WorldWideScience

Sample records for reflected light eliciting

  1. Degrees of polarization of reflected light eliciting polarotaxis in dragonflies (Odonata), mayflies (Ephemeroptera) and tabanid flies (Tabanidae).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kriska, György; Bernáth, Balázs; Farkas, Róbert; Horváth, Gábor

    2009-12-01

    With few exceptions insects whose larvae develop in freshwater possess positive polarotaxis, i.e., are attracted to sources of horizontally polarized light, because they detect water by means of the horizontal polarization of light reflected from the water surface. These insects can be deceived by artificial surfaces (e.g. oil lakes, asphalt roads, black plastic sheets, dark-coloured cars, black gravestones, dark glass surfaces, solar panels) reflecting highly and horizontally polarized light. Apart from the surface characteristics, the extent of such a 'polarized light pollution' depends on the illumination conditions, direction of view, and the threshold p* of polarization sensitivity of a given aquatic insect species. p* means the minimum degree of linear polarization p of reflected light that can elicit positive polarotaxis from a given insect species. Earlier there were no quantitative data on p* in aquatic insects. The aim of this work is to provide such data. Using imaging polarimetry in the red, green and blue parts of the spectrum, in multiple-choice field experiments we measured the threshold p* of ventral polarization sensitivity in mayflies, dragonflies and tabanid flies, the positive polarotaxis of which has been shown earlier. In the blue (450nm) spectral range, for example, we obtained the following thresholds: dragonflies: Enallagma cyathigerum (0%

  2. Light reflection models for computer graphics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenberg, D P

    1989-04-14

    During the past 20 years, computer graphic techniques for simulating the reflection of light have progressed so that today images of photorealistic quality can be produced. Early algorithms considered direct lighting only, but global illumination phenomena with indirect lighting, surface interreflections, and shadows can now be modeled with ray tracing, radiosity, and Monte Carlo simulations. This article describes the historical development of computer graphic algorithms for light reflection and pictorially illustrates what will be commonly available in the near future.

  3. Use of Poems Written by Physicians to Elicit Critical Reflection by Students in a Medical Biochemistry Course

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Winkle, Lon J.; Robson, Chester; Chandar, Nalini; Green, Jacalyn M.; Viselli, Susan M.; Donovan, Kelly

    2011-01-01

    Purpose: Critical reflection helps to animate humanistic values needed for professional behavior in medical students. We wanted to learn whether poems written by physicians could foster such critical reflection. To do so, we determined whether the poems elicited dissonance (i.e., recognition of their own or others behavior as incongruent with…

  4. Effects of Elicited Reflections combined with Tutor or Peer Feedback on Self-Regulated Learning and Learning Outcomes

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van den Boom, Gerard; Paas, Fred; Van Merriënboer, Jeroen

    2009-01-01

    Van den Boom, G., Paas, F., & Van Merriënboer, J. J. G. (2007). Effects of elicited reflections combined with tutor or peer feedback on self-regulated learning and learning outcomes. Learning and Instruction, 17, 532-548.

  5. Phototaxis and polarotaxis hand in hand: night dispersal flight of aquatic insects distracted synergistically by light intensity and reflection polarization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boda, Pál; Horváth, Gábor; Kriska, György; Blahó, Miklós; Csabai, Zoltán

    2014-05-01

    Based on an earlier observation in the field, we hypothesized that light intensity and horizontally polarized reflected light may strongly influence the flight behaviour of night-active aquatic insects. We assumed that phototaxis and polarotaxis together have a more harmful effect on the dispersal flight of these insects than they would have separately. We tested this hypothesis in a multiple-choice field experiment using horizontal test surfaces laid on the ground. We offered simultaneously the following visual stimuli for aerial aquatic insects: (1) lamplit matte black canvas inducing phototaxis alone, (2) unlit shiny black plastic sheet eliciting polarotaxis alone, (3) lamplit shiny black plastic sheet inducing simultaneously phototaxis and polarotaxis, and (4) unlit matte black canvas as a visually unattractive control. The unlit matte black canvas trapped only a negligible number (13) of water insects. The sum (16,432) of the total numbers of water beetles and bugs captured on the lamplit matte black canvas (7,922) and the unlit shiny black plastic sheet (8,510) was much smaller than the total catch (29,682) caught on the lamplit shiny black plastic sheet. This provides experimental evidence for the synergistic interaction of phototaxis (elicited by the unpolarized direct lamplight) and polarotaxis (induced by the strongly and horizontally polarized plastic-reflected light) in the investigated aquatic insects. Thus, horizontally polarizing artificial lamplit surfaces can function as an effective ecological trap due to this synergism of optical cues, especially in the urban environment.

  6. Studies of the Reflection, Refraction and Internal Reflection of Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lanchester, P. C.

    2014-01-01

    An inexpensive apparatus and associated experiments are described for studying the basic laws of reflection and refraction of light at an air-glass interface, and multiple internal reflections within a glass block. In order to motivate students and encourage their active participation, a novel technique is described for determining the refractive…

  7. Timing the total reflection of light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chauvat, Dominique; Bonnet, Christophe; Dunseath, Kevin; Emile, Olivier; Le Floch, Albert

    2005-01-01

    We have identified for the first time the absolute delay at total reflection, envisioned by Newton. We show that there are in fact two divergent Wigner delays, depending on the polarisation of the incident light. These measurements give a new insight on the passage from total reflection to refraction

  8. Measuring Light Reflectance of BGO Crystal Surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janecek, Martin; Moses, William W.

    2008-10-01

    A scintillating crystal's surface reflectance has to be well understood in order to accurately predict and optimize the crystal's light collection through Monte Carlo simulations. In this paper, we measure the inner surface reflectance properties for BGO. The measurements include BGO crystals with a mechanically polished surface, rough-cut surface, and chemically etched surface, and with various reflectors attached, both air-coupled and with coupling compound. The measurements are performed with a laser aimed at the center of a hemispherical shaped BGO crystal. The hemispherical shape eliminates any non-perpendicular angles for light entering and exiting the crystal. The reflected light is collected with an array of photodiodes. The laser can be set at an arbitrary angle, and the photodiode array is rotated to fully cover 2pi of solid angle. The current produced in the photodiodes is readout with a digital multimeter connected through a multiplexer. The two rows of photodiodes achieve 5-degree by 4-degree resolution, and the current measurement has a dynamic range of 105:1. The acquired data was not described by the commonly assumed linear combination of specular and diffuse (Lambertian) distributions, except for a very few surfaces. Surface roughness proved to be the most important parameter when choosing crystal setup. The reflector choice was of less importance and of almost no consequence for rough-cut surfaces. Pure specular reflection distribution for all incidence angles was measured for polished surfaces with VM2000 film, while the most Lambertian distribution for any surface finish was measured for titanium dioxide paint. The distributions acquired in this paper will be used to create more accurate Monte Carlo models for light reflection distribution within BGO crystals.

  9. Bidirectional reflectance distribution function of Spectralon white reflectance standard illuminated by incoherent unpolarized and plane-polarized light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhandari, Anak; Hamre, Børge; Frette, Øvynd; Zhao, Lu; Stamnes, Jakob J; Kildemo, Morten

    2011-06-01

    A Lambert surface would appear equally bright from all observation directions regardless of the illumination direction. However, the reflection from a randomly scattering object generally has directional variation, which can be described in terms of the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). We measured the BRDF of a Spectralon white reflectance standard for incoherent illumination at 405 and 680 nm with unpolarized and plane-polarized light from different directions of incidence. Our measurements show deviations of the BRDF for the Spectralon white reflectance standard from that of a Lambertian reflector that depend both on the angle of incidence and the polarization states of the incident light and detected light. The non-Lambertian reflection characteristics were found to increase more toward the direction of specular reflection as the angle of incidence gets larger.

  10. Photometric measurements of red blood cell aggregation: light transmission versus light reflectance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baskurt, O.K.; Uyuklu, M.; Hardeman, M.R.; Meiselman, H.J.

    2009-01-01

    Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation is the reversible and regular clumping in the presence of certain macromolecules. This is a clinically important phenomenon, being significantly enhanced in the presence of acute phase reactants (e. g., fibrinogen). Both light reflection (LR) and light transmission

  11. Photometric measurements of red blood cell aggregation: light transmission versus light reflectance

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baskurt, Oguz K.; Uyuklu, Mehmet; Hardeman, Max R.; Meiselman, Herbert J.

    2009-01-01

    Red blood cell (RBC) aggregation is the reversible and regular clumping in the presence of certain macromolecules. This is a clinically important phenomenon, being significantly enhanced in the presence of acute phase reactants (e.g., fibrinogen). Both light reflection (LR) and light transmission

  12. Reflected Light Curves of Extrasolar Planets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Green, D.; Matthews, J.; Kuschnig, R.; Seager, S.

    The planned launches of ultra-precise photometric satellites such as MOST, COROT and MONS should provide the first opportunity to study the reflected light curves from extrasolar planets. To predict the capabilities of these missions, we have constructed a series of models of such light curves, improving upon the Monte Carlo simulations by Seager et al. (2000). These models include more realistic features such limb darkening of the star and broad band photometry. For specific models, the resulting planet light curves exhibit unique behavior with the variation of radius, inclination and presence or absence of clouds.

  13. Concurrent reflectance imaging and microdialysis in the freely behaving cat

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Poe, G R; Nitz, D A; Rector, D M

    1996-01-01

    We present a method to perform simultaneous microdialysis with light reflectance imaging of neural activity in a discrete brain region of the freely behaving animal. We applied this method to the dorsal hippocampus of freely behaving cats to (1) measure extracellular glutamate and reflectance...... imaged neural activity. Sequential images showed that cocaine perfusion elicited a propagating reflectance change as cocaine reached the tissue. Microperfusion of hypo-osmotic solution ( - 100 mOsm), which increases cell volume, decreased reflectance. Microperfusion of hyperosmotic sucrose solutions...

  14. Nonimaging light concentration using total internal reflection films.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouellette, G; Waltham, C E; Drees, R M; Poon, A; Schubank, R; Whitehead, L A

    1992-05-01

    We present a method of fabricating nonimaging light concentrators from total internal reflection film. A prototype has been made and tested and found to operate in agreement with predictions of ray-tracing codes. The performance of the prototype is comparable with that of concentrators made from specular reflecting materials.

  15. Reflection of a polarized light cone

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brody, Jed; Weiss, Daniel; Berland, Keith

    2013-01-01

    We introduce a visually appealing experimental demonstration of Fresnel reflection. In this simple optical experiment, a polarized light beam travels through a high numerical-aperture microscope objective, reflects off a glass slide, and travels back through the same objective lens. The return beam is sampled with a polarizing beam splitter and produces a surprising geometric pattern on an observation screen. Understanding the origin of this pattern requires careful attention to geometry and an understanding of the Fresnel coefficients for S and P polarized light. We demonstrate that in addition to a relatively simple experimental implementation, the shape of the observed pattern can be computed both analytically and by using optical modeling software. The experience of working through complex mathematical computations and demonstrating their agreement with a surprising experimental observation makes this a highly educational experiment for undergraduate optics or advanced-lab courses. It also provides a straightforward yet non-trivial system for teaching students how to use optical modeling software.

  16. Light Reflectance Spectroscopy to Detect Positive Surgical Margins on Prostate Cancer Specimens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morgan, Monica S C; Lay, Aaron H; Wang, Xinlong; Kapur, Payal; Ozayar, Asim; Sayah, Maryam; Zeng, Li; Liu, Hanli; Roehrborn, Claus G; Cadeddu, Jeffrey A

    2016-02-01

    Intraoperative frozen section analysis is not routinely performed to determine positive surgical margins at radical prostatectomy due to time requirements and unproven clinical usefulness. Light reflectance spectroscopy, which measures light intensity reflected or backscattered from tissues, can be applied to differentiate malignant from benign tissue. We used a novel light reflectance spectroscopy probe to evaluate positive surgical margins on ex vivo radical prostatectomy specimens and correlate its findings with pathological examination. Patients with intermediate to high risk disease undergoing radical prostatectomy were enrolled. Light reflectance spectroscopy was performed on suspected malignant and benign prostate capsule immediately following organ extraction. Each light reflectance spectroscopy at 530 to 830 nm was analyzed and correlated with pathological results. A regression model and forward sequential selection algorithm were developed for optimal feature selection. Eighty percent of light reflectance spectroscopy data were selected to train a logistic regression model, which was evaluated by the remaining 20% data. This was repeated 5 times to calculate averaged sensitivity, specificity and accuracy. Light reflectance spectroscopy analysis was performed on 17 ex vivo prostate specimens, on which a total of 11 histologically positive and 22 negative surgical margins were measured. Two select features from 700 to 830 nm were identified as unique to malignant tissue. Cross-validation when performing the predictive model showed that the optical probe predicted positive surgical margins with 85% sensitivity, 86% specificity, 86% accuracy and an AUC of 0.95. Light reflectance spectroscopy can identify positive surgical margins accurately in fresh ex vivo radical prostatectomy specimens. Further study is required to determine whether such analysis may be used in real time to improve surgical decision making and decrease positive surgical margin rates

  17. Eliciting Sound Memories.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harris, Anna

    2015-11-01

    Sensory experiences are often considered triggers of memory, most famously a little French cake dipped in lime blossom tea. Sense memory can also be evoked in public history research through techniques of elicitation. In this article I reflect on different social science methods for eliciting sound memories such as the use of sonic prompts, emplaced interviewing, and sound walks. I include examples from my research on medical listening. The article considers the relevance of this work for the conduct of oral histories, arguing that such methods "break the frame," allowing room for collaborative research connections and insights into the otherwise unarticulatable.

  18. Spectrum of reflected light by self-focusing of light in a laser plasma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gorbunov, L.M.

    1983-01-01

    The spectrum of the radiation reflected by a laser-produced plasma is considered. In this situation, self-focusing occurs and a region of low density (caviton) is formed. It is shown that the process leads to a considerable broadening of the spectrum on the ''red'' side, and to the appearance of a line structure in the spectrum. The results can explain data for the reflected light spectrum [L. M. Gorbunov et al., FIAN Preprint No. 126 (1979)] as being due to the nonstationary self-focusing of light in a laser-produced plasma that has recently been observed [V. L. Artsimovich et al., FIAN Preprint No. 252 (1981); Sov. Phys. Doklady 27, 618 (1982)

  19. Do cephalopods communicate using polarized light reflections from their skin?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mäthger, Lydia M; Shashar, Nadav; Hanlon, Roger T

    2009-07-01

    Cephalopods (squid, cuttlefish and octopus) are probably best known for their ability to change color and pattern for camouflage and communication. This is made possible by their complex skin, which contains pigmented chromatophore organs and structural light reflectors (iridophores and leucophores). Iridophores create colorful and linearly polarized reflective patterns. Equally interesting, the photoreceptors of cephalopod eyes are arranged in a way to give these animals the ability to detect the linear polarization of incoming light. The capacity to detect polarized light may have a variety of functions, such as prey detection, navigation, orientation and contrast enhancement. Because the skin of cephalopods can produce polarized reflective patterns, it has been postulated that cephalopods could communicate intraspecifically through this visual system. The term 'hidden' or 'private' communication channel has been given to this concept because many cephalopod predators may not be able to see their polarized reflective patterns. We review the evidence for polarization vision as well as polarization signaling in some cephalopod species and provide examples that tend to support the notion--currently unproven--that some cephalopods communicate using polarized light signals.

  20. Expert Panel Elicitation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jensen, M. [Swedish Radiation Protection Authority, Stockholm (Sweden). Dept. of Waste Management and Environmental Protection; Hora, S.C. [Univ. of Hawaii, Hilo, HI (United States)

    2005-09-15

    Scientists are now frequently in a situation where data cannot be easily assessed, since they may have conflicting or uncertain sources. While expert judgment reflects private choices, it is possible both reduce the personal aspect as well as in crease confidence in the judgments by using formal protocols for choice and elicitation of experts. A full-scale elicitation made on seismicity following glaciation, now in its late phase and presented here in a preliminary form, illustrates the value of the technique and some essential issues in connection with the decision to launch such a project. The results show an unusual low variation between the experts.

  1. Reflection and refraction of light from a moving block of glass

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lerche, I.

    1975-01-01

    For a block of glass moving with speed βc we present calculations which give the changes in the laws of reflection and refraction of light from the laws which hold when β = 0. In particular we show (i) that changes in the critical internal reflection condition, although formally of order β 2 , are obtainable by measuring the refraction angle to O(β); (ii) the reflection coefficient depends not only on the polarization plane of the incident light but also on whether the plane of incidence does, or does not, include the direction of motion of the glass block. For instance, for light incident in a plane perpendicular to the direction of motion there is no Brewster angle for either plane of polarization, while for light incident in a plane containing the direction of motion at least one (and sometimes both) plane of polarization possess a Brewster angle. We have done these calculations in order to demonstrate that the shearing of one medium relative to another can have profound effects on the reflection and refraction of light. A major point here is that even when it might appear a priori that O(β 2 ) phenomena are unobservable in the laboratory, the present calculations show that this is not always so

  2. Needs Elicitation for Novel Pervasive Healthcare Technology

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thorpe, Julia Rosemary; Forchhammer, B. H.; Maier, Anja

    2016-01-01

    for pervasive healthcare technology, in which established methods for engaging users to elicit their needs can be difficult or even impossible to apply. In this paper we document our needs elicitation process in a relevant example as a method story, and present our findings and reflections on this as the key...

  3. Developement of a Light Attenuator Based on Glassy Reflections ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The light intensity control of a luminous source is a very important operation in many optical applications. Several types of light attenuator exploiting different optical phenomena like diffraction, absorption, and reflection exist and they differ principally in the maximum attenuation rate, the control range, the sensitivity and the ...

  4. Method of Detecting Coliform Bacteria from Reflected Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Robert K. (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    The present invention relates to a method of detecting coliform bacteria in water from reflected light, and also includes devices for the measurement, calculation and transmission of data relating to that method.

  5. Method of Detecting Coliform Bacteria and Escherichia Coli Bacteria from Reflected Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Robert (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    The present invention relates to a method of detecting coliform bacteria in water from reflected light and a method of detecting Eschericha Coli bacteria in water from reflected light, and also includes devices for the measurement, calculation and transmission of data relating to that method.

  6. Intense light-elicited upregulation of miR-21 facilitates glycolysis and cardioprotection through Per2-dependent mechanisms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Colleen Marie Bartman

    Full Text Available A wide search for ischemic preconditioning (IPC mechanisms of cardioprotection identified the light elicited circadian rhythm protein Period 2 (Per2 to be cardioprotective. Studies on cardiac metabolism found a key role for light elicited Per2 in mediating metabolic dependence on carbohydrate metabolism. To profile Per2 mediated pathways following IPC of the mouse heart, we performed a genome array and identified 352 abundantly expressed and well-characterized Per2 dependent micro RNAs. One prominent result of our in silico analysis for cardiac Per2 dependent micro RNAs revealed a selective role for miR-21 in the regulation of hypoxia and metabolic pathways. Based on this Per2 dependency, we subsequently found a diurnal expression pattern for miR-21 with higher miR-21 expression levels at Zeitgeber time (ZT 15 compared to ZT3. Gain or loss of function studies for miR-21 using miRNA mimics or miRNA inhibitors and a Seahorse Bioanalyzer uncovered a critical role of miR-21 for cellular glycolysis, glycolytic capacity, and glycolytic reserve. Exposing mice to intense light, a strategy to induce Per2, led to a robust induction of cardiac miR-21 tissue levels and decreased infarct sizes, which was abolished in miR-21-/- mice. Similarly, first translational studies in humans using intense blue light exposure for 5 days in healthy volunteers resulted in increased plasma miR-21 levels which was associated with increased phosphofructokinase activity, the rate-limiting enzyme in glycolysis. Together, we identified miR-21 as cardioprotective downstream target of Per2 and suggest intense light therapy as a potential strategy to enhance miR-21 activity and subsequent carbohydrate metabolism in humans.

  7. Monte Carlo simulation of light reflection from cosmetic powders on the skin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Okamoto, Takashi; Motoda, Masafumi; Igarashi, Takanori; Nakao, Keisuke

    2011-07-01

    The reflection and scattering properties of light incident on skin covered with powder particles have been investigated. A three-layer skin structure with a spot is modeled, and the propagation of light in the skin and the scattering of light by particles on the skin surface are simulated by means of a Monte Carlo method. Under the condition in which only single scattering of light occurs in the powder layer, the reflection spectra of light from the skin change dramatically with the size of powder particles. The color difference between normal skin and spots is found to diminish more when powder particles smaller than the wavelength of light are used. It is shown that particle polydispersity suppresses substantially the extreme spectral change caused by monodisperse particles with a size comparable to the light wavelength.

  8. Further improvement in the light output power of InGaN-based light emitting diodes by reflective current blocking design

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tsai, Chun-Fu; Su, Yan-Kuin; Lin, Chun-Liang

    2011-01-01

    In this study, the fabrication and characterization of InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum-well light-emitting diodes (LEDs) with further improvement by the design of a reflective current blocking layer (CBL) were described, and these are demonstrated to be an inexpensive and feasible way for improving the performance of LEDs. With the reflective CBL, not only was the injected current forced to spread outside instead of flowing directly downward under a p-pad, but the light generated from the active region could also be extracted outside of the LED by reflection under the p-pad. At 20 mA, as compared to the conventional LED, the light output power of the LEDs with the normal and reflective CBL can be increased by 15.7% and 25.8%, respectively. We found that the forward voltages of the LEDs with CBL structure were both about 3.7 V at 20 mA, which was slightly higher than that of the conventional LED (3.6 V). In our experiment, the further increase in the light output power of the reflective CBL LED could be attributed to more current injection into the light-emitting active region outside of the p-pad by the CBL and a reduction in optical absorption at the p-pad with more extraction by the reflective design

  9. On the reflection point where light reflects to a known destination on quadratic surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonçalves, Nuno

    2010-01-15

    We address the problem of determining the reflection point on a specular surface where a light ray that travels from a source to a target is reflected. The specular surfaces considered are those expressed by a quadratic equation. So far, there is no closed form explicit equation for the general solution of this determination of the reflection point, and the usual approach is to use the Snell law or the Fermat principle whose equations are derived in multidimensional nonlinear minimizations. We prove in this Letter that one can impose a set of three restrictions to the reflection point that can impose a set of three restrictions that culminates in a very elegant formalism of searching the reflection point in a unidimensional curve in space. This curve is the intersection of two quadratic equations. Some applications of this framework are also discussed.

  10. Electro-optic study of PZT ferroelectric ceramics using modulation of reflected light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kniazkov, A. V.

    2016-04-01

    Electro-optic coefficients of variations in the refractive index of PZT and PLZT ceramic materials induced by ac electric field are estimated using modulation of reflected light. The electro-optic coefficients of PLZT ceramics measured with the aid of conventional birefringence using the phase shift of transmitted radiation and the proposed method of birefringence using the modulation of reflected light are compared.

  11. Graphical Approach to Fresnel's Equations for Reflection and Refraction of Light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doyle, William T.

    1980-01-01

    Develops a coordinate-free approach to Fresnel's equations for the reflection and refraction of light at a plane interface. Describes a graphical construction for finding the vector amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted waves. (Author/CS)

  12. Microcavity-coupled fiber Bragg grating with tunable reflection spectra and speed of light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lei; Han, Ya; Liu, Qian; Liu, Yan-Ge; Zhang, Weigang; Chou, Keng C

    2018-04-15

    After a fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is fabricated, the reflection spectrum of the FBG is generally not tunable without mechanical deformation or temperature adjustment. Here we present a microcavity-coupled FBG with both a tunable reflection lineshape and dispersion using electromagnetically induced transparency. The Fano interference of light in the FBG and the microcavity allows for dramatic modification of the reflection spectrum. The phase of the reflected spectrum is continuously tunable between 0 and 2π to produce various Fano lineshapes. The dispersion of the output light is adjustable from normal dispersion to abnormal dispersion, consequently providing an adjustable speed of light. Additionally, it allows the FBG to switch from a notch filter to a bandpass filter at the resonant wavelength, which is not possible in a conventional uniform FBG.

  13. Tunable natural nano-arrays : controlling surface properties and light reflectance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Watson, J.A.; Myhra, S.; Cribb, B.W.; Hope, G.A.; Watson, G.S.

    2005-01-01

    A sudden transition or impedance mismatch from one optical medium to another can result in unwanted reflections from the surface plane. Modification of a surface by creation of a gradual change in refractive index over a significant portion of a wavelength range will result in a reduction in reflection. Multi-layered thin film coatings based on this phenomenon are widely used on a number of different surfaces (e.g. solar cells, lenses, display screens etc.) to suppress undesired reflections and/or increase light transmittance. An alternative surface modification to the multi-layered stack coating (gradient index coating) is to produce a surface with structures having a period and heights shorter than the light wavelength. These structures act like a pseudo-gradient index coating and can be described by the effective medium theory. In this study we report on nano-structures (a natural pseudo-gradient index coating) which we have found on certain species of cicada wings demonstrating their reflective effectiveness using manipulative atomic force microscopy. (author). 2 refs., 5 figs

  14. ELiXIR—Solid-State Luminaire With Enhanced Light Extraction by Internal Reflection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allen, Steven C.; Steckl, Andrew J.

    2007-06-01

    A phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (pcLED) luminaire featuring enhanced light extraction by internal reflection (ELiXIR) with efficacy of 60 lm/W producing 18 lumens of yellowish green light at 100 mA is presented. The luminaire consists of a commercial blue high power LED, a polymer hemispherical shell lens with interior phosphor coating, and planar aluminized reflector. High extraction efficiency of the phosphor-converted light is achieved by separating the phosphor from the LED and using internal reflection to steer the light away from lossy reflectors and the LED package and out of the device. At 10 and 500 mA, the luminaire produces 2.1 and 66 lumens with efficacies of 80 and 37 lm/W, respectively. Technological improvements over existing commercial LEDs, such as more efficient pcLED packages or, alternatively, higher efficiency green or yellow for color mixing, will be essential to achieving 150 200 lm/W solid-state lighting. Advances in both areas are demonstrated.

  15. Properties of light reflected from road signs in active imaging for driving safety

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halstuch, Aviran; Yitzhaky, Yitzhak

    2007-10-01

    Night-vision systems in vehicles are a new emerging technology. A crucial problem in active (illumination-based) systems is distortion of images by saturation and blooming, due to strong retro-reflections from road signs. In this work we quantified this phenomenon. We measured the Mueller matrices and the polarization state of the reflected light from three different types of road signs commonly used. Measurements of the reflected intensity were taken also with respect to the angle of reflection. We found that different types of signs have different reflection properties. It is concluded from our measurements that the optimal solution for attenuating the retro-reflected intensity is using a linear horizontal polarized light source and a linear vertical polarizer. Unfortunately, while the performance of this solution is good for two types of road signs, it is less efficient for the third sign type.

  16. Effects of snow-reflected light levels on human visual comfort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yilmaz, Hasan; Demircioglu Yildiz, Nalan; Yilmaz, Sevgi

    2008-09-01

    The intensity of the sunlight reflected by the snow-covered surfaces is so high that it may disturb humans many times. This study aims to determine the reflected sunlight intensities from snow covered areas at points near (at a distance of 2 m) and under an individual tree and among trees (in the forest area) by accepting the open area as control; the reducing effects of the plant materials on reflected sunlight in percentage by comparing with the values of the open (control) area; and critical reflected sunlight threshold values for human visual comfort. The study was carried out over 22 clear and calm, i.e. sky was cloudless and wind was calm, days between the 1st and 31st days of January 2004, at 8:30 in the morning, at 12:30 at noon and at 14:30 in the afternoon in Erzurum. In order to determine the discomforting light intensity levels, 25 females and 26 male (totally 51) student subjects whose mean age was 20 and who had no visual disorders were selected. Considering the open area as control, mean reflected sunlight reducing effects were found to be 19.0, 66.0 and 82.7% for the 2 m near a tree, under a tree, and forest area, respectively. According to the responses of 51 subjects in the study, visually "very comfortable" range is between 5,000 and 8,000 lx; "comfortable" range is between 11,000 and 75,000 lx (mostly at 12,000 lx); "uncomfortable" condition is above the light intensity value of 43,000 lx and "very uncomfortable" condition is above the intensity of 80,000 lx. Great majority of the subjects (91%) found the value of 103,000 lx to be "very uncomfortable." As it is not an applicable way to use the great and dense tree masses in the cities, at least individual trees should be used along the main pedestrian axels in the cities having the same features with Erzurum to prevent the natural light pollution and discomforting effects of the snow-reflected sunlight.

  17. Robust reflective ghost imaging against different partially polarized thermal light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Hong-Guo; Wang, Yan; Zhang, Rui-Xue; Zhang, De-Jian; Liu, Hong-Chao; Li, Zong-Guo; Xiong, Jun

    2018-03-01

    We theoretically study the influence of degree of polarization (DOP) of thermal light on the contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the reflective ghost imaging (RGI), which is a novel and indirect imaging modality. An expression for the CNR of RGI with partially polarized thermal light is carefully derived, which suggests a weak dependence of CNR on the DOP, especially when the ratio of the object size to the speckle size of thermal light has a large value. Different from conventional imaging approaches, our work reveals that RGI is much more robust against the DOP of the light source, which thereby has advantages in practical applications, such as remote sensing.

  18. Reflection and transmission of light at periodic layered metamaterial films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Thomas; Menzel, Christoph; Śmigaj, Wojciech; Rockstuhl, Carsten; Lalanne, Philippe; Lederer, Falk

    2011-09-01

    The appropriate description of light scattering (transmission/reflection) at a bulky artificial medium, consisting of a sequence of functional metamaterial and natural material films, represents a major challenge in current theoretical nano-optics. Because in many relevant cases, in particular, in the optical domain, a metamaterial must not be described by an effective permittivity and permeability the usual Fresnel formalism cannot be applied. A reliable alternative consists in using a Bloch mode formalism known, e.g., from the theory of photonic crystals. It permits to split this complex issue into two more elementary ones, namely the study of light propagation in an infinitely extended metamaterial and the analysis of light scattering at interfaces between adjacent meta and natural materials. The first problem is routinely solved by calculating the relevant Bloch modes and their dispersion relations. The second task is more involved and represents the subject of the present study. It consists in using the general Bloch mode orthogonality to derive rigorous expressions for the reflection and transmission coefficients at an interface between two three-dimensional absorptive periodic media for arbitrary incidence. A considerable simplification can be achieved if only the fundamental Bloch modes of both media govern the scattering properties at the interface. If this approximation is valid, which depends on the longitudinal metamaterial period, the periodic metamaterial may be termed homogeneous. Only in this case the disentanglement of the fundamental modes of both media can be performed and the reflection/transmission coefficients can be expressed in terms of two impedances, each depending solely on the properties of the fundamental mode of the respective medium. In order to complement the picture, we apply the present formalism to the quite general problem of reflection/transmission at a metamaterial film sandwiched between a dissimilar metamaterial. This

  19. Spectral confocal reflection microscopy using a white light source

    Science.gov (United States)

    Booth, M.; Juškaitis, R.; Wilson, T.

    2008-08-01

    We present a reflection confocal microscope incorporating a white light supercontinuum source and spectral detection. The microscope provides images resolved spatially in three-dimensions, in addition to spectral resolution covering the wavelength range 450-650nm. Images and reflection spectra of artificial and natural specimens are presented, showing features that are not normally revealed in conventional microscopes or confocal microscopes using discrete line lasers. The specimens include thin film structures on semiconductor chips, iridescent structures in Papilio blumei butterfly scales, nacre from abalone shells and opal gemstones. Quantitative size and refractive index measurements of transparent beads are derived from spectral interference bands.

  20. Reflectance dependence of polytetrafluoroethylene on thickness for xenon scintillation light

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Haefner, J.; Neff, A.; Arthurs, M.; Batista, E.; Morton, D.; Okunawo, M.; Pushkin, K.; Sander, A. [Randall Laboratory of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040 (United States); Stephenson, S. [Randall Laboratory of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040 (United States); University of California Davis, Department of Physics, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616 (United States); Wang, Y. [Randall Laboratory of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040 (United States); Lorenzon, W., E-mail: lorenzon@umich.edu [Randall Laboratory of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1040 (United States)

    2017-06-01

    Many rare event searches including dark matter direct detection and neutrinoless double beta decay experiments take advantage of the high VUV reflective surfaces made from polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) reflector materials to achieve high light collection efficiency in their detectors. As the detectors have grown in size over the past decade, there has also been an increased need for ever thinner detector walls without significant loss in reflectance to reduce dead volumes around active noble liquids, outgassing, and potential backgrounds. We report on the experimental results to measure the dependence of the reflectance on thickness of two PTFE samples at wavelengths near 178 nm. No change in reflectance was observed as the wall thickness of a cylindrically shaped PTFE vessel immersed in liquid xenon was varied between 1 mm to 9.5 mm.

  1. Reflection and transmission of polarized light by planetary atmospheres

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rooij, W.A. de.

    1985-01-01

    In this thesis the reflection and transmission of sunlight by planetary atmospheres is studied, taking full account of the polarization of light. The atmospheres are treated as being locally plane-parallel, and are assumed to consist of a number of homogeneous layers, the lowest one being either a ground surface or a semi-infinite homogeneous layer. (Auth.)

  2. Light reflection by the cuticle of C. aurigans scarabs: a biological broadband reflector of left handed circularly polarized light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Libby, E.; Azofeifa, D. E.; Hernández-Jiménez, M.; Barboza-Aguilar, C.; Solís, A.; García-Aguilar, I.; Arce-Marenco, L.; Hernández, A.; Vargas, W. E.

    2014-08-01

    Measured reflection spectra from elytra of Chrysina aurigans scarabs are reported. They show a broad reflection band for wavelengths from 0.525 to 1.0 μm with a sequence of maxima and minima reflection values superimposed on a mean value of around 40% for the high reflection band. Different mechanisms contributing to the reflection spectra have been considered, with the dominant effect, reflection of left handed circularly polarized light, being produced by a laminated left handed twisted structure whose pitch changes with depth through the procuticle in a more complex way than that characterizing broad band circular polarizers based on cholesteric liquid crystals.

  3. Light reflection by the cuticle of C. aurigans scarabs: a biological broadband reflector of left handed circularly polarized light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Libby, E; Azofeifa, D E; Hernández-Jiménez, M; García-Aguilar, I; Arce-Marenco, L; Hernández, A; Vargas, W E; Barboza-Aguilar, C; Solís, A

    2014-01-01

    Measured reflection spectra from elytra of Chrysina aurigans scarabs are reported. They show a broad reflection band for wavelengths from 0.525 to 1.0 μm with a sequence of maxima and minima reflection values superimposed on a mean value of around 40% for the high reflection band. Different mechanisms contributing to the reflection spectra have been considered, with the dominant effect, reflection of left handed circularly polarized light, being produced by a laminated left handed twisted structure whose pitch changes with depth through the procuticle in a more complex way than that characterizing broad band circular polarizers based on cholesteric liquid crystals. (fast track communication)

  4. SVBRDF-Invariant Shape and Reflectance Estimation from a Light-Field Camera.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ting-Chun; Chandraker, Manmohan; Efros, Alexei A; Ramamoorthi, Ravi

    2018-03-01

    Light-field cameras have recently emerged as a powerful tool for one-shot passive 3D shape capture. However, obtaining the shape of glossy objects like metals or plastics remains challenging, since standard Lambertian cues like photo-consistency cannot be easily applied. In this paper, we derive a spatially-varying (SV)BRDF-invariant theory for recovering 3D shape and reflectance from light-field cameras. Our key theoretical insight is a novel analysis of diffuse plus single-lobe SVBRDFs under a light-field setup. We show that, although direct shape recovery is not possible, an equation relating depths and normals can still be derived. Using this equation, we then propose using a polynomial (quadratic) shape prior to resolve the shape ambiguity. Once shape is estimated, we also recover the reflectance. We present extensive synthetic data on the entire MERL BRDF dataset, as well as a number of real examples to validate the theory, where we simultaneously recover shape and BRDFs from a single image taken with a Lytro Illum camera.

  5. Particle Shape Characterization of Lunar Regolith using Reflected Light Microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCarty, C. B.; Garcia, G. C.; Rickman, D.

    2014-12-01

    Automated identification of particles in lunar thin sections is necessary for practical measurement of particle shape, void characterization, and quantitative characterization of sediment fabric. This may be done using image analysis, but several aspects of the lunar regolith make such automations difficult. For example, many of the particles are shattered; others are aggregates of smaller particles. Sieve sizes of the particles span 5 orders of magnitude. The physical thickness of a thin section, at a nominal 30 microns, is large compared to the size of many of the particles. Image acquisition modes, such as SEM and reflected light, while superior to transmitted light, still have significant ambiguity as to the volume being sampled. It is also desirable to have a technique that is inexpensive, not resource intensive, and analytically robust. To this end, we have developed an image acquisition and processing protocol that identifies and delineates resolvable particles on the front surface of a lunar thin section using a petrographic microscope in reflected light. For a polished thin section, a grid is defined covering the entire thin section. The grid defines discrete images taken with 20% overlap, minimizing the number of particles that intersect image boundaries. In reflected light mode, two images are acquired at each grid location, with a closed aperture diaphragm. One image, A, is focused precisely on the front surface of the thin section. The second image, B, is made after the stage is brought toward the objective lens just slightly. A bright fringe line, analogous to a Becke line, appears inside all transparent particles at the front surface of the section in the second image. The added light in the bright line corresponds to a deficit around the particles. Particle identification is done using ImageJ and uses multiple steps. A hybrid 5x5 median filter is used to make images Af and Bf. This primarily removes very small particles just below the front surface

  6. [Correction of light refraction and reflection in medical transmission optical tomography].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tereshchenko, S A; Potapov, D A

    2002-01-01

    The effects of light refraction and reflection on the quality of image reconstruction in medical transmission optical tomography of high-scattering media are considered. It has been first noted that light refraction not only distorts the geometric scheme of measurements, but may lead to the appearance of object areas that cannot be scanned. Some ways of decreasing the effect of refraction on the reconstruction of spatial distribution of the extinction coefficient are stated.

  7. Production of a diffuse very high reflectivity material for light collection in nuclear detectors

    CERN Document Server

    Pichler, B J; Mirzoyan, R; Weiss, L; Ziegler, S I

    2000-01-01

    A diffuse very high reflectivity material, based on polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) for optimization of light-collection efficiency has been developed. PTFE powder was used to produce reflector block material. The powder was pressed with 525 kPa in a form and sintered at 375 deg. C. The reflectivity was above 98% within the spectral range from 350 to 1000 nm. The blocks of this material are machinable with saws, drilling and milling machines. The reflector is used as a housing for scintillating crystals in a nuclear medicine application (small animal positron emission tomograph). It is also used as a light collector in very high-energy gamma-ray astrophysicas experiments, HEGRA and MAGIC. The application of this inexpensive, easy to make diffuse reflector may allow the optimization of light collection in a wide range of low-level light-detector configurations.

  8. Geometrically distributed one-dimensional photonic crystals for light-reflection in all angles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alagappan, G; Wu, P

    2009-07-06

    We demonstrate that a series of one-dimensional photonic crystals made of any dielectric materials, with the periods are distributed in a geometrical progression of a common ratio, r rc (theta,P), where rc is a structural parameter that depends on the angle of incidence, theta, and polarization, P, is capable of blocking light of any spectral range. If an omni-directional reflection is desired for all polarizations and for all incident angles smaller than thetao, then r rc (theta(o),p), where p is the polarization with the electric field parallel to the plane of incidence. We present simple and formula like expressions for rc, width of the bandgap, and minimum number of photonic crystals to achieve a perfect light reflection.

  9. Stone Soup: Photo-Elicitation as a Learning Tool in the Food Geography Classroom

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurtz, Hilda E.; Wood, Jason

    2014-01-01

    This paper showcases self-reflective and inclusive pedagogy using photo-elicitation in a food geography course assignment. The Stone Soup project positions students as both researchers and participant-subjects in a participant-driven photo-elicitation (PDPE) study of students' foodways. Student papers for this assignment demonstrate rich…

  10. Light propagation with phase discontinuities: generalized laws of reflection and refraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Nanfang; Genevet, Patrice; Kats, Mikhail A; Aieta, Francesco; Tetienne, Jean-Philippe; Capasso, Federico; Gaburro, Zeno

    2011-10-21

    Conventional optical components rely on gradual phase shifts accumulated during light propagation to shape light beams. New degrees of freedom are attained by introducing abrupt phase changes over the scale of the wavelength. A two-dimensional array of optical resonators with spatially varying phase response and subwavelength separation can imprint such phase discontinuities on propagating light as it traverses the interface between two media. Anomalous reflection and refraction phenomena are observed in this regime in optically thin arrays of metallic antennas on silicon with a linear phase variation along the interface, which are in excellent agreement with generalized laws derived from Fermat's principle. Phase discontinuities provide great flexibility in the design of light beams, as illustrated by the generation of optical vortices through use of planar designer metallic interfaces.

  11. Beam line optics technologies series (7). Orthopedic treatment of sharp of light (reflecting mirror)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Uruga, Tomoya; Nomura, Masaharu

    2006-01-01

    A reflecting mirror (mirror) is the most popular light device for orthopedic treatment of the shape of light. The paper explains the kinds of mirror for hard X-ray field and its applications in order to think the objects of mirror and how to adjust it when user experiment on the beam-line. The basic knowledge of reflection of X-ray, a use of mirror, the kinds of condenser mirror, the influence factors on the condenser size, arrangement of mirror in the hard X-ray beam-line, what kinds of mirror are necessary, evaluation of performance of mirror and adjustment, and troubles and measures are described. Layout in optics hutch at BL01B1 at SPring-8, refraction and total reflection of X-rays at surface, reflectivity of Rh and Pt with ideal surface as a function of photon energy, effects of surface roughness on reflectivity of Rh, calculated beam sizes for typical SPring-8 mirror as a function of magnification, schematic drawing of mirror, standard mirror system for vertical deflection in bending magnet beam-line, and observed and calculated reflectivity of Rh double mirror at BL01B1 at SPring-8 are illustrated. (S.Y)

  12. Monte Carlo simulation of reflection spectra of random multilayer media strongly scattering and absorbing light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Meglinskii, I V

    2001-01-01

    The reflection spectra of a multilayer random medium - the human skin - strongly scattering and absorbing light are numerically simulated. The propagation of light in the medium and the absorption spectra are simulated by the stochastic Monte Carlo method, which combines schemes for calculations of real photon trajectories and the statistical weight method. The model takes into account the inhomogeneous spatial distribution of blood vessels, water, and melanin, the degree of blood oxygenation, and the hematocrit index. The attenuation of the incident radiation caused by reflection and refraction at Fresnel boundaries of layers inside the medium is also considered. The simulated reflection spectra are compared with the experimental reflection spectra of the human skin. It is shown that a set of parameters that was used to describe the optical properties of skin layers and their possible variations, despite being far from complete, is nevertheless sufficient for the simulation of the reflection spectra of the human skin and their quantitative analysis. (laser applications and other topics in quantum electronics)

  13. Spectral and spatial properties of polarized light reflections from the arms of squid (Loligo pealeii) and cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis L.).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiou, Tsyr-Huei; Mäthger, Lydia M; Hanlon, Roger T; Cronin, Thomas W

    2007-10-01

    On every arm of cuttlefish and squid there is a stripe of high-reflectance iridophores that reflects highly polarized light. Since cephalopods possess polarization vision, it has been hypothesized that these polarized stripes could serve an intraspecific communication function. We determined how polarization changes when these boneless arms move. By measuring the spectral and polarizing properties of the reflected light from samples at various angles of tilt and rotation, we found that the actual posture of the arm has little or no effect on partial polarization or the e-vector angle of the reflected light. However, when the illumination angle changed, the partial polarization of the reflected light also changed. The spectral reflections of the signals were also affected by the angle of illumination but not by the orientation of the sample. Electron microscope samples showed that these stripes are composed of several groups of multilayer platelets within the iridophores. The surface normal to each group is oriented at a different angle, which produces essentially constant reflection of polarized light over a range of viewing angles. These results demonstrate that cuttlefish and squid could send out reliable polarization signals to a receiver regardless of arm orientation.

  14. Characterizing Cool Giant Planets in Reflected Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marley, Mark

    2016-01-01

    While the James Webb Space Telescope will detect and characterize extrasolar planets by transit and direct imaging, a new generation of telescopes will be required to detect and characterize extrasolar planets by reflected light imaging. NASA's WFIRST space telescope, now in development, will image dozens of cool giant planets at optical wavelengths and will obtain spectra for several of the best and brightest targets. This mission will pave the way for the detection and characterization of terrestrial planets by the planned LUVOIR or HabEx space telescopes. In my presentation I will discuss the challenges that arise in the interpretation of direct imaging data and present the results of our group's effort to develop methods for maximizing the science yield from these planned missions.

  15. REFLECTED LIGHT CURVES, SPHERICAL AND BOND ALBEDOS OF JUPITER- AND SATURN-LIKE EXOPLANETS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dyudina, Ulyana; Kopparla, Pushkar; Ingersoll, Andrew P.; Yung, Yuk L. [Division of Geological and Planetary Sciences, 150-21 California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125 (United States); Zhang, Xi [University of California Santa Cruz 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, CA 95064 (United States); Li, Liming [Department of Physics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204 (United States); Dones, Luke [Southwest Research Institute, 1050 Walnut Street, Suite 300, Boulder CO 80302 (United States); Verbiscer, Anne, E-mail: ulyana@gps.caltech.edu [Department of Astronomy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4325 (United States)

    2016-05-10

    Reflected light curves observed for exoplanets indicate that a few of them host bright clouds. We estimate how the light curve and total stellar heating of a planet depends on forward and backward scattering in the clouds based on Pioneer and Cassini spacecraft images of Jupiter and Saturn. We fit analytical functions to the local reflected brightnesses of Jupiter and Saturn depending on the planet’s phase. These observations cover broadbands at 0.59–0.72 and 0.39–0.5 μ m, and narrowbands at 0.938 (atmospheric window), 0.889 (CH4 absorption band), and 0.24–0.28 μ m. We simulate the images of the planets with a ray-tracing model, and disk-integrate them to produce the full-orbit light curves. For Jupiter, we also fit the modeled light curves to the observed full-disk brightness. We derive spherical albedos for Jupiter and Saturn, and for planets with Lambertian and Rayleigh-scattering atmospheres. Jupiter-like atmospheres can produce light curves that are a factor of two fainter at half-phase than the Lambertian planet, given the same geometric albedo at transit. The spherical albedo is typically lower than for a Lambertian planet by up to a factor of ∼1.5. The Lambertian assumption will underestimate the absorption of the stellar light and the equilibrium temperature of the planetary atmosphere. We also compare our light curves with the light curves of solid bodies: the moons Enceladus and Callisto. Their strong backscattering peak within a few degrees of opposition (secondary eclipse) can lead to an even stronger underestimate of the stellar heating.

  16. Emotion Eliciting in Affective Design

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lai, Yoke Chin

    2014-01-01

    A successful product needs the designer’s conceptual model congruent with the user’s mental model. The fundamental affective design principle also applies to assistive product design. Eliciting effectively the user’s mental model has been a big challenge for most novice designers. This paper outl...... with 3D digital prototype as emotion stimulus. To form a closed loop reflective model, the emotion response from the user is assessed with an emotion assessment tool. Emotion ontology is established to form the backbone of the emotion assessment tool....

  17. Wavefronts, light rays and caustic of a circular wave reflected by an arbitrary smooth curve

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marciano-Melchor, Magdalena; Silva-Ortigoza, Ramón; Montiel-Piña, Enrique; Román-Hernández, Edwin; Santiago-Santiago, José Guadalupe; Silva-Ortigoza, Gilberto; Rosado, Alfonso; Suárez-Xique, Román

    2011-01-01

    The aim of the present work is to obtain expressions for both the wavefront train and the caustic associated with the light rays reflected by an arbitrary smooth curve after being emitted by a point light source located at an arbitrary position in the two-dimensional free space. To this end, we obtain an expression for the k-function associated with the general integral of Stavroudis to the eikonal equation that describes the evolution of the reflected light rays. The caustic is computed by using the definitions of the critical and caustic sets of the two-dimensional map that describes the evolution of an arbitrary wavefront associated with the general integral. The general results are applied to circular and parabolic mirrors. The main motivation to carry out this research is to establish, in future work, the caustic touching theorem in a two-dimensional optical medium and to study the diffraction problem by using the k-function concept. Both problems are important in the computation of the image of an arbitrary object under reflection and refraction

  18. Method and apparatus for detecting phycocyanin-pigmented algae and bacteria from reflected light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vincent, Robert (Inventor)

    2013-01-01

    The present invention relates to a method of detecting phycocyanin algae or bacteria in water from reflected light, and also includes devices for the measurement, calculation and transmission of data relating to that method.

  19. Imaging the dorsal hippocampus: light reflectance relationships to electroencephalographic patterns during sleep

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rector, D M; Poe, G R; Kristensen, Morten Pilgaard

    1995-01-01

    We assessed the correspondence of 660 nm light reflectance changes from the dorsal hippocampus with slow wave electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during quiet sleep (QS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in four cats. An optic probe, attached to a charge-coupled-device (CCD) video camera...... as EEG changes. Dividing the image into 10 subregions revealed that reflectance changes at the rhythmical slow wave activity band (RSA, 4-6 Hz) persisted in localized regions during QS and REM sleep, but regional changes showed considerable wave-by-wave independence between areas and from slow wave...

  20. Position Detection Based on Intensities of Reflected Infrared Light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Henrik Vie

    measurements of reflected light intensities, and includes easy calibration. The method for reconstructing 3D positions has been implemented in a prototype of a “non-Touch Screen” for a computer, so that the user can control a cursor in three dimensions by moving his/hers hand in front of the computer screen....... The 2D position reconstruction method is mplemented in a prototype of a human-machine interface (HMI) for an electrically powered wheelchair, such that the wheelchair user can control the movement of the wheelchair by head movements. Both “non-Touch Screen” prototype and wheelchair HMI has been tested...

  1. Image analysis using reflected light: an underutilized tool for interpreting magnetic fabrics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Waters-Tormey, C. L.; Liner, T.; Miller, B.; Kelso, P. R.

    2010-12-01

    Grain shape fabric analysis is one of the most common tools used to compare magnetic fabric and handsample scale rock fabric. Usually, this image analysis uses photomicrographs taken under plane or polarized light, which may be problematic if there are several dominant magnetic carriers (e.g., magnetite and pyrrhotite). The method developed for this study uses reflected light photomicrographs, and is effective in assessing the relative contribution of different phases to the opaque mineral shape-preferred orientation (SPO). Mosaics of high-resolution photomicrographs are first assembled and processed in Adobe Photoshop®. The Adobe Illustrator® “Live Trace” tool, whose settings can be optimized for reflected light images, completes initial automatic grain tracing and phase separation. Checking and re-classification of phases using reflected light properties and trace editing occurs manually. Phase identification is confirmed by microprobe or quantitative EDS, after which grain traces are easily reclassified as needed. Traces are imported into SPO2003 (Launeau and Robin, 2005) for SPO analysis. The combination of image resolution and magnification used here includes grains down to 10 microns. This work is part of an ongoing study examining fabric development across strain gradients in the granulite facies Capricorn ridge shear zone exposed in the Mt. Hay block of central Australia (Waters-Tormey et al., 2009). Strain marker shape fabrics, mesoscale structures, and strain localization adjacent to major lithologic boundaries all indicate that the deformation involved flattening, but that components of the deformation have been partitioned into different lithological domains. Thin sections were taken from the two gabbroic map units which volumetrically dominate the shear zone (northern and southern) using samples with similar outcrop fabric intensity. Prior thermomagnetic analyses indicate these units contain magnetite ± titanomagnetite ± ilmenite ± pyrrhotite

  2. LightLeaves: computer controlled kinetic reflection hologram installation and a brief discussion of earlier work

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Connors Chen, Betsy

    2013-01-01

    LightLeaves is an installation combining leaf shaped, white light reflection holograms of landscape images with a special kinetic lighting device that houses a lamp and moving leaf shaped masks. The masks are controlled by an Arduino microcontroller and servomotors that position the masks in front of the illumination source of the holograms. The work is the most recent in a long series of landscapes that combine multi-hologram installations with computer controlled devices that play with the motion of the holograms, the light, sound or other elements in the work. LightLeaves was first exhibited at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts in a show titled E ye Spy: Playing with Perception .

  3. LightLeaves: computer controlled kinetic reflection hologram installation and a brief discussion of earlier work

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Connors Chen, Betsy, E-mail: acmeholo@gmail.com [ACME Holography, Somerville, Massachusetts USA 02144 (United States)

    2013-02-22

    LightLeaves is an installation combining leaf shaped, white light reflection holograms of landscape images with a special kinetic lighting device that houses a lamp and moving leaf shaped masks. The masks are controlled by an Arduino microcontroller and servomotors that position the masks in front of the illumination source of the holograms. The work is the most recent in a long series of landscapes that combine multi-hologram installations with computer controlled devices that play with the motion of the holograms, the light, sound or other elements in the work. LightLeaves was first exhibited at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts in a show titled {sup E}ye Spy: Playing with Perception{sup .}.

  4. Intraocular light scatter, reflections, fluorescence and absorption: what we see in the slit lamp.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van den Berg, Thomas J T P

    2018-01-01

    Much knowledge has been collected over the past 20 years about light scattering in the eye- in particular in the eye lens- and its visual effect, called straylight. It is the purpose of this review to discuss how these insights can be applied to understanding the slit lamp image. The slit lamp image mainly results from back scattering, whereas the effects on vision result mainly from forward scatter. Forward scatter originates from particles of about wavelength size distributed throughout the lens. Most of the slit lamp image originates from small particle scatter (Rayleigh scatter). For a population of middle aged lenses it will be shown that both these scatter components remove around 10% of the light from the direct beam. For slit lamp observation close to the reflection angles, zones of discontinuity (Wasserspalten) at anterior and posterior parts of the lens show up as rough surface reflections. All these light scatter effects increase with age, but the correlations with age, and also between the different components, are weak. For retro-illumination imaging it will be argued that the density or opacity seen in areas of cortical or posterior subcapsular cataract show up because of light scattering, not because of light loss. NOTES: (1) Light scatter must not be confused with aberrations. Light penetrating the eye is divided into two parts: a relatively small part is scattered, and removed from the direct beam. Most of the light is not scattered, but continues as the direct beam. This non-scattered part is the basis for functional imaging, but its quality is under the control of aberrations. Aberrations deflect light mainly over small angles (light scatter is important because of the straylight effects over large angles (>1°), causing problems like glare and hazy vision. (2) The slit lamp image in older lenses and nuclear cataract is strongly influenced by absorption. However, this effect is greatly exaggerated by the light path lengths concerned. This

  5. Real-time elicitation of moral emotions using a prejudice paradigm.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melike Marethe Fourie

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Moral emotions are critically important in guiding appropriate social conduct. Empirical investigation of these emotions remains a challenge, however, because of the difficulty in eliciting them reliably in controlled settings. Here we describe a novel prejudice paradigm that aimed to elicit both negatively- and positively-valenced moral emotions in real-time. Low-prejudice females (N = 46 who met highly specific demographic and personality-based screening criteria completed a series of Implicit Association Tests (IATs. Feedback following these IATs was pre-programmed to either endorse participants’ nonprejudiced self-standards (positive condition, or to contradict their self-standards (negative condition, in response to sensitive social topics. Neutral condition IATs reflected participants’ attitudes toward non-sensitive social topics. Results demonstrated that the IATs were successful in eliciting moral-positive emotions (satisfaction and pride, and moral-negative emotions (primarily guilt. In addition, participants high in self-reported punishment sensitivity, as assessed by the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS scale, reported greater guilt.

  6. Real-time elicitation of moral emotions using a prejudice paradigm.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fourie, Melike M; Kilchenmann, Nadine; Malcolm-Smith, Susan; Thomas, Kevin G F

    2012-01-01

    Moral emotions are critically important in guiding appropriate social conduct. Empirical investigation of these emotions remains a challenge, however, because of the difficulty in eliciting them reliably in controlled settings. Here we describe a novel prejudice paradigm that aimed to elicit both negatively and positively valenced moral emotions in real-time. Low-prejudice females (N = 46) who met highly specific demographic and personality-based screening criteria completed a series of Implicit Association Tests (IATs). Feedback following these IATs was pre-programmed to either endorse participants' non-prejudiced self-standards (positive condition), or to contradict their self-standards (negative condition), in response to sensitive social topics. Neutral condition IATs reflected participants' attitudes toward non-sensitive social topics. Results demonstrated that the IATs were successful in eliciting moral-positive emotions (satisfaction and pride) and moral-negative emotions (primarily guilt). In addition, participants high in self-reported punishment sensitivity, as assessed by the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) scale, reported greater guilt.

  7. Real-Time Elicitation of Moral Emotions Using a Prejudice Paradigm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fourie, Melike M.; Kilchenmann, Nadine; Malcolm-Smith, Susan; Thomas, Kevin G. F. 

    2012-01-01

    Moral emotions are critically important in guiding appropriate social conduct. Empirical investigation of these emotions remains a challenge, however, because of the difficulty in eliciting them reliably in controlled settings. Here we describe a novel prejudice paradigm that aimed to elicit both negatively and positively valenced moral emotions in real-time. Low-prejudice females (N = 46) who met highly specific demographic and personality-based screening criteria completed a series of Implicit Association Tests (IATs). Feedback following these IATs was pre-programmed to either endorse participants’ non-prejudiced self-standards (positive condition), or to contradict their self-standards (negative condition), in response to sensitive social topics. Neutral condition IATs reflected participants’ attitudes toward non-sensitive social topics. Results demonstrated that the IATs were successful in eliciting moral-positive emotions (satisfaction and pride) and moral-negative emotions (primarily guilt). In addition, participants high in self-reported punishment sensitivity, as assessed by the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) scale, reported greater guilt. PMID:22888322

  8. Light polarization management via reflection from arrays of sub-wavelength metallic twisted bands

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nawrot, M.; Haberko, J.; Zinkiewicz, Ł.; Wasylczyk, P.

    2017-12-01

    With constant progress of nano- and microfabrication technologies, photolithography in particular, a number of sub-wavelength metallic structures have been demonstrated that can be used to manipulate light polarization. Numerical simulations of light propagation hint that helical twisted bands can have interesting polarization properties. We use three-dimensional two-photon photolithography (direct laser writing) to fabricate a few-micrometer-thick arrays of twisted bands and coat them uniformly with metal. We demonstrate that circular polarization can be generated from linear polarization upon reflection from such structures over a broad range of frequencies in the mid infrared.

  9. Online analysis of protein inclusion bodies produced in E. coli by monitoring alterations in scattered and reflected light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ude, Christian; Ben-Dov, Nadav; Jochums, André; Li, Zhaopeng; Segal, Ester; Scheper, Thomas; Beutel, Sascha

    2016-05-01

    The online monitoring of recombinant protein aggregate inclusion bodies during microbial cultivation is an immense challenge. Measurement of scattered and reflected light offers a versatile and non-invasive measurement technique. Therefore, we investigated two methods to detect the formation of inclusion bodies and monitor their production: (1) online 180° scattered light measurement (λ = 625 nm) using a sensor platform during cultivation in shake flask and (2) online measurement of the light reflective interference using a porous Si-based optical biosensor (SiPA). It could be shown that 180° scattered light measurement allows monitoring of alterations in the optical properties of Escherichia coli BL21 cells, associated with the formation of inclusion bodies during cultivation. A reproducible linear correlation between the inclusion body concentration of the non-fluorescent protein human leukemia inhibitory factor (hLIF) carrying a thioredoxin tag and the shift ("Δamp") in scattered light signal intensity was observed. This was also observed for the glutathione-S-transferase-tagged green fluorescent protein (GFP-GST). Continuous online monitoring of reflective interference spectra reveals a significant increase in the bacterium refractive index during hLIF production in comparison to a non-induced reference that coincide with the formation of inclusion bodies. These online monitoring techniques could be applied for fast and cost-effective screening of different protein expression systems.

