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PubMed2005

Artifact and noise suppression in GRAPPA imaging using improved k-space coil calibration and variable density sampling.

A parallel imaging technique, GRAPPA (GeneRalized Auto-calibrating Partially Parallel Acquisitions), has been used to improve temporal or spatial resolution. Coil calibration in GRAPPA is performed in central k-space by fitting a target signal using its adjacent signals. Missing signals in outer k-space are reconstructed. However, coil calibration operates with signals that exhibit large amplitude variation while reconstruction is performed using signals with small amplitude variation. Different signal variations in coil calibration and reconstruction may result in residual image artifact and noise. The purpose of this work was to improve GRAPPA coil calibration and variable density (VD) sampling for suppressing residual artifact and noise. The proposed coil calibration was performed in local k-space along both the phase and frequency encoding directions. Outer k-space was acquired with two different reduction factors. Phantom data were reconstructed by both the conventional GRAPPA and the improved technique for comparison at an acceleration of two. Under the same acceleration, optimal sampling and calibration parameters were determined. An in vivo image was reconstructed in the same way using the predetermined optimal parameters. The performance of GRAPPA was improved by the localized coil calibration and VD sampling scheme.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1987

In vivo calibration of a transcutaneous oxygen electrode in adult patients.

Transcutaneous oxygen tension (tcPO2) has been compared with arterial oxygen tension (PaO2 in 14 haemodynamically stable patients in an intensive care unit. Two calibration methods have been compared: (1) "In vitro" calibration, a two point calibration procedure carried out before attachment to the skin. (2) "In vivo" calibration, calibration using a single arterial sample, to recalibrate the upper point after attachment of the electrode to the skin and stabilisation of the electrical output. After "in vitro" calibration the regression equation was given by tcPO2 (mmHg) = 0.58 PaO2 + 13.4 (95% confidence limits +/- 19.6). After "in vivo" calibration, the regression equation for 55 comparisons over the range 50 to 120 mmHg was given by: tcPO2 (mmHg) = 0.98 PaO2 + 1.6 (95% confidence limits +/- 6.6). The "in vivo" calibration method therefore allows a close estimate of PaO2 to be made from tcPO2 values in adult patients providing strict operating criteria observed.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

A method for calibrating three-dimensional positron emission tomography without scatter correction.

Calibration for three-dimensional positron emission tomography (3D PET) using a uniform cylinder and cross-calibration with aliquots requires correction for scatter and attenuation. Thus the accuracy of the calibration is dependent on the scatter correction method, and on the applicability of the scatter correction for different regions of the body. A method has been developed which provides a calibration which does not require correction for scatter or attenuation, making it generally applicable and independent of the scatter correction. The method has been previously described for measurement of the absolute sensitivity of tomographic devices. This approach has been extended to give a calibration of the PET camera "in air" in units of kBq/pixel. The reconstructed images are multiplied by this factor to give accurate activity concentrations, after attenuation and scatter correction. The method has been used with a fully 3D filtered backprojection (reprojection) algorithm and iterative convolution-subtraction scatter correction on data from an ECAT 953B. Using this method 3D PET images have been calibrated to within +/-5% accuracy, but this is highly dependent on the accuracy of the scatter correction. The method described here is practical and provides a means of calibrating a 3D PET system without the need for correction for scatter or attenuation of the calibration data.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2003

Cloned plasmid DNA fragments as calibrators for controlling GMOs: different real-time duplex quantitative PCR methods.

