High-resolution microscopy is central to biological studies, as the vast majority of living organisms and their organelles are too small to be seen with the naked eye. However, the wavelength of visible light limits the resolution of standard optical microscopy to around 200nm. Electron microscopy, though superior in resolving power, requires near-vacuum conditions, ruling out the possibility of visualizing live specimens. One viable option for high-resolution imaging of live specimens is stimulated emission depletion (STED) microscopy, a fluorescent confocal technique that affords superresolution. By selectively suppressing photons adjacent to the center focal spot, STED routinely achieves lateral resolutions of 50nm in practice. The most prominent flaw in this method is that photon suppression results in fluorophore photobleaching, which hinders the ability to acquire stack images used frequently for 3D-image reconstruction. Thus, in order to comprehensively visualize cells at such high resolution, there needs to be a solution for this photobleaching effect in STED.       (more...)

Radiation therapy for solid tumors is traditionally delivered with the radiation source revolving around the patient superior/inferior (head-to-toe) axis. This radiation source trajectory is referred to as coplanar geometry.  Although adding beams from non-coplanar trajectories can improve the dosimetry and reduce normal organ doses from radiotherapy, it is not easily achievable due to the difficulties in plan optimization, collision avoidance, and challenges in creating an efficient beam path so a non-coplanar plan can be delivered within the time allowed by the clinical flow. Therefore, most radiation oncology departments have adopted a policy minimizing non­coplanar beam angles that are collision prone. To realize the benefits of using non-coplanar trajectories, significant pre-planning collision modeling is necessary.  Currently available tools to model non-coplanar radiation trajectories do not account for the individual shapes and sizes of patients.  In addition, use of non-coplanar beams requires complex choreography between the couch (patient platform) and the gantry (rotating radiation deliver source).  Thus, then a large number of non-coplanar beams are needed, manual navigation is inefficient and ultimately impractical.  These limitations indicate a need for improved modeling and delivery systems for non-coplanar radiation beams. (more...)

Brachytherapy is an advanced cancer treatment that delivers a targeted high dose rate (HDR) of radiation directly to the tumor. Brachytherapy is a widely used method for the treatment of various cancers, including gynecological and skin cancer. However, success of brachytherapy relies on accurate fit between the applicator and the patient surface. Currently used standard applicators usually fit poorly to the patient, resulting in air gaps that reduce the effectiveness of treatment. The invention herein provides a method to fabricate a mold of a part of the patient's body for the utilization of a brachytherapy applicator to treat various forms of lesions. (more...)

With progress slowing down in improving multimedia visual and audio quality, there is an increased need for enhancing the viewer experience through other means. Recent research has shown increased emotional immersion, sense of presence, and sense of realism when tactile stimulation accompanies movies. Tactile stimulation can be combined with many entertainment applications, including video games, television, home theater, virtual reality simulation, music, and social interaction.  However, current tactile stimulation devices used for entertainment purposes face issues with ease of use and the ability to administer stimulation in various intensities on various body areas. There is thus a need for a versatile, programmable, non-invasive, and easy-to-setup tactile stimulation device that can be adapted for various entertainment applications.  (more...)

Optical microscopy methods have tremendous application in the study of cells and other biological structures.Current imaging methods, such as STED and PALM, have allowed scientists to capture super-resolution images that have been difficult in the past.However, these current imaging methods are inadequate to detect the dynamic movements of live cell structures which are continually changing shape and position in the millisecond to second time scale.In addition, current scanning techniques, which utilize laser scanning in a predetermined pattern, are inefficient when the features to be imaged are at the nanometer scale.A method that is effective at capturing super-resolution images of dynamic, nanoscale biological samples will be an important scientific tool. Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed an optical imaging method that can produce 3D images of small, moving cellular structures with fluorescent surfaces.The method is based on a feedback principle according to the shape of the objects present in the sample, instead of having a predetermined path.The feedback approach produces high quality 3D images in seconds and does not require sample fixation.This method works with live cells and is compatible with correlation techniques like FCS and RICS. (more...)

The diffuse optical spectroscopic imaging (DOSI) device is a tissue spectroscopy instrument designed to measure absorption and scattering properties of tissues. These absorption and scattering spectra are dependent upon the functional and structural composition of the tissue under study. The use of non-ionizing radiation probes the tissues below the surface non-invasively. While the idea of optical tissue spectroscopy is not unique, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a unique compact modular platform that provides high portability yet retains the high information content of spectroscopic imaging of tissues. (more...)

Delivery of drugs by inhalation has numerous advantages. However, analyzing the performance of such drugs requires precise information on the drugs deposition pattern. Researchers at University of California, Davis have developed a method for imaging the exact deposition pattern of inhaled drugs and particles in tissue samples. (more...)