  10. Eliciting, Identifying, Interpreting, and Responding to Students' Ideas: Teacher Candidates' Growth in Formative Assessment Practices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gotwals, Amelia Wenk; Birmingham, Daniel

    2016-06-01

    With the goal of helping teacher candidates become well-started beginners, it is important that methods courses in teacher education programs focus on high-leverage practices. Using responsive teaching practices, specifically eliciting, identifying, interpreting, and responding to students' science ideas (i.e., formative assessment), can be used to support all students in learning science successfully. This study follows seven secondary science teacher candidates in a yearlong practice-based methods course. Course assignments (i.e., plans for and reflections on teaching) as well as teaching videos were analyzed using a recursive qualitative approach. In this paper, we present themes and patterns in teacher candidates' abilities to elicit, identify, interpret, and respond to students' ideas. Specifically, we found that those teacher candidates who grew in the ways in which they elicited students' ideas from fall to spring were also those who were able to adopt a more balanced reflection approach (considering both teacher and student moves). However, we found that even the teacher candidates who grew in these practices did not move toward seeing students' ideas as nuanced; rather, they saw students' ideas in a dichotomous fashion: right or wrong. We discuss implications for teacher preparation, specifically for how to promote productive reflection and tools for better understanding students' ideas.

  11. Catheter based mid-infrared reflectance and reflectance generated absorption spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Holman, Hoi-Ying N

    2013-10-29

    A method of characterizing conditions in a tissue, by (a) providing a catheter that has a light source that emits light in selected wavenumbers within the range of mid-IR spectrum; (b) directing the light from the catheter to an area of tissue at a location inside a blood vessel of a subject; (c) collecting light reflected from the location and generating a reflectance spectra; and (d) comparing the reflectance spectra to a reference spectra of normal tissue, whereby a location having an increased number of absorbance peaks at said selected wavenumbers indicates a tissue inside the blood vessel containing a physiological marker for atherosclerosis.

  12. Can light make us bright? Effects of light on cognition and sleep

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chellappa, Sarah Laxhmi; Gordijn, Marijke C. M.; Cajochen, Christian; VanDongen, HPA; Kerkhof, GA

    2011-01-01

    Light elicits robust nonvisual effects on numerous physiological and behavioral variables, such as the human sleep-wake cycle and cognitive performance. Light effects crucially rely on properties such as dose, duration, timing, and wavelength. Recently, the use of methods such as fMRI to assess

  13. Measurement of refractive indices of tunicates' tunics: light reflection of the transparent integuments in an ascidian Rhopalaea sp. and a salp Thetys vagina.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kakiuchida, Hiroshi; Sakai, Daisuke; Nishikawa, Jun; Hirose, Euichi

    2017-01-01

    Tunic is a cellulosic, integumentary matrix found in tunicates (Subphylum Tunicata or Urochordata). The tunics of some ascidian species and pelagic tunicates, such as salps, are nearly transparent, which is useful in predator avoidance. Transparent materials can be detected visually using light reflected from their surfaces, with the different refractive indices between two media, i.e., tunic and seawater, being the measure of reflectance. A larger difference in refractive indices thus provides a larger measure of reflectance. We measured the refractive indices of the transparent tunic of Thetys vagina (salp: Thaliacea) and Rhopalae a sp. (ascidian: Ascidiacea) using an Abbe refractometer and an ellipsometer to estimate the light reflection at the tunic surface and evaluate the anti-reflection effect of the nipple array structure on the tunic surface of T. vagina . At D-line light (λ = 589 nm), the refractive indices of the tunics were 0.002-0.004 greater than seawater in the measurements by Abbe refractometer, and 0.02-0.03 greater than seawater in the measurements by ellipsometer. The refractive indices of tunics were slightly higher than that of seawater. According to the simulation of light reflection based on rigorous coupled wave analysis (RCWA), light at a large angle of incidence will be completely reflected from a surface when its refractive indices are smaller than seawater. Therefore, the refractive index of integument is important for enabling transparent organisms to remain invisible in the water column. In order to minimize reflectance, the refractive index should be similar to, but never smaller than, that of the surrounding seawater. The simulation also indicated that the presence or absence of a nipple array does not cause significant difference in reflectance on the surface. The nipple array on the tunic of the diurnal salp may have another function, such as bubble repellence, other than anti-reflection.

  14. The Photosensitivity of Rhodopsin Bleaching and Light-Induced Increases of Fundus Reflectance in Mice Measured In Vivo With Scanning Laser Ophthalmoscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Pengfei; Goswami, Mayank; Zawadzki, Robert J.; Pugh, Edward N.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose To quantify bleaching-induced changes in fundus reflectance in the mouse retina. Methods Light reflected from the fundus of albino (Balb/c) and pigmented (C57Bl/6J) mice was measured with a multichannel scanning laser ophthalmoscopy optical coherence tomography (SLO-OCT) optical system. Serial scanning of small retinal regions was used for bleaching rhodopsin and measuring reflectance changes. Results Serial scanning generated a saturating reflectance increase centered at 501 nm with a photosensitivity of 1.4 × 10−8 per molecule μm2 in both strains, 2-fold higher than expected were irradiance at the rod outer segment base equal to that at the retinal surface. The action spectrum of the reflectance increase corresponds to the absorption spectrum of mouse rhodopsin in situ. Spectra obtained before and after bleaching were fitted with a model of fundus reflectance, quantifying contributions from loss of rhodopsin absorption with bleaching, absorption by oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) in the choroid (Balb/c), and absorption by melanin (C57Bl/6J). Both mouse strains exhibited light-induced broadband reflectance changes explained as bleaching-induced reflectivity increases at photoreceptor inner segment/outer segment (IS/OS) junctions and OS tips. Conclusions The elevated photosensitivity of rhodopsin bleaching in vivo is explained by waveguide condensing of light in propagation from rod inner segment (RIS) to rod outer segment (ROS). The similar photosensitivity of rhodopsin in the two strains reveals that little light backscattered from the sclera can enter the ROS. The bleaching-induced increases in reflectance at the IS/OS junctions and OS tips resemble results previously reported in human cones, but are ascribed to rods due to their 30/1 predominance over cones in mice and to the relatively minor amount of cone M-opsin in the regions scanned. PMID:27403994

  15. Food for thought: Conditions for discourse reflection in the light of environmental assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Runhaar, Hens; Runhaar, Piety R.; Oegema, Tammo

    2010-01-01

    People tend to take notice of what is happening around them selectively. Discourses-frames through which actors give meaning to aspects of the world-act as built-in filters that distinguish relevant from irrelevant data. Use of knowledge generated by environmental assessments (EAs) in decision-making may be understood from this perspective. Environmental knowledge that is inconsistent with dominant discourses runs the risk of being ignored. Discourses on the value of EA as a tool for decision-making may have a similar effect. Stimulating decision-makers and stakeholders to critically reflect on and reconsider their discourses in the light of EAs-also known as frame reflection or policy learning-may enhance the probability that these assessments and the knowledge that they generate impact upon decision-making. Up to now little has been written about how discourse reflection in the context of EA can be promoted. Valuable inputs are fragmented over different bodies of literature. In this paper we draw from these bodies to identify favourable conditions for discourse reflection.

  16. Dose determination with nitro blue tetrazolium containing radiochromic dye films by measuring absorbed and reflected light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kovács, A.; Baranyai, M.; Wojnárovits, L.

    2000-01-01

    determination in a wide dose range both by absorbance and reflectance measurements. The concept of measuring reflected light from dose labels has been discussed earlier and emerged recently due to the requirement of introducing semiquantitative label dose indicators for quarantine control. The usefulness...... of the method was studied using the newly developed radiochromic dye films as well as already existing ones. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved....

  17. Photo-elicitation in lifelong learning of teachers of elementary education

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Antonio Bautista García-Vera

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In this article we present and analyze a plan of teacher training. This plan is promoted and supported in the photographs taken by two teachers in their classrooms. Subsequently, through two focus groups, one for each class, we reflect and debate on the content of the photographs. This study is based on three areas of theorizing: teacher reflection on own practice, the essence of experiential image and multimodal literacy of teacher and, finally, the value of the photo- elicitation as a means of storytelling. The question generator that plan was how to materialize represent delayed or experiential image of the teacher to encourage description and, therefore, understanding the experiences of your practice? The response we obtained using photo - elicitation is helping us to further investigate with rigor in human experiences unrelated to the hegemonic visual communication methodologies. Among its benefits within the teacher training, is to recreate the action out of what happened in it and, in parallel, offering the possibility of making visible and discuss conflicts and ethical dilemmas present in it. Thus, the photo- elicitation situations are warm to analyze how and why a teacher has made a decision and no other, because when asked by a choice made is forced to explain his theories, beliefs, values, attitudes.., and only when made explicit, when subjected to public scrutiny, is aware of them. We note that the change in teachers is only possible when it is aware of his theories, beliefs ... and what they entail in teaching.

  18. The capsaicin cough reflex in eczema patients with respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Elberling, Jesper; Dirksen, Asger; Johansen, Jeanne Duus; Mosbech, Holger

    2006-03-01

    Respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume are common in the population but have unclear pathophysiology. Increased capsaicin cough responsiveness has been associated with the symptoms, but it is unknown whether the site of the symptoms in the airways influences this association. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the site of airway symptoms elicited by perfume and cough responsiveness to bronchial challenge with capsaicin. 21 eczema patients with respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume were compared with 21 healthy volunteers in a sex- and age-matched case control study. The participants completed a symptom questionnaire and underwent a bronchial challenge with capsaicin. Lower, but not upper, respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume were associated with increased capsaicin cough responsiveness. Having severe symptoms to perfume (n=11) did not relate to the site of the symptoms in the airways and was not associated with increased capsaicin cough responsiveness. In conclusion, respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume may reflect local hyperreactivity related to defensive reflexes in the airways, and measurements of the capsaicin cough reflex are relevant when patients with lower respiratory symptoms related to environmental perfume exposures are investigated.

  19. CR-39 (PADC) Reflection and Transmission of Light in the Ultraviolet-Near-Infrared (UV-NIR) Range.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Traynor, Nathan B J; McLauchlin, Christopher; Dodge, Kenneth; McGarrah, James E; Padalino, Stephen J; McCluskey, Michelle; Sangster, T C; McLean, James G

    2018-04-01

    The spectral reflection (specular and diffuse) and transmission of Columbia Resin 39 (CR-39) were measured for incoherent light with wavelengths in the range of 200-2500 nm. These results will be of use for the optical characterization of CR-39, as well as in investigations of the chemical modifications of the polymer caused by ultraviolet (UV) exposure. A Varian Cary 5000 was used to perform spectroscopy on several different thicknesses of CR-39. With proper analysis for the interdependence of reflectance and transmittance, results are consistent across all samples. The reflectivity from each CR-39-air boundary reveals an increase in the index of refraction in the near-UV. Absorption observations are consistent with the Beer-Lambert law. Strong absorption of UV light of wavelength shorter than 350 nm suggests an optical band gap of 3.5 eV, although the standard analysis is not conclusive. Absorption features observed in the near infrared are assigned to molecular vibrations, including some that are new to the literature.

  20. Eliciting geologists' tacit model of the uncertainty of mapped geological boundaries

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lark, R. M.; Lawley, R. S.; Barron, A. J. M.; Aldiss, D. T.; Ambrose, K.; Cooper, A. H.; Lee, J. R.; Waters, C. N.

    2015-01-01

    It is generally accepted that geological linework, such as mapped boundaries, are uncertain for various reasons. It is difficult to quantify this uncertainty directly, because the investigation of error in a boundary at a single location may be costly and time consuming, and many such observations are needed to estimate an uncertainty model with confidence. However, it is also recognized across many disciplines that experts generally have a tacit model of the uncertainty of information that they produce (interpretations, diagnoses etc.) and formal methods exist to extract this model in usable form by elicitation. In this paper we report a trial in which uncertainty models for mapped boundaries in six geological scenarios were elicited from a group of five experienced geologists. In five cases a consensus distribution was obtained, which reflected both the initial individually elicted distribution and a structured process of group discussion in which individuals revised their opinions. In a sixth case a consensus was not reached. This concerned a boundary between superficial deposits where the geometry of the contact is hard to visualize. The trial showed that the geologists' tacit model of uncertainty in mapped boundaries reflects factors in addition to the cartographic error usually treated by buffering linework or in written guidance on its application. It suggests that further application of elicitation, to scenarios at an appropriate level of generalization, could be useful to provide working error models for the application and interpretation of linework.

  1. An Entertaining Method of Teaching Concepts of Linear Light Propagation, Reflection and Refraction Using a Simple Optical Mechanism

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yurumezoglu, K.

    2009-01-01

    An activity has been designed for the purpose of teaching how light is dispersed in a straight line and about the interaction between matter and light as well as the related concepts of shadows, partial shadows, reflection, refraction, primary colours and complementary (secondary) colours, and differentiating the relationship between colours, all…

  2. Reflection of circularly polarized light and the effect of particle distribution on circular dichroism in evaporation induced self-assembled cellulose nanocrystal thin films

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    D. Hewson

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Evaporation induced self-assembled (EISA thin films of cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs have shown great potential for displaying structural colour across the visible spectrum. They are believed primarily to reflect left handed circularly polarised (LCP light due to their natural tendency to form structures comprising left handed chirality. Accordingly the fabrication of homogenously coloured CNC thin films is challenging. Deposition of solid material towards the edge of a dried droplet, via the coffee-stain effect, is one such difficulty in achieving homogenous colour across CNC films. These effects are most easily observed in films prepared from droplets where observable reflection of visible light is localised around the edge of the dry film. We report here, the observation of both left and right hand circularly polarised (LCP/RCP light in reflection from distinct separate regions of CNC EISA thin films and we elucidate how these reflections are dependent on the distribution of CNC material within the EISA thin film. Optical models of reflection are presented which are based on structures revealed using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM images of film cross sections. We have also employed spectroscopic characterisation techniques to evaluate the distribution of solid CNC material within a selection of CNC EISA thin films and we have correlated this distribution with polarised light spectra collected from each film. We conclude that film regions from which RCP light was reflected were associated with lower CNC concentrations and thicker film regions.

  3. Exploiting total internal reflection geometry for efficient optical modulation of terahertz light

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Xudong Liu

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Efficient methods to modulate terahertz (THz light are essential for realizing rapid THz imaging and communication applications. Here we report a novel THz modulator which utilizes the evanescent wave in a total internal reflection setup coupled with a conductive interface to enhance the attenuation efficiency of THz light. This approach makes it possible to achieve close to 100% modulation with a small interface conductivity of 12 mS. The frequency dependence of this technique is linked to the optical properties of the materials: a material with close to frequency independent conductivity that is also controllable will result in an achromatic modulation response, and the device performance can be optimized further by tuning the internal reflection angle. In this work, we focus on applying the technique in the terahertz frequency range. Using an LED array with a pump intensity of 475 mW/cm2 to produce carriers in a silicon wafer, we have achieved a modulation depth of up to 99.9% in a broad frequency range of 0.1 THz–0.8 THz. The required pumping power for the generation of the required free carriers is low because the sheet conductivity needed is far less than required for traditional transmission techniques. Consequently, the device can be modulated by an LED making it a very practical, low cost, and scalable solution for THz modulation.

  4. Observation of two regions of selective light reflection from a thin film of a cholesteric liquid crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alaverdyan, R B; Dadalyan, T K; Chilingaryan, Yurii S

    2013-01-01

    Two regions of selective light reflection (in the short- and long- wavelength parts of the visible spectrum) from a thin film of a cholesteric liquid crystal (CLC), consisting of the mixture of two CLCs with opposite chirality and a nematic liquid crystal, are experimentally found for the first time. The spectral position of the reflection regions and the separation between them varies depending on the CLC composition and the temperature. The long-wavelength region of reflection corresponds to the region of Bragg reflection from the CLC helix, while the short-wavelength region is probably due to the defects in the structure of the CLC film. (letters)

  5. Gestational related changes in the deep venous system of the lower limb on light reflection rheography in pregnancy and the puerperium

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Calderwood, C.J. [St John' s Hospital, Livingston and Simpson Centre for Reproductive Health, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh (United Kingdom)], E-mail: catherine.calderwood@luht.scot.nhs.uk; Jamieson, R. [Princess Royal Maternity Unit, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow (United Kingdom); Greer, I.A. [Hull York Medical School, University of York, York (United Kingdom)

    2007-12-15

    Objective: To assess whether light reflection rheography testing is affected by the changes that occur in the deep venous system of the lower limb in pregnancy and the puerperium. Methods: Twenty five women with a singleton pregnancy were recruited to undergo duplex Doppler ultrasound examinations of the common femoral vein to measure the vessel diameter and the blood flow velocity. Light reflection rheography testing was subsequently performed and the rate of venous emptying in the lower limb calculated. Serial measurements using both techniques were made at 15, 28, 36 weeks, and term gestation and at 2 days and 6 weeks postpartum. Results: Duplex Doppler ultrasound confirmed that there is progressive dilatation of the deep venous system in pregnancy, which reaches a maximum at term and reverses after delivery. There is an accompanying reduction in blood flow velocity, which reaches a nadir at term and increases after delivery. The rate of venous emptying as measured by light reflection rheography decreases with increasing gestation, but did not fall to a level consistent with venous occlusion by a deep venous thrombosis. Conclusions: Light reflection rheography has been shown to provide reliable results in pregnancy and the puerperium. Therefore, it is a potential tool for screening for deep venous thrombosis in this population.

  6. Gestational related changes in the deep venous system of the lower limb on light reflection rheography in pregnancy and the puerperium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Calderwood, C.J.; Jamieson, R.; Greer, I.A.

    2007-01-01

    Objective: To assess whether light reflection rheography testing is affected by the changes that occur in the deep venous system of the lower limb in pregnancy and the puerperium. Methods: Twenty five women with a singleton pregnancy were recruited to undergo duplex Doppler ultrasound examinations of the common femoral vein to measure the vessel diameter and the blood flow velocity. Light reflection rheography testing was subsequently performed and the rate of venous emptying in the lower limb calculated. Serial measurements using both techniques were made at 15, 28, 36 weeks, and term gestation and at 2 days and 6 weeks postpartum. Results: Duplex Doppler ultrasound confirmed that there is progressive dilatation of the deep venous system in pregnancy, which reaches a maximum at term and reverses after delivery. There is an accompanying reduction in blood flow velocity, which reaches a nadir at term and increases after delivery. The rate of venous emptying as measured by light reflection rheography decreases with increasing gestation, but did not fall to a level consistent with venous occlusion by a deep venous thrombosis. Conclusions: Light reflection rheography has been shown to provide reliable results in pregnancy and the puerperium. Therefore, it is a potential tool for screening for deep venous thrombosis in this population

  7. Eliciting and Assessing Reflective Practice: A Case Study in Web 2.0 Technologies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parkes, Kelly A.; Kajder, Sara

    2010-01-01

    This paper focuses on the role of multimodal technologies in facilitating reflective processes and the subsequent assessment of reflectivity for students in pre-professional programs. Reflective practice has been established as a critical tool for developing identity in and on practice. This paper will focus firstly on reviewing salient literature…

  8. Photoluminescence and reflectivity studies of high energy light ions irradiated polymethyl methacrylate films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bharti, Madhu Lata; Singh, Fouran; Ramola, R. C.; Joshi, Veena

    2017-11-01

    The self-standing films of non-conducting polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) were irradiated in vacuum using high energy light ions (HELIs) of 50 MeV Lithium (Li+3) and 80 MeV Carbon (C+5) at various ion dose to induce the optical changes in the films. Upon HELI irradiation, films exhibit a significant enhancement in optical reflectivity at the highest dose. Interestingly, the photoluminescence (PL) emission band with green light at (514.5 nm) shows a noticeable increase in the intensity with increasing ion dose for both ions. However, the rate of increase in PL intensity is different for both HELI and can be correlated with the linear energy transfer by these ions in the films. Origin of PL is attributed to the formation of carbon cluster and hydrogenated amorphous carbon in the polymer films. HAC clusters act as PL active centres with optical reflectivity. Most of the harmful radiation like UV are absorbed by the material and is becoming opaque after irradiation and this PL active material are useful in fabrication of optoelectronic devices, UV-filter, back-lit components in liquid crystal display systems, micro-components for integrate optical circuits, diffractive elements, advanced materials and are also applicable to the post irradiation laser treatment by means of ion irradiation.

  9. The FTIR study of uranium oxides by the method of light pipe reflection spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bao Zhu Yu; Hansen, W.N.

    1988-01-01

    Light pipe infrared reflection spectra of UO 2 , UO 3 , U 3 O 8 have been studied by using an FTIR spectrometer. The uranium oxide powders were ground to ensure fine particle size and distributed on the inner surface of a straight glass pipe with gold coating. The infrared beam from the inter-ferometer was focused into one end of the pipe at 45 0 incidence and then the transmitted beam was refocused by a pair of Cassegrainian type mirrors. The resultant spectra show the infrared characteristics of the ...-U-O-U-O-..., uranyl ion UO 2 2+ bond vibration and the active lattice vibrations predicted by group theory calculations. In comparison to the transmission spectra measured by authors or reported in literature, this 45 0 incident light pipe method as well as the previous light pipe method offer advantages of sensitivity, ease of acquisition and interpretation, and require a very small sample. It confirms the power of the light pipe method for studying powders and its special utility for the infrared studies of hazardous materials. (Author)

  10. A morphological study of the sulfurisation of digenite to covellite using reflected polarised light microscopy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rask Møller Frøkiær, Heidi; Warner, Terence E.

    2017-01-01

    A series of copper rods were reacted with sulfur vapour in evacuated glass ampoules at ∼445 °C. Product materials were characterised by powder X-ray diffraction and reflected polarised light microscopy. Copper sulfurised rapidly to digenite, γ-Cu2-xS, under these conditions, whereas the subsequen...... of the covellite structure. Sulfurising a coil of copper wire at ∼445 °C is an effective method for synthesising covellite.......A series of copper rods were reacted with sulfur vapour in evacuated glass ampoules at ∼445 °C. Product materials were characterised by powder X-ray diffraction and reflected polarised light microscopy. Copper sulfurised rapidly to digenite, γ-Cu2-xS, under these conditions, whereas the subsequent...... − besides being a p-type metal − is ionically conducting at 445 °C, although considerably less so than digenite. We infer that the growth of platy covellite crystals and their radial alignment in the primary CuS layer are a consequence of copper ion mobility being restricted to the basal plane...

  11. Reflectance measurements of PTFE, Kapton, and PEEK for xenon scintillation light for the LZ detector.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arthurs, M.; Batista, E.; Haefner, J.; Lorenzon, W.; Morton, D.; Neff, A.; Okunawo, M.; Pushkin, K.; Sander, A.; Stephenson, S.; Wang, Y.; LZ Collaboration

    2017-01-01

    LZ (LUX-Zeplin) is an international collaboration that will look for dark matter candidates, WIMPs (Weakly Interacting Massive Particles), through direct detection by dual-phase time projection chamber (TPC) using liquid xenon. The LZ detector will be located nearly a mile underground at SURF, South Dakota, shielded from cosmic background radiation. Seven tons active mass of liquid xenon will be used for detecting the weak interaction of WIMPs with ordinary matter. Over three years of operation it is expected to reach the ultimate sensitivity of 2x10-48 cm2 for a WIMP mass of 50 GeV. As for many other rare event searches, high light collection efficiency is essential for LZ detector. Moreover, in order to achieve greater active volume for detection as well as reduce potential backgrounds, thinner detector walls without significant loss in reflectance are desired. Reflectance measurements of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), Kapton, and PEEK for xenon scintillation light (178 nm), conducted at the University of Michigan using the Michigan Xenon Detector (MiX) will be presented. The University of Michigan, LZ Collaboration, The US Department of Energy.

  12. Frustrated total internal reflection in organic light-emitting diodes employing sphere cavity embedded in polystyrene

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu, Peifen

    2016-01-01

    The light extraction efficiency of top-emitting organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) is numerically investigated employing the finite-difference time-domain method. The periodic nanostructures formed by embedding the sphere arrays in polystyrene (PS) are placed on top of OLED to frustrate the total internal reflection at the interface between OLED and free space. These nanostructures serve as an intermediate medium to extract the light out of OLED devices. Efficiently coupling both evanescent waves and propagation waves into spheres and subsequently extracting these light waves out of the sphere is key to achieving high extraction efficiency. By tuning the thickness of PS layer, both of the in-coupling efficiency and out-coupling efficiency are optimized for achieving high light extraction efficiency. Thicker PS layer results in higher in-coupling efficiency in sphere while the thinner PS layer leads to higher out-coupling efficiency. Thus the maximum light extraction is a trade-off between the in-coupling efficiency and out-coupling efficiency. The study shows that light extraction efficiency of 89% can be achieved by embedding 0.90 μm TiO 2 sphere in 0.30 μm PS layer with optimized in-coupling efficiency, out-coupling efficiency and cavity effect. (paper)

  13. Light reflection from crystal platelets in iridophores determines green or brown skin coloration in Takydromus lizards.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kuriyama, Takeo; Esashi, Jyunko; Hasegawa, Masami

    2017-04-01

    Brown and green are the most commonly imitated colors in prey animals because both colors occur in a range of habitats. Many researchers have evaluated survival with respect to background color matching, but the pigment cell mechanisms underlying such coloration are not known. Dorsal coloration of East Asian Takydromus lizards has shifted from green to brown or from brown to green on multiple occasions during the diversification of the genus, thus giving us an opportunity to examine the cellular mechanisms of background color matching. Brown and green skin were found to differ with respect to the morphological characteristics of iridophores, with different thicknesses of the reflecting platelets and the cytoplasmic spacing between platelets, despite a shared vertical arrangement of pigment cells, i.e., xanthophores in the upper layer, iridophores in the middle layer, and melanophores at the bottom of the dermal layer, among the different Takydromus lizards. Iridophores of brown skin reflected longer wavelengths of light than those of green skin, which may be attributed to the thicker platelets and longer distances between platelets in brown skin. We discuss the potential role of genetic and intracellular mechanisms explaining the thickness and orientation of the light-reflecting platelets of iridophores in Takydromus lizards. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  14. Nonspecular reflection of light at an inhomogeneous interface between two media and in a nanostructured layer with a quasi-zero refractive index

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gadomsky, O. N.; Gadomskaya, I. V.

    2015-01-01

    We have derived formulas for the amplitudes of light reflection and refraction at an inhomogeneous interface between two media and in a nanostructured layer with a quasi-zero refractive index. These formulas are applied to explain the experimental spectra of nonspecular light reflection using a nanostructured (PMMA + Ag) layer with silver nanoparticles on a silicon surface as an example. We show that a surface wave is formed in the nanostructured layer at various angles of light incidence and the layer with a quasi-zero refractive index is an antireflection coating that provides uniform 5% silicon antireflection in the wavelength range from 450 to 1000 nm

  15. Good Food, Bad Food, and White Rice: Understanding Child Feeding Using Visual-Narrative Elicitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wentworth, Chelsea

    2017-01-01

    Visual-narrative elicitation, a process combining photo elicitation and pile sorting in applied medical anthropology, sheds light on food consumption patterns in urban areas of Vanuatu where childhood malnutrition is a persistent problem. Groups of participants took photographs of the foods they feed their children, and the resources and barriers they encounter in accessing foodstuffs. This revealed how imported and local foods are assigned value as "good" or "bad" foods when contributing to dietary diversity and creating appropriate meals for children, particularly in the context of consuming white rice. The process of gathering and working with photographs illuminated the complex negotiations in which caregivers engaged when making food and nutritional choices for their children. At the nexus of visual and medical anthropology, the visual-narrative elicitation process yielded nuanced, comprehensive understandings of how caregivers value the various foods they feed their children.

  16. Event-related potentials elicited by pre-attentive emotional changes in temporal context.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomomi Fujimura

    Full Text Available The ability to detect emotional change in the environment is essential for adaptive behavior. The current study investigated whether event-related potentials (ERPs can reflect emotional change in a visual sequence. To assess pre-attentive processing, we examined visual mismatch negativity (vMMN: the negative potentials elicited by a deviant (infrequent stimulus embedded in a sequence of standard (frequent stimuli. Participants in two experiments pre-attentively viewed visual sequences of Japanese kanji with different emotional connotations while ERPs were recorded. The visual sequence in Experiment 1 consisted of neutral standards and two types of emotional deviants with a strong and weak intensity. Although the results indicated that strongly emotional deviants elicited more occipital negativity than neutral standards, it was unclear whether these negativities were derived from emotional deviation in the sequence or from the emotional significance of the deviants themselves. In Experiment 2, the two identical emotional deviants were presented against different emotional standards. One type of deviants was emotionally incongruent with the standard and the other type of deviants was emotionally congruent with the standard. The results indicated that occipital negativities elicited by deviants resulted from perceptual changes in a visual sequence at a latency of 100-200 ms and from emotional changes at latencies of 200-260 ms. Contrary to the results of the ERP experiment, reaction times to deviants showed no effect of emotional context; negative stimuli were consistently detected more rapidly than were positive stimuli. Taken together, the results suggest that brain signals can reflect emotional change in a temporal context.

  17. What monitor can replace the cathode-ray tube for visual stimulation to elicit multifocal electroretinograms?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Celso Soiti; Shinoda, Kei; Matsumoto, Harue; Seki, Keisuke; Nagasaka, Eiichiro; Iwata, Takeshi; Mizota, Atsushi

    2014-08-05

    To compare a conventional cathode-ray tube (CRT) screen to organic light-emitting diode (OLED) and liquid crystal display (LCD) screens as visual stimulators to elicit multifocal electroretinograms (mfERGs), mfERGs were recorded from seven eyes of seven healthy volunteers (21 ± 2 years). The mfERGs elicited by a conventional CRT screen (S710, Compaq Computer Co.) were compared to those elicited by a studio-grade master OLED monitor (PVM-1741, Sony, Japan) and a conventional LCD (S1721, Flexscan, Eizo Nanao Corp., Japan). The luminance changes of each monitor were measured with a photodiode. CRT, OLED, and LCD screens with a frame frequency of 60 Hz were studied. A hexagonal stimulus array with 61 stimulus elements was created on each monitor. The serial white stimuli of the OLED screen at 60 Hz did not fuse, and that of the LCD screens fused. The amplitudes of P1 and P2 of the first-order kernels of the mfERGs were not significantly different from those elicited by the CRT and OLED screens, and the P1 amplitude of the first-order kernel elicited by the LCD stimuli was significantly smaller than that elicited by the CRT in all the groups of the averaged hexagonal elements. The implicit times were approximately 10 ms longer in almost all components elicited by the LCD screen compared to those elicited by the CRT screen. The mfERGs elicited by monitors other than the CRT should be carefully interpreted, especially those elicited by LCD screens. The OLED had good performance, and we conclude that it can replace the CRT as a stimulator for mfERGs; however, a collection of normative data is recommended. © 2014 ARVO.

  18. Anti-reflective coating for visible light using a silver nanodisc metasurface with a refractive index of less than 1.0

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yasuda, Hideki; Matsuno, Ryo; Koito, Naoki; Hosoda, Hidemasa; Tani, Takeharu; Naya, Masayuki

    2017-12-01

    Suppression of visible-light reflection from material surfaces is an important technology for many applications such as flat-panel displays, camera lenses, and solar panels. In this study, we developed an anti-reflective coating design based on a silver nanodisc metasurface. The effective refractive index of a 10-nm-thick monolayer of silver nanodiscs was less than 1.0, which enabled strong suppression of reflection from the underlying substrate. The nanodisc structure was easy to fabricate using a conventional roll-to-roll wet-coating method. The anti-reflective structure was fabricated over a large area.

  19. Searching for reflected light from τ Bootis b with high-resolution ground-based spectroscopy: Approaching the 10-5 contrast barrier

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoeijmakers, H. J.; Snellen, I. A. G.; van Terwisga, S. E.

    2018-02-01

    Context. It is challenging to measure the starlight reflected from exoplanets because of the extreme contrast with their host stars. For hot Jupiters, this contrast is in the range of 10-6 to 10-4, depending on their albedo, radius and orbital distance. Searches for reflected light have been performed since the first hot Jupiters were discovered, but with very limited success because hot Jupiters tend to have low albedo values due to the general absence of reflective cloud decks. Aim. The aim of this study is to search for reflected light from τ Boo b, a hot Jupiter with one of the brightest host stars. Since its discovery in 1997, it has been the subject of several reflected-light searches using high-dispersion spectroscopy. Here we aim to combine these data in to a single meta-analysis. Methods: We analysed more than 2000 archival high-dispersion spectra obtained with the UVES, ESPaDOnS, NARVAL UES and HARPS-N spectrographs during various epochs between 1998 and 2013. Each spectrum was first cleaned of the stellar spectrum and subsequently cross-correlated with a PHOENIX model spectrum. These were then Doppler shifted to the planet rest-frame and co-added in time, weighted according to the expected signal-to-noise of the planet signal. Results: We reach a 3σ upper limit of the planet-to-star contrast of 1.5 × 10-5. Assuming a planet radius of 1.15 RJ, this corresponds to an optical albedo of between 400-700 nm. A low albedo is in line with secondary eclipse and phase curve observations of other hot Jupiters using space-based observatories, as well as theoretical predictions of their reflective properties.

  20. Light mirror reflection combined with heating/cooling curves as a method of studying phase transitions in transparent and opaque petroleum products: Apparatus and theory

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shishkin, Yu.L.

    2007-01-01

    A portable low weight low cost apparatus 'Phasafot' and method for determining pour and cloud points of petroleum products, as well as precipitation and melting temperatures of paraffins in both transparent (diesel fuels), semi-transparent (lube oils) and opaque (crude oils) samples are described. The method consists in illuminating the surface of a sample with an oblique light beam and registering the intensity of specularly reflected light while heating/cooling the sample in the temperature range of its structural transitions. The mirror reflection of a light beam from an ideally smooth liquid surface falls in intensity when the surface becomes rough (dim) due to crystal formation. Simultaneous recording of the temperature ramp curve and the mirror reflection curve enables the determination of the beginning and end of crystallization of paraffins in both transparent and opaque petroleum products. Besides, their rheological properties can be accurately determined by rocking or tilting the instrument while monitoring the sample movement via its mirror reflection

  1. A comparison of five elicitation techniques for elicitation of attributes of low involvement products

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bech-Larsen, Tino; Nielsen, Niels Asger

    1999-01-01

    of dimensions directed from theories of consumer buying behaviour. Although a number of differences between the techniques are identified in the study, the main findings are that the robustness of the different techniques for attribute elicitation is considerable Udgivelsesdato: JUN......The critical first step for most instruments used in analysing consumer choice and motivation is the identification of product attributes which are important to the consumer and for which there are differences among the available product alternatives. A number of techniques, ranging from...... the complex elicitation of idiosyncratic attributes or simpler picking procedures, has been developed to elicitate such attributes. The purpose of the study presented here is to com-pare attributes of a low involvement product, viz. vegetable oil, elicited by five different techniques on a number...

  2. Bidirectional reflectance distribution function /BRDF/ measurements of stray light suppression coatings for the Space Telescope /ST/

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griner, D. B.

    1979-01-01

    The paper considers the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of black coatings used on stray light suppression systems for the Space Telescope (ST). The ST stray light suppression requirement is to reduce earth, moon, and sun light in the focal plane to a level equivalent to one 23 Mv star per square arcsecond, an attenuation of 14 orders of magnitude. It is impractical to verify the performance of a proposed baffle system design by full scale tests because of the large size of the ST, so that a computer analysis is used to select the design. Accurate computer analysis requires a knowledge of the diffuse scatter at all angles from the surface of the coatings, for all angles of incident light. During the early phases of the ST program a BRDF scanner was built at the Marshall Space Flight Center to study the scatter from black materials; the measurement system is described and the results of measurements on samples proposed for use on the ST are presented.

  3. Using the combination refraction-reflection solid to design omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Jionghui; Yao, Wenming; Wen, Linqiang

    2015-10-01

    Underwater wireless optical communication is a communication technology which uses laser as an information carrier and transmits data through water. Underwater wireless optical communication has some good features such as broader bandwidth, high transmission rate, better security, anti—interference performance. Therefore, it is promising to be widely used in the civil and military communication domains. It is also suitable for high-speed, short-range communication between underwater mobile vehicles. This paper presents a design approach of omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication, using TRACEPRO simulation tool to help design a combination solid composed of the lens, conical reflector and parabolic reflector, and using the modulated DPSS green laser in the transmitter module to output the laser beam in small divergence angles, after expanded by the combination refraction-reflection solid, the angle turns into a space divergence angle of 2π, achieving the omni-directional light source of hemisphere space, and test in the air and underwater, the result shows that the effect is fine. This paper analyzes the experimental test in the air and water, in order to make further improvement of the uniformity of light distribution, we optimize the reflector surface parameters of combination refraction-reflection solid and test in the air and water. The result shows that omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication optimized could achieve the uniformity of light distribution of underwater space divergence angle of 2π. Omni-directional light source used in underwater wireless optical communication designed in this paper has the characteristics of small size and uniformity of light distribution, it is suitable for application between UUVs, AUVs, Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) and other underwater vehicle fleet, it realizes point-to-multipoint communications.

  4. Low-temperature relative reflectivity measurements of reflective and scintillating foils used in rare event searches

    Science.gov (United States)

    Langenkämper, A.; Ulrich, A.; Defay, X.; Feilitzsch, F. v.; Lanfranchi, J.-C.; Mondragón, E.; Münster, A.; Oppenheimer, C.; Potzel, W.; Roth, S.; Schönert, S.; Steiger, H.; Trinh Thi, H. H.; Wawoczny, S.; Willers, M.; Zöller, A.

    2018-03-01

    In this work we investigate the reflectivity of highly reflective multilayer polymer foils used in the CRESST experiment. The CRESST experiment searches directly for dark matter via operating scintillating CaWO4 crystals as targets for elastic dark matter-nucleon scattering. In order to suppress background events, the experiment employs the so-called phonon-light technique which is based on the simultaneous measurement of the heat signal in the main CaWO4 target crystal and of the emitted scintillation light with a separate cryogenic light detector. Both detectors are surrounded by a highly reflective and scintillating multilayer polymer foil to increase the light collection efficiency and to veto surface backgrounds. While this study is motivated by the CRESST experiment, the results are also relevant for other rare event searches using scintillating cryogenic bolometers in the field of the search of dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay (0 νββ). In this work a dedicated experiment has been set up to determine the relative reflectivity at 300 K and 20 K of three multilayer foils ("VM2000", "VM2002", "Vikuiti") produced by the company 3M. The intensity of a light beam reflected off the foil is measured with a CCD camera. The ratio of the intensities at 300 K and 20 K corresponds to the relative reflectivity change. The measurements performed in this work show no variation of the reflectivity with temperature at a level of ∼1%.

  5. Light-reflection random-target method for measurement of the modulation transfer function of a digital video-camera

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Pospíšil, Jaroslav; Jakubík, P.; Machala, L.

    2005-01-01

    Roč. 116, - (2005), s. 573-585 ISSN 0030-4026 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z10100522 Keywords : random-target measuring method * light-reflection white - noise target * digital video camera * modulation transfer function * power spectral density Subject RIV: BH - Optics, Masers, Lasers Impact factor: 0.395, year: 2005

  6. Generating structured light with phase helix and intensity helix using reflection-enhanced plasmonic metasurface at 2 μm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yifan; Du, Jing; Zhang, Jinrun; Shen, Li; Wang, Jian

    2018-04-01

    Mid-infrared (2-20 μm) light has been attracting great attention in many areas of science and technology. Beyond the extended wavelength range from visible and near-infrared to mid-infrared, shaping spatial structures may add opportunities to grooming applications of mid-infrared photonics. Here, we design and fabricate a reflection-enhanced plasmonic metasurface and demonstrate efficient generation of structured light with the phase helix and intensity helix at 2 μm. This work includes two distinct aspects. First, structured light (phase helix, intensity helix) generation at 2 μm, which is far beyond the ability of conventional spatial light modulators, is enabled by the metasurface with sub-wavelength engineered structures. Second, the self-referenced intensity helix against environmental noise is generated without using a spatially separated light. The demonstrations may open up advanced perspectives to structured light applications at 2 μm, such as phase helix for communications and non-communications (imaging, sensing) and intensity helix for enhanced microscopy and advanced metrology.

  7. Requirements Elicitation Problems: A Literature Analysis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bill Davey

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Requirements elicitation is the process through which analysts determine the software requirements of stakeholders. Requirements elicitation is seldom well done, and an inaccurate or incomplete understanding of user requirements has led to the downfall of many software projects. This paper proposes a classification of problem types that occur in requirements elicitation. The classification has been derived from a literature analysis. Papers reporting on techniques for improving requirements elicitation practice were examined for the problem the technique was designed to address. In each classification the most recent or prominent techniques for ameliorating the problems are presented. The classification allows the requirements engineer to be sensitive to problems as they arise and the educator to structure delivery of requirements elicitation training.

  8. Belief Elicitation in Experiments

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blanco, Mariana; Engelmann, Dirk; Koch, Alexander

    Belief elicitation in economics experiments usually relies on paying subjects according to the accuracy of stated beliefs in addition to payments for other decisions. Such incentives, however, allow risk-averse subjects to hedge with their stated beliefs against adverse outcomes of other decisions......-belief elicitation treatment using a financial investment frame, where hedging arguably would be most natural....

  9. How Can Polarization States of Reflected Light from Snow Surfaces Inform Us on Surface Normals and Ultimately Snow Grain Size Measurements?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schneider, A. M.; Flanner, M.; Yang, P.; Yi, B.; Huang, X.; Feldman, D.

    2016-12-01

    The Snow Grain Size and Pollution (SGSP) algorithm is a method applied to Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer data to estimate snow grain size from space-borne measurements. Previous studies validate and quantify potential sources of error in this method, but because it assumes flat snow surfaces, however, large scale variations in surface normals can cause biases in its estimates due to its dependence on solar and observation zenith angles. To address these variations, we apply the Monte Carlo method for photon transport using data containing the single scattering properties of different ice crystals to calculate polarization states of reflected monochromatic light at 1500nm from modeled snow surfaces. We evaluate the dependence of these polarization states on solar and observation geometry at 1500nm because multiple scattering is generally a mechanism for depolarization and the ice crystals are relatively absorptive at this wavelength. Using 1500nm thus results in a higher number of reflected photons undergoing fewer scattering events, increasing the likelihood of reflected light having higher degrees of polarization. In evaluating the validity of the model, we find agreement with previous studies pertaining to near-infrared spectral directional hemispherical reflectance (i.e. black-sky albedo) and similarities in measured bidirectional reflectance factors, but few studies exist modeling polarization states of reflected light from snow surfaces. Here, we present novel results pertaining to calculated polarization states and compare dependences on solar and observation geometry for different idealized snow surfaces. If these dependencies are consistent across different ice particle shapes and sizes, then these findings could inform the SGSP algorithm by providing useful relationships between measurable physical quantities and solar and observation geometry to better understand variations in snow surface normals from remote sensing observations.

  10. Characterization and quantitative determination of calcium aluminate clinker phases through reflected light microscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marciano Junior, E.; Cunha Munhoz, F.A. da; Splettstoser Junior, J.; Placido, W.F.

    1989-01-01

    The identification and quantitative determination of phases in calcium aluminate clinker is of great importance to the producer, as it enables a better understanding of the cement and concrete properties, specially those concerning setting time and compressive strenght. Polished sections of three electrofused clinkers, one experimental and two industrial, were used to select the most suitable etchings in order to identify by microscopy the main phases (Ca, CA 2 , C 2 AS, C 12 A 7 , α-Al 2 O 3 ). Quantitative phases determinations by reflected light microscopy showed good results when compared to X-ray diffractometry measurements [pt

  11. Uncertainty in mapped geological boundaries held by a national geological survey:eliciting the geologists' tacit error model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lark, R. M.; Lawley, R. S.; Barron, A. J. M.; Aldiss, D. T.; Ambrose, K.; Cooper, A. H.; Lee, J. R.; Waters, C. N.

    2015-06-01

    It is generally accepted that geological line work, such as mapped boundaries, are uncertain for various reasons. It is difficult to quantify this uncertainty directly, because the investigation of error in a boundary at a single location may be costly and time consuming, and many such observations are needed to estimate an uncertainty model with confidence. However, it is recognized across many disciplines that experts generally have a tacit model of the uncertainty of information that they produce (interpretations, diagnoses, etc.) and formal methods exist to extract this model in usable form by elicitation. In this paper we report a trial in which uncertainty models for geological boundaries mapped by geologists of the British Geological Survey (BGS) in six geological scenarios were elicited from a group of five experienced BGS geologists. In five cases a consensus distribution was obtained, which reflected both the initial individually elicited distribution and a structured process of group discussion in which individuals revised their opinions. In a sixth case a consensus was not reached. This concerned a boundary between superficial deposits where the geometry of the contact is hard to visualize. The trial showed that the geologists' tacit model of uncertainty in mapped boundaries reflects factors in addition to the cartographic error usually treated by buffering line work or in written guidance on its application. It suggests that further application of elicitation, to scenarios at an appropriate level of generalization, could be useful to provide working error models for the application and interpretation of line work.

  12. Optical Reflectance Measurements for Commonly Used Reflectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Janecek, Martin; Moses, William W.

    2008-08-01

    When simulating light collection in scintillators, modeling the angular distribution of optical light reflectance from surfaces is very important. Since light reflectance is poorly understood, either purely specular or purely diffuse reflectance is generally assumed. In this paper we measure the optical reflectance distribution for eleven commonly used reflectors. A 440 nm, output power stabilized, un-polarized laser is shone onto a reflector at a fixed angle of incidence. The reflected light's angular distribution is measured by an array of silicon photodiodes. The photodiodes are movable to cover 2pi of solid angle. The light-induced current is, through a multiplexer, read out with a digital multimeter. A LabVIEW program controls the motion of the laser and the photodiode array, the multiplexer, and the data collection. The laser can be positioned at any angle with a position accuracy of 10 arc minutes. Each photodiode subtends 6.3deg, and the photodiode array can be positioned at any angle with up to 10 arc minute angular resolution. The dynamic range for the current measurements is 10 5:1. The measured light reflectance distribution was measured to be specular for several ESR films as well as for aluminum foil, mostly diffuse for polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) tape and titanium dioxide paint, and neither specular nor diffuse for Lumirrorreg, Melinexreg and Tyvekreg. Instead, a more complicated light distribution was measured for these three materials.

  13. Reflective and refractive objects for mixed reality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Knecht, Martin; Traxler, Christoph; Winklhofer, Christoph; Wimmer, Michael

    2013-04-01

    In this paper, we present a novel rendering method which integrates reflective or refractive objects into a differential instant radiosity (DIR) framework usable for mixed-reality (MR) applications. This kind of objects are very special from the light interaction point of view, as they reflect and refract incident rays. Therefore they may cause high-frequency lighting effects known as caustics. Using instant-radiosity (IR) methods to approximate these high-frequency lighting effects would require a large amount of virtual point lights (VPLs) and is therefore not desirable due to real-time constraints. Instead, our approach combines differential instant radiosity with three other methods. One method handles more accurate reflections compared to simple cubemaps by using impostors. Another method is able to calculate two refractions in real-time, and the third method uses small quads to create caustic effects. Our proposed method replaces parts in light paths that belong to reflective or refractive objects using these three methods and thus tightly integrates into DIR. In contrast to previous methods which introduce reflective or refractive objects into MR scenarios, our method produces caustics that also emit additional indirect light. The method runs at real-time frame rates, and the results show that reflective and refractive objects with caustics improve the overall impression for MR scenarios.

  14. Mutual transformation of light waves by reflection holograms in photorefractive crystals of the 4-bar 3m symmetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Naunyka, V. N.; Shepelevich, V. V., E-mail: vasshep@inbox.ru [Mozyr State Pedagogical University (Belarus)

    2011-05-15

    The mutual transformation of light waves in the case of their simultaneous diffraction from a bulk reflection phase hologram, which was formed in a cubic photorefractive crystal of the 4-bar 3m symmetry class, has been studied. The indicator surfaces of the polarization-optimized values of the relative intensity of the object wave, which make it possible to determine the amplification of this wave for any crystal cut, are constructed. The linear polarization azimuths at which the energy exchange between the light waves reaches a maximum are found numerically for crystals of different cuts.

  15. Spectroscopic refractometer for transparent and absorbing liquids by reflection of white light near the critical angle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sánchez-Pérez, C.; García-Valenzuela, A.

    2012-01-01

    We propose and evaluate a spectroscopic refractometer device to measure the refractive index dispersion of transparent and absorbing solutions. The angle-dependent reflectivity of a white beam of light in an internal reflection configuration around the critical angle is spectrally analyzed. The refractive index in a wavelength range from 400 nm to 900 nm is obtained from the angle-reflectivity curve around the critical angle at each wavelength. The device does not use angle scanning mechanisms, decreasing considerably the complexity of the instrument in comparison to previous proposals. As a result, the measurements are obtained relatively fast. Nevertheless, a good experimental resolution in refractive index of about Δn ≈ 10 −4 at all the wavelengths is achieved in the case of transparent solutions. The calibration procedure of the device is discussed in detail. We also present measurements of the refractive index dispersion of rhodamine 6G-methanol solutions, which has a strong absorption band in the visible spectra.

  16. Reflection Matrix Method for Controlling Light After Reflection From a Diffuse Scattering Surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-22

    of Philosophy Kenneth W. Burgi, BS, MS Major, USAF 22 December 2016 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION UNLIMITED. AFIT...refocusing light through thin films of a turbid medium. When coherent light is trans- mitted through a stationary diffuser (i.e. a turbid medium), a fine...resultant light scatter [14, 15, 21, 23]. Transmission matrices were measured with microscopic objectives and thin films of turbid media, resulting in

  17. Eliciting ethical and social values in health technology assessment: A participatory approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bombard, Yvonne; Abelson, Julia; Simeonov, Dorina; Gauvin, Francois-Pierre

    2011-07-01

    Despite a growing consensus that ethical and social values should be addressed in health technology assessment (HTA) processes, there exist a variety of methods for doing so. There is growing interest in involving citizens in policy development to ensure that decisions are legitimate, and reflect the broad social values of the public. We sought to bring these issues together by employing a participatory approach to elicit ethical and social values in HTA. Our primary objective was to elicit a set of ethical and social values from citizens that could be used to guide Ontario's HTA evidentiary review and appraisal process. A secondary objective was to explore the feasibility of using participatory approaches to elicit these values. A 14-person Citizens' Reference Panel on Health Technologies was established to provide input to the Ontario Health Technology Advisory Committee in developing its recommendations. A mixed methods approach was used where informed, deliberative discussions were combined with pre- and post-questionnaires, which assessed the relative importance of various ethical and social values as well as their stability over time. Over the course of five meetings, panel members progressed toward the identification of a set of core values -universal access, choice and quality care. These values were consistently prioritized as the core values that should be considered in the evaluation of health technologies and ensuing recommendations. Sustained and deliberative methods, like a citizens' panel, offer a promising approach for eliciting ethical and social values into HTA. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Light

    CERN Document Server

    Robertson, William C

    2003-01-01

    Why is left right and right left in the mirror? Baffled by the basics of reflection and refraction? Wondering just how the eye works? If you have trouble teaching concepts about light that you don t fully grasp yourself, get help from a book that s both scientifically accurate and entertaining with Light. By combining clear explanations, clever drawings, and activities that use easy-to-find materials, this book covers what science teachers and parents need to know to teach about light with confidence. It uses ray, wave, and particle models of light to explain the basics of reflection and refraction, optical instruments, polarization of light, and interference and diffraction. There s also an entire chapter on how the eye works. Each chapter ends with a Summary and Applications section that reinforces concepts with everyday examples. Whether you need a deeper understanding of how light bends or a good explanation of why the sky is blue, you ll find Light more illuminating and accessible than a college textbook...

  19. Angularly symmetric splitting of a light beam upon reflection and refraction at an air-dielectric plane boundary: comment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Andersen, Torben B

    2016-05-01

    In a recent paper, conditions for achieving equal and opposite angular deflections of a light beam by reflection and refraction at an interface between air and a dielectric were determined [J. Opt. Soc. Am. A32, 2436 (2015)JOAOD60740-323210.1364/JOSAA.32.002436]. The paper gives plots of angles of incidence and refraction as a function of the prism refractive index as well as plots of reflectances and incident linear-polarization azimuth angles as functions of the refractive index. We show here that it is possible to express these quantities as simple algebraic functions of the refractive index.

  20. Towards an understanding of self-directed language as a mechanism of behavior change: A novel strategy for eliciting client language under laboratory conditions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benjamin O. Ladd

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Change talk (CT and sustain talk (ST are thought to reflect underlying motivation and be important mechanisms of behavior change (MOBCs. However, greater specificity and experimental rigor is needed to establish CT and ST as MOBCs. Testing the effects of self-directed language under laboratory conditions is one promising avenue. The current study presents a replication and extension of research examining the feasibility for using simulation tasks to elicit self-directed language. Methods: First-year college students (N=92 responded to the Collegiate Simulated Intoxication Digital Elicitation, a validated task for assessing decision-making in college drinking. Verbal responses elicited via free-response and structured interview formats were coded based on established definitions of CT and ST, with minor modifications to reflect the non-treatment context. Associations between self-directed language and alcohol use at baseline and eight months were examined. Additionally, this study examined whether a contextually-based measure of decision-making, behavioral willingness, mediated relationships between self-directed language and alcohol outcome. Results: Healthy talk and unhealthy talk independently were associated with baseline alcohol use across both elicitation formats. Only healthy talk during the free-response elicitation was associated with alcohol use at follow up; both healthy talk and unhealthy talk during the interview elicitation were associated with 8-month alcohol use. Behavioral willingness significantly mediated the relationship between percent healthy talk and alcohol outcome. Conclusions: Findings support the utility of studying self-directed language under laboratory conditions and suggest that such methods may provide a fruitful strategy to further understand the role of self-directed language as a MOBC. Keywords: Change talk, College students, Alcohol, Simulation task

  1. Angularly symmetric splitting of a light beam upon reflection and refraction at an air-dielectric plane boundary.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azzam, R M A

    2015-12-01

    Conditions for achieving equal and opposite angular deflections of a light beam by reflection and refraction at an air-dielectric boundary are determined. Such angularly symmetric beam splitting (ASBS) is possible only if the angle of incidence is >60° by exactly one third of the angle of refraction. This simple law, plus Snell's law, leads to several analytical results that clarify all aspects of this phenomenon. In particular, it is shown that the intensities of the two symmetrically deflected beams can be equalized by proper choice of the prism refractive index and the azimuth of incident linearly polarized light. ASBS enables a geometrically attractive layout of optical systems that employ multiple prism beam splitters.

  2. Characteristics of retinal reflectance changes induced by transcorneal electrical stimulation in cat eyes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takeshi Morimoto

    Full Text Available Transcorneal electrical stimulation (TES activates retinal neurons leading to visual sensations. How the retinal cells are activated by TES has not been definitively determined. Investigating the reflectance changes of the retina is an established technique and has been used to determine the mechanism of retinal activation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reflectance changes elicited by TES in cat eyes. Eight eyes of Eight cats were studied under general anesthesia. Biphasic electrical pulses were delivered transcornealy. The fundus images observed with near-infrared light (800-880 nm were recorded every 25 ms for 26 s. To improve the signal-to-noise ratio, the images of 10 consecutive recordings were averaged. Two-dimensional topographic maps of the reflective changes were constructed by subtracting images before from those after the TES. The effects of different stimulus parameters, e.g., current intensity, pulse duration, frequency, and stimulus duration, on the reflective changes were studied. Our results showed that after TES, the reflective changes appeared on the retinal vessels and optic disc. The intensity of reflectance changes increased as the current intensity, pulse duration, and stimulation duration increased (P<0.05 for all. The maximum intensity of the reflective change was obtained when the stimulus frequency was 20 Hz. The time course of the reflectance changes was also altered by the stimulation parameters. The response started earlier and returned to the baseline later with higher current intensities, longer pulse durations, but the time of the peak of the response was not changed. These results showed that the reflective changes were due to the activation of retinal neurons by TES and might involve the vascular changes induced by an activation of the retinal neurons.

  3. The generalized vectorial laws of reflection and refraction

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bhattacharjee, Pramode Ranjan

    2005-01-01

    This paper discloses two important discoveries. These are: (i) discovery of ambiguity in the well-established laws of reflection and refraction of light which have been in regular use for many years, and (ii) discovery of generalized vectorial laws of reflection and refraction of light. The existing definitions of angle of incidence, angle of reflection and angle of refraction are considered first. Each of these definitions is found to be ambiguous, not in compliance with the fundamental definition of angle in geometry. Two typical questions (one in the case of reflection and the other for refraction) have been addressed, which cannot be dealt with by using the existing laws of reflection and refraction of light. Thus, the existing laws of reflection and refraction of light seem to be ambiguous in respect of generality and their validity in a broad sense is questionable. With a view to removing the ambiguities, proper definitions of the above three angles are given first and then the statement of the generalized vectorial law of reflection (as well as that of refraction) has been offered

  4. Total internal reflection and dynamic light scattering microscopy of gels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gregor, Brian F.

    Two different techniques which apply optical microscopy in novel ways to the study of biological systems and materials were built and applied to several samples. The first is a system for adapting the well-known technique of dynamic light scattering (DLS) to an optical microscope. This can detect and scatter light from very small volumes, as compared to standard DLS which studies light scattering from volumes 1000x larger. The small scattering volume also allows for the observation of nonergodic dynamics in appropriate samples. Porcine gastric mucin (PGM) forms a gel at low pH which lines the epithelial cell layer and acts as a protective barrier against the acidic stomach environment. The dynamics and microscopic viscosity of PGM at different pH levels is studied using polystyrene microspheres as tracer particles. The microscopic viscosity and microrheological properties of the commercial basement membrane Matrigel are also studied with this instrument. Matrigel is frequently used to culture cells and its properties remain poorly determined. Well-characterized and purely synthetic Matrigel substitutes will need to have the correct rheological and morphological characteristics. The second instrument designed and built is a microscope which uses an interferometry technique to achieve an improvement in resolution 2.5x better in one dimension than the Abbe diffraction limit. The technique is based upon the interference of the evanescent field generated on the surface of a prism by a laser in a total internal reflection geometry. The enhanced resolution is demonstrated with fluorescent samples. Additionally. Raman imaging microscopy is demonstrated using the evanescent field in resonant and non-resonant samples, although attempts at applying the enhanced resolution technique to the Raman images were ultimately unsuccessful. Applications of this instrument include high resolution imaging of cell membranes and macroscopic structures in gels and proteins. Finally, a third

  5. Elicitation of ostomy pouch preferences

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bonnichsen, Ole

    2011-01-01

    Background: Previous studies about patients who have undergone ostomy surgery commonly address the issues of the surgery, complications, preoperative counseling, quality of life, and psychosocial changes following surgery. Only a limited number of studies deal with how technical improvements...... in stoma care would affect patients and, to the author's knowledge, the present study is the first to elicit preferences for potential improvements in ostomy pouches in the form of monetary values. Objective: This article examines and measures Swedish patients' preferences for potential improvements...... in ostomy pouch attributes. The theory, study design, elicitation procedure, and resulting preference structure of the sample is described. Methods: A discrete-choice experiment (DCE) was used to elicit preferences. Respondents were asked to choose between alternatives in choice sets, in which each...

  6. A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW ABOUT SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ELICITATION

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    LENIS R. WONG

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Requirements Elicitation is recognized as one of the most important activity in software development process as it has direct impact on its success. Although there are many proposals for improving this task, still there are issues which have to be solved. This paper aims to identify the current status of the latest researches related to software requirements elicitation through general framework for literature review, in order to answer the following research questions: Q1 What aspects have been covered by different proposal of requirements elicitation? Q2 What activities of the requirements elicitation process have been covered? And Q3 What factors influence on requirements elicitation and how? A cross-analysis of the outcome was performed. One of the results showed that requirements elicitation process needs improvements.

