WorldWideScience

Sample records for ultra-sensitive magnetometry based

  1. Ultra-high sensitivity moment magnetometry of geological samples using magnetic microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lima, Eduardo A.; Weiss, Benjamin P.

    2016-09-01

    Useful paleomagnetic information is expected to be recorded by samples with moments up to three orders of magnitude below the detection limit of standard superconducting rock magnetometers. Such samples are now detectable using recently developed magnetic microscopes, which map the magnetic fields above room-temperature samples with unprecedented spatial resolutions and field sensitivities. However, realizing this potential requires the development of techniques for retrieving sample moments from magnetic microscopy data. With this goal, we developed a technique for uniquely obtaining the net magnetic moment of geological samples from magnetic microscopy maps of unresolved or nearly unresolved magnetization. This technique is particularly powerful for analyzing small, weakly magnetized samples such as meteoritic chondrules and terrestrial silicate crystals like zircons. We validated this technique by applying it to field maps generated from synthetic sources and also to field maps measured using a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) microscope above geological samples with moments down to 10-15 Am2. For the most magnetic rock samples, the net moments estimated from the SQUID microscope data are within error of independent moment measurements acquired using lower sensitivity standard rock magnetometers. In addition to its superior moment sensitivity, SQUID microscope net moment magnetometry also enables the identification and isolation of magnetic contamination and background sources, which is critical for improving accuracy in paleomagnetic studies of weakly magnetic samples.

  2. Ultrasensitive and broadband magnetometry with cavity optomechanics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Li, Bei-Bei; Bulla, Douglas; Bilek, Jan

    2017-01-01

    We achieved sensitivity of 30 pT/Hz1/2 and working bandwidth larger than 100 MHz, using cavity optomechanical magnetometry, and also demonstrated quantum light enhanced sensitivity in such a magnetometer.......We achieved sensitivity of 30 pT/Hz1/2 and working bandwidth larger than 100 MHz, using cavity optomechanical magnetometry, and also demonstrated quantum light enhanced sensitivity in such a magnetometer....

  3. Probing condensed matter physics with magnetometry based on nitrogen-vacancy centres in diamond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Casola, Francesco; van der Sar, Toeno; Yacoby, Amir

    2018-01-01

    The magnetic fields generated by spins and currents provide a unique window into the physics of correlated-electron materials and devices. First proposed only a decade ago, magnetometry based on the electron spin of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defects in diamond is emerging as a platform that is excellently suited for probing condensed matter systems; it can be operated from cryogenic temperatures to above room temperature, has a dynamic range spanning from direct current to gigahertz and allows sensor-sample distances as small as a few nanometres. As such, NV magnetometry provides access to static and dynamic magnetic and electronic phenomena with nanoscale spatial resolution. Pioneering work has focused on proof-of-principle demonstrations of its nanoscale imaging resolution and magnetic field sensitivity. Now, experiments are starting to probe the correlated-electron physics of magnets and superconductors and to explore the current distributions in low-dimensional materials. In this Review, we discuss the application of NV magnetometry to the exploration of condensed matter physics, focusing on its use to study static and dynamic magnetic textures and static and dynamic current distributions.

  4. Quantum Kalman filtering and the Heisenberg limit in atomic magnetometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Geremia, J M; Stockton, John K; Doherty, Andrew C; Mabuchi, Hideo [Norman Bridge Laboratory of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, 91125 (United States)

    2003-12-19

    The shot-noise detection limit in current high-precision magnetometry [I. Kominis, T. Kornack, J. Allred, and M. Romalis, Nature (London) 422, 596 (2003)]10.1038/nature01484 is a manifestation of quantum fluctuations that scale as 1/{radical}(N) in an ensemble of N atoms. Here, we develop a procedure that combines continuous measurement and quantum Kalman filtering [V. Belavkin, Rep. Math. Phys. 43, 405 (1999)] to surpass this conventional limit by exploiting conditional spin squeezing to achieve 1/N field sensitivity. Our analysis demonstrates the importance of optimal estimation for high bandwidth precision magnetometry at the Heisenberg limit and also identifies an approximate estimator based on linear regression.

  5. Ultra-high sensitive hydrazine chemical sensor based on low-temperature grown ZnO nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mehta, S.K.; Singh, Kulvinder; Umar, Ahmad; Chaudhary, G.R.; Singh, Sukhjinder

    2012-01-01

    Graphical abstract: Systematic representation of the fabricated amperometric hydrazine chemical sensor based on ZnO NPs/Au modified electrode. Highlights: ► Synthesis of well-crystalline ZnO NPs has been achieved in aqueous solution. ► ZnO NPs act as efficient electron mediators for hydrazine sensor. ► Extremely high sensitivity and low-detection limit have been obtained. - Abstract: Using well-crystalline ZnO nanoparticles (NPs), an ultra high sensitive hydrazine amperometric sensor has been fabricated and reported in this paper. The ZnO NPs have been synthesized by very simple aqueous solution process at 90 °C and characterized in detail in terms of their morphological, compositional, structural and optical properties. The detailed investigations reveal that the synthesized products are well-crystalline NPs, possessing wurtzite hexagonal phase and exhibit good optical properties. The fabricated amperometric hydrazine sensor exhibits ultra-high sensitivity of ∼97.133 μA cm −2 μM −1 and very low-detection limit of 147.54 nM. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report in which an ultra-high sensitivity and low-detection limit have been obtained for the hydrazine chemical sensor based on ZnO nanostructures.

  6. Optical Magnetometry Using Multiphoton Transitions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Degenkolb, Skyler M.

    Optical magnetometry plays a critical role in low-energy precision measurements and numerous other applications. In particular, permanent electric dipole moment (EDM) searches impose strict requirements on magnetic field sensitivity of the underlying atomic or molecular species. Other magnetometer properties - such as chemical reactivity, dielectric strength, and interaction cross-sections with other species - also impose limitations on experimental conditions. Here, we explore a novel approach to optical magnetometry, using multiphoton transitions of diamagnetic atoms to detect Larmor precession of polarized nuclei. Resonant probes are possible at moderate ultraviolet wavelengths, and hyperfine structure couples spin precession to fluorescence transitions with negligible backgrounds; paramagnetic rotation due to intensity-dependent dispersion may also be detectable. Nuclear spins and nonlinear optical excitation introduce new degrees of freedom, and evade limitations arising from rapid electronic decoherence. This dissertation reports progress towards two-photon optical magnetometry using ytterbium, rubidium, and xenon. We characterize the influence of probe polarization and magnetic fields on fluorescence spectra, for one- and two-photon continuous-wave (cw) excitation of ytterbium. Resolved hyperfine and isotope structure allow us to use spin-zero isotopes for diagnostics and normalization, and we develop analysis for overlapping two-photon resonances. We also report measurements of two-photon excitation in ytterbium and rubidium using picosecond laser pulses, and in xenon using a cw laser. Although hyperfine structure is unresolved, the rubidium measurements are sensitive to probe field polarization. Fluorescence spectra from two-photon excitation of ytterbium with femtosecond pulses show modulation when the repetition rate changes. Although techniques for polarizing noble gas nuclei are mature, existing cell designs are incompatible with two

  7. Ultra-sensitive quantification of lysozyme based on element chelate labeling and capillary electrophoresis–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, MingWei; Wu, WeiHua; Ruan, YaJuan; Huang, LiMei; Wu, Zujian; Cai, Yong; Fu, FengFu

    2014-01-01

    Graphical abstract: An ultra-sensitive method for the determination of lysozyme was developed based on the Gd 3+ chelate labeling and CE–ICP–MS. The proposed method has an extremely low detection limit of 3.89 attomole and has been successfully used to detect lysozyme in saliva sample, showing excellent reliability. The success of the present method provides a new possibility for biological assays and clinical diagnoses. -- Highlights: •An ultra-sensitive method for detecting lysozyme based on CE–ICP–MS was described. •The proposed method has an extremely low detection limit of 3.89 attomole. •It can be used to detect trace lysozyme in saliva sample with a satisfied recovery. •The method provides a new potential for sensitive detection of low-abundant proteins. -- Abstract: In this study, an ultra-sensitive method for the quantification of lysozyme based on the Gd 3+ diethylenetriamine-N,N,N′,N″,N″-pentaacetic acid labeling and capillary electrophoresis–inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE–ICP–MS) was described. The Gd 3+ -tagged lysozyme was effectively separated by capillary electrophoresis (CE) and sensitively determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP–MS). Based on the gadolinium-tagging and CE–ICP–MS, the lysozyme was determined within 12 min with an extremely low detection limit of 3.89 attomole (3.89 × 10 −11 mol L −1 for 100 nL of sample injection) and a RSD < 6% (n = 5). The proposed method has been successfully used to detect lysozyme in saliva samples with a recovery of 91–106%, suggesting that our method is sensitive and reliable. The success of the present method provides a new potential for the biological assays and sensitive detection of low-abundant proteins

  8. Direct surface magnetometry with photoemission magnetic x-ray dichroism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tobin, J.G.; Goodman, K.W. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab., CA (United States); Schumann, F.O. [Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)] [and others

    1997-04-01

    Element specific surface magnetometry remains a central goal of synchrotron radiation based studies of nanomagnetic structures. One appealing possibility is the combination of x-ray absorption dichroism measurements and the theoretical framework provided by the {open_quotes}sum rules.{close_quotes} Unfortunately, sum rule analysis are hampered by several limitations including delocalization of the final state, multi-electronic phenomena and the presence of surface dipoles. An alternative experiment, Magnetic X-Ray Dichroism in Photoelectron Spectroscopy, holds out promise based upon its elemental specificity, surface sensitivity and high resolution. Computational simulations by Tamura et al. demonstrated the relationship between exchange and spin orbit splittings and experimental data of linear and circular dichroisms. Now the authors have developed an analytical framework which allows for the direct extraction of core level exchange splittings from circular and linear dichroic photoemission data. By extending a model initially proposed by Venus, it is possible to show a linear relation between normalized dichroism peaks in the experimental data and the underlying exchange splitting. Since it is reasonable to expect that exchange splittings and magnetic moments track together, this measurement thus becomes a powerful new tool for direct surface magnetometry, without recourse to time consuming and difficult spectral simulations. The theoretical derivation will be supported by high resolution linear and circular dichroism data collected at the Spectromicroscopy Facility of the Advanced Light Source.

  9. Ultra-sensitive bio-sensor based on GMR in self-suspended-membrane-type germanium grating

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma, Jianyong; Zhang, Dawei

    2012-01-01

    In this paper, an ultra-sensitive bio-sensor based on the GMR effect in self-suspended-membrane-type gratings (SSGs) is proposed using multilayer plane waveguide theory. It is demonstrated from our calculations that the sensitivity of our bio-sensor is near the theoretical limit compared with a conventional GMR sensor. Based on the normalized eigenfunction of a single-layer homogeneous grating, the resonance curves with respect to different refractive indices of surrounding media are calculated, which confirm the estimated sensitivity. In addition, we design a highly sensitive bio-sensor in the near- and mid-IR wavelength region for liquid and gas detection respectively, the sensor can deliver a resolution over 1 × 10 −5 in the near-IR region in a large refractive index (1.3–1.7) range and provide better than 1 × 10 −6 in the mid-IR region, which is enough for various bio-material detections. Therefore, the bio-sensor we proposed is one or two orders more sensitive than conventional GMR sensors. (paper)

  10. Crescent shaped Fabry-Perot fiber cavity for ultra-sensitive strain measurement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Ye; Wang, D. N.; Chen, W. P.

    2016-12-01

    Optical Fabry-Perot interferometer sensors based on inner air-cavity is featured with compact size, good robustness and high strain sensitivity, especially when an ultra-thin air-cavity is adopted. The typical shape of Fabry-Perot inner air-cavity with reflection mode of operation is elliptic, with minor axis along with and major axis perpendicular to the fiber length. The first reflection surface is diverging whereas the second one is converging. To increase the visibility of the output interference pattern, the length of major axis should be large for a given cavity length. However, the largest value of the major axis is limited by the optical fiber diameter. If the major axis length reaches the fiber diameter, the robustness of the Fabry-Perot cavity device would be decreased. Here we demonstrate an ultra-thin crescent shaped Fabry-Perot cavity for strain sensing with ultra-high sensitivity and low temperature cross-sensitivity. The crescent-shape cavity consists of two converging reflection surfaces, which provide the advantages of enhanced strain sensitivity when compared with elliptic or D-shaped FP cavity. The device is fabricated by fusion splicing an etched multimode fiber with a single mode fiber, and hence is simple in structure and economic in cost.

  11. Self-Biased 215MHz Magnetoelectric NEMS Resonator for Ultra-Sensitive DC Magnetic Field Detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nan, Tianxiang; Hui, Yu; Rinaldi, Matteo; Sun, Nian X.

    2013-06-01

    High sensitivity magnetoelectric sensors with their electromechanical resonance frequencies electromechanical systems (NEMS) resonator with an electromechanical resonance frequency of 215 MHz based on an AlN/(FeGaB/Al2O3) × 10 magnetoelectric heterostructure for detecting DC magnetic fields. This magnetoelectric NEMS resonator showed a high quality factor of 735, and strong magnetoelectric coupling with a large voltage tunable sensitivity. The admittance of the magnetoelectric NEMS resonator was very sensitive to DC magnetic fields at its electromechanical resonance, which led to a new detection mechanism for ultra-sensitive self-biased RF NEMS magnetoelectric sensor with a low limit of detection of DC magnetic fields of ~300 picoTelsa. The magnetic/piezoelectric heterostructure based RF NEMS magnetoelectric sensor is compact, power efficient and readily integrated with CMOS technology, which represents a new class of ultra-sensitive magnetometers for DC and low frequency AC magnetic fields.

  12. Cantilever torque magnetometry on coordination compounds

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Perfetti, Mauro

    2017-01-01

    compounds, such as quantum computation or information storage. This review enlightens that CTM offers a unique combination of accuracy and precision to disentangle noncollinear contributions inside Single Crystals as well as the sensitivity to detect molecular order of thin films. CTM can also detect......Cantilever Torque Magnetometry (CTM) is one of the leading techniques to deeply understand magnetic anisotropy of coordination compounds. The knowledge of magnetic anisotropy is a mandatory requirement before proceeding with any future application related to the magnetic properties of coordination...... quantum phenomena such as magnetization steps and molecular hysteresis curves. Moreover, it can also provide the energy levels splitting and avefunctions composition, especially if coupled with microwave radiation....

  13. Ultra-sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-laser-induced fluorescence based proteomics for clinical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Patil, Ajeetkumar; Bhat, Sujatha; Pai, Keerthilatha M; Rai, Lavanya; Kartha, V B; Chidangil, Santhosh

    2015-09-08

    An ultra-sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-laser induced fluorescence (HPLC-LIF) based technique has been developed by our group at Manipal, for screening, early detection, and staging for various cancers, using protein profiling of clinical samples like, body fluids, cellular specimens, and biopsy-tissue. More than 300 protein profiles of different clinical samples (serum, saliva, cellular samples and tissue homogenates) from volunteers (normal, and different pre-malignant/malignant conditions) were recorded using this set-up. The protein profiles were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) to achieve objective detection and classification of malignant, premalignant and healthy conditions with high sensitivity and specificity. The HPLC-LIF protein profiling combined with PCA, as a routine method for screening, diagnosis, and staging of cervical cancer and oral cancer, is discussed in this paper. In recent years, proteomics techniques have advanced tremendously in life sciences and medical sciences for the detection and identification of proteins in body fluids, tissue homogenates and cellular samples to understand biochemical mechanisms leading to different diseases. Some of the methods include techniques like high performance liquid chromatography, 2D-gel electrophoresis, MALDI-TOF-MS, SELDI-TOF-MS, CE-MS and LC-MS techniques. We have developed an ultra-sensitive high performance liquid chromatography-laser induced fluorescence (HPLC-LIF) based technique, for screening, early detection, and staging for various cancers, using protein profiling of clinical samples like, body fluids, cellular specimens, and biopsy-tissue. More than 300 protein profiles of different clinical samples (serum, saliva, cellular samples and tissue homogenates) from healthy and volunteers with different malignant conditions were recorded by using this set-up. The protein profile data were analyzed using principal component analysis (PCA) for objective

  14. The Swarm Magnetometry Package

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Merayo, José M.G.; Jørgensen, John Leif; Friis-Christensen, Eigil

    2008-01-01

    The Swarm mission under the ESA's Living Planet Programme is planned for launch in 2010 and consists of a constellation of three satellites at LEO. The prime objective of Swarm is to measure the geomagnetic field with unprecedented accuracy in space and time. The magnetometry package consists...

  15. Characterisation of baroreflex sensitivity of recreational ultra-endurance athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foulds, Heather J A; Cote, Anita T; Phillips, Aaron A; Charlesworth, Sarah A; Bredin, Shannon S D; Burr, Jamie F; Drury, Chipman Taylor; Ngai, Shirley; Fougere, Renee J; Ivey, Adam C; Warburton, Darren E R

    2014-01-01

    Altered autonomic function has been identified following ultra-endurance event participation among elite world-class athletes. Despite dramatic increases in recreational athlete participation in these ultra-endurance events, the physiological effects on these athletes are less known. This investigation sought to characterise changes in surrogate measures of autonomic function: heart rate variability (HRV), blood pressure variability (BPV) and baroreceptor sensitivity (BRS) following ultra-endurance race participation. Further, we sought to compare baseline measures among ultra-endurance athletes and recreationally active controls not participating in the ultra-endurance race. Recreational ultra-endurance athletes (n = 25, 44.6 ± 8.2 years, 8 females) and recreationally active age, sex and body mass index matched controls (n = 25) were evaluated. Measurements of HRV, BPV and BRS were collected pre- and post-race for recreational ultra-endurance athletes and at baseline, for recreationally active controls. Post-race, ultra-endurance athletes demonstrated significantly greater sympathetic modulation [low frequency (LF) power HRV: 50.3 ± 21.6 normalised units (n.u.) to 65.9 ± 20.4 n.u., p = 0.01] and significantly lower parasympathetic modulation [high frequency (HF) power HRV: 45.0 ± 22.4 n.u. to 23.9 ± 13.1 n.u., p HRV and BPV measures. Recreational ultra-endurance athletes experienced increased sympathetic tone and declines in BRS post-race, similar to previously reported elite world-class ultra-endurance athletes, though still within normal population ranges.

  16. Ultra-sensitive and selective Hg{sup 2+} detection based on fluorescent carbon dots

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Ruihua; Li, Haitao; Kong, Weiqian; Liu, Juan [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Liu, Yang, E-mail: yangl@suda.edu.cn [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Tong, Cuiyan, E-mail: tongcy959@nenu.edu.cn [Chemisty Department, Northeast Normal University, Changchun 130024 (China); Zhang, Xing [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China); Kang, Zhenhui, E-mail: zhkang@suda.edu.cn [Institute of Functional Nano and Soft Materials (FUNSOM) and Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Carbon-Based Functional Materials and Devices, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123 (China)

    2013-07-15

    Graphical abstract: Fluorescent carbon dots were efficiently synthesized by one-step sodium hydroxide-assisted reflux method from PEG and demonstrated to show high selectivity toward Hg2+ ions detection. - Highlights: • FCDs were synthesized by one-step sodium hydroxide-assisted reflux method from PEG. • The FCDs emit blue photoluminescence and have upconversion fluorescent property. • The FCDs show ultra-sensitive detective ability for Hg{sup 2+} ions. - Abstract: Fluorescent carbon dots (FCDs) were efficiently synthesized by one-step sodium hydroxide-assisted reflux method from poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The obtained FCDs exhibit excellent water-solubility and high stability. Under the UV irradiation, the FCDs could emit bright blue photoluminescence, and also they were found to show excellent up-conversion fluorescence. It was further demonstrated that such FCDs can serve as effective fluorescent sensing platform for Hg{sup 2+} ions detection with ultra-sensitivity and selectivity. The sensing system achieved a limit of detection as low as 1 fM, which is much lower than all the previous reported sensing systems for Hg{sup 2+} ions detection. This FCDs sensing system has been successfully applied for the analysis of Hg{sup 2+} ions in water samples from river, lake, and tap water, showing good practical feasibility.

  17. Reconfigurable and ultra-sensitive in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on the fusion of microfiber and microfluid

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Gao, Shecheng [Key Laboratory of Optical Information Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Modern Optics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Institute of Micro and Nano Optics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China); Zhang, Weigang, E-mail: zhangwg@nankai.edu.cn, E-mail: haozhang@nankai.edu.cn; Zhang, Hao, E-mail: zhangwg@nankai.edu.cn, E-mail: haozhang@nankai.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Optical Information Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Institute of Modern Optics, Nankai University, Tianjin 300071 (China); Zhang, Chonglei [Institute of Micro and Nano Optics, Key Laboratory of Optoelectronic Devices and Systems of Ministry of Education and Guangdong Province, College of Optoelectronic Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060 (China)

    2015-02-23

    A reconfigurable Mach-Zenhnder interferometer (MZI) based on a microfluidic cavity (MFC) constructed by embedding a microfiber between two segments of single-mode fibers with pre-designed lateral offset has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The MFC serves as an interference arm with an eccentric annular cross section and allows convenient sample (gas or liquids) replacement procedure. The microfiber works as the other interference arm that provides the proposed device with ease of reconstruction and also enhances the force sensitivity. The re-configurability and the ultra-wide tuning sensitivity range are demonstrated by immersing the MZI constructed with a 484 μm-long-MFC and a microfiber 44 μm in diameter in different droplets. Ultrahigh sensitivities of 34.65 nm/°C (∼88 380 nm/RIU) and −493.7 nm/N (∼−590 pm/με) are experimentally achieved using a droplet with a refractive index of ∼1.44.

  18. Reconfigurable and ultra-sensitive in-line Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on the fusion of microfiber and microfluid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gao, Shecheng; Zhang, Weigang; Zhang, Hao; Zhang, Chonglei

    2015-01-01

    A reconfigurable Mach-Zenhnder interferometer (MZI) based on a microfluidic cavity (MFC) constructed by embedding a microfiber between two segments of single-mode fibers with pre-designed lateral offset has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The MFC serves as an interference arm with an eccentric annular cross section and allows convenient sample (gas or liquids) replacement procedure. The microfiber works as the other interference arm that provides the proposed device with ease of reconstruction and also enhances the force sensitivity. The re-configurability and the ultra-wide tuning sensitivity range are demonstrated by immersing the MZI constructed with a 484 μm-long-MFC and a microfiber 44 μm in diameter in different droplets. Ultrahigh sensitivities of 34.65 nm/°C (∼88 380 nm/RIU) and −493.7 nm/N (∼−590 pm/με) are experimentally achieved using a droplet with a refractive index of ∼1.44

  19. Ultra-Short-Term Heart Rate Variability is Sensitive to Training Effects in Team Sports Players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Fabio Y; Flatt, Andrew A; Pereira, Lucas A; Ramirez-Campillo, Rodrigo; Loturco, Irineu; Esco, Michael R

    2015-09-01

    The aim of this study was to test the possibility of the ultra-short-term lnRMSSD (measured in 1-min post-1-min stabilization period) to detect training induced adaptations in futsal players. Twenty-four elite futsal players underwent HRV assessments pre- and post-three or four weeks preseason training. From the 10-min HRV recording period, lnRMSSD was analyzed in the following time segments: 1) from 0-5 min (i.e., stabilization period); 2) from 0-1 min; 1-2 min; 2-3 min; 3-4 min; 4-5 min and; 3) from 5-10 min (i.e., criterion period). The lnRMSSD was almost certainly higher (100/00/00) using the magnitude-based inference in all periods at the post- moment. The correlation between changes in ultra-short-term lnRMSSD (i.e., 0-1 min; 1-2 min; 2-3 min; 3-4 min; 4-5 min) and lnRMSSDCriterion ranged between 0.45-0.75, with the highest value (p = 0.75; 90% CI: 0.55 - 0.85) found between ultra-short-term lnRMDSSD at 1-2 min and lnRMSSDCriterion. In conclusion, lnRMSSD determined in a short period of 1-min is sensitive to training induced changes in futsal players (based on the very large correlation to the criterion measure), and can be used to track cardiac autonomic adaptations. Key pointsThe ultra-short-term (1 min) natural log of the root-mean-square difference of successive normal RR intervals (lnRMSSD) is sensitive to training effects in futsal playersThe ultra-short-term lnRMSSD may simplify the assessment of the cardiac autonomic changes in the field compared to the traditional and lengthier (10 min duration) analysisCoaches are encouraged to implement the ultra-short-term heart rate variability in their routines to monitor team sports athletes.

