Exploiting Numerical Features in Computer Tomography Data Processing and Management by CICT

The impact of high resolution Computer Tomography (HRCT) technology is to generate new challenges associated with the problem of formation, acquisition, compression, transmission, and analysis of enormous amount of data. In the past, computational information conservation theory (CICT) has shown potentiality to provide us with new techniques to face this challenge conveniently. CICT explores, at elementary level, the basic properties and relationships of Q arithmetic to achieve full numeric algorithmic information conservation with strong connections to modular group theory and combinatorial optimization. Traditional rational number system can be regarded as a highly sophisticated open logic, powerful and flexible LTR and RTL formal language of languages, with self-defining consistent words and rules, starting from elementary generators and relations. CICT supply us with optimized exponential cyclic sequences (OECS) which inherently capture the hidden symmetries and asymmetries of the hyperbolic space encoded by rational numbers. Symmetry and asymmetry relations can be seen as the operational manifestation of universal categorical irreducible arithmetic dichotomy (”correspondence” and ”incidence”) at the innermost logical data structure level. These two components are inseparable from each other, and in continuous reciprocal interaction. According to Pierre Curie, symmetry breaking has the following role: for the occurrence of a phenomenon in a medium, the original symmetry group of the medium must be lowered (broken, in today's terminology) to the symmetry group of the phenomenon (or to a subgroup of the phenomenons symmetry group) by the action of some cause. In this sense symmetry breaking, or asymmetry, is what creates a phenomenon. The same dichotomy generates ”pairing” and ”fixed point” properties for digit group with the same word length, in word combinatorics. Correspondence and Incidence manifest themselves even into single digit fundamental property (i.e. ”evenness” and ”oddness”), till binary elementary symbols (”0”, ”1”). This new awareness can be exploited into the development of competitive optimized algorithm and application. Practical examples will be presented

High Resolution 3D Ultrasonic Breast Imaging by Time-Domain Full Waveform Inversion

Ultrasound tomography (UST) scanners allow quantitative images of the human breast's acoustic properties to be derived with potential applications in screening, diagnosis and therapy planning. Time domain full waveform inversion (TD-FWI) is a promising UST image formation technique that fits the parameter fields of a wave physics model by gradient-based optimization. For high resolution 3D UST, it holds three key challenges: Firstly, its central building block, the computation of the gradient for a single US measurement, has a restrictively large memory footprint. Secondly, this building block needs to be computed for each of the $10^3-10^4$ measurements, resulting in a massive parallel computation usually performed on large computational clusters for days. Lastly, the structure of the underlying optimization problem may result in slow progression of the solver and convergence to a local minimum. In this work, we design and evaluate a comprehensive computational strategy to overcome these challenges: Firstly, we introduce a novel gradient computation based on time reversal that dramatically reduces the memory footprint at the expense of one additional wave simulation per source. Secondly, we break the dependence on the number of measurements by using source encoding (SE) to compute stochastic gradient estimates. Also we describe a more accurate, TD-specific SE technique with a finer variance control and use a state-of-the-art stochastic LBFGS method. Lastly, we design an efficient TD multi-grid scheme together with preconditioning to speed up the convergence while avoiding local minima. All components are evaluated in extensive numerical proof-of-concept studies simulating a bowl-shaped 3D UST breast scanner prototype. Finally, we demonstrate that their combination allows us to obtain an accurate 442x442x222 voxel image with a resolution of 0.5mm using Matlab on a single GPU within 24h

From Quantum Sensing to SWEME Interaction Modeling

Under the influence of super weak electromagnetic emission (SWEME) the water changes its physical properties and becomes able to have the same effect on biological object as well as the substance which SWEME was used. Up today, there is no understanding of mechanisms of these phenomena, and there are no theoretical basics for the observed results. The core problem concerns the precision with which measurement on quantum resonant systems can be used to estimate quantities that appear as classical parameters in the theory, for example time, displacement, rotation, external fields, etc. The CICT EPG-IPG approach can minimize the traditional multiscale statistic modeling veil opacity. It brings classical and quantum information theory together in a single, effective pre-spatial geometro-arithmetic framework

Summary Report on Phase I Results from the 3D Printing in Zero G Technology Demonstration Mission, Volume I