  7. Timescale Halo: Average-Speed Targets Elicit More Positive and Less Negative Attributions than Slow or Fast Targets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hernandez, Ivan; Preston, Jesse Lee; Hepler, Justin

    2014-01-01

    Research on the timescale bias has found that observers perceive more capacity for mind in targets moving at an average speed, relative to slow or fast moving targets. The present research revisited the timescale bias as a type of halo effect, where normal-speed people elicit positive evaluations and abnormal-speed (slow and fast) people elicit negative evaluations. In two studies, participants viewed videos of people walking at a slow, average, or fast speed. We find evidence for a timescale halo effect: people walking at an average-speed were attributed more positive mental traits, but fewer negative mental traits, relative to slow or fast moving people. These effects held across both cognitive and emotional dimensions of mind and were mediated by overall positive/negative ratings of the person. These results suggest that, rather than eliciting greater perceptions of general mind, the timescale bias may reflect a generalized positivity toward average speed people relative to slow or fast moving people. PMID:24421882

  8. Viewing pain and happy faces elicited similar changes in postural body sway.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Juan Gea

    Full Text Available Affective facial expressions are potent social cues that can induce relevant physiological changes, as well as behavioral dispositions in the observer. Previous studies have revealed that angry faces induced significant reductions in body sway as compared with neutral and happy faces, reflecting an avoidance behavioral tendency as freezing. The expression of pain is usually considered an unpleasant stimulus, but also a relevant cue for delivering effective care and social support. Nevertheless, there are few data about behavioral dispositions elicited by the observation of pain expressions in others. The aim of the present research was to evaluate approach-avoidance tendencies by using video recordings of postural body sway when participants were standing and observing facial expressions of pain, happy and neutral. We hypothesized that although pain faces would be rated as more unpleasant than the other faces, they would provoke significant changes in postural body sway as compared to neutral facial expressions. Forty healthy female volunteers (mean age 25 participated in the study. Amplitude of forward movements and backward movements in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral axes were obtained. Statistical analyses revealed that pain faces were the most unpleasant stimuli, and that both happy and pain faces were more arousing than neutral ones. Happy and pain faces also elicited greater amplitude of body sway in the anterior-posterior axes as compared with neutral faces. In addition, significant positive correlations were found between body sway elicited by pain faces and pleasantness and empathic ratings, suggesting that changes in postural body sway elicited by pain faces might be associated with approach and cooperative behavioral responses.

  9. Influence of the linear magneto-electric effect on the lateral shift of light reflected from a magneto-electric film

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dadoenkova, Yu S; Petrov, R V; Bichurin, M I; Bentivegna, F F L; Dadoenkova, N N; Lyubchanskii, I L

    2016-01-01

    We present a theoretical investigation of the lateral shift of an infrared light beam reflected from a magnetic film deposited on a non-magnetic dielectric substrate, taking into account the linear magneto-electric interaction in the magnetic film. We use the stationary phase method to evaluate the lateral shift. It is shown that the magneto-electric coupling leads to a six-fold enhancement of the lateral shift amplitude of a p-(s-) polarized incident beam reflected into a s-(p-) polarized beam. A reversal of the magnetization in the film leads to a nonreciprocal sign change of the lateral shift. (paper)

  10. Out-of-plane reflection and refraction of light by anisotropic optical antenna metasurfaces with phase discontinuities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aieta, Francesco; Genevet, Patrice; Yu, Nanfang; Kats, Mikhail A; Gaburro, Zeno; Capasso, Federico

    2012-03-14

    Experiments on ultrathin anisotropic arrays of subwavelength optical antennas display out-of-plane refraction. A powerful three-dimensional (3D) extension of the recently demonstrated generalized laws of refraction and reflection shows that the interface imparts a tangential wavevector to the incident light leading to anomalous beams, which in general are noncoplanar with the incident beam. The refracted beam direction can be controlled by varying the angle between the plane of incidence and the antenna array. © 2012 American Chemical Society

  11. Eliciting the Intension of Drug Value Sets – Principles and Quality Assurance Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bahr, Nathan J.; Nelson, Scott D.; Winnenburg, Rainer; Bodenreider, Olivier

    2018-01-01

    Value sets (VSs) used in electronic clinical quality measures are lists of codes from standard terminologies (“extensional” VSs), whose purpose (“intension”) is not always explicitly stated. We elicited the intension for the 09/01/2014 release of extensional medication value sets by comparison to drug classes from the October 2014 release of RxClass. Value sets matched drug classes if they shared common ingredients, as evidenced by Jaccard similarity score. We elicited the intension of 80 extensional value sets. The average Jaccard similarity was 0.65 for single classes and 0.80 for combination classes, with 34% (27/80) of the value sets having high similarity scores. Manual review by a pharmacist indicated 51% (41/80) of the drug classes selected as the best mapping for a value set matched the intension reflected in that value set name. This approach has the potential for facilitating the development and maintenance of medication value sets. PMID:29295218

  12. Signal-enhancement reflective pulse oximeter with Fresnel lens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chung, Shuang-Chao; Sun, Ching-Cherng

    2016-09-01

    In this paper, a new reflective pulse oximeter is proposed and demonstrated with implanting a Fresnel lens, which enhances the reflected signal. An optical simulation model incorporated with human skin characteristics is presented to evaluate the capability of the Fresnel lens. In addition, the distance between the light emitting diode and the photodiode is optimized. Compared with the other reflective oximeters, the reflected signal light detected by the photodiode is enhanced to more than 140%.

  13. A fiberoptic reflection oximeter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landsman, M L; Knop, N; Kwant, G; Mook, G A; Zijlstra, W G

    1978-03-20

    A catheter tip oximeter is described consisting of a cardiac catheter containing optical fibers, and incandescent light source, a light detection unit and a processing unit. Half of the optical fibers guide the light to the blood at the tip of the catheter, the other half the backscattered (reflected) light to the detection unit. The detection unit contains a dichroic mirror, transmitting most of the light with lambda less than 800 nm and reflecting most of the light with lambda greater than 900 nm, thus splitting the light into two beams. These pass through interference filters with nominal wavelengths of 640 and 920 nm respectively, and are focused on silicium barrier layer photocells. The photocell signals are amplified and fed into a divider giving the ratio of measuring (R640) and compensating (R920) photocell output. The relationship between log R640/R920 and oxygen saturation is represented by a slightly curved line. The relation may be linearized by subtracting a constant voltage from the divided output before taking the logarithm. The slope of the calibration line is dependent on the total haemoglobin concentration. Nonetheless an average calibration line can be used between 70 and 100% oxygen saturation. For 78 measurements of pig blood samples in this range (haemoglobin concentration between 96 and 161 g.1(-1)), the standard deviation of the difference between the fiberoptic oximeter and a Radiometer OSM1 oxygen saturation meter was 1.9% saturation, for 152 samples over the entire saturation range the standard deviation of the difference was 3.1% saturation. The influence of the flow velocity of blood on the light reflection depends on wavelength as well as on oxygen saturation. Therefore, complete compensation for the flow effect is not possible by simple means.

  14. Stimulus-Elicited Connectivity Influences Resting-State Connectivity Years Later in Human Development: A Prospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabard-Durnam, Laurel Joy; Gee, Dylan Grace; Goff, Bonnie; Flannery, Jessica; Telzer, Eva; Humphreys, Kathryn Leigh; Lumian, Daniel Stephen; Fareri, Dominic Stephen; Caldera, Christina; Tottenham, Nim

    2016-04-27

    -term phasic molding hypothesis that resting-state network development is influenced by recurring stimulus-elicited connectivity through prospective examination of the developing human amygdala-cortical functional connections. Our results provide critical insight into how early environmental events sculpt functional network architecture across development and highlight childhood as a potential developmental period of heightened malleability for the amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex circuit. These findings have implications for how both positive and adverse experiences influence the developing brain and motivate future investigations of whether this molding mechanism reflects a general phenomenon of brain development. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/364772-14$15.00/0.

  15. Deep Learning-Based Banknote Fitness Classification Using the Reflection Images by a Visible-Light One-Dimensional Line Image Sensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tuyen Danh Pham

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available In automatic paper currency sorting, fitness classification is a technique that assesses the quality of banknotes to determine whether a banknote is suitable for recirculation or should be replaced. Studies on using visible-light reflection images of banknotes for evaluating their usability have been reported. However, most of them were conducted under the assumption that the denomination and input direction of the banknote are predetermined. In other words, a pre-classification of the type of input banknote is required. To address this problem, we proposed a deep learning-based fitness-classification method that recognizes the fitness level of a banknote regardless of the denomination and input direction of the banknote to the system, using the reflection images of banknotes by visible-light one-dimensional line image sensor and a convolutional neural network (CNN. Experimental results on the banknote image databases of the Korean won (KRW and the Indian rupee (INR with three fitness levels, and the Unites States dollar (USD with two fitness levels, showed that our method gives better classification accuracy than other methods.

  16. Deep Learning-Based Banknote Fitness Classification Using the Reflection Images by a Visible-Light One-Dimensional Line Image Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pham, Tuyen Danh; Nguyen, Dat Tien; Kim, Wan; Park, Sung Ho; Park, Kang Ryoung

    2018-02-06

    In automatic paper currency sorting, fitness classification is a technique that assesses the quality of banknotes to determine whether a banknote is suitable for recirculation or should be replaced. Studies on using visible-light reflection images of banknotes for evaluating their usability have been reported. However, most of them were conducted under the assumption that the denomination and input direction of the banknote are predetermined. In other words, a pre-classification of the type of input banknote is required. To address this problem, we proposed a deep learning-based fitness-classification method that recognizes the fitness level of a banknote regardless of the denomination and input direction of the banknote to the system, using the reflection images of banknotes by visible-light one-dimensional line image sensor and a convolutional neural network (CNN). Experimental results on the banknote image databases of the Korean won (KRW) and the Indian rupee (INR) with three fitness levels, and the Unites States dollar (USD) with two fitness levels, showed that our method gives better classification accuracy than other methods.

  17. Method of Determining Reflections of Light

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    2017-01-01

    A method of filtering glints by processing an image of a user's cornea to obtain coordinates of desired glints from a configuration of light sources, comprising processing an image, in a first image space, of a user's cornea to determine coordinates of respective multiple positions of glints...

  18. Specific features of diffuse reflection of human face skin for laser and non-laser sources of visible and near-IR light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dolotov, L E; Sinichkin, Yu P; Tuchin, Valerii V; Al'tshuler, G B; Yaroslavskii, I V

    2011-01-01

    The specific features of diffuse reflection from different areas of human face skin for laser and non-laser sources of visible and near-IR light have been investigated to localise the closed-eye (eyelid) region. In the visible spectral range the reflection from the eyelid skin surface can be differentiated by measuring the slope of the spectral dependence of the effective optical density of skin in the wavelength range from 650 to 700nm. In the near-IR spectral range the reflectances of the skin surface at certain wavelengths, normalised to the forehead skin reflectance, can be used as a criterion for differentiating the eyelid skin. In this case, a maximum discrimination is obtained when measuring the skin reflectances at laser wavelengths of 1310 and 1470nm, which correspond to the spectral ranges of maximum and minimum water absorption. (optical technologies in biophysics and medicine)

  19. Reflection technique for thermal mapping of semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walter, Martin J.

    1989-06-20

    Semiconductors may be optically tested for their temperatures by illuminating them with tunable monochromatic electromagnetic radiation and observing the light reflected off of them. A transition point will occur when the wavelength of the light corresponds with the actual band gap energy of the semiconductor. At the transition point, the image of the semiconductor will appreciably darken as the light is transmitted through it, rather than being reflected off of it. The wavelength of the light at the transition point corresponds to the actual band gap energy and the actual temperature of the semiconductor.

  20. Reflection measurements for luminescent powders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kroon, R. E.

    2018-04-01

    Luminescent materials are useful in applications varying from lighting and display technologies to document security features and medical research, amongst many others. Measurement of the excitation range is an important consideration, and absorption bands are often determined from a decrease in the measured diffuse reflectance of the material using a ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectrophotometer with an integrating sphere. Such a system may provide questionable results when used to measure the reflectance of a luminescence material, which is demonstrated for a Tb doped silica phosphor, because the system cannot differentiate between the reflected light and luminescence. It is shown that more reliable results are achieved for this phosphor by measuring the reflectance using a synchronous zero-offset scan in a fluorescence spectrometer equipped with an integrating sphere. This method is therefore recommended instead of traditional reflectance measurements using a UV-vis spectrophotometer for luminescent powders.

  1. Recognition of Banknote Fitness Based on a Fuzzy System Using Visible Light Reflection and Near-infrared Light Transmission Images.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Seung Yong; Pham, Tuyen Danh; Park, Kang Ryoung; Jeong, Dae Sik; Yoon, Sungsoo

    2016-06-11

    Fitness classification is a technique to assess the quality of banknotes in order to determine whether they are usable. Banknote classification techniques are useful in preventing problems that arise from the circulation of substandard banknotes (such as recognition failures, or bill jams in automated teller machines (ATMs) or bank counting machines). By and large, fitness classification continues to be carried out by humans, and this can cause the problem of varying fitness classifications for the same bill by different evaluators, and requires a lot of time. To address these problems, this study proposes a fuzzy system-based method that can reduce the processing time needed for fitness classification, and can determine the fitness of banknotes through an objective, systematic method rather than subjective judgment. Our algorithm was an implementation to actual banknote counting machine. Based on the results of tests on 3856 banknotes in United States currency (USD), 3956 in Korean currency (KRW), and 2300 banknotes in Indian currency (INR) using visible light reflection (VR) and near-infrared light transmission (NIRT) imaging, the proposed method was found to yield higher accuracy than prevalent banknote fitness classification methods. Moreover, it was confirmed that the proposed algorithm can operate in real time, not only in a normal PC environment, but also in an embedded system environment of a banknote counting machine.

  2. Recognition of Banknote Fitness Based on a Fuzzy System Using Visible Light Reflection and Near-infrared Light Transmission Images

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seung Yong Kwon

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Fitness classification is a technique to assess the quality of banknotes in order to determine whether they are usable. Banknote classification techniques are useful in preventing problems that arise from the circulation of substandard banknotes (such as recognition failures, or bill jams in automated teller machines (ATMs or bank counting machines. By and large, fitness classification continues to be carried out by humans, and this can cause the problem of varying fitness classifications for the same bill by different evaluators, and requires a lot of time. To address these problems, this study proposes a fuzzy system-based method that can reduce the processing time needed for fitness classification, and can determine the fitness of banknotes through an objective, systematic method rather than subjective judgment. Our algorithm was an implementation to actual banknote counting machine. Based on the results of tests on 3856 banknotes in United States currency (USD, 3956 in Korean currency (KRW, and 2300 banknotes in Indian currency (INR using visible light reflection (VR and near-infrared light transmission (NIRT imaging, the proposed method was found to yield higher accuracy than prevalent banknote fitness classification methods. Moreover, it was confirmed that the proposed algorithm can operate in real time, not only in a normal PC environment, but also in an embedded system environment of a banknote counting machine.

  3. Reflected Light from Giant Planets in Habitable Zones: Tapping into the Power of the Cross-Correlation Function.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martins, J H C; Santos, N C; Figueira, P; Melo, C

    2016-11-01

    The direct detection of reflected light from exoplanets is an excellent probe for the characterization of their atmospheres. The greatest challenge for this task is the low planet-to-star flux ratio, which even in the most favourable case is of the order of 10 -4 in the optical. This ratio decreases even more for planets in their host's habitable zone, typically lower than 10 -7 . To reach the signal-to-noise level required for such detections, we propose to unleash the power of the Cross Correlation Function in combination with the collecting power of next generation observing facilities. The technique we propose has already yielded positive results by detecting the reflected spectral signature of 51 Pegasi b (see Martins et al. 2015). In this work, we attempted to infer the number of hours required for the detection of several planets in their host's habitable zone using the aforementioned technique from theoretical EELT observations. Our results show that for 5 of the selected planets it should be possible to directly recover their reflected spectral signature.

  4. Wide angle light collection with ultralow reflection and super scattering by silicon micro-nanostructures for thin crystalline silicon solar cell applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Das, Sonali; Kundu, Avra; Saha, Hiranmay; Datta, Swapan K

    2016-01-01

    Conventional c-Si solar cells employ micron-sized pyramids for achieving reduced reflection (∼10%) and enhanced light trapping by multiple bounces (maximum 3) of the incident light. Alternatively, bio-mimetic, moth-eye sub-wavelength nanostructures offer broadband antireflection properties (∼3%) suitable for solar cell applications in the optical regime. However, such structures do not provide any advantage in the charge carrier extraction process as radial junctions cannot be formed in such sub-wavelength dimensions and they have high surface area causing increased charged carrier recombination. The choice of the geometry for achieving optimum photon–electron harvesting for solar applications is therefore very critical. Cross-fertilization of the conventional solar cell light-trapping techniques and the sub-wavelength nanostructures results in unique micro-nanostructures (structures having sub-wavelength dimensions as well as dimensions of the order of few microns) which provide advanced light management capabilities along with the ability of realizing radial junctions. It is seen that an ultralow reflection along with wide angle light collection is obtained which enables such structures to overcome the morning, evening and winter light losses in solar cells. Further, super-scattering in the structures offer enhanced light trapping not only in the structure itself but also in the substrate housing the structure. Ray and wave optics have been used to understand the optical benefits of the structures. It is seen that the aspect ratio of the structures plays the most significant role for achieving such light management capabilities, and efficiencies as high as 12% can be attained. Experiments have been carried out to fabricate a unique micro-nanomaze-like structure instead of a periodic array of micro-nanostructures with the help of nanosphere lithography and the MacEtch technique. It is seen that randomized micro-nanomaze geometry offers very good

  5. Waves and grains reflections on light and learning

    CERN Document Server

    Silverman, Mark P

    1998-01-01

    Mark Silverman has seen light perform many wonders. From the marvel of seeing inside cloudy liquids as a result of his own cutting-edge research to reproducing and examining an unusual diffraction pattern first witnessed by Isaac Newton 300 years ago, he has studied aspects of light that have inspired and puzzled humans for hundreds of years. In this book, he draws on his many experiences as an optical and atomic physicist--and on his consummate skills as a teacher and writer about the mysteries of physics--to present a remarkable tour of the world of light. He explores theoretical, experimental, and historical themes, showing a keen eye for curious and neglected corners of the study of light and a fascination with the human side of scientific discovery. In the course of the book, he covers such questions as how it is possible to achieve magnifications of a millionfold without a single lens or mirror. He asks what all living things have in common that might one day allow the development of a "life-form scann...

  6. Nonimaging light concentrator with uniform irradiance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winston, Roland; Gee, Randy C.

    2003-04-01

    A nonimaging light concentrator system including a primary collector of light, an optical mixer disposed near the focal zone for collecting light from the primary collector, the optical mixer having a transparent entrance aperture, an internally reflective housing for substantially total internal reflection of light, a transparent exit aperture and an array of photovoltaic cells disposed near the transparent exit aperture.

  7. Hewlett-Packard's Approaches to Full Color Reflective Displays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibson, Gary

    2012-02-01

    Reflective displays are desirable in applications requiring low power or daylight readability. However, commercial reflective displays are currently either monochrome or capable of only dim color gamuts. Low cost, high-quality color technology would be rapidly adopted in existing reflective display markets and would enable new solutions in areas such as retail pricing and outdoor digital signage. Technical breakthroughs are required to enable bright color gamuts at reasonable cost. Pixel architectures that rely on pure reflection from a single layer of side-by-side primary-color sub-pixels use only a fraction of the display area to reflect incident light of a given color and are, therefore, unacceptably dark. Reflective devices employing stacked color primaries offer the possibility of a somewhat brighter color gamut but can be more complex to manufacture. In this talk, we describe HP's successes in addressing these fundamental challenges and creating both high performance stacked-primary reflective color displays as well as inexpensive single layer prototypes that provide good color. Our stacked displays utilize a combination of careful light management techniques, proprietary high-contrast electro-optic shutters, and highly transparent active-matrix TFT arrays based on transparent metal oxides. They also offer the possibility of relatively low cost manufacturing through roll-to-roll processing on plastic webs. To create even lower cost color displays with acceptable brightness, we have developed means for utilizing photoluminescence to make more efficient use of ambient light in a single layer device. Existing reflective displays create a desired color by reflecting a portion of the incident spectrum while absorbing undesired wavelengths. We have developed methods for converting the otherwise-wasted absorbed light to desired wavelengths via tailored photoluminescent composites. Here we describe a single active layer prototype display that utilizes these materials

  8. From Intensity Profile to Surface Normal: Photometric Stereo for Unknown Light Sources and Isotropic Reflectances.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Feng; Matsushita, Yasuyuki; Sato, Imari; Okabe, Takahiro; Sato, Yoichi

    2015-10-01

    We propose an uncalibrated photometric stereo method that works with general and unknown isotropic reflectances. Our method uses a pixel intensity profile, which is a sequence of radiance intensities recorded at a pixel under unknown varying directional illumination. We show that for general isotropic materials and uniformly distributed light directions, the geodesic distance between intensity profiles is linearly related to the angular difference of their corresponding surface normals, and that the intensity distribution of the intensity profile reveals reflectance properties. Based on these observations, we develop two methods for surface normal estimation; one for a general setting that uses only the recorded intensity profiles, the other for the case where a BRDF database is available while the exact BRDF of the target scene is still unknown. Quantitative and qualitative evaluations are conducted using both synthetic and real-world scenes, which show the state-of-the-art accuracy of smaller than 10 degree without using reference data and 5 degree with reference data for all 100 materials in MERL database.

  9. Effects of leaf age within growth stages of pepper and sorghum plants on leaf thickness, water, chlorophyll, and light reflectance. [in spectral vegetation discrimination

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gausman, H. W.; Cardenas, R.; Berumen, A.

    1974-01-01

    Pepper and sorghum plants (characterized by porous and compact leaf mesophylls, respectively) were used to study the influence of leaf age on light reflectance. Measurements were limited to the upper five nodal positions within each growth stage, since upper leaves make up most of the reflectance surfaces remotely sensed. The increase in leaf thickness and water content with increasing leaf age was taken into consideration, since each of these factors affects the reflectance as well as the selection of spectral wavelength intervals for optimum discrimination of vegetation.

  10. Which Individual Therapist Behaviors Elicit Client Change Talk and Sustain Talk in Motivational Interviewing?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apodaca, Timothy R; Jackson, Kristina M; Borsari, Brian; Magill, Molly; Longabaugh, Richard; Mastroleo, Nadine R; Barnett, Nancy P

    2016-02-01

    To identify individual therapist behaviors which elicit client change talk or sustain talk in motivational interviewing sessions. Motivational interviewing sessions from a single-session alcohol intervention delivered to college students were audio-taped, transcribed, and coded using the Motivational Interviewing Skill Code (MISC), a therapy process coding system. Participants included 92 college students and eight therapists who provided their treatment. The MISC was used to code 17 therapist behaviors related to the use of motivational interviewing, and client language reflecting movement toward behavior change (change talk), away from behavior change (sustain talk), or unrelated to the target behavior (follow/neutral). Client change talk was significantly more likely to immediately follow individual therapist behaviors [affirm (p=.013), open question (pmotivational interviewing can either elicit both client change talk and sustain talk or suppress both types of client language. Affirm was the only therapist behavior that both increased change talk and also reduced sustain talk. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Bi-directional reflectance distribution function of a tungsten block for ITER divertor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iwamae, Atsushi; Ogawa, Hiroaki; Sugie, Tatsuo; Kusama, Yoshinori

    2012-02-01

    In order to investigate reflection properties on plasma-facing material in ITER, the bi-directional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) of a tungsten block sample has been measured. On the machining surface of the block, one-directional machining lines are engraved. Two laser diodes λ652 nm and λ473 nm were used to simulate H α and H β emissions, respectively. The reflected light is affected by the machining surface. The reflected light traces an arc when the incident light is injected in the parallel direction to the engraved line. On the other hand the reflected light traces a line shape when the incident light is injected in the perpendicular direction to the engraved lines. Ray tracing simulation qualitatively explains the experimental results. (author)

  12. The differential equation of an arbitrary reflecting surface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melka, Richard F.; Berrettini, Vincent D.; Yousif, Hashim A.

    2018-05-01

    A differential equation describing the reflection of a light ray incident upon an arbitrary reflecting surface is obtained using the law of reflection. The derived equation is written in terms of a parameter and the value of this parameter determines the nature of the reflecting surface. Under various parametric constraints, the solution of the differential equation leads to the various conic surfaces but is not generally solvable. In addition, the dynamics of the light reflections from the conic surfaces are executed in the Mathematica software. Our derivation is the converse of the traditional approach and our analysis assumes a relation between the object distance and the image distance. This leads to the differential equation of the reflecting surface.

  13. Reuse of the Reflective Light and the Recycle Heat Energy in Concentrated Photovoltaic System

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hsin-Chien Chen

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A complex solar unit with microcrystalline silicon solar cells placed around the centered GaAs triple junction solar cell has been proposed and carried out. With the same illumination area and intensity, the total resultant power shows that the excess microcrystalline silicon solar cells increase the total output power by 13.2% by absorbing the reflective light from the surface of optical collimators. Furthermore, reusing the residual heat energy generated from the above-mentioned mechanism helps to increase the output power by around 14.1%. This mechanism provides a simple method to enhance the utility rate of concentrated photovoltaic (CPV system. Such concept can be further applied to the aerospace industry and the development of more efficient CPV solar energy applications.

  14. Origin of Infrared Light Modulation in Reflectance-Mode Photoplethysmography.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Igor S Sidorov

    Full Text Available We recently pointed out the important role of dermis deformation by pulsating arterial pressure in the formation of a photoplethysmographic signal at green light. The aim of this study was to explore the role of this novel finding in near-infrared (NIR light. A light-emitting diode (LED-based imaging photoplethysmography (IPPG system was used to detect spatial distribution of blood pulsations under frame-to-frame switching green and NIR illumination in the palms of 34 healthy individuals. We observed a significant increase of light-intensity modulation at the heartbeat frequency for both illuminating wavelengths after a palm was contacted with a glass plate. Strong positive correlation between data measured at green and NIR light was found, suggesting that the same signal was read independently from the depth of penetration. Analysis of the data shows that an essential part of remitted NIR light is modulated in time as a result of elastic deformations of dermis caused by variable blood pressure in the arteries. Our observations suggest that in contrast with the classical model, photoplethysmographic waveform originates from the modulation of the density of capillaries caused by the variable pressure applied to the skin from large blood vessels. Particularly, beat-to-beat transmural pressure in arteries compresses/decompresses the dermis and deforms its connective-tissue components, thus affecting the distance between the capillaries, which results in the modulation of absorption and scattering coefficients of both green and NIR light. These findings are important for the correct interpretation of this widely used medical technique, which may have novel applications in diagnosis and treatment monitoring of aging and skin diseases.

  15. Front lighted optical tooling method and apparatus

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stone, W. J.

    1985-01-01

    An optical tooling method and apparatus uses a front lighted shadowgraphic technique to enhance visual contrast of reflected light. The apparatus includes an optical assembly including a fiducial mark, such as cross hairs, reflecting polarized light with a first polarization, a polarizing element backing the fiducial mark and a reflective surface backing the polarizing element for reflecting polarized light bypassing the fiducial mark and traveling through the polarizing element. The light reflected by the reflecting surface is directed through a second pass of the polarizing element toward the frontal direction with a polarization differing from the polarization of the light reflected by the fiducial mark. When used as a tooling target, the optical assembly may be mounted directly to a reference surface or may be secured in a mounting, such as a magnetic mounting. The optical assembly may also be mounted in a plane defining structure and used as a spherometer in conjunction with an optical depth measuring instrument. A method of measuring a radius of curvature of an unknown surface includes positioning the spherometer on a surface between the surface and a depth measuring optical instrument. As the spherometer is frontally illuminated, the distance from the depth measuring instrument to the fiducial mark and the underlying surface are alternately measured and the difference in these measurements is used as the sagittal height to calculate a radius of curvature

  16. Ultraviolet reflecting photonic microstructures in the King Penguin beak.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dresp, Birgitta; Jouventin, Pierre; Langley, Keith

    2005-09-22

    King and emperor penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus and Aptenodytes forsteri) are the only species of marine birds so far known to reflect ultraviolet (UV) light from their beaks. Unlike humans, most birds perceive UV light and several species communicate using the near UV spectrum. Indeed, UV reflectance in addition to the colour of songbird feathers has been recognized as an important signal when choosing a mate. The king penguin is endowed with several highly coloured ornaments, notably its beak horn and breast and auricular plumage, but only its beak reflects UV, a property considered to influence its sexual attraction. Because no avian UV-reflecting pigments have yet been identified, the origin of such reflections is probably structural. In an attempt to identify the structures that give rise to UV reflectance, we combined reflectance spectrophotometry and morphological analysis by both light and electron microscopy, after experimental removal of surface layers of the beak horn. Here, we characterize for the first time a multilayer reflector photonic microstructure that produces the UV reflections in the king penguin beak.

  17. The Interview as an Approach to Elicit Requirements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luz Marina Iriarte

    2013-07-01

    Full Text Available In many software projects requirements elicitation is incomplete or inconsistent. One issue that works for this is presented has to be with the requirements engineers use a single method to do it, which can cause a deficiency in the expected results. Among the factors contributing to the success of this stage of the life cycle is an adequate selection of the elicitation technique and other approaches needed. This article describes an experimental study to elicit requirements, in which was applied a combination of methods and techniques, and discusses the advantages of doing it this way. The results obtained allow concluding that to achieve adequate elicitation is necessary to combine several techniques and methods.

  18. Green Software Engineering Adaption In Requirement Elicitation Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Umma Khatuna Jannat

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available A recent technology investigates the role of concern in the environment software that is green software system. Now it is widely accepted that the green software can fit all process of software development. It is also suitable for the requirement elicitation process. Now a days software companies have used requirements elicitation techniques in an enormous majority. Because this process plays more and more important roles in software development. At the present time most of the requirements elicitation process is improved by using some techniques and tools. So that the intention of this research suggests to adapt green software engineering for the intention of existing elicitation technique and recommend suitable actions for improvement. This research being involved qualitative data. I used few keywords in my searching procedure then searched IEEE ACM Springer Elsevier Google scholar Scopus and Wiley. Find out articles which published in 2010 until 2016. Finding from the literature review Identify 15 traditional requirement elicitations factors and 23 improvement techniques to convert green engineering. Lastly The paper includes a squat review of the literature a description of the grounded theory and some of the identity issues related finding of the necessity for requirements elicitation improvement techniques.

  19. The making of expert clinicians: reflective practice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maestre, J M; Szyld, D; Del Moral, I; Ortiz, G; Rudolph, J W

    2014-05-01

    Debriefing is a rigorous reflection process which helps trainees recognize and resolve clinical and behavioral dilemmas raised by a clinical case. This approach emphasizes eliciting trainees'assumptions about the situation and their reasons for performing as they did (mental models). It analyses their impact on actions, to understand if it is necessary to maintain them or construct new ones that may lead to better performance in the future. It blends evidence and theory from education research, the social and cognitive sciences, and experience drawn from conducting and teaching debriefing to clinicians worldwide, on how to improve professional effectiveness through "reflective practice". Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  20. Discharge lamp with reflective jacket

    Science.gov (United States)

    MacLennan, Donald A.; Turner, Brian P.; Kipling, Kent

    2001-01-01

    A discharge lamp includes an envelope, a fill which emits light when excited disposed in the envelope, a source of excitation power coupled to the fill to excite the fill and cause the fill to emit light, and a reflector disposed around the envelope and defining an opening, the reflector being configured to reflect some of the light emitted by the fill back into the fill while allowing some light to exit through the opening. The reflector may be made from a material having a similar thermal index of expansion as compared to the envelope and which is closely spaced to the envelope. The envelope material may be quartz and the reflector material may be either silica or alumina. The reflector may be formed as a jacket having a rigid structure which does not adhere to the envelope. The lamp may further include an optical clement spaced from the envelope and configured to reflect an unwanted component of light which exited the envelope back into the envelope through the opening in the reflector. Light which can be beneficially recaptured includes selected wavelength regions, a selected polarization, and selected angular components.

  1. Design and simulation of reflect-array metasurfaces in the visible regime

    KAUST Repository

    Alrasheed, Salma

    2017-04-07

    Metasurfaces are new, promising ultrathin materials that can enable many novel optical devices due to their ability to act as a discontinuity interface that introduces an abrupt change in amplitude, phase, and sometimes the polarization of the incident light at the wavelength scale. Therefore they can function as flat optical elements. Here, we investigate the anomalous reflection of light for transverse-magnetic (TM) polarization for normal and oblique incidence in the visible regime. We propose gradient phase gap-surface plasmon metasurfaces that exhibit high conversion efficiency (up to ∼97% of total reflected light) to the anomalous reflection angle for blue, green, and red wavelengths at normal and oblique incidence, and where light polarization is unchanged after the reflection.

  2. Built-in hyperspectral camera for smartphone in visible, near-infrared and middle-infrared lights region (second report): sensitivity improvement of Fourier-spectroscopic imaging to detect diffuse reflection lights from internal human tissues for healthcare sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawashima, Natsumi; Hosono, Satsuki; Ishimaru, Ichiro

    2016-05-01

    We proposed the snapshot-type Fourier spectroscopic imaging for smartphone that was mentioned in 1st. report in this conference. For spectroscopic components analysis, such as non-invasive blood glucose sensors, the diffuse reflection lights from internal human skins are very weak for conventional hyperspectral cameras, such as AOTF (Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter) type. Furthermore, it is well known that the spectral absorption of mid-infrared lights or Raman spectroscopy especially in long wavelength region is effective to distinguish specific biomedical components quantitatively, such as glucose concentration. But the main issue was that photon energies of middle infrared lights and light intensities of Raman scattering are extremely weak. For improving sensitivity of our spectroscopic imager, the wide-field-stop & beam-expansion method was proposed. Our line spectroscopic imager introduced a single slit for field stop on the conjugate objective plane. Obviously to increase detected light intensities, the wider slit width of the field stop makes light intensities higher, regardless of deterioration of spatial resolutions. Because our method is based on wavefront-division interferometry, it becomes problems that the wider width of single slit makes the diffraction angle narrower. This means that the narrower diameter of collimated objective beams deteriorates visibilities of interferograms. By installing the relative inclined phaseshifter onto optical Fourier transform plane of infinity corrected optical systems, the collimated half flux of objective beams derived from single-bright points on objective surface penetrate through the wedge prism and the cuboid glass respectively. These two beams interfere each other and form the infererogram as spatial fringe patterns. Thus, we installed concave-cylindrical lens between the wider slit and objective lens as a beam expander. We successfully obtained the spectroscopic characters of hemoglobin from reflected lights from

  3. Study of Laser Reflectivity on Skin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oidor-Garcia, J. J. J.; Trevino-Palacios, C. G.

    2008-01-01

    The response to the light on the skin can be manifested as temperature increase or creation of biochemical byproducts, in which further studies are required to asset the light effect. This response changes the average response over time and can produce discrepancies between similar studies. In this work we present a Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) study with feedback. We study the time response reflectivity of a 980 nm laser diode of 25 mW modulated at frequencies close to 40 kHz and detect the reflected light on a silicon photodiode, finding no direct correlation between different test points or individuals, while finding reproducible responses within the same individual and test point

  4. Proposal for a Five-Step Method to Elicit Expert Judgment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Duco Veen

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Elicitation is a commonly used tool to extract viable information from experts. The information that is held by the expert is extracted and a probabilistic representation of this knowledge is constructed. A promising avenue in psychological research is to incorporated experts’ prior knowledge in the statistical analysis. Systematic reviews on elicitation literature however suggest that it might be inappropriate to directly obtain distributional representations from experts. The literature qualifies experts’ performance on estimating elements of a distribution as unsatisfactory, thus reliably specifying the essential elements of the parameters of interest in one elicitation step seems implausible. Providing feedback within the elicitation process can enhance the quality of the elicitation and interactive software can be used to facilitate the feedback. Therefore, we propose to decompose the elicitation procedure into smaller steps with adjustable outcomes. We represent the tacit knowledge of experts as a location parameter and their uncertainty concerning this knowledge by a scale and shape parameter. Using a feedback procedure, experts can accept the representation of their beliefs or adjust their input. We propose a Five-Step Method which consists of (1 Eliciting the location parameter using the trial roulette method. (2 Provide feedback on the location parameter and ask for confirmation or adjustment. (3 Elicit the scale and shape parameter. (4 Provide feedback on the scale and shape parameter and ask for confirmation or adjustment. (5 Use the elicited and calibrated probability distribution in a statistical analysis and update it with data or to compute a prior-data conflict within a Bayesian framework. User feasibility and internal validity for the Five-Step Method are investigated using three elicitation studies.

  5. Application and Evaluation of an Expert Judgment Elicitation Procedure for Correlations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zondervan-Zwijnenburg, Mariëlle; van de Schoot-Hubeek, Wenneke; Lek, Kimberley; Hoijtink, Herbert; van de Schoot, Rens

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of the current study was to apply and evaluate a procedure to elicit expert judgments about correlations, and to update this information with empirical data. The result is a face-to-face group elicitation procedure with as its central element a trial roulette question that elicits experts' judgments expressed as distributions. During the elicitation procedure, a concordance probability question was used to provide feedback to the experts on their judgments. We evaluated the elicitation procedure in terms of validity and reliability by means of an application with a small sample of experts. Validity means that the elicited distributions accurately represent the experts' judgments. Reliability concerns the consistency of the elicited judgments over time. Four behavioral scientists provided their judgments with respect to the correlation between cognitive potential and academic performance for two separate populations enrolled at a specific school in the Netherlands that provides special education to youth with severe behavioral problems: youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and youth with diagnoses other than ASD. Measures of face-validity, feasibility, convergent validity, coherence, and intra-rater reliability showed promising results. Furthermore, the current study illustrates the use of the elicitation procedure and elicited distributions in a social science application. The elicited distributions were used as a prior for the correlation, and updated with data for both populations collected at the school of interest. The current study shows that the newly developed elicitation procedure combining the trial roulette method with the elicitation of correlations is a promising tool, and that the results of the procedure are useful as prior information in a Bayesian analysis.

  6. CCSI Risk Estimation: An Application of Expert Elicitation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Engel, David W.; Dalton, Angela C.

    2012-10-01

    The Carbon Capture Simulation Initiative (CCSI) is a multi-laboratory simulation-driven effort to develop carbon capture technologies with the goal of accelerating commercialization and adoption in the near future. One of the key CCSI technical challenges is representing and quantifying the inherent uncertainty and risks associated with developing, testing, and deploying the technology in simulated and real operational settings. To address this challenge, the CCSI Element 7 team developed a holistic risk analysis and decision-making framework. The purpose of this report is to document the CCSI Element 7 structured systematic expert elicitation to identify additional risk factors. We review the significance of and established approaches to expert elicitation, describe the CCSI risk elicitation plan and implementation strategies, and conclude by discussing the next steps and highlighting the contribution of risk elicitation toward the achievement of the overarching CCSI objectives.

  7. A new theory and its application to remove the effect of surface-reflected light in above-surface radiance data from clear and turbid waters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dev, Pravin Jeba; Shanmugam, Palanisamy

    2014-01-01

    Water-leaving radiances (L w ) measured from the deck of a ship or boat in oceanic and lake waters are widely and operationally used for satellite sensor vicarious calibration and validation and development of remote-sensing algorithms to understand interdisciplinary coastal ocean properties and processes. However, accurate determination of L w remains to be a challenging issue because of the limitations of the existing methods to accurately remove the undesired signal (surface-reflected light of the sky and sun) from above-surface measurements of the total upwelling radiance leaving the water surface. In this study, a new theory is developed and applied to the above-surface radiometric data measured from clear, turbid and eutrophic waters. The new method effectively removes surface-reflected contributions from the total upwelling radiance signal under different sky (clear sky to overcast sky) and sun glint conditions. The L w spectra obtained from the above-surface radiance data using the new method are found to match well with those extrapolated from the upwelling radiances (L u ) measured with another set of underwater radiometers (used just below the sea surface). The new method proves to be a viable alternative, especially in circumstances when the above-surface measurements of radiances are severally contaminated by the surface-reflected light fields. Since spectral radiance measurements are also sensitive to the observation angles, and to the magnitude of the radiometer's solid angle field of view, above-surface radiances are also measured for different viewing angles in highly eutrophic waters. Such measurements show large deviations in L w spectra except at lower viewing angles (30°). When applied to these data, the new method eliminates the undesired signal encountered at higher viewing angles and delivers accurate water-leaving radiance data. These results suggest that the new method is capable of removing the surface-reflected light fields from both

  8. Interaction of light with planar lattices of atoms: Reflection, transmission, and cooperative magnetometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Facchinetti, G.; Ruostekoski, J.

    2018-02-01

    We study strong, light-mediated, resonant dipole-dipole interactions in two-dimensional planar lattices of cold atoms. We provide a detailed analysis for the description of the dipolar point emitter lattice plane as a "superatom" whose response is similar to electromagnetically induced transparency but which exhibits an ultranarrow collective size-dependent subradiant resonance linewidth. The superatom model provides intuitively simple descriptions for the spectral response of the array, including the complete reflection, full transmission, narrow Fano resonances, and asymptotic expressions for the resonance linewidths of the collective eigenmodes. We propose a protocol to transfer almost the entire radiative excitation to a single correlated subradiant eigenmode in a lattice and show that the medium obtained by stacked lattice arrays can form a cooperative magnetometer. Such a magnetometer utilizes similar principles as magnetometers based on the electromagnetically induced transparency. The accuracy of the cooperative magnetometer, however, is not limited by the single-atom resonance linewidth but the much narrower collective linewidth that results from the strong dipole-dipole interactions.

  9. BRDF invariant stereo using light transport constancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Liang; Yang, Ruigang; Davis, James E

    2007-09-01

    Nearly all existing methods for stereo reconstruction assume that scene reflectance is Lambertian and make use of brightness constancy as a matching invariant. We introduce a new invariant for stereo reconstruction called light transport constancy (LTC), which allows completely arbitrary scene reflectance (bidirectional reflectance distribution functions (BRDFs)). This invariant can be used to formulate a rank constraint on multiview stereo matching when the scene is observed by several lighting configurations in which only the lighting intensity varies. In addition, we show that this multiview constraint can be used with as few as two cameras and two lighting configurations. Unlike previous methods for BRDF invariant stereo, LTC does not require precisely configured or calibrated light sources or calibration objects in the scene. Importantly, the new constraint can be used to provide BRDF invariance to any existing stereo method whenever appropriate lighting variation is available.

  10. Reflection and Refraction of Light in Absorbing Media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Katsumata, Koichi; Sasaki, Shosuke

    2018-05-01

    The results of a rigorous calculation of optical phenomena in absorbing media based on Maxwell's equations are reported. In the case of an absorbing dielectric, we assume a complex dielectric constant. We find an expression for the angle of refraction as a function of the incident angle and the real and imaginary parts of the complex dielectric constant, all of which are real. The amplitudes of the reflected and transmitted waves are calculated on the same footing. These amplitudes are shown to be complex, from which we deduce the magnitude and phase change of the reflection and transmission coefficients. The same argument applies to an absorbing magnetic material if we replace the complex dielectric constant by a complex magnetic permeability.

  11. Modelling of solar cells with down-conversion of high energy photons, anti-reflection coatings and light trapping

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vos, Alexis de; Szymanska, Aleksandra; Badescu, Viorel

    2009-01-01

    In classical solar cells, each absorbed photon gives rise to one electron-hole pair, irrespective of the photon energy. By applying an appropriate photoluminescent layer in front of the solar cell semiconductor, one can convert one high energy photon into two low energy photons (so-called down-conversion). In the present study, we do not consider photoluminescent layers that merely shift down photon energies (without enhancing the number of photons). In principle, these two photons can then generate two electron-hole pairs in the solar cell, thus increasing the efficiency of the device. However, the two photons emitted by the converter, are not necessarily emitted in the direction of the semiconductor: they can also be emitted in the direction 'back to the sun'. As most semiconductors have a high refractive index, in case the luminescent material has a low refractive index, more than half of the photoluminescence emission is lost in the sun direction, resulting in a net loss of light current generated by the solar cell instead of an increase. On the other hand, a high refractive index of the conversion layer (e.g. equal to the solar cell refractive index) will lead to a bad optical coupling with the air and a good optical coupling with the semiconductor, and therefore, more than 50% of the emitted low energy photons will actually reach the solar cell. However, in the latter case, many solar photons do not reach the converter in the first place because of reflection at the air-converter interface. As a result, it turns out that, in the absence of any anti-reflection coating, a refractive index n 2 of the converting layer in the range between n 1 1/2 and n 1 is optimal, where n 1 is the refractive index of the solar cell material. If, however, an anti-reflection coating is applied between air and the converter, the best choice for n 2 is n 1 . Finally, if two anti-reflection coatings are applied (the former between air and the converter, the latter between the

  12. Unusual development of light-reflecting pigment cells in intact and regenerating tail in the periodic albino mutant of Xenopus laevis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fukuzawa, Toshihiko

    2010-10-01

    Unusual light-reflecting pigment cells, "white pigment cells", specifically appear in the periodic albino mutant (a(p) /a(p)) of Xenopus laevis and localize in the same place where melanophores normally differentiate in the wild-type. The mechanism responsible for the development of unusual pigment cells is unclear. In this study, white pigment cells in the periodic albino were compared with melanophores in the wild-type, using a cell culture system and a tail-regenerating system. Observations of both intact and cultured cells demonstrate that white pigment cells are unique in (1) showing characteristics of melanophore precursors at various stages of development, (2) accumulating reflecting platelets characteristic of iridophores, and (3) exhibiting pigment dispersion in response to α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) in the same way that melanophores do. When a tadpole tail is amputated, a functionally competent new tail is regenerated. White pigment cells appear in the mutant regenerating tail, whereas melanophores differentiate in the wild-type regenerating tail. White pigment cells in the mutant regenerating tail are essentially similar to melanophores in the wild-type regenerating tail with respect to their localization, number, and response to α-MSH. In addition to white pigment cells, iridophores which are never present in the intact tadpole tail appear specifically in the somites near the amputation level in the mutant regenerating tail. Iridophores are distinct from white pigment cells in size, shape, blue light-induced fluorescence, and response to α-MSH. These findings strongly suggest that white pigment cells in the mutant arise from melanophore precursors and accumulate reflecting platelets characteristic of iridophores.

  13. What goes down must come up: symmetry in light-induced migration behaviour of Daphnia

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Van Gool, E.; Ringelberg, J.

    2003-01-01

    During a short period of the year, Daphnia may perform a phenotypically induced diel vertical migration. For this to happen, light-induced swimming reactions must be enhanced both at dawn and at dusk. Enhanced swimming in response to light intensity increase can be elicited by fish-associated

  14. Expert elicitation and the problem of detecting undeclared activities

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pilat, Joseph F.; Sylvester, Kori Budlong; Stanbro, William D.

    2002-01-01

    Measures applicable to the detection of undeclared activities are not well established, and their effectiveness is uncertain. To detect clandestine paths, the IAEA is still developing processes and procedures. As the Agency gains experience with new measures and with integrated safeguards, dealing with such problems may become more experience-based and perhaps more closely parallel the process with current safeguards where detection probabilities for the measures to be utilized on declared paths are well characterized. Whether or not this point will be reached for undeclared and mixed paths, the only tool that appears suitable at present for the purpose of generating a reasonable detection probability that can over time be tested against reality and, if necessary, adjusted is formal expert judgment, or expert elicitation. Formal expert elicitation is a structured process that makes use of people knowledgeable in certain areas to make assessments. To provide a 'proof of principle' of this methodology for presentation to the Agency, experts in nuclear technology, nonproliferation, safeguards and open source information, as well as in formal expert elicitation processes, engaged in three illustrative expert elicitations on assessing information analysis as a means to detect undeclared activities. These elicitations were successful. This paper will discuss the process of and issues raised by the elicitations.

  15. Eliciting and communicating expert judgments: Methodology and application to nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winterfeldt, D. von

    1989-01-01

    The most ambitious and certainly the most extensive formal expert judgment process was the elicitation of numerous events and uncertain quantities for safety issues in five nuclear power plants in the U.S. The general methodology for formal expert elicitations are described. An overview of the expert elicitation process of NUREG 1150 is provided and the elicitation of probabilities for the interfacing systems loss of coolant accident LOCA (ISL) in PWRs is given as an example of this elicitation process. Some lessons learned from this study are presented. (DG)

  16. REFLECTION AND REFRACTION, VOLUME 2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    KLAUS, DAVID J.; AND OTHERS

    THIS VOLUME 2 OF A TWO-VOLUME SET PROVIDES AUTOINSTRUCTION IN PHYSICS. THE UNITS COVERED IN THIS VOLUME ARE (1) REFLECTION OF LIGHT, (2) PHOTOMETRY, (3) POLARIZATION, (4) REFRACTION OF LIGHT, (5) SNELL'S LAW, (6) LENSES, FOCUS, AND FOCAL POINTS, (7) IMAGE FORMATION, AND (8) ABERRATIONS, THE EYE, AND MAGNIFICATION. THE INTRODUCTION AND UNITS ON…

  17. Synergistic effects of polyploidization and elicitation on biomass and hyoscyamine content in hairy roots of Datura stramonium

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Belabbassi, O.

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Description of the subject. The hyoscyamine, a tropane alkaloid, widely used in medicine, can be produced from Datura sp. (Solanaceae. However, its content in the spontaneous roots remains low; therefore, hairy roots (HRs were envisaged as a potential alternative to improve its biosynthesis. The hairy roots are characterized by a good genetic stability and a rapid growth. Indeed, Datura stramonium HRs have widely been studied in the perspective of improving the yield of hyoscyamine. This study is part of this same perspective. Objectives. This paper aims to study the effects of polyploidization of HRs induced by colchicine in synergy with elicitation (with acetylsalicylic [ASA] or salicylic acids [SA] on the hyoscyamine content in D. stramonium. Method. Colchicine was applied at different concentrations and periods, on a selected hairy root line (LDS of D. stramonium obtained by infection with Agrobactrium rhizogenes strain A4. The selection of tetraploid HR lines was performed by the cytogenetic analysis using light microscopy. The effect of polyploidization and elicitation was studied on the biomass (dry weight and hyoscyamine content of HRs. Results. The untreated HR line (control shows a diploid level with 2n = 24 chromosomes. However, the HR lines treated with colchicine show, in most cases, an endoreduplication of their genetic material. The survival rate of endoreduplicated lines varies between 30% and 93%, depending on concentration and exposure time to colchicine. Moreover, the tetraploid HR line shows an increase in its biomass and hyoscyamine content in comparison to the diploid HR line (LDS. Further, elicitation of HRs by ASA or AS at the 10-4 M concentration causes a low decrease or increase in dry weight, respectively. However, the same treatments show a significant increase in the yield of hyoscyamine in elicited HR lines. Consequently, our work indicates that the combination of polyploidy and elicitation can lead to significant

  18. Reflective properties of domestic fowl (Gallus g. domesticus), the fabric of their housing and the characteristics of the light environment in environmentally controlled poultry houses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prescott, N B; Wathes, C M

    1999-05-01

    1. The light intensity and spectral power distribution in 3 broiler and 6 layer houses were sampled and converted to a measure which takes account of the domestic fowl's spectral sensitivity (termed lux corrected). Light intensity was highly variable around the layer houses (mean 33.2, s.d. 37.7 lux (corrected)) and to a lesser extent in the broiler houses (mean 5.2, s.d. 2.2 lux (corrected)). The mean intensities were also very much lower than on a sunny, June day at midday at Silsoe (42,937 lux (corrected)) and of different power distributions. 2. The reflectivity of the plumage of 15 traditional breeds of domestic fowl was surveyed. Most feathers showed a characteristic pattern of reflectivity, increasing either side of a wavelength of lambda = 400 nm. In 13 breeds the tail and wing feathers were darker than the breast and back feathers. Reflectivity at lambda = 700 nm was a good predictor of reflectivity at lambda = 320 nm. Food, bedding, wood and skin all had similar reflectivities to feathers. Metal, plastic and rubber all had more constant reflectivities across the spectrum. 3. The reflectivities of the fresh, feathered carcases of 3 male broilers (Cobb) and 3 layer hens (ISA Brown) were measured. There were small changes in hue and saturation within and between individual carcases, even for the apparently white broiler chickens. 4. Photographs were taken, with and without a UV(A)-only pass filter, of a broiler cock (Cobb), layer hen (ISA Brown) and cock jungle fowl. No additional patternation was evident in the UV(A)-only photographs and the jungle fowl lost most of its ornamentation. The texture of bare skin was enhanced in the UV(A)-only photographs. 5. The implications of these results for poultry behaviour are discussed.

  19. Design and simulation of reflect-array metasurfaces in the visible regime

    KAUST Repository

    Alrasheed, Salma; Di Fabrizio, Enzo M.

    2017-01-01

    gradient phase gap-surface plasmon metasurfaces that exhibit high conversion efficiency (up to ∼97% of total reflected light) to the anomalous reflection angle for blue, green, and red wavelengths at normal and oblique incidence, and where light

  20. Evaluation of light scattering properties and chromophore concentrations in skin tissue based on diffuse reflectance signals at isosbestic wavelengths of hemoglobin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yokokawa, Takumi; Nishidate, Izumi

    2016-04-01

    We investigate a method to evaluate light-scattering properties and chromophore concentrations in human skin tissue through diffuse reflectance spectroscopy using the reflectance signals acquired at isosbestic wavelengths of hemoglobin (420, 450, 500, and 585 nm). In the proposed method, Monte Carlo simulation-based empirical formulas are used to specify the scattering parameters of skin tissue, such as the scattering amplitude a and the scattering power b, as well as the concentration of melanin C m and the total blood concentration C tb. The use of isosbestic wavelengths of hemoglobin enables the values of C m, C tb, a, and b to be estimated independently of the oxygenation of hemoglobin. The spectrum of the reduced scattering coefficient is reconstructed from the scattering parameters. Experiments using in vivo human skin tissues were performed to confirm the feasibility of the proposed method for evaluating the changes in scattering properties and chromophore concentrations in skin tissue. The experimental results revealed that light scattering is significantly reduced by the application of a glycerol solution, which indicates an optical clearing effect due to osmotic dehydration and the matching of the refractive indices of scatterers in the epidermis.

  1. Time course of brain activation elicited by basic emotions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hot, Pascal; Sequeira, Henrique

    2013-11-13

    Whereas facial emotion recognition protocols have shown that each discrete emotion has a specific time course of brain activation, there is no electrophysiological evidence to support these findings for emotional induction by complex pictures. Our objective was to specify the differences between the time courses of brain activation elicited by feelings of happiness and, with unpleasant pictures, by feelings of disgust and sadness. We compared event-related potentials (ERPs) elicited by the watching of high-arousing pictures from the International Affective Picture System, selected to induce specific emotions. In addition to a classical arousal effect on late positive components, we found specific ERP patterns for each emotion in early temporal windows (emotion to be associated with different brain processing after 140 ms, whereas happiness and sadness differed in ERPs elicited at the frontal and central sites after 160 ms. Our findings highlight the limits of the classical averaging of ERPs elicited by different emotions inside the same valence and suggest that each emotion could elicit a specific temporal pattern of brain activation, similar to those observed with emotional face recognition.

  2. Transmission versus reflectance spectroscopy for quantitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardner, Craig M.

    2018-01-01

    The objective of this work was to compare the accuracy of analyte concentration estimation when using transmission versus diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of a scattering medium. Monte Carlo ray tracing of light through the medium was used in conjunction with pure component absorption spectra and Beer-Lambert absorption along each ray's pathlength to generate matched sets of pseudoabsorbance spectra, containing water and six analytes present in skin. PLS regression models revealed an improvement in accuracy when using transmission compared to reflectance for a range of medium thicknesses and instrument noise levels. An analytical expression revealed the source of the accuracy degradation with reflectance was due both to the reduced collection efficiency for a fixed instrument etendue and to the broad pathlength distribution that detected light travels in the medium before exiting from the incident side.

  3. Wing Scale Orientation Alters Reflection Directions in the Green Hairstreak Chrysozephyrus smaragdinus (Lycaenidae; Lepidoptera).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Imafuku, Michio; Ogihara, Naomichi

    2016-12-01

    There have been only a few reports on the directional reflection of light by butterfly wings. Here, we systematically investigated this phenomenon in a lycaenid butterfly, Chrysozephyrus smaragdinus,in which males have bright green wings based on structural coloration. We used a device that measures intensities of light in hemispherical space by vertical shifting of a sensor and horizontal rotation of the stage carrying the wing, which is illuminated from the top, to determine the direction of light reflected by the fore- and hindwings. The orientation and curvature of wing scales were also examined microscopically. The forewing of this species reflected light shone from the top largely forward, whereas the hindwing reflected it slightly forward. This difference was attributed to the tilt angles of the wing scales. Light reflection by the forewing was relatively weak, and widely scattered, whereas that by the hindwing was rather concentrated, resulting in higher reflectance. This difference was attributed to difference in the curvature of the wing scales on the two wings.

  4. Who Deserves My Trust? Cue-Elicited Feedback Negativity Tracks Reputation Learning in Repeated Social Interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Diandian; Meng, Liang; Ma, Qingguo

    2017-01-01

    Trust and trustworthiness contribute to reciprocal behavior and social relationship development. To make better decisions, people need to evaluate others' trustworthiness. They often assess this kind of reputation by learning through repeated social interactions. The present event-related potential (ERP) study explored the reputation learning process in a repeated trust game where subjects made multi-round decisions of investment to different partners. We found that subjects gradually learned to discriminate trustworthy partners from untrustworthy ones based on how often their partners reciprocated the investment, which was indicated by their own investment decisions. Besides, electrophysiological data showed that the faces of the untrustworthy partners induced larger feedback negativity (FN) amplitude than those of the trustworthy partners, but only in the late phase of the game. The ERP results corresponded with the behavioral pattern and revealed that the learned trustworthiness differentiation was coded by the cue-elicited FN component. Consistent with previous research, our findings suggest that the anterior cue-elicited FN reflects the reputation appraisal and tracks the reputation learning process in social interactions.

  5. Who Deserves My Trust? Cue-Elicited Feedback Negativity Tracks Reputation Learning in Repeated Social Interactions

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diandian Li

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Trust and trustworthiness contribute to reciprocal behavior and social relationship development. To make better decisions, people need to evaluate others’ trustworthiness. They often assess this kind of reputation by learning through repeated social interactions. The present event-related potential (ERP study explored the reputation learning process in a repeated trust game where subjects made multi-round decisions of investment to different partners. We found that subjects gradually learned to discriminate trustworthy partners from untrustworthy ones based on how often their partners reciprocated the investment, which was indicated by their own investment decisions. Besides, electrophysiological data showed that the faces of the untrustworthy partners induced larger feedback negativity (FN amplitude than those of the trustworthy partners, but only in the late phase of the game. The ERP results corresponded with the behavioral pattern and revealed that the learned trustworthiness differentiation was coded by the cue-elicited FN component. Consistent with previous research, our findings suggest that the anterior cue-elicited FN reflects the reputation appraisal and tracks the reputation learning process in social interactions.

  6. Characterization of materials eliciting foreign body reaction in stapled human gastrointestinal anastomoses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lim, C B B; Goldin, R D; Darzi, A; Hanna, G B

    2008-08-01

    Staples are made of titanium, which elicits minimal tissue reaction. The authors have encountered foreign body reaction associated with stapled human gastrointestinal anastomoses, although the literature has no reports of this. The aim of this study was to identify the refractile foreign materials causing this reaction. Histological sections were taken from 14 gastrointestinal specimens from patients with a history of a stapled anastomosis within the specimen excised. These were reviewed by light and polarization microscopy. Scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis were carried out on these sections, staples and stapler cartridges used for gastrointestinal surgery. Foreign bodies rich in fluorine were found in three patients, and those rich in carbon in 12. Other elements identified included oxygen, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, aluminium and silicon. One specimen was found to contain titanium with no surrounding foreign body reaction. Stapler cartridges contained carbon, oxygen, fluorine, calcium, sodium, potassium, magnesium, aluminium, silicon and traces of titanium. Staples were composed of pure titanium with some fibrous material on the surface containing elements found in stapler cartridges. The presence of foreign body reaction was confirmed in stapled human gastrointestinal anastomoses. The source of refractile materials eliciting this reaction was the stapler cartridges. (c) 2008 British Journal of Surgery Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Elicited vs. voluntary promises

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ismayilov, H.; Potters, Jan

    2017-01-01

    We set up an experiment with pre-play communication to study the impact of promise elicitation by trustors from trustees on trust and trustworthiness. When given the opportunity a majority of trustors solicits a promise from the trustee. This drives up the promise making rate by trustees to almost

  8. Effects of bleaching agents on human enamel light reflectance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markovic, Ljubisa; Fotouhi, Kasra; Lorenz, Heribert; Jordan, Rainer A; Gaengler, Peter; Zimmer, Stefan

    2010-01-01

    Tooth whitening has been associated with splitting-up chromogenic molecules by hydrogen peroxides. Though micromorphological alterations are well documented, little is known about optical changes as a function of shifting in wavelengths. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to measure reflectance changes after bleaching in vitro by using a spectrometer. Forty-eight enamel slabs (diameter = 5 mm) were prepared from the sound enamel of extracted human teeth that were: 1) fully impacted, 2) from juveniles ages 10 to 16 years, 3) from adults 35 to 45 years of age and 4) from seniors older than age 65. In all specimens, the baseline total reflectance measurement was performed with a computer-assisted spectrometer (Ocean Optics, Dunedin, FL, USA) within wavelengths (wl) from 430 nm to 800 nm. Four enamel samples of each age group were exposed to either 10% or 15% carbamide peroxide (Illuminé Home, Dentsply, Konstanz, Germany) or 35% hydrogen peroxide (Pola Office, SDI Limited, Victoria, Australia). After surface treatment, all slabs underwent total reflectance measurement again. Statistical analysis was calculated at wl 450, 500 and 750 nm using the Student's paired t-test and one-way variance analysis. Total reflectance significantly increased after bleaching at all enamel maturation stages, irrespective of the bleaching agent concentration, for wl 450 nm (blue) and 500 nm (green) with penamel from adults and seniors (pwhitening of the dental enamel works at different maturation stages, even in impacted teeth. This effect is irrespective of the bleaching protocol used and the bleaching agent concentration.

