Despite decades of research on the noradrenergic system, our understanding of its impact on brain function and behavior remains incomplete. Traditional recording techniques are challenging to implement for investigating in vivo noradrenergic activity, due to the relatively small size and the position in the brain of the locus coeruleus (LC), the primary location for noradrenergic neurons. However, recent advances in optical and fluorescent methods have enabled researchers to study the LC more effectively. Use of genetically encoded calcium indicators to image the activity of noradrenergic neurons and biosensors that monitor noradrenaline release with fluorescence can be an indispensable tool for studying noradrenergic activity. In this review, we examine how these methods are being applied to record the noradrenergic system in the rodent brain during behavior.
SignificanceTypical light sheet microscopes suffer from artifacts related to the geometry of the light sheet. One main inconvenience is the non-uniform thickness of the light sheet obtained with a Gaussian laser beam.AimWe developed a two-photon light sheet microscope that takes advantage of a thin and long Bessel-Gauss beam illumination to increase the sheet extent without compromising the resolution.ApproachWe use an axicon lens placed directly at the output of an amplified femtosecond laser to produce a long Bessel-Gauss beam on the sample. We studied the dopaminergic system and its projections in a whole cleared mouse brain.ResultsOur light sheet microscope allows an isotropic resolution of 2.4 μm in all three axes of the scanned volume while keeping a millimetric-sized field of view, and a fast acquisition rate of up to 34 mm2 / s. With slight modifications to the optical setup, the sheet extent can be increased to 6 mm.ConclusionThe proposed system’s sheet extent and resolution surpass currently available systems, enabling the fast imaging of large specimens.
The Spectralon is one of the best materials for the calibration of spectral measurements. Normally, the Spectralon must be illuminated and measured at right angle, but, this is not always possible, particularly for outdoor measurements where we cannot control the Sun position. A Spectralon plate has a BRDF (Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function), which is not completely flat as a perfect Lambertian surface and this affects the calibration. Furthermore, when illuminated or observed at angles, the Spectralon polarizes the light and it can also create reddening effects in some conditions. Moreover, several sensors (most of the spectrometers) are sensitive to the polarization and are prone to create reading artefacts. First, this paper presents a calibration procedure adapted to these situations; it takes into account the polarization and the Spectralon BRDF. Second, this paper presents also a Spectralon BRDF model that is required to calculate its reflectance at the encountered angular conditions. This BRDF model is an algorithm framework (based on curve fitting methods) that was deduced from the analysis of thousands Spectralon measurements done with various illumination, viewing and polarization angles. The model is decomposed into several sub-models for the various encountered scattering types (backscattering and deep, forward and sub-surface scatterings), plus models for the polarization contrast and reddening.
Defence Research and Development Canada (DRDC) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) are collaborating to place a microsatellite in low earth orbit to perform optical detection and tracking of both inner-earth orbiting asteroids and earth-orbiting satellites and debris (i.e., "Resident Space Objects", RSOs). The "Near Earth Object Surveillance Satellite (NEOSSat)" will be the first mission for the CSA multi-mission microsatellite bus program, and is intended by DRDC to demonstrate the military utility of this small and inexpensive class of spacecraft. The mission will obtain metric positions, for geosynchronous satellites, to within ±500 m, timestamps accurate to within a millisecond, and be sensitive to objects in geosynchronous orbit down to 14th magnitude. The asteroid tracking mission will repeatedly survey the area from ±45-70° solar elongation with the aim of finding >50% of all inner-earth asteroids having diameters greater than 1 km.
KEYWORDS: Satellites, Target detection, Clouds, Sensors, Surveillance, Signal to noise ratio, Signal detection, Surveillance systems, Detection and tracking algorithms, Signal processing
A surveillance concept is formulated for the detection and localization of large aircraft in the outer zone surrounding Canada, based on a cued sensor in a one-meter aperture satellite- mounted camera, working in the 8 to 12 micrometers spectral band, surveying a narrow fence enclosing the north of Canada from the Pacific to the Atlantic via the Arctic. This surveillance task can be achieved by three satellites in inclined elliptical orbits for the Arctic zone above the 50th parallel or by six satellites for a zone of surveillance extended up to the 40th parallel.
A model for generating synthetic images of clouds, in the IR and the visible bands, has been developed in order to obtain sky background images for various atmospheric conditions. The model is based on fractals, radiometry, ray-tracing techniques, and atmospheric propagation. The cloud reliefs are generated (using a fractal-based technique) in multiple window planes defined by the cloud statistics (ceiling, thickness, density, etc.). After that, for each cloud, each radiance component (self-emitted radiance, reflected sun and ground or sea radiation, transmitted radiance, etc.) is calculated separately and summed with the other radiance components. The final image is calculated by propagating each cloud plane through the atmosphere (using interpolation of LOWTRAN data) and through the successive cloud planes up to the observer. Not only is an image of the sky generated, but the known 3-D scene makes it possible to introduce objects at any location in the scene. The model has been programmed and tested and the results show the validity of this approach.
The sea surface relief can be generated by filtering white noise using a filter derived from the known power spectrum of the sea waves. The image of the sea can then be calculated using ray-tracing techniques. In order to take into account the dynamic aspect of the sea, we have developed simple phase filters which are applied on the sea surface spectrum. This allows the simulation of a dynamic sea. The time-dependent parameters that are taken into account are the dynamic sea surface (moving waves), the moving observer, and the moving camera.
It is possible to generate synthetic images of the sea by creating a sea relief and by calculating its image using raytracing techniques. The sea surface is generated using sea wave statistics which are wind speed and direction dependent. A known power spectrum of the sea wave is used to filter white noise and the filtered noise is used as the sea relief. After that, the image of the sea is calculated using a ray-tracing technique which considers the emitted radiance of the sea, the specular reflection of the sky radiance and the reflection of the sun radiance (which is the sun irradiance scattered by the atmosphere). The resulting sun glint has been compared with the Cox and Munk model in order to make final adjustments to the simulation parameters. Thus, this model is able to produce images with well calibrated radiance and good sun glint distribution.
Access to the requested content is limited to institutions that have purchased or subscribe to SPIE eBooks.
You are receiving this notice because your organization may not have SPIE eBooks access.*
*Shibboleth/Open Athens users─please
sign in
to access your institution's subscriptions.
To obtain this item, you may purchase the complete book in print or electronic format on
SPIE.org.
INSTITUTIONAL Select your institution to access the SPIE Digital Library.
PERSONAL Sign in with your SPIE account to access your personal subscriptions or to use specific features such as save to my library, sign up for alerts, save searches, etc.