Diffusion reversal techniques are integrated into enhanced truncation-correlation photothermal coherence tomography (eTC-PCT) to restore blurred infrared thermophotonic images to their original, undistorted optical resolution. Diffusion reversal imaging shows promise as a general non-invasive biomedical imaging and non-destructive testing tool, with potentially wide range of applications from biothermophotonic imaging of disease and subcutaneous tissues to manufactured product quality control inspection, including green stages of automotive component production. This represents a significant advancement in this field, as it successfully overcomes the traditional limitations posed by lateral and axial heat diffusion.
SignificanceIn the analysis of two-layered turbid dental tissues, the outer finite-thickness layer is modeled by an optical transport coefficient distinct from its underlying semi-infinite substrate layer. The optical and thermophysical parameters of healthy and carious teeth across the various wavelengths were measured leading to the determination of the degree of reliability of each of the fitted parameters, with most reliable being thermal diffusivity and conductivity, enamel thickness, and optical transport coefficient of the enamel layer. Quantitative pixel-by-pixel images of the key reliable optical and thermophysical parameters were constructed.AimWe introduced a theoretical model of pulsed photothermal radiometry based on conduction-radiation theory and applied to quantitative photothermal detection and imaging of biomaterials. The theoretical model integrates a combination of inverse Fourier transformation techniques, avoiding the conventional cumbersome analytical Laplace transform method.ApproachTwo dental samples were selected for analysis: the first sample featured controlled, artificially induced early caries on a healthy tooth surface, while the second sample exhibited natural defects along with an internal filling. Using an Nd:YAG laser and specific optical parametric oscillator (OPO) wavelengths (675, 700, 750, and 808 nm), photothermal transient signals were captured from different points on these teeth and analyzed as a function of OPO wavelength. Measurements were also performed with an 808-nm laser diode for comparison with the same OPO wavelength excitation, particularly for the second sample with natural defects.ResultsThe findings demonstrated that the photothermal transient signals exhibit a fast-decaying pattern at shorter wavelengths due to their higher scattering nature, while increased scattering and absorption in the carious regions masked conductive and radiative contributions from the underlayer. These observations were cross-validated using micro-computed tomography, which also enabled the examination of signal patterns at different tooth locations.ConclusionsThe results of our study showed the impact of optical and thermal characteristics of two-layered turbid dental tissues via an inverse Fourier technique, as well as the interactions between these layers, on the patterns observed in depth profiles.
Antibodies that are produced following infection due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus or vaccination are critical for monitoring the immune response of an individual or the impact of the vaccine over time. As vaccines become available, there is a need for rapid, accurate, and low-cost point-of-care tools for monitoring the effectiveness of the vaccines over time at the population level. Here, we report the efficiency of a handheld point-of-care thermo-photonic device for quantifying anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in humanized control positive solution. Results showed that the imager in conjunction with rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) can detect and quantify antibody levels within clinically relevant range and with a limit of detection of 0.1 µg/ml.
Lateral flow immunoassays (LFAs) are widely used platforms for point-of-care detection of target analytes; however, these rapid tests are not very sensitive and offer only binary results. In this study, highly sensitive thermo-photonic LFA readers were developed for the sensitive detection and quantification of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in oral fluids and the antibodies (IgM and IgG) developed against SARS-CoV-2 virus in human blood/plasma. Our results suggest developed readers not only improved the detection limit by more than an order of magnitude, but also enables reliable quantification of target analytes.
Lock-in thermography (LIT) is a non-destructive testing technique with a broad spectrum of applications, spanning from detection of manufacturing defects in industrial samples to early diagnosis of diseases in hard and soft tissues. Nevertheless, commercialization and wide-spread adaption of LIT has long been impeded by the cost (usually $10k-$100k) and size of infrared cameras. In this paper, we demonstrate that this cost and size limitation can be overcome using cell-phone attachment infrared cameras/sensors. Developed low-cost and portable LIT systems use an intensity-modulated near infrared light for illumination while detecting thermal signatures by the low-cost cellphone attachment infrared camera (Seek thermal compact; Android). While the nominal frame rate of camera is less than 9fps, we have deciphered the communication protocol and frame information structure of the camera and set up packets of information and send them to the camera’s default endpoint address and, subsequently, acquire frame data from camera through a corresponding pipe. As such, the developed platform can control camera attributes through a simple USB interface while achieving a stable high frame rate of 33fps. To demonstrate performance of developed low-cost and portable system, two types of LIT experiments were conducted: (i) in response to the recent legalizations of marijuana in Canada, we interrogated photothermal responses of commercially available oral fluid latral flow immunoassays (LFAs), demonstrating reliable detection of THC (the psychoactive substance of cannabis) at concentrations as low as 2 ng/ml. (ii) To demonstrate ability of the system in early detection of dental caries, artificially induced early caries were created on healthy enamel surfaces and imaged with the low cost and portable system at different stages of formation. Results, suggest ability of the system in detection of caries at very early stages when neither x-ray nor visual-tactile inspection can detect them. Both sets of experiments clearly demonstrate the promise of the developed low-cost and portable LIT system in producing reliable LIT images, paving the way for translation of this technology to industry.
