Passive Resonant Coil Based Fast Registration And Tracking System For Real-Time Mri-Guided Minimally Invasive Surgery

This thesis presents a single-slice based fast stereotactic registration and tracking technique along with a corresponding modular system for guiding robotic mechanism or interventional instrument to perform needle-based interventions under live MRI guidance. The system can provide tracking of full 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) in stereotactic interventional surgery based upon a single, rapidly acquired cross-sectional image. The whole system is constructed with a modular data transmission software framework and mechanical structure so that it supports remote supervision and manipulation between a 3D Matlab tracking user interface (UI) and an existing MRI robot controller by using the OpenIGTLink network communication protocol. It provides better closed-loop control by implementing a feedback output interface to the MRI-guided robot. A new compact fiducial frame design is presented, and the fiducial is wrapped with a passive resonant coil. The coil resonates at the Larmor frequency for 3T MRI to enhance signal strength and enable for rapid imaging. The fiducial can be attached near the distal end of the robot and coaxially with a needle so as to visualize target tissue and track the surgical tool synchronously. The MRI-compatible design of fiducial frame, robust tracking algorithm and modular interface allow this tracking system to be conveniently used on different robots or devices and in different size of MRI bores. Several iterations of the tracking fiducial and passive resonant coils were constructed and evaluated in a Phillips Achieva 3T MRI. To assess accuracy and robustness of the tracking algorithm, 25 groups of images with different poses were successively scanned along specific sequence in and MRI experiment. The translational RMS error along depth is 0.271mm with standard deviation of 0.277mm for totally 100 samples. The overall angular RMS error is less than 0.426 degree with standard deviation of 0.526 degree for totally 150 samples. The passive resonant coils were shown to significantly increase signal intensity in the fiducial relative to the surroundings and provide for rapid imaging with low flip angles

Vegetative Ecological Characteristics of Restored Reed (Phragmites australis) Wetlands in the Yellow River Delta, China

In this study, we compared ecological characteristics of wetland vegetation in a series of restoration projects that were carried out in the wetlands of Yellow River Delta. The investigated characteristics include plant composition structure, species diversity and community similarity in three kinds of Phragmites australis wetlands, i.e. restored P. australis wetlands (R1, R2, R3 and R4: restored in 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2009, respectively), natural P. australis wetland (N) and degraded P. australis wetland (D) to assess the process of wetlands restoration. The coverage of the R1 was 99%, which was similar to natural wetland. Among all studied wetlands, the highest and lowest stem density was observed in R1 and R2, respectively, Plant height and stem diameter show the same trend as N > R2 > R1 > R3 > D > R4. Species diversity of restored P. australis wetlands became closed to natural wetland. Both species richness and Shannon–Wiener index had similar tendency: increased first and then decreased with restored time. The highest species richness and species diversity were observed in R2, while the lowest values of those parameters were found in natural P. australis wetland. Similarity indexes between restored wetlands and natural wetland increased with the restoration time, but they were still less than 50%. The results indicate that the vegetation of P. australis wetlands has experienced a great improvement after several years’ restoration, and it is feasible to restored degraded P. australis wetlands by pouring fresh water into those wetlands in the Yellow River Delta. However, it is notable that costal degraded P. australis wetland in this region may take years to decades to reach the status of natural wetland

Design for Diverse Body Shapes with AI: Exploring AIGC Applications for DINED Mannequin Generation

WhatIn this project, a workflow method integrating generative AI has been developed. This versatile approach can be applied to a variety of body shape-related design tasks. For instance, designers can leverage this method effectively to generate design inspirations, enabling them to establish detailed design themes and goals more efficiently. Building upon this workflow, a new tool named DINED AI has been specifically designed to offer a more user-friendly and guided approach to accomplish these tasks. Although DINED AI is currently in the form of functional prototypes, both the user interface and back-end technology have been individually crafted to provide a realistic demonstration of its capabilities.WhyWith the rapid advancements in large language models, integrating AI technologies has emerged as the prevailing trend in product development. The aim of this project is to explore the potential of creating an AI-powered platform for DINED. DINED is renowned for its specialized expertise in anthropometry, which allows for the generation of realistic data models to aid in the design of ergonomic products. Leveraging this distinctive capability of DINED, and under the guidance of the mentors, this project focuses on the design of clothing, a widely recognized product that is intimately connected to the human body shape's form. Additionally, a streamlined workflow method will be developed to facilitate the design process.HowThe project is centered around leveraging technological advancements by implementing Stable Diffusion, LoRA, and ControlNet as crucial components. Stable Diffusion is a well-established text-to-image algorithm, while the LoRA model effectively refines Stable Diffusion using a limited number of images in the training dataset. On the other hand, ControlNet possesses the unique capability to extract specific control elements from the 3D mannequin generated by DINED, thereby enabling enhanced control over the resulting images.In order to ensure a seamless user experience, the project integrates these aforementioned technologies into a cohesive and streamlined workflow. Each step of the process is accompanied by comprehensive guidance, empowering users to effortlessly navigate the system and fostering a coherent user experience. Furthermore, the project underwent evaluation through expert interviews, further validating its effectiveness and potential impact.Online video link for prototype showcase: https://genny.lovo.ai/share/58e64f54-23a7-45c9-91b6-38ca9e8cb005 / Online prototype linkhttps://www.figma.com/proto/JpFBDxB6vhqJZjLeyQMsfE/DINED-WED-UI?page-id=773%3A23424&node-id=28-109&scaling=min-zoom&starting-point-node-id=773%3A23470&show-proto-sidebar=1&mode=design&t=XPHkEFRdsfZ3Wbd8-1Design for Interactio

