Super-resolution imaging within reach

Although several optical techniques have been recently developed in order to overcome the resolution limit in microscopy, the imaging of sub-wavelength features is still a real challenge. In practise, super-resolution techniques remain difficult to build or are photo-toxic for the biological samples. However, microsphere-assisted microscopy has recently made super-resolution imaging accessible to scientists (e.g. optical metrologists, engineers and biologists). This paper presents an easy-to-implement optical setup to perform full-field and contactless super-resolution measurements of nanostructured media or biological elements. For this purpose, a classical microscope was enhanced by introducing a transparent microsphere. We show that this rather simple approach makes it possible to achieve a lateral resolution of 200 nm in air, i.e. the visualization of feature sizes of 100 nm

Machine learning and reduced order modelling for the simulation of braided stent deployment

Endoluminal reconstruction using flow diverters represents a novel paradigm for the minimally invasive treatment of intracranial aneurysms. The configuration assumed by these very dense braided stents once deployed within the parent vessel is not easily predictable and medical volumetric images alone may be insufficient to plan the treatment satisfactorily. Therefore, here we propose a fast and accurate machine learning and reduced order modelling framework, based on finite element simulations, to assist practitioners in the planning and interventional stages. It consists of a first classification step to determine a priori whether a simulation will be successful (good conformity between stent and vessel) or not from a clinical perspective, followed by a regression step that provides an approximated solution of the deployed stent configuration. The latter is achieved using a non-intrusive reduced order modelling scheme that combines the proper orthogonal decomposition algorithm and Gaussian process regression. The workflow was validated on an idealised intracranial artery with a saccular aneurysm and the effect of six geometrical and surgical parameters on the outcome of stent deployment was studied. The two-step workflow allows the classification of deployment conditions with up to 95% accuracy and real-time prediction of the stent deployed configuration with an average prediction error never greater than the spatial resolution of 3D rotational angiography (0.15 mm). These results are promising as they demonstrate the ability of these techniques to achieve simulations within a few milliseconds while retaining the mechanical realism and predictability of the stent deployed configuration

Complexity assessment and technical aspect of coronary angiogram and percutaneous coronary intervention following transcatheter aortic valve implantation

Background: Performing selective coronary angiogram (CA) and percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) post transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) may be challenging with various success rates of coronary ostia engagement. Methods: Among all patients who underwent CA and/or PCI after TAVI from our single center TAVI registry, ostia cannulation success was reported according to the quality of ostia engagement and artery opacification, and was classified as either selective, partially selective or non-selective but sufficient for diagnosis. Results: Among the 424 consecutive TAVI procedures performed at the aforementioned institution, 20 (4.7%) CA were performed in 19 (4.5%) patients at a median time of 464 days post TAVI (25–75% IQ: 213–634 days). CA were performed in 7 CoreValve, 9 Evolut R, 1 Evolut PRO and 2 Edwards Sapien 3 devices. Transradial vascular approach was attempted in 9 procedures (45%, right n = 6 and left n = 3) and was successful in 8 (40%) patients. A total of 20 left main artery ostium cannulation were attempted leading to a diagnostic CA in all of them with selective engagement in 65%.  Engagement of the right coronary artery in 2 out of 15 attempted cases failed due to a low ostium in conjunction with a high implantation of a CoreValve prosthesis. 11 PCI (55% of CA) including 2 left main lesions were performed. In 4 patients (36.4% of the PCI), an extension catheter was required to engage the left main. All planned PCI were successful. Conclusions: Post TAVI CA and PCI are challenging but feasible even after supra-annular self-expandable valve implantation

Microsphere-assisted phase-shifting profilometry

In the present work, we have investigated the combination of a superresolution microsphere-assisted 2D imaging technique with low-coherence phase-shifting interference microscopy. The imaging performance of this technique is studied by numerical simulation in terms of the magnification and the lateral resolution as a function of the geometrical and optical parameters. The results of simulations are compared with the experimental measurements of reference gratings using a Linnik interference configuration. Additional measurements are also shown on nanostructures. An improvement by a factor of 4.7 in the lateral resolution is demonstrated in air, thus giving a more isotropic nanometric resolution for full-field surface profilometry in the far field. (C) 2017 Optical Society of AmericaPeer reviewe

A Definition of Open-Ended Learning Problems for Goal-Conditioned Agents

A lot of recent machine learning research papers have ``open-ended learning'' in their title. But very few of them attempt to define what they mean when using the term. Even worse, when looking more closely there seems to be no consensus on what distinguishes open-ended learning from related concepts such as continual learning, lifelong learning or autotelic learning. In this paper, we contribute to fixing this situation. After illustrating the genealogy of the concept and more recent perspectives about what it truly means, we outline that open-ended learning is generally conceived as a composite notion encompassing a set of diverse properties. In contrast with previous approaches, we propose to isolate a key elementary property of open-ended processes, which is to produce elements from time to time (e.g., observations, options, reward functions, and goals), over an infinite horizon, that are considered novel from an observer's perspective. From there, we build the notion of open-ended learning problems and focus in particular on the subset of open-ended goal-conditioned reinforcement learning problems in which agents can learn a growing repertoire of goal-driven skills. Finally, we highlight the work that remains to be performed to fill the gap between our elementary definition and the more involved notions of open-ended learning that developmental AI researchers may have in mind