Analytical real-time PCR technology is a powerful tool for implementation of the GMO labeling regulations enforced in the EU. The quality of analytical measurement data obtained by quantitative real-time PCR depends on the correct use of calibrator and reference materials (RMs). For GMO methods of analysis, the choice of appropriate RMs is currently under debate. So far, genomic DNA solutions from certified reference materials (CRMs) are most often used as calibrators for GMO quantification by means of real-time PCR. However, due to some intrinsic features of these CRMs, errors may be expected in the estimations of DNA sequence quantities. In this paper, two new real-time PCR methods are presented for Roundup Ready soybean, in which two types of plasmid DNA fragments are used as calibrators. Single-target plasmids (STPs) diluted in a background of genomic DNA were used in the first method. Multiple-target plasmids (MTPs) containing both sequences in one molecule were used as calibrators for the second method. Both methods simultaneously detect a promoter 35S sequence as GMO-specific target and a lectin gene sequence as endogenous reference target in a duplex PCR. For the estimation of relative GMO percentages both "delta C(T)" and "standard curve" approaches are tested. Delta C(T) methods are based on direct comparison of measured C(T) values of both the GMO-specific target and the endogenous target. Standard curve methods measure absolute amounts of target copies or haploid genome equivalents. A duplex delta C(T) method with STP calibrators performed at least as well as a similar method with genomic DNA calibrators from commercial CRMs. Besides this, high quality results were obtained with a standard curve method using MTP calibrators. This paper demonstrates that plasmid DNA molecules containing either one or multiple target sequences form perfect alternative calibrators for GMO quantification and are especially suitable for duplex PCR reactions.

Calibration↗

PubMed2006

Propagation of anatomical landmark misplacement to knee kinematics: performance of single and double calibration.

Soft tissue artefact and anatomical landmark misplacement have been recognized as the most critical sources of error in gait analysis. The double calibration method was recently proposed to compensate for soft tissue artefact in knee kinematics. This compensation method resulted very effective in the absence of anatomical landmark misplacement. The purpose of the present work was to assess the effectiveness of double calibration in reducing the effects of skin motion artefact on knee rotations and translations when anatomical landmark misplacement is present on the thigh and shank. The double calibration method was used to calculate knee kinematics of two subjects while they performed several motor tasks. The results were compared with those from conventional single calibration. The soft tissue artefact propagated to knee kinematics was quantified by simulating different misplacement errors using both single and double calibration. The double calibration method performed much better than the single calibration one in quantifying knee rotations and particularly translations, with misplacement error up to 15mm superimposed on the anatomical coordinates of the epicondyles. If misplacement errors were limited to just 5mm, the double calibration would be effective in providing kinematics accurate enough for orthopaedic biomechanic applications.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Myocardial contrast echocardiography with a new calibration method can estimate myocardial viability in patients with myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: We have developed a novel calibration technique applicable for myocardial contrast echocardiography (MCE). We assessed the value of this technique in the recognition of myocardial infarction (MI) and its spatial extent, and we also performed a validation study in normal subjects. BACKGROUND: The heterogeneity of contrast intensity (CI) among myocardial segments limits the clinical use of MCE. METHODS: We performed MCE with a slow-bolus injection of Levovist and recorded end-systolic harmonic power Doppler images at intervals of four heart beats in 15 normal volunteers and 30 patients with MI. We divided the left ventricular (LV) wall into 12 segments and placed the region of interest in the subendocardial region in each segment and in the adjacent LV cavity. We measured calibrated CI (dB) by subtracting the cavity CI from myocardial CI. RESULTS: The mean intersegmental difference in myocardial CI was 15.8 dB at baseline, whereas it was reduced to 6.3 dB after calibration (p < 0.01). Calibrated CI was higher in the kinetic segments than in the akinetic segments (-14.5 +/- 2.3 dB [range -18.7 to -9.9 dB] vs. -22.5 +/- 2.6 dB [-27.8 to -17.7 dB], p < 0.001), and -18.0 dB was the optimal cutoff point to discriminate these from each other. Color-coded mapping of calibrated CI may identify the spatial extent of persistently akinetic myocardium as areas of calibrated CI of <or=-18.0 dB. CONCLUSIONS: This new calibration method reduces the intersegmental difference in CI in normal subjects. Calibrated CI provides an estimate of persistently akinetic myocardium in patients with MI, and its color-coded mapping is comprehensive and identifies the spatial extent of MI.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Sub part-per-million mass accuracy by using stepwise-external calibration in fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

