Scattering of Light from the Systemic Circulatory System

There are many factors of methodological origin that influence the measurement of optical properties of the entire circulatory system which consists of blood as the basic component. The basic idea of this review article is to provide the optical properties of the circulatory system with all those factors of influence that have been employed in biomedical optics for different applications. We begin with the available optical properties, i.e., absorption, scattering and, reduced scattering coefficient, in general for any tissue inside the human body and prominent scattering theories (e.g., light, X-rays, neutrons) that are helpful in this regard. We have reviewed and compiled already available formulas and their respective available data for different human tissues for these optical properties. Then we have descended to the blood composition and to different scattering techniques available in the literature to study scattering and light propagation inside blood. We have reviewed both computational and theoretical scattering techniques.

Theoretical Evaluation of Water Cloud Model Vegetation Parameters

The advantage of implementing the Water Cloud Model (WCM) is in being able to express complex scattering characteristics in a vegetated area with simple bulk vegetation descriptors. However, there has been a lack of understanding or consensus about the optimal set of vegetation descriptors. In this paper, the original and improved expressions of WCM are evaluated and the optimal vegetation descriptors are presented by examining the relationship between WCM vegetation parameters and the theoretical scattering model predictions. In addition, the condition-specific regression relationship between bulk vegetation descriptors and theoretical scattering and attenuation coefficients, expressed by the A and B parameters in the WCM, is analyzed in relation to the shape, size, and orientation distribution of the scatterer. Furthermore, the influence of radar observation conditions on the parameterization of the WCM is presented. The results show that the particle moisture content and the vegetation water content can be the optimal vegetation descriptors, denoted by the V1 and V2 variables in the WCM, respectively.

Scattering functions of carved-ellipsoid-shaped particles

Motivated by the enriched topologies from the newly discovered nano-scaled molecular clusters, custom carved-ellipsoid models are built and their scattering functions are explored. The scattering functions of these models are derived in ellipsoidal coordinates. The theoretical scattering curves of these models can be further obtained through numerical calculation. These models have been successfully applied to the fitting of experimental scattering curves of some so-called wheel-shaped metal oxide molecular clusters.

SCT: a suite of programs for comparing atomistic models with small-angle scattering data

Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering techniques characterize proteins in solution and complement high-resolution structural studies. They are of particular utility when large proteins cannot be crystallized or when the structure is altered by solution conditions. Atomistic models of the averaged structure can be generated through constrained modelling, a technique in which known domain or subunit structures are combined with linker models to produce candidate global conformations. By randomizing the configuration adopted by the different elements of the model, thousands of candidate structures are produced. Next, theoretical scattering curves are generated for each model for trial-and-error fits to the experimental data. From these, a small family of best-fit models is identified. In order to facilitate both the computation of theoretical scattering curves from atomistic models and their comparison with experiment, theSCTsuite of tools was developed.SCTalso includes programs that provide sequence-based estimates of protein volume (either incorporating hydration or not) and add a hydration layer to models for X-ray scattering modelling. The originalSCTsoftware, written in Fortran, resulted in the first atomistic scattering structures to be deposited in the Protein Data Bank, and 77 structures for antibodies, complement proteins and anionic oligosaccharides were determined between 1998 and 2014. For the first time, this software is publicly available, alongside an easier-to-use reimplementation of the same algorithms in Python. Both versions ofSCThave been released as open-source software under the Apache 2 license and are available for download from https://github.com/dww100/sct.

Collimation problem in small-angle X-ray scattering for anisotropic objects: statement and solution

The problem of removal of collimation distortion due to employing a slit collimation system in small-angle X-ray scattering experiments is considered for anisotropic objects in general and for orientated macromolecules in particular. A mathematical statement of the problem is presented, and two approaches to `de-smear' the experimental scattering intensity are described. The first method seeks the theoretical scattering intensity as a linear combination of two-dimensional basis functions (B splines). The combination coefficients are found using the χ2and two-dimensional curvature-minimization criteria. The second approach is based on the iterative Friedman method, which was generalized to be effective for the problem of interest. The described methods are applied to simulated and experimental data, and the results are discussed.

Modelling of high-symmetry nanoscale particles by small-angle scattering

A versatile procedure to build high-symmetry objects and to calculate their corresponding small-angle scattering intensity is presented. Starting from a set of vertex positions, available from a large and extensible database, it is possible to build several types of bodies using spherical subunits. A fast implementation, based on the Debye formula using a histogram of distance, is then used to compute the theoretical scattering intensity. Since the model is built from the definition of a small set of parameters, it is possible to perform an optimization of structural parameters against experimental data. Finally, affine size polydispersities can be easily included by the rescaling of the histogram of the positions used in the calculations. Several examples of the calculations are presented, demonstrating the method and its applicability.

Broadband permeability measurement method for ferrites at any magnetization state: direct problem

A broadband permeability measurement method based on the full-wave electromagnetic (EM) analysis of a non-reciprocal transmission line is presented. The dispersion diagram for the first significant modes inside the ferrite loaded section of the line is obtained. The presence of magnetostatic modes generated by the magnetized ferrite inside the line is verified. Using a mode matching technique, the theoretical scattering parameters (S-parameters) of the transmission line are calculated. The full-wave analysis is validated with measurements of material properties in limit cases.

The acoustic properties of Salpa thompsoni

Wiebe, P. H., Chu, D., Kaartvedt, S., Hundt, A., Melle, W., Ona, E., and Batta-Lona, P. 2010. The acoustic properties of Salpa thompsoni. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 67: 583–593. Aggregations of the salp Salpa thompsoni were encountered during the Antarctic krill and ecosystem-studies cruise on the RV “G.O. Sars” from 19 February to 27 March 2008. The salp's in situ target strength (TS), size, number of individuals in aggregate chains, and chain angle of orientation were determined. Shipboard measurements were made of Salpa thompsoni's material properties. Individual aggregates were mostly 45.5–60.6 mm in mean length; relatively rare solitaries were ∼100 mm. Chains ranged from 3 to at least 121 individuals, and in surface waters (<20 m), they showed no preferred angle of orientation. Sound-speed contrast (h) ranged from 1.0060 to 1.0201 and density contrast (g) estimates between 1.0000 and 1.0039. The in situ TS distributions peaked between −75 and −76 dB at 38 kHz, with a secondary peak at approximately −65 dB. TS ranged between −85 and −65 dB at 120 and 200 kHz and peaked around −74 dB. The measured in situ TS of salps reasonably matched the theoretical scattering-model predictions based on multi-individual chains. The backscattering from aggregate salps gives rise to TS values that can be similar to krill and other zooplankton with higher density and sound-speed contrasts.