  20. Ultra-sensitive detection of plutonium by accelerator mass spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fifield, L K; Cresswell, R G; Ophel, T R; Ditada, M [Australian National Univ., Canberra, ACT (Australia). Dept. of Nuclear Physics; Day, J P; Clacher, A [Manchester Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Chemistry; Priest, N D [AEA Technology, Harwell (United Kingdom)

    1997-12-31

    On the bases of the measurements performed to date, a sensitivity of 10{sup 6} atoms is achievable with accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS) for each of the plutonium isotopes. Not only does this open the way to the sort of study outlined, but it also makes possible other novel applications, of which two examples are given: (i)the ration of {sup 240}Pu to {sup 239}Pu as a sensitive indicator of the source of the plutonium; (ii) the biochemistry of plutonium in humans. The ultra-sensitive atom counting capability of AMS will make it possible to use the very long-lived {sup 244}Pu (8x10{sup 7}a) in human volunteer studies without any significant increase in radiation body burden. This paper will describe the AMS technique as applied to plutonium using the ANU`s 14UD accelerator, will present the results obtained to date, and will discuss the prospects for the future.

  1. Ultra-sensitive detection of plutonium by accelerator mass spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fifield, L.K.; Cresswell, R.G.; Ophel, T.R.; Ditada, M. [Australian National Univ., Canberra, ACT (Australia). Dept. of Nuclear Physics; Day, J.P.; Clacher, A. [Manchester Univ. (United Kingdom). Dept. of Chemistry; Priest, N.D. [AEA Technology, Harwell (United Kingdom)

    1996-12-31

    On the bases of the measurements performed to date, a sensitivity of 10{sup 6} atoms is achievable with accelerator mass spectroscopy (AMS) for each of the plutonium isotopes. Not only does this open the way to the sort of study outlined, but it also makes possible other novel applications, of which two examples are given: (i)the ration of {sup 240}Pu to {sup 239}Pu as a sensitive indicator of the source of the plutonium; (ii) the biochemistry of plutonium in humans. The ultra-sensitive atom counting capability of AMS will make it possible to use the very long-lived {sup 244}Pu (8x10{sup 7}a) in human volunteer studies without any significant increase in radiation body burden. This paper will describe the AMS technique as applied to plutonium using the ANU`s 14UD accelerator, will present the results obtained to date, and will discuss the prospects for the future.

  2. Precision bounds for gradient magnetometry with atomic ensembles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Apellaniz, Iagoba; Urizar-Lanz, Iñigo; Zimborás, Zoltán; Hyllus, Philipp; Tóth, Géza

    2018-05-01

    We study gradient magnetometry with an ensemble of atoms with arbitrary spin. We calculate precision bounds for estimating the gradient of the magnetic field based on the quantum Fisher information. For quantum states that are invariant under homogeneous magnetic fields, we need to measure a single observable to estimate the gradient. On the other hand, for states that are sensitive to homogeneous fields, a simultaneous measurement is needed, as the homogeneous field must also be estimated. We prove that for the cases studied in this paper, such a measurement is feasible. We present a method to calculate precision bounds for gradient estimation with a chain of atoms or with two spatially separated atomic ensembles. We also consider a single atomic ensemble with an arbitrary density profile, where the atoms cannot be addressed individually, and which is a very relevant case for experiments. Our model can take into account even correlations between particle positions. While in most of the discussion we consider an ensemble of localized particles that are classical with respect to their spatial degree of freedom, we also discuss the case of gradient metrology with a single Bose-Einstein condensate.

  3. Ultra-sensitive "turn-on" detection method for Hg(2+) based on mispairing biosensor and emulsion PCR.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Pengyu; Tian, Wenying; Cheng, Nan; Huang, Kunlun; Luo, Yunbo; Xu, Wentao

    2016-08-01

    Sensor-based detection methods have inspired the idea that chemical or physical signals could be converted to nucleic acid signals to be quantitatively detected using a combination of appropriate detection tools. To achieve ultra-sensitive and absolute quantitative detection of mercury ion (Hg(2+)), we have combined a mispairing biosensor for Hg(2+) and emulsion PCR. The parameters that might influence the biosensor step, such as the duration of isothermal amplification and the concentration of the sensor oligonucleotide, have been firstly optimized in our study to achieve the most efficient biosensor detection. The evaluation results of secondary structures between the biosensors with different number of T-Hg-T structures achieved by Circular Dichroism have indicated that the secondary hairpin structure would be varied according to the change of number of T-Hg-T structures, which could influence the quantitative detection results. Further optimization of number of T-Hg-T within the biosensor sequences showed that 5 T-Hg-T structures could generate the most efficient amplification. After the above optimizations, the emulsion PCR has been employed to achieve the absolute quantitation of nucleic acid signals. The final results have shown that the limit of quantitation (LOQ) in our study was as low as 40fmol, and the limit of detection (LOD) was 10fmol. The practical detection tests showed that the quantitative results were stable and accurate for all substrates. In conclusion, by combining a mispairing biosensor with emulsion PCR, we developed a flexible and stable quantitative "turn-on" detection method with ultra-sensitivity that can detect trace amounts Hg(2+) within different substrates. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Ultra-sensitive detection of leukemia by graphene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akhavan, Omid; Ghaderi, Elham; Hashemi, Ehsan; Rahighi, Reza

    2014-11-01

    Graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GONPs) with extremely sharp edges (lateral dimensions ~20-200 nm and thicknesses leukemia cells. The blood serums containing the extracted guanine were used in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with reduced graphene oxide nanowall (rGONW) electrodes to develop fast and ultra-sensitive electrochemical detection of leukemia cells at leukemia fractions (LFs) of ~10-11 (as the lower detection limit). The stability of the DPV signals obtained by oxidation of the extracted guanine on the rGONWs was studied after 20 cycles. Without the guanine extraction, the DPV peaks relating to guanine oxidation of normal and abnormal cells overlapped at LFs diagnosis.Graphene oxide nanoplatelets (GONPs) with extremely sharp edges (lateral dimensions ~20-200 nm and thicknesses leukemia cells. The blood serums containing the extracted guanine were used in differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with reduced graphene oxide nanowall (rGONW) electrodes to develop fast and ultra-sensitive electrochemical detection of leukemia cells at leukemia fractions (LFs) of ~10-11 (as the lower detection limit). The stability of the DPV signals obtained by oxidation of the extracted guanine on the rGONWs was studied after 20 cycles. Without the guanine extraction, the DPV peaks relating to guanine oxidation of normal and abnormal cells overlapped at LFs diagnosis. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/C4NR04589K

  5. Tunable nanogap devices for ultra-sensitive electrochemical impedance biosensing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lu, Yong [Department of Chemistry, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002 (China); Guo, Zheng [Nanomaterials and Environmental Detection Laboratory, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Song, Jing-Jing; Huang, Qin-An; Zhu, Si-Wei [Department of Chemistry, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002 (China); Huang, Xing-Jiu [Nanomaterials and Environmental Detection Laboratory, Institute of Intelligent Machines, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hefei 230031 (China); Wei, Yan, E-mail: yanwei_wnmc@hotmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Wannan Medical College, Wuhu 241002 (China)

    2016-01-28

    A wealth of research has been available discussing nanogap devices for detecting very small quantities of biomolecules by observing their electrical behavior generally performed in dry conditions. We report that a gold nanogapped electrode with tunable gap length for ultra-sensitive detection of streptavidin based on electrochemical impedance technique. The gold nanogap is fabricated using simple monolayer film deposition and in-situ growth of gold nanoparticles in a traditional interdigitated array (IDA) microelectrode. The electrochemical impedance biosensor with a 25-nm nanogap is found to be ultra-sensitive to the specific binding of streptavidin to biotin. The binding of the streptavidin hinder the electron transfer between two electrodes, resulting in a large increase in electron-transfer resistance (R{sub et}) for operating the impedance. A linear relation between the relative R{sub et} and the logarithmic value of streptavidin concentration is observed in the concentration range from 1 pM (picomolar) to 100 nM (nanomolar). The lowest detectable concentration actually measured reaches 1 pM. We believe that such an electrochemical impedance nanogap biosensor provides a useful approach towards biomolecular detection that could be extended to a number of other systems. - Highlights: • A tunable gold nanogap device was used as to electrochemical impedance biosensor. • Linear range from 1 pM to 100 nM with LOD of 1 pM for streptavidin detection was obtained. • The nanogap devices exhibit a satisfactory precision, stability, and reproducibility. • The combination of electrochemical impedance technique and nanogap devices was achieved.

  6. KWISP: an ultra-sensitive force sensor for the Dark Energy sector

    CERN Document Server

    Karuza, M; Gardikiotis, A; Hoffmann, D H H; Semertzidis, Y K; Zioutas, K

    2016-01-01

    An ultra-sensitive opto-mechanical force sensor has been built and tested in the optics laboratory at INFN Trieste. Its application to experiments in the Dark Energy sector, such as those for Chameleon-type WISPs, is particularly attractive, as it enables a search for their direct coupling to matter. We present here the main characteristics and the absolute force calibration of the KWISP (Kinetic WISP detection) sensor. It is based on a thin Si3N4 micro-membrane placed inside a Fabry-Perot optical cavity. By monitoring the cavity characteristic frequencies it is possible to detect the tiny membrane displacements caused by an applied force. Far from the mechanical resonant frequency of the membrane, the measured force sensitivity is 5.0e-14 N/sqrt(Hz), corresponding to a displacement sensitivity of 2.5e-15 m/sqrt(Hz), while near resonance the sensitivity is 1.5e-14 N/sqrt(Hz), reaching the estimated thermal limit, or, in terms of displacement, 7.5e-16 N/sqrt(Hz). These displacement sensitivities are comparable...

  7. Membrane-based torque magnetometer: Enhanced sensitivity by optical readout of the membrane displacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blankenhorn, M.; Heintze, E.; Slota, M.; van Slageren, J.; Moores, B. A.; Degen, C. L.; Bogani, L.; Dressel, M.

    2017-09-01

    The design and realization of a torque magnetometer is reported that reads the deflection of a membrane by optical interferometry. The compact instrument allows for low-temperature measurements of tiny crystals less than a microgram with a significant improvement in sensitivity, signal-to-noise ratio as well as data acquisition time compared with conventional magnetometry and offers an enormous potential for further improvements and future applications in different fields. Magnetic measurements on single-molecule magnets demonstrate the applicability of the membrane-based torque magnetometer.

  8. Flexible suspended gate organic thin-film transistors for ultra-sensitive pressure detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zang, Yaping; Zhang, Fengjiao; Huang, Dazhen; Gao, Xike; di, Chong-An; Zhu, Daoben

    2015-03-01

    The utilization of organic devices as pressure-sensing elements in artificial intelligence and healthcare applications represents a fascinating opportunity for the next-generation electronic products. To satisfy the critical requirements of these promising applications, the low-cost construction of large-area ultra-sensitive organic pressure devices with outstanding flexibility is highly desired. Here we present flexible suspended gate organic thin-film transistors (SGOTFTs) as a model platform that enables ultra-sensitive pressure detection. More importantly, the unique device geometry of SGOTFTs allows the fine-tuning of their sensitivity by the suspended gate. An unprecedented sensitivity of 192 kPa-1, a low limit-of-detection pressure of <0.5 Pa and a short response time of 10 ms were successfully realized, allowing the real-time detection of acoustic waves. These excellent sensing properties of SGOTFTs, together with their advantages of facile large-area fabrication and versatility in detecting various pressure signals, make SGOTFTs a powerful strategy for spatial pressure mapping in practical applications.

  9. Torque magnetometry by use of capacitance type transducer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Braught, M.C.; Pechan, M.J.

    1992-01-01

    Interfacial anisotropy in magnetic multilayered samples comprised of nanometer thick magnetic layers alternating with non-magnetic layers is investigated by torque magnetometry in the temperature regime of 4 to 300K. The design, construction and use of a capacitance type transducer wherein the sample is mounted directly on with the plate of the capacitor, will be described. As a result the sample and transducer spatially coexist at the sample temperature in an applied external field, eliminating mechanical coupling from the cryogenic region to a remote room temperature transducer. The capacitor measuring the torque of the sample is paired with a reference capacitor. The difference between torque influenced capacitance and the reference is then determined by a differential transimpedance amplifier. Since both capacitors are physically identical variables such as temperature, vibration, orientation and external devices are minimized. Torques up to 300 dyne-cm can be measured with a sensitivity of 0.010 dyne-cm

  10. An ultra-sensitive monoclonal antibody-based fluorescent microsphere immunochromatographic test strip assay for detecting aflatoxin M1 in milk

    Science.gov (United States)

    A rapid lateral flow fluorescent microspheres immunochromatography test strip (FMs-ICTS) has been developed for the detection of aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) residues in milk. For this purpose, an ultra-sensitive anti-AFM1 monoclonal antibody (MAb) 1D3 was prepared and identified. The IC50 value of the MA...

  11. Ultra-sensitive detection of kanamycin for food safety using a reduced graphene oxide-based fluorescent aptasensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Na-Reum; Jung, In-Pil; La, Im-Joung; Jung, Ho-Sup; Yoon, Moon-Young

    2017-01-01

    Overuse of antibiotics has caused serious problems, such as appearance of super bacteria, whose accumulation in the human body through the food chain is a concern. Kanamycin is a common antibiotic used to treat diverse infections; however, residual kanamycin can cause many side effects in humans. Thus, development of an ultra-sensitive, precise, and simple detection system for residual kanamycin in food products is urgently needed for food safety. In this study, we identified kanamycin-binding aptamers via a new screening method, and truncated variants were analyzed for optimization of the minimal sequence required for target binding. We found various aptamers with high binding affinity from 34.7 to 669 nanomolar Kdapp values with good specificity against kanamycin. Furthermore, we developed a reduced graphene oxide (RGO)-based fluorescent aptasensor for kanamycin detection. In this system, kanamycin was detected at a concentration as low as 1 pM (582.6 fg/mL). In addition, this method could detect kanamycin accurately in kanamycin-spiked blood serum and milk samples. Consequently, this simple, rapid, and sensitive kanamycin detection system with newly structural and functional analysis aptamer exhibits outstanding detection compared to previous methods and provides a new possibility for point of care testing and food safety.

  12. Ultra-Weak Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing Network Coated with Sensitive Material for Multi-Parameter Measurements

    OpenAIRE

    Bai, Wei; Yang, Minghong; Hu, Chenyuan; Dai, Jixiang; Zhong, Xuexiang; Huang, Shuai; Wang, Gaopeng

    2017-01-01

    A multi-parameter measurement system based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (UFBG) array with sensitive material was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The UFBG array interrogation principle is time division multiplex technology with two semiconductor optical amplifiers as timing units. Experimental results showed that the performance of the proposed UFBG system is almost equal to that of traditional FBG, while the UFBG array system has obvious superiority with potential multiplexing ...

  13. Optical characterization of ultra-sensitive TES bolometers for SAFARI

    Science.gov (United States)

    Audley, Michael D.; de Lange, Gerhard; Gao, Jian-Rong; Khosropanah, Pourya; Mauskopf, Philip D.; Morozov, Dmitry; Trappe, Neil A.; Doherty, Stephen; Withington, Stafford

    2014-07-01

    We have characterized the optical response of prototype detectors for SAFARI, the far-infrared imaging spectrometer for the SPICA satellite. SAFARI's three bolometer arrays will image a 2'×2' field of view with spectral information over the wavelength range 34—210 μm. SAFARI requires extremely sensitive detectors (goal NEP ~ 0.2 aW/√Hz), with correspondingly low saturation powers (~5 fW), to take advantage of SPICA's cooled optics. We have constructed an ultra-low background optical test facility containing an internal cold black-body illuminator and have recently added an internal hot black-body source and a light-pipe for external illumination. We illustrate the performance of the test facility with results including spectral-response measurements. Based on an improved understanding of the optical throughput of the test facility we find an optical efficiency of 60% for prototype SAFARI detectors.

  14. Self-assembled ultra small ZnO nanocrystals for dye-sensitized solar cell application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Patra, Astam K.; Dutta, Arghya; Bhaumik, Asim, E-mail: msab@iacs.res.in

    2014-07-01

    We demonstrate a facile chemical approach to produce self-assembled ultra-small mesoporous zinc oxide nanocrystals using sodium salicylate (SS) as a template under hydrothermal conditions. These ZnO nanomaterials have been successfully fabricated as a photoanode for the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) in the presence of N719 dye and iodine–triiodide electrolyte. The structural features, crystallinity, purity, mesophase and morphology of the nanostructure ZnO are investigated by several characterization tools. N{sub 2} sorption analysis revealed high surface areas (203 m{sup 2} g{sup −1}) and narrow pore size distributions (5.1–5.4 nm) for different samples. The mesoporous structure and strong photoluminescence facilitates the high dye loading at the mesoscopic void spaces and light harvesting in DSSC. By utilizing this ultra-small ZnO photoelectrode with film thickness of about 7 μm in the DSSC with an open-circuit voltage (V{sub OC}) of 0.74 V, short-circuit current density (J{sub SC}) of 3.83 mA cm{sup −2} and an overall power conversion efficiency of 1.12% has been achieved. - Graphical abstract: Ultra-small ZnO nanocrystals have been synthesized with sodium salicylate as a template and using it as a photoanode in a dye-sensitized solar cell 1.12% power conversion efficiency has been observed. - Highlights: • Synthesis of self-assembled ultra-small mesoporous ZnO nanocrystals by using sodium salicylate as a template. • Mesoporous ZnO materials have high BET surface areas and void space. • ZnO nanoparticles serve as a photoanode for the dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC). • Using ZnO nanocrystals as photoelectrode power conversion efficiency of 1.12% has been achieved.

  15. Application of SQUIDs to low temperature and high magnetic field measurements—Ultra low noise torque magnetometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arnold, F.; Naumann, M.; Lühmann, Th.; Mackenzie, A. P.; Hassinger, E.

    2018-02-01

    Torque magnetometry is a key method to measure the magnetic anisotropy and quantum oscillations in metals. In order to resolve quantum oscillations in sub-millimeter sized samples, piezo-electric micro-cantilevers were introduced. In the case of strongly correlated metals with large Fermi surfaces and high cyclotron masses, magnetic torque resolving powers in excess of 104 are required at temperatures well below 1 K and magnetic fields beyond 10 T. Here, we present a new broadband read-out scheme for piezo-electric micro-cantilevers via Wheatstone-type resistance measurements in magnetic fields up to 15 T and temperatures down to 200 mK. By using a two-stage superconducting-quantum interference device as a null detector of a cold Wheatstone bridge, we were able to achieve a magnetic moment resolution of Δm = 4 × 10-15 J/T at maximal field and 700 mK, outperforming conventional magnetometers by at least one order of magnitude in this temperature and magnetic field range. Exemplary de Haas-van Alphen measurement of a newly grown delafossite, PdRhO2, was used to show the superior performance of our setup.

  16. Developing optical traps for ultra-sensitive analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, X.; Vieira, D.J.; Guckert, R.; Crane, S.

    1998-01-01

    The authors describe the coupling of a magneto-optical trap to a mass separator for the ultra-sensitive detection of selected radioactive species. As a proof of principle test, they have demonstrated the trapping of ∼ 6 million 82 Rb (t 1/2 = 75 s) atoms using an ion implantation and heated foil release method for introducing the sample into a trapping cell with minimal gas loading. Gamma-ray counting techniques were used to determine the efficiencies of each step in the process. By far the weakest step in the process is the efficiency of the optical trap itself (0.3%). Further improvements in the quality of the nonstick dryfilm coating on the inside of the trapping cell and the possible use of larger diameter laser beams are indicated. In the presence of a large background of scattered light, this initial work achieved a detection sensitivity of ∼ 4,000 trapped atoms. Improved detection schemes using a pulsed trap and gated photon detection method are outlined. Application of this technology to the areas of environmental monitoring and nuclear proliferation are foreseen

  17. Modified graphene oxide sensors for ultra-sensitive detection of nitrate ions in water.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ren, Wen; Mura, Stefania; Irudayaraj, Joseph M K

    2015-10-01

    Nitrate ions is a very common contaminant in drinking water and has a significant impact on the environment, necessitating routine monitoring. Due to its chemical and physical properties, it is hard to directly detect nitrate ions with high sensitivity in a simple and inexpensive manner. Herein with amino group modified graphene oxide (GO) as a sensing element, we show a direct and ultra-sensitive method to detect nitrate ions, at a lowest detected concentration of 5 nM in river water samples, much lower than the reported methods based on absorption spectroscopy. Furthermore, unlike the reported strategies based on absorption spectroscopy wherein the nitrate concentration is determined by monitoring an increase in aggregation of gold nanoparticles (GNPs), our method evaluates the concentration of nitrate ions based on reduction in aggregation of GNPs for monitoring in real samples. To improve sensitivity, several optimizations were performed, including the assessment of the amount of modified GO required, concentration of GNPs and incubation time. The detection methodology was characterized by zeta potential, TEM and SEM. Our results indicate that an enrichment of modified GO with nitrate ions contributed to excellent sensitivity and the entire detection procedure could be completed within 75 min with only 20 μl of sample. This simple and rapid methodology was applied to monitor nitrate ions in real samples with excellent sensitivity and minimum pretreatment. The proposed approach paves the way for a novel means to detect anions in real samples and highlights the potential of GO based detection strategy for water quality monitoring. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Micro-Hall magnetometry on a Co-organic chain compound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rolland, L.; Simonet, V.; Wernsdorfer, W.; Bogani, L.; Sessoli, R.

    2004-01-01

    The static and dynamical properties of Co-organic chains, with strong magnetic anisotropy, are studied by micro-Hall magnetometry. The low-temperature hysteresis cycles are discussed with respect to the helical structure of the chains. Thermally activated relaxation of the magnetization is observed, compatible with the Glauber model for a 1D Ising system

  19. Micro-Hall magnetometry on a Co-organic chain compound

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rolland, L.; Simonet, V. E-mail: simonet@grenoble.cnrs.fr; Wernsdorfer, W.; Bogani, L.; Sessoli, R

    2004-05-01

    The static and dynamical properties of Co-organic chains, with strong magnetic anisotropy, are studied by micro-Hall magnetometry. The low-temperature hysteresis cycles are discussed with respect to the helical structure of the chains. Thermally activated relaxation of the magnetization is observed, compatible with the Glauber model for a 1D Ising system.

  20. Ultra-Short-Term Heart Rate Variability is Sensitive to Training Effects in Team Sports Players

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Fabio Y. Nakamura, Andrew A. Flatt, Lucas A. Pereira, Rodrigo Ramirez-Campillo, Irineu Loturco, Michael R. Esco

    2015-09-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this study was to test the possibility of the ultra-short-term lnRMSSD (measured in 1-min post-1-min stabilization period to detect training induced adaptations in futsal players. Twenty-four elite futsal players underwent HRV assessments pre- and post-three or four weeks preseason training. From the 10-min HRV recording period, lnRMSSD was analyzed in the following time segments: 1 from 0-5 min (i.e., stabilization period; 2 from 0-1 min; 1-2 min; 2-3 min; 3-4 min; 4-5 min and; 3 from 5-10 min (i.e., criterion period. The lnRMSSD was almost certainly higher (100/00/00 using the magnitude-based inference in all periods at the post- moment. The correlation between changes in ultra-short-term lnRMSSD (i.e., 0-1 min; 1-2 min; 2-3 min; 3-4 min; 4-5 min and lnRMSSDCriterion ranged between 0.45-0.75, with the highest value (p = 0.75; 90% CI: 0.55 – 0.85 found between ultra-short-term lnRMDSSD at 1-2 min and lnRMSSDCriterion. In conclusion, lnRMSSD determined in a short period of 1-min is sensitive to training induced changes in futsal players (based on the very large correlation to the criterion measure, and can be used to track cardiac autonomic adaptations.

  1. A SQUID magnetometry system for a cryogenic neutron electric dipole moment experiment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Henry, S., E-mail: s.henry@physics.ox.ac.uk; Clarke, C.; Cottle, A.; Lynch, A.; Pipe, M.

    2014-11-01

    Precision magnetometry is an essential component of any neutron electric dipole moment experiment in order to correct shifts in the neutron precession frequency due to changes in the magnetic field. We have developed a magnetometry system using 12 SQUID sensors, designed to operate in 0.5 K superfluid helium. The pick-up loops located near the neutron cell are connected to the SQUID sensors by ∼2 m twisted wire pairs. The SQUID readout cables are run via an intermediate stage at 4.2 K. The system has been installed and tested in the cryoEDM apparatus at the ILL, Grenoble, and used to characterise the magnetic environment. Further tests in a suitable low noise environment confirm it meets our requirements.

  2. Ultra-sensitive EUV resists based on acid-catalyzed polymer backbone breaking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Manouras, Theodoros; Kazazis, Dimitrios; Koufakis, Eleftherios; Ekinci, Yasin; Vamvakaki, Maria; Argitis, Panagiotis

    2018-03-01

    The main target of the current work was to develop new sensitive polymeric materials for lithographic applications, focusing in particular to EUV lithography, the main chain of which is cleaved under the influence of photogenerated acid. Resist materials based on the cleavage of polymer main chain are in principle capable to create very small structures, to the dimensions of the monomers that they consist of. Nevertheless, in the case of the commonly used nonchemically amplified materials of this type issues like sensitivity and poor etch resistance limit their areas of application, whereas inadequate etch resistance and non- satisfactory process reliability are the usual problems encountered in acid catalysed materials based on main chain scission. In our material design the acid catalyzed chain cleavable polymers contain very sensitive moieties in their backbone while they remain intact in alkaline ambient. These newly synthesized polymers bear in addition suitable functional groups for the achievement of desirable lithographic characteristics (thermal stability, acceptable glass transition temperature, etch resistance, proper dissolution behavior, adhesion to the substrate). Our approach for achieving acceptable etch resistance, a main drawback in other main chain cleavable resists, is based on the introduction of polyaromatic hydrocarbons in the polymeric backbone, whereas the incorporation of an inorganic component further enhances the etch resistance. Single component systems can also be designed following the proposed approach by the incorporation of suitable PAGs and base quencher molecules in the main chain. Resist formulations based on a random copolymer designed according to the described rules evaluated in EUV exhibit ultrahigh sensitivity, capability for high resolution patterning and overall processing characteristics that make them strong candidates for industrial use upon further optimization.

