72,992 research outputs found
Fat fraction mapping using bSSFP Signal Profile Asymmetries for Robust multi-Compartment Quantification (SPARCQ)
Purpose: To develop a novel quantitative method for detection of different
tissue compartments based on bSSFP signal profile asymmetries (SPARCQ) and to
provide a validation and proof-of-concept for voxel-wise water-fat separation
and fat fraction mapping. Methods: The SPARCQ framework uses phase-cycled bSSFP
acquisitions to obtain bSSFP signal profiles. For each voxel, the profile is
decomposed into a weighted sum of simulated profiles with specific
off-resonance and relaxation time ratios. From the obtained set of weights,
voxel-wise estimations of the fractions of the different components and their
equilibrium magnetization are extracted. For the entire image volume,
component-specific quantitative maps as well as banding-artifact-free images
are generated. A SPARCQ proof-of-concept was provided for water-fat separation
and fat fraction mapping. Noise robustness was assessed using simulations. A
dedicated water-fat phantom was used to validate fat fractions estimated with
SPARCQ against gold-standard 1H MRS. Quantitative maps were obtained in knees
of six healthy volunteers, and SPARCQ repeatability was evaluated in scan
rescan experiments. Results: Simulations showed that fat fraction estimations
are accurate and robust for signal-to-noise ratios above 20. Phantom
experiments showed good agreement between SPARCQ and gold-standard (GS) fat
fractions (fF(SPARCQ) = 1.02*fF(GS) + 0.00235). In volunteers, quantitative
maps and banding-artifact-free water-fat-separated images obtained with SPARCQ
demonstrated the expected contrast between fatty and non-fatty tissues. The
coefficient of repeatability of SPARCQ fat fraction was 0.0512. Conclusion: The
SPARCQ framework was proposed as a novel quantitative mapping technique for
detecting different tissue compartments, and its potential was demonstrated for
quantitative water-fat separation.Comment: 20 pages, 7 figures, submitted to Magnetic Resonance in Medicin
A high-performance data structure for mobile information systems
Mobile information systems can now be provided on small form-factor computers. Dictionary-based data compression extends the capabilities of systems with limited processing and memory to enable data intensive applications to be supported in such environments. The nature of judicial sentencing decisions requires that a support system provides accurate and up-to-date data and is compatible with the professional working experience of a judge. The difficulties caused by mobility and the data dependence of the decision-making process are addressed by an Internet-based architecture for collecting and distributing system data.We describe an approach to dictionary-based data compression and the structure of an information system that makes use of this technology
PRIME: A System for Multi-lingual Patent Retrieval
Given the growing number of patents filed in multiple countries, users are
interested in retrieving patents across languages. We propose a multi-lingual
patent retrieval system, which translates a user query into the target
language, searches a multilingual database for patents relevant to the query,
and improves the browsing efficiency by way of machine translation and
clustering. Our system also extracts new translations from patent families
consisting of comparable patents, to enhance the translation dictionary
London SynEx Demonstrator Site: Impact Assessment Report
The key ingredients of the SynEx-UCL software components are:
1. A comprehensive and federated electronic healthcare record that can be used to
reference or to store all of the necessary healthcare information acquired from a
diverse range of clinical databases and patient-held devices.
2. A directory service component to provide a core persons demographic database to
search for and authenticate staff users of the system and to anchor patient
identification and connection to their federated healthcare record.
3. A clinical record schema management tool (Object Dictionary Client) that enables
clinicians or engineers to define and export the data sets mapping to individual
feeder systems.
4. An expansible set of clinical management algorithms that provide prompts to the
patient or clinician to assist in the management of patient care.
CHIME has built up over a decade of experience within Europe on the requirements
and information models that are needed to underpin comprehensive multiprofessional
electronic healthcare records. The resulting architecture models have
influenced new European standards in this area, and CHIME has designed and built
prototype EHCR components based on these models. The demonstrator systems
described here utilise a directory service and object-oriented engineering approach,
and support the secure, mobile and distributed access to federated healthcare
records via web-based services.
The design and implementation of these software components has been founded on
a thorough analysis of the clinical, technical and ethico-legal requirements for
comprehensive EHCR systems, published through previous project deliverables and
in future planned papers.
The clinical demonstrator site described in this report has provided the solid basis
from which to establish "proof of concept" verification of the design approach, and a
valuable opportunity to install, test and evaluate the results of the component
engineering undertaken during the EC funded project. Inevitably, a number of
practical implementation and deployment obstacles have been overcome through
this journey, each of those having contributed to the time taken to deliver the
components but also to the richness of the end products.
UCL is fortunate that the Whittington Hospital, and the department of cardiovascular
medicine in particular, is committed to a long-term vision built around this work. That
vision, outlined within this report, is shared by the Camden and Islington Health
Authority and by many other purchaser and provider organisations in the area, and
by a number of industrial parties. They are collectively determined to support the
Demonstrator Site as an ongoing project well beyond the life of the EC SynEx
Project.
This report, although a final report as far as the EC project is concerned, is really a
description of the first phase in establishing a centre of healthcare excellence. New
EC Fifth Framework project funding has already been approved to enable new and
innovative technology solutions to be added to the work already established in north
London
Observing Users - Designing clarity a case study on the user-centred design of a cross-language information retrieval system
This paper presents a case study of the development of an interface to a novel and complex form of document retrieval: searching for texts written in foreign languages based on native language queries. Although the underlying technology for achieving such a search is relatively well understood, the appropriate interface design is not. A study involving users (with such searching needs) from the start of the design process is described covering initial examination of user needs and tasks; preliminary
design and testing of interface components; building, testing, and further refining an interface; before
finally conducting usability tests of the system. Lessons are learned at every stage of the process leading to a much more informed view of how such an interface should be built
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