  9. Simple method for measuring reflectance of optical coatings

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wen Gui Wang; Yi Sheng Chen

    1995-01-01

    The quality of optical coatings has an important effect on the performance of optical instrument. The last few years, the requirements for super low loss dielectric mirror coatings used in low gain laser systems such as free electron laser and the ring laser etc., have given an impetus to the development of the technology of precise reflectance measurement of optical coatings. A reliable and workable technique is to measure the light intensity decay time of optical resonant cavity. This paper describes a measuring method which is dependent on direct measurement of the light intensity decay time of a resonant cavity comprised of low loss optical components. According to the evolution of a luminous flux stored inside the cavity, this method guarantees not only a quick and precise reflectance measurements of low loss highly reflecting mirror coatings but also transmittance measurements of low loss antireflection coatings and is especially effective with super los loss highly reflecting mirror. From the round-trip path length of the cavity and the speed of light, the light intensity exponential decay time of an optical cavity is easy to obtain and the cavity losses can be deduced. An optical reflectance of low loss highly mirror coatings and antireflection coatings is precisely measured as well. This is highly significant for the discrimination of the coating surface characteristics, the improvement of the performance of optical instrument and the development of high technology

  10. Temporal reflectance from a light pulse irradiated medium embedded with highly scattering cores

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hsu Peifeng; Lu Xiaodong

    2007-01-01

    This paper presents a new approach to utilize ultrashort pulsed laser for optical diagnostics with numerical simulations. The method is based on the use of ultrafast pulses with a pulsewidth selected according to the probed medium's radiative property and/or size. Our previous work in nonhomogeneous media has shown that the resulting time-resolved reflectance signal will have a unique characteristic: it will show a direct correlation of ballistic photon travel time and interface location, which is in between different layers or nonhomogeneous regions. The premise is based on utilizing the medium's structural information carried by the ballistic and snake photons without being masked by the diffuse photons. In this study, the space-time correlation is further explored in the case of minimally scattered photons from a large scattering coefficient core region embedded within a less-scattering medium. Time-resolved reflectance signals of the single scattering core and multiple scattering cores within a three-dimensional medium demonstrate the concept and illustrate the additional effect due to the scattered photons from the core region. A unique temporal signal profile's correlation at various detector positions with respect to the scattering core is explained in detail. The result has important implications. This approach will lead to a much simpler and more precise determination of the probed medium's composition or structure. Due to the large computational requirement to obtain the physical details of the light pulse propagation inside highly scattering multi-dimensional media, the reverse Monte-Carlo method is used. The potential applications of the method include non-destructive diagnostics, optical imaging, and remote sensing of underwater objects

  11. Neurofilament light antibodies in serum reflect response to natalizumab treatment in multiple sclerosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amor, Sandra; van der Star, Baukje J; Bosca, Isabel; Raffel, Joel; Gnanapavan, Sharmilee; Watchorn, Jonathan; Kuhle, Jens; Giovannoni, Gavin; Baker, David; Malaspina, Andrea; Puentes, Fabiola

    2014-09-01

    Increased levels of antibodies to neurofilament light protein (NF-L) in biological fluids have been found to reflect neuroinflammatory responses and neurodegeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS). To evaluate whether levels of serum antibodies against NF-L correlate with clinical variants and treatment response in MS. The autoantibody reactivity to NF-L protein was tested in serum samples from patients with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) (n=22) and secondary progressive MS (SPMS) (n=26). Two other cohorts of RRMS patients under treatment with natalizumab were analysed cross-sectionally (n=16) and longitudinally (n=24). The follow-up samples were taken at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months after treatment, and the NF-L antibody levels were compared against baseline levels. NF-L antibodies were higher in MS clinical groups than healthy controls and in RRMS compared to SPMS patients (ptreatment compared with baseline measurements (p=0.001). Drug efficacy in MS treatment indicates the potential use of monitoring the content of antibodies against the NF-L chain as a predictive biomarker of treatment response in MS. © The Author(s) 2014.

  12. Analysis of core damage frequency from internal events: Expert judgment elicitation. Part 1: Expert panel results. Part 2: Project staff results

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wheeler, T A; Cramond, W R [Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hora, S C [University of Hawii at Hilo (United States); Unwin, S D [Brookhaven National Laboratory (United States)

    1989-04-01

    Quantitative modeling techniques have limitations as to the resolution of important issues in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA). Not all issues can be resolved via the existing set of methods such as fault trees, event trees, statistical analyses, data collection, and computer simulation. Therefore, an expert judgment process was developed to address issues perceived as important to risk in the NUREG-1150 analysis but which could not be resolved with existing techniques. This process was applied to several issues that could significantly affect the internal event core damage frequencies of the PRAs performed on six light water reactors. Detailed descriptions of these issues and the results of the expert judgment elicitation are reported here, as well as an explanation of the methodology used and the procedure followed in performing the overall elicitation task. The process is time-consuming and expensive. However, the results are very useful, and represent an improvement over the draft NUREG-1150 analysis in the areas of expert selection, elicitation training, issue selection and presentation, elicitation of judgment and aggregation of results. The results are presented in two parts. Part documents the expert panel elicitations, where the most important issues were presented to a panel of experts convened from throughout the nuclear power risk assessment community. Part 2 documents the process by which the project staff performed expert judgment on other important issues, using the project staff as panel members. (author)

  13. General lighting requirements for photosynthesis

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geiger, D.R. [Univ. of Dayton, OH (United States)

    1994-12-31

    A review of the general lighting requirements for photosynthesis reveals that four aspects of light are important: irradiance, quality, timing and duration. These properties of light affect photosynthesis by providing the energy that drives carbon assimilation as well as by exerting control over physiology, structure and morphology of plants. Irradiance, expressed as energy flux, W m{sup -2}, or photon irradiance, {mu}mol m{sup -2} s{sup -1}, determines the rate at which energy is being delivered to the photosynthetic reaction centers. Spectral quality, the wavelength composition of light, is important because photons differ in their probability of being absorbed by the light harvesting complex and hence their ability to drive carbon assimilation. Also the various light receptors for light-mediated regulation of plant form and physiology have characteristic absorption spectra and hence photons differ in their effectiveness for eliciting responses. Duration is important because both carbon assimilation and regulation are affected by the total energy or integrated irradiance delivered during a given period. Many processes associated with photosynthesis are time-dependent, increasing or decreasing with duration. Timing is important because the effectiveness of light in the regulation of plant processes varies with the phase of the diumal cycle as determined by the plant`s time-measuring mechanisms.

  14. Eliciting expert opinion for economic models: an applied example.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leal, José; Wordsworth, Sarah; Legood, Rosa; Blair, Edward

    2007-01-01

    Expert opinion is considered as a legitimate source of information for decision-analytic modeling where required data are unavailable. Our objective was to develop a practical computer-based tool for eliciting expert opinion about the shape of the uncertainty distribution around individual model parameters. We first developed a prepilot survey with departmental colleagues to test a number of alternative approaches to eliciting opinions on the shape of the uncertainty distribution around individual parameters. This information was used to develop a survey instrument for an applied clinical example. This involved eliciting opinions from experts to inform a number of parameters involving Bernoulli processes in an economic model evaluating DNA testing for families with a genetic disease, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The experts were cardiologists, clinical geneticists, and laboratory scientists working with cardiomyopathy patient populations and DNA testing. Our initial prepilot work suggested that the more complex elicitation techniques advocated in the literature were difficult to use in practice. In contrast, our approach achieved a reasonable response rate (50%), provided logical answers, and was generally rated as easy to use by respondents. The computer software user interface permitted graphical feedback throughout the elicitation process. The distributions obtained were incorporated into the model, enabling the use of probabilistic sensitivity analysis. There is clearly a gap in the literature between theoretical elicitation techniques and tools that can be used in applied decision-analytic models. The results of this methodological study are potentially valuable for other decision analysts deriving expert opinion.

  15. FACT light collection - solid light concentrators in Cherenkov Astronomy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Braun, Isabel [ETH Zurich, Institute for Particle Physics, CH-8093 Zurich (Switzerland); Collaboration: FACT-Collaboration

    2011-07-01

    Pixelized cameras of Imaging Atmospheric Cherenkov Telescopes use hollow light guides with reflective surfaces based on the Winston cone design. These cones minimize insensitive spaces between the photo sensors and shield the camera from stray background light by limiting the angular acceptance to the primary reflector area. FACT (First G-APD Cherenkov Telescope) will be the first IACT with Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes as light sensors. Solid light concentrators complementing these sensors will be used instead of hollow Winston cones. We will present simulations and measurements of our light collector design, which was optimized for the requirements of the FACT telescope and detector, and discuss the specific differences to more traditional solutions.

  16. What Is Light?. Students' Reflections on the Wave-Particle Duality of Light and the Nature of Physics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henriksen, Ellen Karoline; Angell, Carl; Vistnes, Arnt Inge; Bungum, Berit

    2018-03-01

    Quantum physics describes light as having both particle and wave properties; however, there is no consensus about how to interpret this duality on an ontological level. This article explores how pre-university physics students, while working with learning material focusing on historical-philosophical aspects of quantum physics, interpreted the wave-particle duality of light and which views they expressed on the nature of physics. A thematic analysis was performed on 133 written responses about the nature of light, given in the beginning of the teaching sequence, and 55 audio-recorded small-group discussions addressing the wave-particle duality, given later in the sequence. Most students initially expressed a wave and particle view of light, but some of these gave an "uncritical duality description", accepting without question the two ontologically different descriptions of light. In the small-group discussions, students expressed more nuanced views. Many tried to reconcile the two descriptions using semi-classical reasoning; others entered into philosophical discussions about the status of the current scientific description of light and expected science to come up with a better model. Some found the wave description of light particularly challenging and lacked a conception of "what is waving". Many seemed to implicitly take a realist view on the description of physical phenomena, contrary with the Copenhagen interpretation which is prevalent in textbooks. Results are discussed in light of different interpretations of quantum physics, and we conclude by arguing for a historical-philosophical perspective as an entry point for upper secondary physics students to explore the development and interpretation of quantum physical concepts.

  17. Activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors elicits pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium isolated from bluegill.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González, Alfredo; Crittenden, Elizabeth L; García, Dana M

    2004-07-13

    In fish, melanin pigment granules in the retinal pigment epithelium disperse into apical projections as part of the suite of responses the eye makes to bright light conditions. This pigment granule dispersion serves to reduce photobleaching and occurs in response to neurochemicals secreted by the retina. Previous work has shown that acetylcholine may be involved in inducing light-adaptive pigment dispersion. Acetylcholine receptors are of two main types, nicotinic and muscarinic. Muscarinic receptors are in the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily, and five different muscarinic receptors have been molecularly cloned in human. These receptors are coupled to adenylyl cyclase, calcium mobilization and ion channel activation. To determine the receptor pathway involved in eliciting pigment granule migration, we isolated retinal pigment epithelium from bluegill and subjected it to a battery of cholinergic agents. The general cholinergic agonist carbachol induces pigment granule dispersion in isolated retinal pigment epithelium. Carbachol-induced pigment granule dispersion is blocked by the muscarinic antagonist atropine, by the M1 antagonist pirenzepine, and by the M3 antagonist 4-DAMP. Pigment granule dispersion was also induced by the M1 agonist 4-[N-(4-chlorophenyl) carbamoyloxy]-4-pent-2-ammonium iodide. In contrast the M2 antagonist AF-DX 116 and the M4 antagonist tropicamide failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion, and the M2 agonist arecaidine but-2-ynyl ester tosylate failed to elicit dispersion. Our results suggest that carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion occurs through the activation of Modd muscarinic receptors, which in other systems couple to phosphoinositide hydrolysis and elevation of intracellular calcium. This conclusion must be corroborated by molecular studies, but suggests Ca2+-dependent pathways may be involved in light-adaptive pigment dispersion.

  18. Activation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors elicits pigment granule dispersion in retinal pigment epithelium isolated from bluegill

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Crittenden Elizabeth L

    2004-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background In fish, melanin pigment granules in the retinal pigment epithelium disperse into apical projections as part of the suite of responses the eye makes to bright light conditions. This pigment granule dispersion serves to reduce photobleaching and occurs in response to neurochemicals secreted by the retina. Previous work has shown that acetylcholine may be involved in inducing light-adaptive pigment dispersion. Acetylcholine receptors are of two main types, nicotinic and muscarinic. Muscarinic receptors are in the G-protein coupled receptor superfamily, and five different muscarinic receptors have been molecularly cloned in human. These receptors are coupled to adenylyl cyclase, calcium mobilization and ion channel activation. To determine the receptor pathway involved in eliciting pigment granule migration, we isolated retinal pigment epithelium from bluegill and subjected it to a battery of cholinergic agents. Results The general cholinergic agonist carbachol induces pigment granule dispersion in isolated retinal pigment epithelium. Carbachol-induced pigment granule dispersion is blocked by the muscarinic antagonist atropine, by the M1 antagonist pirenzepine, and by the M3 antagonist 4-DAMP. Pigment granule dispersion was also induced by the M1 agonist 4-[N-(4-chlorophenyl carbamoyloxy]-4-pent-2-ammonium iodide. In contrast the M2 antagonist AF-DX 116 and the M4 antagonist tropicamide failed to block carbachol-induced dispersion, and the M2 agonist arecaidine but-2-ynyl ester tosylate failed to elicit dispersion. Conclusions Our results suggest that carbachol-mediated pigment granule dispersion occurs through the activation of Modd muscarinic receptors, which in other systems couple to phosphoinositide hydrolysis and elevation of intracellular calcium. This conclusion must be corroborated by molecular studies, but suggests Ca2+-dependent pathways may be involved in light-adaptive pigment dispersion.

  19. Video elicitation interviews: a qualitative research method for investigating physician-patient interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Stephen G; Fetters, Michael D

    2012-01-01

    We describe the concept and method of video elicitation interviews and provide practical guidance for primary care researchers who want to use this qualitative method to investigate physician-patient interactions. During video elicitation interviews, researchers interview patients or physicians about a recent clinical interaction using a video recording of that interaction as an elicitation tool. Video elicitation is useful because it allows researchers to integrate data about the content of physician-patient interactions gained from video recordings with data about participants' associated thoughts, beliefs, and emotions gained from elicitation interviews. This method also facilitates investigation of specific events or moments during interactions. Video elicitation interviews are logistically demanding and time consuming, and they should be reserved for research questions that cannot be fully addressed using either standard interviews or video recordings in isolation. As many components of primary care fall into this category, high-quality video elicitation interviews can be an important method for understanding and improving physician-patient interactions in primary care.

  20. Video Elicitation Interviews: A Qualitative Research Method for Investigating Physician-Patient Interactions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henry, Stephen G.; Fetters, Michael D.

    2012-01-01

    We describe the concept and method of video elicitation interviews and provide practical guidance for primary care researchers who want to use this qualitative method to investigate physician-patient interactions. During video elicitation interviews, researchers interview patients or physicians about a recent clinical interaction using a video recording of that interaction as an elicitation tool. Video elicitation is useful because it allows researchers to integrate data about the content of physician-patient interactions gained from video recordings with data about participants’ associated thoughts, beliefs, and emotions gained from elicitation interviews. This method also facilitates investigation of specific events or moments during interactions. Video elicitation interviews are logistically demanding and time consuming, and they should be reserved for research questions that cannot be fully addressed using either standard interviews or video recordings in isolation. As many components of primary care fall into this category, high-quality video elicitation interviews can be an important method for understanding and improving physician-patient interactions in primary care. PMID:22412003

  1. Expert Elicitation of Multinomial Probabilities for Decision-Analytic Modeling: An Application to Rates of Disease Progression in Undiagnosed and Untreated Melanoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Edward C F; Usher-Smith, Juliet A; Emery, Jon; Corrie, Pippa G; Walter, Fiona M

    2018-06-01

    Expert elicitation is required to inform decision making when relevant "better quality" data either do not exist or cannot be collected. An example of this is to inform decisions as to whether to screen for melanoma. A key input is the counterfactual, in this case the natural history of melanoma in patients who are undiagnosed and hence untreated. To elicit expert opinion on the probability of disease progression in patients with melanoma that is undetected and hence untreated. A bespoke webinar-based expert elicitation protocol was administered to 14 participants in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, comprising 12 multinomial questions on the probability of progression from one disease stage to another in the absence of treatment. A modified Connor-Mosimann distribution was fitted to individual responses to each question. Individual responses were pooled using a Monte-Carlo simulation approach. Participants were asked to provide feedback on the process. A pooled modified Connor-Mosimann distribution was successfully derived from participants' responses. Feedback from participants was generally positive, with 86% willing to take part in such an exercise again. Nevertheless, only 57% of participants felt that this was a valid approach to determine the risk of disease progression. Qualitative feedback reflected some understanding of the need to rely on expert elicitation in the absence of "hard" data. We successfully elicited and pooled the beliefs of experts in melanoma regarding the probability of disease progression in a format suitable for inclusion in a decision-analytic model. Copyright © 2018 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  2. Eliciting and communicating expert judgments: methodology and application to nuclear safety

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winterfeldt, D. von; Commission of the European Communities, Ispra

    1989-01-01

    Expert judgment has always been used informally in the analysis of complex engineering problems. Increasingly, however, the use of expert judgment has been formalized by eliciting judgments in an explicit, documented and often quantitative way. In nuclear safety studies the need for formal elicitation of expert judgments arises because of the lack of data and experiences, the need to adapt model results to the specific circumstances of a plant, and the large uncertainties surrounding the events and quantities that characterize an accident sequence. The recognition of the need for a formal elicitation of expert judgments has led to one of the most extensive expert elicitation processes to date in the context of the NUREG 1150 study. About 30 safety issues were quantified using expert judgments about probabilities of various uncertain events and quantities, ranging from the failure of a check valve in the cooling system to the pressure built up due to hydrogen production to release fractions of various radionuclides. In total, some 1000 probability distributions were elicited from some 50 experts. This paper first motivates the use of formal expert elicitation in complex engineering studies and describes the methodology of formal expert elicitation. Subsequently, it describes the overall approach of NUREG 1150 and provides an example of the elicitation of the probability of a bypass failure in a pressurized water reactor. The paper ends by discussing some lessons learned, problems encountered and by providing some recommendations

  3. Exploration of external light trapping for photovoltaic modules

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, L.; van de Groep, J.; Di Vece, M.; Schropp, R.E.I.

    2016-01-01

    The reflection of incident sunlight by photovoltaic modules prevents them from reaching their theoretical energy conversion limit. We explore the effectiveness of a universal external light trap that can tackle this reflection loss. A unique feature of external light traps is their capability to

  4. Sunscope natural light systems : tubular skylights

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2010-07-01

    This brochure described a tubular skylight designed by Sunscope Natural Light Systems. The Sunscope is a super-reflective light system in which daylight is reflected down a cylinder to a translucent ceiling fixture that diffuses natural light throughout the room in which it is placed. The Sunscope requires no structure changes, is installed in less than 3 hours, and requires no drywall repairs or repainting. The system eliminates the need for daytime electric lighting, and causes no winter heat losses or summer heat gains. Available in 3 sizes, the Sunscope has no moving parts and is fully maintenance-free. The system was designed for use in commercial and residential applications. 7 figs.

  5. Mid infrared upconversion spectroscopy using diffuse reflectance

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Sanders, Nicolai Højer; Kehlet, Louis M.; Dam, Jeppe Seidelin

    2014-01-01

    specifically that upconversion methods can be deployed using a diffuse reflectance setup where the test sample is irradiated by a thermal light source, i.e. a globar. The diffuse reflectance geometry is particularly well suited when a transmission setup cannot be used. This situation may happen for highly...

  6. The potential for using visual elicitation in understanding preschool ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We explore the use of video and photo elicitation in a research study undertaken to understand the way in which preschool teachers perceive and construct their provision of children's educational experiences. We explore the value of visually elicited interviews based on video footage and photographs captured during ...

  7. Noninvasive assessment of articular cartilage surface damage using reflected polarized light microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huynh, Ruby N.; Nehmetallah, George; Raub, Christopher B.

    2017-06-01

    Articular surface damage occurs to cartilage during normal aging, osteoarthritis, and in trauma. A noninvasive assessment of cartilage microstructural alterations is useful for studies involving cartilage explants. This study evaluates polarized reflectance microscopy as a tool to assess surface damage to cartilage explants caused by mechanical scraping and enzymatic degradation. Adult bovine articular cartilage explants were scraped, incubated in collagenase, or underwent scrape and collagenase treatments. In an additional experiment, cartilage explants were subject to scrapes at graduated levels of severity. Polarized reflectance parameters were compared with India ink surface staining, features of histological sections, changes in explant wet weight and thickness, and chondrocyte viability. The polarized reflectance signal was sensitive to surface scrape damage and revealed individual scrape features consistent with India ink marks. Following surface treatments, the reflectance contrast parameter was elevated and correlated with image area fraction of India ink. After extensive scraping, polarized reflectance contrast and chondrocyte viability were lower than that from untreated explants. As part of this work, a mathematical model was developed and confirmed the trend in the reflectance signal due to changes in surface scattering and subsurface birefringence. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of polarized reflectance microscopy to sensitively assess surface microstructural alterations in articular cartilage explants.

  8. At-risk adolescents as experts in a new requirements elicitation procedure for the development of a smart phone psychoeducational trauma-informed care application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sockolow, Paulina; Schug, Seran; Zhu, Jichen; Smith, T J; Senathirajah, Yalini; Bloom, Sandra

    2017-01-01

    Adolescents from urban, socioeconomically disadvantaged communities of color encounter high rates of adverse childhood experiences. To address the resulting multidimensional problems, we developed an innovative approach, Experiential Participatory and Interactive Knowledge Elicitation (EPIKE), using remote experiential needs elicitation methods to generate design and content requirements for a mobile health (mHealth) psychoeducational intervention. At a community-based organization in a northeastern city, the research team developed EPIKE by incorporating elicitation of input on the graphics and conducting remotely recorded experiential meetings and iterative reviews of the design to produce an mHealth smartphone story application (app) prototype for the participants to critique. The 22 participants were 13- to 17-year-olds, predominantly African American and female, from underresourced communities. The four goals of the design process were attained: 1) story development from participant input; 2) needs-elicitation that reflected the patient-centered care approach; 3) interactive story game creation that accommodates the participants' emotional and cognitive developmental needs; 4) development of a game that adolescents can relate to and that which matches their comfort levels of emotional intensity. The EPIKE approach can be used successfully to identify the needs of adolescents across the digital divide to inform the design and development of mHealth apps.

  9. Nordic Lighting?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Munch, Anders V.

    2018-01-01

    The Danish designer Poul Henningsen wrote very elaborated theories of interior lighting from the mid-1920s on. He fought against the cold and reduced light quality of electric bulbs and tried to tame and cultivate this technology by design. He wanted a more rich light for domestic purpose...... worthwhile discussing than other design categories to interpret, whether experience of nature and climatic conditions play a role in Scandinavian Design, as repeatedly stated. This discussion contributes both to understanding of interior lighting and the historiographical critique of Scandinavian Design...... and shaped it through lamp design, colour reflections and differentiated use of several lamps in the room to make a more dim lighting, but with greater variation and softer contrasts. It was a ‘culture’ of lighting, he promoted, but he didn’t saw it as linked to the Nordic countries. His sensibility...

  10. Explaining choice option attractiveness by beliefs elicited by the laddering method

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Grunert, Klaus G.; Bech-Larsen, Tino

    2005-01-01

    option. The laddering method is used to elicit beliefs of all three types for a choice between conventional and organic pork. As a benchmark, beliefs were also elicited in the traditional way advocated by Ajzen and Fishbein. Using both sets of beliefs in a subsequent survey, it was shown that the beliefs...... elicited by the laddering method increase explanatory power with regard to choice option attractiveness beyond the beliefs elicited by the Ajzen and Fishbein method, and that this additional explanatory power was due to those beliefs which relate the choice option to concepts with a higher level...

  11. Responsibilities in the Usability Requirements Elicitation Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marianella Aveledo

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Like any other software system quality attribute, usability places requirements on software components. In particular, it has been demonstrated that certain usability features have a direct impact throughout the software process. This paper details an approach that looks at how to deal with certain usability features in the early software development stages. In particular, we consider usability features as functional usability requirements using patterns that have been termed usability patterns to elicit requirements. Additionally, we clearly establish the responsibilities of all the players at the usability requirements elicitation stage.

  12. On- and off-response ERGs elicited by sawtooth stimuli in normal subjects and glaucoma patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pangeni, Gobinda; Lämmer, Robert; Tornow, Ralf P; Horn, Folkert K; Kremers, Jan

    2012-06-01

    The aim of this study is to measure the on- and off-responses and their response asymmetries elicited by sawtooth stimuli in normal subjects and glaucoma patients. Furthermore, the correlation between the ERGs and other functional and structural parameters are investigated. Full-field stimuli were produced using a Ganzfeld bowl with Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) as light sources. On- and off-response ERGs were recorded from 17 healthy subjects, 12 pre-perimetric and 15 perimetric glaucoma patients using 4-Hz luminance rapid-on and rapid-off sawtooth stimuli (white light; mean luminance 55 cd/m(2)) at 100% contrast. The on- and off-responses were added to study response asymmetries. In addition, flash ERGs were elicited by red stimuli (200 cd/m(2)) on a blue background (10 cd/m(2)). The mean deviations (MD) of the visual field defects were obtained by standard automated perimetry. The retinal nerve fibre layer thickness (RNFLT) was measured with Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography (SOCT). We studied the correlation between ERG response amplitudes, visual field mean deviation (MDs) and RNFLT values. The on-responses showed an initial negative (N-on) followed by a positive (P-on), a late positive (LP-on) and a late negative responses (LN-on). The off-responses showed an initial positive (P-off) a late positive (LP-off) and a late negative response (LN-off). The addition of on- and off-responses revealed an initial positive (P-add) and a late negative response (LN-add). The on-response components (N-on, P-on and LN-on) in the glaucoma patients were relatively similar to those of the control subjects. However, the LP-on was significantly elevated (p = 0.03) in perimetric patients. The LP-off was significantly elevated (p < 0.001), and the amplitude of LN-off was significantly reduced in perimetric patients (p = 0.02). The LN-add amplitude was significantly reduced (p < 0.001) and delayed (p = 0.03) in perimetric patients. The amplitudes of the LN-off and LN

  13. Transient and sustained cortical activity elicited by connected speech of varying intelligibility

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tiitinen Hannu

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The robustness of speech perception in the face of acoustic variation is founded on the ability of the auditory system to integrate the acoustic features of speech and to segregate them from background noise. This auditory scene analysis process is facilitated by top-down mechanisms, such as recognition memory for speech content. However, the cortical processes underlying these facilitatory mechanisms remain unclear. The present magnetoencephalography (MEG study examined how the activity of auditory cortical areas is modulated by acoustic degradation and intelligibility of connected speech. The experimental design allowed for the comparison of cortical activity patterns elicited by acoustically identical stimuli which were perceived as either intelligible or unintelligible. Results In the experiment, a set of sentences was presented to the subject in distorted, undistorted, and again in distorted form. The intervening exposure to undistorted versions of sentences rendered the initially unintelligible, distorted sentences intelligible, as evidenced by an increase from 30% to 80% in the proportion of sentences reported as intelligible. These perceptual changes were reflected in the activity of the auditory cortex, with the auditory N1m response (~100 ms being more prominent for the distorted stimuli than for the intact ones. In the time range of auditory P2m response (>200 ms, auditory cortex as well as regions anterior and posterior to this area generated a stronger response to sentences which were intelligible than unintelligible. During the sustained field (>300 ms, stronger activity was elicited by degraded stimuli in auditory cortex and by intelligible sentences in areas posterior to auditory cortex. Conclusions The current findings suggest that the auditory system comprises bottom-up and top-down processes which are reflected in transient and sustained brain activity. It appears that analysis of acoustic features occurs

  14. Photoperiod and temperature constraints on the relationship between the photochemical reflectance index and the light use efficiency of photosynthesis in Pinus strobus

    OpenAIRE

    Fr?chette, Emmanuelle; Chang, Christine Yao-Yun; Ensminger, Ingo

    2016-01-01

    The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) is a proxy for the activity of the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle and photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE) in plants. Evergreen conifers downregulate photosynthesis in autumn in response to low temperature and shorter photoperiod, and the dynamic xanthophyll cycle-mediated non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) is replaced by sustained NPQ. We hypothesized that this shift in xanthophyll cycle-dependent energy partitioning during the autumn is the c...

  15. Gold nanoparticle-polydimethylsiloxane films reflect light internally by optical diffraction and Mie scattering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dunklin, Jeremy R; Keith Roper, D; Forcherio, Gregory T

    2015-01-01

    Optical properties of polymer films embedded with plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) are important in many implementations. In this work, optical extinction by polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) films containing gold (Au) NPs was enhanced at resonance compared to AuNPs in suspensions, Beer–Lambert law, or Mie theory by internal reflection due to optical diffraction in 16 nm AuNP–PDMS films and Mie scattering in 76 nm AuNP–PDMS films. Resonant extinction per AuNP for 16 nm AuNPs with negligible resonant Mie scattering was enhanced up to 1.5-fold at interparticle separation (i.e., Wigner–Seitz radii) comparable to incident wavelength. It was attributable to diffraction through apertures formed by overlapping electric fields of adjacent, resonantly excited AuNPs at Wigner–Seitz radii equal to or less than incident wavelengths. Resonant extinction per AuNP for strongly Mie scattering 76 nm AuNPs was enhanced up to 1.3-fold at Wigner–Seitz radii four or more times greater than incident wavelength. Enhanced light trapping from diffraction and/or scattering is relevant to optoelectronic, biomedical, and catalytic activity of substrates embedded with NPs. (paper)

  16. Light-material interactions in laser material processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chiang, S.; Albright, C.E.

    1989-01-01

    The authors discusses how light interactions with materials in laser material processing operations occur by a variety of mechanisms depending on the material being processed, the wavelength of the laser light, the gaseous environment, and the physical state of the material surface. The high reflectivity of metals limits the fraction of the beam power absorbed by the solid metal surface. For metals in the solid state, reflectivity increases as the wavelength of the laser light and the electrical conductivity of the metal increase. The reflectivity of metals is reduced upon heating to the melting point, and further reduced upon melting. At high power densities the liquid metal surface is heated so quickly that very rapid vaporization occurs. The recoil force produced by the evaporation causes a depression in the liquid/vapor interface. The keyhole resulting from this depression allows for multiple reflections and thus increases beam absorption in the liquid

  17. Measurement of reflectance of coal macerals: its automation and significance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Davis, A.

    1978-06-01

    A prime objective of the Pennsylvania State University's DOE program is the characterization of 1,300 samples of U.S. coals. Reflectance determination plays a major role in meeting this objective, because it is used as an accurate rank index both to select coals for testing and to investigate property-behavior interrelationships using the Penn State/DOE Coal Data Base. Reflectances of coal macerals are related to their refractive and absorptive indices by the Beer equation; the refractive index of the medium and the wavelength of light need to be specified. Determinations usually are made in immersion oil at 546 nm. Properties of vitrinite make it the most suitable maceral for these measurements, but the variety of vitrinite selected may depend upon the intended application. Vitrinite reflectance is considered to be dependent upon the degree of aromatization of its structural units. Although some of the earlier investigators believed that the reflectance of coals increased in a discontinuous, stepped manner as their rank increased, the bulk of assembled data suggests that the change is continuous. Some recent results indicate that there may be more than one coalification track for coals with different geological histories, resulting in displacement from the general trend. Several techniques have been employed to determine the optical properties of coal constituents. Usual comparative method involves the use of a microscope photometer to compare the intensity of light reflected by particles within a polished pellet of coal to that of a glass or synthetic mineral standard. Because coal is anisotropic it is common to measure either maximum reflectance in polarized light or random reflectance in non-polarized light. Various eqipment modifications and accessories have been used to improve the ease of measuring maximum reflectance.

  18. Extinction and renewal of cue-elicited reward-seeking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bezzina, Louise; Lee, Jessica C; Lovibond, Peter F; Colagiuri, Ben

    2016-12-01

    Reward cues can contribute to overconsumption of food and drugs and can relapse. The failure of exposure therapies to reduce overconsumption and relapse is generally attributed to the context-specificity of extinction. However, no previous study has examined whether cue-elicited reward-seeking (as opposed to cue-reactivity) is sensitive to context renewal. We tested this possibility in 160 healthy volunteers using a Pavlovian-instrumental transfer (PIT) design involving voluntary responding for a high value natural reward (chocolate). One reward cue underwent Pavlovian extinction in the same (Group AAA) or different context (Group ABA) to all other phases. This cue was compared with a second non-extinguished reward cue and an unpaired control cue. There was a significant overall PIT effect with both reward cues eliciting reward-seeking on test relative to the unpaired cue. Pavlovian extinction substantially reduced this effect, with the extinguished reward cue eliciting less reward-seeking than the non-extinguished reward cue. Most interestingly, extinction of cue-elicited reward-seeking was sensitive to renewal, with extinction less effective for reducing PIT when conducted in a different context. These findings have important implications for extinction-based interventions for reducing maladaptive reward-seeking in practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Lifelog-based lighting design for biofied building

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kake, Fumika; Mita, Akira

    2016-04-01

    A design tool is proposed for lighting control system that reflects histories of residents' past life using a genetic mechanism. There are many previous researches which show the preference of lighting design differs depending on people and their behaviors. And recently, due to the appearance of LED which can change light color easily, the number of lighting scenes have drastically increased. It is difficult for residents to grasp all patterns of lighting and understand what pattern of lighting design fits for their behaviors. So if we can extract lighting preferences and demands of each resident from histories of past life and reflect these information in next lighting control, it's possible to make living space more comfortable. An evolutionally adaptation mechanism learnt from living organisms is proposed in this research to extract the information from lifelog, especially focusing on methylation and mutation. Methylation is one of the epigenetic algorithms making a difference in phenotype without changing DNA sequence. Mutation is one of the genetic algorithms making a difference in phenotype by changing DNA sequence. Those two mechanisms are applied in the system. First, the lifelog of residents and using hysteresis of lighting equipment are collected. Then the lifelog is converted into the genetic information and stored. When the lifelog is stored enough, the superior genes will be picked up from the stored genetic information to be reflected in lighting control in next generation. Simulations to verify the versatility of the system were conducted.

  20. High-accuracy self-mixing interferometer based on multiple reflections using a simple external reflecting mirror

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xiu-lin; Wei, Zheng; Wang, Rui; Huang, Wen-cai

    2018-05-01

    A self-mixing interferometer (SMI) with resolution twenty times higher than that of a conventional interferometer is developed by multiple reflections. Only by employing a simple external reflecting mirror, the multiple-pass optical configuration can be constructed. The advantage of the configuration is simple and easy to make the light re-injected back into the laser cavity. Theoretical analysis shows that the resolution of measurement is scalable by adjusting the number of reflections. The experiment shows that the proposed method has the optical resolution of approximate λ/40. The influence of displacement sensitivity gain ( G) is further analyzed and discussed in practical experiments.

  1. Estimation of light source colours for light pollution assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziou, D; Kerouh, F

    2018-05-01

    The concept of the smart city raised several technological and scientific issues including light pollution. There are various negative impacts of light pollution on economy, ecology, and heath. This paper deals with the census of the colour of light emitted by lamps used in a city environment. To this end, we derive a light bulb colour estimator based on Bayesian reasoning, directional data, and image formation model in which the usual concept of reflectance is not used. All choices we made are devoted to designing an algorithm which can be run almost in real-time. Experimental results show the effectiveness of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Office lighting systems: Optimization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dagnino, U. (ENEL, Milan (Italy))

    1990-09-01

    Relative to office lighting systems, in particular, those making use of tubular fluorescent lamps, currently available on the international market, this paper tries to develop lighting system, design optimization criteria. The comparative assessment of the various design possibilities considers operating cost, energy consumption, and occupational comfort/safety aspects such as lighting level uniformity and equilibrium, reduction of glare and reflection, natural/artificial lighting balance, programmed switching, computerized control systems for multi-use requirements in large areas, programmed maintenance for greater efficiency and reliability.

  3. Minocycline inhibits D-amphetamine-elicited action potential bursts in a central snail neuron.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Y-H; Lin, P-L; Wong, R-W; Wu, Y-T; Hsu, H-Y; Tsai, M-C; Lin, M-J; Hsu, Y-C; Lin, C-H

    2012-10-25

    Minocycline is a second-generation tetracycline that has been reported to have powerful neuroprotective properties. In our previous studies, we found that d-amphetamine (AMPH) elicited action potential bursts in an identifiable RP4 neuron of the African snail, Achatina fulica Ferussac. This study sought to determine the effects of minocycline on the AMPH-elicited action potential pattern changes in the central snail neuron, using the two-electrode voltage clamping method. Extracellular application of AMPH at 300 μM elicited action potential bursts in the RP4 neuron. Minocycline dose-dependently (300-900 μM) inhibited the action potential bursts elicited by AMPH. The inhibitory effects of minocycline on AMPH-elicited action potential bursts were restored by forskolin (50 μM), an adenylate cyclase activator, and by dibutyryl cAMP (N(6),2'-O-Dibutyryladenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate; 1mM), a membrane-permeable cAMP analog. Co-administration of forskolin (50 μM) plus tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA; 5mM) or co-administration of TEA (5mM) plus dibutyryl cAMP (1mM) also elicited action potential bursts, which were prevented and inhibited by minocycline. In addition, minocycline prevented and inhibited forskolin (100 μM)-elicited action potential bursts. Notably, TEA (50mM)-elicited action potential bursts in the RP4 neuron were not affected by minocycline. Minocycline did not affect steady-state outward currents of the RP4 neuron. However, minocycline did decrease the AMPH-elicited steady-state current changes. Similarly, minocycline decreased the effects of forskolin-elicited steady-state current changes. Pretreatment with H89 (N-[2-(p-Bromocinnamylamino)ethyl]-5-isoquinolinesulfonamide dihydrochloride; 10 μM), a protein kinase A inhibitor, inhibited AMPH-elicited action potential bursts and decreased AMPH-elicited steady-state current changes. These results suggest that the cAMP-protein kinase A signaling pathway and the steady-state current are involved in

  4. Student reflections on learning cross-cultural skills through a 'cultural competence' OSCE.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miller, Elizabeth; Green, Alexander R

    2007-05-01

    Medical schools use OSCEs (objective structured clinical examinations) to assess students' clinical knowledge and skills, but the use of OSCEs in the teaching and assessment of cross-cultural care has not been well described. To examine medical students' reflections on a cultural competence OSCE station as an educational experience. Students at Harvard Medical School in Boston completed a 'cultural competence' OSCE station (about a patient with uncontrolled hypertension and medication non-adherence). Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted with a convenience sample of twenty-two second year medical students, which were recorded, transcribed, and analysed. Students' reflections on what they learned as the essence of the case encompassed three categories: (1) eliciting the patient's perspective on their illness; (2) examining how and why patients take their medications and inquiring about alternative therapies; and (3) exploring the range of social and cultural factors associated with medication non-adherence. A cultural competence OSCE station that focuses on eliciting patients' perspectives and exploring medication non-adherence can serve as a unique and valuable teaching tool. The cultural competence OSCE station may be one pedagogic method for incorporating cross-cultural care into medical school curricula.

  5. Receptor-mediated endocytosis generates nanomechanical force reflective of ligand identity and cellular property.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Xiao; Ren, Juan; Wang, Jingren; Li, Shixie; Zou, Qingze; Gao, Nan

    2018-08-01

    Whether environmental (thermal, chemical, and nutrient) signals generate quantifiable, nanoscale, mechanophysical changes in the cellular plasma membrane has not been well elucidated. Assessment of such mechanophysical properties of plasma membrane may shed lights on fundamental cellular process. Atomic force microscopic (AFM) measurement of the mechanical properties of live cells was hampered by the difficulty in accounting for the effects of the cantilever motion and the associated hydrodynamic force on the mechanical measurement. These challenges have been addressed in our recently developed control-based AFM nanomechanical measurement protocol, which enables a fast, noninvasive, broadband measurement of the real-time changes in plasma membrane elasticity in live cells. Here we show using this newly developed AFM platform that the plasma membrane of live mammalian cells exhibits a constant and quantifiable nanomechanical property, the membrane elasticity. This mechanical property sensitively changes in response to environmental factors, such as the thermal, chemical, and growth factor stimuli. We demonstrate that different chemical inhibitors of endocytosis elicit distinct changes in plasma membrane elastic modulus reflecting their specific molecular actions on the lipid configuration or the endocytic machinery. Interestingly, two different growth factors, EGF and Wnt3a, elicited distinct elastic force profiles revealed by AFM at the plasma membrane during receptor-mediated endocytosis. By applying this platform to genetically modified cells, we uncovered a previously unknown contribution of Cdc42, a key component of the cellular trafficking network, to EGF-stimulated endocytosis at plasma membrane. Together, this nanomechanical AFM study establishes an important foundation that is expandable and adaptable for investigation of cellular membrane evolution in response to various key extracellular signals. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  6. THE VARIABLE REFLECTION NEBULA CEPHEUS A EAST

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hodapp, Klaus W.; Bressert, Eli

    2009-01-01

    We report K'-band imaging observations of the reflection nebula associated with Cepheus A East covering the time interval from 1990 to 2004. Over this time the reflection nebula shows variations of flux distribution, which we interpret as the effect of inhomogeneous and varying extinction in the light path from the illuminating source HW2 to the reflection nebula. The obscuring material is located within typical distances of ∼ 10 AU from the illuminating source.

  7. A method to elicit beliefs as most likely intervals

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schlag, K.H.; van der Weele, J.J.

    2015-01-01

    We show how to elicit the beliefs of an expert in the form of a "most likely interval", a set of future outcomes that are deemed more likely than any other outcome. Our method, called the Most Likely Interval elicitation rule (MLI), asks the expert for an interval and pays according to how well the

  8. The Challenges of Participant Photography: A Critical Reflection on Methodology and Ethics in Two Cultural Contexts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murray, Linda; Nash, Meredith

    2017-05-01

    Photovoice and photo-elicitation are two common methods of participant photography used in health research. Although participatory photography has many benefits, this critical reflection provides fellow researchers with insights into the methodological and ethical challenges faced when using such methods. In this article, we critically reflect on two studies that used participatory photography in different cultural contexts. The first study used photo-elicitation to investigate mothers' experiences of infant settling in central Vietnam. The second study used photovoice to explore pregnant embodiment in Australia. Following a discussion of the literature and a detailed overview of the two studies, we examine the methodological challenges in using participant photography before, during and after each study. This is followed by a discussion of ethical concerns that arose in relation to the burden of participation, confidentiality, consent, and the photographing of families and children. To conclude, we highlight implications for using participatory photography in other settings.

  9. Exposure to 4100K fluorescent light elicits sex specific transcriptional responses in Xiphophorus maculatus skin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boswell, William T; Boswell, Mikki; Walter, Dylan J; Navarro, Kaela L; Chang, Jordan; Lu, Yuan; Savage, Markita G; Shen, Jianjun; Walter, Ronald B

    2018-06-01

    It has been reported that exposure to artificial light may affect oxygen intake, heart rate, absorption of vitamins and minerals, and behavioral responses in humans. We have reported specific gene expression responses in the skin of Xiphophorus fish after exposure to ultraviolet light (UV), as well as, both broad spectrum and narrow waveband visible light. In regard to fluorescent light (FL), we have shown that male X. maculatus exposed to 4100K FL (i.e. "cool white") rapidly suppress transcription of many genes involved with DNA replication and repair, chromosomal segregation, and cell cycle progression in skin. We have also detailed sex specific transcriptional responses of Xiphophorus skin after exposure to UVB. However, investigation of gender differences in global gene expression response after exposure to 4100K FL has not been reported, despite common use of this FL source for residential, commercial, and animal facility illumination. Here, we compare RNA-Seq results analyzed to assess changes in the global transcription profiles of female and male X. maculatus skin in response to 4100K FL exposure. Our results suggest 4100K FL exposure incites a sex-biased genetic response including up-modulation of inflammation in females and down modulation of DNA repair/replication in males. In addition, we identify clusters of genes that become oppositely modulated in males and females after FL exposure that are principally involved in cell death and cell proliferation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Change in spatial coherence of light on refraction and on reflection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lahiri, Mayukh; Wolf, Emil

    2013-06-01

    A theory of refraction and reflection of partially coherent electromagnetic beams has been recently developed. In this paper, we apply it to study the change in spatial coherence caused by refraction and by reflection more fully. By considering a Gaussian Schell-model beam, we show that the change is, in general, dependent on the angle of incidence.

  11. Determination of the optical constants of polymer light-emitting diode films from single reflection measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhu Dexi; Shen Weidong; Ye Hui; Liu Xu; Zhen Hongyu

    2008-01-01

    We present a simple and fast method to determine the optical constant and physical thickness of polymer films from a single reflectivity measurement. A self-consistent dispersion formula of the Forouhi-Bloomer model was introduced to fit the measured spectral curves by a modified 'Downhill' simplex algorithm. Four widely used polymer light-emitting diodes materials: poly[2-methoxy-5-(2'-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene], poly(9,9-dioctylfluoreny-2,7-diyl) (PFO), poly(N-vinyl carbazole) and poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene) : poly(styrenesulfonate) were investigated by this technique. The refractive indices over the whole visible region as well as the optical band gap extracted by this method agree well with those reported in the literature. The determined physical thicknesses present a deviation less than 4% compared with the experimental values measured by the stylus profiler. The influence of scattering loss on the fitted results is discussed to demonstrate the applicability of this technology for polymer films.

  12. An Optical Fiber Read Out Method for a Reflective Microcantilever Biosensor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Wen

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available An effective optical read out approach based on fiber reflective is presented to detect bends of a biomaterial microcantilever. The microcantilever was fabricated on single crystalline SOI wafer using a series of side definitions and backside wet/dry etchings. A Cr/Au layer with 30 nm Cr and 50 nm Au layer was deposited for the immobilized of bimolecular on the cantilever surface and for reflecting the light back into the fiber, the different light intensities means different bimolecular concentrations. The noncoherent light source is a super luminescent LED. Gradient index lens as a collimator and 50:50 optical coupler and signal modefiber was used to transmit light. Two PINFETs were used to convert the reflecting the light intensities and the light sources into electronic signals, two ADCs convert the signal into digital signals, a MPU was used to eliminate the fluctuation of the light source error. The method can has got high sensitivity is 6507.59 mV/um. Though the experiment, the cantilever biosensor can detect glucose, measurement results clearly demonstrate that the output voltage induced by the microcantilevers bending is proportional to the glucose concentrations and the sensitivity is up to 0.1V/mM, which is enough for glucose real-time trace detection.

  13. Reflection and extinction of light by self-assembled monolayers of a quinque-thiophene derivative: A coherent scattering approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gholamrezaie, Fatemeh; Meskers, Stefan C. J., E-mail: s.c.j.meskers@tue.nl [Molecular Materials and Nanosystems and Institute of Complex Molecular Systems, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven (Netherlands); Leeuw, Dago M. de [Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Ackermannweg 10, 55128 Mainz (Germany)

    2016-06-07

    Scattering matrix theory is used to describe resonant optical properties of molecular monolayers. Three types of coupling are included: exciton-exciton, exciton-photon, and exciton-phonon coupling. We use the K-matrix formalism, developed originally to describe neutron scattering spectra in nuclear physics to compute the scattering of polaritons by phonons. This perturbation approach takes into account the three couplings and allows one to go beyond molecular exciton theory without the need of introducing additional boundary conditions for the polariton. We demonstrate that reflection, absorption, and extinction of light by 2D self-assembled monolayers of molecules containing quinque-thiophene chromophoric groups can be calculated. The extracted coherence length of the Frenkel exciton is discussed.

  14. Numerical and experimental investigation of GaN-based flip-chip light-emitting diodes with highly reflective Ag/TiW and ITO/DBR Ohmic contacts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Shengjun; Liu, Xingtong; Gao, Yilin; Liu, Yingce; Liu, Mengling; Liu, Zongyuan; Gui, Chengqun; Liu, Sheng

    2017-10-30

    We demonstrate two types of GaN-based flip-chip light-emitting diodes (FCLEDs) with highly reflective Ag/TiW and indium-tin oxide (ITO)/distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) p-type Ohmic contacts. We show that a direct Ohmic contact to p-GaN layer using pure Ag is obtained when annealed at 600°C in N 2 ambient. A TiW diffusion barrier layer covered onto Ag is used to suppress the agglomeration of Ag and thus maintain high reflectance of Ag during high temperature annealing process. We develop a strip-shaped SiO 2 current blocking layer beneath the ITO/DBR to alleviate current crowding occurring in FCLED with ITO/DBR. Owing to negligibly small spreading resistance of Ag, however, our combined numerical and experimental results show that the FCLED with Ag/TiW has a more favorable current spreading uniformity in comparison to the FCLED with ITO/DBR. As a result, the light output power of FCLED with Ag/TiW is 7.5% higher than that of FCLED with ITO/DBR at 350 mA. The maximum output power of the FCLED with Ag/TiW obtained at 305.6 A/cm 2 is 29.3% larger than that of the FCLED with ITO/DBR obtained at 278.9 A/cm 2 . The improvement appears to be due to the enhanced current spreading and higher optical reflectance provided by the Ag/TiW.

  15. Effect of nuclear track on reflectivity for insulating material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu Cunxiong; Ni Bangfa; Tian Weizhi; Hu Lian; Xiao Caijin; Wang Pingsheng; Zhang Guiying; Huang Donghui; Lu Peng; Yang Weitao

    2009-01-01

    Polyester and CR-39 samples were irradiated with sulphur ion from HI-13 tandem accelerator. Ultraviolet light with wavelength 360 nm was used to sensitize the polymer before chemical etching by NaOH solution with different temperatures and time duration. The latent track was then developed into nanometer to micrometer pore with certain depth. Samples were coated with thin layer of silver and magnesium fluoride using the vacuum evaporator. The reflectivity and transmission index were measured for all polymer samples, untreated and treated with above-mentioned procedure, within the wavelength of visible light. Solid state nuclear track and coating can reduce reflectivity of tested polymer materials greatly, and the reflectivity can be 1% or lower. (authors)

  16. Cost effective flat plate photovoltaic modules using light trapping

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bain, C. N.; Gordon, B. A.; Knasel, T. M.; Malinowski, R. L.

    1981-01-01

    Work in optical trapping in 'thick films' is described to form a design guide for photovoltaic engineers. A thick optical film can trap light by diffusive reflection and total internal reflection. Light can be propagated reasonably long distances compared with layer thicknesses by this technique. This makes it possible to conduct light from inter-cell and intra-cell areas now not used in photovoltaic modules onto active cell areas.

  17. Reflected Glory

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-02-01

    The nebula Messier 78 takes centre stage in this image taken with the Wide Field Imager on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory in Chile, while the stars powering the bright display take a backseat. The brilliant starlight ricochets off dust particles in the nebula, illuminating it with scattered blue light. Igor Chekalin was the overall winner of ESO's Hidden Treasures 2010 astrophotography competition with his image of this stunning object. Messier 78 is a fine example of a reflection nebula. The ultraviolet radiation from the stars that illuminate it is not intense enough to ionise the gas to make it glow - its dust particles simply reflect the starlight that falls on them. Despite this, Messier 78 can easily be observed with a small telescope, being one of the brightest reflection nebulae in the sky. It lies about 1350 light-years away in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter) and can be found northeast of the easternmost star of Orion's belt. This new image of Messier 78 from the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory is based on data selected by Igor Chekalin in his winning entry to the Hidden Treasures competition [1]. The pale blue tint seen in the nebula in this picture is an accurate representation of its dominant colour. Blue hues are commonly seen in reflection nebulae because of the way the starlight is scattered by the tiny dust particles that they contain: the shorter wavelength of blue light is scattered more efficiently than the longer wavelength red light. This image contains many other striking features apart from the glowing nebula. A thick band of obscuring dust stretches across the image from the upper left to the lower right, blocking the light from background stars. In the bottom right corner, many curious pink structures are also visible, which are created by jets of material being ejected from stars that have recently formed and are still buried deep in dust clouds. Two bright stars, HD 38563A and

  18. Deep sequencing reveals transcriptome re-programming of Taxus × media cells to the elicitation with methyl jasmonate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Guiling; Yang, Yanfang; Xie, Fuliang; Wen, Jian-Fan; Wu, Jianqiang; Wilson, Iain W; Tang, Qi; Liu, Hongwei; Qiu, Deyou

    2013-01-01

    Plant cell culture represents an alternative source for producing high-value secondary metabolites including paclitaxel (Taxol®), which is mainly produced in Taxus and has been widely used in cancer chemotherapy. The phytohormone methyl jasmonate (MeJA) can significantly increase the production of paclitaxel, which is induced in plants as a secondary metabolite possibly in defense against herbivores and pathogens. In cell culture, MeJA also elicits the accumulation of paclitaxel; however, the mechanism is still largely unknown. To obtain insight into the global regulation mechanism of MeJA in the steady state of paclitaxel production (7 days after MeJA addition), especially on paclitaxel biosynthesis, we sequenced the transcriptomes of MeJA-treated and untreated Taxus × media cells and obtained ∼ 32.5 M high quality reads, from which 40,348 unique sequences were obtained by de novo assembly. Expression level analysis indicated that a large number of genes were associated with transcriptional regulation, DNA and histone modification, and MeJA signaling network. All the 29 known genes involved in the biosynthesis of terpenoid backbone and paclitaxel were found with 18 genes showing increased transcript abundance following elicitation of MeJA. The significantly up-regulated changes of 9 genes in paclitaxel biosynthesis were validated by qRT-PCR assays. According to the expression changes and the previously proposed enzyme functions, multiple candidates for the unknown steps in paclitaxel biosynthesis were identified. We also found some genes putatively involved in the transport and degradation of paclitaxel. Potential target prediction of miRNAs indicated that miRNAs may play an important role in the gene expression regulation following the elicitation of MeJA. Our results shed new light on the global regulation mechanism by which MeJA regulates the physiology of Taxus cells and is helpful to understand how MeJA elicits other plant species besides Taxus.

  19. Microtruss structures with enhanced elasticity fabricated through visible light photocuring

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hari Nanthakumar

    Full Text Available We report on the fabrication of an open cellular solid structure using visible light photocuring in combination with light-induced self-writing. A visible light sensitive photopolymer is irradiated with multiple arrays of microscale optical beams, which are generated from LEDs. These beams undergo self-trapping and elicit the inscription of microscale, solid struts into the medium. This process creates a structure consisting of multiple, intersecting struts that form a microtruss structure. Such structures retain their elasticity at higher temperatures as compared to a bulk film of the same thickness. This is the first demonstration of visible light photocuring of photopolymers into a microtruss structure, as well as investigation into their elastic properties under tension. Keywords: Polymers, Self-trapping, Microstructures, Cellular solids

  20. Electro-optic polymeric reflection modulator based on plasmonic metamaterial

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abbas, A.; Swillam, M.

    2018-02-01

    A novel low power design for polymeric Electro-Optic reflection modulator is proposed based on the Extraordinary Reflection of light from multilayer structure consisting of a plasmonic metasurface with a periodic structure of sub wavelength circular apertures in a gold film above a thin layer of EO polymer and above another thin gold layer. The interference of the different reflected beams from different layer construct the modulated beam, The applied input driving voltage change the polymer refractive index which in turn determine whether the interference is constructive or destructive, so both phase and intensity modulation could be achieved. The resonant wavelength is tuned to the standard telecommunication wavelength 1.55μm, at this wavelength the reflection is minimum, while the absorption is maximum due to plasmonic resonance (PR) and the coupling between the incident light and the plasmonic metasurface.

  1. Social Preferences and Cognitive Reflection: Evidence from Dictator Game Experiment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giovanni Benedetto Ponti

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available This paper provides experimental evidence on the relationship between social preferences and cognitive abilities, which we measure using the Cognitive Reflection Test (CRT. We elicit social preferences by way of 24 dictatorial situations, in which the Dictator’s choice sets include i standard Dictator games, where increasing the Dictator’s payoff yields a loss for the Recipient, ii efficient Dicator games, where increasing the Dictator’s payoff also increases that the Recipient’s; as well as other situations in which iii either the Dictator’s or iv the Recipient’s monetary payoff is held constant. We partition our subject pool in three groups: reflective (scoring 2 or more in the CRT, impulsive (opting twice or more for the intuitive but wrong answers in the CRT and the remainder. We find that impulsive Dictators show a marked inequity aversion attitude, especially in standard Dictator Games. By contrast, reflective Dictators show lower distributional concerns, except for the situations in which the Dictators’ payoff is held constant. In this case, reflective Dictators give significantly more.

  2. Application of expert elicitation techniques in human reliability, assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sanyasi Rao, V.V.S.; Saraf, R.K.; Ghosh, A.K.; Kushwaha, H.S.

    2006-01-01

    Expert elicitation techniques are being used, in the area of technological forecasting, in estimating data needed for analysis when it is either difficult to arrive at the data by experimental means or when it is quite involved to plan and conduct the experiment. In this study, expert elicitation techniques are applied to the evaluation of the frequencies of the various accident sequences that can result from the initiating event (IE) 'High Pressure Process Water (HPPW) system failure' in typical Indian Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (IPHWR) of the older generation. The Operating Procedure under Emergency Conditions (OPEC) for this IE involves human actions according to a pre-defined procedure. The Human Error Probabilities for all these human actions are obtained using expert elicitation techniques. These techniques aim at eliciting the opinion of the experts in the area of interest with regard to the issue in question. The uncertainty is analysed by employing the measure of dissonance and the most probable range of human error probabilities are arrived at by maximizing this measure. These values are combined using the same procedures mentioned above to yield a distribution representing the uncertainty associated with the predictions. (author)

  3. Do community and autonomy moral violations elicit different emotions?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kollareth, Dolichan; Kikutani, Mariko; Shirai, Mariko; Russell, James A

    2018-06-11

    According to one important set of theories, different domains of immorality are linked to different discrete emotions-panculturally. Violations against the community elicit contempt, whereas violations against an individual elicit anger. To test this theory, American, Indian and Japanese participants (N = 480) indicated contempt and anger reactions (with verbal rating and face selection) to both the types of immorality. To remedy method problems in previous research, community and autonomy violations were created for the same story-frame, by varying the target to be either the community or an individual. Community and autonomy violations did not differ significantly in the emotion elicited: overall, both types of violations elicited more anger than contempt (and more negative emotion of any kind than positive emotion). By verbal rating, Americans and Indians reported more anger than contempt for both types of violation, whereas Japanese reported more contempt than anger for both types. By face selection, the three cultural groups selected anger more than contempt for both types of violation. The results speak against defining distinct domains of morality by their association with distinct emotions. © 2018 International Union of Psychological Science.

  4. Elicitation threshold of cobalt chloride

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Fischer, Louise A; Johansen, Jeanne D; Voelund, Aage

    2016-01-01

    : On the basis of five included studies, the ED10 values of aqueous cobalt chloride ranged between 0.0663 and 1.95 µg cobalt/cm(2), corresponding to 30.8-259 ppm. CONCLUSIONS: Our analysis provides an overview of the doses of cobalt that are required to elicit allergic cobalt contactdermatitis in sensitized...

  5. Film clips and narrative text as subjective emotion elicitation techniques.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zupan, Barbra; Babbage, Duncan R

    2017-01-01

    Film clips and narrative text are useful techniques in eliciting emotion in a laboratory setting but have not been examined side-by-side using the same methodology. This study examined the self-identification of emotions elicited by film clip and narrative text stimuli to confirm that selected stimuli appropriately target the intended emotions. Seventy participants viewed 30 film clips, and 40 additional participants read 30 narrative texts. Participants identified the emotion experienced (happy, sad, angry, fearful, neutral-six stimuli each). Eighty-five percent of participants self-identified the target emotion for at least two stimuli for all emotion categories of film clips, except angry (only one) and for all categories of narrative text, except fearful (only one). The most effective angry text was correctly identified 74% of the time. Film clips were more effective in eliciting all target emotions in participants for eliciting the correct emotion (angry), intensity rating (happy, sad), or both (fearful).