A new external calibration procedure for FT-ICR mass spectrometry is presented, stepwise-external calibration. This method is demonstrated for MALDI analysis of peptide mixtures, but is applicable to any ionization method. For this procedure, the masses of analyte peaks are first accurately measured at a low trapping potential (0.63 V) using external calibration. These accurately determined (< 1 ppm accuracy) analyte peaks are used as internal calibrant points for a second mass spectrum that is acquired for the same sample at a higher trapping potential (1.0 V). The second mass spectrum has a approximately 10-fold improvement in detection dynamic range compared with the first spectrum acquired at a low trapping potential. A calibration equation that accounts for local and global space charge is shown to provide mass accuracy with external calibration that is nearly identical to that of internal calibration, without the drawbacks of experimental complexity or reduction of abundance dynamic range. For the 609 mass peaks measured using stepwise-external calibration method, the root-mean-square error is 0.9 ppm. The errors appear to have a Gaussian distribution; 99.3% of the mass errors are shown to lie within three times the sample standard deviation (2.6 ppm) of their true value.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1997

A low profile human tendon force transducer: the influence of tendon thickness on calibration.

An in vitro calibration method for human tendon force transducers using tendon thickness to predict the calibration factor has been previously proposed (An et al., 1990, J. Biomechanics 23, 1269-1271). However, changes in the calibration factor due to changing tendon geometry during repeated tendon loading are unknown. A new, low-profile transducer design that measures tendon thickness in the transducer, in situ, is developed. An empirical model estimating the transducer's calibration factor is developed using data from in vitro tension testing of 12 fresh frozen human finger flexor tendons. Each tendon is preseated with ten loading cycles before data collection. Using tendon thickness, the model predicts the measured calibration factor to within 0-15% (average 6%). During repeated loading of an in vitro tendon, the calibration factor changes 15% over the first ten cycles (0-50 N) due to the observed changing tendon thickness. After the first ten loading cycles the variability of the calibration factor is reduced to less than 1% for the next three loading cycles. Hence this new, modified in vitro calibration procedure with tendon preseating reduces the cycle-to-cycle variability caused by the associated change in the tendon thickness.

Calibration↗

PubMed2001

Influence of peak-broadening and interdetector volume error on size-exclusive chromatographic analysis with dual viscometric-concentration detection using the universal calibration method.

The effect of peak-broadening and error in interdetector volume on the local calibration curve and experimental molecular-mass averages obtained by size-exclusion chromatography (SEC) with dual concentration/viscosity detection, and determination of molecular mass using the universal calibration (UC) method, is theoretically examined using a polymer sample with a molecular-mass distribution (MMD) approximated by the log-normal function. Although peak-broadening is often neglected, its effect on the slope of the local calibration curve and, consequently, on the experimentally obtained values of the weight-to-number average ratio is large. To obtain the right values of these parameters, a numerical correction is usually recommended. While using the UC method, the relationships between the extent of peak broadening, calibration slopes and interdetector volume are complex and can contribute to the occurrence of undiscovered errors. For this reason, an understanding of this problem, using a model, is necessary. The results of the UC method are compared with those obtained using dual-detection with known Mark-Houwink-Kuhn-Sakurada parameters (MHKS method), light-scattering (LS)/concentration detection as well as with the results obtained using conventional calibration. Due to peak-broadening, the slope of a local calibration curve and the weight-to-number average ratio, (Mw/Mn)", obtained using the UC method, increase compared to the theoretical values, whereas they decrease using the MHKS or LS methods. The increase when using the UC method is even larger compared to evaluation using conventional calibration. The effect of the error in interdetector volume on the slopes of local calibrations and the weight-to-number average ratios is opposite in the UC method to that found using the MHKS and LS methods.

Calibration↗

PubMed1998

Intraoral radiographic storage phosphor image mean pixel values and signal-to-noise ratio: effects of calibration.