Status of Macrobenthic Community and Its Relationships to Trace Metals and Natural Sediment Characteristics

Laizhou Bay, located in the northwest of Shandong Peninsula, has complex transitional environments between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. In the present study, a total of 122, 131, and 139 species were collected in spring, summer, and autumn 2011, respectively. Species constitutions of macrobenthos were grouped into four phyla, of which annelida were the most abundant phylum, the average biomass proportion of echinodermata was the lowest, and the proportion of important species for mollusca was the highest. The structure of the macrobenthic community showed significant differences between sites, and greater divergence was observed between the third site (S03) and other stations. The ABC plots showed that the biomass curve lay below the abundance curve, and the W-statistic value was negative. The result of the BOPA index showed that two stations had moderate ecological status in spring and that there were two heavily polluted sites and one moderately polluted site in summer. The BIO-ENV analyses indicated that the grain-size fractions together with trace metals (Hg, Pb, Zn, Cu, and Cr) could be considered as the major environmental variables influencing the macrobenthic patterns. The results together demonstrated that the macrobenthic communities in Laizhou Bay were negatively affected, perhaps by the tremendous impact of heavy metals in the sediments

Chang’E-4 rover spectra revealing micro-scale surface thermophysical properties of the Moon

Lunar surface temperature variations provide key information about the thermophysical properties of the regolith. To date, temperatures have been measured using telescopes and orbiter instruments, providing information from mid-to long infrared (IR) wavelengths. Here we report on temperature measurements in the short wavelength IR at centimeter scales observed in situ by the Chang’E-4 rover. These local observations are an important complement to the existing large-scale data. We show that even at 2.4 µm, where reflected radiation dominates the spectrum, thermal information can be retrieved from the data. The observed thermal radiances and derived temperatures depend on the observation geometry, specifically the relative azimuth angle between Sun and detector. This indicates that surface roughness on sub-resolution (millimeter) scales causes a non-Lambertian radiation pattern of the emitted flux that is per definition independent of the observation angle. This behavior must be considered when deriving temperatures and thermal properties of lunar regolith

The Number of Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction Decreased and Door-to-Balloon Time Delayed in COVID-19

Background. At present, COVID-19 is sweeping the world, and all countries are actively responding. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the treatment of patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) may be affected. Methods. We reviewed data of patients with AMI from January 23 to April 23, 2020 (2020), and January 23 to April 23, 2019 (2019), who were admitted to two hospitals from Southern China. We collected clinical characteristics, comorbidities, treatment, prognosis, and key time segments to analyze. Results. The total number of patients that had been diagnosed with AMI in the two hospitals was 218 in 2020 and 260 in 2019. The number of AMI patients that were admitted to hospitals per day decreased in 2020. The percentage of patients with AMI who refused hospitalization in 2020 was significantly higher than that in 2019 (5.0% vs 1.5%, p=0.028). There is no statistical difference in symptoms of the first medical contact (S2FMC) time between 2020 and 2019 (p=0.552). Door-to-balloon (D2B) time of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients who were treated with a primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI) in 2020 was 79 (63.75–105.25) mins, while D2B time in 2019 was 57.5 (41.5–76.5) mins, which was statistically different from the two groups. Conclusions. COVID-19 had an impact on the number of AMI patients who were admitted to hospitals and the time of treatment. During the COVID-19 epidemic, the number of AMI patients that were admitted to hospitals per day was decreased, while the percentage of AMI patients that refused therapy in these two hospitals increased, and the D2B time of STEMI patients was also delayed

Influence of Gate Dams on Yellow River Delta Wetlands

Nested Delft 3D and Hydrus 1D models were applied to simulate variations in the hydrological process of tidal creeks, soil water, and salt transport in the soil profile of the reconstruction area in the Yellow River Delta under six gate dam scenarios. The results showed that the gate dam set up near the sea area was more conducive to reducing the variation range of water depth in the reconstruction area. The water depth changes in scenarios with 6 m gate valves were higher than those with 3 m sluice valves in the same gate dam location. The variations in surface water salinity, cumulative flooding time, flooding frequency, and cumulative infiltration in each scenario were similar to those for water depth. Rapid changes in soil water and salt content occurred in each scenario in periods without flooding. The fluctuation of soil salt content in different soil layers was contrary to the changes in soil water content. The overall difference in the soil salt contents and soil water content of the soil profile in scenarios with a gate dam near the sea was relatively larger than that of those with a gate dam near the shore. Obvious differences in both the soil water content and soil salt content between scenarios with 3 m and 6 m gate valves were not observed. Our results contribute to the understanding of the function of gate dams in controlling soil water and salt content in coastal wetlands