  6. Stray light analysis and control

    CERN Document Server

    Fest, Eric

    2013-01-01

    Stray light is defined as unwanted light in an optical system, a familiar concept for anyone who has taken a photograph with the sun in or near their camera's field of view. This book addresses stray light terminology, radiometry, and the physics of stray light mechanisms, such as surface roughness scatter and ghost reflections. The most-efficient ways of using stray light analysis software packages are included. The book also demonstrates how the basic principles are applied in the design, fabrication, and testing phases of optical system development.

  7. Nitrogen deficiency detection using reflected shortwave radiation from irrigated corn canopies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Blackmer, T.M.; Schepers, J.S.; Varvel, G.E.; Walter-Shea, E.A.

    1996-01-01

    Techniques that measure the N status of corn (Zea mays L.) can aid in management decisions that have economic and environmental implications. This study was conducted to identify reflected electromagnetic wavelengths most sensitive to detecting N deficiencies in a corn canopy with the possibility for use as a management tool. Reflected shortwave radiation was measured from an irrigated corn N response trial with four hybrids and five N rates at 0, 40, 80, 120, and 160 kg N ha -1 in 1992 and 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 kg N ha -1 in 1993. A portable spectroradiometer was used to measure reflected radiation (400-1100 nm in 1992, 350-1050 nm in 1993) from corn canopies at approximately the R5 growth stage. Regression analyses revealed that reflected radiation near 550 and 710 nm was superior to reflected radiation near 450 or 650 nm for detecting N deficiencies. The ratio of light reflectance between 550 and 600 nm to light reflectance between 800 and 900 nm also provided sensitive detection of N stress. In 1993, an inexpensive photometric cell, which has peak sensitivity to light centered at 550 nm, was also used to measure reflected radiation from a corn canopy. Photometric cell readings correlated with relative grain yield (P < 0.001, r 2 = 0.74), but more research will be required to develop procedures to account for varying daylight conditions. These results provide information needed for the development of variable-rate fertilizer N application technology. (author)

  8. Use of gaseous tritium light sources (Beta lights) with respect to nocturnal illumination

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Solomon, D.E.

    1988-01-01

    A number/letter plate for use in, for example darkened buildings has spaced apart gaseous tritium light sources (beta lights) arranged centrally along the indicia on a reflective background sealed in clear translucent plastics. Uses include house numbers, name plates, telephone numbers, notices, product advertisements, vehicle registration plates and names or trade marks on products. (author)

  9. Final Technical Report - Polymeric Multilayer Infrared Reflecting Mirrors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reed, John [3M Company, St. Paul, MN (United States)

    2016-09-16

    The goal of this project was to develop a clear, polymeric, multilayer film with an expanded infrared (IR) reflection band which would allow improved rejection of incident IR energy. The IR reflection band is covering the region from about 850 nm to 1830 nm. This film is essentially clear and colorless in the visible portion of the electromagnetic spectra (visible light transmission of about 89%) while reflecting 90-95% of the IR energy over the portion of the spectra indicated above. This film has a nominal thickness of 3 mils, is polymeric in nature (contains no metals, metal oxides, or other material types) and is essentially clear in appearance This film can then be used as a component of other products such as a solar window film, an IR reflecting interlayer for laminated glass, a heat rejecting skylight film, a base film for daylight redirecting products, a greenhouse film, and many more applications. One of the main strengths of this product is that because it is a standalone IR rejecting film, it can be incorporated and retrofitted into many applications that desire or require the transmission of visible light, but want to block other portions of the solar spectra, especially the IR portion. Many of the applications exist in the window glazing product area where this film can provide for substantial energy improvements in applications where visible light is desired.

  10. Identifying diffraction effects in measured reflectances

    OpenAIRE

    Holzschuch , Nicolas; Pacanowski , Romain

    2015-01-01

    International audience; There are two different physical models connecting the micro-geometry of a surface and its physical reflectance properties (BRDF). The first, Cook-Torrance, assumes geometrical optics: light is reflected and masked by the micro-facets. In this model, the BRDF depends on the probability distribution of micro-facets normals. The second, Church-Takacs, assumes diffraction by the micro-geometry. In this model, the BRDF depends on the power spectral distribution of the surf...

  11. Improvement of Requirement Elicitation Process through Cognitive Psychology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sana Fatima

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available Proper requirement elicitation is necessary for client satisfaction along with the overall project success, but requirement engineers face problems in understanding user requirements and the users of the required system fail to make requirement engineering team understand what they actually want. It is then responsibility of requirement engineers to extract proper requirements. This paper discusses how to use cognitive psychology and learning style models (LSM to understand the psychology of clients. Moreover, it also discusses usage of proper elicitation technique according to one’s learning style and gather the right requirements.

  12. TRAC-Monterey FY16 Work Program Development and Report of Research Elicitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-01-01

    any changes to priorities or additional projects that require immediate research. Work Program; Research Elicitation Unclassified UU UU UU UU 35 MAJ...conduct analysis for the Army. 1 Marks, Chris, Nesbitt, Peter. TRAC FY14 Research Requirements Elicitation . Technical Report TRAC-M-TM-13-059. 700 Dyer... Requirements Elicitation Interviews Interview Guide: 1. Describe a research requirement in the areas of topics, techniques, and methodologies. 2

  13. Eliciting and activating funds of knowledge in an environmental science community college classroom: An action research study

    Science.gov (United States)

    van Niel, John J.

    variety of sources including an audio recorded small-group session where FOK were elicited, surveys compiled by all students to point to potentially relevant life experiences and practices, audio recorded classroom lessons where FOK were utilized, audio recorded final class reflections on the experience, and my own teacher log. Data were qualitatively analyzed first to identify the range and frequency of students' relevant FOK, then to identify and characterize effective activation of these funds in a classroom setting. Findings highlight the breadth of relevant FOK present in a given class as well as strategies shown to be effective for both elicitation and activation of these funds. Implications are drawn for future research into FOK as well as for other instructors wishing to explicitly draw on students' FOK to enrich their learning experiences.

  14. Visual Fatigue Evaluation: Improvement of Reflected Glare on Touch Screen for Nuclear Power Plant

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Kang Hung; Yang, Chih Wei; Hwang, Sheue Ling; Liou, Jin Liang

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this research is to evaluate the visual fatigue of operators caused by glare problems in the main control room of nuclear power plant. Within the limitation in the main control room, reflectors were set under the light source which generates reflected glare on touch screens. Through avoiding the light directly shines on touch screens, reflected glare were eliminated. This research matched up the setting process of reflectors, evaluated the visual fatigue of operators, and collected user's opinions before reflector setting, after the first setting, and after the second setting. The design of reflectors could refer the result of evaluations and the collection of opinions. Nevertheless, the improvement of reflected glare on touch screens could be verified by this evaluations. The result showed that setting reflectors under the light source could eliminate reflected glare effectively, and the visual fatigue was reduced both on subject and object evaluations. However, the setting direction of reflectors has potential effect on operators' visual fatigue, so the real setting of reflectors still need to be evaluated completely. The near point accommodation could reflect the effect of visual fatigue caused by changes of lighting environment. Thus, the verification of new lighting environment according to the near point accommodation is suggested

  15. Spider Movement, UV Reflectance and Size, but Not Spider Crypsis, Affect the Response of Honeybees to Australian Crab Spiders

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llandres, Ana L.; Rodríguez-Gironés, Miguel A.

    2011-01-01

    According to the crypsis hypothesis, the ability of female crab spiders to change body colour and match the colour of flowers has been selected because flower visitors are less likely to detect spiders that match the colour of the flowers used as hunting platform. However, recent findings suggest that spider crypsis plays a minor role in predator detection and some studies even showed that pollinators can become attracted to flowers harbouring Australian crab spider when the UV contrast between spider and flower increases. Here we studied the response of Apis mellifera honeybees to the presence of white or yellow Thomisus spectabilis Australian crab spiders sitting on Bidens alba inflorescences and also the response of honeybees to crab spiders that we made easily detectable painting blue their forelimbs or abdomen. To account for the visual systems of crab spider's prey, we measured the reflectance properties of the spiders and inflorescences used for the experiments. We found that honeybees did not respond to the degree of matching between spiders and inflorescences (either chromatic or achromatic contrast): they responded similarly to white and yellow spiders, to control and painted spiders. However spider UV reflection, spider size and spider movement determined honeybee behaviour: the probability that honeybees landed on spider-harbouring inflorescences was greatest when the spiders were large and had high UV reflectance or when spiders were small and reflected little UV, and honeybees were more likely to reject inflorescences if spiders moved as the bee approached the inflorescence. Our study suggests that only the large, but not the small Australian crab spiders deceive their preys by reflecting UV light, and highlights the importance of other cues that elicited an anti-predator response in honeybees. PMID:21359183

  16. Spider movement, UV reflectance and size, but not spider crypsis, affect the response of honeybees to Australian crab spiders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Llandres, Ana L; Rodríguez-Gironés, Miguel A

    2011-02-16

    According to the crypsis hypothesis, the ability of female crab spiders to change body colour and match the colour of flowers has been selected because flower visitors are less likely to detect spiders that match the colour of the flowers used as hunting platform. However, recent findings suggest that spider crypsis plays a minor role in predator detection and some studies even showed that pollinators can become attracted to flowers harbouring Australian crab spider when the UV contrast between spider and flower increases. Here we studied the response of Apis mellifera honeybees to the presence of white or yellow Thomisus spectabilis Australian crab spiders sitting on Bidens alba inflorescences and also the response of honeybees to crab spiders that we made easily detectable painting blue their forelimbs or abdomen. To account for the visual systems of crab spider's prey, we measured the reflectance properties of the spiders and inflorescences used for the experiments. We found that honeybees did not respond to the degree of matching between spiders and inflorescences (either chromatic or achromatic contrast): they responded similarly to white and yellow spiders, to control and painted spiders. However spider UV reflection, spider size and spider movement determined honeybee behaviour: the probability that honeybees landed on spider-harbouring inflorescences was greatest when the spiders were large and had high UV reflectance or when spiders were small and reflected little UV, and honeybees were more likely to reject inflorescences if spiders moved as the bee approached the inflorescence. Our study suggests that only the large, but not the small Australian crab spiders deceive their preys by reflecting UV light, and highlights the importance of other cues that elicited an anti-predator response in honeybees.

  17. Pattern visual evoked potentials elicited by organic electroluminescence screen.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsumoto, Celso Soiti; Shinoda, Kei; Matsumoto, Harue; Funada, Hideaki; Sasaki, Kakeru; Minoda, Haruka; Iwata, Takeshi; Mizota, Atsushi

    2014-01-01

    To determine whether organic electroluminescence (OLED) screens can be used as visual stimulators to elicit pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (p-VEPs). Checkerboard patterns were generated on a conventional cathode-ray tube (S710, Compaq Computer Co., USA) screen and on an OLED (17 inches, 320 × 230 mm, PVM-1741, Sony, Tokyo, Japan) screen. The time course of the luminance changes of each monitor was measured with a photodiode. The p-VEPs elicited by these two screens were recorded from 15 eyes of 9 healthy volunteers (22.0 ± 0.8 years). The OLED screen had a constant time delay from the onset of the trigger signal to the start of the luminescence change. The delay during the reversal phase from black to white for the pattern was 1.0 msec on the cathode-ray tube (CRT) screen and 0.5 msec on the OLED screen. No significant differences in the amplitudes of P100 and the implicit times of N75 and P100 were observed in the p-VEPs elicited by the CRT and the OLED screens. The OLED screen can be used as a visual stimulator to elicit p-VEPs; however the time delay and the specific properties in the luminance change must be taken into account.

  18. Lightness functions

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Campi, Stefano; Gardner, Richard; Gronchi, Paolo

    2012-01-01

    Variants of the brightness function of a convex body K in n-dimensional Euclidean are investigated. The Lambertian lightness function L(K; v , w ) gives the total reflected light resulting from illumination by a light source at infinity in the direction w that is visible when looking...... in the direction v . The partial brightness function R( K ; v , w ) gives the area of the projection orthogonal to v of the portion of the surface of K that is both illuminated by a light source from the direction w and visible when looking in the direction v . A class of functions called lightness functions...... is introduced that includes L(K;.) and R(K;.) as special cases. Much of the theory of the brightness function like uniqueness, stability, and the existence and properties of convex bodies of maximal and minimal volume with finitely many function values equal to those of a given convex body, is extended...

  19. Reduction of short wavelength reflectance of multi-wall carbon nanotubes through ultraviolet laser irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephens, Michelle S.; Simonds, Brian J.; Yung, Christopher S.; Conklin, Davis; Livigni, David J.; Oliva, Alberto Remesal; Lehman, John H.

    2018-05-01

    Multi-wall carbon nanotube coatings are used as broadband, low-reflectance absorbers for bolometric applications and for stray light control. They are also used as high emittance blackbody radiators. Irradiation of single wall carbon nanotubes with ultraviolet (UV) laser light has been shown to remove amorphous carbon debris, but there have been few investigations of the interaction of UV light with the more complex physics of multi-wall carbon nanotubes. We present measurements of reflectance and surface morphology before and after exposure of multi-wall carbon nanotube coatings to 248 nm UV laser light. We show that UV exposure reduces the reflectivity at wavelengths below 600 nm and present modeling of the thermal cycling the UV exposure causes at the surface of the carbon nanotubes. This effect can be used to flatten the spectral shape of the reflectivity curve of carbon nanotube absorber coatings used for broadband applications. Finally, we find that the effect of UV exposure depends on the nanotube growth process.

  20. The monitoring system using laser light for the patient movement during radiation therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sano, Naoki; Onishi, Hiroshi; Yamaguchi, Motoshi; Kuriyama, Kengo; Akiyama, Saburou; Nakamura, Osamu; Araki, Tsutomu

    1997-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the usefulness of a newly developed real-time patient movement monitoring system built into the patient positioning light from the frontal and horizontal view. Materials and Techniques: This system is composed of 4 parts. They are a laser light projector, a retro-reflected tape, a sensor of photo-diode, and an alarm devise. First, this system projects a laser light for the patient movement monitor into the center of the crossed lines of the patient positioning light. The laser light (a diameter of 1.5mm and power of 0.5mW) for the patient movement monitor has a different wave length(633nm) from the patient positioning light. Then it is reflected into the direction of incidence with a retro-reflection tape affixed on three patient positioning points. And the system has a photo-diode which can sense the reflected laser light. This retro-reflected tape is made of tiny high reflective beads of glass which is fixed on a sheet with the thickness of 0.12mm and is able to be cut into any shape. This has a maximum retro-reflection angle of 70 degrees. We can select a tolerance of the patient movement by changing its shape and size. A buzzer strikes and a lamp is turned on to alarm for the error when the retro-reflected laser light is not sensed with the photo-diode. Results: The real-time monitoring accuracy of this system is only 0.17mm in the dimension of error for a selected tolerance of the phantom examination. Conclusion: This patient positioning system can be made simply and inexpensively and has a high monitoring accuracy. We can apply this system for a high-precision irradiation such as the three dimensional irradiation and small target irradiation

  1. Circadian light

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bierman Andrew

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The present paper reflects a work in progress toward a definition of circadian light, one that should be informed by the thoughtful, century-old evolution of our present definition of light as a stimulus for the human visual system. This work in progress is based upon the functional relationship between optical radiation and its effects on nocturnal melatonin suppression, in large part because the basic data are available in the literature. Discussed here are the fundamental differences between responses by the visual and circadian systems to optical radiation. Brief reviews of photometry, colorimetry, and brightness perception are presented as a foundation for the discussion of circadian light. Finally, circadian light (CLA and circadian stimulus (CS calculation procedures based on a published mathematical model of human circadian phototransduction are presented with an example.

  2. Generalized laws of reflection and refraction from transformation optics

    OpenAIRE

    Xu, Yadong; Yao, Kan; Chen, Huanyang

    2012-01-01

    Based on transformation optics, we introduce another set of generalized laws of reflection and refraction (differs from that of [Science 334, 333 (2011)]), through which a transformation media slab is derived as a meta-surface, producing anomalous reflection and refraction for all polarizations of incident light.

  3. Glue Film Thickness Measurements by Spectral Reflectance

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marshall, B.R.

    2010-01-01

    Spectral reflectance was used to determine the thickness of thin glue layers in a study of the effect of the glue on radiance and reflectance measurements of shocked-tin substrates attached to lithium fluoride windows. Measurements based on profilometry of the components were found to be inaccurate due to flatness variations and deformation of the tin substrate under pressure during the gluing process. The accuracy of the spectral reflectance measurements were estimated to be ±0.5 (micro)m, which was sufficient to demonstrate a convincing correlation between glue thickness and shock-generated light.

  4. Glue Film Thickness Measurements by Spectral Reflectance

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    B. R. Marshall

    2010-09-20

    Spectral reflectance was used to determine the thickness of thin glue layers in a study of the effect of the glue on radiance and reflectance measurements of shocked-tin substrates attached to lithium fluoride windows. Measurements based on profilometry of the components were found to be inaccurate due to flatness variations and deformation of the tin substrate under pressure during the gluing process. The accuracy of the spectral reflectance measurements were estimated to be ±0.5 μm, which was sufficient to demonstrate a convincing correlation between glue thickness and shock-generated light.

  5. Thin films for the manipulation of light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Piegari, Angela; Sytchkova, Anna

    2015-01-01

    The manipulation of light is typically accomplished by a series of optical surfaces on which the incident beam is reflected, or through which the beam is transmitted. Thin film coatings help to modify the behavior of such surfaces for obtaining the desired result: antireflection coatings to reduce reflection losses, high-reflectance mirrors, filters to divide or combine beams of different wavelengths, and many other types. The amount of light that is transmitted or reflected depends on the optical parameters of the materials and on interference phenomena in thin-film structures. Dedicated software is available to design the proper coating for each requirement. There are several applications of optical thin films, many of them are useful in the everyday life, many others are dedicated to scientific purposes, as will be described in this paper [it

  6. Polarization Of Light In The Natural Environment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coulson, Kinsell L.

    1990-01-01

    This paper provides a characterization of the fields of light polarization with which the optical designer or user of optical devices in the natural environment must be concerned. After a brief historical outline of the principal developments in polarization theory and observations during the last two centuries, the main emphasis is on the two primary processes responsible for the polarization of light in nature--scattering of light by particles of the atmosphere and reflection from soils, vegetation, snow, and water at the earth's surface. Finally, a seven minute film on polarization effects which can be seen in everyday surroundings will be shown. Scattering by atmospheric particles is responsible for high values of polarization in various atmospheric conditions and at certain scattering geometries. Such scattering particles include molecules of the atmospheric gases, aerosols of dust, haze, and air pollution, water droplets of fog and clouds, and the ice crystals of cirrus. It is seen that development of the theory of scattering by such particles has outstripped the measurements necessary for validation of the theory, a fact which points up the importance of symposia such as the present one. The reverse is true, however, for the polarizing properties of natural surfaces. Only in the case of still water is the theory of reflection adequate to characterize in a quantitative fashion the polarizing effects produced by the reflection of light from such natural surfaces. Polarization of light by reflection from vegetation is of prime importance in a remote sensing context, but much further work is needed to characterize vegetative reflectance for the purpose. The short film on polarization effects provides a good visualization technique and training aid for students interested in the field.

  7. Slow-light pulses in moving media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fiurasek, J.; Leonhardt, U.; Parentani, R.

    2002-01-01

    Slow light in moving media reaches a counterintuitive regime when the flow speed of the medium approaches the group velocity of light. Pulses can penetrate a region where a counterpropagating flow exceeds the group velocity. When the counterflow slows down, pulses are reflected

  8. Entropy-optimal weight constraint elicitation with additive multi-attribute utility models

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Valkenhoef , van Gert; Tervonen, Tommi

    2016-01-01

    We consider the elicitation of incomplete preference information for the additive utility model in terms of linear constraints on the weights. Eliciting incomplete preferences using holistic pair-wise judgments is convenient for the decision maker, but selecting the best pair-wise comparison is

  9. Eliciting Subjective Probabilities with Binary Lotteries

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Harrison, Glenn W.; Martínez-Correa, Jimmy; Swarthout, J. Todd

    objective probabilities. Drawing a sample from the same subject population, we find evidence that the binary lottery procedure induces linear utility in a subjective probability elicitation task using the Quadratic Scoring Rule. We also show that the binary lottery procedure can induce direct revelation...

  10. Sample Size for Measuring Grammaticality in Preschool Children from Picture-Elicited Language Samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Eisenberg, Sarita L.; Guo, Ling-Yu

    2015-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether a shorter language sample elicited with fewer pictures (i.e., 7) would yield a percent grammatical utterances (PGU) score similar to that computed from a longer language sample elicited with 15 pictures for 3-year-old children. Method: Language samples were elicited by asking forty…

  11. Light trespass : causes, remedies and actions. Paper presented at the CIE / MBE Symposium "Lighting and Signalling for Transport", Budapest, 22-23 September 1986.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schreuder, D.A.

    1986-01-01

    Light trespass is the result of light that does not reach its destination, or that is reflected after having reached its destination or is scattered by the media in between source and destination: by light that is "spilled". Light trespass may disturb people for whom the lighting actually is

  12. Eliciting Information on Sensitive Matters Without Inviting ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Eliciting Information on Sensitive Matters. Without Inviting Respondents' ... methods based on Randomized Response tech- niques. ... while collecting data on some sensitive issues are well ..... Suppose there is an association of professionals.

  13. Surface reflectance of Antarctic bryophytes and protection from UV and visible light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Robinson, S.A.; Wasley, J.; Turnbull, J.

    2000-01-01

    Full text: As well as determining the amount of solar radiation available for photosynthesis, the surface reflectance and absorptance characteristics of plants are their first defence against damaging effects of solar radiation. The solar spectrum can be damaging to plants in many ways. At shorter wavelengths, UV-B (280-320 nm) radiation can cause lesions in nucleic acid and proteins. Excess levels of visible radiation (400-750) can cause photoinhibition whilst high absorbtance of longer wavelengths (>750) leads to increases in temperature that can be detrimental in some environments. The adaptation of surface reflectance properties of vascular plants to particular environments are well known in some ecosystems. For example in desert ecosystems pubescent leaf surfaces that increase reflectance are common and have been demonstrated to be important to protection from photoinhibition. The epidermal characteristics of some plants are also known to change in absorptance, due to the accumulation of specific compounds. For example flavonoids which are effective screens against UV-B radiation, increase upon exposure to UV-B radiation. In this study we surveyed the natural variability in surface reflectance in mosses growing in continental Antarctica. Antarctica is experiencing large increases in incident UV-B radiation due to reductions in concentrations of stratospheric ozone. Additionally over the summer months (November January), when moss is exposed to direct sunlight, levels of visible solar radiation are also high, increasing the likelihood of photoinhibitory damage in moss. Our aim in this study is to describe the natural variability in the surface reflectance characteristics of moss, such that we have a baseline with which to assess future changes in response to changes in global climate, and imposed experimental treatments, and also to develop hypotheses with respect to how mosses have adapted to the cold and arid antarctic environment. Variability in surface

  14. An Evaluation of the Instruction Carried out with Printed Laboratory Materials Designed in Accordance with 5E Model: Reflection of Light and Image on a Plane Mirror

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ayvaci, Hakan Sevki; Yildiz, Mehmet; Bakirci, Hasan

    2015-01-01

    This study employed a print laboratory material based on 5E model of constructivist learning approach to teach reflection of light and Image on a Plane Mirror. The effect of the instruction which conducted with the designed print laboratory material on academic achievements of prospective science and technology teachers and their attitudes towards…

  15. Pattern Visual Evoked Potentials Elicited by Organic Electroluminescence Screen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Celso Soiti Matsumoto

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. To determine whether organic electroluminescence (OLED screens can be used as visual stimulators to elicit pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials (p-VEPs. Method. Checkerboard patterns were generated on a conventional cathode-ray tube (S710, Compaq Computer Co., USA screen and on an OLED (17 inches, 320 × 230 mm, PVM-1741, Sony, Tokyo, Japan screen. The time course of the luminance changes of each monitor was measured with a photodiode. The p-VEPs elicited by these two screens were recorded from 15 eyes of 9 healthy volunteers (22.0 ± 0.8 years. Results. The OLED screen had a constant time delay from the onset of the trigger signal to the start of the luminescence change. The delay during the reversal phase from black to white for the pattern was 1.0 msec on the cathode-ray tube (CRT screen and 0.5 msec on the OLED screen. No significant differences in the amplitudes of P100 and the implicit times of N75 and P100 were observed in the p-VEPs elicited by the CRT and the OLED screens. Conclusion. The OLED screen can be used as a visual stimulator to elicit p-VEPs; however the time delay and the specific properties in the luminance change must be taken into account.

  16. Light source distribution and scattering phase function influence light transport in diffuse multi-layered media

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vaudelle, Fabrice; L'Huillier, Jean-Pierre; Askoura, Mohamed Lamine

    2017-06-01

    Red and near-Infrared light is often used as a useful diagnostic and imaging probe for highly scattering media such as biological tissues, fruits and vegetables. Part of diffusively reflected light gives interesting information related to the tissue subsurface, whereas light recorded at further distances may probe deeper into the interrogated turbid tissues. However, modelling diffusive events occurring at short source-detector distances requires to consider both the distribution of the light sources and the scattering phase functions. In this report, a modified Monte Carlo model is used to compute light transport in curved and multi-layered tissue samples which are covered with a thin and highly diffusing tissue layer. Different light source distributions (ballistic, diffuse or Lambertian) are tested with specific scattering phase functions (modified or not modified Henyey-Greenstein, Gegenbauer and Mie) to compute the amount of backscattered and transmitted light in apple and human skin structures. Comparisons between simulation results and experiments carried out with a multispectral imaging setup confirm the soundness of the theoretical strategy and may explain the role of the skin on light transport in whole and half-cut apples. Other computational results show that a Lambertian source distribution combined with a Henyey-Greenstein phase function provides a higher photon density in the stratum corneum than in the upper dermis layer. Furthermore, it is also shown that the scattering phase function may affect the shape and the magnitude of the Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution (BRDF) exhibited at the skin surface.

  17. Enhancement of white light OLED efficiency by combining both internal and external light extraction structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kao, I.-Ling; Ku, Chun-Neng; Chen, Yi-Ping; Lin, Ding-Zheng

    2012-09-01

    We proposed an internal nanostructure with a high reflective index planarization layer to solve the optical loss due to the reflective index mismatch between ITO and glass substrate. In our experiments, we found the electrical property of OLED device was significantly influenced by the internal nanostructures without planarization layer. Moreover, the internal extraction structure (IES) is not necessarily beneficial for light extraction. Therefore, we proposed a new substrate combine both internal and external extraction structure (EES) to extract trapping light. We successfully developed a high refractive index (N 1.7) planarization material with flat surface (RMS roughness < 2 nm), and improved about 70% device efficiency compared to traditional glass substrate.

  18. Effect of the refraction factor of a plastic fiber shell on the internal reflection coefficient

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pkrksypkin, A.I.; Ponomarev, L.I.

    1992-01-01

    Results of pilot studies of the effect of refraction factor of plastic fiber shell on the coefficient of light internal reflection in the fiber are presented. It is pointed, that the shell does not absorb the light, but effects the surface layer of the fiber centre so, that dependence of the coefficient of internal reflection on refraction factor of the shell may be described using Fresnel formulae. It is shown, that coefficient of internal reflection decreases with the increase of refraction factor. Technique to determine volume length of scintillation light absorption in the fiber is suggested

  19. Reflection-type electromagnetically induced transparency analogue in terahertz metamaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ding Chun-Feng; Zhang Ya-Ting; Yao Jian-Quan; Xu De-Gang; Zhang Gui-Zhong; Sun Chong-Ling

    2014-01-01

    A reflection-type electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) metamaterial is proposed, which is composed of a dielectric spacer sandwiched with metallic patterns and metallic plane. Experimental results of THz time domain spectrum (THz-TDS) exhibit a typical reflection of EIT at 0.865 THz, which are in excellent agreement with the full-wave simulations. A multi-reflection theory is adopted to analyze the physical mechanism of the reflection-type EIT, showing that the reflection-type EIT is a superposition of multiple reflection of the transmission EIT. Such a reflection-type EIT provides many applications based on the EIT effect, such as slow light devices and nonlinear elements. (electromagnetism, optics, acoustics, heat transfer, classical mechanics, and fluid dynamics)

  20. Reflectance, illumination, and appearance in color constancy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McCann, John J; Parraman, Carinna; Rizzi, Alessandro

    2014-01-01

    We studied color constancy using a pair of identical 3-D Color Mondrian displays. We viewed one 3-D Mondrian in nearly uniform illumination, and the other in directional, nonuniform illumination. We used the three dimensional structures to modulate the light falling on the painted surfaces. The 3-D structures in the displays were a matching set of wooden blocks. Across Mondrian displays, each corresponding facet had the same paint on its surface. We used only 6 chromatic, and 5 achromatic paints applied to 104 block facets. The 3-D blocks add shadows and multiple reflections not found in flat Mondrians. Both 3-D Mondrians were viewed simultaneously, side-by-side. We used two techniques to measure correlation of appearance with surface reflectance. First, observers made magnitude estimates of changes in the appearances of identical reflectances. Second, an author painted a watercolor of the 3-D Mondrians. The watercolor's reflectances quantified the changes in appearances. While constancy generalizations about illumination and reflectance hold for flat Mondrians, they do not for 3-D Mondrians. A constant paint does not exhibit perfect color constancy, but rather shows significant shifts in lightness, hue and chroma in response to the structure in the nonuniform illumination. Color appearance depends on the spatial information in both the illumination and the reflectances of objects. The spatial information of the quanta catch from the array of retinal receptors generates sensations that have variable correlation with surface reflectance. Models of appearance in humans need to calculate the departures from perfect constancy measured here. This article provides a dataset of measurements of color appearances for computational models of sensation.

  1. Reflectance, illumination, and appearance in color constancy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John J. McCann

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We studied color constancy using a pair of identical 3-D Color Mondrian displays. We viewed one 3-D Mondrian in nearly uniform illumination, and the other in directional, nonuniform illumination. We used the three dimensional structures to modulate the light falling on the painted surfaces. The 3-D structures in the displays were a matching set of wooden blocks. Across Mondrian displays, each corresponding facet had the same paint on its surface. We used only 6 chromatic, and 5 achromatic paints applied to 104 block facets. The 3-D blocks add shadows and multiple reflections not found in flat Mondrians. Both 3-D Mondrians were viewed simultaneously, side-by-side. We used two techniques to measure correlation of appearance with surface reflectance. First, observers made magnitude estimates of changes in the appearances of identical reflectances. Second, an author painted a watercolor of the 3-D Mondrians. The watercolor’s reflectances quantified the changes in appearances. While constancy generalizations about illumination and reflectance hold for flat Mondrians, they do not for 3-D Mondrians. A constant paint does not exhibit perfect color constancy, but rather shows significant shifts in lightness, hue and chroma in response to the structure in the nonuniform illumination. Color appearance depends on the spatial information in both the illumination and the reflectances of objects. The spatial information of the quanta catch from the array of retinal receptors generates sensations that have variable correlation with surface reflectance. Models of appearance in humans need to calculate the departures from perfect constancy measured here. This article provides a dataset of measurements of color appearances for computational models of sensation.

  2. Expanding the Caring Lens: Nursing and Medical Students Reflecting on Images of Older People.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brand, Gabrielle; Miller, Karen; Saunders, Rosemary; Dugmore, Helen; Etherton-Beer, Christopher

    2016-01-01

    In changing higher education environments, health profession's educators have been increasingly challenged to prepare future health professionals to care for aging populations. This article reports on an exploratory, mixed-method research study that used an innovative photo-elicitation technique and interprofessional small-group work in the classroom to enhance the reflective learning experience of medical and nursing students. Data were collected from pre- and postquestionnaires and focus groups to explore shifts in perceptions toward older persons following the reflective learning session. The qualitative data revealed how using visual images of older persons provides a valuable learning space for reflection. Students found meaning in their own learning by creating shared storylines that challenged their perceptions of older people and themselves as future health professionals. These data support the use of visual methodologies to enhance engagement, reflection, and challenge students to explore and deepen their understanding in gerontology.

  3. Illumination of interior spaces by bended hollow light guides: Application of the theoretical light propagation method

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Darula, Stanislav; Kocifaj, Miroslav; Kittler, Richard [ICA, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Bratislava (Slovakia); Kundracik, Frantisek [Department of Experimental Physics, FMPI, Comenius University, Bratislava (Slovakia)

    2010-12-15

    To ensure comfort and healthy conditions in interior spaces the thermal, acoustics and daylight factors of the environment have to be considered in the building design. Due to effective energy performance in buildings the new technology and applications also in daylight engineering are sought such as tubular light guides. These allow the transport of natural light into the building core reducing energy consumption. A lot of installations with various geometrical and optical properties can be applied in real buildings. The simplest set of tubular light guide consists of a transparent cupola, direct tube with high reflected inner surface and a ceiling cover or diffuser redistributing light into the interior. Such vertical tubular guide is often used on flat roofs. When the roof construction is inclined a bend in the light guide system has to be installed. In this case the cupola is set on the sloped roof which collects sunlight and skylight from the seen part of the sky hemisphere as well as that reflected from the ground and opposite facades. In comparison with the vertical tube some additional light losses and distortions of the propagated light have to be expected in bended tubular light guides. Recently the theoretical model of light propagation was already published and its applications are presented in this study solving illuminance distributions on the ceiling cover interface and further illuminance distribution on the working plane in the interior. (author)

  4. PABRE-Proj: applying patterns in requirements elicitation

    OpenAIRE

    Palomares Bonache, Cristina; Quer Bosor, Maria Carme; Franch Gutiérrez, Javier

    2013-01-01

    Software requirement patterns have been proposed as a type of artifact for fostering requirements reuse. In this paper, we present PABRE-Proj, a tool aimed at supporting requirements elicitation and specification. Peer Reviewed

  5. A web-based virtual lighting simulator

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Papamichael, Konstantinos; Lai, Judy; Fuller, Daniel; Tariq, Tara

    2002-05-06

    This paper is about a web-based ''virtual lighting simulator,'' which is intended to allow architects and lighting designers to quickly assess the effect of key parameters on the daylighting and lighting performance in various space types. The virtual lighting simulator consists of a web-based interface that allows navigation through a large database of images and data, which were generated through parametric lighting simulations. At its current form, the virtual lighting simulator has two main modules, one for daylighting and one for electric lighting. The daylighting module includes images and data for a small office space, varying most key daylighting parameters, such as window size and orientation, glazing type, surface reflectance, sky conditions, time of the year, etc. The electric lighting module includes images and data for five space types (classroom, small office, large open office, warehouse and small retail), varying key lighting parameters, such as the electric lighting system, surface reflectance, dimming/switching, etc. The computed images include perspectives and plans and are displayed in various formats to support qualitative as well as quantitative assessment. The quantitative information is in the form of iso-contour lines superimposed on the images, as well as false color images and statistical information on work plane illuminance. The qualitative information includes images that are adjusted to account for the sensitivity and adaptation of the human eye. The paper also includes a section on the major technical issues and their resolution.

  6. When Do Morally Motivated Innovators Elicit Inspiration Instead of Irritation?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bolderdijk, Jan Willem; Brouwer, Claire; Cornelissen, Gert

    2017-01-01

    Innovators (i.e., consumers who are the first to adopt an innovation) are pivotal for the societal diffusion of sustainable innovations. But when are innovators most influential? Recent work suggests that morally motivated innovators (i.e., consumers who adopt an innovation out of concern for the welfare of others) can make fellow consumers who have not yet adopted that innovation feel morally inadequate. As a self-defense mechanism, those fellow consumers might dismiss these innovators and their choices. As a result, ironically, morally motivated innovators might discourage others to adopt sustainable innovations. In an experimental study, we replicate this pattern, but also show that moral innovators can elicit a more positive response as well. Specifically, our results offer initial evidence that morally motivated innovators may be more inspiring than self-interested innovators, provided that their actions do not directly pose a threat to the moral self-concept of observers. In sum, our research sheds empirical light on the conditions under which innovators are likely to facilitate, rather than slow down the transition to a more sustainable society.

  7. Eliciting User Requirements Using Appreciative Inquiry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzales, Carol Kernitzki

    2010-01-01

    Many software development projects fail because they do not meet the needs of users, are over-budget, and abandoned. To address this problem, the user requirements elicitation process was modified based on principles of Appreciative Inquiry. Appreciative Inquiry, commonly used in organizational development, aims to build organizations, processes,…

  8. Theoretical interpretations of enhanced laser light absorption

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kruer, W.L.

    1975-01-01

    Intense laser light is not efficiently absorbed classically but can be absorbed by its conversion to electron plasma waves near the critical density. The physical mechanisms for this conversion are discussed, and some simple estimates for heating by plasma waves are applied to some recent experiments. Several effects which strongly influence the absorption of high intensity light are emphasized, including a nonlinear steepening of the plasma density profile which is demonstrated in computer simulations. Finally the possibility of an induced reflection of laser light due to instabilities in the underdense plasma before the critical density is also discussed. Such stimulated reflection can be particularly important in plasmas with very long density gradients. (U.S.)

  9. State-of-the-Art Prescriptive Criteria Weight Elicitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mona Riabacke

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Comparatively few of the vast amounts of decision analytical methods suggested have been widely spread in actual practice. Some approaches have nevertheless been more successful in this respect than others. Quantitative decision making has moved from the study of decision theory founded on a single criterion towards decision support for more realistic decision-making situations with multiple, often conflicting, criteria. Furthermore, the identified gap between normative and descriptive theories seems to suggest a shift to more prescriptive approaches. However, when decision analysis applications are used to aid prescriptive decision-making processes, additional demands are put on these applications to adapt to the users and the context. In particular, the issue of weight elicitation is crucial. There are several techniques for deriving criteria weights from preference statements. This is a cognitively demanding task, subject to different biases, and the elicited values can be heavily dependent on the method of assessment. There have been a number of methods suggested for assessing criteria weights, but these methods have properties which impact their applicability in practice. This paper provides a survey of state-of-the-art weight elicitation methods in a prescriptive setting.

  10. Sequential, progressive, equal-power, reflective beam-splitter arrays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manhart, Paul K.

    2017-11-01

    The equations to calculate equal-power reflectivity of a sequential series of beam splitters is presented. Non-sequential optical design examples are offered for uniform illumination using diode lasers. Objects created using Boolean operators and Swept Surfaces can create objects capable of reflecting light into predefined elevation and azimuth angles. Analysis of the illumination patterns for the array are also presented.

  11. Fundus reflectance : historical and present ideas

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Berendschot, T.T.J.M.; Delint, P.J.; Norren, D. van

    2003-01-01

    In 1851 Helmholtz introduced the ophthalmoscope. The instrument allowed the observation of light reflected at the fundus. The development of this device was one of the major advancements in ophthalmology. Yet ophthalmoscopy allows only qualitative observation of the eye. Since 1950 attempts were

  12. Astronomers Travel in Time and Space with Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mather, John C.

    2016-01-01

    This is an excerpt of John Mather's in a book titled: INSPIRED BY LIGHT, Reflections from the International Year of Light 2015. It was produced in January 2016 by SPIE, the European Physical Society (EPS), and The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) to commemorate the International Year of Light and Light-based Technologies 2015. The excerpt discusses how astronomers use light.

  13. Peculiarities of light transformation by the plate-lane biisotropic layer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dovydenko, S.N.

    2011-01-01

    In this article the peculiarities of transformation of light wave with arbitrary polarization by a half-infinity biisotropic medium and a biisotropic layer surrounded by different media are considered. Analytical expressions are obtained for refraction and reflection coefficients of transformed waves. The influence of layer parameters on refraction and reflection is investigated. It is shown that at arbitrary polarization of incident light the reflected wave is elliptically polarized. The possibility is established and the conditions are determined for π/2 turning the polarization plate of the wave at reflection from the biisotropic medium/layer. The refraction of the light wave by a plate-lake biisotropic layer is analyzed. It is grounded that the wave, transmitted the layer, is elliptically polarized, at that its ellipticity depends on chiral and non-reciprocal parameters, the non-reciprocality influence is weaker. (authors)

  14. Potential Sources of Polarized Light from a Plant Canopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderbilt, Vern; Daughtry, Craig; Dahlgren, Robert

    2016-01-01

    Field measurements have demonstrated that sunlight polarized during a first surface reflection by shiny leaves dominates the optical polarization of the light reflected by shiny-leafed plant canopies having approximately spherical leaf angle probability density functions ("Leaf Angle Distributions" - LAD). Yet for other canopies - specifically those without shiny leaves and/or spherical LADs - potential sources of optically polarized light may not always be obvious. Here we identify possible sources of polarized light within those other canopies and speculate on the ecologically important information polarization measurements of those sources might contain.

  15. Correlations between colonization of onion thrips and leaf reflectance measures across six cabbage varieties.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    János Bálint

    Full Text Available The main purpose of this study was to reveal if the UV-A, and visible light reflection of leaves of white cabbage varieties is correlated to resistance against onion thrips. The antixenotic resistance (AR against onion thrips and thrips damage differed between varieties Balashi, Bloktor, Riana - considered resistant - and Green Gem, Hurricane, Quisor - considered susceptible. The solar UV-A (340-400 nm and visible (401-650 nm light reflection of white cabbage leaves were recorded. Correlation between AR against onion thrips and reflection of leaves in UV-A and visible range of the studied white cabbage varieties were computed. According to the AR evaluation onion thrips density was always higher on susceptible than on resistant varieties. The UV-A light reflection of head forming leaves and the contrast between head and exterior leaves (H/E was negatively correlated with onion thrips host preference at an early stage of cabbage head formation. The visible light reflection of both head forming and exterior leaves was also negatively correlated with onion thrips host preference. Susceptible varieties had greater damage ratings at harvest than resistant ones and positive correlations were observed between AR and damage. AR against onion thrips may be affected by differences in reflection of cabbage leaves at an early growth stage. It is suggested that more intensive reflection of leaves and/or higher contrast values between the reflectance intensity of head versus outer leaves made the resistant varieties less attractive to onion thrips. Our results reported here provide the first evidence of negative correlation between UV-A and visible reflection of leaves and AR of white cabbage against a dangerous insect pest, opening new perspectives for understanding the role of reflection by plant leaves in pest management.

  16. The Sclerotic Scatter Limbal Arc Is More Easily Elicited under Mesopic Rather Than Photopic Conditions.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Eric Denion

    Full Text Available We aimed to determine the limbal lighting illuminance thresholds (LLITs required to trigger perception of sclerotic scatter at the opposite non-illuminated limbus (i.e. perception of a light limbal scleral arc under different levels of ambient lighting illuminance (ALI.Twenty healthy volunteers were enrolled. The iris shade (light or dark was graded by retrieving the median value of the pixels of a pre-determined zone of a gray-level iris photograph. Mean keratometry and central corneal pachymetry were recorded. Each subject was asked to lie down, and the ALI at eye level was set to mesopic values (10, 20, 40 lux, then photopic values (60, 80, 100, 150, 200 lux. For each ALI level, a light beam of gradually increasing illuminance was applied to the right temporal limbus until the LLIT was reached, i.e. the level required to produce the faint light arc that is characteristic of sclerotic scatter at the nasal limbus.After log-log transformation, a linear relationship between the logarithm of ALI and the logarithm of the LLIT was found (p<0.001, a 10% increase in ALI being associated with an average increase in the LLIT of 28.9%. Higher keratometry values were associated with higher LLIT values (p = 0.008 under low ALI levels, but the coefficient of the interaction was very small, representing a very limited effect. Iris shade and central corneal thickness values were not significantly associated with the LLIT. We also developed a censored linear model for ALI values ≤ 40 lux, showing a linear relationship between ALI and the LLIT, in which the LLIT value was 34.4 times greater than the ALI value.Sclerotic scatter is more easily elicited under mesopic conditions than under photopic conditions and requires the LLIT value to be much higher than the ALI value, i.e. it requires extreme contrast.

  17. A reflectivity profilometer for the optical characterisation of graded reflectivity mirrors in the 250 nm - 1100 nm spectral region

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Colucci, Alessandro; Nichelatti, Enrico

    1998-04-01

    It's developed the prototype of an instrument that can be used for the optical characterisation of graded reflectivity mirrors at any wavelength in the spectral region from 250 nm to 1100 nm. The instrument utilises a high-pressure Xe arc lamp as light source. Light is spectrally filtered by means of a grating monochromator. The sample is illuminated with an image of the monochromator exit slit. After reflection from the sample, this image is projected onto a 1024-elements charge-coupled device linear array driven by a digital frame board and interfaced with a personal computer. It's tested the instrument accuracy by comparing measurement results with the corresponding ones obtained by means of a laser scanning technique. Measurement Rms repeatability has been estimated to be approximately of 0.8% [it

  18. Closed Paths of Light Trapped in a Closed Fermat Curve

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dana-Picard, Thierry; Naiman, Aaron

    2002-01-01

    Geometric constructions have previously been shown that can be interpreted as rays of light trapped either in polygons or in conics, by successive reflections. The same question, trapping light in closed Fermat curves, is addressed here. Numerical methods are used to study the behaviour of the reflection points of a triangle when the degree of the…

  19. Effects of penicillin on procaine-elicited bursts of potential in central neuron of snail, Achatina fulica.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yi-Hung; Lu, Kuan-Ling; Hsiao, Ru-Wan; Lee, Ya-Ling; Tsai, Hong-Chieh; Lin, Chia Hsien; Tsai, Ming-Cheng

    2008-08-01

    Effects of penicillin on changes in procaine-elicited bursts of potential (BoP) were studied in a central neuron (RP4) of snail, Achatina fulica Ferussac. Procaine elicited BoP in the RP4 neuron while penicillin elicited depolarization of the neuron. Penicillin decreased the BoP elicited by procaine in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect of penicillin on the procaine-elicited BoP was not altered in the preparations treated with ascorbate or L-NAME (N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester). However, the inhibitory effect of penicillin on the procaine-elicited BoP was enhanced with a decrease in extracellular sodium ion. Sodium ion was one of the important ions contributing to the action potential of the neuron. Two-electrode voltage-clamp studies revealed that penicillin decreased the fast sodium inward current of the neuron. It is concluded that penicillin inhibited the BoP elicited by procaine and sodium ion altered the effect of penicillin on procaine-elicited BoP.

  20. Excitation of anodized alumina films with a light source

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aggerbeck, Martin; Canulescu, Stela; Rechendorff, K.

    Optical properties of anodized aluminium alloys were determined by optical diffuse reflectance spectroscopy of such films. Samples with different concentrations of dopants were excited with a white-light source combined with an integrating sphere for fast determination of diffuse reflectance....... The UV-VIS reflectance of Ti-doped anodized aluminium films was measured over the wavelength range of 200 nm to 900 nm. Titanium doped-anodized aluminium films with 5-15 wt% Ti were characterized. Changes in the diffuse light scattering of doped anodized aluminium films, and thus optical appearance......, with doping are discussed. Using the Kubelka-Munk model on the diffuse reflectance spectra of such films, the bandgap Eg of the oxide alloys can be determined....

  1. The Reflection Effect on the Eclipsing Binary by the Wilson and Devinney's Model and Russell and Merrill's Model

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seong Hee Choea

    1992-06-01

    Full Text Available The reflection effect on three types of eclipsing binaries has been analyzed Wilson and Devinney's model and Russell and Merrill's model. The reflection effect was displayed on the theoretical light curves for the various conditions using the Wilson and Devinney's light curve program. Two models were compared after the rectifing the theoretical light curves including the reflection effect with the Russell and Merrill's method. The result shows that two models have an agreement on the reflection effect just in cases of the small difference in temperature and albedo between two stars in the system.

  2. Salient Beliefs in Majoring in Management Information Systems: An Elicitation Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chipidza, Wallace; Green, Gina; Riemenschneider, Cindy

    2016-01-01

    Research utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior to understand behavior should first elicit beliefs about the phenomenon from the target population. In order to understand the reasons why students choose to major or not major in Management Information Systems (MIS), we elicited beliefs from 136 students attending university in the United States…

  3. Views of Nursing Students about Reflection: A Qualitative Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marrzieh Moattari

    2009-06-01

    Full Text Available Background and purpose: The phenomenon of knowledge explosion has led teachers to feel the necessity of training students so that they become reflective thinkers. This issue is particularly important for nursing students who are responsible for providing care for patients. The purpose ofthis study is exploration of nursing students’ views on reflection on practice.Methods: Twenty senior nursing students participated in this study. They were asked to reflect on their clinical experiences for 10 weeks of their final clinical course. They were also asked to write their reflection in their weekly journals. The journals were studied by the researcher and appropriatefeedback was given to the student regarding their reflective writing. At the end of the clinical course, they were divided into 2 groups to participate in 2 separate focus group session and to discuss the issues regarding 9 proposed open – ended questions. The students’ responses were tape – recorded and a transcript was made and analyzed qualitatively. The data were coded and categorized. Then each category was named to elicit the related constructs.Results: Qualitative data analysis showed that refection as a learning strategy has impact on 5 different elements of teaching learning process: caring, thinking, theory practice integration, selfregulatory mechanisms and motivation.Conclusion: Nursing students evaluated their experience on reflection on practice as an effective and valuable strategy. They believe that reflection through 5 different but related elements make them to consolidate their learning and plan their future experiences. Four out of the five emergedconstructs in this study are very similar to elements of cyclic learning proposed by Kolb (1984 and are capable of being integrated into experiential learning cycle. Motivation can be integrated into this cycle. Based on the result of this study reflection is suggested to be integrated in Iranian nursing curriculum

  4. Studies of dust grain properties in infrared reflection nebulae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pendleton, Y J; Tielens, A G; Werner, M W

    1990-01-20

    We have developed a model for reflection nebulae around luminous infrared sources embedded in dense dust clouds. The aim of this study is to determine the sizes of the scattering grains. In our analysis, we have adopted an MRN-like power-law size distribution (Mathis, Rumpl, and Nordsieck) of graphite and silicate grains, but other current dust models would give results which were substantially the same. In the optically thin limit, the intensity of the scattered light is proportional to the dust column density, while in the optically thick limit, it reflects the grain albedo. The results show that the shape of the infrared spectrum is the result of a combination of the scattering properties of the dust, the spectrum of the illuminating source, and foreground extinction, while geometry plays a minor role. Comparison of our model results with infrared observations of the reflection nebula surrounding OMC-2/IRS 1 shows that either a grain size distribution like that found in the diffuse interstellar medium, or one consisting of larger grains, can explain the observed shape of the spectrum. However, the absolute intensity level of the scattered light, as well as the observed polarization, requires large grains (approximately 5000 angstroms). By adding water ice mantles to the silicate and graphite cores, we have modeled the 3.08 micrometers ice band feature, which has been observed in the spectra of several infrared reflection nebulae. We show that this ice band arises naturally in optically thick reflection nebulae containing ice-coated grains. We show that the shape of the ice band is diagnostic of the presence of large grains, as previously suggested by Knacke and McCorkle. Comparison with observations of the BN/KL reflection nebula in the OMC-1 cloud shows that large ice grains (approximately 5000 angstroms) contribute substantially to the scattered light.

  5. Belief elicitation in experiments: Is there a hedging problem?

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Blanco, Mariana; Engelmann, Dirk; Koch, Alexander

    2010-01-01

    Belief-elicitation experiments usually reward accuracy of stated beliefs in addition to payments for other decisions. But this allows risk-averse subjects to hedge with their stated beliefs against adverse outcomes of the other decisions. So can we trust the existing belief-elicitation results...... opportunities are very prominent. If hedging opportunities are transparent, and incentives to hedge are strong, many subjects do spot hedging opportunities and respond to them. The bias can go beyond players actually hedging themselves, because some expect others to hedge and best respond to this....

  6. Enhancing Light-Trapping Properties of Amorphous Si Thin-Film Solar Cells Containing High-Reflective Silver Conductors Fabricated Using a Nonvacuum Process

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun-Chin Liu

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available We proposed a low-cost and highly reflective liquid organic sheet silver conductor using back contact reflectors in amorphous silicon (a-Si single junction superstrate configuration thin-film solar cells produced using a nonvacuum screen printing process. A comparison of silver conductor samples with vacuum-system-sputtered silver samples indicated that the short-circuit current density (Jsc of sheet silver conductor cells was higher than 1.25 mA/cm2. Using external quantum efficiency measurements, the sheet silver conductor using back contact reflectors in cells was observed to effectively enhance the light-trapping ability in a long wavelength region (between 600 nm and 800 nm. Consequently, we achieved an optimal initial active area efficiency and module conversion efficiency of 9.02% and 6.55%, respectively, for the a-Si solar cells. The results indicated that the highly reflective sheet silver conductor back contact reflector layer prepared using a nonvacuum process is a suitable candidate for high-performance a-Si thin-film solar cells.

  7. Saturated Zone Flow and Transport Expert Elicitation Project

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Coppersmith, Kevin J.; Perman, Roseanne C.

    1998-01-01

    This report presents results of the Saturated Zone Flow and Transport Expert Elicitation (SZEE) project for Yucca Mountain, Nevada. This project was sponsored by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by Geomatrix Consultants, Inc. (Geomatrix), for TRW Environmental Safety Systems, Inc. The DOE's Yucca Mountain Site Characterization Project (referred to as the YMP) is intended to evaluate the suitability of the site for construction of a mined geologic repository for the permanent disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. The SZEE project is one of several that involve the elicitation of experts to characterize the knowledge and uncertainties regarding key inputs to the Yucca Mountain Total System Performance Assessment (TSPA). The objective of the current project was to characterize the uncertainties associated with certain key issues related to the saturated zone system in the Yucca Mountain area and downgradient region. An understanding of saturated zone processes is critical to evaluating the performance of the potential high-level nuclear waste repository at Yucca Mountain. A major goal of the project was to capture the uncertainties involved in assessing the saturated flow processes, including uncertainty in both the models used to represent the physical processes controlling saturated zone flow and transport, and the parameter values used in the models. So that the analysis included a wide range of perspectives, multiple individual judgments were elicited from members of an expert panel. The panel members, who were experts from within and outside the Yucca Mountain project, represented a range of experience and expertise. A deliberate process was followed in facilitating interactions among the experts, in training them to express their uncertainties, and in eliciting their interpretations. The resulting assessments and probability distributions, therefore, provide a reasonable aggregate representation of the knowledge and

  8. Reflection properties of road surfaces. Contribution to OECD Scientific Expert Group AC4 on Road Surface Characteristics.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schreuder, D.A.

    1983-01-01

    Photometric characteristics of road surfaces are dealt with. Representation of reflection properties in public lighting; quality criteria of road lighting installations; classification of road surfaces; the relation between reflection characteristics and other properties of road pavements in public

  9. Determining the properties of dense matter: Superconductivity, bulk viscosity, and light reflection in compact stars

    Science.gov (United States)

    Good, Gerald J.

    In this dissertation, we investigate the properties of matter, denser than nuclei, that exists inside compact stars. First, we examine a mixed superfluid/superconductor system, which likely occurs in neutron star cores. We derive an effective theory of Cooper pair quasiparticles from a microscopic theory of nucleons, and calculate the coupling strengths between quasiparticles. We then calculate the structure of magnetic flux tubes, taking into consideration interactions between neutron and proton Cooper pairs. We find that interactions between the condensates can lead to interesting phenomena and new phases at the border between type-I and type-II behavior. Next, we examine the response of nuclear matter to vibrational modes by calculating the bulk viscosity from purely leptonic processes. We find that for hot neutron stars, the bulk viscosity due to leptons is very small compared to the bulk viscosity due to nucleons, but for cold neutron stars, the leptonic component is dominant. Finally, we derive the reflection and transmission properties of light at boundaries between phases of matter that have two independent U(1) generators, which may exist at the surface of "strange stars" or at boundaries between different phases of matter in a neutron star.

  10. Developing Atmospheric Retrieval Methods for Direct Imaging Spectroscopy of Gas Giants in Reflected Light I: Methane Abundances and Basic Cloud Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lupu, R. E.; Marley, M. S.; Lewis, N.; Line, M.; Traub, W.; Zahnle, K.

    2016-01-01

    Reflected light spectroscopy and photometry of cool, directly imaged extrasolar giant planets are expected to be performed in the next decade by space-based telescopes equipped with optical wavelength coronagraphs and integral field spectrographs, such as the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST). We are developing a new atmospheric retrieval methodology to help assess the science return and inform the instrument design for such future missions, and ultimately interpret the resulting observations. Our retrieval technique employs an albedo model coupled with both a Markov chain Monte Carlo Ensemble Sampler (emcee) and a multimodal nested sampling algorithm (MultiNest) to map the posterior distribution. This combination makes the global evidence calculation more robust for any given model, and highlights possible discrepancies in the likelihood maps. Here we apply this methodology to simulated spectra of cool giant planets. As a proof-of-concept, our current atmospheric model contains 1 or 2 cloud layers, methane as a major absorber, and a H2-He background gas. This 6-to-9 parameter model is appropriate for Jupiter-like planets and can be easily expanded in the future. In addition to deriving the marginal likelihood distribution and confidence intervals for the model parameters, we perform model selection to determine the significance of methane and cloud detection as a function of expected signal-to-noise, in the presence of spectral noise correlations. After internal validation, the method is applied to realistic reflected-light spectra of Jupiter, Saturn, and HD 99492 c, a likely observing target. We find that the presence or absence of clouds and methane can be determined with high accuracy, while parameters uncertainties are model-dependent.

  11. Understanding cancer patients' reflections on good nursing care in light of Antonovsky's theory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kvåle, Kirsti; Synnes, Oddgeir

    2013-12-01

    Data from an empirical study about cancer patients' perception of good caring are analysed in the light of Antonovsky's theory. The aim was to reflect on whether and how health personnel by giving good care, can function as vital resources at cancer patients disposal in activating their General Resistance Resources (GRRs) in a stressful life situation, and by that contribute to promotion and maintenance of their sense of coherence. A hermeneutical approach was chosen for analysing the data. The informants were cancer patients in an oncology ward in a regional hospital in Norway. Twenty patients were interviewed, ten women and ten men. The patients had various cancer diagnoses at different stages and had different prognoses. The findings indicate that most of the patients succeeded in activating their GRRs in dealing with the stressor. Nurses, doctors, family and friends can be seen to function as vital resources at their disposal when needed. Most likely good caring supported the patient's promotion and maintenance of the components of meaningfulness, comprehensibility and manageability which form the concept sense of coherence (SOC). Health personnel can support the patients' meaningfulness by listening to the patients' stories about what still gives them meaning in life and their comprehensibility by giving good information. Alleviation of physical suffering may promote and maintain their manageability. Because all three components are intertwined, it is important to focus on all of them when caring for cancer patients. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. High-Reflectivity Multi-Layer Coatings for the CLASP Sounding Rocket Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Narukage, Noriyuki; Kano, Ryohei; Bando, Takamasa; Ishikawa, Ryoko; Kubo, Masahito; Katsukawa, Yukio; Ishikawa, Shin-nosuke; Kobiki, Toshihiko; Giono, Gabriel; Auchere, Frederic; hide

    2015-01-01

    We are planning an international rocket experiment Chromospheric Lyman-Alpha Spectro-Polarimeter (CLASP) is (2015 planned) that Lyman alpha line (Ly alpha line) polarization spectroscopic observations from the sun. The purpose of this experiment, detected with high accuracy of the linear polarization of the Ly alpha lines to 0.1% by using a Hanle effect is to measure the magnetic field of the chromosphere-transition layer directly. For polarization photometric accuracy achieved that approximately 0.1% required for CLASP, it is necessary to realize the monitoring device with a high throughput. On the other hand, Ly alpha line (vacuum ultraviolet rays) have a sensitive characteristics that is absorbed by the material. We therefore set the optical system of the reflection system (transmission only the wavelength plate), each of the mirrors, subjected to high efficiency of the multilayer coating in accordance with the role. Primary mirror diameter of CLASP is about 30 cm, the amount of heat about 30,000 J is about 5 minutes of observation time is coming mainly in the visible light to the telescope. In addition, total flux of the sun visible light overwhelmingly large and about 200 000 times the Ly alpha line wavelength region. Therefore, in terms of thermal management and 0.1% of the photometric measurement accuracy achieved telescope, elimination of the visible light is essential. We therefore, has a high reflectivity (greater than 50%) in Ly alpha line, visible light is a multilayer coating be kept to a low reflectance (less than 5%) (cold mirror coating) was applied to the primary mirror. On the other hand, the efficiency of the polarization analyzer required chromospheric magnetic field measurement (the amount of light) Conventional (magnesium fluoride has long been known as a material for vacuum ultraviolet (MgF2) manufactured ellipsometer; Rs = 22%) about increased to 2.5 times were high efficiency reflective polarizing element analysis. This device, Bridou et al

  13. Water Pollution Detection by Reflectance Measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goolsby, A. D.

    1971-01-01

    Measurement of the intensity of light reflected from various planar liquid surfaces has been performed. The results of this brief study show that the presence of a film of foreign material floating on a reference substrate is easily detected by reflectance measurement if the two liquids possess significantly different refractive indices, for example, oil (n = 1.40) and water (n = 1.33). Additional study of various optical configurations, and the building and testing of a prototype monitoring device revealed that the method is sufficiently practical for application to continuous water quality monitoring.