Researchers at the University of California, Irvine have developed a method using nonlinear optical (NLO), femtosecond infrared lasers for the precise depth and area activation of photosensitizers to treat the cornea. (more...)

There is a growing focus now on understanding how the fundamental cellular building blocks are organized and interact with each other. A tool is needed that can provide dynamic in vivo 3-dimensional microscopic pictures with nanometer resolution of individual molecules interacting with each other. Currently, fluorescence microscopy can provide detailed observations down to the single molecule level for in vitro experiments, and that single fluorophores can be detected in the membrane of living cells with good signal-to-noise ratios. However, it is uncertain whether this method can provide the required spatial and temporal resolution necessary for imaging molecular interactions in vivo. Although several advances have been made in improving the spatial resolution of optical microscopy, they all have their limitations. Some of these limitations include a limited ability to compensate for aberrations, a limited implementation for hydrated samples, constraints on sample size, and difficulty expanding to multi-color probes. Further, super-resolution approaches suffer from basic limitations of far-field optics such as spherical and chromatic aberrations. Although attempts have been made to correct these difficulties, none of these approaches perfectly corrects these imperfections.  (more...)

Researchers at UC San Diego have created a new low-cost virtual reality device allowing users to ‘feel’ 3D images. The heads-up virtual reality (HUVR) device couples a 3D HDTV panel with a half-silvered mirror to project graphic images onto the user’s hands and/or into the space surrounding them. Head position is tracked to generate the correct perspective view, while the user maneuvers a haptic device to interact with the generated image, allowing users to ‘touch’ the image’s angles and contours, as if it was a tangible three-dimensional object. (more...)

Stereoscopic displays present different images to the two eyes by alternating the images on the display screen to be delivered to the left and right eyes. Even though the eyes do not receive images simultaneously, the presented images are typically captured simultaneously. This inconsistency between how the images are made and how they are presented can lead to undesirable effects, including motion jerkiness, flicker, and depth distortion.    Investigators at University of California at Berkeley have addressed these challenges by developing a method that minimizes 3D distortions through frame interpolation. The 3D distortion minimization will yield a noticeable improvement in image appearance that will be sought after by consumers. The innovation uses motion-compensating frame-rate conversion (MCFRC) to offset the effective capture times of the incoming frames for one eye and thereby eliminate the inconsistency between the timing of capture and presentation to the two eyes. This yields images with less apparent flicker and jerkiness, but in particular, reduced depth distortion. UCB has a pending patent application on this technology. (more...)

  BACKGROUND: Regional anesthesia is performed by placing needles in specific anatomic locations of the body to administer medications (such as local anesthetics, narcotics, or steroids) near peripheral nerves. These procedures are traditionally guided by surface landmarks, nerve stimulation to evoke sensory or motor responses, loss-of-resistance to identify spaces, free flow of cerebrospinal fluid, fluoroscopy, or computed tomography scans. If not correctly identified, the needle tip can inadvertently puncture blood vessels, the lung, peritoneum, dura mater, peripheral nerves or the spinal cord, potentially resulting in injuries to patients.   Although fluoroscopy has been used to guide needle placement, exposure to ionizing radiation is an important consideration for both patients and practitioners. In addition, fluoroscopy is not generally recommended for pregnant patients. Fluoroscopy is an excellent imaging modality for identifying bony landmarks, but it does not provide identification of soft tissue structures such as nerves and blood vessels.   An increasingly popular alternative is to use high-resolution ultrasound to visualize needle placement. However, this technique is limited by poor needle tip visibility at steep angles of needle insertion. Therefore, there is a need for a technology that addresses the need for improved needle tip visibility at steep insertion angles to ultimately improve the placement of needles for regional anesthesia via ultrasound imaging.   SUMMARY: UCSF physicians have discovered a new method of design for attaining ultrasound visibility of needles and other interventional devices that works at all angles of needle insertion. The needles have been tested using commercial ultrasound scanners, and have been show to be visible at steep angles, even when the needle tip is slightly covered by bone. This new technology also reduces the need for long, shallow needle paths required to avoid steep angles. Since precise localization of the needle tip is essential to the safety and efficacy of ultrasound-guided interventions, this invention will reduce patient morbidity and increase the number and scope of procedures for which ultrasound guidance will be advantageous. (more...)

Tele-immersion technology has great potential in a broad range of applications. However, much of this potential can't be realized till tele-immersion technology can perform accurately in realtime. To address this opportunity, UC Berkeley researchers have developed a framework for capturing, transmitting and storing multi-view 3D video data. This work is aimed at tele-immersion applications, where geographically distributed users can interact with each other in a shared virtual space. In this space, each user is presented by their 3D avatar that is generated in realtime.  (more...)