  3. Vector magnetometry of Fe/Cr/Fe trilayers with biquadratic coupling

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mansell, R; Petit, D; Fernández-Pacheco, A; Lee, J H; Chin, S-L; Lavrijsen, R; Cowburn, R P

    2017-01-01

    The magnetic reversal of epitaxial Fe/Cr/Fe trilayer samples grown on GaAs is studied. In wedged samples both long and short period coupling oscillations associated with Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida (RKKY) coupling in Cr are seen in the easy axis saturation fields. By using vector vibrating sample magnetometry and both longitudinal and transverse magneto-optical Kerr effect magnetometry we are able to determine the exact reversal path of both the magnetic layers. Changes in the reversal behavior are seen with sub-monolayer changes of the thickness of the Cr interlayer. The two main reversal paths are described in terms of whether the reversal is dominated by bilinear RKKY coupling, which leads to an antiparallel state at remanence or by biquadratic coupling which leads to a 90 degree alignment of layers at remanence. The changing reversal behaviour is discussed with respect to the possibility of using such systems for multilayer memory applications and, in particular, the limits on the required accuracy of the sample growth. (letter)

  4. Dual-sensing porphyrin-containing copolymer nanosensor as full-spectrum colorimeter and ultra-sensitive thermometer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yan, Qiang; Yuan, Jinying; Kang, Yan; Cai, Zhinan; Zhou, Lilin; Yin, Yingwu

    2010-04-28

    A porphyrin-containing copolymer has dual-sensing in response to metal ions and temperature as a novel nanosensor. Triggered by ions, the sensor exhibits full-color tunable behavior as a cationic detector and colorimeter. Responding to temperature, the sensor displays an "isothermal" thermochromic point as an ultra-sensitive thermometer.

  5. Ultra-Weak Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing Network Coated with Sensitive Material for Multi-Parameter Measurements

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei Bai

    2017-06-01

    Full Text Available A multi-parameter measurement system based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (UFBG array with sensitive material was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The UFBG array interrogation principle is time division multiplex technology with two semiconductor optical amplifiers as timing units. Experimental results showed that the performance of the proposed UFBG system is almost equal to that of traditional FBG, while the UFBG array system has obvious superiority with potential multiplexing ability for multi-point and multi-parameter measurement. The system experimented on a 144 UFBG array with the reflectivity of UFBG ~0.04% for the four target parameters: hydrogen, humidity, temperature and salinity. Moreover, a uniform solution was customized to divide the cross-sensitivity between temperature and other target parameters. It is expected that this scheme will be capable of handling thousands of multi-parameter sensors in a single fiber.

  6. Ultra-Weak Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing Network Coated with Sensitive Material for Multi-Parameter Measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bai, Wei; Yang, Minghong; Hu, Chenyuan; Dai, Jixiang; Zhong, Xuexiang; Huang, Shuai; Wang, Gaopeng

    2017-06-26

    A multi-parameter measurement system based on ultra-weak fiber Bragg grating (UFBG) array with sensitive material was proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The UFBG array interrogation principle is time division multiplex technology with two semiconductor optical amplifiers as timing units. Experimental results showed that the performance of the proposed UFBG system is almost equal to that of traditional FBG, while the UFBG array system has obvious superiority with potential multiplexing ability for multi-point and multi-parameter measurement. The system experimented on a 144 UFBG array with the reflectivity of UFBG ~0.04% for the four target parameters: hydrogen, humidity, temperature and salinity. Moreover, a uniform solution was customized to divide the cross-sensitivity between temperature and other target parameters. It is expected that this scheme will be capable of handling thousands of multi-parameter sensors in a single fiber.

  7. Fiber based hydrophones for ultra-high energy neutrino detection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Buis, E.J.; Doppenberg, E.J.J.; Eijk, D. van; Lahmann, R.; Nieuwland, R.A.; Toet, P.M.

    2014-01-01

    It is a well studied process [1, 2] that energy deposition of cosmic ray particles in water that generate thermo-acoustic signals. Hydrophones of sufficient sensitivity could measure this signal and provide a means of detecting ultra-high energetic cosmic neutrinos. We investigate optical

  8. Dynamical sensitivity control of a single-spin quantum sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lazariev, Andrii; Arroyo-Camejo, Silvia; Rahane, Ganesh; Kavatamane, Vinaya Kumar; Balasubramanian, Gopalakrishnan

    2017-07-26

    The Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect in diamond is a unique quantum system that offers precision sensing of nanoscale physical quantities at room temperature beyond the current state-of-the-art. The benchmark parameters for nanoscale magnetometry applications are sensitivity, spectral resolution, and dynamic range. Under realistic conditions the NV sensors controlled by conventional sensing schemes suffer from limitations of these parameters. Here we experimentally show a new method called dynamical sensitivity control (DYSCO) that boost the benchmark parameters and thus extends the practical applicability of the NV spin for nanoscale sensing. In contrast to conventional dynamical decoupling schemes, where π pulse trains toggle the spin precession abruptly, the DYSCO method allows for a smooth, analog modulation of the quantum probe's sensitivity. Our method decouples frequency selectivity and spectral resolution unconstrained over the bandwidth (1.85 MHz-392 Hz in our experiments). Using DYSCO we demonstrate high-accuracy NV magnetometry without |2π| ambiguities, an enhancement of the dynamic range by a factor of 4 · 10 3 , and interrogation times exceeding 2 ms in off-the-shelf diamond. In a broader perspective the DYSCO method provides a handle on the inherent dynamics of quantum systems offering decisive advantages for NV centre based applications notably in quantum information and single molecule NMR/MRI.

  9. Uv Laser Excitation for Ultra-Sensitive Photoluminescent Dosimetry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kastner, J.; Eggenberger, D.; Longnecker, A. [Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL (United States); King, D.; Schutt, D. [Radiation Laboratory, University of Notre Dame, South Bend, IN (United States)

    1967-03-15

    The factor which has limited the sensitivity of photoluminescent dosimetry has been the ''pre-dose'' background which is stimulated during readout by the usual continuous ultra-violet (UV) exposure. The signal-to-noise ratio has only been partially optimized by the selective choice of filters and optical geometry. A microdosimetric system has been conceived and investigated which is potentially capable of sensing extremely low radiation doses (of the order of microrads). This system depends on the little-known fact that the decay time for the visible luminescence, which is a measure of the absorbed dose, is at least ten times longer than the decay of the indistinguishable visible fluorescence (to UV) which is an inherent characteristic of unexposed silver phosphate glasses. The system consists of UV, 3500A, laser beam, with a Pockels cell so that it has complete cut-off in intensity in the order of nanoseconds, and gating circuitry to open the visible light-sensing photomultiplier at a sufficient time delay to prevent it from sensing the ultra-violet or the pre-dose fluorescence which decays within the order of 100 nanoseconds. In this way the signal-to-noise ratio can be vastly improved upon that obtainable by optical means. With this system the authors were easily able to measure quantitatively one milliroentgen of cobalt-60 exposure. They are of the opinion that further improvement in this system should enable them to do track visualization and/or in vivo biological microdosimetry with a spatial resolution of the order of ten microns. (author)

  10. Magnetically sensitive nanodiamond-doped tellurite glass fibers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruan, Yinlan; Simpson, David A; Jeske, Jan; Ebendorff-Heidepriem, Heike; Lau, Desmond W M; Ji, Hong; Johnson, Brett C; Ohshima, Takeshi; Afshar V, Shahraam; Hollenberg, Lloyd; Greentree, Andrew D; Monro, Tanya M; Gibson, Brant C

    2018-01-19

    Traditional optical fibers are insensitive to magnetic fields, however many applications would benefit from fiber-based magnetometry devices. In this work, we demonstrate a magnetically sensitive optical fiber by doping nanodiamonds containing nitrogen vacancy centers into tellurite glass fibers. The fabrication process provides a robust and isolated sensing platform as the magnetic sensors are fixed in the tellurite glass matrix. Using optically detected magnetic resonance from the doped nanodiamonds, we demonstrate detection of local magnetic fields via side excitation and longitudinal collection. This is a first step towards intrinsically magneto-sensitive fiber devices with future applications in medical magneto-endoscopy and remote mineral exploration sensing.

  11. Sensitive thermal transitions of nanoscale polymer samples using the bimetallic effect: application to ultra-thin polythiophene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahumada, O; Pérez-Madrigal, M M; Ramirez, J; Curcó, D; Esteves, C; Salvador-Matar, A; Luongo, G; Armelin, E; Puiggalí, J; Alemán, C

    2013-05-01

    A sensitive nanocalorimetric technology based on microcantilever sensors is presented. The technology, which combines very short response times with very small sample consumption, uses the bimetallic effect to detect thermal transitions. Specifically, abrupt variations in the Young's modulus and the thermal expansion coefficient produced by temperature changes have been employed to detect thermodynamic transitions. The technology has been used to determine the glass transition of poly(3-thiophene methyl acetate), a soluble semiconducting polymer with different nanotechnological applications. The glass transition temperature determined using microcantilevers coated with ultra-thin films of mass = 10(-13) g is 5.2 °C higher than that obtained using a conventional differential scanning calorimeter for bulk powder samples of mass = 5 × 10(-3) g. Atomistic molecular dynamics simulations on models that represent the bulk powder and the ultra-thin films have been carried out to provide understanding and rationalization of this feature. Simulations indicate that the film-air interface plays a crucial role in films with very small thickness, affecting both the organization of the molecular chains and the response of the molecules against the temperature.

  12. Bending strain study of Bi-2223/Ag tapes using Hall sensor magnetometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lahtinen, M.; Paasi, J.; Sarkaniemi, J.; Han, Z.; Freltoft, T.

    1996-01-01

    The influence of room temperature bending on critical current (I c ) of Bi-2223/Ag tapes is studied by Hall sensor magnetometry, four-point method and scanning electron microscopy. Hall sensor magnetometry allows one to assess tape homogeneity and the amount of mechanical damage caused by bending. The microstructure of the Bi-2223 ceramic is found to strongly affect the tape behavior under bending strain. In a tape with moderate I c = 6.1 A at 77 K and a porous ceramic core, crack propagation took place normal to the Ag-ceramic interface, whereas in tapes with dense core, I c above 10 A at 77 K, cracks propagated in the tape plane. In monofilamentary tapes core homogeneity correlated with good bending strain performance. In multifilamentary tapes crack propagation between filaments was prohibited by the Ag matrix, thus leading to enhanced strain tolerance. In the high I c tapes studied, bending to 25 mm radius resulted in 1%--2% I c degradation

  13. Ultra-Sensitive Strain Sensor Based on Flexible Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Piezoelectric Film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Kai; Huang, Wen; Guo, Junxiong; Gong, Tianxun; Wei, Xiongbang; Lu, Bing-Wei; Liu, Si-Yi; Yu, Bin

    2018-03-01

    A flexible 4 × 4 sensor array with 16 micro-scale capacitive units has been demonstrated based on flexible piezoelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) film. The piezoelectricity and surface morphology of the PVDF were examined by optical imaging and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The PFM shows phase contrast, indicating clear interface between the PVDF and electrode. The electro-mechanical properties show that the sensor exhibits excellent output response and an ultra-high signal-to-noise ratio. The output voltage and the applied pressure possess linear relationship with a slope of 12 mV/kPa. The hold-and-release output characteristics recover in less than 2.5 μs, demonstrating outstanding electro-mechanical response. Additionally, signal interference between the adjacent arrays has been investigated via theoretical simulation. The results show the interference reduces with decreasing pressure at a rate of 0.028 mV/kPa, highly scalable with electrode size and becoming insignificant for pressure level under 178 kPa.

  14. The sensitivity calibration of the ultra-fast quench plastic scintillation detector for D-T neutrons

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Changhuan; Yan Meiqiong; Xie Chaomei

    1998-01-01

    The authors introduce some characteristics of ultra-fast quench plastic scintillation detectors. When the detectors are composed of different scintillators, light guides and microchannel plate photomultiplier tube (MCP-PMT), their sensitivities to D-T neutrons are calibrated by a pulse neutron tube with a neutron pulse width about 10 ns

  15. Silica Gel Coated Spherical Micro resonator for Ultra-High Sensitivity Detection of Ammonia Gas Concentration in Air.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mallik, Arun Kumar; Farrell, Gerald; Liu, Dejun; Kavungal, Vishnu; Wu, Qiang; Semenova, Yuliya

    2018-01-26

    A silica gel coated microsphere resonator is proposed and experimentally demonstrated for measurements of ammonia (NH 3 ) concentration in air with ultra-high sensitivity. The optical properties of the porous silica gel layer change when it is exposed to low (parts per million (ppm)) and even ultra-low (parts per billion (ppb)) concentrations of ammonia vapor, leading to a spectral shift of the WGM resonances in the transmission spectrum of the fiber taper. The experimentally demonstrated sensitivity of the proposed sensor to ammonia is estimated as 34.46 pm/ppm in the low ammonia concentrations range from 4 ppm to 30 ppm using an optical spectrum analyser (OSA), and as 800 pm/ppm in the ultra-low range of ammonia concentrations from 2.5 ppb to 12 ppb using the frequency detuning method, resulting in the lowest detection limit (by two orders of magnitude) reported to date equal to 0.16 ppb of ammonia in air. In addition, the sensor exhibits excellent selectivity to ammonia and very fast response and recovery times measured at 1.5 and 3.6 seconds, respectively. Other attractive features of the proposed sensor are its compact nature, simplicity of fabrication.

  16. Fabrication of ultra-sensitive leak detection standards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Winkelman, C.R.

    1980-01-01

    The primary difficulty with flow rate measurements below 10 -10 standard cubic centimeters per second (std. cc/sec) is that there are no commercially available standards. The requirements, however, dictate that the problem of design and construction of a qualifiable standard in the ultra-sensitive range had to be solved. There are a number of leak types which were considered - capillary leaks, orifice leaks, and the pore type leaks, among others. The capillary leak was not used because of the cracking or sorting effects that are common to this type leak. For example, a gas blend flowing through a capillary leak will result in the lighter gases passing through the leak first. The difficulty of fabricating the proper hole size in relation to the flow rate requirements ruled out the orifice type leak. The choice was the pore type leak which utilizes the basic concept of a stainless steel knife edge driven into a fixed section composed of stainless steel with a gold over-lay and maintained under force

  17. Sensitive and ultra-fast species detection using pulsed cavity ringdown spectroscopy

    KAUST Repository

    Alquaity, Awad

    2015-01-01

    Pulsed cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CRDS) is used to develop a novel, ultra-fast, high-sensitivity diagnostic for measuring species concentrations in shock tube experiments. The diagnostic is demonstrated by monitoring trace concentrations of ethylene in the mid-IR region near 949.47 cm-1. Each ringdown measurement is completed in less than 1 μs and the time period between successive pulses is 10 μs. The high sensitivity diagnostic has a noise-equivalent detection limit of 1.08 x 10-5 cm-1 which enables detection of 15 ppm ethylene at fuel pyrolysis conditions (1845 K and 2 bar) and 294 ppb ethylene under ambient conditions (297 K and 1 bar). To our knowledge, this is the first successful application of the cavity ringdown method to the measurement of species time-histories in a shock tube. © 2015 OSA.

  18. Ultra-Sensitive Lab-on-a-Chip Detection of Sudan I in Food using Plasmonics-Enhanced Diatomaceous Thin Film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Xianming; Squire, Kenny; Chong, Xinyuan; Wang, Alan X

    2017-09-01

    Sudan I is a carcinogenic compound containing an azo group that has been illegally utilized as an adulterant in food products to impart a bright red color to foods. In this paper, we develop a facile lab-on-a-chip device for instant, ultra-sensitive detection of Sudan I from real food samples using plasmonics-enhanced diatomaceous thin film, which can simultaneously perform on-chip separation using thin layer chromatography (TLC) and highly specific sensing using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy. Diatomite is a kind of nature-created photonic crystal biosilica with periodic pores and was used both as the stationary phase of the TLC plate and photonic crystals to enhance the SERS sensitivity. The on-chip chromatography capability of the TLC plate was verified by isolating Sudan I in a mixture solution containing Rhodamine 6G, while SERS sensing was achieved by spraying gold colloidal nanoparticles into the sensing spot. Such plasmonics-enhanced diatomaceous film can effectively detect Sudan I with more than 10 times improvement of the Raman signal intensity than commercial silica gel TLC plates. We applied this lab-on-a-chip device for real food samples and successfully detected Sudan I in chili sauce and chili oil down to 1 ppm, or 0.5 ng/spot. This on-chip TLC-SERS biosensor based on diatomite biosilica can function as a cost-effective, ultra-sensitive, and reliable technology for screening Sudan I and many other illicit ingredients to enhance food safety.

  19. Magnetometry of low-dimensional electron and hole systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Usher, A [School of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QL (United Kingdom); Elliott, M [School of Physics and Astronomy, Cardiff University, Queens Buildings, Cardiff CF24 3AA (United Kingdom)], E-mail: a.usher@exeter.ac.uk, E-mail: elliottm@cf.ac.uk

    2009-03-11

    The high-magnetic-field, low-temperature magnetic properties of low-dimensional electron and hole systems reveal a wealth of fundamental information. Quantum oscillations of the thermodynamic equilibrium magnetization yield the total density of states, a central quantity in understanding the quantum Hall effect in 2D systems. The magnetization arising from non-equilibrium circulating currents reveals details, not accessible with traditional measurements, of the vanishingly small longitudinal resistance in the quantum Hall regime. We review how the technique of magnetometry has been applied to these systems, the most important discoveries that have been made, and their theoretical significance. (topical review)

  20. SQUID magnetometry from nanometer to centimeter length scales

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hatridge, Michael J.

    2010-01-01

    The development of Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID)-based magnetometer for two applications, in vivo prepolarized, ultra-low field MRI of humans and dispersive readout of SQUIDs for micro- and nano-scale magnetometery, are the focus of this thesis.

  1. SQUID magnetometry from nanometer to centimeter length scales

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hatridge, Michael J. [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

    2010-06-01

    The development of Superconducting QUantum Interference Device (SQUID)-based magnetometer for two applications, in vivo prepolarized, ultra-low field MRI of humans and dispersive readout of SQUIDs for micro- and nano-scale magnetometery, are the focus of this thesis.

  2. Low dimensional magnetism and nanograined materials - magnetometry, magnetooptics and laser-ultrasound

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Krenn, H.; Paltauf, G.; Rumpf, K.; Granitzer, P.; Kozhushko, V.; Nadeem, K.; Hofmayer, M.

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The working group 'Magnetometry and Photonics' headed by H. Krenn has directed its research focus on magnetic phenomena and properties of nanoscaled materials which are random or self assembled (principal investigators: K. Rumpf and P. Granitzer). Another activity is concerned with optoacoustics investigating the propagation and damping of ultrasound waves in non-magnetic (severely deformed) as well as bulk-nanostructured magnetic materials (principal investigators: G. Paltauf and V. Kozhusko). The gap between self assembled (1-dim) and randomly dense (bulk 3-dim) nanomagnets is bridged by preparation of ferrite-(0-dim) nanoparticles (PhD: K. Nadeem) dispersed in a SiO 2 or polymer matrix. As a template for magnetic nanowires and nanodots porous silicon is prepared by electrochemical methods. Remarkable magnetic effects beyond conventional spin-magnetism are experimentally observed by SQUID-magnetometry at high magnetic fields (7 T) and by spectroscopic magnetooptics from the infrared to VIS. The main purposes and aims of this hybrid system are experimental efforts to detect the spin injection and electronic transport from a ferromagnetic metal into silicon, and the possible development of direction dependent magnetic-field-sensors due to the strong magnetic anisotropy of the nanocomposite at high magnetic fields (> 2 T). By co-precipitation and sol-gel methods (Ni,Co)Fe 2 O 4 superparamagnetic ferrite nanoparticles (d < 20 nm) are produced. Both systems have a potential for drug delivery using magnetic carriers, but also for magnetic targeting of tumors where the former Si-based system is promising because of the biodegradability and biocompatibility of porous silicon. On the other hand steel samples offer nanoscopic grain refinement under severe plastic deformation and highly deformed magnetic materials show a softening of the magnetization, reflected in modified Barkhausen noise spectrum and ultrasound (magnetoacoustic) phenomena. Electric tunability

  3. Ultra-sensitive detection of nuclear signatures in support of IAEA safeguards

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hotchkis, M.; Child, D.; Tuniz, C.; Williams, M.

    2003-01-01

    The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) applies a range of ultra-sensitive detection techniques to provide assurance that Member States are in compliance with their safeguards agreements. Environmental samples are collected which can contain minute traces of nuclear material or other evidence. Careful analysis of these samples reveals the nature of the activities undertaken in the vicinity of the sampling point. This paper reviews the analytical techniques that are being applied. To ensure that the IAEA has access to the best available methods, samples are distributed to a group of qualified laboratories around the world for analysis. The Accelerator Mass Spectrometry facility at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is part of this select group of laboratories, and is the only AMS facility currently accredited with the IAEA. AMS provides the highest sensitivity available for detection of particularly useful signature radioisotopes, including 129 I, 236 U and plutonium isotopes

  4. An ultra-sensitive and wideband magnetometer based on a superconducting quantum interference device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Storm, Jan-Hendrik; Hömmen, Peter; Drung, Dietmar; Körber, Rainer

    2017-02-01

    The magnetic field noise in superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) used for biomagnetic research such as magnetoencephalography or ultra-low-field nuclear magnetic resonance is usually limited by instrumental dewar noise. We constructed a wideband, ultra-low noise system with a 45 mm diameter superconducting pick-up coil inductively coupled to a current sensor SQUID. Thermal noise in the liquid helium dewar is minimized by using aluminized polyester fabric as superinsulation and aluminum oxide strips as heat shields. With a magnetometer pick-up coil in the center of the Berlin magnetically shielded room 2 (BMSR2), a noise level of around 150 aT Hz-1/2 is achieved in the white noise regime between about 20 kHz and the system bandwidth of about 2.5 MHz. At lower frequencies, the resolution is limited by magnetic field noise arising from the walls of the shielded room. Modeling the BMSR2 as a closed cube with continuous μ-metal walls, we can quantitatively reproduce its measured field noise.

  5. Chiral cavity ring down polarimetry: Chirality and magnetometry measurements using signal reversals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bougas, Lykourgos; Sofikitis, Dimitris; Katsoprinakis, Georgios E; Spiliotis, Alexandros K; Tzallas, Paraskevas; Loppinet, Benoit; Rakitzis, T Peter

    2015-09-14

    We present the theory and experimental details for chiral-cavity-ring-down polarimetry and magnetometry, based on ring cavities supporting counterpropagating laser beams. The optical-rotation symmetry is broken by the presence of both chiral and Faraday birefringence, giving rise to signal reversals which allow rapid background subtractions. We present the measurement of the specific rotation at 800 nm of vapors of α-pinene, 2-butanol, and α-phellandrene, the measurement of optical rotation of sucrose solutions in a flow cell, the measurement of the Verdet constant of fused silica, and measurements and theoretical treatment of evanescent-wave optical rotation at a prism surface. Therefore, these signal-enhancing and signal-reversing methods open the way for ultrasensitive polarimetry measurements in gases, liquids and solids, and at surfaces.

  6. Chiral cavity ring down polarimetry: Chirality and magnetometry measurements using signal reversals

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bougas, Lykourgos; Sofikitis, Dimitris; Katsoprinakis, Georgios E.; Spiliotis, Alexandros K.; Rakitzis, T. Peter; Tzallas, Paraskevas; Loppinet, Benoit

    2015-01-01

    We present the theory and experimental details for chiral-cavity-ring-down polarimetry and magnetometry, based on ring cavities supporting counterpropagating laser beams. The optical-rotation symmetry is broken by the presence of both chiral and Faraday birefringence, giving rise to signal reversals which allow rapid background subtractions. We present the measurement of the specific rotation at 800 nm of vapors of α-pinene, 2-butanol, and α-phellandrene, the measurement of optical rotation of sucrose solutions in a flow cell, the measurement of the Verdet constant of fused silica, and measurements and theoretical treatment of evanescent-wave optical rotation at a prism surface. Therefore, these signal-enhancing and signal-reversing methods open the way for ultrasensitive polarimetry measurements in gases, liquids and solids, and at surfaces

  7. Mikro-Hall-Magnetometrie an ferromagnetischen Nanostrukturen im Vortex- und Single-Domain-Regime

    OpenAIRE

    Stahl, Joachim

    2007-01-01

    Diese Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Untersuchung des Ummagnetisierungsverhaltens ferromagnetischer Permalloy-Kreisscheiben. Im Gegensatz zu integralen Methoden, die über eine Vielzahl nominell identischer Strukturen mitteln, wird das individuelle Schaltverhalten einzelner Strukturen analysiert. Die Untersuchungen erfolgten dabei mit Hilfe der Mikro-Hall-Magnetometrie und der Lorentz-Transmissions-Elektronen-Mikroskopie und werden mit mikromagnetischen Simulationen verglichen. Für die Hall-M...

