associated with image resolution. BW is a property of the transducer and more bandwidth comes at a higher cost.

Multiperspective Photoacoustic Imaging Using Spatially Diverse CMUTs.

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is a promising technique to assess different constituents in tissue. In PAI, the propagating waves are low-amplitude, isotropic, and broadband. A common approach in PAI is the use of a single linear or curved piezoelectric transducer array to perform both PA and ultrasound imaging.

Modeling toolchain for realistic simulation of photoacoustic data acquisition.

Significance: Physics-based simulations of photoacoustic (PA) signals are used to validate new methods, to characterize PA setups and to generate training datasets for machine learning. However, a thoroughly validated PA simulation toolchain that can simulate realistic images is still lacking.

Aim: A quantitative toolchain was developed to model PA image acquisition in complex tissues, by simulating both the optical fluence and the acoustic wave propagation.

Plasmid-Based Gene Knockout Strategy with Subsequent Marker Recycling in Pichia pastoris.

Gene knockout is a key technology in the development of cell factories and basic research alike. The methylotrophic yeast Pichia pastoris is typically employed as a producer of proteins and of fine chemicals, due to its ability to accumulate high cell densities in conjunction with a set of strong inducible promoters. However, protocols for genome engineering in this host are still cumbersome and time-consuming.

Telemedicine Intensive Care Unit (Tele-ICU) Implementation During COVID-19: A Scoping Review.

Telemedicine intensive care unit (Tele-ICU) programs entail command centers staffed with intensivists and critical care nurses who electronically aid with and deliver real-time information to frontline clinicians. The benefits of Tele-ICU are numerous, but the barriers to it often prove insurmountable, accounting for slow adoption in rural and underserved areas where it is needed the most. Remote monitoring can quickly detect patient deterioration, while consultation provided by a remote intensivist expands the capabilities of smaller facilities.

High frame rate multi-perspective cardiac ultrasound imaging using phased array probes.

Ultrasound (US) imaging is used to assess cardiac disease by assessing the geometry and function of the heart utilizing its high spatial and temporal resolution. However, because of physical constraints, drawbacks of US include limited field-of-view, refraction, resolution and contrast anisotropy. These issues cannot be resolved when using a single probe.

Corrections to "Multiperspective Ultrasound Strain Imaging of the Abdominal Aorta".

In the above article [1], one error, (1), was found which has an impact on the results and interpretation of the image quality that was described in four sentences, (2)-(5). This correction does not mitigate the overall conclusion of this work, but does positively support improvements of the proposed method (multi-perspective ultrafast imaging) in comparison with the standard method (focused line-by-line imaging).

Multiperspective Bistatic Ultrasound Imaging and Elastography of the Ex Vivo Abdominal Aorta.

Knowledge of aneurysm geometry and local mechanical wall parameters using ultrasound (US) can contribute to a better prediction of rupture risk in abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs). However, aortic strain imaging using conventional US is limited by the lateral lumen-wall contrast and resolution. In this study, ultrafast multiperspective bistatic (MP BS) imaging is used to improve aortic US, in which two curved array transducers receive simultaneously on each transmit event.

Elevated levels of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates from the Hudson River Watershed.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are contaminants of global concern due to their persistence and associated negative health effects. Considerable attention has been given to monitoring PFAS in the aquatic environment, however, few investigations have done so using freshwater benthic macroinvertebrates (BMIs). As these bottom-dwelling animals are known to bioconcentrate exogenous pollutants to a high degree, studying their PFAS levels may provide a more integrated view of PFAS contamination in the aquatic environment.

Simple Plug-In Synthetic Step for the Synthesis of (-)-Camphor from Renewable Starting Materials.

Racemic camphor and isoborneol are readily available as industrial side products, whereas (1R)-camphor is available from natural sources. Optically pure (1S)-camphor, however, is much more difficult to obtain. The synthesis of racemic camphor from α-pinene proceeds via an intermediary racemic isobornyl ester, which is then hydrolyzed and oxidized to give camphor.

Expanding the Toolbox of R-Selective Amine Transaminases by Identification and Characterization of New Members.

Amine transaminases (ATAs) are used to synthesize enantiomerically pure amines, which are building blocks for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. R-selective ATAs belong to the fold type IV PLP-dependent enzymes, and different sequence-, structure- and substrate scope-based features have been identified in the past decade. However, our knowledge is still restricted due to the limited number of characterized (R)-ATAs, with additional bias towards fungal origin.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): observations and lessons from primary medical care at a German community hospital.

The pandemic outbreak of COVID-19 challenges medical care systems all around the world. We here describe our experiences during the treatment of COVID-19 patients (n = 42) treated from 2 March 2020 to 16 April 2020 at a German district hospital. Forty-two COVID-19 patients were hospitalized and five patients developed a severe disease, requiring intensive care.