Count-based imaging model for the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) in Solar Orbiter

The Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) will study solar flares across the hard X-ray window provided by the Solar Orbiter cluster. Similarly to the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI), STIX is a visibility-based imaging instrument that will require Fourier-based image reconstruction methods. However, in this paper we show that as for RHESSI, count-based imaging is also possible for STIX. Specifically, we introduce and illustrate a mathematical model that mimics the STIX data formation process as a projection from the incoming photon flux into a vector consisting of 120 count components. Then we test the reliability of expectation maximization for image reconstruction in the case of several simulated configurations that are typical of flare morphology

The Hough Transform and the Impact of Chronic Leukemia on the Compact Bone Tissue from CT-Images Analysis

Computational analysis of X-ray Computed Tomography (CT) images allows the assessment of alteration of bone structure in adult patients with Advanced Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (ACLL), and may even offer a powerful tool to assess the development of the disease (prognostic potential). The crucial requirement for this kind of analysis is the application of a pattern recognition method able to accurately segment the intra-bone space in clinical CT images of the human skeleton. Our purpose is to show how this task can be accomplished by a procedure based on the use of the Hough transform technique for special families of algebraic curves. The dataset used for this study is composed of sixteen subjects including eight control subjects, one ACLL survivor, and seven ACLL victims. We apply the Hough transform approach to the set of CT images of appendicular bones for detecting the compact and trabecular bone contours by using ellipses, and we use the computed semi-axes values to infer information on bone alterations in the population affected by ACLL. The effectiveness of this method is proved against ground truth comparison. We show that features depending on the semi-axes values detect a statistically significant difference between the class of control subjects plus the ACLL survivor and the class of ACLL victims

Determination of the Acceleration Region Size in a Loop-structured Solar Flare

In order to study the acceleration and propagation of bremsstrahlung-producing electrons in solar flares, we analyze the evolution of the flare loop size with respect to energy at a variety of times. A GOES M3.7 loop-structured flare starting around 23:55 on 2002 April 14 is studied in detail using \textit{Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager} (\textit{RHESSI}) observations. We construct photon and mean-electron-flux maps in 2-keV energy bins by processing observationally-deduced photon and electron visibilities, respectively, through several image-processing methods: a visibility-based forward-fit (FWD) algorithm, a maximum entropy (MEM) procedure and the uv-smooth (UVS) approach. We estimate the sizes of elongated flares (i.e., the length and width of flaring loops) by calculating the second normalized moments of the intensity in any given map. Employing a collisional model with an extended acceleration region, we fit the loop lengths as a function of energy in both the photon and electron domains. The resulting fitting parameters allow us to estimate the extent of the acceleration region which is between $\sim 13 \rm{arcsec}$ and $\sim 19 \rm{arcsec}$. Both forward-fit and uv-smooth algorithms provide substantially similar results with a systematically better fit in the electron domain.The consistency of the estimates from these methods provides strong support that the model can reliably determine geometric parameters of the acceleration region. The acceleration region is estimated to be a substantial fraction ($\sim 1/2$) of the loop extent, indicating that this dense flaring loop incorporates both acceleration and transport of electrons, with concurrent thick-target bremsstrahlung emission.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted to Astronomy and Astrophysics journa

SIMMER extension for multigroup energy structure search using genetic algorithm with different fitness functions

The multigroup transport theory is the basis for many neutronics modules. A significant point of the cross-section (XS) generation procedure is the choice of the energy groups\u27 boundaries in the XS libraries, which must be carefully selected as an unsuitable energy meshing can easily lead to inaccurate results. This decision can require considerable effort and is particularly difficult for the common user, especially if not well-versed in reactor physics. This work investigates a genetic algorithm-based tool which selects an appropriate XS energy structure (ES) specific for the considered problem, to be used for the condensation of a fine multigroup library. The procedure is accelerated by results storage and fitness calculation speedup and can be easily parallelized. The extension is applied to the coupled code SIMMER and tested on the European Sustainable Nuclear Industrial Initiative (ESNIIþ) Advanced Sodium Technological Reactor for Industrial Demonstration (ASTRID)-like reactor system with different fitness functions. The results show that, when the libraries are condensed based on the ESs suggested by the algorithm, the code actually returns the correct multiplication factor, in both reference and voided conditions. The computational effort reduction obtained by using the condensed library rather than the fine one is assessed and is much higher than the time required for the ES search