  8. Australis: AMS for ultra sensitive trace element and isotopic studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sie, S H; Suter, G F [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), North Ryde, NSW (Australia). Div. of Exploration Geoscience

    1994-12-31

    The accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) at the CSIRO HIAF laboratory is being upgraded to enable in-situ measurements of ultratraces and isotopic-ratios in mineralogical applications. The upgraded system will include a microbeam Cs ion source which is designed to produce better than 50 micrometre diameter Cs beam to enable analyses of monomineralic grains. The Cs primary beam will be mass analysed in order to minimize contamination of the sample. The detection system will be upgraded to enable analyses of elements up to U, at 2 MV terminal voltage for charge states 4 and 5. The system will be known as AUSTRALIS: A.M.S. for Ultra Sensitive TRAce eLement and Isotopic Studies. An overview of the system and the anticipated applications in minerals exploration and mining research are presented. 4 refs., 1 fig.

  9. Australis: AMS for ultra sensitive trace element and isotopic studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sie, S.H.; Suter, G.F.

    1993-01-01

    The accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) at the CSIRO HIAF laboratory is being upgraded to enable in-situ measurements of ultratraces and isotopic-ratios in mineralogical applications. The upgraded system will include a microbeam Cs ion source which is designed to produce better than 50 micrometre diameter Cs beam to enable analyses of monomineralic grains. The Cs primary beam will be mass analysed in order to minimize contamination of the sample. The detection system will be upgraded to enable analyses of elements up to U, at 2 MV terminal voltage for charge states 4 and 5. The system will be known as AUSTRALIS: A.M.S. for Ultra Sensitive TRAce eLement and Isotopic Studies. An overview of the system and the anticipated applications in minerals exploration and mining research are presented. 4 refs., 1 fig

  10. Australis: AMS for ultra sensitive trace element and isotopic studies

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sie, S.H.; Suter, G.F. [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), North Ryde, NSW (Australia). Div. of Exploration Geoscience

    1993-12-31

    The accelerator mass spectrometer (AMS) at the CSIRO HIAF laboratory is being upgraded to enable in-situ measurements of ultratraces and isotopic-ratios in mineralogical applications. The upgraded system will include a microbeam Cs ion source which is designed to produce better than 50 micrometre diameter Cs beam to enable analyses of monomineralic grains. The Cs primary beam will be mass analysed in order to minimize contamination of the sample. The detection system will be upgraded to enable analyses of elements up to U, at 2 MV terminal voltage for charge states 4 and 5. The system will be known as AUSTRALIS: A.M.S. for Ultra Sensitive TRAce eLement and Isotopic Studies. An overview of the system and the anticipated applications in minerals exploration and mining research are presented. 4 refs., 1 fig.

  11. SQUID magnetometry and magneto-optics of epitaxial EuS

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rumpf, K.; Granitzer, P.; Krenn, H.; Kellner, W.; Pascher, H.; Kirchschlager, R.; Janecek, S.

    2004-01-01

    The complicated (H,T)-magnetic phase diagram of EuS is caused by the critical balance between nearest and next nearest neighbour exchange interaction (J NN = 0.119 K and J NNN =-0.1209 K) and leads to various spin arrangements NNSS..., NSN..., NNS, NNN... [NS denotes opposite ferromagnetic order in adjacent (111) planes]. Beside the subtle local exchange of 5d-t 2g electrons and localized holes with neighbouring Eu-4f spins, obviously also the strain status influences the occurrence of these different phases. We investigate the magnetic ordering phenomenon in a strained 2.5 μm EuS film on BaF 2 substrate by SQUID magnetometry and magneto-optics like spectral Faraday- and Kerr-effect measurements for temperatures from 2 K up to 200 K and for magnetic field up to 5 T. The magneto-optical probe monitors the local environment of the photoexcited electron-hole pair, called magnetic exciton, located within a ferromagnetic surrounding (photoinduced magnetic polaron), whereas the integral magnetization measured by SQUID is most sensitive to long-range magnetic ordering. In spite of the dissimilarity of measurement techniques we find an influence of the long-range magnetic order (e.g. of the NNS- or NNN-matrix) on the non-resonant Kerr reflection. The complementarity of SQUID and magneto-optical methods is stringent only in the (resonant) spectral range, where magnetic polarons are formed. (author)

  12. Ultra-sensitive chemiluminescence imaging DNA hybridization method in the detection of mosquito-borne viruses and parasites.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yingjie; Liu, Qiqi; Zhou, Biao; Wang, Xiaobo; Chen, Suhong; Wang, Shengqi

    2017-01-25

    Mosquito-borne viruses (MBVs) and parasites (MBPs) are transmitted through hematophagous arthropods-mosquitoes to homoiothermous vertebrates. This study aims at developing a detection method to monitor the spread of mosquito-borne diseases to new areas and diagnose the infections caused by MBVs and MBPs. In this assay, an ultra-sensitive chemiluminescence (CL) detection method was developed and used to simultaneously detect 19 common MBVs and MBPs. In vitro transcript RNA, virus-like particles (VLPs), and plasmids were established as positive or limit of detection (LOD) reference materials. MBVs and MBPs could be genotyped with high sensitivity and specificity. The cut-off values of probes were calculated. The absolute LODs of this strategy to detect serially diluted in vitro transcribed RNAs of MBVs and serially diluted plasmids of MBPs were 10 2 -10 3 copies/μl and 10 1 -10 2 copies/μl, respectively. Further, the LOD of detecting a strain of pre-quantified JEV was 10 1.8 -10 0.8 PFU/ml, fitted well in a linear regression model (coefficient of determination = 0.9678). Ultra-sensitive CL imaging DNA hybridization was developed and could simultaneously detect various MBVs and MBPs. The method described here has the potential to provide considerable labor savings due to its ability to screen for 19 mosquito-borne pathogens simultaneously.

  13. An ultra-sensitive monoclonal antibody-based enzyme-linked immunosobent assay for dibutyl phthalate in human urinary

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhou, Lifang [Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemical Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Lei, Yajing [Hangzhou EPIE Bio-detection Technology Limited, Hangzhou 310051 (China); Zhang, Dai; Ahmed, Shabbir [Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemical Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China); Chen, Shuqing, E-mail: chenshuqing@zju.edu.cn [Institute of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Biochemical Pharmaceutics, College of Pharmaceutical Science, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058 (China)

    2016-01-15

    Dibutyl phthalate (DBP) has been extensively used as a plasticizer in many daily products, which is highly toxic to human, notably affecting the reproductive and developmental function. As the previous method is expensive, time-consuming, low sensitivity and just focused on the environment. Present study was aimed to establish an ultra-sensitive and simple method based on good quality monoclonal antibody, applying to evaluate excretion level of DBP in urine samples of Chinese population directly. A monoclonal antibody was generated and characterized after fusion of myeloma cells with spleen cells isolated from BALB/c mouse. The mouse was previously immunized using a specially designed amino derivative of DBP conjugated with bovine serum albumin (BSA) as immunogen. Cross-reactivity values of the monoclonal antibody against DBP, di-isobutyl phthalate (DIBP) were observed 100% and 1.25%, while for dimethyl phthalate (DMP), butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) and didecyl phthalate (DDP) the values were < 0.06%. The standard curve was constructed at 0–50 ng mL{sup −1} and good linearity (R{sup 2} = 0.994) was achieved. The observed IC{sub 50} (7.34 ng mL{sup −1}) and LOD (0.06 ng mL{sup −1}) values was improved 1000-fold to polyclonal antibody and 5-fold to other monoclonal antibodies. A total 1246 urine samples were analyzed and the detection frequency of DBP was observed 72.87% by ic-ELISA. The 95th percentile and mean concentration of DBP were 12.07 and 3.00 ng mL{sup −1}. Acceptable recovery rates of DBP were 97.8–114.3% and coefficients variation 5.93–11.09%. The concentrations of DBP in females were found significantly higher (p < 0.05) than males. Similarly, the DBP in middle aged and low educated individuals was found higher (p < 0.001) than the others. Considering the adverse health effects, DBP internal exposure in the Chinese population should be reduced. The ic-ELISA method has been proved as a cost effective, specific, and highly sensitive screening

  14. Development of measurement protocols for quantum magnetometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stark, Alexander

    and protocols to enhance the lifetime and the coherences of the NV center with the overall goal of enhancing the capabilities of this sensor in the field of magnetometry. In order to realize complex protocols, a sophisticated software control of the measurement setup is required. A general software framework......, is serving as rigorous framework to reduce the complexity of the setup configuration by a fundamental separation of tasks. As a consequence, the general idea of this framework is not limited to experiments with color centers in diamond, but can find application in any laboratory environment. The measurement...... of magnetic fields in the high-frequency GHz regimes is challenging. In this thesis, a continuous dynamical decoupling protocol is developed and implemented, which extends the capabilities of the NV sensor to probe GHz signals with a narrow bandwidth. Moreover, the protocol protects the system from noise...

  15. Ultra-sensitive, stable isotope assisted quantification of multiple urinary mycotoxin exposure biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Šarkanj, Bojan; Ezekiel, Chibundu N; Turner, Paul C; Abia, Wilfred A; Rychlik, Michael; Krska, Rudolf; Sulyok, Michael; Warth, Benedikt

    2018-08-17

    There is a critical need to better understand the patterns, levels and combinatory effects of exposures we are facing through our diet and environment. Mycotoxin mixtures are of particular concern due to chronic low dose exposures caused by naturally contaminated food. To facilitate new insights into their role in chronic disease, mycotoxins and their metabolites are quantified in bio-fluids as biomarkers of exposure. Here, we describe a highly sensitive urinary assay based on ultra-high performance liquid chromatography - tandem mass spectrometer (UHPLC-MS/MS) and 13 C-labelled or deuterated internal standards covering the most relevant regulated and emerging mycotoxins. Utilizing enzymatic pre-treatment, solid phase extraction and UHPLC separation, the sensitivity of the method was significantly higher (10-160x lower LODs) than in a previously described method used for comparison purpose, and stable isotopes provided compensation for challenging matrix effects. This method was in-house validated and applied to re-assess mycotoxin exposure in urine samples obtained from Nigerian children, adolescent and adults, naturally exposed through their regular diet. Owing to the methods high sensitivity, biomarkers were detected in all samples. The mycoestrogen zearalenone was the most frequently detected contaminant (82%) but also ochratoxin A (76%), aflatoxin M 1 (73%) and fumonisin B 1 (71%) were quantified in a large share of urines. Overall, 57% of 120 urines were contaminated with both, aflatoxin M 1 and fumonisin B 1 , and other co-exposures were frequent. These results clearly demonstrate the advanced performance of the method to assess lowest background exposures (pg mL -1 range) using a single, highly robust assay that will allow for the systematic investigation of low dose effects on human health. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Ultra-sensitive radionuclide spectrometry. Radiometrics and mass spectrometry synergy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Povinec, P.P.

    2005-01-01

    Recent developments in radiometrics and mass spectrometry techniques for ultra-sensitive analysis of radionuclides in the marine environment are reviewed. In the radiometrics sector the dominant development has been the utilization of large HPGe detectors in underground laboratories with anti-cosmic or anti-Compton shielding for the analysis of short and medium-lived radionuclides in the environment. In the mass spectrometry sector, applications of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) for the analysis of long-lived radionuclides in the environment are the most important recent achievements. The recent developments do not only considerably decrease the detection limits for several radionuclides (up to several orders of magnitude), but they also enable to decrease sample volumes so that sampling, e.g., of the water column can be much easier and more effective. A comparison of radiometrics and mass spectrometry results for the analysis of radionuclides in the marine environment shows a reasonable agreement - within quoted uncertainties, for wide range of activities and different sample matrices analyzed. (author)

  17. Ultra-sensitive suspended atomically thin-layered black phosphorus mercury sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Peng; Zhang, Dongzhi; Jiang, Chuanxing; Zong, Xiaoqi; Cao, Yuhua

    2017-12-15

    The extraordinary properties of black phosphorus (BP) make it a promising candidate for next-generation transistor chemical sensors. However, BP films reported so far are supported on substrate, and substrate scattering drastically deteriorates its electrical properties. Consequentially, the potential sensing capability of intrinsic BP is highly underestimated and its sensing mechanism is masked. Additionally, the optimum sensing regime of BP remains unexplored. This article is the first demonstration of suspended BP sensor operated in subthreshold regime. BP exhibited significant enhancement of sensitivity for ultra-low-concentration mercury detection in the absence of substrate, and the sensitivity reached maximum in subthreshold regime. Without substrate scattering, the suspended BP device demonstrated 10 times lower 1/f noise which contributed to better signal-to-noise ratio. Therefore, rapid label-free trace detection of Hg 2+ was achieved with detection limit of 0.01 ppb, lower than the world health organization (WHO) tolerance level (1 ppb). The time constant for ion detection extracted was 3s. Additionally, experimental results revealed that good stability, repeatability, and selectivity were achieved. BP sensors also demonstrated the ability of detecting mercury ions in environment water samples. The underling sensing mechanism of intrinsic BP was ascribed to the carrier density variation resulted from surface charge gating effect, so suspended BP in subthreshold regime with optimum gating effect demonstrated the best sensitivity. Our results show the prominent advantages of intrinsic BP as a sensing material. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Ultra-sensitive DNA assay based on single-molecule detection coupled with fluorescent quantum dot-labeling and its application to determination of messenger RNA

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Li; Li Xincang; Li Lu; Wang Jinxing; Jin Wenrui

    2011-01-01

    An ultra-sensitive single-molecule detection (SMD) method for quantification of DNA using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) coupled with fluorescent quantum dot (QD)-labeling was developed. In this method, the target DNA (tDNA) was captured by the capture DNA immobilized on the silanized coverslip blocked with ethanolamine and bovine serum albumin. Then, the QD-labeled probe DNA was hybridized to the tDNA. Ten fluorescent images of the QD-labeled sandwich DNA hybrids on the coverslip were taken by a high-sensitive CCD. The tDNA was quantified by counting the bright spots on the images using a calibration curve. The LOD of the method was 1 x 10 -14 mol L -1 . Several key factors, including image acquirement, fluorescence probe, substrate preparation, noise elimination from solutions and glass coverslips, and nonspecific adsorption and binding of solution-phase detection probes were discussed in detail. The method could be applied to quantify messenger RNA (mRNA) in cells. In order to determine mRNA, double-stranded RNA-DNA hybrids consisting of mRNA and corresponding cDNA were synthesized from the cellular mRNA template using reverse transcription in the presence of reverse transcriptase. After removing the mRNA in the double-stranded hybrids using ribonuclease, cDNA was quantified using the SMD-based TIRFM. Osteopontin mRNA in decidual stromal cells was chosen as the model analyte.

  19. In-flight scalar calibration and characterisation of the Swarm magnetometry package

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tøffner-Clausen, Lars; Lesur, Vincent; Olsen, Nils

    2016-01-01

    of magnetometers is demonstrated, confirming the high performance of these instruments. The results presented here, including the characterisation of a Sun-driven disturbance field, form the basis of the correction of the magnetic vector measurements from Swarm which is applied to the Swarm Level 1b magnetic data.......We present the in-flight scalar calibration and characterisation of the Swarm magnetometry package consisting of the absolute scalar magnetometer, the vector magnetometer, and the spacecraft structure supporting the instruments. A significant improvement in the scalar residuals between the pairs...

  20. Niacin Skin Sensitivity Is Increased in Adolescents at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gregor E Berger

    Full Text Available Most studies provide evidence that the skin flush response to nicotinic acid (niacin stimulation is impaired in schizophrenia. However, only little is known about niacin sensitivity in the ultra-high risk (UHR phase of psychotic disorders.We compared visual ratings of niacin sensitivity between adolescents at UHR for psychosis according to the one year transition outcome (UHR-T n = 11; UHR-NT n = 55 with healthy controls (HC n = 25 and first episode schizophrenia patients (FEP n = 25 treated with atypical antipsychotics.Contrary to our hypothesis niacin sensitivity of the entire UHR group was not attenuated, but significantly increased compared to the HC group, whereas no difference could be found between the UHR-T and UHR-NT groups. As expected, niacin sensitivity of FEP was attenuated compared to HC group. In UHR individuals niacin sensitivity was inversely correlated with omega-6 and -9 fatty acids (FA, but positively correlated with phospholipase A2 (inPLA2 activity, a marker of membrane lipid repair/remodelling.Increased niacin sensitivity in UHR states likely indicates an impaired balance of eicosanoids and omega-6/-9 FA at a membrane level. Our findings suggest that the emergence of psychosis is associated with an increased mobilisation of eicosanoids prior to the transition to psychosis possibly reflecting a "pro-inflammatory state", whereas thereafter eicosanoid mobilisation seems to be attenuated. Potential treatment implications for the UHR state should be further investigated.

  1. Paper-based inkjet-printed ultra-wideband fractal antennas

    KAUST Repository

    Maza, Armando Rodriguez; Cook, Benjamin Stassen; Jabbour, Ghassan E.; Shamim, Atif

    2012-01-01

    For the first time, paper-based inkjet-printed ultra-wideband (UWB) fractal antennas are presented. Two new designs, a miniaturised UWB monopole, which utilises a fractal matching network and is the smallest reported inkjet-printed UWB printed

  2. Direct measurement for organic solvents diffusion using ultra-sensitive optical resonator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ali, Amir R.; Elias, Catherine M.

    2017-06-01

    In this paper, novel techniques using ultra-sensitive chemical optical sensor based on whispering gallery modes (WGM) are proposed through two different configurations. The first one will use a composite micro-sphere, when the solvent interacts with the polymeric optical sensors through diffusion the sphere start to swallow that solvent. In turn, that leads to change the morphology and mechanical properties of the polymeric spheres. Also, these changes could be measured by tracking the WGM shifts. Several experiments were carried out to study the solvent induced WGM shift using microsphere immersed in a solvent atmosphere. It can be potentially used for sensing the trace organic solvents like ethanol and methanol. The second configuration will use a composite beam nitrocellulose composite (NC) structure that acts as a sensing element. In this configuration, a beam is anchored to a substrate in one end, and the other end is compressing the polymeric sphere causing a shift in its WGM. When a chemical molecule is attached to the beam, the resonant frequency of the cantilever will be changed for a certain amount. By sensing this certain resonant frequency change, the existence of a single chemical molecule can be detected. A preliminary experimental model is developed to describe the vibration of the beam structure. The resonant frequency change of the cantilever due to attached mass is examined imperially using acetone as an example. Breath diagnosis can use this configuration in diabetic's diagnosis. Since, solvent like acetone concentration in human breath leads to a quick, convenient, accurate and painless breath diagnosis of diabetics. These micro-optical sensors have been examined using preliminary experiments to fully investigate its response. The proposed chemical sensor can achieve extremely high sensitivity in molecular level.

  3. Soliton-based ultra-high speed optical communications

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    All these facts are the outcome of research on optical solitons in fibers in spite of the fact that the commonly used RZ format is not always called a soliton format. The overview presented here attempts to incorporate the role of soliton-based communications research in present day ultra-high speed communications.

  4. Spoof surface plasmon polaritons based notch filter for ultra-wideband microwave waveguide

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xiao, Binggang; Li, Sheng-Hua; Xiao, Sanshui

    2016-01-01

    Spoof surface plasmon polaritons based notch filter for ultra-wideband microwave waveguide is proposed. Owing to subwavelength confinement, such a filter has advantage in the structure size without sacrificing the performance. The spoof SPP based notch is introduced to suppress the WLAN and satel......Spoof surface plasmon polaritons based notch filter for ultra-wideband microwave waveguide is proposed. Owing to subwavelength confinement, such a filter has advantage in the structure size without sacrificing the performance. The spoof SPP based notch is introduced to suppress the WLAN...

  5. A novel probe density controllable electrochemiluminescence biosensor for ultra-sensitive detection of Hg2+ based on DNA hybridization optimization with gold nanoparticles array patterned self-assembly platform.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gao, Wenhua; Zhang, An; Chen, Yunsheng; Chen, Zixuan; Chen, Yaowen; Lu, Fushen; Chen, Zhanguang

    2013-11-15

    Biosensor based on DNA hybridization holds great potential to get higher sensitivity as the optimal DNA hybridization efficiency can be achieved by controlling the distribution and orientation of probe strands on the transducer surface. In this work, an innovative strategy is reported to tap the sensitivity potential of current electrochemiluminescence (ECL) biosensing system by dispersedly anchoring the DNA beacons on the gold nanoparticles (GNPs) array which was electrodeposited on the glassy carbon electrode surface, rather than simply sprawling the coil-like strands onto planar gold surface. The strategy was developed by designing a "signal-on" ECL biosensing switch fabricated on the GNPs nanopatterned electrode surface for enhanced ultra-sensitivity detection of Hg(2+). A 57-mer hairpin-DNA labeled with ferrocene as ECL quencher and a 13-mer DNA labeled with Ru(bpy)3(2+) as reporter were hybridized to construct the signal generator in off-state. A 31-mer thymine (T)-rich capture-DNA was introduced to form T-T mismatches with the loop sequence of the hairpin-DNA in the presence of Hg(2+) and induce the stem-loop open, meanwhile the ECL "signal-on" was triggered. The peak sensitivity with the lowest detection limit of 0.1 nM was achieved with the optimal GNPs number density while exorbitant GNPs deposition resulted in sensitivity deterioration for the biosensor. We expect the present strategy could lead the renovation of the existing probe-immobilized ECL genosensor design to get an even higher sensitivity in ultralow level of target detection such as the identification of genetic diseases and disorders in basic research and clinical application. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Ultra-sensitive speciation analysis of mercury by CE-ICP-MS together with field-amplified sample stacking injection and dispersive solid-phase extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, YiQuan; Cheng, Xian; Mo, Fan; Huang, LiMei; Wu, Zujian; Wu, Yongning; Xu, LiangJun; Fu, FengFu

    2016-04-01

    A simple dispersive solid-phase extraction (DSPE) used to extract and preconcentrate ultra-trace MeHg, EtHg and Hg(2+) from water sample, and a sensitive method for the simultaneous analysis of MeHg, EtHg and Hg(2+) by using capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (CE-ICP-MS) with field-amplified sample stacking injection (FASI) were first reported in this study. The DSPE used thiol cotton particles as adsorbent, and is simple and effective. It can be used to extract and preconcentrate ultra-trace mercury compounds in water samples within 30 min with a satisfied recovery and no mercury species alteration during the process. The FASI enhanced the sensitivity of CE-ICP-MS with 25-fold, 29-fold and 27-fold for MeHg, EtHg and Hg(2+) , respectively. Using FASI-CE-ICP-MS together with DSPE, we have successfully determined ultra-trace MeHg, EtHg and Hg(2+) in tap water with a limits of quantification (LOQs) of 0.26-0.45 pg/mL, an RSD (n = 3) mercury. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  7. Reduction of radioactive backgrounds in electroformed copper for ultra-sensitive radiation detectors

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hoppe, E.W., E-mail: eric.hoppe@pnnl.gov [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Aalseth, C.E.; Farmer, O.T.; Hossbach, T.W.; Liezers, M.; Miley, H.S.; Overman, N.R. [Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA 99352 (United States); Reeves, J.H. [Reeves and Son LLC, 10 Albert Ave., Richland, WA 99352 (United States)

    2014-11-11

    Ultra-pure construction materials are required for the next generation of neutrino physics, dark matter and environmental science applications. These materials are also important for use in high-purity germanium spectrometers used in screening materials for radiopurity. The next-generation science applications require materials with radiopurity levels at or below 1 μBq/kg {sup 232}Th and {sup 238}U. Yet radiometric analysis lacks sensitivity below ∼10 μBq/kg for the U and Th decay chains. This limits both the selection of clean materials and the validation of purification processes. Copper is an important high-purity material for low-background experiments due to the ease with which it can be purified by electrochemical methods. Electroplating for purification into near-final shapes, known as electroforming, is one such method. Continued refinement of the copper electroforming process is underway, for the first time guided by an ICP-MS based assay method that can measure {sup 232}Th and {sup 238}U near the desired purity levels. An assay of electroformed copper at a μBq/kg level has been achieved and is described. The implications of electroformed copper at or better than this purity on next-generation low-background experiments are discussed.

