Echo-planar imaging: magnetic resonance imaging in a fraction of a second

Progress has recently been made in implementing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques that can be used to obtain images in a fraction of a second rather than in minutes. Echo-planar imaging (EPI) uses only one nuclear spin excitation per image and lends itself to a variety of critical medical and scientific applications. Among these are evaluation of cardiac function in real time, mapping of water diffusion and temperature in tissue, mapping of organ blood pool and perfusion, functional imaging of the central nervous system, depiction of blood and cerebrospinal fluid flow dynamics, and movie imaging of the mobile fetus in utero. Through shortened patient examination times, higher patient throughput, and lower cost per MRI examination, EPI may become a powerful tool for early diagnosis of some common and potentially treatable diseases such as ischemic heart disease, stroke, and cancer.     

Shuttle imaging radar experiment

The shuttle imaging radar (SIR-A) acquired images of a variety of the earth's geologic areas covering about 10 million square kilometers. Structural and geomorphic features such as faults, folds, outcrops, and dunes are clearly visible in both tropical and arid regions. The combination of SIR-A and Seasat images provides additional information about the surface physical properties: topography and roughness. Ocean features were also observed, including large internal waves in the Andaman Sea.     

Element-selective single atom imaging

Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) is widely used to identify elemental compositions of materials studied by microscopy. We demonstrate that the sensitivity and spatial resolution of EELS can be extended to the single-atom limit. A chemical map for gadolinium (Gd) clearly reveals the distribution of Gd atoms inside a single chain of metallofullerene molecules (Gd@C82) generated within a single-wall carbon nanotube. This characterization technique thus provides the "eyes" to see and identify individual atoms in nanostructures. It is likely to find broad application in nanoscale science and technology research.     

Molecular imaging in cancer

Medical imaging technologies have undergone explosive growth over the past few decades and now play a central role in clinical oncology. But the truly transformative power of imaging in the clinical management of cancer patients lies ahead. Today, imaging is at a crossroads, with molecularly targeted imaging agents expected to broadly expand the capabilities of conventional anatomical imaging methods. Molecular imaging will allow clinicians to not only see where a tumor is located in the body, but also to visualize the expression and activity of specific molecules (e.g., proteases and protein kinases) and biological processes (e.g., apoptosis, angiogenesis, and metastasis) that influence tumor behavior and/or response to therapy. This information is expected to have a major impact on cancer detection, individualized treatment, and drug development, as well as our understanding of how cancer arises.     

超微血管成像与彩色多普勒血流成像对乳腺结节的诊断价值比较

目的 比较超微血管成像(SMI)与彩色多普勒血流成像(CDFI)对乳腺实性结节的诊断价值.方法 81例患者102个乳腺实性结节行SMI及CDFI检查.以术后病理结果为诊断金标准,用Adler标准进行评级.结果 SMI分级与CDFI分级诊断乳腺结节的敏感度、特异度、准确度、阳性及阴性预测值分别为61.19％vs 60.66％、88.57％ vs80.49％、70.59％ vs 68.63％、91.11％ vs 82.22％、54.39％ vs 57.89％.SMI分级与CDFI分级曲线下面积、标准误、95％可信区间分别为0.807 vs 0.763、0.041 vs 0.047、0.717 ～ 0.879 vs 0.669 ～ 0.842,差异均有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 SMI分级诊断对乳腺实性结节的诊断效能高于CDFI.     

High-resolution three-dimensional imaging of dislocations

Dislocations and their interactions govern the properties of many materials, ranging from work hardening in metals to device pathology in semiconductor laser diodes. However, conventional electron micrographs are simply two-dimensional projections of three-dimensional (3D) structures, and even stereo microscopy cannot reveal the true 3D complexity of defect structures. Here, we describe an electron tomographic method that yields 3D reconstructions of dislocation networks with a spatial resolution three orders of magnitude better than previous work. We illustrate the method's success with a study of dislocations in a GaN epilayer, where dislocation densities of 1010 per square centimeter are common.     

Electron imaging of pyrrhotite superstructures

Natural pyrrhotites, when studied by high resolution electron microscopy, yield crystallographic information on a unit cell scale. Structural heterogeneity is prominent. The many reported superstructures are interpretable through an antiphase model. The 5C pyrrhotite superstructure results from an ordered sequence of antiphase domains while the higher temperature NC type results from a disordered sequence.     