OBJECTIVE: The DIGORA intraoral radiographic storage phosphor system needs to be calibrated before images are made. Calibration involves inputting of the maximum exposure to be used. This investigation studied the effects of different maximum exposure calibration settings on the mean pixel value for selected regions of interest and the signal-to-noise ratio for images of a test phantom. STUDY DESIGN: A dental phantom containing a step wedge made of different thicknesses of homogeneously radiopaque bone-equivalent material was imaged at 70 kVp with exposures ranging from 12.8 to 105.2 microC.kg-1. Images were displayed through use of imaging software, and a region of interest was set for each bone-step. The mean pixel values and their standard deviations were measured. RESULTS: Except for very low exposures (< 10% of the calibrated maximum), there was a linear relationship between exposure and the pixel values within the regions of interest irrespective of the calibrated maximum exposure. Low exposures resulted in underexposed low-contrast images. Low calibrated maximum exposures (< 54.5 microC.kg-1) resulted in low-density images with poor signal-to-noise ratios. CONCLUSIONS: Because of the very wide image latitude of the DIGORA system, loss of image quality was not observed as a result of adjustments in the calibration setting over the range of exposure commonly used in dental practice. The highest accepted exposure was limited by prior calibration; hence, if diligence is applied, patient exposure can be minimized without detriment to image quality.

Calibration↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Adaptive calibration scheme for quantification of nutrients and byproducts in insect cell bioreactors by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Spectroscopic methods are gaining in popularity in biotechnology because of their ability to deliver rapid, noninvasive measurements of the concentrations of multiple chemical species. Such measurements are particularly necessary for the implementation of control schemes for cell culture bioreactors. One of the major challenges to the development of spectroscopic methods for bioreactor monitoring is the generation of accurate and robust calibration models, particularly because of the inherent variability of biological processes. We have evaluated several methods of building calibration models, including synthetic calibrations and medium spiking methods. The approach that consistently produced reliable models incorporated samples removed from a bioreactor that were subsequently altered so as to increase the sample variation. Several large volume samples were removed from a bioreactor at varying time points and divided into multiple aliquots to which were added random, known amounts of the analytes of interest. Near-infrared spectra of these samples were collected and used to build calibration models. Such models were used to quantify analyte concentrations from independent samples removed from a second bioreactor. Prediction errors for alanine, glucose, glutamine, and leucine were 1.4, 1.0, 1.1, and 0.31 mM, respectively. This adaptive calibration method produces models with less error and less bias than observed with other calibration methods. Somewhat more accurate measurements could be attained with calibrations consisting of a combination of synthetic samples and spiked medium samples, but with an increase in calibration development time.

Alanine↗

PubMed2003

Use of expert judgment in exposure assessment: part 2. Calibration of expert judgments about personal exposures to benzene.

The recent movement of regulatory agencies toward probabilistic analyses of human health and environmental risks has focused greater attention on the quality of the estimates of variability and uncertainty that underlie them. Of particular concern is how uncertainty--a measure of what is not known--is characterized, as uncertainty can play an influential role in analyses of the need for regulatory controls or in estimates of the economic value of additional research. This paper reports the second phase of a study, conducted as an element of the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey (NHEXAS), to obtain and calibrate exposure assessment experts judgments about uncertainty in residential ambient, residential indoor, and personal air benzene concentrations experienced by the nonsmoking, nonoccupationally exposed population in U.S. EPA's Region V. Subjective judgments (i.e., the median, interquartile range, and 90% confidence interval) about the means and 90th percentiles of each of the benzene distributions were elicited from the seven experts participating in the study. The calibration or quality of the experts' judgments was assessed by comparing them to the actual measurements from the NHEXAS Region V study using graphical techniques, a quadratic scoring rule, and surprise and interquartile indices. The results from both quantitative scoring methods suggested that, considered collectively, the experts' judgments were relatively well calibrated although on balance, underconfident. The calibration of individual expert judgments appeared variable, highlighting potential pitfalls in reliance on individual experts. In a surprising finding, the experts' judgments about the 90th percentiles of the benzene distributions were better calibrated than their predictions about the means; the experts tended to be overconfident in their ability to predict the means. This paper is also one of the first calibration studies to demonstrate the importance of taking into account intraexpert correlation on the statistical significance of the findings. When the judgments were assumed to be independent, analysis of the surprise and interquartile indices found evidence of poor calibration (P<0.05). However, when the intraexpert correlation in the study was taken into account, these findings were no longer statistically significant. The analysis further found that the experts' judgments scored better than estimates of Region V benzene concentrations simply drawn from earlier studies of ambient, indoor and personal benzene levels in other U.S. cities. These results suggest the value of careful elicitation of expert judgments in characterizing exposures in probabilistic form. Additional calibration studies need to be undertaken to corroborate and extend these findings.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗

PubMed2002

Precise image-receptor calibration and monitoring of beam quality with a step wedge.