  8. Ultra-sensitive DNA assay based on single-molecule detection coupled with fluorescent quantum dot-labeling and its application to determination of messenger RNA

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li Li [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Li Xincang [School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Li Lu [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Wang Jinxing [School of Life Sciences, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China); Jin Wenrui, E-mail: jwr@sdu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Shandong University, Jinan 250100 (China)

    2011-01-24

    An ultra-sensitive single-molecule detection (SMD) method for quantification of DNA using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM) coupled with fluorescent quantum dot (QD)-labeling was developed. In this method, the target DNA (tDNA) was captured by the capture DNA immobilized on the silanized coverslip blocked with ethanolamine and bovine serum albumin. Then, the QD-labeled probe DNA was hybridized to the tDNA. Ten fluorescent images of the QD-labeled sandwich DNA hybrids on the coverslip were taken by a high-sensitive CCD. The tDNA was quantified by counting the bright spots on the images using a calibration curve. The LOD of the method was 1 x 10{sup -14} mol L{sup -1}. Several key factors, including image acquirement, fluorescence probe, substrate preparation, noise elimination from solutions and glass coverslips, and nonspecific adsorption and binding of solution-phase detection probes were discussed in detail. The method could be applied to quantify messenger RNA (mRNA) in cells. In order to determine mRNA, double-stranded RNA-DNA hybrids consisting of mRNA and corresponding cDNA were synthesized from the cellular mRNA template using reverse transcription in the presence of reverse transcriptase. After removing the mRNA in the double-stranded hybrids using ribonuclease, cDNA was quantified using the SMD-based TIRFM. Osteopontin mRNA in decidual stromal cells was chosen as the model analyte.

  9. Mercury's Surface Magnetic Field Determined from Proton-Reflection Magnetometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Winslow, Reka M.; Johnson, Catherine L.; Anderson, Brian J.; Gershman, Daniel J.; Raines, Jim M.; Lillis, Robert J.; Korth, Haje; Slavin, James A.; Solomon, Sean C.; Zurbuchen, Thomas H.; hide

    2014-01-01

    Solar wind protons observed by the MESSENGER spacecraft in orbit about Mercury exhibit signatures of precipitation loss to Mercury's surface. We apply proton-reflection magnetometry to sense Mercury's surface magnetic field intensity in the planet's northern and southern hemispheres. The results are consistent with a dipole field offset to the north and show that the technique may be used to resolve regional-scale fields at the surface. The proton loss cones indicate persistent ion precipitation to the surface in the northern magnetospheric cusp region and in the southern hemisphere at low nightside latitudes. The latter observation implies that most of the surface in Mercury's southern hemisphere is continuously bombarded by plasma, in contrast with the premise that the global magnetic field largely protects the planetary surface from the solar wind.

  10. Sensitivity of LDEF foil analyses using ultra-low background germanium vs. large NaI(Tl) multidimensional spectrometers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reeves, J.H.; Arthur, R.J.; Brodzinski, R.L.

    1992-06-01

    Cobalt foils and stainless steel samples were analyzed for induced 6O Co activity with both an ultra-low background germanium gamma-ray spectrometer and with a large NaI(Tl) multidimensional spectrometer, both of which use electronic anticoincidence shielding to reduce background counts resulting from cosmic rays. Aluminum samples were analyzed for 22 Na. The results, in addition to the relative sensitivities and precisions afforded by the two methods, are presented

  11. Prospects on the application of HTS SQUID magnetometry to nondestructive evaluation (NDE)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinstock, H.

    1993-04-01

    In light of recent advances in the fabrication of low-noise HTS SQUIDs, a review is presented on the use of LTS SQUID magnetometry for nondestructive evaluation (NDE). Examples are given on applications relating to defects in steel, subsurface cracks in aircraft frames, and voids in non-metallic structures. HTS SQUIDs may make a significant difference in the acceptance of these applications because sensing coils will be closer to a sample under test, there will be greater instrument portability and the problem of bringing liquid helium to remote locations will be eliminated.

  12. Sun Ultra 5

    CERN Multimedia

    1998-01-01

    The Sun Ultra 5 is a 64-bit personal computer based on the UltraSPARC microprocessor line at a low price. The Ultra 5 has been declined in several variants: thus, some models have a processor with less cache memory to further decrease the price of the computer.

  13. Electronically tuned sulfonamide-based probes with ultra-sensitivity for Ga"3"+ or Al"3"+ detection in aqueous solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Ashwani; Chae, Pil Seok

    2017-01-01

    Three electronically tuned fluorescent probes (1–3) were synthesized by conjugating a fluorescent unit to N,N-bis-(hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine. Probe 1 bearing an electron-deficient naphthalenedimide unit did not give a fluorescence response to the presence of various metal ions including monovalent metal ions (Na"+, K"+, and Ag"+), divalent metal ions (Ca"2"+, Cd"2"+, Co"2"+, Ni"2"+, Cu"2"+, Hg"2"+, Pb"2"+, and Zn"2"+) and trivalent metal ions (Al"3"+, Ga"3"+, Fe"3"+, and Cr"3"+) in an aqueous solution. By contrast, probes 2 and 3 possessing 1,8-naphthalimide and pyrene fluorophores, respectively, exhibited selective fluorescent “OFF-ON” behaviors as a result of Ga"3"+/Al"3"+ binding among the diverse metal ions, suggesting the importance of fluorophore electronic character with regard to metal ion sensing. The ethylenediamine analog of probe 3, corresponding to probe 4, was unable to yield a significant change in fluorescence intensity in the presence of any metal ions tested here, revealing the essential role of two hydroxyl groups for metal ion binding. A high association constant of K_a = 2.99 × 10"5 M"−"1 was obtained for probe 3 with Ga"3"+, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 nM. This LOD is the lowest value known for Ga"3"+ detection using chemical sensors. Along with an increase in aggregate sizes, PET suppression of probes upon metal ion binding was the primary contributor to the enhancement in fluorescence emission necessary for the sensitive detection of the target ions. The probe-metal ion complexes were fully characterized via TEM, FE-SEM, "1H NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy techniques and DFT calculations. - Highlights: • Three electronically tuned sulfonamide-based probes (probes 1, 2, and 3) were developed for metal ion-sensing. • Probes 2 and 3 exhibited AIE behavior with increasing water-content. • Probes 2 and 3 displayed a selective fluorescence “OFF-ON“ behavior for Ga"3"+ detection with the LOD of 10 nM. • PET

  14. Detection of ultra-low oxygen concentration based on the fluorescence blinking dynamics of single molecules

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Ruixiang; Chen, Ruiyun; Zhou, Haitao; Qin, Yaqiang; Zhang, Guofeng; Qin, Chengbing; Gao, Yan; Gao, Yajun; Xiao, Liantuan; Jia, Suotang

    2018-01-01

    We present a sensitive method for detection of ultra-low oxygen concentrations based on the fluorescence blinking dynamics of single molecules. The relationship between the oxygen concentration and the fraction of time spent in the off-state, stemming from the population and depopulation of triplet states and radical cationic states, can be fitted with a two-site quenching model in the Stern-Volmer plot. The oxygen sensitivity is up to 43.42 kPa-1 in the oxygen partial pressure region as low as 0.01-0.25 kPa, which is seven times higher than that of the fluorescence intensity indicator. This method avoids the limitation of the sharp and non-ignorable fluctuations that occur during the measurement of fluorescence intensity, providing potential applications in the field of low oxygen-concentration monitoring in life science and industry.

  15. The elder abuse and neglect phenomenon in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish society: social workers' perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Band-Winterstein, Tova

    2018-02-13

    In the last 30 years, elder abuse and neglect has been recognized as a social and health-related problem. The aim of this paper is to describe the phenomenon of elder abuse and neglect in a separatist faith-based society (ultra-Orthodox Jewish society-UOJS). A qualitative-phenomenological study with 28 social workers who underwent in-depth semi-structured interviews based on an interview guide consisting of the following items: visibility of the elder abuse and neglect phenomenon in the ultra-Orthodox society, and dilemmas and sensitive issues that arise when working with this population. Three main themes emerged: (1) Between the commandment to honor one's parents and concealment patterns: Cultural barriers to exposing the abuse and neglect phenomenon; (2) "Life is demanding:" The unique expression of abusive and neglectful behavior in the UOJS; (3) Culturally related dilemmas when intervening with cases of elder abuse and neglect. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish cultural belief is a differentiating component in the context of elder abuse and neglect. Social workers need to develop a deep understanding of the unique characteristics of the phenomenon and cultural sensitivity to cope with it to address the well-being of older ultra-Orthodox Jews.

  16. UWB Bandpass Filter with Ultra-wide Stopband based on Ring Resonator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kazemi, Maryam; Lotfi, Saeedeh; Siahkamari, Hesam; Mohammadpanah, Mahmood

    2018-04-01

    An ultra-wideband (UWB) bandpass filter with ultra-wide stopband based on a rectangular ring resonator is presented. The filter is designed for the operational frequency band from 4.10 GHz to 10.80 GHz with an ultra-wide stopband from 11.23 GHz to 40 GHz. The even and odd equivalent circuits are used to achieve a suitable analysis of the proposed filter performance. To verify the design and analysis, the proposed bandpass filter is simulated using full-wave EM simulator Advanced Design System and fabricated on a 20mil thick Rogers_RO4003 substrate with relative permittivity of 3.38 and a loss tangent of 0.0021. The proposed filter behavior is investigated and simulation results are in good agreement with measurement results.

  17. Fiscal 1996 survey report. `Ultra high electronic technology development promotion project` under consignment from NEDO; 1996 nendo kenkyu seika hokokusho. Shin Energy Sangyo Gijutsu Sogo Kaihatsu Kiko itaku jigyo `chosentan denshi gijutsu kaihatsu sokushin jigyo`

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-05-01

    For the purpose of establishing ultra high technology of a next next generation level which is a basic technology in the electronic information field, a key to the realization of the high grade information society and a common technology base giving marked influences to the wide range industrial field, the R and D was started of ultra fine processing process technology, technologies on limit measuring/analysis/control and new functional electronic materials. Themes of the R and D are electronic beam direct picture drawing system technology, ultra short wavelength electromagnetic radiation patterning/system technology, ultra fine sensitizing technology to draw pictures on metal and crystal surfaces using ultra short wavelength laser beams, shading system technology of shading mask to be used to the process of drawing ultra high accuracy and complicated figures, ultra high tech plasma reactive measuring/analysis/control technologies which become the base of ultra thin films and ultra fine etching using plasma, ultra high tech cleaning base technology, ultra high sensitivity medium technology, new functional element/film formation technology, etc. 137 refs., 358 figs., 38 tabs.

  18. Exchange coupling in hybrid anisotropy magnetic multilayers quantified by vector magnetometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Morrison, C., E-mail: C.Morrison.2@warwick.ac.uk; Miles, J. J.; Thomson, T. [School of Computer Science, University of Manchester, Manchester M13 9PL (United Kingdom); Anh Nguyen, T. N. [Materials Physics, School of ICT, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, 164 40 Kista (Sweden); Spintronics Research Group, Laboratory for Nanotechnology (LNT), VNU-HCM, Ho Chi Minh City (Viet Nam); Fang, Y.; Dumas, R. K. [Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 412 96 Gothenburg (Sweden); Åkerman, J. [Materials Physics, School of ICT, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Electrum 229, 164 40 Kista (Sweden); Department of Physics, University of Gothenburg, 412 96 Gothenburg (Sweden)

    2015-05-07

    Hybrid anisotropy thin film heterostructures, where layers with perpendicular and in-plane anisotropy are separated by a thin spacer, are novel materials for zero/low field spin torque oscillators and bit patterned media. Here, we report on magnetization reversal and exchange coupling in a archetypal Co/Pd (perpendicular)-NiFe (in-plane) hybrid anisotropy system studied using vector vibrating sample magnetometry. This technique allows us to quantify the magnetization reversal in each individual magnetic layer, and measure of the interlayer exchange as a function of non-magnetic spacer thickness. At large (>1 nm) spacer thicknesses Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida-like exchange dominates, with orange-peel coupling providing a significant contribution only for sub-nm spacer thickness.

  19. Magnetometry and Ground-Penetrating Radar Studies in the Sihuas Valley, Peru

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wisnicki, E.; Papadimitrios, K.; Bank, C.

    2013-12-01

    The Quillcapampa la Antigua site in Peru's Sihuas Valley is a settlement from Peru's Middle Horizon (600-100 A.D.). Archaeological interest in the area stems from the question of whether ancient civilizations were able to have extensive state control of distant groups, or whether state influence occurred through less direct ties (e.g., marriage, religion, or trade). Our geophysical surveys are preliminary to archaeological digging in the area. Ground-penetrating radar and magnetometry attempt to locate areas of interest for focused archaeological excavation, characterize the design of architectural remains and burial mounds in the area, and allow archaeologists to interpret the amount of influence the Wari civilization had on the local residents.

  20. Ultra-narrow band perfect absorbers based on Fano resonance in MIM metamaterials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Ming; Fang, Jiawen; Zhang, Fei; Chen, Junyan; Yu, Honglin

    2017-12-01

    Metallic nanostructures have attracted numerous attentions in the past decades due to their attractive plasmonic properties. Resonant plasmonic perfect absorbers have promising applications in a wide range of technologies including photothermal therapy, thermophotovoltaics, heat-assisted magnetic recording and biosensing. However, it remains to be a great challenge to achieve ultra-narrow band in near-infrared band with plasmonic materials due to the large optical losses in metals. In this letter, we introduced Fano resonance in MIM metamaterials composed of an asymmetry double elliptic cylinders (ADEC), which can achieve ultra-narrow band perfect absorbers. In theoretical calculations, we observed an ultranarrow band resonant absorption peak with the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of 8 nm and absorption amplitude exceeding 99% at 930 nm. Moreover, we demonstrate that the absorption increases with the increase of asymmetry and the absorption resonant wavelength can be tuned by changing the size and arrangement of the unit cell. The asymmetry metallic nanostructure also exhibit a higher refractive sensitivity as large as 503 nm/RIU with high figure of merit of 63, which is promising for high sensitive sensors. Results of this work are desirable for various potential applications in micro-technological structures such as biological sensors, narrowband emission, photodetectors and solar thermophotovoltaic (STPV) cells.

  1. Spoof surface plasmon polaritons based notch filter for ultra-wideband microwave waveguide

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Xiao, Binggang; Li, Sheng-Hua; Xiao, Sanshui

    2016-01-01

    Spoof surface plasmon polaritons based notch filter for ultra-wideband microwave waveguide is proposed. Owing to subwavelength confinement, such a filter has advantage in the structure size without sacrificing the performance. The spoof SPP based notch is introduced to suppress the WLAN and satel...... and satellite communication signals. Due to planar structures proposed here, it is easy to integrate in the microwave integrated systems, which can play an important role in the microwave communication circuit and system.......Spoof surface plasmon polaritons based notch filter for ultra-wideband microwave waveguide is proposed. Owing to subwavelength confinement, such a filter has advantage in the structure size without sacrificing the performance. The spoof SPP based notch is introduced to suppress the WLAN...

  2. The Polarization-Sensitive Bolometers for SPICA and their Potential Use for Ground-Based Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reveret, Vincent

    2018-01-01

    CEA is leading the development of Safari-POL, an imaging-polarimeter aboard the SPICA space observatory (ESA M5). SPICA will be able to reach unprecedented sensitivities thanks to its cooled telescope and its ultra-sensitive detectors. The detector assembly of Safari-POL holds three arrays that are cooled down to 50 mK and correspond to three spectral bands : 100, 200 and 350 microns. The detectors (silicon bolometers), benefit from the Herschel/PACS legacy and are also a big step forward in term of sensitivity (improved by two orders of magnitude compared to PACS bolometers) and for polarimetry capabilities. Indeed, each pixel is intrinsically sensitive to two polarization components (Horizontal and Vertical). We will present the Safari-POL concept, the first results of measurements made on the detectors, and future plans for possible ground-based instruments using this technology. We will also present the example of the ArTéMiS camera, installed at APEX, that was developped as a ground-based conterpart of the PACS photometer.

  3. High sensitivity optical fiber liquid level sensor based on a compact MMF-HCF-FBG structure

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yunshan; Zhang, Weigang; Chen, Lei; Zhang, Yanxin; Wang, Song; Yan, Tieyi

    2018-05-01

    An ultra-high sensitivity fiber liquid level sensor based on wavelength demodulation is proposed and demonstrated. The sensor is composed of a segment of multimode fiber and a large aperture hollow-core fiber assisted by a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). Interference occurs due to core mismatching and different modes with different effective refractive indices. The experimental results show that the liquid level sensitivity of the sensor is 1.145 nm mm‑1, and the linearity is up to 0.996. The dynamic temperature compensation of the sensor can be achieved by cascading an FBG. Considering the high sensitivity and compact structure of the sensor, it can be used for real-time intelligent monitoring of tiny changes in liquid level.

  4. Fabrication of ultra-high sensitive and selective CH4 room temperature gas sensing of TiO2nanorods: Detailed study on the annealing temperature

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Tshabalala, Zamaswazi P

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Applications of ultra-highly sensitive and selective methane (CH(sub4)) room temperature gas sensors are important for various operations especially in underground mining environment. Therefore, this study is set out to investigate the effect...

  5. Lasing cavities and ultra-fast switch based on self-collimation of photonic crystal

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Deyin; Zhou Chuanhong; Gong Qian; Jiang Xunya

    2008-01-01

    The lasing cavities and ultra-fast switch based on the self-collimation (SC) of photonic crystal have been studied in this work. Some special properties of these devices are demonstrated, such as the higher quality factors and concise integration of the lasing cavities, the tolerance of the non-parallel reflectors in Fabry-Perot cavities. With nonlinearity, the ultra-fast switch can also be realized around the SC frequency. All these functional devices are designed based on the strong beam confinement of SC

  6. Lasing cavities and ultra-fast switch based on self-collimation of photonic crystal

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhao Deyin; Zhou Chuanhong; Gong Qian; Jiang Xunya [State Key Laboratory of Functional Materials for Informatics, Shanghai Institute of Microsystem and Information Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050 (China)], E-mail: xyjiang@mit.edu

    2008-06-07

    The lasing cavities and ultra-fast switch based on the self-collimation (SC) of photonic crystal have been studied in this work. Some special properties of these devices are demonstrated, such as the higher quality factors and concise integration of the lasing cavities, the tolerance of the non-parallel reflectors in Fabry-Perot cavities. With nonlinearity, the ultra-fast switch can also be realized around the SC frequency. All these functional devices are designed based on the strong beam confinement of SC.

  7. Li-Ion, Ultra-capacitor Based Hybrid Energy Module

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Daboussi, Zaher; Paryani, Anil; Khalil, Gus; Catherino, Henry; Gargies, Sonya

    2007-01-01

    .... To determine the optimum utilization of ultra-capacitors in applications where high power density and high energy density are required, an optimized Li-Ion/Ultra-capacitor Hybrid Energy Module (HEM...

  8. Ultra-low noise supercontinuum source for ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography at 1300 nm

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalo, I. B.; Maria, M.; Engelsholm, R. D.; Feuchter, T.; Leick, L.; Moselund, P. M.; Podoleanu, A.; Bang, O.

    2018-02-01

    Supercontinuum (SC) sources are of great interest for many applications due to their ultra-broad optical bandwidth, good beam quality and high power spectral density [1]. In particular, the high average power over large bandwidths makes SC light sources excellent candidates for ultra-high resolution optical coherence tomography (UHR-OCT) [2-5]. However, conventional SC sources suffer from high pulse-to-pulse intensity fluctuations as a result of the noise-sensitive nonlinear effects involved in the SC generation process [6-9]. This intensity noise from the SC source can limit the performance of OCT, resulting in a reduced signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) [10-12]. Much work has been done to reduce the noise of the SC sources for instance with fiber tapers [7,8] or increasing the repetition rate of the pump laser for averaging in the spectrometer [10,12]. An alternative approach is to use all-normal dispersion (ANDi) fibers [13,14] to generate SC light from well-known coherent nonlinear processes [15-17]. In fact, reduction of SC noise using ANDi fibers compared to anomalous dispersion SC pumped by sub-picosecond pulses has been recently demonstrated [18], but a cladding mode was used to stabilize the ANDi SC. In this work, we characterize the noise performance of a femtosecond pumped ANDi based SC and a commercial SC source in an UHR-OCT system at 1300 nm. We show that the ANDi based SC presents exceptional noise properties compared to a commercial source. An improvement of 5 dB in SNR is measured in the UHR-OCT system, and the noise behavior resembles that of a superluminiscent diode. This preliminary study is a step forward towards development of an ultra-low noise SC source at 1300 nm for ultra-high resolution OCT.

  9. Metasurface base on uneven layered fractal elements for ultra-wideband RCS reduction

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Jianxun; Cui, Yueyang; Li, Zengrui; Yang, Yaoqing Lamar; Che, Yongxing; Yin, Hongcheng

    2018-03-01

    A novel metasurface based on uneven layered fractal elements is designed and fabricated for ultra-wideband radar cross section (RCS) reduction in this paper. The proposed metasurface consists of two fractal subwavelength elements with different layer thickness. The reflection phase difference of 180° (±37°) between two unit cells covers an ultra-wide frequency range. Ultra-wideband RCS reduction results from the phase cancellation between two local waves produced by these two unit cells. The diffuse scattering of electromagnetic (EM) waves is caused by the randomized phase distribution, leading to a low monostatic and bistatic RCS simultaneously. This metasurface can achieve -10dB RCS reduction in an ultra-wide frequency range from 6.6 to 23.9 GHz with a ratio bandwidth (fH/fL) of 3.62:1 under normal incidences for both x- and y-polarized waves. Both the simulation and the measurement results are consistent to verify this excellent RCS reduction performance of the proposed metasurface.

  10. Sensitivity of new detection method for ultra-low frequency gravitational waves with pulsar spin-down rate statistics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yonemaru, Naoyuki; Kumamoto, Hiroki; Takahashi, Keitaro; Kuroyanagi, Sachiko

    2018-04-01

    A new detection method for ultra-low frequency gravitational waves (GWs) with a frequency much lower than the observational range of pulsar timing arrays (PTAs) was suggested in Yonemaru et al. (2016). In the PTA analysis, ultra-low frequency GWs (≲ 10-10 Hz) which evolve just linearly during the observation time span are absorbed by the pulsar spin-down rates since both have the same effect on the pulse arrival time. Therefore, such GWs cannot be detected by the conventional method of PTAs. However, the bias on the observed spin-down rates depends on relative direction of a pulsar and GW source and shows a quadrupole pattern in the sky. Thus, if we divide the pulsars according to the position in the sky and see the difference in the statistics of the spin-down rates, ultra-low frequency GWs from a single source can be detected. In this paper, we evaluate the potential of this method by Monte-Carlo simulations and estimate the sensitivity, considering only the "Earth term" while the "pulsar term" acts like random noise for GW frequencies 10-13 - 10-10 Hz. We find that with 3,000 milli-second pulsars, which are expected to be discovered by a future survey with the Square Kilometre Array, GWs with the derivative of amplitude of about 3 × 10^{-19} {s}^{-1} can in principle be detected. Implications for possible supermassive binary black holes in Sgr* and M87 are also given.

  11. Long range surface plasmon resonance with ultra-high penetration depth for self-referenced sensing and ultra-low detection limit using diverging beam approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Isaacs, Sivan, E-mail: sivan.isaacs@gmail.com; Abdulhalim, Ibrahim [Department of Electro-Optical Engineering and TheIlse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 84105 (Israel); NEW CREATE Programme, School of Materials Science and Engineering, 1 CREATE Way, Research Wing, #02-06/08, Singapore 138602 (Singapore)

    2015-05-11

    Using an insulator-metal-insulator structure with dielectric having refractive index (RI) larger than the analyte, long range surface plasmon (SP) resonance exhibiting ultra-high penetration depth is demonstrated for sensing applications of large bioentities at wavelengths in the visible range. Based on the diverging beam approach in Kretschmann-Raether configuration, one of the SP resonances is shown to shift in response to changes in the analyte RI while the other is fixed; thus, it can be used as a built in reference. The combination of the high sensitivity, high penetration depth and self-reference using the diverging beam approach in which a dark line is detected of the high sensitivity, high penetration depth, self-reference, and the diverging beam approach in which a dark line is detected using large number of camera pixels with a smart algorithm for sub-pixel resolution, a sensor with ultra-low detection limit is demonstrated suitable for large bioentities.

  12. Design of a sensitive grating-based phase contrast mammography prototype (Conference Presentation)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arboleda Clavijo, Carolina; Wang, Zhentian; Köhler, Thomas; van Stevendaal, Udo; Martens, Gerhard; Bartels, Matthias; Villanueva-Perez, Pablo; Roessl, Ewald; Stampanoni, Marco

    2017-03-01

    Grating-based phase contrast mammography can help facilitate breast cancer diagnosis, as several research works have demonstrated. To translate this technique to the clinics, it has to be adapted to cover a large field of view within a limited exposure time and with a clinically acceptable radiation dose. This indicates that a straightforward approach would be to install a grating interferometer (GI) into a commercial mammography device. We developed a wave propagation based optimization method to select the most convenient GI designs in terms of phase and dark-field sensitivities for the Philips Microdose Mammography (PMM) setup. The phase sensitivity was defined as the minimum detectable breast tissue electron density gradient, whereas the dark-field sensitivity was defined as its corresponding signal-to-noise Ratio (SNR). To be able to derive sample-dependent sensitivity metrics, a visibility reduction model for breast tissue was formulated, based on previous research works on the dark-field signal and utilizing available Ultra-Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (USAXS) data and the outcomes of measurements on formalin-fixed breast tissue specimens carried out in tube-based grating interferometers. The results of this optimization indicate the optimal scenarios for each metric are different and fundamentally depend on the noise behavior of the signals and the visibility reduction trend with respect to the system autocorrelation length. In addition, since the inter-grating distance is constrained by the space available between the breast support and the detector, the best way we have to improve sensitivity is to count on a small G2 pitch.

