Publications by authors named "Uzair Sikora"

We present a method for automated, depth-resolved extraction of the attenuation coefficient from Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) data. In contrast to previous automated, depth-resolved methods, the Depth-Resolved Confocal (DRC) technique derives an invertible mapping between the measured OCT intensity data and the attenuation coefficient while considering the confocal function and sensitivity fall-off, which are critical to ensure accurate measurements of the attenuation coefficient in practical settings (e.g.

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Lensfree on-chip imaging and sensing platforms provide compact and cost-effective designs for various telemedicine and lab-on-a-chip applications. In this work, we demonstrate computational solutions for some of the challenges associated with (i) the use of broadband, partially-coherent illumination sources for on-chip holographic imaging, and (ii) multicolor detection for lensfree fluorescent on-chip microscopy. Specifically, we introduce spectral demultiplexing approaches that aim to digitally narrow the spectral content of broadband illumination sources (such as wide-band light emitting diodes or even sunlight) to improve spatial resolution in holographic on-chip microscopy.

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We describe a crowd-sourcing based solution for handling large quantities of data that are created by e.g., emerging digital imaging and sensing devices, including next generation lab-on-a-chip platforms.

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In this work we investigate whether the innate visual recognition and learning capabilities of untrained humans can be used in conducting reliable microscopic analysis of biomedical samples toward diagnosis. For this purpose, we designed entertaining digital games that are interfaced with artificial learning and processing back-ends to demonstrate that in the case of binary medical diagnostics decisions (e.g.

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We demonstrate a cellphone-based rapid-diagnostic-test (RDT) reader platform that can work with various lateral flow immuno-chromatographic assays and similar tests to sense the presence of a target analyte in a sample. This compact and cost-effective digital RDT reader, weighing only ~65 g, mechanically attaches to the existing camera unit of a cellphone, where various types of RDTs can be inserted to be imaged in reflection or transmission modes under light-emitting diode (LED)-based illumination. Captured raw images of these tests are then digitally processed (within less than 0.

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We report a cell-phone based Escherichia coli (E. coli) detection platform for screening of liquid samples. In this compact and cost-effective design attached to a cell-phone, we utilize anti-E.

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We report a field-portable lensfree microscope that can image dense and connected specimens with sub-micron resolution over a large field-of-view of ~30 mm(2) (i.e., ~6.

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We report a field-portable lensless on-chip microscope with a lateral resolution of <1 μm and a large field-of-view of ~24 mm(2). This microscope is based on digital in-line holography and a pixel super-resolution algorithm to process multiple lensfree holograms and obtain a single high-resolution hologram. In its compact and cost-effective design, we utilize 23 light emitting diodes butt-coupled to 23 multi-mode optical fibers, and a simple optical filter, with no moving parts.

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Lensfree on-chip holographic microscopy is an emerging technique that offers imaging of biological specimens over a large field-of-view without using any lenses or bulky optical components. Lending itself to a compact, cost-effective and mechanically robust architecture, lensfree on-chip holographic microscopy can offer an alternative toolset addressing some of the emerging needs of microscopic analysis and diagnostics in low-resource settings, especially for telemedicine applications. In this review, we summarize the latest achievements in lensfree optical microscopy based on partially coherent on-chip holography, including portable telemedicine microscopy, cell-phone based microscopy and field-portable optical tomographic microscopy.

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We present a field-portable lensfree tomographic microscope, which can achieve sectional imaging of a large volume (∼20 mm(3)) on a chip with an axial resolution of <7 μm. In this compact tomographic imaging platform (weighing only ∼110 grams), 24 light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that are each butt-coupled to a fibre-optic waveguide are controlled through a cost-effective micro-processor to sequentially illuminate the sample from different angles to record lensfree holograms of the sample that is placed on the top of a digital sensor array. In order to generate pixel super-resolved (SR) lensfree holograms and hence digitally improve the achievable lateral resolution, multiple sub-pixel shifted holograms are recorded at each illumination angle by electromagnetically actuating the fibre-optic waveguides using compact coils and magnets.

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We report a portable lensless on-chip microscope that can achieve <1 µm resolution over a wide field-of-view of ∼ 24 mm(2) without the use of any mechanical scanning. This compact on-chip microscope weighs ∼ 95 g and is based on partially coherent digital in-line holography. Multiple fiber-optic waveguides are butt-coupled to light emitting diodes, which are controlled by a low-cost micro-controller to sequentially illuminate the sample.

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