OBJECTIVE: To describe an extended bootstrap calibration procedure that uses a step-wedge absorber and minimal equipment for rapid, accurate calibration of image receptors and simultaneous monitoring of beam quality. METHODS: Multiple radiographs of a step wedge are made at different exposures, with a precision dosimeter as a reference. An iterative least-squares minimization procedure is used to fit the data with a single calibration function. The calibration range can be extended by varying two exposure parameters in addition to stepwedge thickness. Small variations in beam quality and other experimental artifacts can be detected by testing redundant data for self-consistency. As a demonstration, two photostimulable phosphor (PSP) systems were calibrated, one with a well-regulated X-ray source and the other with a poorly regulated source. RESULTS: The first PSP system was calibrated over a range of 3.2 orders of magnitude with a relative standard deviation of the estimate of only 0.36%. The slope of the calibration curve agreed with the nominal, factory-set value within 0.8% (on a logarithmic scale). The second PSP system had a nearly linear response with a relative standard deviation of the estimate of 0.44% over the upper 97% of its range. Both X-ray sources showed easily detectable variations in tube potential. CONCLUSIONS: The new calibration method eliminates many of the sources of error of previous techniques such as inverse-square sensitometry. If a suitably precise X-ray source is available, the relative accuracy is limited only by the precision of the receptor system.

Absorption↗

PubMed2004

A procedure for calibration transfer between near-infrared instruments--a worked example using a transmittance single tablet assay for piroxicam in intact tablets.

A procedure was developed for different modes of calibration transfer in near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopy, which included a method for the selection of a subset of samples appropriate for transfer. As a worked example, these guidelines were applied to the transfer of a multivariate calibration model, representing a validated NIR single tablet assay for the active within an intact pharmaceutical product, between three equivalent dispersive NIR transmission instruments. Transfer was first evaluated between two instruments, representing the situation where both were available during calibration development. A spectral correction method alone, applied to the transfer instrument, was not sufficient to facilitate transfer, with further optimisation of the calibration model using a novel wavelength selection algorithm necessary to remove regions of the spectral range that resulted in skewed predictions on the second instrument. Through this approach, a single calibration model was found to be equally accurate and precise on the two instruments. A procedure, using the Kennard-Stone algorithm, is described for determining a reduced number of samples as a transfer set using only the spectral information from the original instrument. The purpose of the subset was to permit transfer to a new instrument where that instrument was not available until after calibration development or where it was undesirable to re-measure the full sample set (i.e. due to excessive reference chemistry). Utilising the transfer set, transfer to a third instrument was evaluated. The calibration model, optimised between the first two instruments, was not directly applicable for the third instrument, with further wavelength selection required to remove a small region of spectral data. On completion, using a full statistical evaluation, a single calibration model was found to be equally accurate and precise on all three instruments.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗

PubMed2003

[Testing cross-calibration between positron emission tomographs and their peripheral devices].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the cross-calibration of positron emission tomographs and their peripheral devices prior to a multicenter study. The instrumentation of 22 sites (including 24 dedicated PET scanners), including 21 that could be operated in 2D mode and 20 in 3D mode, was investigated according to standardized acquisition and reconstruction protocols, and the cross-calibration was checked against the dose calibrators (22 instruments) and the sample changer (20 instruments). The deviation of the cross-calibration to the dose calibrators was below 5% for 10 of 21 PET scanners (2D mode) and 6 of 20 (3D mode). For 6 (2D mode) and 6 (3D mode) scanners, the corresponding error was up to 10%. In turn, the deviation between dose calibrator and standard was less than 8% for 19 devices, and even less than 5% for 14 devices. In most of the well counters evaluated, the cross-calibration error was less than 10%. Although required in general, the cross-calibration between positron emission tomographs and their peripheral devices becomes even more critical when pooling data in the framework of quantitative clinical multicenter studies.