  13. Probing High Temperature Superconductors with Magnetometry in Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Lu [Univ. of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)

    2017-07-26

    The objective of this research is to investigate the high-field magnetic properties of high temperature superconductors, materials that conduct electricity without loss. A technique known as high-resolution torque magnetometry that was developed to directly measure the magnetization of high temperature superconductors. This technique was implemented using the 65 Tesla pulsed magnetic field facility that is part of the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory at Los Alamos National Laboratory. This research addressed unanswered questions about the interplay between magnetism and superconductivity, determine the electronic structure of high temperature superconductors, and shed light on the mechanism of high temperature superconductivity and on potential applications of these materials in areas such as energy generation and power transmission. Further applications of the technology resolve the novel physical phenomena such as correlated topological insulators, and spin liquid state in quantum magnets.

  14. Ultra-sensitive and selective detection of mercury ion (Hg2+) using free-standing silicon nanowire sensors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Yan; Gao, Anran; Jin, Qinghui; Li, Tie; Wang, Yuelin; Zhao, Jianlong

    2018-04-01

    In this paper, ultra-sensitive and highly selective Hg2+ detection in aqueous solutions was studied by free-standing silicon nanowire (SiNW) sensors. The all-around surface of SiNW arrays was functionalized with (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane serving as Hg2+ sensitive layer. Due to effective electrostatic control provided by the free-standing structure, a detection limit as low as 1 ppt was obtained. A linear relationship (R 2 = 0.9838) between log(CHg2+ ) and a device current change from 1 ppt to 5 ppm was observed. Furthermore, the developed SiNW sensor exhibited great selectivity for Hg2+ over other heavy metal ions, including Cd2+. Given the extraordinary ability for real-time Hg2+ detection, the small size and low cost of the SiNW device, it is expected to be a potential candidate in field detection of environmentally toxic mercury.

  15. Hydrogenation of FeCoZr-Al2O3 nanocomposites studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy and magnetometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saad, A.; Kasiuk, J.; Fedotova, J.; Szilagyi, E.; Przewoznik, J.; Kapusta, Cz.; Marszalek, M.

    2009-01-01

    Hydrogenation effects on crystalline and magnetic structure of nanocomposites (FeCoZr) x (Al 2 O 3 ) 100-x , 38 ≤ x ≤ 63 at.% are studied by 57 Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy and magnetometry. Variations of local structure, blocking temperature and mean FeCoZr nanoparticles' volume are discussed with respect to (i) composition and (ii) two competing processes-H 2 incorporation and annealing-occurred during treatment in H 2 plasma.

  16. A New Diagnostic system for Ultra Sensitive and Specific Detection and Quantitation of “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus”, the Bacterium Associated with Citrus Huanglongbing

    Science.gov (United States)

    In this study, an ultra sensitive and quantitative diagnostic system for “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” was developed. This system adapts a nested PCR and Taq-Man PCR in a single closed tube. The procedure involves two steps of PCR using the species specific outer and inner primer pairs. Differ...

  17. Magnetometry of buried layers—Linear magnetic dichroism and spin detection in angular resolved hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gloskovskii, Andrei; Stryganyuk, Gregory; Fecher, Gerhard H.; Felser, Claudia; Thiess, Sebastian; Schulz-Ritter, Heiko; Drube, Wolfgang; Berner, Götz; Sing, Michael; Claessen, Ralph; Yamamoto, Masafumi

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Newly commissioned HAXPES instrument at P09 beamline of the PETRA III ring at DESY. ► We report HAXPES studies on buried magnetic nanolayers in a multi-layer sample. ► Linear magnetic dichroism of photoelectrons from buried CoFe–Ir 78 Mn 22 layers. ► Spin-resolved HAXPES measurements on buried magnetic multilayers using Mott detector. - Abstract: The electronic properties of buried magnetic nano-layers were studied using the linear magnetic dichroism in the angular distribution of photoemitted Fe, Co, and Mn 2p electrons from a CoFe–Ir 78 Mn 22 multi-layered sample. The buried layers were probed using hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, HAXPES, at the undulator beamline P09 of the 3rd generation storage ring PETRA III. The results demonstrate that this magnetometry technique can be used as a sensitive element specific probe for magnetic properties suitable for application to buried ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic magnetic materials and multilayered spintronics devices. Using the same instrument, spin-resolved Fe 2p HAXPES spectra were obtained from the buried layer with good signal quality.

  18. Performance Improvement of Receivers Based on Ultra-Tight Integration in GNSS-Challenged Environments

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Feng Qin

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Ultra-tight integration was first proposed by Abbott in 2003 with the purpose of integrating a global navigation satellite system (GNSS and an inertial navigation system (INS. This technology can improve the tracking performances of a receiver by reconfiguring the tracking loops in GNSS-challenged environments. In this paper, the models of all error sources known to date in the phase lock loops (PLLs of a standard receiver and an ultra-tightly integrated GNSS/INS receiver are built, respectively. Based on these models, the tracking performances of the two receivers are compared to verify the improvement due to the ultra-tight integration. Meanwhile, the PLL error distributions of the two receivers are also depicted to analyze the error changes of the tracking loops. These results show that the tracking error is significantly reduced in the ultra-tightly integrated GNSS/INS receiver since the receiver’s dynamics are estimated and compensated by an INS. Moreover, the mathematical relationship between the tracking performances of the ultra-tightly integrated GNSS/INS receiver and the quality of the selected inertial measurement unit (IMU is derived from the error models and proved by the error comparisons of four ultra-tightly integrated GNSS/INS receivers aided by different grade IMUs.

  19. An ultra-sensitive colorimetric Hg(2+)-sensing assay based on DNAzyme-modified Au NP aggregation, MNPs and an endonuclease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Chao; Dai, Peiqing; Rao, Xinyi; Shao, Lin; Cheng, Guifang; He, Pingang; Fang, Yuzhi

    2015-01-01

    This paper reports the development of an ultra-sensitive colorimetric method for the detection of trace mercury ions involving DNAzymes, Au nanoparticle aggregation, magnetic nanoparticles and an endonuclease. DNAzyme-sensing elements are conjugated to the surface of Au nanoparticle-2, which can crosslink with the T-rich strands coated on Au nanoparticle-1 to form Au nanoparticle aggregation. Other T-rich stands are immobilized on the surface of MNPs. The specific hybridization of these two T-rich strands depends on the presence of Hg(2+), resulting in the formation of a T-Hg(2+)-T structure. Added endonuclease then digests the hybridized strands, and DNAzyme-modified Au NP aggregation is released, catalysing the conversion of the colourless ABTS into a blue-green product by H2O2-mediated oxidation. The increase in the adsorption spectrum of ABTS(+) at 421 nm is related to the concentration of Hg(2+). This assay was validated by detecting mercury ion concentrations in river water. The colorimetric responses were not significantly altered in the presence of 100-fold excesses of other metal ions such as Zn(2+), Pb(2+), Cd(2+), Mn(2+), Ca(2+) and Ni(2+). The inclusion of both Au NP aggregation and an endonuclease enables the assay to eliminate interference from the magnetic nanoparticles with colorimetric detection, decrease the background and improve the detection sensitivity. The calibration curve of the assay was linear over the range of Hg(2+) concentrations from 1 to 30 nM, and the detection limit was 0.8 nM, which is far lower than the 10 nM US EPA limit for drinking water. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Ultra-small plutonium oxide nanocrystals: an innovative material in plutonium science.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hudry, Damien; Apostolidis, Christos; Walter, Olaf; Janssen, Arne; Manara, Dario; Griveau, Jean-Christophe; Colineau, Eric; Vitova, Tonya; Prüssmann, Tim; Wang, Di; Kübel, Christian; Meyer, Daniel

    2014-08-11

    Apart from its technological importance, plutonium (Pu) is also one of the most intriguing elements because of its non-conventional physical properties and fascinating chemistry. Those fundamental aspects are particularly interesting when dealing with the challenging study of plutonium-based nanomaterials. Here we show that ultra-small (3.2±0.9 nm) and highly crystalline plutonium oxide (PuO2 ) nanocrystals (NCs) can be synthesized by the thermal decomposition of plutonyl nitrate ([PuO2 (NO3 )2 ]⋅3 H2 O) in a highly coordinating organic medium. This is the first example reporting on the preparation of significant quantities (several tens of milligrams) of PuO2 NCs, in a controllable and reproducible manner. The structure and magnetic properties of PuO2 NCs have been characterized by a wide variety of techniques (powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS), X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), TEM, IR, Raman, UV/Vis spectroscopies, and superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry). The current PuO2 NCs constitute an innovative material for the study of challenging problems as diverse as the transport behavior of plutonium in the environment or size and shape effects on the physics of transuranium elements. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  1. Nanoscale magnetometry through quantum control of nitrogen–vacancy centres in rotationally diffusing nanodiamonds

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Maclaurin, D; Hall, L T; Martin, A M; Hollenberg, L C L

    2013-01-01

    The confluence of quantum physics and biology is driving a new generation of quantum-based sensing and imaging technology capable of harnessing the power of quantum effects to provide tools to understand the fundamental processes of life. One of the most promising systems in this area is the nitrogen–vacancy centre in diamond—a natural spin qubit which remarkably has all the right attributes for nanoscale sensing in ambient biological conditions. Typically the nitrogen–vacancy qubits are fixed in tightly controlled/isolated experimental conditions. In this work quantum control principles of nitrogen–vacancy magnetometry are developed for a randomly diffusing diamond nanocrystal. We find that the accumulation of geometric phases, due to the rotation of the nanodiamond plays a crucial role in the application of a diffusing nanodiamond as a bio-label and magnetometer. Specifically, we show that a freely diffusing nanodiamond can offer real-time information about local magnetic fields and its own rotational behaviour, beyond continuous optically detected magnetic resonance monitoring, in parallel with operation as a fluorescent biomarker. (paper)

  2. Do ultra-orphan medicinal products warrant ultra-high prices? A review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Picavet E

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Eline Picavet,1 David Cassiman,2 Steven Simoens1 1Department of Pharmaceutical and Pharmacological Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; 2Department of Hepatology, University Hospital Leuven, Leuven, Belgium Abstract: Ultra-orphan medicinal products (ultra-OMPs are intended for the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of ultra-rare diseases, ie, life-threatening or chronically debilitating diseases that affect less than one per 50,000 individuals. Recently, high prices for ultra-OMPs have given rise to debate on the sustainability and justification of these prices. The aim of this article is to review the international scientific literature on the pricing of ultra-OMPs and to provide an overview of the current knowledge on the drivers of ultra-OMP pricing. The pricing process of ultra-OMPs is a complex and nontransparent issue. Evidence in the literature seems to indicate that ultra-OMPs are priced according to rarity and what the manufacturer believes the market will bear. Additionally, there appears to be a trend between the price of an ultra-OMP and the number of available alternatives. Patients, third-party payers, and pharmaceutical companies could benefit from more transparent pricing strategies. With a view to containing health care costs, it is likely that cost-sharing strategies, such as performance-based risk sharing arrangements, will become increasingly more important. However, it is vital that any measures for price control are consistent with the intended goals of the incentives to promote the development of new OMPs. Ideally, a balance must be struck between attaining affordable prices for ultra-OMPs and securing a realistic return on investment for the pharmaceutical industry. Keywords: ultra-orphan medicinal product, ultra-rare disease, pricing

  3. Ultra-sensitive determination of epinephrine based on TiO{sub 2}-Au nanoclusters supported on reduced graphene oxide and carbon nanotube hybrid nanocomposites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Jianbo, E-mail: chm_lijianbo@yeah.net; Wang, Xiaojiao; Duan, Huimin; Wang, Yanhui; Luo, Chuannan, E-mail: chm_lijianbo@yeah.net

    2016-07-01

    A highly efficient and sensitive electrochemical sensor for EP based on reduced graphene and multi-walled carbon nanotube hybrid nanocomposites loaded TiO{sub 2}-Au nano-clusters modified glassy carbon electrode was developed. The surface nature and morphology of the nanocomposite film and the electrochemical properties of the sensor were characterized by Raman spectra, X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectra (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic voltammetry (CV), respectively. Carbon nanomaterials were widely used in sensing due to its large electroactive surface area, fast electron transport and strong adsorption capacity. Meanwhile, TiO{sub 2}-Au nano-clusters could accelerate the electron transfer, increase reactive site and extend electrochemical response window. The nanocomposite film could greatly enhance the response sensitivity and decrease the overpotential. The resulting sensor showed an excellent electrocatalytic activity toward EP. Under the optimum conditions (i.e. pH 6.0, 0.1 M PBS, preconcentration for 110 s), Differential pulse voltammetry was employed to detect ultra-trace amounts of EP. The result of a wide linear range of 1.0–300 nM and limited of detection 0.34 nM (S/N = 3) were obtained. The constructed sensor exhibited excellent accuracy and precision, the relative standard deviation (RSD) was less than 5%. The nanocomposite film sensor was successfully used to accurately detect the content of EP in practical samples, and the recoveries for the standards added are 97%–105%. - Highlights: • The three dimensional composite materials rGO/CNTs were successful synthesized. • High conductivity and catalytic activity of TiO{sub 2}-Au nanoclusters were synthesized. • The sensor displays a wide linear range, low detection limit and good stability.

  4. Methodology for Designing and Developing a New Ultra-Wideband Antenna Based on Bio-Inspired Optimization Techniques

    Science.gov (United States)

    2017-11-01

    on Bio -Inspired Optimization Techniques by Canh Ly, Nghia Tran, and Ozlem Kilic Approved for public release; distribution is...Research Laboratory Methodology for Designing and Developing a New Ultra-Wideband Antenna Based on Bio -Inspired Optimization Techniques by...SUBTITLE Methodology for Designing and Developing a New Ultra-Wideband Antenna Based on Bio -Inspired Optimization Techniques 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER

  5. Position-specific automated processing of V3 env ultra-deep pyrosequencing data for predicting HIV-1 tropism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jeanne, Nicolas; Saliou, Adrien; Carcenac, Romain; Lefebvre, Caroline; Dubois, Martine; Cazabat, Michelle; Nicot, Florence; Loiseau, Claire; Raymond, Stéphanie; Izopet, Jacques; Delobel, Pierre

    2015-11-20

    HIV-1 coreceptor usage must be accurately determined before starting CCR5 antagonist-based treatment as the presence of undetected minor CXCR4-using variants can cause subsequent virological failure. Ultra-deep pyrosequencing of HIV-1 V3 env allows to detect low levels of CXCR4-using variants that current genotypic approaches miss. However, the computation of the mass of sequence data and the need to identify true minor variants while excluding artifactual sequences generated during amplification and ultra-deep pyrosequencing is rate-limiting. Arbitrary fixed cut-offs below which minor variants are discarded are currently used but the errors generated during ultra-deep pyrosequencing are sequence-dependant rather than random. We have developed an automated processing of HIV-1 V3 env ultra-deep pyrosequencing data that uses biological filters to discard artifactual or non-functional V3 sequences followed by statistical filters to determine position-specific sensitivity thresholds, rather than arbitrary fixed cut-offs. It allows to retain authentic sequences with point mutations at V3 positions of interest and discard artifactual ones with accurate sensitivity thresholds.

  6. Sensitivity enhancement by chromatographic peak concentration with ultra-high performance liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for minor impurity analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tokunaga, Takashi; Akagi, Ken-Ichi; Okamoto, Masahiko

    2017-07-28

    High performance liquid chromatography can be coupled with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to give a powerful analytical method known as liquid chromatography-nuclear magnetic resonance (LC-NMR) spectroscopy, which can be used to determine the chemical structures of the components of complex mixtures. However, intrinsic limitations in the sensitivity of NMR spectroscopy have restricted the scope of this procedure, and resolving these limitations remains a critical problem for analysis. In this study, we coupled ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) with NMR to give a simple and versatile analytical method with higher sensitivity than conventional LC-NMR. UHPLC separation enabled the concentration of individual peaks to give a volume similar to that of the NMR flow cell, thereby maximizing the sensitivity to the theoretical upper limit. The UHPLC concentration of compound peaks present at typical impurity levels (5.0-13.1 nmol) in a mixture led to at most three-fold increase in the signal-to-noise ratio compared with LC-NMR. Furthermore, we demonstrated the use of UHPLC-NMR for obtaining structural information of a minor impurity in a reaction mixture in actual laboratory-scale development of a synthetic process. Using UHPLC-NMR, the experimental run times for chromatography and NMR were greatly reduced compared with LC-NMR. UHPLC-NMR successfully overcomes the difficulties associated with analyses of minor components in a complex mixture by LC-NMR, which are problematic even when an ultra-high field magnet and cryogenic probe are used. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Adaptive sensor-based ultra-high accuracy solar concentrator tracker

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brinkley, Jordyn; Hassanzadeh, Ali

    2017-09-01

    Conventional solar trackers use information of the sun's position, either by direct sensing or by GPS. Our method uses the shading of the receiver. This, coupled with nonimaging optics design allows us to achieve ultra-high concentration. Incorporating a sensor based shadow tracking method with a two stage concentration solar hybrid parabolic trough allows the system to maintain high concentration with acute accuracy.

  8. Investigation of graphene-based nanoscale radiation sensitive materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Robinson, Joshua A.; Wetherington, Maxwell; Hughes, Zachary; LaBella, Michael, III; Bresnehan, Michael

    2012-06-01

    Current state-of-the-art nanotechnology offers multiple benefits for radiation sensing applications. These include the ability to incorporate nano-sized radiation indicators into widely used materials such as paint, corrosion-resistant coatings, and ceramics to create nano-composite materials that can be widely used in everyday life. Additionally, nanotechnology may lead to the development of ultra-low power, flexible detection systems that can be embedded in clothing or other systems. Graphene, a single layer of graphite, exhibits exceptional electronic and structural properties, and is being investigated for high-frequency devices and sensors. Previous work indicates that graphene-oxide (GO) - a derivative of graphene - exhibits luminescent properties that can be tailored based on chemistry; however, exploration of graphene-oxide's ability to provide a sufficient change in luminescent properties when exposed to gamma or neutron radiation has not been carried out. We investigate the mechanisms of radiation-induced chemical modifications and radiation damage induced shifts in luminescence in graphene-oxide materials to provide a fundamental foundation for further development of radiation sensitive detection architectures. Additionally, we investigate the integration of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) with graphene-based devices to evaluate radiation induced conductivity in nanoscale devices. Importantly, we demonstrate the sensitivity of graphene transport properties to the presence of alpha particles, and discuss the successful integration of hBN with large area graphene electrodes as a means to provide the foundation for large-area nanoscale radiation sensors.

  9. Study on creep of fiber reinforced ultra-high strength concrete based on strength

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Wenjun; Wang, Tao

    2018-04-01

    To complement the creep performance of ultra-high strength concrete, the long creep process of fiber reinforced concrete was studied in this paper. The long-term creep process and regularity of ultra-high strength concrete with 0.5% PVA fiber under the same axial compression were analyzed by using concrete strength (C80/C100/C120) as a variable. The results show that the creep coefficient of ultra-high strength concrete decreases with the increase of concrete strength. Compared with ACI209R (92), GL2000 models, it is found that the predicted value of ACI209R (92) are close to the experimental value, and the creep prediction model suitable for this experiment is proposed based on ACI209R (92).

  10. Heat transfer nanofluid based on curly ultra-long multi-wall carbon nanotubes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boncel, Sławomir; Zniszczoł, Aurelia; Pawlyta, Mirosława; Labisz, Krzysztof; Dzido, Grzegorz

    2018-02-01

    The main challenge in the use of multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT) as key components of nanofluids is to transfer excellent thermal properties from individual nanotubes into the bulk systems. We present studies on the performance of heat transfer nanofluids based on ultra-long ( 2 mm), curly MWCNTs - in the background of various other nanoC-sp2, i.e. oxidized MWCNTs, commercially available Nanocyl™ MWCNTs and spherical carbon nanoparticles (SCNs). The nanofluids prepared via ultrasonication from water and propylene glycol were studied in terms of heat conductivity and heat transfer in a scaled up thermal circuit containing a copper helical heat exchanger. Ultra-long curly MWCNT (1 wt.%) nanofluids (stabilized with Gum Arabic in water) emerged as the most thermally conducting ones with a 23-30%- and 39%-enhancement as compared to the base-fluids for water and propylene glycol, respectively. For turbulent flows ( Re = 8000-11,000), the increase of heat transfer coefficient for the over-months stable 1 wt.% ultra-long MWCNT nanofluid was found as high as >100%. The findings allow to confirm that longer MWCNTs are promising solid components in nanofluids and hence to predict their broader application in heat transfer media.

  11. Development of Ultra-Super Sensitive Immunohistochemistry and Its Application to the Etiological Study of Adult T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hasui, Kazuhisa; Wang, Jia; Tanaka, Yuetsu; Izumo, Shuji; Eizuru, Yoshito; Matsuyama, Takami

    2012-01-01

    Antigen retrieval (AR) and ultra-super sensitive immunohistochemistry (ultra-IHC) have been established for application to archival human pathology specimens. The original ultra-IHC was the ImmunoMax method or the catalyzed signal amplification system (ImmunoMax/CSA method), comprising the streptavidin-biotin complex (sABC) method and catalyzed reporter deposition (CARD) reaction with visualization of its deposition. By introducing procedures to diminish non-specific staining in the original ultra-IHC method, we developed the modified ImmunoMax/CSA method with AR heating sections in an AR solution (heating-AR). The heating-AR and modified ImmunoMax/CSA method visualized expression of the predominantly simple present form of HTLV-1 proviral DNA pX region p40Tax protein (Tax) in adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL) cells in archival pathology specimens in approximately 75% of cases. The simple present form of Tax detected exhibited a close relation with ATLL cell proliferation. We also established a new simplified CSA (nsCSA) system by replacing the sABC method with the secondary antibody- and horse radish peroxidase-labeled polymer reagent method, introducing the pretreatments blocking non-specific binding of secondary antibody reagent, and diminishing the diffusion of deposition in the CARD reaction. Combined with AR treating sections with proteinase K solution (enzymatic-AR), the nsCSA system visualized granular immunostaining of the complex present form of Tax in a small number of ATLL cells in most cases, presenting the possibility of etiological pathological diagnosis of ATLL and suggesting that the complex present form of Tax-positive ATLL cells were young cells derived from ATLL stem cells. The heating-AR and ultra-IHC detected physiological expression of the p53 protein and its probable phosphorylation by Tax in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of peripheral blood tissue specimens from HTLV-1 carriers, as well as physiological and pathological expression

  12. The Swift Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Roming, Peter; Hunsberger, S.D.; Nousek, John; Mason, Keith

    2001-01-01

    The Ultra-Violet/Optical Telescope (UVOT) provides the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Explorer with the capability of quickly detecting and characterizing the optical and ultraviolet properties of gamma ray burst counterparts. The UVOT design is based on the design of the Optical Monitor on XMM-Newton. It is a Ritchey-Chretien telescope with microchannel plate intensified charged-coupled devices (MICs) that deliver sub-arcsecond imaging. These MICs are photon-counting devices, capable of detecting low intensity signal levels. When flown above the atmosphere, the UVOT will have the sensitivity of a 4m ground based telescope, attaining a limiting magnitude of 24 for a 1000 second observation in the white light filter. A rotating filter wheel allows sensitive photometry in six bands spanning the UV and visible, which will provide photometric redshifts of objects in the 1-3.5z range. For bright counterparts, such as the 9th magnitude GRB990123, or for fainter objects down to 17th magnitude, two grisms provide low-resolution spectroscopy

  13. Effects of rock wool on the lungs evaluated by magnetometry and biopersistence test

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomita Masayuki

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Asbestos has been reported to cause pulmonary fibrosis, and its use has been banned all over the world. The related industries are facing an urgent need to develop a safer fibrous substance. Rock wool (RW, a kind of asbestos substitute, is widely used in the construction industry. In order to evaluate the safety of RW, we performed a nose-only inhalation exposure study in rats. After one-month observation period, the potential of RW fibers to cause pulmonary toxicity was evaluated based on lung magnetometry findings, pulmonary biopersistence, and pneumopathology. Methods Using the nose-only inhalation exposure system, 6 male Fischer 344 rats (6 to 10 weeks old were exposed to RW fibers at a target fiber concentration of 100 fibers/cm3 (length [L] > 20 μm for 6 hours daily, for 5 consecutive days. As a magnetometric indicator, 3 mg of triiron tetraoxide suspended in 0.2 mL of physiological saline was intratracheally administered after RW exposure to these rats and 6 unexposed rats (controls. During one second magnetization in 50 mT external magnetic field, all magnetic particles were aligned, and immediately afterwards the strength of their remanent magnetic field in the rat lungs was measured in both groups. Magnetization and measurement of the decay (relaxation of this remanent magnetic field was performed over 40 minutes on 1, 3, 14, and 28 days after RW exposure, and reflected cytoskeleton dependent intracellular transport within macrophages in the lung. Similarly, 24 and 12 male Fisher 344-rats were used for biopersistence test and pathologic evaluation, respectively. Results In the lung magnetometric evaluation, biopersistence test and pathological evaluation, the arithmetic mean value of the total fiber concentration was 650.2, 344.7 and 390.7 fibers/cm3, respectively, and 156.6, 93.1 and 95.0 fibers/cm3 for fibers with L > 20 μm, respectively. The lung magnetometric evaluation revealed that impaired relaxation

  14. A Manganin Thin Film Ultra-High Pressure Sensor for Microscale Detonation Pressure Measurement

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Guodong Zhang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available With the development of energetic materials (EMs and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS initiating explosive devices, the measurement of detonation pressure generated by EMs in the microscale has become a pressing need. This paper develops a manganin thin film ultra-high pressure sensor based on MEMS technology for measuring the output pressure from micro-detonator. A reliable coefficient is proposed for designing the sensor’s sensitive element better. The sensor employs sandwich structure: the substrate uses a 0.5 mm thick alumina ceramic, the manganin sensitive element with a size of 0.2 mm × 0.1 mm × 2 μm and copper electrodes of 2 μm thick are sputtered sequentially on the substrate, and a 25 μm thick insulating layer of polyimide is wrapped on the sensitive element. The static test shows that the piezoresistive coefficient of manganin thin film is 0.0125 GPa−1. The dynamic experiment indicates that the detonation pressure of micro-detonator is 12.66 GPa, and the response time of the sensor is 37 ns. In a word, the sensor developed in this study is suitable for measuring ultra-high pressure in microscale and has a shorter response time than that of foil-like manganin gauges. Simultaneously, this study could be beneficial to research on ultra-high-pressure sensors with smaller size.

