Principal feature analysis: a multivariate feature selection method for fMRI data.

Brain decoding with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) requires analysis of complex, multivariate data. Multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) has been widely used in recent years. MVPA treats the activation of multiple voxels from fMRI data as a pattern and decodes brain states using pattern classification methods.

Distributed reconstruction via alternating direction method.

With the development of compressive sensing theory, image reconstruction from few-view projections has received considerable research attentions in the field of computed tomography (CT). Total-variation- (TV-) based CT image reconstruction has been shown to be experimentally capable of producing accurate reconstructions from sparse-view data. In this study, a distributed reconstruction algorithm based on TV minimization has been developed.

A switched-capacitor front-end for velocity-selective ENG recording.

Multi-electrode cuffs (MECs) have been proposed as a means for extracting additional information about the velocity and direction of nerve signals from multi-electrode recordings. This paper discusses certain aspects of the implementation of a system for velocity selective recording (VSR) where multiple neural signals are matched and summed to identify excited axon populations in terms of velocity. The approach outlined in the paper involves the replacement of the digital signal processing stages of a standard delay-matched VSR system with analogue switched-capacitor (SC) delay lines which promises significant savings in both size and power consumption.

Tunable Film Morphologies of Brush-Linear Diblock Copolymer Bearing Difluorene Moieties Yield a Variety of Digital Memory Properties.

An amphiphilic brush-linear diblock copolymer bearing a rigid difluorene moiety was synthesized, yielding a copolymer with a high thermal stability and excellent processability. The immiscibility of the blocks induced the formation of a variety of nanostructures, depending on the fabrication conditions, which differed significantly from the nanostructures observed among common diblock copolymers in similar composition. Interestingly, the orientations of the nanostructures could be controlled.

A mixed L2 norm regularized HRF estimation method for rapid event-related fMRI experiments.

Brain state decoding or "mind reading" via multivoxel pattern analysis (MVPA) has become a popular focus of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. In brain decoding, stimulus presentation rate is increased as fast as possible to collect many training samples and obtain an effective and reliable classifier or computational model. However, for extremely rapid event-related experiments, the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signals evoked by adjacent trials are heavily overlapped in the time domain.

Robust feedback zoom tracking for digital video surveillance.

Zoom tracking is an important function in video surveillance, particularly in traffic management and security monitoring. It involves keeping an object of interest in focus during the zoom operation. Zoom tracking is typically achieved by moving the zoom and focus motors in lenses following the so-called "trace curve", which shows the in-focus motor positions versus the zoom motor positions for a specific object distance.

Optically switchable organic field-effect transistors based on photoresponsive gold nanoparticles blended with poly(3-hexylthiophene).

Interface tailoring represents a route for integrating complex functions in systems and materials. Although it is ubiquitous in biological systems--e.g.

Fast reconstruction of flat region in a super-short scan based on MD-FBP algorithm.

In circular cone-beam computed tomography (CT), although the minimum data filtered-backprojection (MD-FBP) algorithm has many significant applications, such as handling super-short scan problem, its reconstruction efficiency is limited by the heavy calculation of backprojection. In this paper, aiming at the image reconstruction of flat region in a super-short scan, an improved method based on MD-FBP algorithm is developed using an integral operation with fixed integral interval during the implementation of backprojection, which has an improvement in reconstruction efficiency and parallel performance compared with the original MD-FBP algorithm. It is found that if the thickness of the flat region is less than 0.

Dynamic functional connectivity analysis of Taichong (LR3) acupuncture effects in various brain regions.

The present study conducted a multi-scale dynamic functional connectivity analysis to evaluate dynamic behavior of acupuncture at Taichong (LR3) and sham acupoints surrounding Taichong. Results showed differences in wavelet transform coherence characteristic curves in the declive, precuneus, postcentral gyrus, supramarginal gyrus, and occipital lobe between acupuncture at Taichong and acupuncture at sham acupoints. The differences in characteristic curves revealed that the specific effect of acupuncture existed during the post-acupuncture rest state and lasted for 5 minutes.

Design of a novel digital phantom for EIT system calibration.

This paper presented the design method of a novel digital phantom for electrical impedance tomography system calibration. By current sensing, voltage generating circuitry and digital processing algorithms implemented in FPGA, the digital phantom can simulate different impedances of tissues. The hardware of the digital phantom mainly consists of current sensing section, voltage generating section, electrodes switching section and a FPGA.

Digitally synchronized LCD projector for multi-color fluorescence excitation in parallel capillary electrophoresis detection.

A simple method is proposed for modulating the excitation light used for multi-color fluorescence detection in a single capillary electrophoresis (CE) channel. In the proposed approach, a low-cost commercial liquid crystal device (LCD) projector with digitally-modulated LCD switches is used to provide the illumination light source and the fluorescence emitted from the CE chip is synchronously detected using an ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-vis-NIR) spectrometer. The modulated light source enables the detection of multiple fluorescence signals within a single CE channel without the need of mechanically switching optical components.

The power-efficient biomedical acquisition system by variable-resolution sigma-delta modulator.

A novel biomedical acquisition system which can adjust its resolution by the condition of signal is presented in this paper. The resolution of sigma-delta modulator in proposed system can be automatically varied by switching its architecture and sampling rate that can acquire accurate date without additional power consumption. The modulator in this system reaches specifications from 10-bit to 16-bit resolution and consumes power from 48microW to 360microW.

Microfluidic cell counter/sorter utilizing multiple particle tracing technique and optically switching approach.

This paper proposes a novel microfluidic system based on a computer controlled digital image processing (DIP) technique and optical tweezers for automatic cell/microparticle recognition, counting and sorting in a continuous flow environment. In the proposed system, the cells/microparticles are focused electrokinetically into a narrow sample stream and are then driven through the region of interest (ROI), where they are recognized and traced in real time using a proprietary DIP system. Synchronized control signals generated by the DIP system are then used to actuate a focused IR laser beam to displace the target cells from the main sample stream into a neighboring sheath flow, which carries them to a downstream collection channel where they are automatically counted.

Digital redesign of observer-based weighting switch controller for cascaded analog systems with state saturation and external loads.

This paper presents an observer-based weighting switch controller for dealing with the problem of cascaded systems with state saturation and external loads. This method improves the generally poor transition response and output deviation caused by state saturation and external loads. In order to maintain the state-saturation limits, we adopt the evolutionary programming optimal search technique to find the optimal switching parameters for the weighted switch controller.

Fusion of coregistered cross-modality images using a temporally alternating display method.

As an aid to the interpretation of functional images, cross-modality coregistration of functional and anatomical images has grown rapidly. Various ways of easily interpreting and visualising coregistered images have previously been investigated; for their display, an intensity-weighted temporally alternating method is used. For brain images, geometric registration involves the automatic alignment method, using the head scalp boundary extracted from the sinogram of a PET emission scan and a surface-matching algorithm; images of the chest or abdomen are registered semi-automatically using a paired point matching algorithm.

Display of coregistered cross-modality images using time-weighted alternation method.

Cross-modality coregistration of functional and anatomical images has rapidly grown as the aid for the interpretation of functional images. Various methods have been previously investigated so that the coregistered images can be easily interpreted and realistically visualized. We used the time/intensity-weighted alternation method to display the coregistered images simultaneously.

In vivo performance evaluation of a transcutaneous energy and information transmission system for the total artificial heart.

As part of an electromechanical total artificial heart (TAH) program, an integrated transcutaneous energy and information transmission (TEIT) system has been developed. In vivo performance of the developed system was evaluated through a simplified animal model without implant of a TAH. The design features include the small size of the implanted part, and dual coil structure of the external part.