Tiled multi-projector displays are becoming increasingly more popular for visualization, education, entertainment, training and simulation applications but registering multiple projectors on such a display presents many challenges. Existing solutions are complex, expensive and often require a highly skilled technician to operate. (more...)

Researchers at UC San Diego have invented a resistless projection lithographic method to generate three-dimensional patterns on silicon substrates. A porous silicon layer is formed first by projecting an image or test pattern onto a silicon substrate during standard electrochemical etching. The porous layer is then removed in a wet etch revealing a 3-D image or test pattern in micrometer resolution. This technique does not involve the use of complicated, multi-step lithography or mask aligners. It is also quick; a multilayered master can be made from a computer design in less than 60 minutes. Feature sizes of 70 microns have been demonstrated, but smaller features should be possible. (more...)

Ruptured brain aneurysms account for over 5% of all stroke cases with a high fatality rate. Often, these brain aneurysms went undetected or were misdiagnosed in size due to inaccurate methods of estimating volume of aneurysms. Because the risk of aneurysm rupture increases as the size of the aneurysm becomes larger, it is extremely important to have an accurate method of determining its size. Currently, methods range from segmenting images to deforming a shape of known volume to fit the target. However, these techniques are often labor intensive, time consuming, and impractical with a wide range of accuracy. Complicated shapes such as the human right ventricle cannot usually be quantified with existing technology. (more...)

GeoPlot is a light-weight java applet which allows users to create a geographical image of a data set. The applet provides the user with many options to represent the data set. Basically, GeoPlot plots a set of nodes and a set of lines that connect these nodes on an image specified by the user. The data for the applet can either be in the parameters of the Applet tag or the URL to a data file. Color keys and size keys can also be defined which can be used to determine the color and width of the nodes and lines drawn on the image. There can be multiple lines between any two nodes, as well as for a single node. The applet supports mouse over movements and displays a status bar at the bottom of the applet when the mouse cursor is on a line or node. Also users can click on a line or node and be taken to another URL for maybe more information about that entity. For further information and an example of the how the information is graphically displayed, please see: http://www.caida.org/tools/visualization/geoplot/index.xml (more...)

University researchers have written powerful software for the molecular modeling of protein. The Fast Atomic Density Evaluation (FADE) and Pairwise Atomic Density Reverse Engineering (PADRE) programs deduce molecular shape using the local density of atoms at points within a few Angstroms of the molecular surface. FADE uses Fast Fourier Transforms and convolution integrals to rapidly calculate the distribution of atomic neighbors. PADRE poses the question of atomic density as an inverse problem based on a one-dimensional integral of Lennard-Jones potentials. A primary advantage of atomic density methods is their computational efficiency. FADE can analyze molecular shape in seconds, while other methods may take minutes or hours. FADE and PADRE can deduce surface shape features, such as crevices and protrusions. FADE is also able to do detailed analysis of shape complementarity for docked complexes. The ability to determine regions of strong shape match or mismatch in an interface is very useful to computer-aided drug design. In addition to research, atomic density methods offer an ideal tool for learning about the shape features of molecules. The basic ideas underlying density methods can be understood intuitively, and integration within existing packages for molecular visualization would be a great aid to students studying protein structure-function relationships. For more information please see the website http://www.sdsc.edu/CCMS/FP/ (more...)

BACKGROUND:  Fluorescence microscopy of live cells allows researchers to study molecular and cellular processes in their natural context. However, fine details may be lost due to degradation of image resolution by various factors, including refractive index, mismatches between the optics and the sample media (e.g. oil/water interfaces or air/solid interfaces), or changes in refractive index due to inhomogeneity of the sample (e.g. different cellular compartments). Resolution, therefore, becomes lower as sample depth increases. Software and/or hardware improvements are needed to retrieve the resolution of three dimensional images collected by microscopy.   TECHNOLOGY:  Researchers have improved the resolution of wide field microscopy through the application of adaptive optics, which allows real time correction of aberrations as has previously been used in astronomy and confocal microscopy. Wide field microscopy (i.e. illumination and imaging of the entire field of view) is most efficient at collecting photons of light compared to other methods such as confocal microscopy, and allows fastest acquisition rates and minimal photo-damage for dynamic studies of live samples. The implementation of adaptive optics, which corrects depth-dependent and sample inhomogeneity-induced aberrations, greatly improves the resolution in live cell images. Both hardware and software methods have been designed to improve the resolution of live sample images. Additionally, novel and cost-effective methodology and apparatus have been developed to correct optical aberrations. (more...)