Human space exploration to date has been confined to low-Earth orbit and the Moon. The International Space Station (ISS) provides a unique opportunity for researchers to prove out the technologies that will enable humans to safely live and work in space for longer periods of time and venture beyond the Earth/Moon system. The ability to manufacture parts in-space rather than launch them from Earth represents a fundamental shift in the current risk and logistics paradigm for human spaceflight. In September 2014, NASA, in partnership with Made In Space, Inc., launched the 3D Printing in Zero-G technology demonstration mission to explore the potential of additive manufacturing for in-space applications and demonstrate the capability to manufacture parts and tools on orbit using fused deposition modeling. This Technical Publication summarizes the results of testing to date of the ground control and flight prints from the first phase of this ISS payload

Investigating strain localisation in clay using mica markers and X-ray computed tomography

Mass movements in clay deposits result in damage to infrastructures and buildings with significant social, economic, and environmental consequences. These processes are characterised by strain localisation, a complex process to investigate experimentally and model. Strain localisation in clays is particularly worrisome and possess huge destructive capabilities because clay is characterised by low shear strength. Conventional laboratory tests are essentially a post-mortem destructive analysis of localised deformations, and do not account for the fundamental physics of soil behaviours. Hence the development of 4-dimensional (4-D) non-destructive imaging approaches to study soil mechanical behaviour. However, due to the small size of clay particles compared to achievable X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) resolution, it has not been possible to directly evaluate particle scale clay micromechanics non-destructively using 4-D imaging techniques. This thesis presents a novel technique involving the use of plate-shaped (“platy”) muscovite mica marker for the evaluation of the initiation and propagation of strain localisation in kaolin. First, an investigation was carried out to understand the suitability of the use of mica particle markers for the study of clay by carrying out both chemical and mechanical characterization of mica. Subsequently, sample preparation techniques were experimented to understand the appropriate sampling approach with least microstructure disturbance. Furthermore, a novel miniature triaxial cell instrumented with a high capacity tensiometer and a novel platy particle matching algorithm were developed for the study of mica marker particle kinematics within kaolin. Kinematic analysis (displacement and rotation) of mica particle markers within the kaolin sample was then carried out. The results presented in this thesis demonstrated that (i) The particle configuration of silt sized muscovite samples consistently varied (dispersive and non-dispersive) with pore-water chemistry, regardless of whether the samples being tested were suspension sediments or compacted samples. (ii) By adding both silt sized muscovite or sand sized muscovite to kaolin for up to 30% sand sized muscovite or silt sized muscovite, the compressive behaviour is still clay-dominated. Similarly, the addition of mica (up to 30%) to kaolin does not significantly affect its hydraulic conductivity of kaolin. However, the shear strength characteristics of kaolin may significantly change by the addition of about 2.5-30% of silt sized muscovite or sand in the low normal stress (<100 kPa) but not at higher stress regime. (iii) PLATYMATCH (algorithm developed in this thesis) can effectively match platy particles in consecutive sample scans when adequately registered and the particles adequately segmented. (iv) A conceptual model of the initiation and propagation of strain localisation in kaolin was developed. The findings of this thesis implies that there is the potential to use platy mica particle marker images for early (pre-peak shear strength) detection of the initiation and propagation of strain localisation in kaolin and this may possibly be useful in enhancing available constitutive models such as the double scale constitutive model for improved clay behaviour prediction.Mass movements in clay deposits result in damage to infrastructures and buildings with significant social, economic, and environmental consequences. These processes are characterised by strain localisation, a complex process to investigate experimentally and model. Strain localisation in clays is particularly worrisome and possess huge destructive capabilities because clay is characterised by low shear strength. Conventional laboratory tests are essentially a post-mortem destructive analysis of localised deformations, and do not account for the fundamental physics of soil behaviours. Hence the development of 4-dimensional (4-D) non-destructive imaging approaches to study soil mechanical behaviour. However, due to the small size of clay particles compared to achievable X-ray computed tomography (X-ray CT) resolution, it has not been possible to directly evaluate particle scale clay micromechanics non-destructively using 4-D imaging techniques. This thesis presents a novel technique involving the use of plate-shaped (“platy”) muscovite mica marker for the evaluation of the initiation and propagation of strain localisation in kaolin. First, an investigation was carried out to understand the suitability of the use of mica particle markers for the study of clay by carrying out both chemical and mechanical characterization of mica. Subsequently, sample preparation techniques were experimented to understand the appropriate sampling approach with least microstructure disturbance. Furthermore, a novel miniature triaxial cell instrumented with a high capacity tensiometer and a novel platy particle matching algorithm were developed for the study of mica marker particle kinematics within kaolin. Kinematic analysis (displacement and rotation) of mica particle markers within the kaolin sample was then carried out. The results presented in this thesis demonstrated that (i) The particle configuration of silt sized muscovite samples consistently varied (dispersive and non-dispersive) with pore-water chemistry, regardless of whether the samples being tested were suspension sediments or compacted samples. (ii) By adding both silt sized muscovite or sand sized muscovite to kaolin for up to 30% sand sized muscovite or silt sized muscovite, the compressive behaviour is still clay-dominated. Similarly, the addition of mica (up to 30%) to kaolin does not significantly affect its hydraulic conductivity of kaolin. However, the shear strength characteristics of kaolin may significantly change by the addition of about 2.5-30% of silt sized muscovite or sand in the low normal stress (<100 kPa) but not at higher stress regime. (iii) PLATYMATCH (algorithm developed in this thesis) can effectively match platy particles in consecutive sample scans when adequately registered and the particles adequately segmented. (iv) A conceptual model of the initiation and propagation of strain localisation in kaolin was developed. The findings of this thesis implies that there is the potential to use platy mica particle marker images for early (pre-peak shear strength) detection of the initiation and propagation of strain localisation in kaolin and this may possibly be useful in enhancing available constitutive models such as the double scale constitutive model for improved clay behaviour prediction