  14. Brain potentials evoked by intraepidermal electrical stimuli reflect the central sensitization of nociceptive pathways.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liang, M; Lee, M C; O'Neill, J; Dickenson, A H; Iannetti, G D

    2016-08-01

    Central sensitization (CS), the increased sensitivity of the central nervous system to somatosensory inputs, accounts for secondary hyperalgesia, a typical sign of several painful clinical conditions. Brain potentials elicited by mechanical punctate stimulation using flat-tip probes can provide neural correlates of CS, but their signal-to-noise ratio is limited by poor synchronization of the afferent nociceptive input. Additionally, mechanical punctate stimulation does not activate nociceptors exclusively. In contrast, low-intensity intraepidermal electrical stimulation (IES) allows selective activation of type II Aδ-mechano-heat nociceptors (II-AMHs) and elicits reproducible brain potentials. However, it is unclear whether hyperalgesia from IES occurs and coexists with secondary mechanical punctate hyperalgesia, and whether the magnitude of the electroencephalographic (EEG) responses evoked by IES within the hyperalgesic area is increased. To address these questions, we explored the modulation of the psychophysical and EEG responses to IES by intraepidermal injection of capsaicin in healthy human subjects. We obtained three main results. First, the intensity of the sensation elicited by IES was significantly increased in participants who developed robust mechanical punctate hyperalgesia after capsaicin injection (i.e., responders), indicating that hyperalgesia from IES coexists with punctate mechanical hyperalgesia. Second, the N2 peak magnitude of the EEG responses elicited by IES was significantly increased after the intraepidermal injection of capsaicin in responders only. Third, a receiver-operator characteristics analysis showed that the N2 peak amplitude is clearly predictive of the presence of CS. These findings suggest that the EEG responses elicited by IES reflect secondary hyperalgesia and therefore represent an objective correlate of CS. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

  15. Reflections on a Disco Ball

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ribeiro, Jair Lúcio Prados

    2016-01-01

    A disco ball is a spherical object covered with small plane mirrors. When light reflects on these mirrors, it is scattered in many directions, producing a novel effect. The mirror globe is usually set to rotate, creating a profusion of moving spots (Fig. 1). In this article, we present a geometrical description of the movement of these spots and…

  16. Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potentials of Nigella sativa L. Suspension Cultures under Elicitation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hera Chaudhry

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Nigella sativa L. (family Ranunculaceae is an annual herb of immense medicinal properties because of its major active components (i.e., thymoquinone (TQ, thymohydroquinone (THQ, and thymol (THY. Plant tissue culture techniques like elicitation, Agrobacterium mediated transformation, hairy root culture, and so on, are applied for substantial metabolite production. This study enumerates the antibacterial and antioxidant potentials of N. sativa epicotyl suspension cultures under biotic and abiotic elicitation along with concentration optimization of the elicitors for enhanced TQ and THY production. Cultures under different concentrations of pectin and manganese chloride (MnCl2 elicitation (i.e., 5 mg/L, 10 mg/L, and 15 mg/L showed that the control, MnCl2 10 mg/L, and pectin 15 mg/L suspension extracts greatly inhibited the growth of E. coli, S. typhimurium, and S. aureus (MIC against E. coli, i.e., 2.35±0.8, 2.4±0.2, and 2.46±0.5, resp.. Elicitation decreased SOD enzyme activity whereas CAT enzyme activity increased remarkably under MnCl2 elicitation. MnCl2 10 mg/L and pectin 15 mg/L elicitation enhanced the DPPH radical inhibition ability, but ferric scavenging activity was comparable to the control. TQ and THY were quantified by LC-MS/MS in the cultures with high bioactive properties revealing maximum content under MnCl2 10 mg/L elicitation. Therefore, MnCl2 elicitation can be undertaken on large scale for sustainable metabolite production.

  17. Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antibacterial Potentials of Nigella sativa L. Suspension Cultures under Elicitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaudhry, Hera; Fatima, Nida; Ahmad, Iffat Zareen

    2015-01-01

    Nigella sativa L. (family Ranunculaceae) is an annual herb of immense medicinal properties because of its major active components (i.e., thymoquinone (TQ), thymohydroquinone (THQ), and thymol (THY)). Plant tissue culture techniques like elicitation, Agrobacterium mediated transformation, hairy root culture, and so on, are applied for substantial metabolite production. This study enumerates the antibacterial and antioxidant potentials of N. sativa epicotyl suspension cultures under biotic and abiotic elicitation along with concentration optimization of the elicitors for enhanced TQ and THY production. Cultures under different concentrations of pectin and manganese chloride (MnCl2) elicitation (i.e., 5 mg/L, 10 mg/L, and 15 mg/L) showed that the control, MnCl2 10 mg/L, and pectin 15 mg/L suspension extracts greatly inhibited the growth of E. coli, S. typhimurium, and S. aureus (MIC against E. coli, i.e., 2.35 ± 0.8, 2.4 ± 0.2, and 2.46 ± 0.5, resp.). Elicitation decreased SOD enzyme activity whereas CAT enzyme activity increased remarkably under MnCl2 elicitation. MnCl2 10 mg/L and pectin 15 mg/L elicitation enhanced the DPPH radical inhibition ability, but ferric scavenging activity was comparable to the control. TQ and THY were quantified by LC-MS/MS in the cultures with high bioactive properties revealing maximum content under MnCl2 10 mg/L elicitation. Therefore, MnCl2 elicitation can be undertaken on large scale for sustainable metabolite production.

  18. Polarization-sensitive color in butterfly scales: polarization conversion from ridges with reflecting elements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ke; Tang, Yiwen; Meng, Jinsong; Wang, Ge; Zhou, Han; Fan, Tongxiang; Zhang, Di

    2014-11-03

    Polarization-sensitive color originates from polarization-dependent reflection or transmission, exhibiting abundant light information, including intensity, spectral distribution, and polarization. A wide range of butterflies are physiologically sensitive to polarized light, but the origins of polarized signal have not been fully understood. Here we systematically investigate the colorful scales of six species of butterfly to reveal the physical origins of polarization-sensitive color. Microscopic optical images under crossed polarizers exhibit their polarization-sensitive characteristic, and micro-structural characterizations clarify their structural commonality. In the case of the structural scales that have deep ridges, the polarization-sensitive color related with scale azimuth is remarkable. Periodic ridges lead to the anisotropic effective refractive indices in the parallel and perpendicular grating orientations, which achieves form-birefringence, resulting in the phase difference of two different component polarized lights. Simulated results show that ridge structures with reflecting elements reflect and rotate the incident p-polarized light into s-polarized light. The dimensional parameters and shapes of grating greatly affect the polarization conversion process, and the triangular deep grating extends the outstanding polarization conversion effect from the sub-wavelength period to the period comparable to visible light wavelength. The parameters of ridge structures in butterfly scales have been optimized to fulfill the polarization-dependent reflection for secret communication. The structural and physical origin of polarization conversion provides a more comprehensive perspective on the creation of polarization-sensitive color in butterfly wing scales. These findings show great potential in anti-counterfeiting technology and advanced optical material design.

  19. The light wave flow effect in a plane-parallel layer with a quasi-zero refractive index under the action of bounded light beams

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gadomsky, O. N.; Shchukarev, I. A.

    2016-01-01

    It is shown that external optical radiation in the 450–1200 nm range can be efficiently transformed under the action of bounded light beams to a surface wave that propagates along the external and internal boundaries of a plane-parallel layer with a quasi-zero refractive index. Reflection regimes with complex and real angles of refraction in the layer are considered. The layer with a quasi-zero refractive index in this boundary problem is located on a highly reflective metal substrate; it is shown that the uniform low reflection of light is achieved in the wavelength range under study.

  20. Lateral refraction and reflection of light polarized lenses principle. Coplanar lens systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Miranda, L.

    2012-01-01

    Studying the behavior of the linearly polarized light to impact a lens and in the lens itself, resulted in the discovery of a physical principle of optics, not mentioned or used so far. This phenomenon is very useful in practice. Perhaps the manifestation of the phenomenon occurs in the plane perpendicular to the road or optical axis, is due the reason that was not seen before, but it has always been there when polarized light passes through a lens. Known and mastered the principle has been manipulated for better research results, using for the first time a planar lens system, which according to the placement of the lens allows for accurate lags between the light beams ar the exits the system. (Author)

  1. Real-time defect detection on highly reflective curved surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosati, G.; Boschetti, G.; Biondi, A.; Rossi, A.

    2009-03-01

    This paper presents an automated defect detection system for coated plastic components for the automotive industry. This research activity came up as an evolution of a previous study which employed a non-flat mirror to illuminate and inspect high reflective curved surfaces. According to this method, the rays emitted from a light source are conveyed on the surface under investigation by means of a suitably curved mirror. After the reflection on the surface, the light rays are collected by a CCD camera, in which the coating defects appear as shadows of various shapes and dimensions. In this paper we present an evolution of the above-mentioned method, introducing a simplified mirror set-up in order to reduce the costs and the complexity of the defect detection system. In fact, a set of plane mirrors is employed instead of the curved one. Moreover, the inspection of multiple bend radius parts is investigated. A prototype of the machine vision system has been developed in order to test this simplified method. This device is made up of a light projector, a set of plane mirrors for light rays reflection, a conveyor belt for handling components, a CCD camera and a desktop PC which performs image acquisition and processing. Like in the previous system, the defects are identified as shadows inside a high brightness image. At the end of the paper, first experimental results are presented.

  2. Polarized Light Corridor Demonstrations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, G. R.

    1990-01-01

    Eleven demonstrations of light polarization are presented. Each includes a brief description of the apparatus and the effect demonstrated. Illustrated are strain patterns, reflection, scattering, the Faraday Effect, interference, double refraction, the polarizing microscope, and optical activity. (CW)

  3. The capsaicin cough reflex in eczema patients with respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Elberling, Jesper; Dirksen, Asger; Johansen, Jeanne Duus

    2006-01-01

    Respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume are common in the population but have unclear pathophysiology. Increased capsaicin cough responsiveness has been associated with the symptoms, but it is unknown whether the site of the symptoms in the airways influences this association. The aim of this st......Respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume are common in the population but have unclear pathophysiology. Increased capsaicin cough responsiveness has been associated with the symptoms, but it is unknown whether the site of the symptoms in the airways influences this association. The aim...... of this study was to investigate the association between the site of airway symptoms elicited by perfume and cough responsiveness to bronchial challenge with capsaicin. 21 eczema patients with respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume were compared with 21 healthy volunteers in a sex- and age-matched case...... control study. The participants completed a symptom questionnaire and underwent a bronchial challenge with capsaicin. Lower, but not upper, respiratory symptoms elicited by perfume were associated with increased capsaicin cough responsiveness. Having severe symptoms to perfume (n=11) did not relate...

  4. Reflectance spectra of subarctic lichens

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Petzold, D.E.; Goward, S.N.

    1988-01-01

    Lichens constitute a major portion of the ground cover of high latitude environments, but little has been reported concerning their in situ solar spectral reflectance properties. Knowledge of these properties is important for the interpretation of remotely sensed observations from high latitude regions, as well as in studies of high latitude ecology and energy balance climatology. The spectral reflectance of common boreal vascular plants is similar to that of vascular plants of the mid latitudes. The dominant lichens, in contrast, display variable reflectance patterns in visible wavelengths. The relative reflectance peak at 0.55 μm, common to green vegetation, is absent or indistinct in spectra of pervasive boreal forest and tundra lichens, despite the presence of chlorophyll in the inner algal cells. Lichens of the dominant genus, Cladina, display strong absorption of ultraviolet energy and short-wavelength blue light relative to their absorption in other visible wavelengths. Since the Cladinae dominate both the surface vegetation in open woodlands of the boreal forest and the low arctic tundra, their unusual spectral reflectance patterns will enable accurate monitoring of the boreal forest-tundra ecotone and detection of its vigor and movement in the future. (author)

  5. Reflectance spectra of subarctic lichens

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petzold, Donald E.; Goward, Samuel N.

    1988-01-01

    Lichens constitute a major portion of the ground cover of high latitude environments, but little has been reported concerning their in situ solar spectral reflectance properties. Knowledge of these properties is important for the interpretation of remotely sensed observations from high latitude regions, as well as in studies of high latitude ecology and energy balance climatology. The spectral reflectance of common boreal vascular plants is similar to that of vascular plants of the midlatitudes. The dominant lichens, in contrast, display variable reflectance patterns in visible wavelengths. The relative reflectance peak at 0.55 microns, common to green vegetation, is absent or indistinct in spectra of pervasive boreal forest and tundra lichens, despite the presence of chlorophyll in the inner algal cells. Lichens of the dominant genus, Cladina, display strong absorption of ultraviolet energy and short-wavelength blue light relative to their absorption in other visible wavelengths. Since the Cladinae dominate both the surface vegetation in open woodlands of the boreal forest and the low arctic tundra, their unusual spectral reflectance patterns will enable accurate monitoring of the boreal forest-tundra ecotone and detection of its vigor and movement in the future.

  6. Elicitation support requirements of multi-expertise teams

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bitter-Rijpkema, M.; Martens, R.L.; Jochems, W.M.G.

    2005-01-01

    Tools to support knowledge elicitation are more and more used in situations where employees or students collaborate using the computer. Studies indicate that there exist differences between experts and novices regarding their methods of work and reasoning. However, the commonly preferred approach

  7. Angle-resolved reflection spectroscopy of high-quality PMMA opal crystal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nemtsev, Ivan V.; Tambasov, Igor A.; Ivanenko, Alexander A.; Zyryanov, Victor Ya.

    2018-02-01

    PMMA opal crystal was prepared by a simple hybrid method, which includes sedimentation, meniscus formation and evaporation. We investigated three surfaces of this crystal by angle-resolved reflective light spectroscopy and SEM study. The angle-resolved reflective measurements were carried out in the 400-1100 nm range. We have determined the high-quality ordered surface of the crystal region. Narrow particle size distribution of the surface has been revealed. The average particle diameter obtained with SEM was nearly 361 nm. The most interesting result was that reflectivity of the surface turned out up to 98% at normal light incidence. Using a fit of dependences of the maximum reflectivity wavelength from an angle based on the Bragg-Snell law, the wavelength of maximum 0° reflectivity, the particle diameter and the fill factor have been determined. For the best surface maximum reflectivity wavelength of a 0° angle was estimated to be 869 nm. The particle diameter and fill factor were calculated as 372 nm and 0.8715, respectively. The diameter obtained by fitting is in excellent agreement with the particle diameter obtained with SEM. The reflectivity maximum is assumed to increase significantly when increasing the fill factor. We believe that using our simple approach to manufacture PMMA opal crystals will significantly increase the fabrication of high-quality photonic crystal templates and thin films.

  8. Simultaneous determination of CRP and D-dimer in human blood plasma samples with White Light Reflectance Spectroscopy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koukouvinos, Georgios; Petrou, Panagiota; Misiakos, Konstantinos; Drygiannakis, Dimitris; Raptis, Ioannis; Stefanitsis, Gerasimos; Martini, Spyridoula; Nikita, Dimitra; Goustouridis, Dimitrios; Moser, Isabella; Jobst, Gerhard; Kakabakos, Sotirios

    2016-10-15

    A dual-analyte assay for the simultaneous determination of C-reactive protein (CRP) and D-dimer in human blood plasma based on a white light interference spectroscopy sensing platform is presented. Measurement is accomplished in real-time by scanning the sensing surface, on which distinct antibody areas have been created, with a reflection probe used both for illumination of the surface and collection of the reflected interference spectrum. The composition of the transducer, the sensing surface chemical activation and biofunctionalization procedures were optimized with respect to signal magnitude and repeatability. The assay format involved direct detection of CRP whereas for D-dimer a two-site immunoassay employing a biotinylated reporter antibody and reaction with streptavidin was selected. The assays were sensitive with detection limits of 25ng/mL for both analytes, precise with intra- and inter-assay CV values ranging from 3.6% to 7.7%, and from 4.8% to 9.5%, respectively, for both assays, and accurate with recovery values ranging from 88.5% to 108% for both analytes. Moreover, the values determined for the two analytes in 35 human plasma samples were in excellent agreement with those received for the same samples by standard diagnostic laboratory instrumentation employing commercial kits. The excellent agreement of the results supported the validity of the proposed system for clinical application for the detection of multiple analytes since it was demonstrated that up to seven antibody areas can be created on the sensing surface and successfully interrogated with the developed optical set-up. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. An alternative approach for eliciting willingness-to-pay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura J. Damschroder

    2007-04-01

    Full Text Available Open-ended methods that elicit willingness-to-pay (WTP in terms of absolute dollars often result in high rates of questionable and highly skewed responses, insensitivity to changes in health state, and raise an ethical issue related to its association with personal income. We conducted a 2x2 randomized trial over the Internet to test 4 WTP formats: 1 WTP in dollars; 2 WTP as a percentage of financial resources; 3 WTP in terms of monthly payments; and 4 WTP as a single lump-sum amount. WTP as a percentage of financial resources generated fewer questionable values, had better distribution properties, greater sensitivity to severity of health states, and was not associated with income. WTP elicited on a monthly basis also showed promise.

  10. FIBER OPTIC LIGHTING SYSTEMS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Munir BATUR

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Recently there have been many important and valuable developments in the communication industry. The huge increase in the sound, data and visual communications has caused a parallel increase in the demand for systems with wider capacity, higher speed and higher quality. Communication systems that use light to transfer data are immensely increased. There have recently many systems in which glass or plastic fiber cables were developed for light wave to be transmitted from a source to a target place. Fiber optic systems, are nowadays widely used in energy transmission control systems, medicine, industry and lighting. The basics of the system is, movement of light from one point to another point in fiber cable with reflections. Fiber optic lighting systems are quite secure than other lighting systems and have flexibility for realizing many different designs. This situation makes fiber optics an alternative for other lighting systems. Fiber optic lighting systems usage is increasing day-by-day in our life. In this article, these systems are discussed in detail.

  11. Evidence of a visual-to-auditory cross-modal sensory gating phenomenon as reflected by the human P50 event-related brain potential modulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lebib, Riadh; Papo, David; de Bode, Stella; Baudonnière, Pierre Marie

    2003-05-08

    We investigated the existence of a cross-modal sensory gating reflected by the modulation of an early electrophysiological index, the P50 component. We analyzed event-related brain potentials elicited by audiovisual speech stimuli manipulated along two dimensions: congruency and discriminability. The results showed that the P50 was attenuated when visual and auditory speech information were redundant (i.e. congruent), in comparison with this same event-related potential component elicited with discrepant audiovisual dubbing. When hard to discriminate, however, bimodal incongruent speech stimuli elicited a similar pattern of P50 attenuation. We concluded to the existence of a visual-to-auditory cross-modal sensory gating phenomenon. These results corroborate previous findings revealing a very early audiovisual interaction during speech perception. Finally, we postulated that the sensory gating system included a cross-modal dimension.

  12. Numerical Investigations on a Distributed Fiber-Optic Lighting System with an End Reflector

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Shuhua; Gong Huaping; Tu Yumeng; Meng Ying

    2011-01-01

    A novel distributed fiber-optic decorative lighting system with the reflection coating on the extremity of fiber-optic is designed, which used the multi-mold optical fiber made up of large core diameter(Diameter of core and cladding is 105μm and 125μm, respectly). After introducing the distributional optical fiber decorative lighting system briefly, the ralationship between corrosion depth of the optical fiber core and the leakage of fiber-optic has been analyzed with the Rsoft, and then the relationship of the lighting power and the uniformity of lighting power with the leakage rate of optical fiber lamp, the reflective of reflection coating has been discussed.The simulation analysis shows that, when the core diameter is corroded to 80∼85 μm, the leakage rate of optical fiber may achieve 5.0%, which suits the optical fiber decorative lighting. Considering all kinds of factors, when optical fiber lamp's quantity is 20, the coating index of reflection is 95%, optical fiber lamp's leakage of light rate is 5.0%, and the optical fiber lamp's distance is 1 meter, the quite high illuminating power may be achieved, as well as the good lighting uniformity.Finally the experimental study of decorative lighting system is given. And the experimental result is in keeping well with the theory simulation conclusion.

  13. Simulating reflectance at interfaces coated with household paints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prisland, Zachary

    The paint and coatings industry is constantly working to improve their product, making a more efficient product at a cheaper cost. This requires some research and learning on the part of the companies, particularly in optical studies. For example, Burgess Pigment Company has developed a method, using a flash calciner, to quickly dehydrate clay, essentially popping it like popcorn, in order to add air pockets to the individual particles of clay. Clay that has undergone this process can improve the reflective properties of paint. The human eye, as a sensory organ, relies on reflected light in order to provide vision. As the major goal of paint is to be seen, it is easy to infer that it would be of utmost importance for the paint to reflect large amounts of light to appear more visible to the human eye and so using clay that has air pockets would be more desirable. The primary goal of this thesis will be to explore optical theory in an attempt to explain why the addition of air pockets could produce a more effective product.

  14. Efficient anomalous reflection through near-field interactions in metasurfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chalabi, H.; Ra'di, Y.; Sounas, D. L.; Alù, A.

    2017-08-01

    Gradient metasurfaces have been extensively used in the past few years for advanced wave manipulation over a thin surface. These metasurfaces have been mostly designed based on the generalized laws of reflection and refraction. However, it was recently revealed that metasurfaces based on this approach tend to suffer from inefficiencies and complex design requirements. We have recently proposed a different approach to the problem of efficient beam steering using a surface, based on bianisotropic particles in a periodic array. Here, we show highly efficient reflective metasurfaces formed by pairs of isotropic dielectric rods, which can offer asymmetrical scattering of normally incident beams with unitary efficiency. Our theory shows that moderately broadband anomalous reflection can be achieved with suitably designed periodic arrays of isotropic nanoparticles. We also demonstrate practical designs using TiO2 cylindrical nanorods to deflect normally incident light toward a desired direction. The proposed structures may pave the way to a broader range of light management opportunities, with applications in energy harvesting, signaling, and communications.

  15. High-efficiency and flexible generation of vector vortex optical fields by a reflective phase-only spatial light modulator.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cai, Meng-Qiang; Wang, Zhou-Xiang; Liang, Juan; Wang, Yan-Kun; Gao, Xu-Zhen; Li, Yongnan; Tu, Chenghou; Wang, Hui-Tian

    2017-08-01

    The scheme for generating vector optical fields should have not only high efficiency but also flexibility for satisfying the requirements of various applications. However, in general, high efficiency and flexibility are not compatible. Here we present and experimentally demonstrate a solution to directly, flexibly, and efficiently generate vector vortex optical fields (VVOFs) with a reflective phase-only liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM) based on optical birefringence of liquid crystal molecules. To generate the VVOFs, this approach needs in principle only a half-wave plate, an LC-SLM, and a quarter-wave plate. This approach has some advantages, including a simple experimental setup, good flexibility, and high efficiency, making the approach very promising in some applications when higher power is need. This approach has a generation efficiency of 44.0%, which is much higher than the 1.1% of the common path interferometric approach.

  16. An Arduino-Based Experiment Designed to Clarify the Transition to Total Internal Reflection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Atkin, Keith

    2018-01-01

    The topic of refraction and reflection of light at the boundary of transparent media is a fundamentally important one. The special case of total internal reflection is however commonly misrepresented in elementary textbooks. This paper addresses the problem and describes an experimental procedure for measuring and displaying reflected and…

  17. Eliciting Spill: A methodological note

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alvita Nathaniel, Ph.D.

    2008-03-01

    Full Text Available Classic grounded theory is an inductive process that focuses on the experiences and perceptions of research participants (Glaser, 1978, 1998. Although grounded theorists may utilize other types of data, most are likely to gather information through qualitative interviews. The theorist seeks to understand what is going on as people resolve their main concern in a given substantive area. People know what is important to them and most want to tell their stories. They feel encouraged to talk when they recognize that their stories are valued. Once the informant realizes that he or she is being heard, the story flows. This is what Glaser refers to as “spill.” When this occurs, the theorist becomes a vessel to receive the story. As Glaser describes it, “The researcher will become a ‘big ear’ to pour into incessantly” (1998, p. 124. But, as easy as this seems, the researcher must overcome certain positivist tendencies to allow this to happen. Rather than asking a list of pre-planned questions, the grounded theorist will try to develop one question that will trigger the telling of a story. Eliciting spill requires a deliberate process that employs a deep understanding of the fundamentals of classic grounded theory. Derived from Glaser’s writings, the following are suggestions intended to help the novice grounded theorist to elicit spill.

  18. Patient Health Goals Elicited During Home Care Admission: A Categorization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sockolow, Paulina; Radhakrishnan, Kavita; Chou, Edgar Y; Wojciechowicz, Christine

    2017-11-01

    Home care agencies are initiating "patient health goal elicitation" activities as part of home care admission planning. We categorized elicited goals and identified "clinically informative" goals at a home care agency. We examined patient goals that admitting clinicians documented in the point-of-care electronic health record; conducted content analysis on patient goal data to develop a coding scheme; grouped goal themes into codes; assigned codes to each goal; and identified goals that were in the patient voice. Of the 1,763 patient records, 16% lacked a goal; only 15 goals were in a patient's voice. Nurse and physician experts identified 12 of the 20 codes as clinically important accounting for 82% of goal occurrences. The most frequent goal documented was safety/falls (23%). Training and consistent communication of the intent and operationalization of patient goal elicitation may address the absence of patient voice and the less than universal recording of home care patients' goals.

  19. Additive manufacturing of reflective optics: evaluating finishing methods

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leuteritz, G.; Lachmayer, R.

    2018-02-01

    Individually shaped light distributions become more and more important in lighting technologies and thus the importance of additively manufactured reflectors increases significantly. The vast field of applications ranges from automotive lighting to medical imaging and bolsters the statement. However, the surfaces of additively manufactured reflectors suffer from insufficient optical properties even when manufactured using optimized process parameters for the Selective Laser Melting (SLM) process. Therefore post-process treatments of reflectors are necessary in order to further enhance their optical quality. This work concentrates on the effectiveness of post-process procedures for reflective optics. Based on already optimized aluminum reflectors, which are manufactured with a SLM machine, the parts are differently machined after the SLM process. Selected finishing methods like laser polishing, sputtering or sand blasting are applied and their effects quantified and compared. The post-process procedures are investigated on their impact on surface roughness and reflectance as well as geometrical precision. For each finishing method a demonstrator will be created and compared to a fully milled sample and among themselves. Ultimately, guidelines are developed in order to figure out the optimal treatment of additively manufactured reflectors regarding their optical and geometrical properties. Simulations of the light distributions will be validated with the developed demonstrators.

  20. Tools for Reflection: Video-Based Reflection Within a Preservice Community of Practice

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkins, Susan; Park Rogers, Meredith

    2016-06-01

    Current reform in science education calls for teachers to understand student thinking within a lesson to effectively address students' needs (NRC in A framework for K-12 science education: practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. National Academy Press, Washington, DC, 2012; NRC in Guide to implementing the Next Generation Science Standards. The National Academies Press, Washington, DC, 2015). This study investigates how to scaffold preservice teachers with learning to attend to students' thinking for the purpose of guiding curricular decisions. The study focuses on one team teaching a science unit during their early field experience. We sought to understand how participants' thoughts and abilities changed through participation in a moderated community of practice using video of their own teaching as a reflective tool. We examined how these changes affected both their classroom practice and their decision-making for future lessons. Evidence shows growth in participants' ability to identify opportunities to elicit, assess, and use students' thinking to guide instructional decisions. Implications for use of the approach used in this study to begin developing novice teachers' pedagogical content knowledge for teaching science are discussed.

  1. Risk-Informed SSCs Categorization: Elicitation Method of Expert's Opinion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hwang, Mee Jeong; Yang, Joon Eon; Kim, Kil Yoo

    2005-01-01

    The regulations have been performing by deterministic way since nuclear power plants have been operating. However, some SSCs identified as safety-significance by deterministic way, were turned out to be low or non safety-significant and some SSCs identified as non-safety significance were turned out to be high safety-significant according to the results of PSA. Considering these risk insights, Regulatory Guide 1.174 and 10CFR50.69 were drawn up, and we can re-categorize the SSCs according to their safety significance. Therefore, a study and an interest about the risk-informed SSCs re-categorization and treatment has been continued. The objective of this regulatory initiative is to adjust the scope of equipment subject to special regulatory treatment to better focus licensee and regulatory attention and resources on equipment that has safety significance. Current most regulations define the plant equipment necessary to meet deterministic regulatory basis as 'safety-related.' This equipment is subject to special treatment regulations. Other plant equipment is categorized as 'non-safety related,' and is not subject to a select number of special treatment requirement or a subset of those requirement. However, risk information is not a magic tool making a decision but a supporting tool to categorize SSCs. This is because only small parts of a plant are modeled in PSA model. Thus, engineering and deterministic judgments are also used for risk-informed SSCs categorization, and expert opinion elicitation is very important for risk-informed SSCs categorization. Therefore, we need a rational method to elicit the expert's opinions, and in this study, we developed a systematic method for expert elicitation to categorize the nuclear power plants' SSCs. Current states for SSCs categorization of the USA and the existing methods for expert elicitation were surveyed and more systematic way eliciting the expert opinions and combining was developed. To validate the developed method

  2. Biomimetic light-harvesting funnels for re-directioning of diffuse light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieper, Alexander; Hohgardt, Manuel; Willich, Maximilian; Gacek, Daniel Alexander; Hafi, Nour; Pfennig, Dominik; Albrecht, Andreas; Walla, Peter Jomo

    2018-02-14

    Efficient sunlight harvesting and re-directioning onto small areas has great potential for more widespread use of precious high-performance photovoltaics but so far intrinsic solar concentrator loss mechanisms outweighed the benefits. Here we present an antenna concept allowing high light absorption without high reabsorption or escape-cone losses. An excess of randomly oriented pigments collects light from any direction and funnels the energy to individual acceptors all having identical orientations and emitting ~90% of photons into angles suitable for total internal reflection waveguiding to desired energy converters (funneling diffuse-light re-directioning, FunDiLight). This is achieved using distinct molecules that align efficiently within stretched polymers together with others staying randomly orientated. Emission quantum efficiencies can be >80% and single-foil reabsorption energy funneling, dipole re-orientation, and ~1.5-2 nm nearest donor-acceptor transfer occurs within hundreds to ~20 ps. Single-molecule 3D-polarization experiments confirm nearly parallel emitters. Stacked pigment selection may allow coverage of the entire solar spectrum.

  3. Eliciting nicotine craving with virtual smoking cues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gamito, Pedro; Oliveira, Jorge; Baptista, André; Morais, Diogo; Lopes, Paulo; Rosa, Pedro; Santos, Nuno; Brito, Rodrigo

    2014-08-01

    Craving is a strong desire to consume that emerges in every case of substance addiction. Previous studies have shown that eliciting craving with an exposure cues protocol can be a useful option for the treatment of nicotine dependence. Thus, the main goal of this study was to develop a virtual platform in order to induce craving in smokers. Fifty-five undergraduate students were randomly assigned to two different virtual environments: high arousal contextual cues and low arousal contextual cues scenarios (17 smokers with low nicotine dependency were excluded). An eye-tracker system was used to evaluate attention toward these cues. Eye fixation on smoking-related cues differed between smokers and nonsmokers, indicating that smokers focused more often on smoking-related cues than nonsmokers. Self-reports of craving are in agreement with these results and suggest a significant increase in craving after exposure to smoking cues. In sum, these data support the use of virtual environments for eliciting craving.

  4. Characterizing Earth Analogs in Reflected Light: Atmospheric Retrieval Studies for Future Space Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Feng, Y. Katherina; Robinson, Tyler D.; Fortney, Jonathan J.; Lupu, Roxana E.; Marley, Mark S.; Lewis, Nikole K.; Macintosh, Bruce; Line, Michael R.

    2018-05-01

    Space-based high-contrast imaging mission concepts for studying rocky exoplanets in reflected light are currently under community study. We develop an inverse modeling framework to estimate the science return of such missions given different instrument design considerations. By combining an exoplanet albedo model, instrument noise model, and ensemble Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler, we explore retrievals of atmospheric and planetary properties for Earth twins as a function of signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and resolution (R). Our forward model includes Rayleigh-scattering, single-layer water clouds with patchy coverage, and pressure-dependent absorption due to water vapor, oxygen, and ozone. We simulate data at R = 70 and 140 from 0.4 to 1.0 μm with S/N = 5, 10, 15, and 20 at 550 nm (i.e., for HabEx/LUVOIR-type instruments). At these same S/Ns, we simulate data for WFIRST paired with a starshade, which includes two photometric points between 0.48 and 0.6 μm and R = 50 spectroscopy from 0.6 to 0.97 μm. Given our noise model for WFIRST-type detectors, we find that weak detections of water vapor, ozone, and oxygen can be achieved with observations with at least R = 70/S/N = 15 or R = 140/S/N = 10 for improved detections. Meaningful constraints are only achieved with R = 140/S/N = 20 data. The WFIRST data offer limited diagnostic information, needing at least S/N = 20 to weakly detect gases. Most scenarios place limits on planetary radius but cannot constrain surface gravity and, thus, planetary mass.

  5. A direct reflection OLVF debris detector based on dark-field imaging

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Bo; Xi, Yinhu; Feng, Song; Mao, Junhong; Xie, You-Bai

    2018-06-01

    To solve the problems of monitoring wear debris in black oil, a direct reflection online visual ferrograph (OLVF) debris detector is presented. In current OLVF detectors, a reflected light source is used. The emitted light is reflected by wear debris directly instead of passing through the lube oil. Therefore, the transparency of the lube oil ceases to matter. Two experiments were conducted to validate the wear debris imaging feasibility and effectiveness of the newly developed detector. The results show that the visual feature information of the wear debris can be reliably obtained from black oil by this detector, and it can also be used to track the fast-changing wear of tribopairs at different wear stages. To the best of our knowledge, to date there is no other report for solving this issue.

  6. Reflectance spectroscopy of pigmented cutaneous benign and malignant lesions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Borisova, E.; Jeliazkova, Al.; Pavlova, E.; Troyanova, P.; Kundurdjiev, T.; Pavlova, P.; Avramov, L.

    2014-10-01

    For the DRS measurements of skin benign, dysplastic and malignant lesions in vivo we applied halogen lamp (LS-1, OceanOptics Inc, Dunedin, Fl, USA) as a continuous light source in the region of 400-900 nm, optical probe (6+1 fibers) for the delivery of illumination and diffuse reflected light from the skin investigated and microspectrometer USB4000 (OceanOptics Inc., Dunedin, Fl, USA) for a storage and display of the spectra detected. As a diffuse reflectance standard Spectralon® plate was used to calibrate the spectrometer. The reflectance spectra obtained from normal skin in identical anatomic sites of different patients have similar spectral shape features, slightly differ by the reflectance intensity at different wavelengths, depending on the particular patient' skin phototype. One could find diagnostically important spectral features, related to specific intensity changes for a given wavelength due to specific pigments appearance, slope changes by value and sign for the reflectance spectra curves in a specific spectral range, disappearance or manifestation of minima, related to hemoglobin absorption at 410-420 nm, 543, 575 nm. Based on the observed peculiarities multispectral analysis of the reflectance spectra of the different lesions was used and diagnostically specific features are found. Discrimination using the DRS data obtained between benign compound and dermal nevi (45 cases), dysplastic nevi (17 cases) and pigmented malignant melanoma (41 cases) lesions is achieved with a diagnostic accuracy of 96 % for the benign nevi vs. MM, and 90 % for the dysplastic nevi vs. MM.

  7. Cue-Elicited Increases in Incentive Salience for Marijuana: Craving, Demand, and Attentional Bias

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metrik, Jane; Aston, Elizabeth R.; Kahler, Christopher W.; Rohsenow, Damaris J.; McGeary, John E.; Knopik, Valerie S.; MacKillop, James

    2016-01-01

    Background Incentive salience is a multidimensional construct that includes craving, drug value relative to other reinforcers, and implicit motivation such as attentional bias to drug cues. Laboratory cue reactivity (CR) paradigms have been used to evaluate marijuana incentive salience with measures of craving, but not with behavioral economic measures of marijuana demand or implicit attentional processing tasks. Methods This within-subjects study used a new CR paradigm to examine multiple dimensions of marijuana’s incentive salience and to compare CR-induced increases in craving and demand. Frequent marijuana users (N=93, 34% female) underwent exposure to neutral cues then to lit marijuana cigarettes. Craving, marijuana demand via a marijuana purchase task, and heart rate were assessed after each cue set. A modified Stroop task with cannabis and control words was completed after the marijuana cues as a measure of attentional bias. Results Relative to neutral cues, marijuana cues significantly increased subjective craving and demand indices of intensity (i.e., drug consumed at $0) and Omax (i.e., peak drug expenditure). Elasticity significantly decreased following marijuana cues, reflecting sustained purchase despite price increases. Craving was correlated with demand indices (r’s: 0.23–0.30). Marijuana users displayed significant attentional bias for cannabis-related words after marijuana cues. Cue-elicited increases in intensity were associated with greater attentional bias for marijuana words. Conclusions Greater incentive salience indexed by subjective, behavioral economic, and implicit measures was observed after marijuana versus neutral cues, supporting multidimensional assessment. The study highlights the utility of a behavioral economic approach in detecting cue-elicited changes in marijuana incentive salience. PMID:27515723

  8. Corrosion-resistant multilayer structures with improved reflectivity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Soufli, Regina; Fernandez-Perea, Monica; Robinson, Jeff C.

    2013-04-09

    In one general embodiment, a thin film structure includes a substrate; a first corrosion barrier layer above the substrate; a reflective layer above the first corrosion barrier layer, wherein the reflective layer comprises at least one repeating set of sub-layers, wherein one of the sub-layers of each set of sub-layers being of a corrodible material; and a second corrosion barrier layer above the reflective layer. In another general embodiment, a system includes an optical element having a thin film structure as recited above; and an image capture or spectrometer device. In a further general embodiment, a laser according to one embodiment includes a light source and the thin film structure as recited above.

  9. Enhancing light reflective properties on ITO glass by plasmonic effect of silver nanoparticles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dezhong Zhang

    Full Text Available The preparation of well-defined silver (Ag nanoparticle arrays is reported in this paper. Ag nanoparticles are electrodeposited on Indium tin oxide (ITO coated glass substrates at 30 °C. The size, shape and periodicity of the Ag nanoparticle arrays are well-controlled. We study the effect of particle size and interparticle distance on reflection enhancement. The sample at the deposition potential of −0.2 V for an electrodeposition time of 3600 s exhibits an enhancement of 28% in weighted reflection in contrast with bare ITO glass. This study reports the high reflection of Ag nanoparticle arrays by electrodeposition method might be application to large-scale photovoltaic devices.

  10. Experiencing Light's Properties within Your Own Eye

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mauser, Michael

    2011-01-01

    Seeing the reflection, refraction, dispersion, absorption, polarization, and scattering or diffraction of light within your own eye makes these properties of light truly personal. There are practical aspects of these within the eye phenomena, such as eye tracking for computer interfaces. They also offer some intriguing diversions, for example,…

  11. Project Physics Tests 4, Light and Electromagnetism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA. Harvard Project Physics.

    Test items relating to Project Physics Unit 4 are presented in this booklet. Included are 70 multiple-choice and 22 problem-and-essay questions. Concepts of light and electromagnetism are examined on charges, reflection, electrostatic forces, electric potential, speed of light, electromagnetic waves and radiations, Oersted's and Faraday's work,…

  12. Elicitation of preferences for improvements in ostomy pouches

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bonnichsen, Ole

    This paper attempts to examine and measure ostomates’ preferences for improvements in ostomy pouches. Described are the study design, elicitation procedure and resulting preference structure of the Swedish ostomate sample. The method used to elicit the preferences is a Discrete Choice Experiment...... (DCE), where respondents are asked to choose between alternatives in choice sets. Each alternative is comprised of a number of attributes relating to the adhesive, filter and flexibility of ostomy pouches. The choice between alternatives made by the respondent implies an implicit trade-off between...... the attributes and allows for the estimation of individuals’ Willingness to Pay (WTP) for the attributes of ostomy pouches when cost is included as an attribute. The data consists of 254 ostomates responding to the survey. The respondents have positive WTP for all improvement attributes presented to them...

  13. Solar light collection from buildings façades

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cadena, C García; Sánchez-Pérez, C; Rosas, M Tovar

    2015-01-01

    We present an analysis of the light collection from the building's fagade for interior lighting using diffuse reflective surfaces. The use of diffuse surfaces may increase the acceptance angle of such systems, in order to collect more sunlight coming from different directions according to the objects surrounding the building fafade for longer periods of the day without the use of sun tracking systems. We discuss a numerical analysis and experimental results comparing light collection with the proposed system with respect to an equivalent system using specular reflecting surfaces. Results show that the collection is around 50 lx with a system of dimensions 10 cm × 15 cm and is of about of 55% higher than the collection achieved by a system of specular surfaces

  14. Sucrose mimics the light induction of Arabidopsis nitrate reductase gene transcription

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cheng, Chi-Lien; Acedo, Gregoria N; Kristensen, Michael

    1992-01-01

    can replace light in eliciting an increase of nitrate reductase mRNA accumulation in dark-adapted green Arabidopsis plants. We show further that sucrose alone is sufficient for the full expression of nitrate reductase genes in etiolated Arabidopsis plants. Finally, using a reporter gene, we show......Nitrate reductase, the first enzyme in nitrate assimilation, is located at the crossroad of two energy-consuming pathways: nitrate assimilation and carbon fixation. Light, which regulates the expression of many higher-plant carbon fixation genes, also regulates nitrate reductase gene expression....... Located in the cytosol, nitrate reductase obtains its reductant not from photosynthesis but from carbohydrate catabolism. This relationship prompted us to investigate the indirect role that light might play, via photosynthesis, in the regulation of nitrate reductase gene expression. We show that sucrose...

  15. Increasing the brightness of light sources

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu, Ling

    2006-11-16

    In this work the principle of light recycling is applied to artificial light sources in order to achieve brightness enhancement. Firstly, the feasibilities of increasing the brightness of light sources via light recycling are examined theoretically, based on the fundamental laws of thermodynamics including Kirchhoff's law on radiation, Planck's law, Lambert-Beer's law, the etendue conservation and the brightness theorem. From an experimental viewpoint, the radiation properties of three different kinds of light sources including short-arc lamps, incandescent lamps and LEDs characterized by their light-generating mechanisms are investigated. These three types of sources are used in light recycling experiments, for the purpose of 1. validating the intrinsic light recycling effect in light sources, e. g. the intrinsic light recycling effect in incandescent lamps stemming from the coiled filament structure. 2. acquiring the required parameters for establishing physical models, e.g. the emissivity/absorptivity of the short-arc lamps, the intrinsic reflectivity and the external quantum efficiency of LEDs. 3. laying the foundations for designing optics aimed at brightness enhancement according to the characteristics of the sources and applications. Based on the fundamental laws and experiments, two physical models for simulating the radiance distribution of light sources are established, one for thermal filament lamps, the other for luminescent sources, LEDs. As validation of the theoretical and experimental investigation of the light recycling effect, an optical device, the Carambola, is designed for achieving deterministic and multiple light recycling. The Carambola has the function of a concentrator. In order to achieve the maximum possible brightness enhancement with the Carambola, several combinations of sources and Carambolas are modelled in ray-tracing simulations. Sources with different light-emitting mechanisms and different radiation properties

  16. Belief Elicitation to Populate Health Economic Models of Medical Diagnostic Devices in Development

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Haakma, Wieke; Steuten, Lotte Maria Gertruda; Bojke, Laura; IJzerman, Maarten Joost

    2014-01-01

    Background and Objective Bayesian methods can be used to elicit experts’ beliefs about the clinical value of healthcare technologies. This study investigates a belief–elicitation method for estimating diagnostic performance in an early stage of development of photoacoustic mammography (PAM) imaging

  17. An ultrathin invisibility skin cloak for visible light.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ni, Xingjie; Wong, Zi Jing; Mrejen, Michael; Wang, Yuan; Zhang, Xiang

    2015-09-18

    Metamaterial-based optical cloaks have thus far used volumetric distribution of the material properties to gradually bend light and thereby obscure the cloaked region. Hence, they are bulky and hard to scale up and, more critically, typical carpet cloaks introduce unnecessary phase shifts in the reflected light, making the cloaks detectable. Here, we demonstrate experimentally an ultrathin invisibility skin cloak wrapped over an object. This skin cloak conceals a three-dimensional arbitrarily shaped object by complete restoration of the phase of the reflected light at 730-nanometer wavelength. The skin cloak comprises a metasurface with distributed phase shifts rerouting light and rendering the object invisible. In contrast to bulky cloaks with volumetric index variation, our device is only 80 nanometer (about one-ninth of the wavelength) thick and potentially scalable for hiding macroscopic objects. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  18. Design and development of an improved traffic light control system using hybrid lighting system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Osigbemeh

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available The deployment of light emitting diodes (LEDs based traffic system control created the problem of dim displays when ambient light is similar to traffic lights. It causes some drivers' disability of seeing and obeying traffic signs. This makes drivers violate traffic rules. In this paper, an attempt to use hybrid lighting technology to mitigate this problem was developed. Incandescent lightings with deployed halogen bulbs provided an instantaneous source of highly efficacious illumination which is brighter than the drivers' ambient lights (both daylight, electrical lights and their reflections, which can help drivers get access to enough warning and help them initiate traffic safety warning as necessary. The halogen lightings also offered the required high current draw needed in electrical circuitry to help brighten the LED displays. The problem of heat generated was eliminated by aerating the T-junction traffic light control unit designed for this technology. The result of hybrid lighting system design was found to be high luminosity and capability of gaining driver attention in real-time. It also allowed enhanced sign's image detection and processing for smart based technologies by providing the “light punch” needed for a wide range of visual concerns.

  19. Issues in reflection and debriefing: how nurse educators structure experiential activities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brackenreg, Jenni

    2004-12-01

    Experiential learning is particularly useful in vocational education programs where theory needs to be linked to practice. Although experiential learning is often advocated in nursing education and the importance of debriefing and reflection is almost always espoused, the focus in the literature has tended to be on detailed descriptions of the action phase with little close analysis of how the reflective phase is facilitated. The Lewinian model described by Kolb [Experiential Learning. Experience as Source of Learning and Development, Prentice-Hall, New Jersey, 1984] and the structuring approach suggested by Thiagarajan [Experiential Learning Packages, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1980] have been used as the theoretical context for an exploration of how nurse teachers describe their facilitation of the debriefing and reflective phases of experiential learning activities. Explication of the entire planned experiential learning experience is important for increasing the chances of the student being able to close the experiential learning loop. The more covert reflective phases for facilitating experiential learning are crucial and if neglected, or inexpertly and insensitively handled, may at best lead to poor learning outcomes or at worst lead to emotional damage and ;unfinished business' for the student. Interviews with eight experienced university educators elicited descriptions of how they constructed experiential activities with special reference to their descriptions of how the debriefing or reflective phases were structured.

  20. Photoperiod and temperature constraints on the relationship between the photochemical reflectance index and the light use efficiency of photosynthesis in Pinus strobus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fréchette, Emmanuelle; Chang, Christine Yao-Yun; Ensminger, Ingo

    2016-03-01

    The photochemical reflectance index (PRI) is a proxy for the activity of the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle and photosynthetic light use efficiency (LUE) in plants. Evergreen conifers downregulate photosynthesis in autumn in response to low temperature and shorter photoperiod, and the dynamic xanthophyll cycle-mediated non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) is replaced by sustained NPQ. We hypothesized that this shift in xanthophyll cycle-dependent energy partitioning during the autumn is the cause for variations in the PRI-LUE relationship. In order to test our hypothesis, we characterized energy partitioning and pigment composition during a simulated summer-autumn transition in a conifer and assessed the effects of temperature and photoperiod on the PRI-LUE relationship. We measured gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence and leaf reflectance during the photosynthetic downregulation in Pinus strobus L. seedlings exposed to low temperature/short photoperiod or elevated temperature/short photoperiod conditions. Shifts in energy partitioning during simulated autumn were observed when the pools of chlorophylls decreased and pools of photoprotective carotenoids increased. On a seasonal timescale, PRI was controlled by carotenoid pool sizes rather than xanthophyll cycle dynamics. Photochemical reflectance index variation under cold autumn conditions mainly reflected long-term pigment pool adjustments associated with sustained NPQ, which impaired the PRI-LUE relationship. Exposure to warm autumn conditions prevented the induction of sustained NPQ but still impaired the PRI-LUE relationship. We therefore conclude that alternative zeaxanthin-independent NPQ mechanisms, which remain undetected by the PRI, are present under both cold and warm autumn conditions, contributing to the discrepancy in the PRI-LUE relationship during autumn. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Infrared reflectometry of skin: Analysis of backscattered light from different skin layers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pleitez, Miguel A.; Hertzberg, Otto; Bauer, Alexander; Lieblein, Tobias; Glasmacher, Mathias; Tholl, Hans; Mäntele, Werner

    2017-09-01

    We have recently reported infrared spectroscopy of human skin in vivo using quantum cascade laser excitation and photoacoustic or photothermal detection for non-invasive glucose measurement . Here, we analyze the IR light diffusely reflected from skin layers for spectral contributions of glucose. Excitation of human skin by an external cavity tunable quantum cascade laser in the spectral region from 1000 to 1245 cm- 1, where glucose exhibits a fingerprint absorption, yields reflectance spectra with some contributions from glucose molecules. A simple three-layer model of skin was used to calculate the scattering intensities from the surface and from shallow and deeper layers using the Boltzmann radiation transfer equation. Backscattering of light at wavelengths around 10 μm from the living skin occurs mostly from the Stratum corneum top layers and the shallow layers of the living epidermis. The analysis of the polarization of the backscattered light confirms this calculation. Polarization is essentially unchanged; only a very small fraction (light is due to specular reflectance and to scattering from layers close to the surface. Diffusely reflected light from deeper layers undergoing one or more scattering processes would appear with significantly altered polarization. We thus conclude that a non-invasive glucose measurement based on backscattering of IR light from skin would have the drawback that only shallow layers containing some glucose at concentrations only weakly related to blood glucose are monitored.

  2. THREE DIMENSIONAL DIGITIZATION OF HUMAN HEAD BY FUSING STRUCTURED LIGHT AND CONTOURS

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Jin Gang; Li Dehua; Hu Hanping; Hu Bing

    2002-01-01

    Three dimensional digitization of human head is desired in many applications. In this paper, an information fusion based scheme is presented to obtain 3-D information of human head. Structured light technology is employed to measure depth. For the special reflection areas,in which the structured light stripe can not be detected directly, the shape of the structured light stripe can be calculated from the corresponding contour. By fusing the information of structured light and the contours, the problem of reflectance influence is solved, and the whole shape of head,including hair area, can be obtained. Some good results are obtained.

  3. The effect of lighting exterior and interior design

    OpenAIRE

    Sandeva, Vaska; Despot, Katerina

    2017-01-01

    Light, whether natural or artificial is a very important element in interior and exterior design. It actually helps us to see color because color is visible to our eye because the substances of which was obtained reflect wavelengths of light. Light as an element of design influences other elements. It can make the space large or small, showy and bright or dark and unpleasant. Places that are well-lit with clean, clear light make the space seem larger, while the fading light and shadows ...

  4. The Whiteness of Things and Light Scattering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gratton, L. M.; Lopez-Arias, T.; Calza, G.; Oss, S.

    2009-01-01

    We discuss some simple experiments dealing with intriguing properties of light and its interaction with matter. In particular, we show how to emphasize that light reflection, refraction and scattering can provide a proper, physical description of human perception of the "colour" white. These experiments can be used in the classroom with an enquiry…

  5. Design of multi-layer anti-reflection coating for terrestrial solar panel ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    To date, there is no ideal anti-reflection (AR) coating available on solar glass which can effectively transmit the incident light within the visible wavelength range. However, there is a need to develop multifunctional coatingwith superior anti-reflection properties and self-cleaning ability meant to be used for solar glass panels.

  6. Eliciting illegal migration rates through list randomization

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    McKenzie, D.; Siegel, M.

    2013-01-01

    Most migration surveys do not ask about the legal status of migrants due to concerns about the sensitivity of this question. List randomization is a technique that has been used in a number of other social science applications to elicit sensitive information. We trial this technique by adding it to

  7. A new method for eliciting three speaking styles in the laboratory

    OpenAIRE

    Harnsberger, James D.; Wright, Richard; Pisoni, David B.

    2008-01-01

    In this study, a method was developed to elicit three different speaking styles, reduced, citation, and hyperarticulated, using controlled sentence materials in a laboratory setting. In the first set of experiments, the reduced style was elicited by having twelve talkers read a sentence while carrying out a distractor task that involved recalling from short-term memory an individually-calibrated number of digits. The citation style corresponded to read speech in the laboratory. The hyperartic...

  8. Standard test method for measurement of light reflectance value and small color differences between pieces of ceramic tile

    CERN Document Server

    American Society for Testing and Materials. Philadelphia

    2007-01-01

    1.1 This test method covers the measurement of Light Reflectance Value (LRV) and visually small color difference between pieces of glazed or unglazed ceramic tile, using any spectrophotometer that meets the requirements specified in the test method. LRV and the magnitude and direction of the color difference are expressed numerically, with sufficient accuracy for use in product specification. 1.2 LRV may be measured for either solid-colored tile or tile having a multicolored, speckled, or textured surface. For tile that are not solid-colored, an average reading should be obtained from multiple measurements taken in a pattern representative of the overall sample as described in 9.2 of this test method. Small color difference between tiles should only be measured for solid-color tiles. Small color difference between tile that have a multicolored, speckled, or textured surface, are not valid. 1.3 For solid colored tile, a comparison of the test specimen and reference specimen should be made under incandescent, f...

  9. Improving the optical performance of InGaN light-emitting diodes by altering light reflection and refraction with triangular air prism arrays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Ji Hye; Kim, Hyung Gu; Chandramohan, S; Kim, Hyun Kyu; Kim, Hee Yun; Ryu, Jae Hyoung; Park, Young Jae; Beak, Yun Seon; Lee, Jeong-Sik; Park, Joong Seo; Lysak, Volodymyr V; Hong, Chang-Hee

    2012-01-01

    The effect of triangular air prism (TAP) arrays with different distance-to-width (d/w) ratios on the enhancement of light extraction efficiency (LEE) of InGaN light-emitting diodes (LEDs) is investigated. The TAP arrays embedded at the sapphire/GaN interface act as light reflectors and refractors, and thereby improve the light output power due to the redirection of light into escape cones on both the front and back sides of the LED. Enhancement in radiometric power as high as 117% and far-field angle as low as 129° are realized with a compact arrangement of TAP arrays compared with that of a conventional LED made without TAP arrays under an injection current of 20 mA. © 2012 Optical Society of America

  10. Improved broadband and quasi-omnidirectional anti-reflection properties with biomimetic silicon nanostructures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Yi-Fan; Chattopadhyay, Surojit; Jen, Yi-Jun; Peng, Cheng-Yu; Liu, Tze-An; Hsu, Yu-Kuei; Pan, Ci-Ling; Lo, Hung-Chun; Hsu, Chih-Hsun; Chang, Yuan-Huei; Lee, Chih-Shan; Chen, Kuei-Hsien; Chen, Li-Chyong

    2007-12-01

    Nature routinely produces nanostructured surfaces with useful properties, such as the self-cleaning lotus leaf, the colour of the butterfly wing, the photoreceptor in brittlestar and the anti-reflection observed in the moth eye. Scientists and engineers have been able to mimic some of these natural structures in the laboratory and in real-world applications. Here, we report a simple aperiodic array of silicon nanotips on a 6-inch wafer with a sub-wavelength structure that can suppress the reflection of light at a range of wavelengths from the ultraviolet, through the visible part of the spectrum, to the terahertz region. Reflection is suppressed for a wide range of angles of incidence and for both s- and p-polarized light. The antireflection properties of the silicon result from changes in the refractive index caused by variations in the height of the silicon nanotips, and can be simulated with models that have been used to explain the low reflection from moth eyes. The improved anti-reflection properties of the surfaces could have applications in renewable energy and electro-optical devices for the military.

  11. Magneto-optical light scattering from ferromagnetic surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gonzalez, M.U.; Armelles, G.; Martinez Boubeta, C.; Cebollada, A.

    2003-01-01

    We have studied the optical and magneto-optical components of the light scattered by the surface of several Fe films with different morphologies. We present a method, based on the ratio between the optical and magneto-optical components of the scattered intensity, to discern the physical origin, either structural or magnetic corrugation, of the light scattered by these ferromagnetic surfaces. Surface versus bulk magnetic information can be separated by magneto-optical light scattering measurements, the scattered light being more sensitive to magnetization differences between surface and bulk than the reflected one

  12. Elicitation Support Requirements of Multi-Expertise Teams

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bitter-Rijpkema, Marlies; Martens, Rob; Jochems, Wim

    2005-01-01

    Tools to support knowledge elicitation are used more and more in situations where employees or students collaborate using the computer. Studies indicate that differences exist between experts and novices regarding their methods of work and reasoning. However, the commonly preferred approach tends to deal with team members as a single system with…

  13. Elicitation of andrographolide in the suspension cultures of Andrographis paniculata.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gandi, Suryakala; Rao, Kiranmayee; Chodisetti, Bhuvaneswari; Giri, Archana

    2012-12-01

    Andrographis paniculata belonging to the family Acanthaceae produces a group of diterpene lactones, one of which is the pharmaceutically important-andrographolide. It is known to possess various important biological properties like anticancer, anti-HIV, anti-inflammatory, etc. This is the first report on the production of andrographolide in the cell suspension cultures of Andrographis paniculata by 'elicitation'. Elicitation was attempted to enhance the andrographolide content in the suspension cultures of Andrographis paniculata and also to ascertain its stimulation under stress conditions or in response to pathogen attack. The maximum andrographolide production was found to be 1.53 mg/g dry cell weight (DCW) at the end of stationary phase during the growth curve. The biotic elicitors (yeast, Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Agrobacterium rhizogenes 532 and Agrobacterium tumefaciens C 58) were more effective in eliciting the response when compared to the abiotic elicitors (CdCl(2), AgNO(3), CuCl(2) and HgCl(2)). Yeast has shown to stimulate maximum accumulation of 13.5 mg/g DCW andrographolide, which was found to be 8.82-fold higher than the untreated cultures.

  14. Calculating the reduced scattering coefficient of turbid media from a single optical reflectance signal

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johns, Maureen; Liu, Hanli

    2003-07-01

    When light interacts with tissue, it can be absorbed, scattered or reflected. Such quantitative information can be used to characterize the optical properties of tissue, differentiate tissue types in vivo, and identify normal versus diseased tissue. The purpose of this research is to develop an algorithm that determines the reduced scattering coefficient (μs") of tissues from a single optical reflectance spectrum with a small source-detector separation. The basic relationship between μs" and optical reflectance was developed using Monte Carlo simulations. This produced an analytical equation containing μs" as a function of reflectance. To experimentally validate this relationship, a 1.3-mm diameter fiber optic probe containing two 400-micron diameter fibers was used to deliver light to and collect light from Intralipid solutions of various concentrations. Simultaneous measurements from optical reflectance and an ISS oximeter were performed to validate the calculated μs" values determined by the reflectance measurement against the 'gold standard" ISS readings. The calculated μs" values deviate from the expected values by approximately -/+ 5% with Intralipid concentrations between 0.5 - 2.5%. The scattering properties within this concentration range are similar to those of in vivo tissues. Additional calculations are performed to determine the scattering properties of rat brain tissues and to discuss accuracy of the algorithm for measured samples with a broad range of the absorption coefficient (μa).