  15. Ultra-realistic 3-D imaging based on colour holography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bjelkhagen, H I

    2013-01-01

    A review of recent progress in colour holography is provided with new applications. Colour holography recording techniques in silver-halide emulsions are discussed. Both analogue, mainly Denisyuk colour holograms, and digitally-printed colour holograms are described and their recent improvements. An alternative to silver-halide materials are the panchromatic photopolymer materials such as the DuPont and Bayer photopolymers which are covered. The light sources used to illuminate the recorded holograms are very important to obtain ultra-realistic 3-D images. In particular the new light sources based on RGB LEDs are described. They show improved image quality over today's commonly used halogen lights. Recent work in colour holography by holographers and companies in different countries around the world are included. To record and display ultra-realistic 3-D images with perfect colour rendering are highly dependent on the correct recording technique using the optimal recording laser wavelengths, the availability of improved panchromatic recording materials and combined with new display light sources.

  16. Ultra-wideband reflective polarization converter based on anisotropic metasurface

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu Jia-Liang; Lin Bao-Qin; Da Xin-Yu

    2016-01-01

    In this paper, we propose an ultra-wideband reflective linear cross-polarization converter based on anisotropic metasurface. Its unit cell is composed of a square-shaped resonator with intersectant diagonal and metallic ground sheet separated by dielectric substrate. Simulated results show that the converter can generate resonances at four frequencies under normal incident electromagnetic (EM) wave, leading to the bandwidth expansion of cross-polarization reflection. For verification, the designed polarization converter is fabricated and measured. The measured and simulated results agree well with each other, showing that the fabricated converter can convert x - or y -polarized incident wave into its cross polarized wave in a frequency range from 7.57 GHz to 20.46 GHz with a relative bandwidth of 91.2%, and the polarization conversion efficiency is greater than 90%. The proposed polarization converter has a simple geometry but an ultra wideband compared with the published designs, and hence possesses potential applications in novel polarization-control devices. (paper)

  17. Molecular system analysis, multidimensional, dynamic, ultra-sensitive exploration of proteomes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scharattenholz, A.; Soski, V.; Stegmann, W.; Schroer, K.; Godovac-Zimmermann, J.; Cabuk, A.; Pejovi, V.; Wozny, W.; Cahill, M.A.; Drukier, A.K.; Volkovitsky, P.

    2001-01-01

    ProteoSys AG's holistic proteomics strategy extends beyond classical proteome research as a new paradigm. Our concept of multidimensional molecular systems analysis of complex model systems employs the innovative ProteoDyn TM approach. This enables us to correlate dynamic changes of proteomes with their biophysical and biochemical environment. Our supersensitive Multi Photon Detection (MPD) technology enables ultra-sensitive detection of proteins, deep into the low abundance domain. Our technology platform includes the affinity analysis of phospho- and glyco-proteomes, and with our 'fish hook' methods we can capture and fully characterize even serpentine G-coupled receptors and associated proteins, including routine comprehensive post-translational analyses performed by a well equipped mass spectrometry group. Throughput and quality is obtained by automation and high end robotics, with data management handled by a dedicated bioinformatics department. Thus ProteoSys AG has a range of state of the art and proprietary tools at its disposal to analyse even the most difficult complex model systems. MPD is an isotopic detection method proprietary to ProteoSys For MPD analysis we have implemented protocols where over 99% of proteins can be iodinated, and where the iodinated proteins can be identified by mass spectrometry. Because MPD measures the energy of detected particles, it can discriminate between signals originating from different isotopes co-electrophoresed by 2D-PAGE. Thus MPD imagers have a 'multicolour' functionality suitable for differential display and improved throughput, eliminating inter-gel variations. Importantly, MPD opens up not only the world of detection of low abundance proteins, but also identification and characterization. Radioactive low abundance protein spots containing less than one attomole of protein can be excised from a 2D-gel, mixed with unlabelled proteins, and 'tracked' by MPD. The identity of the labeled protein is determined by

  18. Ultra-precision machining induced phase decomposition at surface of Zn-Al based alloy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    To, S.; Zhu, Y.H.; Lee, W.B.

    2006-01-01

    The microstructural changes and phase transformation of an ultra-precision machined Zn-Al based alloy were examined using X-ray diffraction and back-scattered electron microscopy techniques. Decomposition of the Zn-rich η phase and the related changes in crystal orientation was detected at the surface of the ultra-precision machined alloy specimen. The effects of the machining parameters, such as cutting speed and depth of cut, on the phase decomposition were discussed in comparison with the tensile and rolling induced microstrucutural changes and phase decomposition

  19. Electronically tuned sulfonamide-based probes with ultra-sensitivity for Ga{sup 3+} or Al{sup 3+} detection in aqueous solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Ashwani, E-mail: ashwanirubal@gmail.com; Chae, Pil Seok, E-mail: pchae@hanyang.ac.kr

    2017-03-15

    Three electronically tuned fluorescent probes (1–3) were synthesized by conjugating a fluorescent unit to N,N-bis-(hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine. Probe 1 bearing an electron-deficient naphthalenedimide unit did not give a fluorescence response to the presence of various metal ions including monovalent metal ions (Na{sup +}, K{sup +}, and Ag{sup +}), divalent metal ions (Ca{sup 2+}, Cd{sup 2+}, Co{sup 2+}, Ni{sup 2+}, Cu{sup 2+}, Hg{sup 2+}, Pb{sup 2+}, and Zn{sup 2+}) and trivalent metal ions (Al{sup 3+}, Ga{sup 3+}, Fe{sup 3+}, and Cr{sup 3+}) in an aqueous solution. By contrast, probes 2 and 3 possessing 1,8-naphthalimide and pyrene fluorophores, respectively, exhibited selective fluorescent “OFF-ON” behaviors as a result of Ga{sup 3+}/Al{sup 3+} binding among the diverse metal ions, suggesting the importance of fluorophore electronic character with regard to metal ion sensing. The ethylenediamine analog of probe 3, corresponding to probe 4, was unable to yield a significant change in fluorescence intensity in the presence of any metal ions tested here, revealing the essential role of two hydroxyl groups for metal ion binding. A high association constant of K{sub a} = 2.99 × 10{sup 5} M{sup −1} was obtained for probe 3 with Ga{sup 3+}, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 nM. This LOD is the lowest value known for Ga{sup 3+} detection using chemical sensors. Along with an increase in aggregate sizes, PET suppression of probes upon metal ion binding was the primary contributor to the enhancement in fluorescence emission necessary for the sensitive detection of the target ions. The probe-metal ion complexes were fully characterized via TEM, FE-SEM, {sup 1}H NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy techniques and DFT calculations. - Highlights: • Three electronically tuned sulfonamide-based probes (probes 1, 2, and 3) were developed for metal ion-sensing. • Probes 2 and 3 exhibited AIE behavior with increasing water-content. • Probes 2 and 3 displayed a

  20. High-field modulated ion-selective field-effect-transistor (FET) sensors with sensitivity higher than the ideal Nernst sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yi-Ting; Sarangadharan, Indu; Sukesan, Revathi; Hseih, Ching-Yen; Lee, Geng-Yen; Chyi, Jen-Inn; Wang, Yu-Lin

    2018-05-29

    Lead ion selective membrane (Pb-ISM) coated AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistors (HEMT) was used to demonstrate a whole new methodology for ion-selective FET sensors, which can create ultra-high sensitivity (-36 mV/log [Pb 2+ ]) surpassing the limit of ideal sensitivity (-29.58 mV/log [Pb 2+ ]) in a typical Nernst equation for lead ion. The largely improved sensitivity has tremendously reduced the detection limit (10 -10  M) for several orders of magnitude of lead ion concentration compared to typical ion-selective electrode (ISE) (10 -7  M). The high sensitivity was obtained by creating a strong filed between the gate electrode and the HEMT channel. Systematical investigation was done by measuring different design of the sensor and gate bias, indicating ultra-high sensitivity and ultra-low detection limit obtained only in sufficiently strong field. Theoretical study in the sensitivity consistently agrees with the experimental finding and predicts the maximum and minimum sensitivity. The detection limit of our sensor is comparable to that of Inductively-Coupled-Plasma Mass Spectrum (ICP-MS), which also has detection limit near 10 -10  M.

  1. Integrated evaluation of the geology, aero gamma spectrometry and aero magnetometry of the Sul-Riograndense Shield, southernmost Brazil

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hartmann, Leo A.; Savian, Jairo F., E-mail: leo.hartmann@ufrgs.br [Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul (UFRS), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Instituto de Geociencias; Lopes, William R. [Servico Geologico do Brasil (CPRM), Porto Alegre, RS (Brazil). Gerencia de Geologia e Mineracao

    2016-03-15

    An integrated evaluation of geology, aero gamma spectrometry and aero magnetometry of the Sul-Riograndense Shield is permitted by the advanced stage of understanding of the geology and geochronology of the southern Brazilian Shield and a 2010 airborne geophysical survey. Gamma rays are registered from the rocks near the surface and thus describe the distribution of major units in the shield, such as the Pelotas batholith, the juvenile São Gabriel terrane, the granulite-amphibolite facies Taquarembo terrane and the numerous granite intrusions in the foreland. Major structures are also observed, e.g., the Dorsal de Cangucu shear. Magnetic signals register near surface crustal compositions (analytic signal) and total crust composition (total magnetic signal), so their variation as measured indicates either shallow or whole crustal structures. The Cacapava shear is outstanding on the images as is the magnetic low along the N-S central portion of the shield. These integrated observations lead to the deepening of the understanding of the largest and even detailed structures of the Sul-Riograndense Shield, some to be correlated to field geology in future studies. Most significant is the presence of different provinces and their limits depending on the method used for data acquisition - geology, aero gamma spectrometry or aero magnetometry. (author)

  2. Spectroelectrochemical properties of ultra-thin indium tin oxide films under electric potential modulation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Han, Xue, E-mail: x0han004@louisville.edu; Mendes, Sergio B., E-mail: sbmend01@louisville.edu

    2016-03-31

    In this work, the spectroscopic properties of ultra-thin ITO films are characterized under an applied electric potential modulation. To detect minute spectroscopic features, the ultra-thin ITO film was coated over an extremely sensitive single-mode integrated optical waveguide, which provided a long pathlength with more than adequate sensitivity for optical interrogation of the ultra-thin film. Experimental configurations with broadband light and several laser lines at different modulation schemes of an applied electric potential were utilized to elucidate the nature of intrinsic changes. The imaginary component of the refractive index (absorption coefficient) of the ultra-thin ITO film is unequivocally shown to have a dependence on the applied potential and the profile of this dependence changes substantially even for wavelengths inside a small spectral window (500–600 nm). The characterization technique and the data reported here can be crucial to several applications of the ITO material as a transparent conductive electrode, as for example in spectroelectrochemical investigations of surface-confined redox species. - Highlights: • Optical waveguides are applied for spectroscopic investigations of ultra-thin films. • Ultra-thin ITO films in aqueous environment are studied under potential modulation. • Unique spectroscopic features of ultra-thin ITO films are unambiguously observed.

  3. Towards the production of an ultra cold antihydrogen beam with the AEGIS apparatus

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Storey, James William, E-mail: james.storey@cern.ch [University of Zurich, Physik-Institut (Switzerland); Collaboration: AEGIS Collaboration

    2012-12-15

    The AEGIS (Antimatter Experiment: Gravity, Interferometry, Spectroscopy) experiment is an international collaboration, based at CERN, with the experimental goal of performing the first direct measurement of the Earth's gravitational acceleration on antihydrogen. In the first phase of the experiment, a gravity measurement with 1% precision will be performed by passing a beam of ultra cold antihydrogen atoms through a classical Moire deflectometer coupled to a position sensitive detector. The key requirements for this measurement are the production of ultra cold (T{approx}100 mK) Rydberg state antihydrogen and the subsequent Stark acceleration of these atoms. The aim is to produce Rydberg state antihydrogen by means of the charge exchange reaction between ultra cold antiprotons (T{approx}100 mK) and Rydberg state positronium. This paper will present details of the developments necessary for the successful production of the ultra cold antihydrogen beam, with emphasis on the detector that is required for the development of these techniques. Issues covered will include the detection of antihydrogen production and temperature, as well as detection of the effects of Stark acceleration.

  4. Ultra-Low Inductance Design for a GaN HEMT Based 3L-ANPC Inverter

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gurpinar, Emre; Castellazzi, Alberto; Iannuzzo, Francesco

    2016-01-01

    contributors to voltage overshoots and increase of switching losses, are discussed. The ultra-low inductance power cell design based on a four layer PCB with the aim to maximise the switching performance of GaN HEMTs is explained. Gate driver design for GaN HEMT devices is presented. Common-mode behaviours......In this paper, an ultra-low inductance power cell design for a 3L-ANPC based on 650 V GaN HEMT devices is presented. The 3L-ANPC topology with GaN HEMT devices and the selected modulation scheme suitable for wide-bandgap (WBG) devices are presented. The commutation loops, which are the main...

  5. Paper-based inkjet-printed ultra-wideband fractal antennas

    KAUST Repository

    Maza, Armando Rodriguez

    2012-01-01

    For the first time, paper-based inkjet-printed ultra-wideband (UWB) fractal antennas are presented. Two new designs, a miniaturised UWB monopole, which utilises a fractal matching network and is the smallest reported inkjet-printed UWB printed antenna to date, and a fourth-order Koch Snowflake monopole, which utilises a Sierpinski gasket fractal for ink reduction, are demonstrated. It is shown that fractals prove to be a successful method of reducing fabrication costs in inkjet-printed antennas, while retaining or enhancing printed antenna performance. © 2012 The Institution of Engineering and Technology.

  6. Dye-sensitized solar cell with a pair of carbon-based electrodes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kyaw, Aung Ko Ko; Demir, Hilmi Volkan; Sun Xiaowei; Tantang, Hosea; Zhang Qichun; Wu Tao; Ke, Lin; Wei Jun

    2012-01-01

    We have fabricated a dye-sensitized solar cell (DSSC) with a pair of carbon-based electrodes using a transparent, conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) film modified with ultra-thin titanium-sub-oxide (TiO x ) as the working electrode and a bilayer of conductive CNTs and carbon black as the counter electrode. Without TiO x modification, the DSSC is almost nonfunctional whereas the power conversion efficiency (PCE) increases significantly when the working electrode is modified with TiO x . The performance of the cell could be further improved when the carbon black film was added on the counter electrode. The improved efficiency can be attributed to the inhibition of the mass recombination at the working electrode/electrolyte interface by TiO x and the acceleration of the electron transfer kinetics at the counter electrode by carbon black. The DSSC with a pair of carbon-based electrodes gives the PCE of 1.37%. (paper)

  7. Ultra-Sensitive Electrostatic Accelerometers and Future Fundamental Physics Missions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Touboul, Pierre; Christophe, Bruno; Rodrigues, M.; Marque, Jean-Pierre; Foulon, Bernard

    Ultra-sensitive electrostatic accelerometers have in the last decade demonstrated their unique performance and reliability in orbit leading to the success of the three Earth geodesy missions presently in operation. In the near future, space fundamental physics missions are in preparation and highlight the importance of this instrument for achieving new scientific objectives. Corner stone of General Relativity, the Equivalence Principle may be violated as predicted by attempts of Grand Unification. Verification experiment at a level of at least 10-15 is the objective of the CNES-ESA mission MICROSCOPE, thanks to a differential accelerometer configuration with concentric cylindrical test masses. To achieve the numerous severe requirements of the mission, the instrument is also used to control the attitude and the orbital motion of the space laboratory leading to a pure geodesic motion of the drag-free satellite. The performance of the accelerometer is a few tenth of femto-g, at the selected frequency of the test about 10-3 Hz, i.e several orbit frequencies. Another important experimental research in Gravity is the verification of the Einstein metric, in particular its dependence with the distance to the attractive body. The Gravity Advanced Package (GAP) is proposed for the future EJSM planetary mission, with the objective to verify this scale dependence of the gravitation law from Earth to Jupiter. This verification is performed, during the interplanetary cruise, by following precisely the satellite trajectory in the planet and Sun fields with an accurate measurement of the non-gravitational accelerations in order to evaluate the deviations to the geodesic motion. Accelerations at DC and very low frequency domain are concerned and the natural bias of the electrostatic accelerometer is thus compensated down to 5 10-11 m/s2 thanks to a specific bias calibration device. More ambitious, the dedicated mission Odyssey, proposed for Cosmic Vision, will fly in the Solar

  8. Ultra-wideband reflective polarization converter based on anisotropic metasurface

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Jia-Liang; Lin, Bao-Qin; Da, Xin-Yu

    2016-08-01

    In this paper, we propose an ultra-wideband reflective linear cross-polarization converter based on anisotropic metasurface. Its unit cell is composed of a square-shaped resonator with intersectant diagonal and metallic ground sheet separated by dielectric substrate. Simulated results show that the converter can generate resonances at four frequencies under normal incident electromagnetic (EM) wave, leading to the bandwidth expansion of cross-polarization reflection. For verification, the designed polarization converter is fabricated and measured. The measured and simulated results agree well with each other, showing that the fabricated converter can convert x- or y-polarized incident wave into its cross polarized wave in a frequency range from 7.57 GHz to 20.46 GHz with a relative bandwidth of 91.2%, and the polarization conversion efficiency is greater than 90%. The proposed polarization converter has a simple geometry but an ultra wideband compared with the published designs, and hence possesses potential applications in novel polarization-control devices. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61471387, 61271250, and 61571460).

  9. Functional magnetic resonance imaging with ultra-high fields

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Windischberger, C.; Schoepf, V.; Sladky, R.; Moser, E.; Fischmeister, F.P.S.

    2010-01-01

    Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is currently the primary method for non-invasive functional localization in the brain. With the emergence of MR systems with field strengths of 4 Tesla and above, neuronal activation may be studied with unprecedented accuracy. In this article we present different approaches to use the improved sensitivity and specificity for expanding current fMRT resolution limits in space and time based on several 7 Tesla studies. In addition to the challenges that arise with ultra-high magnetic fields possible solutions will be discussed. (orig.) [de

  10. Hydrogenation of FeCoZr-Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposites studied by Moessbauer spectroscopy and magnetometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Saad, A. [Al-Balqa Applied University, Appl. Science Department (Jordan); Kasiuk, J.; Fedotova, J., E-mail: Julia@hep.by [NC PHEP BSU (Belarus); Szilagyi, E. [KFKI Research Institute for Particle and Nuclear Physics (Hungary); Przewoznik, J.; Kapusta, Cz. [AGH University of Science and Technology, Faculty of Physics and Applied Computer Science (Poland); Marszalek, M. [Niewodniczanski Institute of Nuclear Physics PAN (Poland)

    2009-02-15

    Hydrogenation effects on crystalline and magnetic structure of nanocomposites (FeCoZr){sub x}(Al{sub 2}O{sub 3}){sub 100-x}, 38 {<=} x {<=} 63 at.% are studied by {sup 57}Fe Moessbauer spectroscopy and magnetometry. Variations of local structure, blocking temperature and mean FeCoZr nanoparticles' volume are discussed with respect to (i) composition and (ii) two competing processes-H{sub 2} incorporation and annealing-occurred during treatment in H{sub 2} plasma.

  11. Tutorial: Magnetic resonance with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond—microwave engineering, materials science, and magnetometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Eisuke; Sasaki, Kento

    2018-04-01

    This tutorial article provides a concise and pedagogical overview on negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. The research on the NV centers has attracted enormous attention for its application to quantum sensing, encompassing the areas of not only physics and applied physics but also chemistry, biology, and life sciences. Nonetheless, its key technical aspects can be understood from the viewpoint of magnetic resonance. We focus on three facets of this ever-expanding research field, to which our viewpoint is especially relevant: microwave engineering, materials science, and magnetometry. In explaining these aspects, we provide a technical basis and up-to-date technologies for research on the NV centers.

  12. Design of a broadband ultra-large area acoustic cloak based on a fluid medium

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Jian; Chen, Tianning; Liang, Qingxuan; Wang, Xiaopeng; Jiang, Ping

    2014-10-01

    A broadband ultra-large area acoustic cloak based on fluid medium was designed and numerically implemented with homogeneous metamaterials according to the transformation acoustics. In the present work, fluid medium as the body of the inclusion could be tuned by changing the fluid to satisfy the variant acoustic parameters instead of redesign the whole cloak. The effective density and bulk modulus of the composite materials were designed to agree with the parameters calculated from the coordinate transformation methodology by using the effective medium theory. Numerical simulation results showed that the sound propagation and scattering signature could be controlled in the broadband ultra-large area acoustic invisibility cloak, and good cloaking performance has been achieved and physically realized with homogeneous materials. The broadband ultra-large area acoustic cloaking properties have demonstrated great potentials in the promotion of the practical applications of acoustic cloak.

  13. Anatase TiO2 hierarchical structures composed of ultra-thin nano-sheets exposing high percentage {0 0 1} facets and their application in quantum-dot sensitized solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Dapeng; Zhang, Shuo; Jiang, Shiwei; He, Jinjin; Jiang, Kai

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: TiO 2 hierarchical structures assembled from ultra-thin nanosheets exposing ∼90% {0 0 1} facets were employed as photoanode materials to improve the performance of CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells. - Highlights: • THSs composited of nanosheets exposing high percent {0 0 1} facets were prepared. • THSs improve the QDs loading amount and light scattering of the photoanode. • THSs suppress the carrier recombination and finally lead to ∼25% PCE improvement. - Abstract: TiO 2 hierarchical structures (THSs) composed of ultra-thin nano-sheets exposing ∼90% {0 0 1} facets were prepared via a hydrothermal method. Time dependent trails revealed the formation of THSs experienced a self-assemble process. The as-prepared product were used as the photoanode materials for CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells, and the THSs/nanoparticle hybrid photoanode demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 3.47%, indicating ∼25% improvement compared with the nanoparticle cell

  14. Tuning of Magnetic Anisotropy in Hexairon(III) Rings by Host-Guest Interactions: An Investigation by High-Field Torque Magnetometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cornia; Affronte; Jansen; Abbati; Gatteschi

    1999-08-01

    Full chemical control of magnetic anisotropy in hexairon(III) rings can be achieved by varying the size of the guest alkali metal ion. Dramatically different anisotropies characterize the Li(I) and Na(I) complexes of [Fe(6)(OMe)(12)(L)(6)] (L=1,3-propanedione derivatives; a schematic representation of the Li(I) complex is shown), as revealed by high-field torque magnetometry-Iron: (g), oxygen: o, carbon: o, Li(+): plus sign in circle.

