A Snake-Based Approach to Accurate Determination of Both Contact Points and Contact Angles

We present a new method based on B-spline snakes (active contours) for measuring high-accuracy contact angles. In this approach, we avoid making physical assumptions by defining the contour of the drop as a versatile B-spline curve. When useful, we extend this curve by mirror symmetry so that we can take advantage of the reflection of the drop onto the substrate to detect the position of the contact points. To keep a wide range of applicability, we refrain from discretizing the contour of the drop, and we choose to optimize an advanced image-energy term to drive the evolution of the curve. This term has directional gradient and region-based components; additionally, another term—an internal energy—is responsible for the snake elasticity and constrains the parameterization of the spline. While preserving precision at the contact points, we limit the computational complexity by constraining a non-uniform repartition of the control points. The elasticity property of the snake links the local nature of the contact angle to the global contour of the drop. A global knowledge of the drop contour allows us to use the reflection of the drop on the substrate to automatically and precisely detect a line of contact points (vertical position and tilt). We apply cubic-spline interpolation over the image of the drop; then, the evolution procedure takes part in this continuous domain to avoid the inaccuracies introduced by pixelization and discretization. We have programmed our method as a Java software and we make it freely available. Our experiments result in good accuracy thanks to our high-quality image-interpolation model, while they show applicability to a variety of images thanks to our advanced image-energy term

Highly-parallelized simulation of a pixelated LArTPC on a GPU

The rapid development of general-purpose computing on graphics processing units (GPGPU) is allowing the implementation of highly-parallelized Monte Carlo simulation chains for particle physics experiments. This technique is particularly suitable for the simulation of a pixelated charge readout for time projection chambers, given the large number of channels that this technology employs. Here we present the first implementation of a full microphysical simulator of a liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) equipped with light readout and pixelated charge readout, developed for the DUNE Near Detector. The software is implemented with an end-to-end set of GPU-optimized algorithms. The algorithms have been written in Python and translated into CUDA kernels using Numba, a just-in-time compiler for a subset of Python and NumPy instructions. The GPU implementation achieves a speed up of four orders of magnitude compared with the equivalent CPU version. The simulation of the current induced on 10^3 pixels takes around 1 ms on the GPU, compared with approximately 10 s on the CPU. The results of the simulation are compared against data from a pixel-readout LArTPC prototype

Low-bond axisymmetric drop shape analysis for surface tension and contact angle measurements of sessile drops

A new method based on the Young-Laplace equation for measuring contact angles and surface tensions is presented. In this approach, a first-order perturbation technique helps to analytically solve the Young-Laplace equation according to photographic images of axisymmetric sessile drops. When appropriate, the calculated drop contour is extended by mirror symmetry so that reflection of the drop into substrate allows the detection of position of the contact points. To keep a wide range of applicability, a discretisation of the drop's profile is not realised: instead, an optimisation of an advanced image-energy term fits an approximation of the Young-Laplace equation to drop boundaries. In addition, cubic B-spline interpolation is applied to the image of the drop to reach subpixel resolution. To demonstrate the method's accuracy, simulated drops as well as images of liquid coal ash slags were analysed. Thanks to the high-quality image interpolation model and the image-energy term, the experiments demonstrated robust measurements over a wide variety of image types and qualities. The method was implemented in Java and is freely available [A.F. Stalder, LBADSA, Biomedical Imaging Group, EPFL, http://bigwww.epfl.ch/demo/dropanalysis]. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Dampening of blood-flow pulsatility along the carotid siphon : does form follow function?

The tortuous distal part of the ICA may have an attenuating effect on pulsatile arterial flow. We investigated local arterial blood flow patterns in the ICA proximal and distal to the carotid siphon to detect quantitative waveform changes

Infectious disease surveillance in the woylie (Bettongia penicillata)

Wild populations of the critically endangered woylie (Bettongia penicillata) recently declined by 90% in southwest Western Australia. Increased predation is the leading hypothesis for decline, but disease may be playing a role increasing susceptibility to predation. To explore this possibility, we surveyed woylie populations in the wild, in captivity and in a predator-free sanctuary for exposure to, and infection with, four known pathogens of macropods: herpesviruses, Wallal and Warrego orbiviruses, and Toxoplasma gondii. Our study found two of 68 individuals positive for neutralizing antibodies against known macropodid alphaherpesviruses. Three of 45 individuals were PCR positive for a herpesvirus that was shown to be a novel gammaherpesvirus or a new strain/variant of Potoroid Herpesvirus 1. Further sequence information is required to definitively determine its correct classification. There was no evidence of antibodies to orbivirus Wallal and Warrego serogroups, and all serological samples tested for T. gondii were negative. This is the first report of PCR and serological detection of herpesviruses in the woylie. Positive individuals did not demonstrate clinical signs of herpesviral diseases; therefore, the clinical significance of herpesviruses to wild woylie populations remains unclear. Further monitoring for herpesvirus infections will be important to inform disease risk analysis for this virus and determine temporal trends in herpesvirus activity that may relate to population health and conservation outcomes