  15. Noniterative algorithm for improving the accuracy of a multicolor-light-emitting-diode-based colorimeter

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Pao-Keng

    2012-05-01

    We present a noniterative algorithm to reliably reconstruct the spectral reflectance from discrete reflectance values measured by using multicolor light emitting diodes (LEDs) as probing light sources. The proposed algorithm estimates the spectral reflectance by a linear combination of product functions of the detector's responsivity function and the LEDs' line-shape functions. After introducing suitable correction, the resulting spectral reflectance was found to be free from the spectral-broadening effect due to the finite bandwidth of LED. We analyzed the data for a real sample and found that spectral reflectance with enhanced resolution gives a more accurate prediction in the color measurement.

  16. Understanding hospital meal experiences by means of participant-driven-photo-elicitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Justesen, Lise; Mikkelsen, Bent E; Gyimóthy, Szilvia

    2014-04-01

    A patients' hospital meal experiences can be complex and often difficult to capture using traditional methods. This study investigated patients' hospital meal experiences using participant-driven-photo-elicitation (PDPE). PDPE invites respondents to photograph their daily lives and combines this with interviews, which can provide deeper insight into multisensory experiences beyond verbal or written discourse. The sample consisted of eight hospitalised patients. Patients completed a photo-essay of their hospital meal experience during a single day at a Danish hospital and afterwards participated in an open-ended interview. Two inductive analytical approaches were selected to assess the patients' reflections on their hospital meal experiences. First, the interview transcripts were analysed using the Semiotic Analysis approach using qualitative data analysis software NVivo 9. Second, the 91 produced photographs and the participants' engagement with the photographs were analysed by means of a Reflexive Content Analysis. The study found that PDPE is a research method that can be used for expanding the conceptualisation of hospital meal experiences, revealing the significance of the meal context, materiality and memories beyond food per se. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Regression-based model of skin diffuse reflectance for skin color analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tsumura, Norimichi; Kawazoe, Daisuke; Nakaguchi, Toshiya; Ojima, Nobutoshi; Miyake, Yoichi

    2008-11-01

    A simple regression-based model of skin diffuse reflectance is developed based on reflectance samples calculated by Monte Carlo simulation of light transport in a two-layered skin model. This reflectance model includes the values of spectral reflectance in the visible spectra for Japanese women. The modified Lambert Beer law holds in the proposed model with a modified mean free path length in non-linear density space. The averaged RMS and maximum errors of the proposed model were 1.1 and 3.1%, respectively, in the above range.

  18. Giant Planets in Reflected Light: What Science Can We Expect?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marley, Mark

    2016-01-01

    Interpreting the reflection spectra of cool giant planets will be a challenge. Spectra of such worlds are expected to be primarily shaped by scattering from clouds and hazes and punctuated by absorption bands of methane, water, and ammonia. While the warmest giants may be cloudless, their atmospheres will almost certainly sport substantial photochemical hazes. Furthermore the masses of most direct imaging targets will be constrained by radial velocity observations, their radii, and thus atmospheric gravity, will be imperfectly known. The uncertainty in planet radius and gravity will compound with uncertain aerosol properties to make estimation of key absorber abundances difficult. To address such concerns our group is developing atmospheric retrieval tools to constrain quantities of interest, particular gas mixing ratios. We have applied our Markov Chain Monte Carlo methods to simulated data of the quality expected from the WFIRST CGI instrument and found that given sufficiently high SNR data we can confidentially identify and constrain the abundance of methane, cloud top pressures, gravity, and the star-planet-observer phase angle. In my presentation I will explain the expected characteristics of cool extrasolar giant planet reflection spectra, discuss these and other challenges in their interpretation, and summarize the science results we can expect from direct imaging observations.

  19. A study of light collection efficiency in scintillation detectors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiaoguang, Y.

    1984-01-01

    A group of computer programs was set up to study the light collection efficiency in scintillation detectors with rectangular cross sections. The input conditions can be chosen arbitrarily, including: the size, light attenuation length and refraction index of the scintillator and light guide, the refraction index of the coupling medium, the reflection characteristics of the walls, and the position of light sources. A few examples are discussed in this article. (orig.)

  20. Exploring the effect of diffuse reflection on indoor localization systems based on RSSI-VLC.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, Nazmi A; Elkarim, Mohammed Abd

    2015-08-10

    This work explores and evaluates the effect of diffuse light reflection on the accuracy of indoor localization systems based on visible light communication (VLC) in a high reflectivity environment using a received signal strength indication (RSSI) technique. The effect of the essential receiver (Rx) and transmitter (Tx) parameters on the localization error with different transmitted LED power and wall reflectivity factors is investigated at the worst Rx coordinates for a directed/overall link. Since this work assumes harsh operating conditions (i.e., a multipath model, high reflectivity surfaces, worst Rx position), an error of ≥ 1.46 m is found. To achieve a localization error in the range of 30 cm under these conditions with moderate LED power (i.e., P = 0.45 W), low reflectivity walls (i.e., ρ = 0.1) should be used, which would enable a localization error of approximately 7 mm at the room's center.

  1. Light-emitting dendrimer film morphology: A neutron reflectivity study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vickers, S. V.; Barcena, H.; Knights, K. A.; Thomas, R. K.; Ribierre, J.-C.; Gambino, S.; Samuel, I. D. W.; Burn, P. L.; Fragneto, Giovanna

    2010-06-01

    We have used neutron reflectivity (NR) measurements to probe the physical structure of phosphorescent dendrimer films. The dendrimers consisted of fac-tris(2-phenylpyridyl)iridium(III) cores, biphenyl-based dendrons (first or second generation), and perdeuterated 2-ethylhexyloxy surface groups. We found that the shape and hydrodynamic radius of the dendrimer were both important factors in determining the packing density of the dendrimers. "Cone" shaped dendrimers were found to pack more effectively than "spherical" dendrimers even when the latter had a smaller radius. The morphology of the films determined by NR was consistent with the measured photoluminescence and charge transporting properties of the materials.

  2. Translucent Radiosity: Efficiently Combining Diffuse Inter-Reflection and Subsurface Scattering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheng, Yu; Shi, Yulong; Wang, Lili; Narasimhan, Srinivasa G

    2014-07-01

    It is hard to efficiently model the light transport in scenes with translucent objects for interactive applications. The inter-reflection between objects and their environments and the subsurface scattering through the materials intertwine to produce visual effects like color bleeding, light glows, and soft shading. Monte-Carlo based approaches have demonstrated impressive results but are computationally expensive, and faster approaches model either only inter-reflection or only subsurface scattering. In this paper, we present a simple analytic model that combines diffuse inter-reflection and isotropic subsurface scattering. Our approach extends the classical work in radiosity by including a subsurface scattering matrix that operates in conjunction with the traditional form factor matrix. This subsurface scattering matrix can be constructed using analytic, measurement-based or simulation-based models and can capture both homogeneous and heterogeneous translucencies. Using a fast iterative solution to radiosity, we demonstrate scene relighting and dynamically varying object translucencies at near interactive rates.

  3. Influence of surface roughness on the reflective properties of snow

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhuravleva, Tatiana B.; Kokhanovsky, Alexander A.

    2011-01-01

    In this paper the influence of 3D effect on snow reflection function (SRF) and albedo is studied in the framework of the stochastic radiative transfer theory. In particular, the corresponding equations for the averaged intensity of reflected light are solved for the ensemble of realizations of the stochastic field κ(r), describing the distribution of 3D elements on the flat semi-infinite snow layer (SISL). The reflection from the underlying SISL is modeled using the solution of the 1D radiative transfer equation. The corresponding look-up tables were compiled beforehand and used in the simulation process. In accordance with the previous studies, it was found that the albedo of snow layer is reduced (in particular, in the infrared region), if 3D effects are taken into account. There is no such a reduction, if light absorption in snow is absent. The 3D effects may increase or decrease SRF depending on the sastrugi fraction and illumination/observation conditions.

  4. Improved contrast polymer light-emitting diode with optical interference layers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, H.Y.; Sun, R.G.; Yang, K.X.; Peng, J.B.; Cao, Y.; Joo, S.K.

    2007-01-01

    An improved contrast polymer light diode based on the destructive optical interference layers deposited between the glass substrate and ITO anode is fabricated. It is unnecessary to be considered that the additional optical interference structure will impede carrier injection from the electrode to the carrier-transporting layer. Due to the quarter-wavelength thickness of medial ITO layer, the reflected light from first Cr layer is inverted 180 o out of phase with the reflected light from second Cr layer, resulting in the destructive interference. It is evident that the contrast ratio of the device with the optical interference structure is about three times higher than that of the conventional device

  5. Methods for the elicitation and use of expert opinion in risk assessment: Phase 1, A critical evaluation and directions for future research

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mosleh, A.; Bier, V.M.; Apostolakis, G.

    1987-08-01

    The purpose of this work is to critically review and evaluate the elicitation and use of expert opinion in probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) in light of the available empirical and theoretical results on expert opinion use. PRA practice is represented by five case studies selected to represent a variety of aspects of the problem: assessments of component failure rates and maintenance data; recent assessments of seismic hazard rates; assessments of containment phenomenology; assessments of human error rates; and accident precursor studies. The review has yielded mixed results. On the negative side, there appears to be little reliance on normative expertise in structuring the process of expert opinion elicitation and use; most applications instead rely primarily on the common sense of the experts involved in the analysis, which is not always an adequate guide. On the positive side, however, there is evidence that expert opinions can in fact be used well in practical settings. Suggestions are given for Phase II work to enhance the applicability and use of appropriate expert opinion methods

  6. Albumin, in the Presence of Calcium, Elicits a Massive Increase in Extracellular Bordetella Adenylate Cyclase Toxin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonyar, Laura A; Gray, Mary C; Christianson, Gregory J; Mehrad, Borna; Hewlett, Erik L

    2017-06-01

    Pertussis (whooping cough), caused by Bordetella pertussis , is resurging in the United States and worldwide. Adenylate cyclase toxin (ACT) is a critical factor in establishing infection with B. pertussis and acts by specifically inhibiting the response of myeloid leukocytes to the pathogen. We report here that serum components, as discovered during growth in fetal bovine serum (FBS), elicit a robust increase in the amount of ACT, and ≥90% of this ACT is localized to the supernatant, unlike growth without FBS, in which ≥90% is associated with the bacterium. We have found that albumin, in the presence of physiological concentrations of calcium, acts specifically to enhance the amount of ACT and its localization to the supernatant. Respiratory secretions, which contain albumin, promote an increase in amount and localization of active ACT that is comparable to that elicited by serum and albumin. The response to albumin is not mediated through regulation of ACT at the transcriptional level or activation of the Bvg two-component system. As further illustration of the specificity of this phenomenon, serum collected from mice that lack albumin does not stimulate an increase in ACT. These data, demonstrating that albumin and calcium act synergistically in the host environment to increase production and release of ACT, strongly suggest that this phenomenon reflects a novel host-pathogen interaction that is central to infection with B. pertussis and other Bordetella species. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

  7. Identifying and Responding to Personal Stressors: Utilizing Photo Elicitation in Health Education Courses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hunter, Theresa

    2014-01-01

    The "Photo Elicitation Project" teaching idea applies the techniques of photo elicitation to stress prevention and management. This activity is designed to help students identify their personal stressors and to determine which stress prevention strategies are most useful for them. Objectives: students will be able to (a) identify current…

  8. Re-evaluation of model-based light-scattering spectroscopy for tissue spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Condon; Šćepanović, Obrad; Mirkovic, Jelena; McGee, Sasha; Yu, Chung-Chieh; Fulghum, Stephen; Wallace, Michael; Tunnell, James; Bechtel, Kate; Feld, Michael

    2009-01-01

    Model-based light scattering spectroscopy (LSS) seemed a promising technique for in-vivo diagnosis of dysplasia in multiple organs. In the studies, the residual spectrum, the difference between the observed and modeled diffuse reflectance spectra, was attributed to single elastic light scattering from epithelial nuclei, and diagnostic information due to nuclear changes was extracted from it. We show that this picture is incorrect. The actual single scattering signal arising from epithelial nuclei is much smaller than the previously computed residual spectrum, and does not have the wavelength dependence characteristic of Mie scattering. Rather, the residual spectrum largely arises from assuming a uniform hemoglobin distribution. In fact, hemoglobin is packaged in blood vessels, which alters the reflectance. When we include vessel packaging, which accounts for an inhomogeneous hemoglobin distribution, in the diffuse reflectance model, the reflectance is modeled more accurately, greatly reducing the amplitude of the residual spectrum. These findings are verified via numerical estimates based on light propagation and Mie theory, tissue phantom experiments, and analysis of published data measured from Barrett’s esophagus. In future studies, vessel packaging should be included in the model of diffuse reflectance and use of model-based LSS should be discontinued. PMID:19405760

  9. How Can a Process of Reflection Enhance Teacher-Trainees’ Practicum Experience?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana Zulimay Camacho Rico

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available The present study was an attempt to understand how a process of reflection helped five foreign language student teachers throughout their first teaching experience. This study was conducted in the classrooms of five public schools in Colombia where English was taught to high school students. Data were collected through classroom observations, students’ reflective journals, lesson plans and semi-structured interviews. Findings revealed that reflection is a way to help foreign language student teachers to improve their first teaching practice. The analysis was based on the light of two theories, reflection in action and reflection on action from Schön (1987 and Van Manen’s (1977 three levels of reflection.

  10. Reflectance and transmittance of light scattering scales stacked on the wings of pierid butterflies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stavenga, DG; Giraldo, MA; Hoenders, BJ

    2006-01-01

    The colors of butterfly wings are determined by the structural as well as pigmentary properties of the wing scales. Reflectance spectra of the wings of a number of pierid butterfly species, specifically the small white, Pieris rapae, show that the long-wavelength reflectance of the scales in situ,

  11. Light trapping with plasmonic back contacts in thin-film silicon solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paetzold, Ulrich Wilhelm

    2013-02-08

    Trapping light in silicon solar cells is essential as it allows an increase in the absorption of incident sunlight in optically thin silicon absorber layers. This way, the costs of the solar cells can be reduced by lowering the material consumption and decreasing the physical constraints on the material quality. In this work, plasmonic light trapping with Ag back contacts in thin-film silicon solar cells is studied. Solar cell prototypes with plasmonic back contacts are presented along with optical simulations of these devices and general design considerations of plasmonic back contacts. Based on three-dimensional electromagnetic simulations, the conceptual design of plasmonic nanostructures on Ag back contacts in thin-film silicon solar cells is studied in this work. Optimizations of the nanostructures regarding their ability to scatter incident light at low optical losses into large angles in the silicon absorber layers of the thin-film silicon solar cells are presented. Geometrical parameters as well as the embedding dielectric layer stack of the nanostructures on Ag layers are varied. Periodic as well as isolated hemispherical Ag nanostructures of dimensions above 200 nm are found to scatter incident light at high efficiencies and low optical losses. Hence, these nanostructures are of interest for light trapping in solar cells. In contrast, small Ag nanostructures of dimension below 100 nm are found to induce optical losses. At the surface of randomly textured Ag back contacts small Ag nanostructures exist which induce optical losses. In this work, the relevance of these localized plasmon induced optical losses as well as optical losses caused by propagating plasmons are investigated with regard to the reflectance of the textured back contacts. In state-of-the-art solar cells, the plasmon-induced optical losses are shifted out of the relevant wavelength range by incorporating a ZnO:Al interlayer of low refractive index at the back contact. The additional but

  12. Improving the quality of cognitive behaviour therapy case conceptualization: the role of self-practice/self-reflection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haarhoff, Beverly; Gibson, Kerry; Flett, Ross

    2011-05-01

    CBT case conceptualization is considered to be a key competency. Prior to the publication in 2009 of Kuyken, Padesky and Dudley's book, little has been documented concerning methods for training conceptualization skills and the conceptualization process is usually perceived as predominantly an intellectual process. In this paper, the Declarative-Procedural-Reflective model of therapist skill acquisition provides a route to understanding how different kinds of knowledge systems can be integrated to enhance therapist skill acquisition. Sixteen recent graduates of a postgraduate diploma in cognitive behaviour therapy worked independently through a self-practice/self-reflection workbook designed to lead them through a series of CBT interventions commonly used to elicit the information required for a CBT conceptualization. The participants' self-reflections were thematically analyzed and uncovered the following inter-related themes: increased theoretical understanding of the CBT model, self-awareness, empathy, conceptualization of the therapeutic relationship, and adaptation of clinical interventions and practice. A tentative conclusion reached, based on the self-reflections of the participants, was that targeted self-practice/self-reflection enhanced case conceptualization skill by consolidating the Declarative, Procedural and Reflective systems important in therapist skill acquisition. © British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies 2011

  13. Structured light optical microscopy for three-dimensional reconstruction of technical surfaces

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kettel, Johannes; Reinecke, Holger; Müller, Claas

    2016-04-01

    In microsystems technology quality control of micro structured surfaces with different surface properties is playing an ever more important role. The process of quality control incorporates three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of specularand diffusive reflecting technical surfaces. Due to the demand on high measurement accuracy and data acquisition rates, structured light optical microscopy has become a valuable solution to solve this problem providing high vertical and lateral resolution. However, 3D reconstruction of specular reflecting technical surfaces still remains a challenge to optical measurement principles. In this paper we present a measurement principle based on structured light optical microscopy which enables 3D reconstruction of specular- and diffusive reflecting technical surfaces. It is realized using two light paths of a stereo microscope equipped with different magnification levels. The right optical path of the stereo microscope is used to project structured light onto the object surface. The left optical path is used to capture the structured illuminated object surface with a camera. Structured light patterns are generated by a Digital Light Processing (DLP) device in combination with a high power Light Emitting Diode (LED). Structured light patterns are realized as a matrix of discrete light spots to illuminate defined areas on the object surface. The introduced measurement principle is based on multiple and parallel processed point measurements. Analysis of the measured Point Spread Function (PSF) by pattern recognition and model fitting algorithms enables the precise calculation of 3D coordinates. Using exemplary technical surfaces we demonstrate the successful application of our measurement principle.

  14. Conditioned craving cues elicit an automatic approach tendency

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Gucht, D.; Vansteenwegen, D.; Van den Bergh, O.; Beckers, T.

    2008-01-01

    In two experiments, we used a Pavlovian differential conditioning procedure to induce craving for chocolate. As a result of repeated pairing with chocolate intake, initially neutral cues came to elicit an automatic approach tendency in a speeded stimulus-response compatibility reaction time task.

  15. Eliciting behavior change in a US sexual violence and intimate partner violence prevention program through utilization of Freire and discussion facilitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nelson, Atiba; Lewy, Robin; Ricardo, Francine; Dovydaitis, Tiffany; Hunter, Amber; Mitchell, Ashley; Loe, Claire; Kugel, Candace

    2010-09-01

    Designed by Migrant Clinicians Network, the Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar (Men United Against Family Violence) Project used facilitated discussion groups as the method to encourage self-reflection and behavior change. Male participants were not taught to rectify any past sexual or intimate partner violence (SV/IPV) 'tendencies', rather the discussion facilitation allowed them to reflect on the SV/IPV that was present in their lives and in the Hispanic community. Subsequently, the sessions and self-reflection, coupled with the discussions with other participating males, empowered several participants to have further interactions about SV/IPV with individuals in their community. The discussions led participants to realize that SV/IPV existed in their community, but that there were males within their community that wanted to change. The Hombres Unidos Contra La Violencia Familiar project demonstrated that behavior change does not need to be actively persuaded, but that self-reflection, which elicits behavior change, can be achieved through facilitated discussion and by permitting the facilitators to become participants. By creating sessions that allow participants to construct their own understanding of the perceived problem while reflecting on their past behavior, true behavior change that is initiated by the participant can be achieved. Through discussion facilitation, a targeted and structured behavior change intervention can assist participants in realizing that their past actions were damaging to themselves and their community, while aiding the participant in employing self-initiated responses, learned within the discussions, to alter their behaviors.

  16. An enzyme immunoassay to quantify neurofilament light chain in cerebrospinal fluid.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Geel, W.J.A. van; Rosengren, L.E.; Verbeek, M.M.

    2005-01-01

    Neurofilament light chain is a component of the axonal cytoskeleton. The concentration of the neurofilament light chain in cerebrospinal fluid may reflect axonal damage or the extent of white matter damage. In this study we describe a sensitive immunoassay for the detection of neurofilament light

  17. Color change mechanism of niobium oxide thin film with incidental light angle and applied voltage

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Komatsu, Isao [Course of Information Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokai University (Japan); Aoki, Hayata [Course of Electro Photo Optics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokai University (Japan); Ebisawa, Mizue [Tokyo Metropolitan Industrial Technology Research Institute (Japan); Kuroda, Akihiro [Department of Optical and Imaging Science & Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Tokai University (Japan); Kuroda Consulting Incorporated (Japan); Kuroda, Koichi [Kuroda Consulting Incorporated (Japan); Maeda, Shuichi [Course of Information Science and Technology, Graduate School of Science and Technology, Tokai University (Japan); Course of Electro Photo Optics, Graduate School of Engineering, Tokai University (Japan); Department of Optical and Imaging Science & Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Tokai University (Japan)

    2016-03-31

    Niobium oxide thin layers made by the anodization process showed coloration owing to thin film interference. The reflection spectra depended on both the applied voltage and incident light angle. Large color differences were observed at incident light angles between 5° and 70°, when the applied voltage was over 60 V. In this study, we explored the cause of these results using ellipsometry and goniophotometry to understand the transition of optical constants and the reflection spectra with applied voltage. Finally, we concluded that the coloration of the reflection spectra, which included only a first-order interference peak, exhibits a smaller change because the first order interference peak has a wider half value width than higher order interference peaks. - Highlights: • We investigated color change of Nb{sub 2}O{sub 5} oxide thin layers with incidental light angle. • The reflection spectra shift to lower wavelength region with increasing incident light angle. • The reflection spectra shift to higher wavelength region with increasing applied voltage. • First-order interference has wider half value width, and exhibits small color change.

  18. The effects of titanium dioxide coatings on light-derived heating and transdermal heat transfer in bovine skin

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartle, S. J.; Thomson, D. U.; Gehring, R.; van der Merwe, D.

    2017-11-01

    The effects of titanium dioxide coatings of bovine hides on light absorption and transdermal transfer of light-derived heat were investigated. Four hair-on rug hides from Holstein cattle were purchased. Twelve samples about 20 cm on a side were cut from each hide; nine from the black-colored areas, and three from the white areas. Samples were randomized and assigned to four coating treatments: (1) white hide with no coating (White), (2) black hide with no coating (Black), (3) black hide with 50% coating (Mid), and (4) black hide with 100% coating (High). Coatings were applied to the black hide samples using a hand sprayer. Lux measurements were taken using a modified lux meter at three light intensities generated with a broad spectrum, cold halogen light source. Reflectance over a wavelength range of 380 to 900 nm was measured using a spectroradiometer. The transdermal transfer of heat derived from absorbed light was measured by applying a broad spectrum, cold halogen light source to the stratum corneum (coated) side of the sample and recording the temperature of the dermis-side using a thermal camera for 10 min at 30-s intervals. At the high light level, the White, Black, Mid, and High coating treatments had different ( P 400 to 750 nm), Black hides reflected 10 to 15% of the light energy, hides with the Mid coating treatment reflected 35 to 40%, and hides with the High coating treatment reflected 70 to 80% of the light energy. The natural White hide samples reflected 60 to 80% of the light energy. The average maximum temperatures at the dermis-side of the hides due to transferred heat were 34.5, 70.1, 55.0, and 31.7, for the White, Black, Mid, and High treatments, respectively. Reflective coatings containing titanium dioxide on cattle hides were effective in reducing light energy absorption and reduced light-derived heat transfer from the skin surface to deeper skin layers.

  19. Reflective and transflective liquid crystal displays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Fushan

    Recently transflective liquid crystal displays (LCD) received a lot of attention. A transflective display has a transmissive mode and a reflective mode. It combines the high contrast, high brightness of the transmissive mode with energy-saving of reflective mode and has good performance in various illumination conditions. However, state-of-the-art transflective displays have problems such as different electro-optical properties, difficulty in compatibility and optimization of both modes, low efficiency of light utilization, and complexity in structure. This dissertation focuses on finding new designs of transflective displays that address those problems. One way to do this is to study film compensation of LCD. We first studied film compensation of bistable twisted nematic (BTN) LCD. Starting form the reduced (3x3) Mueller matrices, we derived and simplified the conditions that film compensated BTN can be optimized. Based on these relations, electro-optical properties of some particular configurations, and designs of transflective BTN with high brightness and contrast were given. To confirm and get a better understanding of the results, we use the Poincare sphere to analyze film compensated BTN. The key to this approach is the existence of "fixed points". Compared with the matrix approach, this approach is more simple, elegant, and efficient. We then generalized the Poincare sphere approach to a universal approach of LCD. We applied the universal approach to film compensation of ECB and IPS, and the design of achromatic birefringent filters. We also give two more new designs of transflective displays. In the first design, a dichroic mirror is used to split the visible spectrum into two parts used in transmissive and reflective modes, respectively. Both modes can be optimized. It has a simple structure and good light utilization. A design for a full-color transflective display with good performance is also given. In the second design, each pixel is divided into two

  20. Calculation of Reflectance and Transmittance of Coating With Optically Rough Surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Depsy, A.; Shawky, A.M.

    2011-01-01

    For ideal surfaces, components of the reflected beam are related to the components of the incident beam by Fresnel reflection equation. The surfaces encountered in engineering applications deviate from ideal as a result of roughness, oxidization and contamination; hence the Radiative properties of these real surfaces differ greatly from those predicted by electromagnetic theory. In regard to problems of radiative heat transfer; the roughness of surfaces may be divided into two categories: (1) small surface irregularities such that the incident radiation cannot undergo more than a single reflection, (2) deep cavities in which the incident radiation undergoes multi-reflection. The normally incident radiation from rough surface having small irregularities is reflected partly specularly and partly diffusely [1]. Kubelka-Munk theory (K-M) [2] describes optical characteristics (e.g. reflectance, transmittance and absorbance) by a variety of light scattering media including paints, textiles and papers, and It is widely used in various industrial applications. Moder developments in radiative transfer theory (RTT) enable the derivation of (K-M) parameters from first principles [3]. Kubelka and Munk proposed a theory based on a model of two light fluxes travelling in the forward and backward directions. Subsequently a number of authors refined the theory and compared it with experimental data [4]. Several authors attempted to relate the Kubelka- Munk coefficients to the transport coefficients [5,6

  1. Metal–insulator–metal light absorber: a continuous structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yan, M

    2013-01-01

    A type of light absorber made of continuous layers of metal and dielectric films is studied. The metal films can have thicknesses close to their skin depths in the wavelength range concerned, which allows for both light transmission and reflection. Resonances induced by multiple reflections in the structure, when combined with the inherent lossy nature of metals, result in strong absorption spectral features. An eigen-mode analysis is carried out for the plasmonic multilayer nanostructures which provides a generic understanding of the absorption features. Experimentally, the calculation is verified by a reflection measurement with a representative structure. Such an absorber is simple to fabricate. The highly efficient absorption characteristics can be potentially deployed for optical filter designs, sensors, accurate photothermal temperature control in a micro-environment and even for backscattering reduction of small particles, etc. (paper)

  2. Requirements Elicitation in a Telemedicine Pain-treatment Trial

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Widya, I.A.; Bults, Richard G.A.; van Beijnum, Bernhard J.F.; Sandsjö, L.; Schaake, L.; Huis in 't Veld, M.H.A.; Jones, Valerie M.; Hermens, Hermanus J.; Ryan, K.; Robinson, W.

    2009-01-01

    This paper presents the early phase requirements elicitation for a work-related neck-shoulder pain teletreatment trial and the assessment of those requirements in respect of their importance to the trial and the feasibility of the needed software adaptations of the telemedicine system within the

  3. Eliciting and Applying Local Research Knowledge for Peacebuilding ...

    International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

    gs

    Carnegie Corporation of New York (CCNY) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) are pleased to announce a jointly-funded research initiative Eliciting and Applying Local Research. Knowledge for Peacebuilding and Statebuilding. The research initiative seeks to increase the level of recognition and ...

  4. Road lighting fundamentals, technology and application

    CERN Document Server

    van Bommel, Wout

    2015-01-01

    This book outlines the underlying principles on which modern road lighting is based, and provides the reader with knowledge of how these principles should be applied in practice. It offers a completely fresh approach to the subject, reflecting how the technology of road lighting has progressed to keep up with the changes in lamp technology, especially in solid state light sources, and the increasing awareness of energy use and environmental issues. The book is divided into three parts. Part One describes lighting of open roads, with chapters discussing visual performance and comfort (including the effects of mesopic vision and age), and international standards and recommendations for road lighting. Lighting equipment is introduced; specifically lamps and luminaires in terms of their practical properties and features, but also the road surface and its characteristics. A chapter on Lighting Design makes the link between theory and practice, providing the reader with the knowledge needed for effective lighting d...

  5. submitter Measurement of LYSO Intrinsic Light Yield Using Electron Excitation

    CERN Document Server

    Martinez Turtos, Rosana; Pizzichemi, Marco; Ghezzi, Alessio; Pauwels, Kristof; Auffray, Etiennette; Lecoq, Paul; Paganoni, Marco

    2016-01-01

    The determination of the intrinsic light yield $(LY_{int})$ of scintillating crystals, i.e. number of optical photons created per amount of energy deposited, constitutes a key factor in order to characterize and optimize their energy and time resolution. However, until now measurements of this quantity are affected by large uncertainties and often rely on corrections for bulk absorption and surface/edge state. The novel idea presented in this contribution is based on the confinement of the scintillation emission in the central upper part of a 10 mm cubic crystal using a 1.5 MeV electron beam with diameter of 1 mm. A black non-reflective pinhole aligned with the excitation point is used to fix the light extraction solid angle (narrower than total reflection angle), which then sets a light cone travel path through the crystal. The final number of photoelectrons detected using a Hamamatsu R2059 photomultiplier tube (PMT) was corrected for the extraction solid angle, the Fresnel reflection coefficient and quantum...

  6. Goos-Hänchen shifts of partially coherent light beams from a cavity with a four-level Raman gain medium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ziauddin; Lee, Ray-Kuang; Qamar, Sajid

    2016-09-01

    We theoretically investigate spatial and angular Goos-Hänchen (GH) shifts (both negative and positive) in the reflected light for a partial coherent light incident on a cavity. A four-level Raman gain atomic medium is considered in a cavity. The effects of spatial coherence, beam width, and mode index of partial coherent light fields on spatial and angular GH shifts are studied. Our results reveal that a large magnitude of negative and positive GH shifts in the reflected light is achievable with the introduction of partial coherent light fields. Furthermore, the amplitude of spatial (negative and positive) GH shifts are sharply affected by the partial coherent light beam as compared to angular (negative and positive) GH shifts in the reflected light.

  7. Light Curve Simulation Using Spacecraft CAD Models and Empirical Material Spectral BRDFS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willison, A.; Bedard, D.

    This paper presents a Matlab-based light curve simulation software package that uses computer-aided design (CAD) models of spacecraft and the spectral bidirectional reflectance distribution function (sBRDF) of their homogenous surface materials. It represents the overall optical reflectance of objects as a sBRDF, a spectrometric quantity, obtainable during an optical ground truth experiment. The broadband bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), the basis of a broadband light curve, is produced by integrating the sBRDF over the optical wavelength range. Colour-filtered BRDFs, the basis of colour-filtered light curves, are produced by first multiplying the sBRDF by colour filters, and integrating the products. The software package's validity is established through comparison of simulated reflectance spectra and broadband light curves with those measured of the CanX-1 Engineering Model (EM) nanosatellite, collected during an optical ground truth experiment. It is currently being extended to simulate light curves of spacecraft in Earth orbit, using spacecraft Two-Line-Element (TLE) sets, yaw/pitch/roll angles, and observer coordinates. Measured light curves of the NEOSSat spacecraft will be used to validate simulated quantities. The sBRDF was chosen to represent material reflectance as it is spectrometric and a function of illumination and observation geometry. Homogeneous material sBRDFs were obtained using a goniospectrometer for a range of illumination and observation geometries, collected in a controlled environment. The materials analyzed include aluminum alloy, two types of triple-junction photovoltaic (TJPV) cell, white paint, and multi-layer insulation (MLI). Interpolation and extrapolation methods were used to determine the sBRDF for all possible illumination and observation geometries not measured in the laboratory, resulting in empirical look-up tables. These look-up tables are referenced when calculating the overall sBRDF of objects, where

  8. Induction of phenolic compounds in Hypericum perforatum L. cells by Colletotrichum gloeosporioides elicitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conceição, Luis F R; Ferreres, Federico; Tavares, Rui M; Dias, Alberto C P

    2006-01-01

    Changes in phenolic metabolism after elicitation with Colletotrichum gloeosporioides (CG) has been studied in Hypericum perforatum L. (HP) cell suspension cultures. Soluble phenolics were analysed by HPLC-DAD and HPLC-DAD-MS/MS. HP cultures elicited with the CG elicitor showed a significant increase in xanthone accumulation. Xanthone accumulation increased twelve fold when the cells were primed with methyl-jasmonate (MeJ) or salicylic acid (SA), before elicitation. HP cultures exposed only to MeJ produced a set of flavonoids, the flavones which represent a substantial part (approx. 40%) of the total flavonoids accumulated in these cells. The possible importance of xanthones as a component of defence mechanism of HP against biotic stress is discussed.

  9. Influence of fluctuating strain on exciton reflection spectra

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Skettrup, Torben

    1982-01-01

    The influence of an internal distribution of strain on the exciton reflection spectra is investigated. The resulting fluctuating optical constants give rise to a fluctuating phase of reflectivity. The standard deviation σ of these phase fluctuations is the quantity which can be observed...... to derive the dependence of the phase of reflectivity on the direction of the fluctuating optical axis. The results obtained for σ are compared with the experimental depolarization spectra of ZnO. The only fitting parameter is the common standard deviation of the strain components. It is found......, for example, between crossed polarizers or from ellipsometric measurements. Assuming the phase fluctuations to obey a Gaussian distribution, σ can be expressed in a simple way in terms of the degree of polarization or the depolarization of the reflected light. σ is then derived in terms of the standard...

  10. Art at the Bedside: Reflections on Use of Visual Imagery in Hospital Chaplaincy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dodge-Peters Daiss, Susan

    2016-03-01

    'Art at the Bedside' is the name given to a hospital visitation program during which works of art loaded onto a computer are used to start conversations with patients and their families. The article traces the genesis of the program that evolved from the author's dual training in art museum education and hospital chaplaincy through the evolution of the practice, now in its sixth year. Reflections on the practice itself are the focus of this article, from identifying the kinds of responses frequently elicited by the artwork to understanding how these works of art seem to forge immediate connections between the patient and the facilitator. Ultimately posed in this reflection is whether the 'Art at the Bedside' experience might suggest a future for the integration of the visual arts more broadly into hospital - and related - chaplaincy. © The Author(s) 2016.

  11. Far-ultraviolet spectral changes of titanium dioxide with gold nanoparticles by ultraviolet and visible light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanabe, Ichiro; Kurawaki, Yuji

    2018-05-01

    Attenuated total reflectance spectra including the far-ultraviolet (FUV, ≤ 200 nm) region of titanium dioxide (TiO2) with and without gold (Au) nanoparticles were measured. A newly developed external light-irradiation system enabled to observe spectral changes of TiO2 with Au nanoparticles upon light irradiations. Absorption in the FUV region decreased and increased by the irradiation with ultraviolet and visible light, respectively. These spectral changes may reflect photo-induced electron transfer from TiO2 to Au nanoparticles under ultraviolet light and from Au nanoparticles to TiO2 under visible light, respectively.

  12. Light echoes - Type II supernovae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaefer, B.E.

    1987-01-01

    Type II supernovae (SNs) light curves show a remarkable range of shapes. Data have been collected for the 12 Type II SNs that have light curve information for more than four months past maximum. Contrary to previous reports, it is found that (1) the decay rate after 100 days past maximum varies by almost an order of magnitude and (2) the light curve shapes are not bimodally distributed, but actually form a continuum. In addition, it is found that the extinctions to the SNs are related to the light curve shapes. This implies that the absorbing dust is local to the SNs. The dust is likely to be part of a circumstellar shell emitted by the SN progenitor that Dwek (1983) has used to explain infrared echoes. The optical depth of the shell can get quite large. In such cases, it is found that the photons scattered and delayed by reflection off dust grains will dominate the light curve several months after peak brightness. This light echo offers a straightforward explanation of the diversity of Type II SN light curves. 22 references

  13. MCSLTT, Monte Carlo Simulation of Light Transport in Tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    2008-01-01

    Description of program or function: Understanding light-tissue interaction is fundamental in the field of Biomedical Optics. It has important implications for both therapeutic and diagnostic technologies. In this program, light transport in scattering tissue is modeled by absorption and scattering events as each photon travels through the tissue. The path of each photon is determined statistically by calculating probabilities of scattering and absorption. Other measured quantities are total reflected light, total transmitted light, and total heat absorbed

  14. Single view reflectance capture using multiplexed scattering and time-of-flight imaging

    OpenAIRE

    Zhao, Shuang; Velten, Andreas; Raskar, Ramesh; Bala, Kavita; Naik, Nikhil Deepak

    2011-01-01

    This paper introduces the concept of time-of-flight reflectance estimation, and demonstrates a new technique that allows a camera to rapidly acquire reflectance properties of objects from a single view-point, over relatively long distances and without encircling equipment. We measure material properties by indirectly illuminating an object by a laser source, and observing its reflected light indirectly using a time-of-flight camera. The configuration collectively acquires dense angular, but l...

  15. Evaluation of the photon transmission efficiency of light guides used in scintillation detectors using LightTools code

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Hye Min; Joo, Koan Sik; Kim, Jeong Ho; Kim, Dong Sung; Park, Ki Hyun; Park, Chan Jong; Han, Woo Jin

    2016-01-01

    To optimize the photon transmission efficiency of light guides used in scintillation detectors, LightTools code, which can construct and track light, was used to analyze photon transmission effectiveness with respect to light guides thickness. This analysis was carried out using the commercial light guide, N-BK 7 Optical Glass by SCHOTT, as a model for this study. The luminous exitance characteristic of the LYSO scintillator was used to analyze the photon transmission effectiveness according to the thickness of the light guide. The results of the simulations showed the effectiveness of the photon transmission according to the thickness of the light guide, which was found to be distributed from 13.38% to 33.57%. In addition, the photon transmission efficiency was found to be the highest for light guides of 4 mm of thickness and a receiving angle of 49 .deg. . Through such simulations, it is confirmed that photon transmission efficiency depends on light guide thickness and subsequent changes in the internal angle of reflection. The aim is to produce an actual light guide based on these results and to evaluate its performance

  16. Application of Light Reflection Visualization for Measuring Organic-Liquid Saturation for Two-Phase Systems in Two-Dimensional Flow Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    DiFilippo, Erica L; Brusseau, Mark L

    2011-11-01

    A simple, noninvasive imaging technique was used to obtain in situ measurements of organic-liquid saturation in a two-phase system under dynamic conditions. Efficacy of the light reflection visualization (LRV) imaging method was tested through comparison of measured and known volumes of organic liquid for experiments conducted with a two-dimensional flow cell. Two sets of experiments were conducted, with source-zone configurations representing two archetypical residual-and-pool architectures. LRV measurements were collected during the injection of organic liquid and during a dissolution phase induced by water flushing. There was a strong correlation between measured and known organic-liquid volumes, with the LRV-measured values generally somewhat lower than the known volumes. Errors were greater for the system wherein organic liquid was present in multiple zones comprised of porous media of different permeabilities, and for conditions of multiphase flow. This method proved effective at determining organic-liquid distribution in a two-phase system using minimal specialized equipment.

  17. A spectral image processing algorithm for evaluating the influence of the illuminants on the reconstructed reflectance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toadere, Florin

    2017-12-01

    A spectral image processing algorithm that allows the illumination of the scene with different illuminants together with the reconstruction of the scene's reflectance is presented. Color checker spectral image and CIE A (warm light 2700 K), D65 (cold light 6500 K) and Cree TW Series LED T8 (4000 K) are employed for scene illumination. Illuminants used in the simulations have different spectra and, as a result of their illumination, the colors of the scene change. The influence of the illuminants on the reconstruction of the scene's reflectance is estimated. Demonstrative images and reflectance showing the operation of the algorithm are illustrated.

  18. Comparison of elicitation potential of chloroatranol and atranol - 2 allergens in oak moss absolute

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Johansen, J.D.; Bernard, G.; Gimenez-Arnau, E.

    2006-01-01

    of chloroatranol relative to atranol based on testing with equimolar concentrations was 217% (95% confidence interval 116-409%). Both substances elicited reactions at very low levels of exposure. It is concluded that the differences in elicitation capacity between the 2 substances are counterbalanced by exposure...

  19. Impaired bacterial attachment to light activated Ni-Ti alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chrzanowski, Wojciech; Valappil, Sabeel P.; Dunnill, Charles W.; Abou Neel, Ensanya A.; Lee, Kevin; Parkin, Ivan P.; Wilson, Michael; Armitage, David A.; Knowles, Jonathan C.

    2010-01-01

    Ni-Ti alloy due to its unique mechanical properties, is used for many types of implants. Failure of these implants can be attributed to many different factors; however infections are a common problem. In this paper, the attachment of the bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, to the Ni-Ti surface modified by a range of processes with and without of light activation (used to elicit antimicrobial properties of materials) was assessed and related to different surface characteristics. Before the light activation the number of bacterial colony forming units was the greatest for the samples thermally oxidised at 600 deg. C. This sample and the spark oxidised samples showed the highest photocatalytic activity but only the thermally oxidised samples at 600 deg. C showed a significant drop of S. aureus attachment. The findings in this study indicate that light activation and treating samples at 600 deg. C is a promising method for Ni-Ti implant applications with inherent antimicrobial properties. Light activation was shown to be an effective way to trigger photocatalytic reactions on samples covered with relatively thick titanium dioxide via accumulation of photons in the surface and a possible increase in defects which may result in free oxygen. Moreover, light activation caused an increase in the total surface energy.

  20. Eliciting Help Without Pity: The Effect of Changing Media Images on Perceptions of Disability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kamenetsky, Stuart B; Dimakos, Christina; Aslemand, Asal; Saleh, Amani; Ali-Mohammed, Saamiyah

    2016-01-01

    This study investigated whether newer, more positive disability charity images can elicit helping behavior without producing pity. One hundred sixty-one university undergraduate students were presented with 35 older (1960-1990) and newer (1991-2010) disability charity images and completed a questionnaire about each image. Results indicate that overall, identification with depicted individuals was low; positive attitudes and perceptions of capabilities were moderate to high. Newer images led to more positive responses, but no significant difference in willingness to help. Eliciting pity through negative depictions of disability appears not to be a necessary precondition for eliciting helping behavior toward people with disabilities.

  1. Using process elicitation and validation to understand and improve chemotherapy ordering and delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mertens, Wilson C; Christov, Stefan C; Avrunin, George S; Clarke, Lori A; Osterweil, Leon J; Cassells, Lucinda J; Marquard, Jenna L

    2012-11-01

    Chemotherapy ordering and administration, in which errors have potentially severe consequences, was quantitatively and qualitatively evaluated by employing process formalism (or formal process definition), a technique derived from software engineering, to elicit and rigorously describe the process, after which validation techniques were applied to confirm the accuracy of the described process. The chemotherapy ordering and administration process, including exceptional situations and individuals' recognition of and responses to those situations, was elicited through informal, unstructured interviews with members of an interdisciplinary team. The process description (or process definition), written in a notation developed for software quality assessment purposes, guided process validation (which consisted of direct observations and semistructured interviews to confirm the elicited details for the treatment plan portion of the process). The overall process definition yielded 467 steps; 207 steps (44%) were dedicated to handling 59 exceptional situations. Validation yielded 82 unique process events (35 new expected but not yet described steps, 16 new exceptional situations, and 31 new steps in response to exceptional situations). Process participants actively altered the process as ambiguities and conflicts were discovered by the elicitation and validation components of the study. Chemotherapy error rates declined significantly during and after the project, which was conducted from October 2007 through August 2008. Each elicitation method and the subsequent validation discussions contributed uniquely to understanding the chemotherapy treatment plan review process, supporting rapid adoption of changes, improved communication regarding the process, and ensuing error reduction.

  2. High-reflective colorful films fabricated by all-solid multi-layer cholesteric structures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Y.; Luo, D.

    2018-02-01

    We demonstrate all-solid-state film with high-reflectivity based on cholesteric template. The adhesive (NOA81) is both filler and an adhesive, which can be avoids interfacial losses. The reflected right- and left-circularly polarized light has been developed by roll-to-roll method, and the reflectance of the films is more than 78%. Here, the all-solid film was used in distribute feedback laser with dye-doped. In addition, this films also used in include flexible reflective display, color pixels in digital photographs, printing and colored cladding of variety of objects.

  3. Eliciting and Defining Requirements Based on Metaevaluation: the Case of the CRAS 2008 Census

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Edilson Ferneda

    2014-10-01

    Full Text Available The Brazilian Ministry of Social Development and Fight against Hunger (MDS regularly promotes the evaluation of its social programs, such as those developed in the Reference Centers for Social Assistance (CRAS. Such evaluations make use of a web system that supports the collection and processing of information as well as the dissemination of its results to local, regional and central government officials through the so-called CRAS Census. A meta-evaluation of the CRAS 2008 Census was carried out based on criteria specified by the Joint Committee (1994, from which we elicited requirements that enabled improvements of the web system. The article reports new requirements elicited from the meta-evaluation of the CRAS 2008 Census, held in the period 2009-2010. The approach of meta-evaluation as an alternative source of requirements elicitation took into consideration results from evaluations of social programs in order to identify system problems without the usual need of intense interaction with users. This approach revealed opportunities for improvements in the evaluation process that led to the elicitation of requirements for the computerized system. Some of the elicited features were incorporated into the Census 2010 and others may be incorporated in future censuses.

  4. Mechanisms for the reflection of light atoms from crystal surfaces at kilovolt energies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hou, M.; Robinson, M.T.

    1978-01-01

    The computer program MARLOWE was used to investigate the backscattering of protons from the (110) surface of a nickel crystal. Grazing incidence was considered so that anisotropic effects originated mainly from the surface region. The contribution of aligned scattering was studied by comparing the results with similar calculations for an amorphous target. Energy distributions of backscattered particles were investigated for incident energies ranging from 0.1 to 5 keV. The structure of these distributions was explained by making calculations for several target thickness. Specular reflection was found to depend on the structure of the first few atomic planes only. The (110) rows in the surface plane were responsible for focusing into surface semichannels. Focusing in these semichannels was found to be the strongest under total reflection conditions (below about 1.3 keV) while the scattering intensity from surface rows increased with increasing incident energy. The orientation of the plane of incidence was found to have large influence on the relative contributions of the reflection mechanisms involved. (orig.) [de

  5. New reflections on agency and body ownership: The moving rubber hand illusion in the mirror.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkinson, Paul M; Preston, Catherine

    2015-05-01

    No previous study has simultaneously examined body ownership and agency in healthy subjects during mirror self-observation. We used a moving rubber hand illusion to examine how both body ownership and agency are affected by seeing (i) the body moving in a mirror, compared with (ii) directly viewing the moving hand, and (iii) seeing a visually identical hand rotated by 180°. We elicited ownership of the hand using direct visual feedback, finding this effect was further enhanced when looking at the hand in a mirror, whereas rotating the hand 180° abolished ownership. Agency was similarly elicited using direct visual feedback, and equally so in the mirror, but again reduced for the 180° hand. We conclude that the reflected body in a mirror is treated as 'special' in the mind, and distinct from other external objects. This enables bodies and actions viewed in a mirror to be directly related to the self. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Earthquakes and Tectonics Expert Judgment Elicitation Project

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coppersmith, K.J.; Perman, R.C.; Youngs, R.R.

    1993-02-01

    This report summarizes the results of the Earthquakes and Tectonics Expert Judgement Excitation Project sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). The objectives of this study were two-fold: (1) to demonstrate methods for the excitation of expert judgement, and (2) to quantify the uncertainties associated with earthquake and tectonics issues for use in the EPRI-HLW performance assessment. Specifically, the technical issue considered is the probability of differential fault displacement through the proposed repository at Yucca Mountain, Nevada. For this study, a strategy for quantifying uncertainties was developed that relies on the judgements of multiple experts. A panel of seven geologists and seismologists was assembled to quantify the uncertainties associated with earthquake and tectonics issues for the performance assessment model. A series of technical workshops focusing on these issues were conducted. Finally, each expert was individually interviewed in order to elicit his judgement regarding the technical issues and to provide the technical basis for his assessment. This report summarizes the methodologies used to elicit the judgements of the earthquakes and tectonics experts (termed ''specialists''), and summarizes the technical assessments made by the expert panel

  7. The relationship between facilitators' questions and the level of reflection in postsimulation debriefing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Husebø, Sissel Eikeland; Dieckmann, Peter; Rystedt, Hans; Søreide, Eldar; Friberg, Febe

    2013-06-01

    Simulation-based education is a learner-active method that may enhance teamwork skills such as leadership and communication. The importance of postsimulation debriefing to promote reflection is well accepted, but many questions concerning whether and how faculty promote reflection remain largely unanswered in the research literature. The aim of this study was therefore to explore the depth of reflection expressed in questions by facilitators and responses from nursing students during postsimulation debriefings. Eighty-one nursing students and 4 facilitators participated. The data were collected in February and March 2008, the analysis being conducted on 24 video-recorded debriefings from simulated resuscitation teamwork involving nursing students only. Using Gibbs' reflective cycle, we graded the facilitators' questions and nursing students' responses into stages of reflection and then correlated these. Facilitators asked most evaluative and fewest emotional questions, whereas nursing students answered most evaluative and analytic responses and fewest emotional responses. The greatest difference between facilitators and nursing students was in the analytic stage. Only 23 (20%) of 117 questions asked by the facilitators were analytic, whereas 45 (35%) of 130 students' responses were rated as analytic. Nevertheless, the facilitators' descriptive questions also elicited student responses in other stages such as evaluative and analytic responses. We found that postsimulation debriefings provide students with the opportunity to reflect on their simulation experience. Still, if the debriefing is going to pave the way for student reflection, it is necessary to work further on structuring the debriefing to facilitate deeper reflection. Furthermore, it is important that facilitators consider what kind of questions they ask to promote reflection. We think future research on debriefing should focus on developing an analytical framework for grading reflective questions. Such

  8. The neural evidence of the reflected appraisal process as a main path for learning about one's self-knowledge of personality.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Xiaofan; Chen, Yu; Zhao, Yufang; Yang, Juan

    2015-09-01

    Self-knowledge has been defined as the accurate self-perceptions about how one typically thinks, feels, and behaves, and awareness of how those patterns are interpreted by others. Previous research has noted that the introspection and the reflected appraisal processes are two main avenues for learning about the self and that self-knowledge might be fully realized through the use of reflected appraisal from close others. However, due to the methodological difficulty in linking people's ratings on a trait to their behaviors, accuracy research using a behavioral criterion is quite limited. The current work examined the main source of learning about one's self-knowledge by investigating the time course of attention deployment both in the process of introspection and that of reflected appraisal. Twenty-five college students were first asked to rate their impressions of their classmates as well as a familiar other using personality-trait adjectives. Their electrophysiological data were then collected using the event-related potential (ERP) technology while they judged to which extent (1) an adjective can describe the self, (2) an adjective can describe a familiar other, (3) they agree with an adjective that their classmates believe can describe the self, and (4) they agree with an adjective that their classmates believe can describe a familiar other. Our electrophysiological data showed that classmates' positive evaluation of one's own trait elicited larger P2 than the positive self-evaluation of one's own trait. Further, classmates' negative evaluation of one's own trait elicited larger late positive component (LPC) than the negative self-evaluation of one's own trait. Results suggest that people allocate more attention to the process of reflected appraisal compared to the process of introspection, which further suggests that the reflected appraisal process might be the main source in learning about one's self-knowledge of personality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B

  9. Neuronal Activation in the Medulla Oblongata during Selective Elicitation of the Laryngeal Adductor Response

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ambalavanar, Ranjinidevi; Tanaka, Yasumasa; Selbie, W. Scott; Ludlow, Christy L.

    2008-01-01

    Swallow and cough are complex motor patterns elicited by rapid and intense electrical stimulation of the internal branch of the superior laryngeal nerve (ISLN). The laryngeal adductor response (LAR) includes only a laryngeal response, is elicited by single stimuli to the ISLN, and is thought to represent the brain stem pathway involved in laryngospasm. To identify which regions in the medulla are activated during elicitation of the LAR alone, single electrical stimuli were presented once every 2 s to the ISLN. Two groups of 5 cats each were studied; an experimental group with unilateral ISLN stimulation at 0.5 Hz and a surgical control group. Three additional cats were studied to evaluate whether other oral, pharyngeal or respiratory muscles were activated during ISLN stimulation eliciting LAR. We quantified up to 22 sections for each of 14 structures in the medulla to determine if regions had increased Fos-like immunoreactive neurons in the experimental group. Significant increases (p medulla. PMID:15212423

  10. Belief elicitation in experiments: is there a hedging problem?

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Blanco, M.; Engelmann, Dirk; Koch, A. K.; Normann, H.-T.

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 13, č. 4 (2010), s. 412-438 ISSN 1386-4157 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z70850503 Keywords : belief elicitation * hedging * experimental methodology Subject RIV: AH - Economics Impact factor: 1.868, year: 2010

  11. Optical Polarization of Light from a Sorghum Canopy Measured Under Both a Clear and an Overcast Sky

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vanderbilt, Vern; Daughtry, Craig; Biehl, Larry; Dahlgren, Robert

    2014-01-01

    Introduction: We tested the hypothesis that the optical polarization of the light reflected by a sorghum canopy is due to a Fresnel-type redirection, by sorghum leaf surfaces, of light from an unpolarized light source, the sun or overcast sky, toward the measuring sensor. If it can be shown that the source of the polarization of the light scattered by the sorghum canopy is a first surface, Fresnel-type reflection, then removing this surface reflected light from measurements of canopy reflectance presumably would allow better insight into the biochemical processes such as photosynthesis and metabolism that occur in the interiors of sorghum canopy leaves. Methods: We constructed a tower 5.9m tall in the center of a homogenous sorghum field. We equipped two Barnes MMR radiometers with polarization analyzers on the number 1, 3 and 7 Landsat TM wavelength bands. Positioning the radiometers atop the tower, we collected radiance data in 44 view directions on two days, one day with an overcast sky and the other, clear and sunlit. From the radiance data we calculated the linear polarization of the reflected light for each radiometer wavelength channel and view direction. Results and Discussion: Our experimental results support our hypothesis, showing that the amplitude of the linearly polarized portion of the light reflected by the sorghum canopy varied dramatically with view azimuth direction under a point source, the sun, but the amplitude varied little with view azimuth direction under the hemispherical source, the overcast sky. Under the clear sky, the angle of polarization depended upon the angle of incidence of the sunlight on the leaf, while under the overcast sky the angle of polarization depended upon the zenith view angle. These results support a polarized radiation transport model of the canopy that is based upon a first surface, Fresnel reflection from leaves in the sorghum canopy.

  12. Thermal consequences of colour and near-infrared reflectance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stuart-Fox, Devi; Newton, Elizabeth; Clusella-Trullas, Susana

    2017-07-05

    The importance of colour for temperature regulation in animals remains controversial. Colour can affect an animal's temperature because all else being equal, dark surfaces absorb more solar energy than do light surfaces, and that energy is converted into heat. However, in reality, the relationship between colour and thermoregulation is complex and varied because it depends on environmental conditions and the physical properties, behaviour and physiology of the animal. Furthermore, the thermal effects of colour depend as much on absorptance of near-infrared ((NIR), 700-2500 nm) as visible (300-700 nm) wavelengths of direct sunlight; yet the NIR is very rarely considered or measured. The few available data on NIR reflectance in animals indicate that the visible reflectance is often a poor predictor of NIR reflectance. Adaptive variation in animal coloration (visible reflectance) reflects a compromise between multiple competing functions such as camouflage, signalling and thermoregulation. By contrast, adaptive variation in NIR reflectance should primarily reflect thermoregulatory requirements because animal visual systems are generally insensitive to NIR wavelengths. Here, we assess evidence and identify key research questions regarding the thermoregulatory function of animal coloration, and specifically consider evidence for adaptive variation in NIR reflectance.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'. © 2017 The Author(s).

  13. The in situ measurement of road reflection.

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Schreuder, D.A.

    1994-01-01

    This paper describes a procedure that has been designed to measure P(0;0), P(2;0) and P(1;90), the three values that are the basis for the C1-C2 system for measuring road reflection of light. The system was proposed in The Netherlands, and subsequently adopted by the CIE as an alternative to the

  14. Design and evaluation of an imaging spectrophotometer incorporating a uniform light source.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noble, S D; Brown, R B; Crowe, T G

    2012-03-01

    Accounting for light that is diffusely scattered from a surface is one of the practical challenges in reflectance measurement. Integrating spheres are commonly used for this purpose in point measurements of reflectance and transmittance. This solution is not directly applicable to a spectral imaging application for which diffuse reflectance measurements are desired. In this paper, an imaging spectrophotometer design is presented that employs a uniform light source to provide diffuse illumination. This creates the inverse measurement geometry to the directional illumination/diffuse reflectance mode typically used for point measurements. The final system had a spectral range between 400 and 1000 nm with a 5.2 nm resolution, a field of view of approximately 0.5 m by 0.5 m, and millimeter spatial resolution. Testing results indicate illumination uniformity typically exceeding 95% and reflectance precision better than 1.7%.

  15. 3D-Printed external light traps for solar cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Dijk, L.; Paetzold, U.W.; Blab, Gerhard; Marcus, E.A.P.; Oostra, A.J.; van de Groep, J.; Polman, A.; Schropp, R.E.I.; Di Vece, M.

    2015-01-01

    We demonstrate a universally applicable 3D-printed external light trap for solar cells. We placed a macroscopic external light trap made of smoothened, silver coated plastic at the sun-facing surface of different types of solar cells. The trap consists of a reflective parabolic concentrator on top

  16. Memory-based pre-attentive auditory N1 elicited by sound movement.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohoyama, Keiko; Motomura, Eishi; Inui, Koji; Nishihara, Makoto; Otsuru, Naofumi; Oi, Motoyasu; Kakigi, Ryusuke; Okada, Motohiro

    2012-07-01

    Quickly detecting changes in the surrounding environment is one of the most important functions of sensory processing. Comparison of a new event with preceding sensory conditions is necessary for the change-detection process. A sudden change in a continuous sound elicits auditory evoked potentials that peak approximately 100 ms after the onset of the change (Change-N1). In the present study, we recorded Change-N1 under an oddball paradigm in 19 healthy subjects using an abruptly moving sound (SM-stimulus) as a deviant stimulus and investigated effects of the probability of the SM-stimulus to reveal whether Change-N1 is a memory-based response. We compared the amplitude and latency of Change-N1 elicited by the SM-stimulus among three probability conditions (33, 50 and 100%). As the probability of the SM-stimulus decreased, the amplitude of Change-N1 increased and its latency decreased. The present results indicate that the preceding sensory history affects Change-N1 elicited by the SM-stimulus. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

  17. Anisotropic Babinet-Invertible Metasurfaces to Realize Transmission-Reflection Switching for Orthogonal Polarizations of Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakata, Yosuke; Urade, Yoshiro; Okimura, Kunio; Nakanishi, Toshihiro; Miyamaru, Fumiaki; Takeda, Mitsuo Wada; Kitano, Masao

    2016-10-01

    The electromagnetic properties of an extremely thin metallic checkerboard drastically change from resonant reflection (transmission) to resonant transmission (reflection) when the local electrical conductivity at the interconnection points of the checkerboard is switched. To date, such critical transitions of metasurfaces have been applied only when they have fourfold rotational symmetry, and their application to polarization control, which requires anisotropy, has been unexplored. To overcome this applicability limitation and open up alternative pathways for dynamic deep-subwavelength polarization control by utilizing critical transitions of checkerboardlike metasurfaces, we introduce a universal class of anisotropic Babinet-invertible metasurfaces enabling transmission-reflection switching for each orthogonally polarized wave. As an application of anisotropic Babinet-invertible metasurfaces, we experimentally realize a reconfigurable terahertz polarizer whose transmitting axis can be dynamically rotated by 90°.