Calibration↗

PubMed2003

The role of the independent variable to glucose sensor calibration.

In vivo subcutaneous glucose sensor accuracy depends on the calibration method. Sensor accuracy was assessed during standard oral glucose tolerance tests in six non-diabetic subjects each wearing six subcutaneous glucose sensors (Medtronic MiniMed). Paired blood glucose (B(G)) and sensor current readings were used for retrospective sensor calibration using either B(G) or sensor current as the independent variable. Sensor accuracy after calibration was assessed using three criteria: linear regression between B(G) and sensor glucose (S(G)); correlation; and mean absolute difference (MAD), defined as 100 x |B(G) - S(G)|/B(G). Calibration with B(G) as the independent variable resulted in unbiased estimates of regression slope (1.02, not different than 1, p< 0.01) and y-intercept (-1.06 mg/dL, not different than 0, p< 0.01). In contrast, calibration with sensor current as the independent variable resulted in biased estimates of slope (0.76, different than 1, p< 0.01) and y-intercept (31.25 mg/dL, different than 0, p< 0.01). However, with sensor current as the independent variable, the MAD was lower than the corresponding value for calibration with B(G) at the x-axis (15.00 +/- 0.47% vs. 18.35 +/- 0.63%, p< 0.01). The Pearson correlation coefficient between B(G) and S(G) was higher when using sensor current as the independent variable (R = 0.82 vs. R = 0.79 when using glucose on the x-axis). We suggest that despite the fact that calibration with sensor current as the independent variable leads to a bias in the estimate of B(G), it is a more appropriate calibration method when the primary concern is minimization of the MAD between S(G) and B(G).

Biosensing Techniques↗

PubMed2004

Automated calibration of TECAN genesis liquid handling workstation utilizing an online balance and density meter.

With robotics widely used in bioanalytical assays, accurate system performance is essential to ensure the quality and productivity of the robotics. In our lab, an automated calibration procedure has been developed to evaluate the precision and accuracy of the TECAN (Research Triangle Park, NC, U.S.A.) Genesis liquid handling system in a bioanalytical laboratory setting. The calibrations were performed by transferring and weighing the solvents automatically on a microbalance controlled by a Gemini program. From the data acquired, calibration reports were generated using a template. The novel aspect of this approach is the use of an on-line balance and a density meter, both of which combine to make the calibration process simple, efficient, and precise. For quantitative bioanalysis, a variety of solvents, including methanol, water, mixed solvents, and plasma, are typically used to prepare standards and unknown samples. Density information is usually unknown for the mixed solvents, and the density of plasma can vary from species to species. However, with the use of a universal density meter, the density could be obtained in seconds. The issue of solvent evaporation during the calibration process was also addressed. Calibration curves were set up for various liquid classes. Pipetting volumes ranged from 10 microL to 900 microL. Precision and accuracy results obtained from the semiannual performance evaluations showed this procedure to be reliable and user-friendly. Using the automated calibration procedure, the calibration and performance evaluation of the robotic system is considerably more efficient, and the incidence of unacceptable precision and accuracy is greatly reduced.

Automation↗

PubMed2004

Neutron calibration facilities.

Reliable measurement of neutron radiation is a difficult task due to the large energy range of neutrons, their complex and energy-dependent interaction mechanisms with matter and, consequently, the imperfect response characteristics of most instruments. Therefore, Calibration procedures and calibration facilities play an important role. Different types of calibration fields have been developed and made available at several institutions. The primary reference quantity used for the calibration of neutron measuring devices--area monitors, personal dosemeters, spectrometers, etc.--is the neutron fluence. This quantity is determined by appropriate experimental methods whereas dosimetric quantities are derived by applying recommended fluence-to-dose conversion coefficients. This paper summarises the basic principles underlying neutron production, the metrology employed to characterise the radiation fields and the calibration procedures employed. Examples of calibration facilities will be given, which enable routine calibrations, investigations of energy dependence and application-specific calibrations.

Calibration↗