Lateral flow immunoassays (LFAs) have received much attention in recent years for detecting THC (a psychoactive ingredient of the cannabis plant) in oral fluids for point-of-care (POC) diagnostics. Specific advantages of screening oral fluids for THC include ease of sample collection in public and correlation of presence of THC in oral fluid with recent use of cannabis. However, despite their popularity, the detection limit of LFA is normally limited to greater than 25 ng/ml of THC in oral fluid which impedes the implementation of per se regulations in many jurisdictions (i.e., 1-5 ng/ml). To address this shortcoming, several LFA reader technologies have been developed in recent years but none of them have satisfied the required performance criteria of <80% sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy at per se limit, set by Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Alcohol, and Medicines (DRUID). In this work, we explore Lock-In thermography (LIT) method for detecting THC in saliva-based LFA strips, utilizing thermal signatures of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) for interpretation of LFAs. Our results suggest that LIT enhances the limit of detection of the commercially available LFA by over an order of magnitude and promises an affordable solution that allows for proper enforcement of per se regulations worldwide.
In conventional fundus imaging devices, transpupillary illumination is used for illuminating the inside of the eye. In this method, the illumination light is directed into the posterior segment of the eye through the cornea and passes the pupillary area. As a result of sharing the pupillary area for the illumination beam and observation path, pupil dilation is typically necessary for wide-angle fundus examination, and the field of view is inherently limited. An alternative approach is to deliver light from the sclera. It is possible to image a wider retinal area with transcleral-illumination. However, the requirement of physical contact between the illumination probe and the sclera is a drawback of this method. We report here trans-palpebral illumination as a new method to deliver the light through the upper eyelid (palpebra). For this study, we used a 1.5 mm diameter fiber with a warm white LED light source. To illuminate the inside of the eye, the fiber illuminator was placed at the location corresponding to the pars plana region. A custom designed optical system was attached to a digital camera for retinal imaging. The optical system contained a 90 diopter ophthalmic lens and a 25 diopter relay lens. The ophthalmic lens collected light coming from the posterior of the eye and formed an aerial image between the ophthalmic and relay lenses. The aerial image was captured by the camera through the relay lens. An adequate illumination level was obtained to capture wide angle fundus images within ocular safety limits, defined by the ISO 15004-2: 2007 standard. This novel trans-palpebral illumination approach enables wide-angle fundus photography without eyeball contact and pupil dilation.
KEYWORDS: Super resolution, In vivo imaging, Spatial frequencies, Retinal scanning, Image resolution, Retina, Eye, Spatial resolution, Signal to noise ratio, Microscopy
High resolution is important for sensitive detection of subtle distortions of retinal morphology at an early stage of eye diseases. We demonstrate virtually structured detection (VSD) as a feasible method to achieve in vivo super-resolution ophthalmoscopy. A line-scanning strategy was employed to achieve a super-resolution imaging speed up to 127 frames/s with a frame size of 512×512 pixels. The proof-of-concept experiment was performed on anesthetized frogs. VSD-based super-resolution images reveal individual photoreceptors and nerve fiber bundles unambiguously. Both image contrast and signal-to-noise ratio are significantly improved due to the VSD implementation.
Rod-dominated transient retinal phototropism (TRP) has been recently observed in freshly isolated mouse and frog retinas. Comparative confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography revealed that the TRP was predominantly elicited from the rod outer segment (OS). However, the biophysical mechanism of rod OS dynamics is still unknown. Mouse and frog retinal slices, which displayed a cross-section of retinal photoreceptors and other functional layers, were used to test the effect of light stimulation on rod OSs. Time-lapse microscopy revealed stimulus-evoked conformational changes of rod OSs. In the center of the stimulated region, the length of the rod OS shrunk, while in the peripheral region, the rod OS swung toward the center region. Our experimental observation and theoretical analysis suggest that the TRP may reflect unbalanced rod disc-shape changes due to localized visible light stimulation.