Nanoscale imaging of molecular adsorption

In situ atomic force microscope observations were made of the adsorption of anions (1- or 2-) of the organic diacid 5-benzoyl-4-hydroxy-2-methoxybenzenesulfonic acid from aqueous solution onto the (0001) surface of hydrotalcite (HT), a layered clay. This adsorption process is believed to mimic the ion-exchange reactions that occur within the layers of HT and other layered clays. Atomic force microscope images of the (0001) surfaces of HT, acquired in aqueous solutions, reveal an ordered structure with respect to magnesium and aluminum atoms. In the presence of the anions, atomic force microscopy indicates pH-dependent adsorption onto the formally cationic HT surface. The anion coverage is governed by electroneutrality and steric interactions between the bulky anions within the adsorbed layer, whereas the orientation of the anions with respect to the HT surface is dictated by coulombic interactions and hydrogen bonding between the anion's sulfonate moiety and clay hydroxyl triads. These observations reveal that the reversible adsorption of molecular species can be examined directly by in situ atomic force microscopy, providing details of surface stoichiometry and adlayer symmetry on the local, molecular level.     

Coulomb explosion imaging of small molecules

Most of our knowledge of the structures of free molecules comes from indirect observations that focus on other properties (for example, energy or mass spectra) that depend on structure. Recently, a new method has been developed that instead yields geometrical images of individual molecules. This method takes advantage of the large Coulomb repulsion of the nuclei within molecules rapidly stripped of their electrons. The first experiments with this new technique have already revealed structural images of several important species, such as positively charged methane ions.     

Microearthquake imaging of the parkfield asperity

Microearthquake data from a downhole seismometer network on the San Andreas fault appear to outline two aseismic asperities that may correspond to the locations of the foreshocks and main shocks of the Parkfield characteristic earthquakes. The source parameters of the microearthquakes show that a few of the earthquakes have significantly higher stress drops than most. Furthermore, the magnitude-frequency statistics suggest that at local magnitude 0.6, the cumulative number of small events begins to fall off the usual Gutenberg-Richter (b = -1) relation, in which the number of events increases exponentially with decreasing magnitude. The downhole seismometer data establish a baseline from which the evolution of the earthquake process at Parkfield can be monitored and suggest that different mechanical conditions than those that lead to the typical Gutenberg-Richter relation may be operating for the smallest of Parkfield microearthquakes.     

Neutron imaging of laser fusion targets

Along-term goal of inertial-confinement fusion research is the generation of energy by imploding capsules containing deuterium-tritium fuel. Progress in designing the capsules is aided by accurate imaging of the fusion burn. Penumbral coded-aperture techniques have been used to obtain neutron images that are a direct measurement of the fusion burn region in the capsules.     

Field ion microscopical imaging of biomolecules

specimen molecules are protected from field desorption by embedding them in a platinum matrix, with the use of electrolytic codeposition on tungsten tips. High-resolution helium ion images are obtaind when the biomolecules are exposed during gradual removal of surface layers by controlled field evaporation. Structured images of individual molecules of coenzyme I and vitamin B(12)are seen.     

Brain imaging: applications in psychiatry

Various brain imaging techniques have become available in the past decade. These include techniques to evaluate brain structure, such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and techniques to assess functional activity, such as measurement of regional cerebral blood flow, single photon emission computed tomography, and positron emission tomography. These techniques can be used to map brain structure and function in normal human beings, and they have enlarged our knowledge of the pathophysiology of mental illnesses by demonstrating structural, metabolic, and neurochemical abnormalities in a wide range of mental disorders.     

Astronomical imaging with infrared array detectors

History shows that progress in astronomy often stems directly from technological innovation and that each portion of the electromagnetic spectrum offers unique insights into the nature of the universe. Most recently, the widespread availability of infrared-sensitive two-dimensional array detectors has led to dramatic improvements in the capabilities of conventional ground-based observatories. The impact of this new technology on our understanding of a wide variety of phenomena is illustrated here by infrared pictures of star-forming regions, of nebulae produced by the late stages of stellar evolution, of the nucleus of our own galaxy(the Milky Way), and of activity in other galaxies.