  18. Plasmonic metasurfaces for efficient phase control in reflection

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pors, Anders Lambertus; Bozhevolnyi, Sergey I.

    2013-01-01

    nanobrick and nanocross elements allows one to fully control the phase of reflected light for two orthogonal polarizations simultaneously. The approach is exemplified by the design of a gradient birefringent metasurface that reflects two orthogonal polarization states into +2 and −3 diffraction order......We numerically study the optical properties of metal-insulator-metal resonators and metasurfaces, emphasizing the presence of gap-surface plasmon (GSP) resonances and their connection to the optical response. In relation to birefringent metal-backed metasurfaces, we show how a combination of metal......, respectively, with a reflectivity up to ∼ 80% and in a broad wavelength range around the design wavelength of 800 nm. Finally, we introduce the concept of metascatterers, which are wavelength-sized polarization-sensitive scatterers....

  19. Action potential bursts in central snail neurons elicited by paeonol: roles of ionic currents

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yi-hung; Lin, Pei-lin; Hsu, Hui-yu; Wu, Ya-ting; Yang, Han-yin; Lu, Dah-yuu; Huang, Shiang-suo; Hsieh, Ching-liang; Lin, Jaung-geng

    2010-01-01

    Aim: To investigate the effects of 2′-hydroxy-4′-methoxyacetophenone (paeonol) on the electrophysiological behavior of a central neuron (right parietal 4; RP4) of the giant African snail (Achatina fulica Ferussac). Methods: Intracellular recordings and the two-electrode voltage clamp method were used to study the effects of paeonol on the RP4 neuron. Results: The RP4 neuron generated spontaneous action potentials. Bath application of paeonol at a concentration of ≥500 μmol/L reversibly elicited action potential bursts in a concentration-dependent manner. Immersing the neurons in Co2+-substituted Ca2+-free solution did not block paeonol-elicited bursting. Pretreatment with the protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor KT-5720 or the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor Ro 31-8220 did not affect the action potential bursts. Voltage-clamp studies revealed that paeonol at a concentration of 500 μmol/L had no remarkable effects on the total inward currents, whereas paeonol decreased the delayed rectifying K+ current (IKD) and the fast-inactivating K+ current (IA). Application of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP 5 mmol/L), an inhibitor of IA, or charybdotoxin 250 nmol/L, an inhibitor of the Ca2+-activated K+ current (IK(Ca)), failed to elicit action potential bursts, whereas tetraethylammonium chloride (TEA 50 mmol/L), an IKD blocker, successfully elicited action potential bursts. At a lower concentration of 5 mmol/L, TEA facilitated the induction of action potential bursts elicited by paeonol. Conclusion: Paeonol elicited a bursting firing pattern of action potentials in the RP4 neuron and this activity relates closely to the inhibitory effects of paeonol on the IKD. PMID:21042287

  20. State-dependent cellular activity patterns of the cat paraventricular hypothalamus measured by reflectance imaging

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristensen, Morten Pilgaard; Rector, D M; Poe, G R

    1996-01-01

    Activity within the cat paraventricular hypothalamus (PVH) during sleep and waking states was measured by quantifying intrinsic tissue reflectivity. A fiber optic probe consisting of a 1.0 mm coherent image conduit, surrounded by plastic fibers which conducted 660 nm source light, was attached...... to a charge-coupled device camera, and positioned over the PVH in five cats. Electrodes for assessing state variables, including electroencephalographic activity, eye movement, and somatic muscle tone were also placed. After surgical recovery, reflected light intensity was measured continuously at 2.5 Hz...

  1. Properties of interstellar dust in reflection nebulae

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sellgren, K.

    1988-01-01

    Observations of interstellar dust in reflection nebulae are the closest analog in the interstellar medium to studies of cometary dust in our solar system. The presence of a bright star near the reflection nebula dust provides the opportunity to study both the reflection and emission characteristics of interstellar dust. At 0.1 to 1 micrometer, the reflection nebula emission is due to starlight scattered by dust. The albedo and scattering phase function of the dust is determined from observations of the scattered light. At 50 to 200 micrometers, thermal emission from the dust in equilibrium with the stellar radiation field is observed. The derived dust temperature determines the relative values of the absorption coefficient of the dust at wavelengths where the stellar energy is absorbed and at far infrared wavelengths where the absorbed energy is reradiated. These emission mechanisms directly relate to those seen in the near and mid infrared spectra of comets. In a reflection nebula the dust is observed at much larger distances from the star than in our solar system, so that the equilibrium dust temperature is 50 K rather than 300 K. Thus, in reflection nebulae, thermal emission from dust is emitted at 50 to 200 micrometer

  2. Conditioned responses elicited by experimentally produced cues for smoking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mucha, R F; Pauli, P; Angrilli, A

    1998-03-01

    Several theories of drug-craving postulate that a signal for drug elicits conditioned responses. However, depending on the theory, a drug cue is said to elicit drug similar, drug compensatory, positive motivational, and negative motivational effects. Since animal data alone cannot tease apart the relative importance of different cue-related processes in the addict, we developed and examined a model of drug cues in the human based on a two-sound, differential conditioning procedure using smoking as the reinforcer. After multiple pairings of a sound with smoking, there was a preference for the smoking cue on a conditioned preference test. The acute effects of smoking (increased heart rate, respiration rate, skin conductance level, skin conductance fluctuations, EEG beta power and trapezius EMG, decreased alpha power) were not affected by the smoking cue, although subjects drew more on their cigarette in the presence of the smoking cue than in the presence of a control cue. Moreover, the cue did not change baseline behaviour except for a possible increase in EEG beta power and an increase in trapezius EMG at about the time when smoking should have occurred. The findings confirm the value of experimental models of drug cues in the human for comparing different cue phenomena in the dependent individual. They indicate that an acquired signal for drug in the human may elicit incentive motivational effects and associated preparatory motor responses in addition to possible conditioned tolerance.

  3. Establishment of the Relationship between the Photochemical Reflectance Index and Canopy Light Use Efficiency Using Multi-angle Hyperspectral Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Qian; Chen, Jing; Zhang, Yongguang; Qiu, Feng; Fan, Weiliang; Ju, Weimin

    2017-04-01

    The gross primary production (GPP) of terrestrial ecosystems constitutes the largest global land carbon flux and exhibits significant spatial and temporal variations. Due to its wide spatial coverage, remote sensing technology is shown to be useful for improving the estimation of GPP in combination with light use efficiency (LUE) models. Accurate estimation of LUE is essential for calculating GPP using remote sensing data and LUE models at regional and global scales. A promising method used for estimating LUE is the photochemical reflectance index (PRI = (R531-R570)/(R531 + R570), where R531 and R570 are reflectance at wavelengths 531 and 570 nm) through remote sensing. However, it has been documented that there are certain issues with PRI at the canopy scale, which need to be considered systematically. For this purpose, an improved tower-based automatic canopy multi-angle hyperspectral observation system was established at the Qianyanzhou flux station in China since January of 2013. In each 15-minute observation cycle, PRI was observed at four view zenith angles fixed at solar zenith angle and (37°, 47°, 57°) or (42°, 52°, 62°) in the azimuth angle range from 45° to 325° (defined from geodetic north). To improve the ability of directional PRI observation to track canopy LUE, the canopy is treated as two-big leaves, i.e. sunlit and shaded leaves. On the basis of a geometrical optical model, the observed canopy reflectance for each view angle is separated to four components, i.e. sunlit and shaded leaves and sunlit and shaded backgrounds. To determine the fractions of these four components at each view angle, three models based on different theories are tested for simulating the fraction of sunlit leaves. Finally, a ratio of canopy reflectance to leaf reflectance is used to represent the fraction of sunlit leaves, and the fraction of shaded leaves is calculated with the four-scale geometrical optical model. Thus, sunlit and shaded PRI are estimated using

  4. Role of local neurons in cerebrocortical vasodilation elicited from cerebellum

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Iadecola, C.; Arneric, S.P.; Baker, H.D.; Tucker, L.W.; Reis, D.J.

    1987-01-01

    The vasodilation elicited in cerebral cortex by stimulation of the cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN) is mediated by input pathways coming from the basal forebrain. The authors studied whether these pathways mediate the cortical vasodilation via a direct action on local blood vessels or via interposed local neurons. Neurons were destroyed in the primary sensory cortex by local microinjection of the excitotoxin ibotenic acid (IBO). Five days later rats were anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated. Arterial pressure and blood gases were controlled, and FN was stimulated electrically. Local cerebral blood flow (LCBF) was measured using the [ 14 C]iodoantipyrine technique with autoradiography. Five days after IBO, neurons were destroyed in a restricted cortical area, and afferent fibers and terminals were preserved. The selectivity of the neuronal loss was established by histological and biochemical criteria and by transport of horseradish, peroxidase from or into the lesion. Within the lesion, resting LCBF was unaffected, but the increase in LCBF evoked from the FN was abolished. In contrast the vasodilation elicited by hypercapnia was preserved. In the rest of the brain the vasodilation elicited from FN was largely unaffected. The authors conclude that the vasodilation evoked from FN in cerebral cortex depends on the integrity of a restricted population of local neurons that interact with the local microvasculature

  5. Study on the Light Scattering from Random Rough Surfaces by Kirrhoff Approximation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keding Yan

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available In order to study the space distribution characteristics of light scattering from random rough surfaces, the linear filtering method is used to generate a series of Gaussian randomly rough surfaces, and the Kirchhoff Approximation is used to calculate the scattered light intensity distribution from random metal and dielectric rough surfaces. The three characteristics of the scattered light intensity distribution peak, the intensity distribution width and the position of peak are reviewed. Numerical calculation results show that significant differences between scattering characteristics of metal surfaces and the dielectric surfaces exist. The light scattering characteristics are jointly influenced by the slope distribution and reflectance of surface element. The scattered light intensity distribution is affected by common influence of surface local slope distribution and surface local reflectivity. The results can provide a basis theory for the research to lidar target surface scattering characteristics.

  6. Analysis of the reflection of a micro drop fiber sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Weimin; Liu, Qiang; Zhao, Lei; Li, Yingjuan; Yuan, Libo

    2005-01-01

    Micro drop fiber sensors are effective tools for measuring characters of liquids. These types of sensors are wildly used in biotechnology, beverage and food markets. For a fiber micro drop sensor, the signal of the output light is wavy with two peaks, normally. Carefully analyzing the wavy process can identify the liquid components. Understanding the reason of forming this wavy signal is important to design a suitable sensing head and to choose a suitable signal-processing method. The dripping process of a type of liquids is relative to the characters of the liquid and the shape of the sensing head. The quasi-Gauss model of the light field from the input-fiber end is used to analyse the distribution of the light field in the liquid drop. In addition, considering the characters of the liquid to be measured, the dripping process of the optical signal from the output-fiber end can be expected. The reflection surface of the micro drop varies as serials of spheres with different radiuses and global centers. The intensity of the reflection light changes with the shape of the surface. The varying process of the intensity relates to the tense, refractive index, transmission et al. To support the analyse above, an experimental system is established. In the system, LED is chosen as the light source and the PIN transform the light signal to the electrical signal, which is collected by a data acquisition card. An on-line testing system is made to check the theory discussed above.

  7. Detecting Close-In Extrasolar Giant Planets with the Kepler Photometer via Scattered Light

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, J. M.; Doyle, L. R.; Kepler Discovery Mission Team

    2003-05-01

    NASA's Kepler Mission will be launched in 2007 primarily to search for transiting Earth-sized planets in the habitable zones of solar-like stars. In addition, it will be poised to detect the reflected light component from close-in extrasolar giant planets (CEGPs) similar to 51 Peg b. Here we use the DIARAD/SOHO time series along with models for the reflected light signatures of CEGPs to evaluate Kepler's ability to detect such planets. We examine the detectability as a function of stellar brightness, stellar rotation period, planetary orbital inclination angle, and planetary orbital period, and then estimate the total number of CEGPs that Kepler will detect over its four year mission. The analysis shows that intrinsic stellar variability of solar-like stars is a major obstacle to detecting the reflected light from CEGPs. Monte Carlo trials are used to estimate the detection threshold required to limit the total number of expected false alarms to no more than one for a survey of 100,000 stellar light curves. Kepler will likely detect 100-760 51 Peg b-like planets by reflected light with orbital periods up to 7 days. LRD was supported by the Carl Sagan Chair at the Center for the Study of Life in the Universe, a division of the SETI Institute. JMJ received support from the Kepler Mission Photometer and Science Office at NASA Ames Research Center.

  8. Lattice effects in the light actinides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lawson, A.C.; Cort, B.; Roberts, J.A.; Bennett, B.I.; Brun, T.O.; Dreele, R.B. von; Richardson, J.W. Jr.

    1998-01-01

    The light actinides show a variety of lattice effects that do not normally appear in other regions of the periodic table. The article will cover the crystal structures of the light actinides, their atomic volumes, their thermal expansion behavior, and their elastic behavior as reflected in recent thermal vibration measurements made by neutron diffraction. A discussion of the melting points will be given in terms of the thermal vibration measurements. Pressure effects will be only briefly indicated

  9. Distributed and Collaborative Requirements Elicitation Based on Social Intelligence

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wen, Bin; Luo, Z.; Liang, P.

    2012-01-01

    Requirements is the formal expression of user's needs. Also, requirements elicitation is the process of activity focusing on requirements collection. Traditional acquisition methods, such as interview, observation and prototype, are unsuited for the service-oriented software development featuring in

  10. The potential for using visual elicitation in understanding preschool ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    We explore the use of video and photo elicitation in a research study undertaken to ... system, in the District Centres for Early Childhood Education (DICECE), in Kenya. In this paper ..... photographs and even direct to a hand-held computer”.

  11. Engaging Young Children in Research through Photo Elicitation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pyle, Angela

    2013-01-01

    Embracing the new sociology of childhood, this paper describes a participatory research method built on a belief in the competency of young children. The paper begins with a critical review of the photo elicitation literature exploring the varied levels of children's participation. Drawing on the strengths of the previous research, a multi-step…

  12. N400 elicited by incongruent ending words of Chinese idioms in healthy adults.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Xing-shi; Tang, Yun-xiang; Xiao, Ze-ping; Wang, Ji-jun; Zhang, Ming-dao; Zhang, Zai-fu; Hu, Zhen-yu; Lou, Fei-ying; Chen, Chong; Zhang, Tian-hong

    2010-03-20

    Prior research about N400 has been mainly based on English stimuli, while the cognitive processing of Chinese characters is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to further investigate the semantic processing of Chinese idioms. Event related potentials (ERP) component N400 was elicited by 38 pairs of matching (congruent) and mismatching (incongruent) ended Chinese idioms: ending words with same phoneme but different shape and meaning (sPdSdM), with similar shape but different phoneme and meaning (sSdPdM), with same meaning but different phoneme and shape (sMdPdS), and words with different phoneme, shape and meaning (dPdSdM) and recorded by Guangzhou Runjie WJ-1 ERP instruments. In 62 right-handed healthy adults (age 19 - 50 years), N400 amplitudes and latencies were compared between matching and mismatching conditions at Fz, Cz and Pz. N400 showed a midline distribution and could be elicited in electrodes Fz, Cz and Pz. The mean values of N400 latencies and amplitudes were obtained for matching and mismatching ending words in healthy adults. Significant differences were found in N400 latencies and amplitudes in matching and mismatching ending-words idioms in healthy adults (P idioms, N400 latencies were prolonged and the amplitudes were increased in mismatching ones. N400s elicited by different types of stimuli showed different latencies and amplitudes, and longest N400 latency and largest N400 amplitude were elicited by ending-words with dPdSdM. No gender difference was found of N400 latency and amplitude in this study (P > 0.05). Compared with English stimuli, Chinese ideographic words could provide more flexible stimuli for N400 research in that the words have 3-dimension changes - phoneme, shape and meaning. Features of N400 elicited by matching and mismatching ending words in Chinese idioms are mainly determined by the meaning of the word. Some issues of N400 elicited by Chinese characters deserve further research.

  13. Focusing of light energy inside a scattering medium by controlling the time-gated multiple light scattering

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeong, Seungwon; Lee, Ye-Ryoung; Choi, Wonjun; Kang, Sungsam; Hong, Jin Hee; Park, Jin-Sung; Lim, Yong-Sik; Park, Hong-Gyu; Choi, Wonshik

    2018-05-01

    The efficient delivery of light energy is a prerequisite for the non-invasive imaging and stimulating of target objects embedded deep within a scattering medium. However, the injected waves experience random diffusion by multiple light scattering, and only a small fraction reaches the target object. Here, we present a method to counteract wave diffusion and to focus multiple-scattered waves at the deeply embedded target. To realize this, we experimentally inject light into the reflection eigenchannels of a specific flight time to preferably enhance the intensity of those multiple-scattered waves that have interacted with the target object. For targets that are too deep to be visible by optical imaging, we demonstrate a more than tenfold enhancement in light energy delivery in comparison with ordinary wave diffusion cases. This work will lay a foundation to enhance the working depth of imaging, sensing and light stimulation.

  14. Development and enhancement of road lighting principles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ekrias, A.

    2010-07-01

    , pavement sample measurements are made to study the effects of aggregate lightness and aggregate colour on the reflectance properties of pavements. HPS lamps are found to be more effective than MH lamps in terms of light reflected from pavements. (orig.)

  15. Laser driven white light source for BRDF measurement

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Amdemeskel, Mekbib Wubishet; Thorseth, Anders; Dam-Hansen, Carsten

    2017-01-01

    In this paper, we will present a setup with laser driven light source (LDLS) for measuring a 2D bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF). We have carried out measurements to acquire the BRDF of different samples based on our setup: which consists of a new laser driven broadband light...... source (UV-VIS-NIR), spectroradiometer and sample holder stepper motor in a dark UV-protected environment. Here, we introduced a special kind of light source which has a bright, stable, broad spectral range and well collimated light output to give a very good angular resolution. The experimental results...

  16. Evaluating the relationship between the photochemical reflectance index and the light use efficiency in a mangrove forest with Spartina alterniflora invasion

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, C.; Wang, L.; Yang, S.

    2017-12-01

    Mangrove forest is an important component of wetland ecosystems, which has high productivity, strong carbon sequestration capacity and great ecological values. The light use efficiency (LUE) of photosynthesis is a major parameter for estimating plant productivity. Recent studies have shown that the photochemical reflectance index (PRI) has a strong relationship with LUE and the relationship is significantly influenced by plant species and environmental factors. In this paper, we evaluated the relationship between PRI and LUE for different mangrove species (Avicennia marina and Aegiceras corniculatum) and the effects of Spartina alterniflora invasion on the PRI-LUE relationship. The results showed that the LUE of mangroves had a good correlation with PRI, and the correlation of Avicennia marina was stronger than that of Aegiceras corniculatum. In addition, the invasion of Spartina alterniflora impaired the PRI-LUE relationship for both mangrove species.

  17. Deriving Light Interception and Biomass from Spectral Reflectance Ratio

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Christensen, Svend; Goudriaan, J.

    1993-01-01

    was calculated as the ratio between infrared (790–810 nm) and red (640–660 nm) reflectance. The cultivars form a different canopy structure. However, a regression analysis did not show any cultivar effect on the relation between RVI and fPAR The predicted fPAR from frequently measured RVI was used to calculate...... the product of daily fPAR and incoming PAR (cumulative PAR interception) in all spring barley cultivars grown in monoculture and in mixture with oil seed rape (Brassica napus). A regression analysis showed that the relation between cumulative intercepted PAR and total above ground biomass was the same in all...... monocultures and mixtures. The ratio α of incremental dry matter and intercepted PAR was normally 2.4 g MJ−1, but it declined below this value when temperatures fell below 12°C....

  18. Directional reflectance and milli-scale feather morphology of the African Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harvey, Todd Alan; Bostwick, Kimberly S; Marschner, Steve

    2013-09-06

    Diverse plumages have evolved among birds through complex morphological modifications. We investigate how the interplay of light with surface and subsurface feather morphology determines the direction of light propagation, an understudied aspect of avian visual signalling. We hypothesize that milli-scale modifications of feathers produce anisotropic reflectance, the direction of which may be predicted by the orientation of the milli-scale structure. The subject of this study is the African Emerald Cuckoo, Chrysococcyx cupreus, noted for its shimmering green iridescent appearance. Using a spherical gantry, we measured the change in the directional reflectance across the feather surface and over a hemisphere of incident lighting directions. Using a microCT scanner, we also studied the morphology of the structural branches of the barb. We tracked the changes in the directional reflectance to the orientation of the structural branches as observed in the CT data. We conclude that (i) the far-field signal of the feather consists of multiple specular components, each associated with a different structural branch and (ii) the direction of each specular component is correlated to the orientation of the corresponding structure.

  19. Accuracy Improvement for Light-Emitting-Diode-Based Colorimeter by Iterative Algorithm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Pao-Keng

    2011-09-01

    We present a simple algorithm, combining an interpolating method with an iterative calculation, to enhance the resolution of spectral reflectance by removing the spectral broadening effect due to the finite bandwidth of the light-emitting diode (LED) from it. The proposed algorithm can be used to improve the accuracy of a reflective colorimeter using multicolor LEDs as probing light sources and is also applicable to the case when the probing LEDs have different bandwidths in different spectral ranges, to which the powerful deconvolution method cannot be applied.

  20. Analysis of speech: a reflection on health research

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Laura Christina Macedo

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we take speech and writing as discursive construction, indicating the reasons for making it the object of analysis and introducing different instruments to achieve this. We highlight the importance of discourse analysis for the development of health research, since this method enables the interpretation of reality from a text or texts, revealing the subjects of production and their interpretation, as well as the context of their production. The historical construction of contradictions, continuities and ruptures that make discourse a social practice is unveiled. Discourse analysis is considered a means of eliciting the implied meaning in speech and writing and, thus, as another approach to the health-disease process. Therefore, this reflection aims to incorporate Discourse Analysis into the health area, emphasizing this method as a significant contribution to Social Sciences.

  1. New nonlinear optical effect: self-reflection phenomenon due to exciton-biexciton-light interaction in semiconductors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khadzhi, P. I.; Lyakhomskaya, K. D.; Nadkin, L. Y.; Markov, D. A.

    2002-05-01

    The characteristic peculiarities of the self-reflection of a strong electromagnetic wave in a system of coherent excitons and biexcitons due to the exciton-photon interaction and optical exciton-biexciton conversion in semiconductors were investigated as one of the manifestations of nonlinear optical Stark-effect. It was found that a monotonously decreasing standing wave with an exponential decreasing spatial tail is formed in the semiconductor. Under the action of the field of a strong pulse, an optically homogeneous medium is converted, into the medium with distributed feedback. The appearance of the spatially separated narrow pears of the reflective index, extinction and reflection coefficients is predicted.

  2. Luminous effectiveness of tubular light-guides in tropics

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Darula, Stanislav; Kittler, Richard; Kocifaj, Miroslav [ICA, Slovak Academy of Sciences, 9, Dubravska Road, 845 03 Bratislava (Slovakia)

    2010-11-15

    Novel tubular light-guides with a transparent hemispherical cupola placed on an unobstructed flat roof collect all sunlight and skylight available at ground level year round. This advantage is heightened in the dry and sunny tropical regions where the sun rises to very high altitudes and often the hours of sunshine last throughout the whole day. Hollow light-guides with very high inner specular reflectances can transport sunbeams downward into the windowless building core very effectively. Due to the tube's diameter and length and multiple reflections, complex illuminance patterns are produced on the underside of the tube, i.e. on top of the glazed ceiling aperture that illuminates the interior space or its working plane. This paper discusses several daylight conditions in tropical interiors illuminated by tubular light-guides. The recently published HOLIGILM calculation program and the user-friendly tool HOLIGILM 4.2 have facilitated the production of this paper. (author)

  3. Impact of Requirements Elicitation Processes on Success of Information System Development Projects

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bormane Līga

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available Requirements articulating user needs and corresponding to enterprise business processes are a key to successful implementation of information system development projects. However, the parties involved in projects frequently are not able to agree on a common development vision and have difficulties expressing their needs. Several industry experts have acknowledged that requirements elicitation is one of the most difficult tasks in development projects. This study investigates the impact of requirements elicitation processes on project outcomes depending on the applied project development methodology.

  4. Can reflecting on personal values online increase positive beliefs about counseling?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lannin, Daniel G; Vogel, David L; Heath, Patrick J

    2017-04-01

    This research developed and tested an online values-affirmation exercise to attenuate threat and enhance positive beliefs about counseling among individuals struggling with mental health concerns. There is evidence that reflecting on personal values (values-affirmation) is an effective approach to eliciting self-affirmation-a psychological process that temporarily bolsters self-worth in order to forestall maladaptive, self-protective responses to counseling information. The present study utilized a randomized 2-group between-subjects design to test the effectiveness of a values-affirmation exercise with an online sample (N = 186) of adults who reported struggling with a mental health concern. It was predicted that values-affirmation would reduce threat related to reading mental health information and increase positive beliefs about counseling. Results indicated that those in the values-affirmation condition reported fewer negative emotions such as feeling upset, irritable, hostile, and scared after reading mental health information, indicating that the information was perceived as less threatening. There was also evidence that engaging in values-affirmation was associated with greater anticipated growth in counseling and greater intent to seek counseling, reflecting greater positive beliefs about counseling. Overall, the results suggest that reflecting on personal values may have the potential to enhance the positive effects of online psychoeducation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  5. Quantum measure of nonclassical light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Ki Sik

    2003-01-01

    The nonclassical light and its properties are reviewed in the phase space representation. The quantitative measure of nonclassicality for a single-mode case is introduced and its physical significance is discussed in terms of the environmental effects on nonclassicality. The quantitative measure of nonclassical property is defined and used to classify the different nonclassical properties. The nonclassical measure is also extended to the multi-mode case. One of the distinctive features of multi-mode nonclassical light is entanglement, which is not possessed by a single-mode light, and the multi-mode nonclassical measure may reflect the contents of entanglement. The multi-mode nonclassical measure is calculated for the superposition through a beam spitter and compared with the single-mode nonclassical measure.

  6. Development of a respiratory sensitization/elicitation protocol of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in Brown Norway rats to derive an elicitation-based occupational exposure level

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pauluhn, Jürgen

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) was unequivocally identified as asthmagens in BN-rats. • The elicitation response on BAL-PMN was threshold-dose dependent. • The elicitation of asthma-like responses follow a concentration × time-relationship. • The human-equivalent dose–response was duplicated in rats. • The derived occupational exposure level (OEL) matches current standards. - Abstract: Toluene diisocyanate (TDI), a known human asthmagen, was investigated in skin-sensitized Brown Norway rats for its concentration × time (C × t)-response relationship on elicitation-based endpoints. The major goal of study was to determine the elicitation inhalation threshold dose in sensitized, re-challenged Brown Norway rats, including the associated variables affecting the dosimetry of inhaled TDI-vapor in rats and as to how these differences can be translated to humans. Attempts were made to duplicate at least some traits of human asthma by using skin-sensitized rats which were subjected to single or multiple inhalation-escalation challenge exposures. Two types of dose-escalation protocols were used to determine the elicitation-threshold C × t; one used a variable C (C var ) and constant t (t const ), the other a constant C (C const ) and variable t (t var ). The selection of the ''minimal irritant'' C was based an ancillary pre-studies. Neutrophilic granulocytes (PMNs) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BAL) were considered as the endpoint of choice to integrate the allergic pulmonary inflammation. These were supplemented by physiological measurements characterizing nocturnal asthma-like responses and increased nitric oxide in exhaled breath (eNO). The C const × t var regimen yielded the most conclusive dose–response relationship as long C was high enough to overcome the scrubbing capacity of the upper airways. Based on ancillary pre-studies in naïve rats, the related human-equivalent respiratory tract irritant threshold

  7. Light scattering by soap films

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Vrij, A.

    A theory is constructed describing the scattering from a liquid film (e.g., a soap film) of a light beam polarized normal to the plane of incidence. This scattering is due to the small irregular corrugations caused by thermal motion. The interference of the reflected incident beam with its multiple

  8. Risk-Informed SSCs Categorization: Elicitation Method of Expert's Opinion

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hwang, Mee Jeong; Yang, Joon Eon; Kim, Kil Yoo

    2005-01-15

    The regulations have been performing by deterministic way since nuclear power plants have been operating. However, some SSCs identified as safety-significance by deterministic way, were turned out to be low or non safety-significant and some SSCs identified as non-safety significance were turned out to be high safety-significant according to the results of PSA. Considering these risk insights, Regulatory Guide 1.174 and 10CFR50.69 were drawn up, and we can re-categorize the SSCs according to their safety significance. Therefore, a study and an interest about the risk-informed SSCs re-categorization and treatment has been continued. The objective of this regulatory initiative is to adjust the scope of equipment subject to special regulatory treatment to better focus licensee and regulatory attention and resources on equipment that has safety significance. Current most regulations define the plant equipment necessary to meet deterministic regulatory basis as 'safety-related.' This equipment is subject to special treatment regulations. Other plant equipment is categorized as 'non-safety related,' and is not subject to a select number of special treatment requirement or a subset of those requirement. However, risk information is not a magic tool making a decision but a supporting tool to categorize SSCs. This is because only small parts of a plant are modeled in PSA model. Thus, engineering and deterministic judgments are also used for risk-informed SSCs categorization, and expert opinion elicitation is very important for risk-informed SSCs categorization. Therefore, we need a rational method to elicit the expert's opinions, and in this study, we developed a systematic method for expert elicitation to categorize the nuclear power plants' SSCs. Current states for SSCs categorization of the USA and the existing methods for expert elicitation were surveyed and more systematic way eliciting the expert opinions and combining was developed. To

  9. A system for the obtention and analysis of diffuse reflection spectra from biological tissue

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    La Cadena, A. de; La Rosa, J. de; Stolik, S.

    2012-01-01

    The diffuse reflection spectroscopy is a technique with is possible to study biological tissue. In the field of the biomedical applications is useful for diagnostic purposes, since is possible to analyze biological tissue in a non invasive way. also, can be used with therapeutical purposes, for example in photodynamic therapy or laser surgery because with this technique it can be determined the biological effects produced by these treatments. In this paper is shown the development of a system to obtain and analyze diffuse reflection spectra of biological tissues, using a LED as a light source, that emits light between 400-700nm. The system has an interface for the regulation of the emittance of the LED. For diffuse reflectance spectra analysis, we use an HR4000CG-UV-NIR spectrometer. (Author)

  10. Uncoupling phototoxicity-elicited neural dysmorphology and death by insidious function and selective impairment of Ran-binding protein 2 (Ranbp2).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cho, Kyoung-in; Haney, Victoria; Yoon, Dosuk; Hao, Yin; Ferreira, Paulo A

    2015-12-21

    Morphological disintegration of neurons is coupled invariably to neural death. In particular, disruption of outer segments of photoreceptor neurons triggers photoreceptor death regardless of the pathological stressors. We show that Ranbp2(-/-)::Tg-Ranbp2(CLDm-HA) mice with mutations in SUMO-binding motif (SBM) of cyclophilin-like domain (CLD) of Ran-binding protein 2 (Ranbp2) expressed in a null Ranbp2 background lack untoward effects in photoreceptors in the absence of light-stress. However, compared to wild type photoreceptors, light-stress elicits profound disintegration of outer segments of Ranbp2(-/-)::Tg-Ranbp2(CLDm-HA) with paradoxical age-dependent resistance of photoreceptors to death and genotype-independent activation of caspases. Ranbp2(-/-)::Tg-Ranbp2(CLDm-HA) exhibit photoreceptor death-independent changes in ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS), but death-dependent increase of ubiquitin carrier protein 9(ubc9) levels. Hence, insidious functional impairment of SBM of Ranbp2's CLD promotes neuroprotection and uncoupling of photoreceptor degeneration and death against phototoxicity. Copyright © 2015 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Bistability By Self-Reflection In A Saturable Absorber

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roso-Franco, Luis

    1987-01-01

    Propagation of laser light through a saturable absorber is theoretically studied. Computed steady state solutions of the Maxwell equations describing the unidimensional propagation of a plane monochromatic wave without introducing the slowly-varying envelope approximation are presented showing how saturation effects can influence the absorption of the field. At a certain range of refractive index and extintion coefficients, computed solutions display a very susprising behaviour, and a self-reflected wave appears inside the absorber. This can be useful for a new kind of biestable device, similar to a standard bistable cavity but with the back mirror self-induced by the light.

  12. Modeling the effect of reflection from metallic walls on spectroscopic measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zastrow, K.-D.; Keatings, S. R.; O'Mullane, M. G.; Marot, L.; Temmerman, G. de

    2008-01-01

    A modification of JET is presently being prepared to bring operational experience with ITER-like first wall (Be) and divertor (W) materials, geometry and plasma parameters. Reflectivity measurements of JET sample tiles have been performed and the data are used within a simplified model of the JET and ITER vessels to predict additional contributions to quantitative spectroscopic measurements. The most general method to characterize reflectivity is the bidirectional reflection distribution function (BRDF). For extended sources however, such as bremsstrahlung and edge emission of fuel and intrinsic impurities, the results obtained in the modeling are almost as accurate if the total reflectivity with ideal Lambertian angular dependence is used. This is in contrast to the experience in other communities, such as optical design, lighting design, or rendering who deal mostly with pointlike light sources. This result is so far based on a very limited set of measurements and will be reassessed when more detailed BRDF measurements of JET tiles have been made. If it is true it offers the possibility of in situ monitoring of the reflectivity of selected parts of the wall during exposure to plasma operation, while remeasurement of the BRDF is performed during interventions. For a closed vessel structure such as ITER, it is important to consider multiple reflections. This makes it more important to represent the whole of the vessel reasonably accurately in the model, which on the other hand is easier to achieve than for the more complex internal structure of JET. In both cases the dominant contribution is from the first reflection, and a detailed model of the areas intersected by lines of sight of diagnostic interest is required.

  13. Functional Imaging of Human Vestibular Cortex Activity Elicited by Skull Tap and Auditory Tone Burst

    Science.gov (United States)

    Noohi, Fatemeh; Kinnaird, Catherine; Wood, Scott; Bloomberg, Jacob; Mulavara, Ajitkumar; Seidler, Rachael

    2014-01-01

    The aim of the current study was to characterize the brain activation in response to two modes of vestibular stimulation: skull tap and auditory tone burst. The auditory tone burst has been used in previous studies to elicit saccular Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potentials (VEMP) (Colebatch & Halmagyi 1992; Colebatch et al. 1994). Some researchers have reported that airconducted skull tap elicits both saccular and utricle VEMPs, while being faster and less irritating for the subjects (Curthoys et al. 2009, Wackym et al., 2012). However, it is not clear whether the skull tap and auditory tone burst elicit the same pattern of cortical activity. Both forms of stimulation target the otolith response, which provides a measurement of vestibular function independent from semicircular canals. This is of high importance for studying the vestibular disorders related to otolith deficits. Previous imaging studies have documented activity in the anterior and posterior insula, superior temporal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule, pre and post central gyri, inferior frontal gyrus, and the anterior cingulate cortex in response to different modes of vestibular stimulation (Bottini et al., 1994; Dieterich et al., 2003; Emri et al., 2003; Schlindwein et al., 2008; Janzen et al., 2008). Here we hypothesized that the skull tap elicits the similar pattern of cortical activity as the auditory tone burst. Subjects put on a set of MR compatible skull tappers and headphones inside the 3T GE scanner, while lying in supine position, with eyes closed. All subjects received both forms of the stimulation, however, the order of stimulation with auditory tone burst and air-conducted skull tap was counterbalanced across subjects. Pneumatically powered skull tappers were placed bilaterally on the cheekbones. The vibration of the cheekbone was transmitted to the vestibular cortex, resulting in vestibular response (Halmagyi et al., 1995). Auditory tone bursts were also delivered for comparison. To validate

  14. Light trapping architecture for photovoltaic and photodector applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Forrest, Stephen R.; Lunt, Richard R.; Slootsky, Michael

    2016-08-09

    There is disclosed photovoltaic device structures which trap admitted light and recycle it through the contained photosensitive materials to maximize photoabsorption. For example, there is disclosed a photosensitive optoelectronic device comprising: a first reflective layer comprising a thermoplastic resin; a second reflective layer substantially parallel to the first reflective layer; a first transparent electrode layer on at least one of the first and second reflective layer; and a photosensitive region adjacent to the first electrode, wherein the first transparent electrode layer is substantially parallel to the first reflective layer and adjacent to the photosensitive region, and wherein the device has an exterior face transverse to the planes of the reflective layers where the exterior face has an aperture for admission of incident radiation to the interior of the device.

  15. Radio-isotope powered light source

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Spottiswoode, N.L.; Ryden, D.J.

    1979-01-01

    The light source described comprises a radioisotope fuel source, thermal insulation against heat loss, a biological shield against the escape of ionizing radiation and a material having a surface which attains incandescence when subject to isotope decay heat. There is then a means for transferring this heat to produce incandescence of the surface and thus emit light. A filter associated with the surface permits a relatively high transmission of visible radiation but has a relatively high reflectance in the infra red spectrum. Such light sources require the minimum of attention and servicing and are therefore suitable for use in navigational aids such as lighthouses and lighted buoys. The isotope fuel sources and thus the insulation and shielding and the incandescent material can be chosen for the use required and several sources, materials, means of housing etc. are detailed. Operation and efficiency are discussed. (U.K.)

  16. Cue-elicited anxiety and craving for food using virtual reality scenarios.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrer-García, Marta; Gutiérrez-Maldonado, José; Pla, Joana

    2013-01-01

    Cue exposure therapy has been reported to be an effective intervention for reducing binge eating behavior in patients with eating disorders and obesity. However, in vivo food exposure conducted in the therapist's office presents logistical problems and lacks ecological validity. This study proposes the use of virtual reality technology as an alternative to in vivo exposure, and assesses the ability of different virtual environments to elicit anxiety and craving for food in a non-clinical sample. The results show that exposure to virtual environments provokes changes in reported craving for food. High-calorie food cues are the ones that elicit the highest increases in craving.

  17. The Logic of Reflection: Samuel Taylor Coleridge's "treatise on Logic"

    Science.gov (United States)

    Land, Janet Sanders

    Though others discuss Coleridge's interest in science, light imagery, the phenomenon of reflection, and his references to Newton and Opticks,^1 this is the first study to examine Coleridge's art in terms of optics, its developing theories, and the nature-of-light debate. This study examines Coleridge's early predilection for visions, illusions, and the supernatural and demonstrates that he gradually shifts from the supernatural to the scientific aspects of "visions" and "illusions," concentrating on causes of illusions and the effects of their deceptive qualities rather than their mystical features. By the 1820's, his preoccupation with illusions had become an interest in optics, fueled, no doubt, by the increasing controversy of the nature-of-light debate and the number of advances in optics resulting from the efforts of its opponents to prove their theories. Tracing the development of the debate, its escalation in the early nineteenth century, and the formation of Coleridge's opinion concerning key issues of the debate, I outline the evolution of Coleridge's theory of reflection and examine the exposition of that theory in his treatise, Logic (1981). Finally, I analyze the relationship between the advances in optics and Coleridge's concepts of thought and knowledge and his notion of the mind as an instrument of knowledge. These ideas in turn, altered his opinions concerning the validity of knowledge resulting from philosophic debate, scientific experiment, and poetic exploration. ftn^1John Beer, "Coleridge and Wordsworth on Reflection," The Wordsworth Circle 20 (1989): 20-29; Coleridge the Visionary. London: Chatto and Windus, 1959; and Coleridge's Poetic Intelligence. London: Macmillan, 1977 and M. H. Abrams Natural Supernaturalism: Tradition and Revolution in Romantic Literature. New York: Norton, 1971; and "Coleridge's 'A Light in Sound': Science, Metascience, and Poetic Imagination." The Correspondent Breeze: Essays on English Romanticism. Eds. M. H. Abrams

  18. Reflecting reflection in supervision

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lystbæk, Christian Tang

    associated with reflection and an exploration of alternative conceptions that view reflection within the context of settings which have a more group- and team-based orientation. Drawing on an action research project on health care supervision, the paper questions whether we should reject earlier views...... of reflection, rehabilitate them in order to capture broader connotations or move to new ways of regarding reflection that are more in keeping with not only reflective but also emotive, normative and formative views on supervision. The paper presents a critical perspective on supervision that challenge...... the current reflective paradigm I supervision and relate this to emotive, normative and formative views supervision. The paper is relevant for Nordic educational research into the supervision and guidance...

  19. Light-reflection random-target method for measurement of the modulation transfer function of a digital video-camera

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pospisil, J.; Jakubik, P.; Machala, L.

    2005-11-01

    This article reports the suggestion, realization and verification of the newly developed measuring means of the noiseless and locally shift-invariant modulation transfer function (MTF) of a digital video camera in a usual incoherent visible region of optical intensity, especially of its combined imaging, detection, sampling and digitizing steps which are influenced by the additive and spatially discrete photodetector, aliasing and quantization noises. Such means relates to the still camera automatic working regime and static two-dimensional spatially continuous light-reflection random target of white-noise property. The introduced theoretical reason for such a random-target method is also performed under exploitation of the proposed simulation model of the linear optical intensity response and possibility to express the resultant MTF by a normalized and smoothed rate of the ascertainable output and input power spectral densities. The random-target and resultant image-data were obtained and processed by means of a processing and evaluational PC with computation programs developed on the basis of MATLAB 6.5E The present examples of results and other obtained results of the performed measurements demonstrate the sufficient repeatability and acceptability of the described method for comparative evaluations of the performance of digital video cameras under various conditions.

  20. Experimental elicitation with hydroxyisohexyl-3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde-containing deodorants

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jørgensen, Pia Haslund; Jensen, Charlotte Devantier; Rastogi, Suresh

    2007-01-01

    Hydroxyisohexyl-3-cyclohexene carboxaldehyde (HICC) known as Lyral is a frequent allergen. It is used in more than 50% of marketed deodorants. The aim of the present study was to determine elicitation thresholds for HICC under simulated conditions of deodorant use. 15 patients with previously...

  1. Reconstruction of reflectance data using an interpolation technique.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abed, Farhad Moghareh; Amirshahi, Seyed Hossein; Abed, Mohammad Reza Moghareh

    2009-03-01

    A linear interpolation method is applied for reconstruction of reflectance spectra of Munsell as well as ColorChecker SG color chips from the corresponding colorimetric values under a given set of viewing conditions. Hence, different types of lookup tables (LUTs) have been created to connect the colorimetric and spectrophotometeric data as the source and destination spaces in this approach. To optimize the algorithm, different color spaces and light sources have been used to build different types of LUTs. The effects of applied color datasets as well as employed color spaces are investigated. Results of recovery are evaluated by the mean and the maximum color difference values under other sets of standard light sources. The mean and the maximum values of root mean square (RMS) error between the reconstructed and the actual spectra are also calculated. Since the speed of reflectance reconstruction is a key point in the LUT algorithm, the processing time spent for interpolation of spectral data has also been measured for each model. Finally, the performance of the suggested interpolation technique is compared with that of the common principal component analysis method. According to the results, using the CIEXYZ tristimulus values as a source space shows priority over the CIELAB color space. Besides, the colorimetric position of a desired sample is a key point that indicates the success of the approach. In fact, because of the nature of the interpolation technique, the colorimetric position of the desired samples should be located inside the color gamut of available samples in the dataset. The resultant spectra that have been reconstructed by this technique show considerable improvement in terms of RMS error between the actual and the reconstructed reflectance spectra as well as CIELAB color differences under the other light source in comparison with those obtained from the standard PCA technique.

  2. Periodic modulation of repetitively elicited monosynaptic reflexes of the human lumbosacral spinal cord

    OpenAIRE

    Hofstoetter, Ursula S.; Danner, Simon M.; Freundl, Brigitta; Binder, Heinrich; Mayr, Winfried; Rattay, Frank; Minassian, Karen

    2015-01-01

    In individuals with motor-complete spinal cord injury, epidural stimulation of the lumbosacral spinal cord at 2 Hz evokes unmodulated reflexes in the lower limbs, while stimulation at 22–60 Hz can generate rhythmic burstlike activity. Here we elaborated on an output pattern emerging at transitional stimulation frequencies with consecutively elicited reflexes alternating between large and small. We analyzed responses concomitantly elicited in thigh and leg muscle groups bilaterally by epidural...

  3. Adaptive interferometry based on dynamic reflective holograms in cubic photorefractive crystals

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kolegov, A A; Shandarov, S M; Simonova, G V; Kabanova, L A; Burimov, Nikolai I; Shmakov, S S; Bykov, V I; Kargin, Yu F

    2011-09-30

    The characteristics of a holographic interferometer, which is based on the interaction of counterpropagating light waves on reflective holograms in cubic photorefractive sillenite crystals of the (100) cut and designed for measuring surface vibration spectra from specularly reflecting objects, have been theoretically analysed and experimentally studied. The experiments showed that an interferometer of this type, based on an Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} : Fe,Cu crystal, makes it possible to measure vibrations with an amplitude of 5 pm. An analysis performed with allowance for the shot and thermal noise of the photodetector showed that vibrations with an amplitude below 1 pm can be measured. A model is proposed to describe the experimentally found strong temperature dependence of the light interaction on reflection holograms in a Bi{sub 12}TiO{sub 20} : Ca crystal. This model takes into account the influence of temperature on the photoinduced charge redistribution over deep donor and shallow trap centres, as well as the drift of the interference pattern in the crystal due to the thermooptical effect and linear expansion of the crystal.

  4. Reflection, Interrogatory, Provocation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carnes, W.E.

    2016-01-01

    This invited paper advances a framing context for considering next steps in HOF and organizational culture in light of the presentations and discussions that occur during the conference. Many of the contributions during the conference will represent results of scholarly research, structured investigations, or formal organizational improvement efforts. This contribution is intended as informal reflection by a 40-year nuclear veteran on themes from other presentations considering questions such as: ''Where do we think we are?, Are we better off as an industry based on what we have done?, Where do we think we need to go?, What do we think we need to do?, and, Why do we think these things?'' Our coming together on this occasion marks 30 years since the publication of INSAG-l. As we reflect on the past, perhaps it is time to pose a series of questions. Are we sustainers of a mature technology that is in some places declining and being replaced by other energy sources? If we consider nuclear a mature technology, should we focus most on operational excellence with renewed attention to managing the unexpected? Or, is innovation still a vital part of our industry?

  5. Bright Single-Photon Sources Based on Anti-Reflection Coated Deterministic Quantum Dot Microlenses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Peter Schnauber

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available We report on enhancing the photon-extraction efficiency (PEE of deterministic quantum dot (QD microlenses via anti-reflection (AR coating. The AR-coating deposited on top of the curved microlens surface is composed of a thin layer of Ta2O5, and is found to effectively reduce back-reflection of light at the semiconductor-vacuum interface. A statistical analysis of spectroscopic data reveals, that the AR-coating improves the light out-coupling of respective microlenses by a factor of 1.57 ± 0.71, in quantitative agreement with numerical calculations. Taking the enhancement factor into account, we predict improved out-coupling of light with a PEE of up to 50%. The quantum nature of emission from QDs integrated into AR-coated microlenses is demonstrated via photon auto-correlation measurements revealing strong suppression of two-photon emission events with g(2(0 = 0.05 ± 0.02. As such, these bright non-classical light sources are highly attractive with respect to applications in the field of quantum cryptography.

  6. Effects of current crowding on light extraction efficiency of conventional GaN-based light-emitting diodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cao, Bin; Li, Shuiming; Hu, Run; Zhou, Shengjun; Sun, Yi; Gan, Zhiying; Liu, Sheng

    2013-10-21

    Current crowding effects (CCEs) on light extraction efficiency (LEE) of conventional GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are analyzed through Monte Carlo ray-tracing simulation. The non-uniform radiative power distribution of the active layer of the Monte Carlo model is obtained based on the current spreading theory and rate equation. The simulation results illustrate that CCE around n-pad (n-CCE) has little effect on LEE, while CCE around p-pad (p-CCE) results in a notable LEE droop due to the significant absorption of photons emitted under p-pad. LEE droop is alleviated by a SiO₂ current blocking layer (CBL) and reflective p-pad. Compared to the conventional LEDs without CBL, the simulated LEE of LEDs with CBL at 20 A/cm² and 70 A/cm² is enhanced by 7.7% and 19.0%, respectively. It is further enhanced by 7.6% and 11.4% after employing a reflective p-pad due to decreased absorption. These enhancements are in accordance with the experimental results. Output power of LEDs with CBL is enhanced by 8.7% and 18.2% at 20 A/cm² and 70 A/cm², respectively. And the reflective p-pad results in a further enhancement of 8.9% and 12.7%.

  7. Expression of three topologically distinct membrane proteins elicits unique stress response pathways in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Buck, Teresa M; Jordan, Rick; Lyons-Weiler, James; Adelman, Joshua L; Needham, Patrick G; Kleyman, Thomas R; Brodsky, Jeffrey L

    2015-06-01

    Misfolded membrane proteins are retained in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and are subject to ER-associated degradation, which clears the secretory pathway of potentially toxic species. While the transcriptional response to environmental stressors has been extensively studied, limited data exist describing the cellular response to misfolded membrane proteins. To this end, we expressed and then compared the transcriptional profiles elicited by the synthesis of three ER retained, misfolded ion channels: The α-subunit of the epithelial sodium channel, ENaC, the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, CFTR, and an inwardly rectifying potassium channel, Kir2.1, which vary in their mass, membrane topologies, and quaternary structures. To examine transcriptional profiles in a null background, the proteins were expressed in yeast, which was previously used to examine the degradation requirements for each substrate. Surprisingly, the proteins failed to induce a canonical unfolded protein response or heat shock response, although messages encoding several cytosolic and ER lumenal protein folding factors rose when αENaC or CFTR was expressed. In contrast, the levels of these genes were unaltered by Kir2.1 expression; instead, the yeast iron regulon was activated. Nevertheless, a significant number of genes that respond to various environmental stressors were upregulated by all three substrates, and compared with previous microarray data we deduced the existence of a group of genes that reflect a novel misfolded membrane protein response. These data indicate that aberrant proteins in the ER elicit profound yet unique cellular responses. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

  8. Internal Reflection Sensor for the Cone Penetrometer. Innovative Technology Summary Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    None

    2001-01-01

    The Internal Reflection Sensor, developed by EIC Laboratories, Inc. as a cone penetrometer based technology, provides real-time detection of subsurface non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs). The internal reflection element is positioned against the wall of the cone penetrometer probe such that its sensing face is in contact with the soil or groundwater as the cone is pushed into the subsurface. When NAPL is present and in contact with the sensing face, the internally reflected light is diminished. This results in a decrease in the signal output by the detector - a positive indicator of NAPL presence

  9. Plasmonic Light Scattering in Textured Silicon Solar Cells with Indium Nanoparticles from Normal to Non-Normal Light Incidence

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wen-Jeng Ho

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we sought to improve the light trapping of textured silicon solar cells using the plasmonic light scattering of indium nanoparticles (In NPs of various dimensions. The light trapping modes of textured-silicon surfaces with and without In NPs were investigated at an angle of incidence (AOI ranging from 0° to 75°. The optical reflectance, external quantum efficiency (EQE, and photovoltaic performance were first characterized under an AOI of 0°. We then compared the EQE and photovoltaic current density-voltage (J-V as a function of AOI in textured silicon solar cells with and without In NPs. We observed a reduction in optical reflectance and an increase in EQE when the cells textured with pyramidal structures were coated with In NPs. We also observed an impressive increase in the average weighted external quantum efficiency (∆EQEw and short-circuit current-density (∆Jsc in cells with In NPs when illuminated under a higher AOI. The ∆EQEw values of cells with In NPs were 0.37% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 3.48% higher under an AOI of 75°. The ∆Jsc values of cells with In NPs were 0.50% higher than those without In NPs under an AOI of 0°, and 4.57% higher under an AOI of 75°. The application of In NPs clearly improved the light trapping effects. This can be attributed to the effects of plasmonic light-scattering over the entire wavelength range as well as an expanded angle of incident light.

  10. Shack-Hartmann reflective micro profilometer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gong, Hai; Soloviev, Oleg; Verhaegen, Michel; Vdovin, Gleb

    2018-01-01

    We present a quantitative phase imaging microscope based on a Shack-Hartmann sensor, that directly reconstructs the optical path difference (OPD) in reflective mode. Comparing with the holographic or interferometric methods, the SH technique needs no reference beam in the setup, which simplifies the system. With a preregistered reference, the OPD image can be reconstructed from a single shot. Also, the method has a rather relaxed requirement on the illumination coherence, thus a cheap light source such as a LED is feasible in the setup. In our previous research, we have successfully verified that a conventional transmissive microscope can be transformed into an optical path difference microscope by using a Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensor under incoherent illumination. The key condition is that the numerical aperture of illumination should be smaller than the numerical aperture of imaging lens. This approach is also applicable to characterization of reflective and slightly scattering surfaces.

  11. Full Polarization Analysis of Resonant Superlattice and Forbidden x-ray Reflections in Magnetite

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wilkins, S.B.; Bland, S.R.; Detlefs, B.; Beale, T.A.W.; Mazzoli, C.; Joly, Y.; Hatton, P.D.; Lorenzo, J.E.; Brabers, V.A.M.

    2009-01-01

    Despite being one of the oldest known magnetic materials, and the classic mixed valence compound, thought to be charge ordered, the structure of magnetite below the Verwey transition is complex and the presence and role of charge order is still being debated. Here, we present resonant x-ray diffraction data at the iron K-edge on forbidden (0, 0, 2n+1) C and superlattice (0, 0, 2n+1/2)C reflections. Full linear polarization analysis of the incident and scattered light was conducted in order to explore the origins of the reflections. Through simulation of the resonant spectra we have confirmed that a degree of charge ordering takes place, while the anisotropic tensor of susceptibility scattering is responsible for the superlattice reflections below the Verwey transition. We also report the surprising result of the conversion of a significant proportion of the scattered light from linear to nonlinear polarization.

  12. SO2 frost - UV-visible reflectivity and Io surface coverage

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nash, D. B.; Fanale, F. P.; Nelson, R. M.

    1980-01-01

    The reflectance spectrum in the range 0.24-0.85 microns of SO2 frost is measured in light of the discovery of SO2 gas in the atmosphere of Io and the possible discovery of the frost on its surface. Frost deposits up to 1.5 mm thick were grown in vacuum at 130 K and bi-directional reflectance spectra were obtained. Typical SO2 frost is found to exhibit very low reflectivity (2-5%) at 0.30 microns, rising steeply at 0.32 microns to attain a maximum reflectivity (75-80%) at 4.0 microns and uniformly high reflectivity throughout the visible and near infrared. Comparison with the full disk spectrum of Io reveals that no more than 20% of the surface can be covered with optically thick SO2 frost. Combinations of surface materials including SO2 frost which can produce the observed spectrum are indicated.

  13. Across light: through colour

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azevedo, Isabel; Richardson, Martin; Bernardo, Luis Miguel

    2012-03-01

    The speed at which our world is changing is reflected in the shifting way artistic images are created and produced. Holography can be used as a medium to express the perception of space with light and colour and to make the material and the immaterial experiments with optical and digital holography. This paper intends to be a reflection on the final product of that process surrounding a debate of ideas for new experimental methodologies applied to holographic images. Holography is a time-based medium and the irretrievable linear flow of time is responsible for a drama, unique to traditional cinematography. If the viewers move to left or right, they see glimpses of the next scene or the previous one perceived a second ago. This interaction of synthetic space arises questions such as: can we see, in "reality", two forms in the same space? Trying to answer this question, a series of works has been created. These concepts are embryonic to a series of digital art holograms and lenticulars technique's titled "Across Light: Through Colour". They required some technical research and comparison between effects from different camera types, using Canon IS3 and Sony HDR CX105.

  14. Delphi Fuzzy Elicitation Technique in the Determination of Third ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    The Delphi technique via the expert elicitation method becomes extremely handy particularly in view of limited availability of data in determining failure probabilities of onshore transmission pipelines in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria occasioned by third party activity. Using, ten (10) experts opinion elucidated individually ...

  15. Scenario-based Requirements Elicitation in a Pain-teletreatment Application

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Widya, I.A.; Bults, Richard G.A.; Huis in 't Veld, M.H.A.; Vollenbroek-Hutten, Miriam Marie Rosé; Shishkov, Boris; Cordeiro, J.; Ranchordas, A.

    2009-01-01

    This paper proposes a way to elicit requirements in the domain of eHealth, in particular telemedicine treatment, that is in alignment with the evidence based working practice in medicine. In collaboration with ICT developers, medical professionals co-shape the intended system, which has to support

  16. Kubelka-Munk reflectance theory applied to porcelain veneer systems using a colorimeter.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davis, B K; Johnston, W M; Saba, R F

    1994-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the ability of Kubelka-Munk reflectance theory to predict color parameters of veneer porcelain on various backings using colorimetric measurements. Tristimulus absorption and scattering coefficients were used to predict the respective tristimulus reflectance values of A1, D3, and translucent porcelain samples after they had been bonded to light and dark substrates using universal, opaque, and untinted shades of bonding resin. Observed and predicted reflectance values exhibited high correlation (r2 > or = 0.93 for each porcelain shade). Kubelka-Munk theory offers an accurate prediction for the resultant colorimetric reflectance parameters of veneer porcelain bonded to variously colored backings.

  17. Integrating sphere based reflectance measurements for small-area semiconductor samples

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saylan, S.; Howells, C. T.; Dahlem, M. S.

    2018-05-01

    This article describes a method that enables reflectance spectroscopy of small semiconductor samples using an integrating sphere, without the use of additional optical elements. We employed an inexpensive sample holder to measure the reflectance of different samples through 2-, 3-, and 4.5-mm-diameter apertures and applied a mathematical formulation to remove the bias from the measured spectra caused by illumination of the holder. Using the proposed method, the reflectance of samples fabricated using expensive or rare materials and/or low-throughput processes can be measured. It can also be incorporated to infer the internal quantum efficiency of small-area, research-level solar cells. Moreover, small samples that reflect light at large angles and develop scattering may also be measured reliably, by virtue of an integrating sphere insensitive to directionalities.

  18. An Ingenious Super Light Trapping Surface Templated from Butterfly Wing Scales

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Zhiwu; Li, Bo; Mu, Zhengzhi; Yang, Meng; Niu, Shichao; Zhang, Junqiu; Ren, Luquan

    2015-08-01

    Based on the super light trapping property of butterfly Trogonoptera brookiana wings, the SiO2 replica of this bionic functional surface was successfully synthesized using a simple and highly effective synthesis method combining a sol-gel process and subsequent selective etching. Firstly, the reflectivity of butterfly wing scales was carefully examined. It was found that the whole reflectance spectroscopy of the butterfly wings showed a lower level (less than 10 %) in the visible spectrum. Thus, it was confirmed that the butterfly wings possessed a super light trapping effect. Afterwards, the morphologies and detailed architectures of the butterfly wing scales were carefully investigated using the ultra-depth three-dimensional (3D) microscope and field emission scanning electronic microscopy (FESEM). It was composed by the parallel ridges and quasi-honeycomb-like structure between them. Based on the biological properties and function above, an exact SiO2 negative replica was fabricated through a synthesis method combining a sol-gel process and subsequent selective etching. At last, the comparative analysis of morphology feature size and the reflectance spectroscopy between the SiO2 negative replica and the flat plate was conducted. It could be concluded that the SiO2 negative replica inherited not only the original super light trapping architectures, but also the super light trapping characteristics of bio-template. This work may open up an avenue for the design and fabrication of super light trapping materials and encourage people to look for more super light trapping architectures in nature.

  19. Light emitting device having peripheral emissive region

    Science.gov (United States)

    Forrest, Stephen R

    2013-05-28

    Light emitting devices are provided that include one or more OLEDs disposed only on a peripheral region of the substrate. An OLED may be disposed only on a peripheral region of a substantially transparent substrate and configured to emit light into the substrate. Another surface of the substrate may be roughened or include other features to outcouple light from the substrate. The edges of the substrate may be beveled and/or reflective. The area of the OLED(s) may be relatively small compared to the substrate surface area through which light is emitted from the device. One or more OLEDs also or alternatively may be disposed on an edge of the substrate about perpendicular to the surface of the substrate through which light is emitted, such that they emit light into the substrate. A mode expanding region may be included between each such OLED and the substrate.

  20. The Effect of Glare on Regan Contrast Letter Acuity Scores Using Dye-Based and Reflective Laser Eye Protection

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Ghani, Nadeem

    2001-01-01

    Current laser eye protection devices (LEPDs) are dye-based or reflective. While both technologies block the laser wavelengths, reflective LEPDs generally transmit more visible light than do dye-based LEPDs...