Oblique light stimulation evoked transient retinal phototropism (TRP) has been recently detected in frog and mouse retinas. High resolution microscopy of freshly isolated retinas indicated that the TRP is predominated by rod photoreceptors. Comparative confocal microscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) revealed that the TRP predominantly occurred from the photoreceptor outer segment (OS). However, biophysical mechanism of rod OS change is still unknown. In this study, frog retinal slices, which open a cross section of retinal photoreceptor and other functional layers, were used to test the effect of light stimulation on rod OS. Near infrared light microscopy was employed to monitor photoreceptor changes in retinal slices stimulated by a rectangular-shaped visible light flash. Rapid rod OS length change was observed after the stimulation delivery. The magnitude and direction of the rod OS change varied with the position of the rods within the stimulated area. In the center of stimulated region the length of the rod OS shrunk, while in the peripheral region the rod OS tip swung towards center region in the plane perpendicular to the incident stimulus light. Our experimental result and theoretical analysis suggest that the observed TRP may reflect unbalanced disc-shape change due to localized pigment bleaching. Further investigation is required to understand biochemical mechanism of the observed rod OS kinetics. Better study of the TRP may provide a noninvasive biomarker to enable early detection of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and other diseases that are known to produce retinal photoreceptor dysfunctions.
The accuracy of the estimation of optical aberrations by measuring the distorted wave front using a Hartmann-Shack
wave front sensor (HSWS) is mainly dependent upon the measurement accuracy of the centroid of the focal spot. The
most commonly used methods for centroid estimation such as the brightest spot centroid; first moment centroid;
weighted center of gravity and intensity weighted center of gravity, are generally applied on the entire individual sub-apertures
of the lens let array. However, these processes of centroid estimation are sensitive to the influence of
reflections, scattered light, and noise; especially in the case where the signal spot area is smaller compared to the whole
sub-aperture area. In this paper, we give a comparison of performance of the commonly used centroiding methods on
estimation of optical aberrations, with and without the use of some pre-processing steps (thresholding, Gaussian
smoothing and adaptive windowing). As an example we use the aberrations of the human eye model. This is done using
the raw data collected from a custom made ophthalmic aberrometer and a model eye to emulate myopic and hyper-metropic
defocus values up to 2 Diopters. We show that the use of any simple centroiding algorithm is sufficient in the
case of ophthalmic applications for estimating aberrations within the typical clinically acceptable limits of a quarter
Diopter margins, when certain pre-processing steps to reduce the impact of external factors are used.
The Light and Optics Conceptual Evaluation (LOCE) was developed to examine conceptual understanding of basic geometric and physical optics for the Active Learning in Optics and Photonics program administered by UNESCO. This 50 item test (46 multiple choice, 4 ray-tracing short answer) was administered to entering students in the Optometry professional degree (OD) program. We wanted to determine how much of the physics/optics concepts from undergraduate physics courses (a pre-requisite for entry to the OD program) were retained. In addition, the test was administered after the first year students had taken a required course in geometric and visual optics as part of their first semester courses. The LOCE was completed by two consecutive classes to the program in 2010 (n=89) and 2011 (n=84). The tests were administered the first week of the term and the test was given without any prior notice. In addition, the test was administered to the class of 2010 students after they had completed the course in geometric and visual optics. The means of the test were 22.1 (SD=4.5; range: 12-35) and 21.3(SD=5.1; range: 11-35) for the two entering classes. There was no statistical significance between the two classes (t-test, p<0.05). Similarly there was no difference between the scores in terms of gender. The post-course test (administered during the first week of the second term) showed a statistically significant improvement (mean score went from 22.1 to 31.1, a 35% improvement). It should be noted that both groups of students performed worse in questions related to physical optics as well as lens imaging, while scoring best in questions related to refraction and reflection. These data should be taken into consideration when designing optics curricula for optometry (and other allied health programs such as opticianry or ophthalmology).
A critical challenge in biomedical imaging is to optimally balance the trade-off among image resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and acquisition time. Acquiring a high-resolution image is possible; however, it is either expensive or time consuming or both. Resolution is also limited by the physical properties of the imaging device, such as the nature and size of the input source radiation and the optics of the device. Super-resolution (SR), which is an off-line approach for improving the resolution of an image, is free of these trade-offs. Several methodologies, such as interpolation, frequency domain, regularization, and learning-based approaches, have been developed over the past several years for SR of natural images. We review some of these methods and demonstrate the positive impact expected from SR of retinal images and investigate the performance of various SR techniques. We use a fundus image as an example for simulations.
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