Synthesis of Ribavirin, Tecadenoson, and Cladribine by enzymatic transglycosylation

Despite the impressive progress in nucleoside chemistry to date, the synthesis of nucleoside analogues is still a challenge. Chemoenzymatic synthesis has been proven to overcome most of the constraints of conventional nucleoside chemistry. A purine nucleoside phosphorylase from Aeromonas hydrophila (AhPNP) has been used herein to catalyze the synthesis of Ribavirin, Tecadenoson, and Cladribine, by a “one-pot, one-enzyme” transglycosylation, which is the transfer of the carbohydrate moiety from a nucleoside donor to a heterocyclic base. As the sugar donor, 7-methylguanosine iodide and its 2′-deoxy counterpart were synthesized and incubated either with the “purine-like” base or the modified purine of the three selected APIs. Good conversions (49-67%) were achieved in all cases under screening conditions. Following this synthetic scheme, 7-methylguanine arabinoside iodide was also prepared with the purpose to synthesize the antiviral Vidarabine by a novel approach. However, in this case, neither the phosphorolysis of the sugar donor, nor the transglycosylation reaction were observed. This study was enlarged to two other ribonucleosides structurally related to Ribavirin and Tecadenoson, namely, Acadesine, or AICAR, and 2-chloro-N6-cyclopentyladenosine, or CCPA. Only the formation of CCPA was observed (52%). This study paves the way for the development of a new synthesis of the target APIs at a preparative scale. Furthermore, the screening herein reported contributes to the collection of new data about the specific substrate requirements of AhPNP

Compressed sensing and Sequential Monte Carlo for solar hard X-ray imaging

We describe two inversion methods for the reconstruction of hard Xray solar images. The methods are tested against experimental visibilities recorded by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI) and synthetic visibilities based on the design of the Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX)

Avaliação algimétrica e sinérgica em cães tratados pela levomepromazina, induzidos pelo tiopental e mantidos pelo sevofluorano, pré-tratados ou não pelo butorfanol

O artigo não apresenta resumo

Forward fitting STIX visibilities

Aims. We seek to determine to what extent the problem of forward fitting visibilities measured by the Spectrometer/Telescope Imaging X-rays (STIX) on board Solar Orbiter becomes more challenging with respect to the same problem in the case of previous hard X-ray solar imaging missions. In addition, we aim to identify an effective optimization scheme for parametric imaging for STIX. Methods. This paper introduces a global search optimization for forward-fitting STIX visibilities and compares its effectiveness with respect to the standard simplex-based optimization used so far for the analysis of visibilities measured by the Reuven Ramaty High Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). We made this comparison by considering experimental visibilities measured by both RHESSI and STIX, as weel as synthetic visibilities generated by accounting for the STIX signal formation model. Results. We found that among the three global search algorithms for parametric imaging, particle swarm optimization (PSO) exhibits the best performances in terms of both stability and computational effectiveness. This method is as reliable as the simplex method in the case of RHESSI visibilities. However, PSO is significantly more robust when applied to STIX simulated and experimental visibilities. Conclusions. A standard optimization based on local search of minima is not effective enough for forward-fitting the few visibilities sampled by STIX in the spatial frequency plane. Therefore, more sophisticated optimization schemes based on global search must be introduced for parametric imaging in the case of the Solar Orbiter X-ray telescope. The forward-fitting routine based on PSO proved to be significantly robust and reliable, and it could be considered as an effective candidate tool for parametric imaging in the STIX context