Approches tomographiques structurelles pour l'analyse du milieu urbain par tomographie SAR THR : TomoSAR

SAR tomography consists in exploiting multiple images from the same area acquired from a slightly different angle to retrieve the 3-D distribution of the complex reflectivity on the ground. As the transmitted waves are coherent, the desired spatial information (along with the vertical axis) is coded in the phase of the pixels. Many methods have been proposed to retrieve this information in the past years. However, the natural redundancies of the scene are generally not exploited to improve the tomographic estimation step. This Ph.D. presents new approaches to regularize the estimated reflectivity density obtained through SAR tomography by exploiting the urban geometrical structures.La tomographie SAR exploite plusieurs acquisitions d'une même zone acquises d'un point de vue légerement différent pour reconstruire la densité complexe de réflectivité au sol. Cette technique d'imagerie s'appuyant sur l'émission et la réception d'ondes électromagnétiques cohérentes, les données analysées sont complexes et l'information spatiale manquante (selon la verticale) est codée dans la phase. De nombreuse méthodes ont pu être proposées pour retrouver cette information. L'utilisation des redondances naturelles à certains milieux n'est toutefois généralement pas exploitée pour améliorer l'estimation tomographique. Cette thèse propose d'utiliser l'information structurelle propre aux structures urbaines pour régulariser les densités de réflecteurs obtenues par cette technique

A review of nonlinear FFT-based computational homogenization methods

Since their inception, computational homogenization methods based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT) have grown in popularity, establishing themselves as a powerful tool applicable to complex, digitized microstructures. At the same time, the understanding of the underlying principles has grown, in terms of both discretization schemes and solution methods, leading to improvements of the original approach and extending the applications. This article provides a condensed overview of results scattered throughout the literature and guides the reader to the current state of the art in nonlinear computational homogenization methods using the fast Fourier transform

Characterization and Modelling of Composites

Composites have increasingly been used in various structural components in the aerospace, marine, automotive, and wind energy sectors. The material characterization of composites is a vital part of the product development and production process. Physical, mechanical, and chemical characterization helps developers to further their understanding of products and materials, thus ensuring quality control. Achieving an in-depth understanding and consequent improvement of the general performance of these materials, however, still requires complex material modeling and simulation tools, which are often multiscale and encompass multiphysics. This Special Issue aims to solicit papers concerning promising, recent developments in composite modeling, simulation, and characterization, in both design and manufacturing areas, including experimental as well as industrial-scale case studies. All submitted manuscripts will undergo a rigorous review process and will only be considered for publication if they meet journal standards. Selected top articles may have their processing charges waived at the recommendation of reviewers and the Guest Editor