  15. Scattering Fields Control by Metamaterial Device Based on Ultra-Broadband Polarization Converters

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Si-Jia Li

    2016-12-01

    Full Text Available We proposed a novel ultra-broadband meta¬material screen with controlling the electromagnetic scat¬tering fields based on the three layers wideband polariza¬tion converter (TLW-PC. The unit cell of TLW-PC was composed of a three layers substrate loaded with double metallic split-rings structure and a metal ground plane. We observed that the polarization converter primarily per¬formed ultra-broadband cross polarization conversion from 5.71 GHz to 14.91 GHz. Furthermore, a metamaterial screen, which contributed to the low scattering charac¬teristics, had been exploited with the orthogonal array based on TLW-PC. The near scattering electronic fields are controlled due to the change of phase and amplitude for incident wave. The metamaterial screen significantly exhibited low scattering characteristics from 5.81 GHz to 15.06 GHz. To demonstrate design, a metamaterial device easily implemented by the common printed circuit board method has been fabricated and measured. Experimental results agreed well with the simulated results.

  16. Ultra-High-Speed Travelling Wave Protection of Transmission Line Using Polarity Comparison Principle Based on Empirical Mode Decomposition

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dong Wang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available The traditional polarity comparison based travelling wave protection, using the initial wave information, is affected by initial fault angle, bus structure, and external fault. And the relationship between the magnitude and polarity of travelling wave is ignored. Because of the protection tripping and malfunction, the further application of this protection principle is affected. Therefore, this paper presents an ultra-high-speed travelling wave protection using integral based polarity comparison principle. After empirical mode decomposition of the original travelling wave, the first-order intrinsic mode function is used as protection object. Based on the relationship between the magnitude and polarity of travelling wave, this paper demonstrates the feasibility of using travelling wave magnitude which contains polar information as direction criterion. And the paper integrates the direction criterion in a period after fault to avoid wave head detection failure. Through PSCAD simulation with the typical 500 kV transmission system, the reliability and sensitivity of travelling wave protection were verified under different factors’ affection.

  17. Defect-engineered graphene chemical sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Geonyeop; Yang, Gwangseok; Cho, Ara; Han, Jeong Woo; Kim, Jihyun

    2016-05-25

    We report defect-engineered graphene chemical sensors with ultrahigh sensitivity (e.g., 33% improvement in NO2 sensing and 614% improvement in NH3 sensing). A conventional reactive ion etching system was used to introduce the defects in a controlled manner. The sensitivity of graphene-based chemical sensors increased with increasing defect density until the vacancy-dominant region was reached. In addition, the mechanism of gas sensing was systematically investigated via experiments and density functional theory calculations, which indicated that the vacancy defect is a major contributing factor to the enhanced sensitivity. This study revealed that defect engineering in graphene has significant potential for fabricating ultra-sensitive graphene chemical sensors.

  18. An Ultra-Low-Latency Geo-Routing Scheme for Team-Based Unmanned Vehicular Applications

    KAUST Repository

    Bader, Ahmed; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim

    2016-01-01

    Results and lessons learned from the implementation of a novel ultra low-latency geo-routing scheme are presented in this paper. The geo-routing scheme is intended for team-based mobile systems whereby a cluster of unmanned autonomous vehicles

  19. Integration of a highly ordered gold nanowires array with glucose oxidase for ultra-sensitive glucose detection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cui, Jiewu [NanoScience and Sensor Technology Research Group, School of Applied Sciences and Engineering, Monash University, Gippsland Campus, Churchill 3842, VIC Australia (Australia); Laboratory of Functional Nanomaterials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, Anhui (China); Adeloju, Samuel B., E-mail: sam.adeloju@monash.edu [NanoScience and Sensor Technology Research Group, School of Applied Sciences and Engineering, Monash University, Gippsland Campus, Churchill 3842, VIC Australia (Australia); Wu, Yucheng, E-mail: ycwu@hfut.edu.cn [Laboratory of Functional Nanomaterials and Devices, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Hefei University of Technology, Hefei 230009, Anhui (China)

    2014-01-27

    Graphical abstract: -- Highlights: •Successfully synthesised highly-ordered gold nanowires array with an AAO template. •Fabricated an ultra-sensitive glucose nanobiosensor with the gold nanowires array. •Achieved sensitivity as high as 379.0 μA cm{sup −2} mM{sup −1} and detection limit as low as 50 nM. •Achieved excellent anti-interference with aid of Nafion membrane towards UA and AA. •Enabled successful detection and quantification of glucose in human blood serum. -- Abstract: A highly sensitive amperometric nanobiosensor has been developed by integration of glucose oxidase (GO{sub x}) with a gold nanowires array (AuNWA) by cross-linking with a mixture of glutaraldehyde (GLA) and bovine serum albumin (BSA). An initial investigation of the morphology of the synthesized AuNWA by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and field emission transmission electron microscopy (FETEM) revealed that the nanowires array was highly ordered with rough surface, and the electrochemical features of the AuNWA with/without modification were also investigated. The integrated AuNWA–BSA–GLA–GO{sub x} nanobiosensor with Nafion membrane gave a very high sensitivity of 298.2 μA cm{sup −2} mM{sup −1} for amperometric detection of glucose, while also achieving a low detection limit of 0.1 μM, and a wide linear range of 5–6000 μM. Furthermore, the nanobiosensor exhibited excellent anti-interference ability towards uric acid (UA) and ascorbic acid (AA) with the aid of Nafion membrane, and the results obtained for the analysis of human blood serum indicated that the device is capable of glucose detection in real samples.

  20. High-field torque magnetometry for investigating magnetic anisotropy in Mn12-acetate nanomagnets

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cornia, Andrea; Affronte, Marco; Gatteschi, Dante; Jansen, Aloysius G.M.; Caneschi, Andrea; Sessoli, Roberta

    2001-01-01

    The single-molecule superparamagnet [Mn 12 O 12 (OAc) 16 (H 2 O) 4 ]·2AcOH·4H 2 O (Mn 12 -acetate) has attracted considerable attention because it shows exceedingly slow paramagnetic relaxation at low temperature. The cluster has S 4 symmetry in the solid state and comprises four Mn(IV) ions (S=((3)/(2))) and eight Mn(III) ions (S=2) which are magnetically coupled to give an S=10 ground state. The ground manifold is largely split in zero magnetic field and many efforts have been spent to determine the zero-field splitting (zfs) parameters α, β and γ appearing in the fourth-order spin-Hamiltonian H=αS z 2 +βS z 4 +γ(S + 4 +S - 4 )+μ B B·g·S. These are of paramount importance for defining the magnetic anisotropy of the cluster, which in turn determines the slow relaxation of the magnetization and quantum tunneling effects at low temperatures. We want to show that cantilever torque magnetometry in high fields is a suitable technique for determining second- and fourth-order anisotropic contributions in high-spin molecules, such as Mn 12 -acetate. The main advantage of the method lies in its high sensitivity which allows to use very small single crystals. Torque curves have been recorded at 4.2 K by applying the magnetic field (0-28 T) very close to the ab-plane of the tetragonal unit cell. The zfs parameters obtained by this procedure [α=-0.389(5) cm -1 and β=-8.4(5)x10 -4 cm -1 ] are in excellent agreement with those determined by spectroscopic techniques, such as high-frequency EPR and inelastic neutron scattering

  1. Volumetric localization of somatosensory cortex in children using synthetic aperture magnetometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xiang, Jing; Holowka, Stephanie; Chuang, Sylvester; Sharma, Rohit; Hunjan, Amrita; Otsubo, Hiroshi

    2003-01-01

    Magnetic signal from the human brain can be measured noninvasively by using magnetoencephalography (MEG). This study was designed to localize and reconstruct the neuromagnetic activity in the somatosensory cortex in children Twenty children were studied using a 151-channel MEG system with electrical stimulation applied to median nerves. Data were analyzed using synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM). A clear deflection (M1) was clearly identified in 18 children (90%, 18/20). Two frequency bands, 30-60 Hz and 60-120 Hz, were found to be related to somatosensory cortex. Magnetic activity was localized in the posterior bank of the central sulcus in 16 children. The extent of the reconstructed neuromagnetic activity of the left hemisphere was significantly larger than that of the right hemisphere (P<0.01). Somatosensory cortex was accurately localized by using SAM. The extent of the reconstructed neuromagnetic activity suggested that the left hemisphere was the dominant side in the somatosensory system in children. We postulate that the volumetric characteristics of the reconstructed neuromagnetic activity are able to indicate the functionality of the brain. (orig.)

  2. Programmable Ultra-Lightweight System Adaptable Radio Satellite Base Station

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varnavas, Kosta; Sims, Herb

    2015-01-01

    With the explosion of the CubeSat, small sat, and nanosat markets, the need for a robust, highly capable, yet affordable satellite base station, capable of telemetry capture and relay, is significant. The Programmable Ultra-Lightweight System Adaptable Radio (PULSAR) is NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) software-defined digital radio, developed with previous Technology Investment Programs and Technology Transfer Office resources. The current PULSAR will have achieved a Technology Readiness Level-6 by the end of FY 2014. The extensibility of the PULSAR will allow it to be adapted to perform the tasks of a mobile base station capable of commanding, receiving, and processing satellite, rover, or planetary probe data streams with an appropriate antenna.

  3. Fabrication of SnO2-Reduced Graphite Oxide Monolayer-Ordered Porous Film Gas Sensor with Tunable Sensitivity through Ultra-Violet Light Irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Shipu; Sun, Fengqiang; Yang, Shumin; Pan, Zizhao; Long, Jinfeng; Gu, Fenglong

    2015-01-01

    A new graphene-based composite structure, monolayer-ordered macroporous film composed of a layer of orderly arranged macropores, was reported. As an example, SnO2-reduced graphite oxide monolayer-ordered macroporous film was fabricated on a ceramic tube substrate under the irradiation of ultra-violet light (UV), by taking the latex microsphere two-dimensional colloid crystal as a template. Graphite oxide sheets dispersed in SnSO4 aqueous solution exhibited excellent affinity with template microspheres and were in situ incorporated into the pore walls during UV-induced growth of SnO2. The growing and the as-formed SnO2, just like other photocatalytic semiconductor, could be excited to produce electrons and holes under UV irradiation. Electrons reduced GO and holes adsorbed corresponding negative ions, which changed the properties of the composite film. This film was directly used as gas-sensor and was able to display high sensitivity in detecting ethanol gas. More interestingly, on the basis of SnO2-induced photochemical behaviours, this sensor demonstrated tunable sensitivity when UV irradiation time was controlled during the fabrication process and post in water, respectively. This study provides efficient ways of conducting the in situ fabrication of a semiconductor-reduced graphite oxide film device with uniform surface structure and controllable properties. PMID:25758292

  4. Anatase TiO{sub 2} hierarchical structures composed of ultra-thin nano-sheets exposing high percentage {0 0 1} facets and their application in quantum-dot sensitized solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Dapeng, E-mail: dpengwu@126.com [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Motive Power and Key Materials, Henan Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Zhang, Shuo; Jiang, Shiwei; He, Jinjin [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Jiang, Kai [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Motive Power and Key Materials, Henan Key Laboratory of Photovoltaic Materials, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, Henan 453007 (China)

    2015-03-05

    Graphical abstract: TiO{sub 2} hierarchical structures assembled from ultra-thin nanosheets exposing ∼90% {0 0 1} facets were employed as photoanode materials to improve the performance of CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells. - Highlights: • THSs composited of nanosheets exposing high percent {0 0 1} facets were prepared. • THSs improve the QDs loading amount and light scattering of the photoanode. • THSs suppress the carrier recombination and finally lead to ∼25% PCE improvement. - Abstract: TiO{sub 2} hierarchical structures (THSs) composed of ultra-thin nano-sheets exposing ∼90% {0 0 1} facets were prepared via a hydrothermal method. Time dependent trails revealed the formation of THSs experienced a self-assemble process. The as-prepared product were used as the photoanode materials for CdS/CdSe co-sensitized solar cells, and the THSs/nanoparticle hybrid photoanode demonstrated a power conversion efficiency of 3.47%, indicating ∼25% improvement compared with the nanoparticle cell.

  5. Dissemination of optical-comb-based ultra-broadband frequency reference through a fiber network.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nagano, Shigeo; Kumagai, Motohiro; Li, Ying; Ido, Tetsuya; Ishii, Shoken; Mizutani, Kohei; Aoki, Makoto; Otsuka, Ryohei; Hanado, Yuko

    2016-08-22

    We disseminated an ultra-broadband optical frequency reference based on a femtosecond (fs)-laser optical comb through a kilometer-scale fiber link. Its spectrum ranged from 1160 nm to 2180 nm without additional fs-laser combs at the end of the link. By employing a fiber-induced phase noise cancellation technique, the linewidth and fractional frequency instability attained for all disseminated comb modes were of order 1 Hz and 10-18 in a 5000 s averaging time. The ultra-broad optical frequency reference, for which absolute frequency is traceable to Japan Standard Time, was applied in the frequency stabilization of an injection-seeded Q-switched 2051 nm pulse laser for a coherent light detection and ranging LIDAR system.

  6. Study of plasma-based stable and ultra-wideband electromagnetic wave absorption for stealth application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xuyang, CHEN; Fangfang, SHEN; Yanming, LIU; Wei, AI; Xiaoping, LI

    2018-06-01

    A plasma-based stable, ultra-wideband electromagnetic (EM) wave absorber structure is studied in this paper for stealth applications. The stability is maintained by a multi-layer structure with several plasma layers and dielectric layers distributed alternately. The plasma in each plasma layer is designed to be uniform, whereas it has a discrete nonuniform distribution from the overall view of the structure. The nonuniform distribution of the plasma is the key to obtaining ultra-wideband wave absorption. A discrete Epstein distribution model is put forward to constrain the nonuniform electron density of the plasma layers, by which the wave absorption range is extended to the ultra-wideband. Then, the scattering matrix method (SMM) is employed to analyze the electromagnetic reflection and absorption of the absorber structure. In the simulation, the validation of the proposed structure and model in ultra-wideband EM wave absorption is first illustrated by comparing the nonuniform plasma model with the uniform case. Then, the influence of various parameters on the EM wave reflection of the plasma are simulated and analyzed in detail, verifying the EM wave absorption performance of the absorber. The proposed structure and model are expected to be superior in some realistic applications, such as supersonic aircraft.

  7. Ultra high-energy cosmic ray composition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Longley, N.P.

    1993-01-01

    The Soudan 2 surface-underground cosmic ray experiment can simultaneously measure surface shower size, underground muon multiplicity, and underground muon separation for ultra high energy cosmic ray showers. These measurements are sensitive to the primary composition. Analysis for energies from 10 1 to 10 4 TeV favors a light flux consisting of predominantly H and He nuclei

  8. A sensitive flow-batch system for on board determination of ultra-trace ammonium in seawater: Method development and shipboard application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Yong; Yuan, Dongxing; Huang, Yongming; Ma, Jian; Feng, Sichao

    2013-09-10

    Combining fluorescence detection with flow analysis and solid phase extraction (SPE), a highly sensitive and automatic flow system for measurement of ultra-trace ammonium in open ocean water was established. Determination was based on fluorescence detection of a typical product of o-phthaldialdehyde and ammonium. In this study, the fluorescence reaction product could be efficiently extracted onto an SPE cartridge (HLB, hydrophilic-lipophilic balance). The extracted fluorescence compounds were rapidly eluted with ethanol and directed into a flow cell for fluorescence detection. Compared with the common used fluorescence method, the proposed one offered the benefits of improved sensitivity, reduced reagent consumption, negligible salinity effect and lower cost. Experimental parameters were optimized using a univariate experimental design. Calibration curves, ranging from 1.67 to 300nM, were obtained with different reaction times. The recoveries were between 89.5 and 96.5%, and the detection limits in land-based and shipboard laboratories were 0.7 and 1.2nM, respectively. The relative standard deviation was 3.5% (n=5) for an aged seawater sample spiked with 20nM ammonium. Compared with the analytical results obtained using the indophenol blue method coupled to a long-path liquid waveguide capillary cell, the proposed method showed good agreement. The method had been applied on board during a South China Sea cruise in August 2012. A vertical profile of ammonium in the South East Asia Time-Series (SEATS, 18° N, 116° E) station was produced. The distribution of ammonium in the surface seawater of the Qiongdong upwelling in South China Sea is also presented. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Fast and sensitive analysis of beta blockers by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra-high-resolution TOF mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tomková, Jana; Ondra, Peter; Kocianová, Eva; Václavík, Jan

    2017-07-01

    This paper presents a method for the determination of acebutolol, betaxolol, bisoprolol, metoprolol, nebivolol and sotalol in human serum by liquid-liquid extraction and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ultra-high-resolution TOF mass spectrometry. After liquid-liquid extraction, beta blockers were separated on a reverse-phase analytical column (Acclaim RS 120; 100 × 2.1 mm, 2.2 μm). The total run time was 6 min for each sample. Linearity, limit of detection, limit of quantification, matrix effects, specificity, precision, accuracy, recovery and sample stability were evaluated. The method was successfully applied to the therapeutic drug monitoring of 108 patients with hypertension. This method was also used for determination of beta blockers in 33 intoxicated patients. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  10. Ultra-Long-Distance Hybrid BOTDA/Ф-OTDR

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun Fu

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available In the distributed optical fiber sensing (DOFS domain, simultaneous measurement of vibration and temperature/strain based on Rayleigh scattering and Brillouin scattering in fiber could have wide applications. However, there are certain challenges for the case of ultra-long sensing range, including the interplay of different scattering mechanisms, the interaction of two types of sensing signals, and the competition of pump power. In this paper, a hybrid DOFS system, which can simultaneously measure temperature/strain and vibration over 150 km, is elaborately designed via integrating the Brillouin optical time-domain analyzer (BOTDA and phase-sensitive optical time-domain reflectometry (Ф-OTDR. Distributed Raman and Brillouin amplifications, frequency division multiplexing (FDM, wavelength division multiplexing (WDM, and time division multiplexing (TDM are delicately fused to accommodate ultra-long-distance BOTDA and Ф-OTDR. Consequently, the sensing range of the hybrid system is 150.62 km, and the spatial resolution of BOTDA and Ф-OTDR are 9 m and 30 m, respectively. The measurement uncertainty of the BOTDA is ± 0.82 MHz. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that such hybrid DOFS is realized with a hundred-kilometer length scale.

  11. Record power, ultra-broadband supercontinuum source based on highly GeO2 doped silica fiber

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Jain, Deepak; Sidharthan, R.; Moselund, Peter M.

    2016-01-01

    the potential of germania based photonic crystal fiber or a step-index fiber supercontinuum source for high power ultra-broad band emission being by pumped a 1060 nm or a 1550 nm laser source. To the best of our knowledge, this is the record power, ultra-broadband, and all-fiberized supercontinuum light source...... based on silica and germania fiber ever demonstrated to the date. (C) 2016 Optical Society of America......We demonstrate highly germania doped fibers for mid-infrared supercontinuum generation. Experiments ensure a highest output power of 1.44 W for a broadest spectrum from 700 nm to 3200 nm and 6.4 W for 800 nm to 2700 nm from these fibers, while being pumped by a broadband Erbium-Ytterbium doped...

  12. ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT CEMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fred Sabins

    2001-01-01

    The objective of this project is to develop an improved ultra-lightweight cement using ultra-lightweight hollow glass spheres (ULHS). Work reported herein addresses Task 1: Assess Ultra-Lightweight Cementing Issues, Task 2: Review Russian Ultra-Lightweight Cement Literature, Task 3: Test Ultra-Lightweight Cements, and Task 8: Develop Field ULHS Cement Blending and Mixing Techniques. Results reported this quarter include: preliminary findings from a literature review focusing on problems associated with ultra-lightweight cements; summary of pertinent information from Russian ultra-lightweight cement literature review; laboratory tests comparing ULHS slurries to foamed slurries and sodium silicate slurries for two different applications; and initial laboratory studies with ULHS in preparation for a field job

  13. Application of graphene for preconcentration and highly sensitive stripping voltammetric analysis of organophosphate pesticide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu Shuo, E-mail: wushuo@dlut.edu.cn [School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023 (China); Lan Xiaoqin; Cui Lijun; Zhang Lihui; Tao Shengyang; Wang Hainan; Han Mei; Liu Zhiguang; Meng Changgong [School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116023 (China)

    2011-08-12

    Highlights: {yields} An electrochemical sensor is fabricated based on {beta}-CD dispersed graphene. {yields} The sensor could selectively detect organophosphate pesticide with high sensitivity. {yields} The {beta}-CD dispersed graphene owns large adsorption capacity for MP and superconductivity. {yields} The {beta}-CD dispersed graphene is superior to most of the porous sorbents ever known. - Abstract: Electrochemical reduced {beta}-cyclodextrin dispersed graphene ({beta}-CD-graphene) was developed as a sorbent for the preconcentration and electrochemical sensing of methyl parathion (MP), a representative nitroaromatic organophosphate pesticide with good redox activity. Benefited from the ultra-large surface area, large delocalized {pi}-electron system and the superconductivity of {beta}-CD-graphene, large amount of MP could be extracted on {beta}-CD-graphene modified electrode via strong {pi}-{pi} interaction and exhibited fast accumulation and electron transfer rate. Combined with differential pulse voltammetric analysis, the sensor shows ultra-high sensitivity, good selectivity and fast response. The limit of detection of 0.05 ppb is more than 10 times lower than those obtained from other sorbent based sensors. The method may open up a new possibility for the widespread use of electrochemical sensors for monitoring of ultra-trace OPs.

  14. High-field torque magnetometry for investigating magnetic anisotropy in Mn{sub 12}-acetate nanomagnets

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cornia, Andrea E-mail: acornia@unimo.it; Affronte, Marco; Gatteschi, Dante; Jansen, Aloysius G.M.; Caneschi, Andrea; Sessoli, Roberta

    2001-05-01

    The single-molecule superparamagnet [Mn{sub 12}O{sub 12}(OAc){sub 16}(H{sub 2}O){sub 4}]{center_dot}2AcOH{center_dot}4H{sub 2}O (Mn{sub 12}-acetate) has attracted considerable attention because it shows exceedingly slow paramagnetic relaxation at low temperature. The cluster has S{sub 4} symmetry in the solid state and comprises four Mn(IV) ions (S=((3)/(2))) and eight Mn(III) ions (S=2) which are magnetically coupled to give an S=10 ground state. The ground manifold is largely split in zero magnetic field and many efforts have been spent to determine the zero-field splitting (zfs) parameters {alpha}, {beta} and {gamma} appearing in the fourth-order spin-Hamiltonian H={alpha}S{sub z}{sup 2}+{beta}S{sub z}{sup 4}+{gamma}(S{sub +}{sup 4}+S{sub -}{sup 4})+{mu}{sub B}B{center_dot}g{center_dot}S. These are of paramount importance for defining the magnetic anisotropy of the cluster, which in turn determines the slow relaxation of the magnetization and quantum tunneling effects at low temperatures. We want to show that cantilever torque magnetometry in high fields is a suitable technique for determining second- and fourth-order anisotropic contributions in high-spin molecules, such as Mn{sub 12}-acetate. The main advantage of the method lies in its high sensitivity which allows to use very small single crystals. Torque curves have been recorded at 4.2 K by applying the magnetic field (0-28 T) very close to the ab-plane of the tetragonal unit cell. The zfs parameters obtained by this procedure [{alpha}=-0.389(5) cm{sup -1} and {beta}=-8.4(5)x10{sup -4} cm{sup -1}] are in excellent agreement with those determined by spectroscopic techniques, such as high-frequency EPR and inelastic neutron scattering.

  15. Design of an Ultra-wideband Pseudo Random Coded MIMO Radar Based on Radio Frequency Switches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Su Hai

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available A Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO ultra-wideband radar can detect the range and azimuth information of targets in real time. It is widely used for geological surveys, life rescue, through-wall tracking, and other military or civil fields. This paper presents the design of an ultra-wideband pseudo random coded MIMO radar that is based on Radio Frequency (RF switches and implements a MIMO radar system. RF switches are employed to reduce cost and complexity of the system. As the switch pressure value is limited, the peak power of the transmitting signal is 18 dBm. The ultra-wideband radar echo is obtained by hybrid sampling, and pulse compression is computed by Digital Signal Processors (DSPs embedded in an Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA to simplify the signal process. The experiment illustrates that the radar system can detect the range and azimuth information of targets in real time.

  16. Concept of modular flexure-based mechanisms for ultra-high precision robot design

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Richard

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available This paper introduces a new concept of modular flexure-based mechanisms to design industrial ultra-high precision robots, which aims at significantly reducing both the complexity of their design and their development time. This modular concept can be considered as a robotic Lego, where a finite number of building bricks is used to quickly build a high-precision robot. The core of the concept is the transformation of a 3-D design problem into several 2-D ones, which are simpler and well-mastered. This paper will first briefly present the theoretical bases of this methodology and the requirements of both types of building bricks: the active and the passive bricks. The section dedicated to the design of the active bricks will detail the current research directions, mainly the maximisation of the strokes and the development of an actuation sub-brick. As for the passive bricks, some examples will be presented, and a discussion regarding the establishment of a mechanical solution catalogue will conclude the section. Last, this modular concept will be illustrated with a practical example, consisting in the design of a 5-degree of freedom ultra-high precision robot.

  17. Ultra-Low-Noise Sub-mm/Far-IR Detectors for Space-Based Telescopes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rostem, Karwan

    The sub-mm and Far-IR spectrum is rich with information from a wide range of astrophysical sources, including exoplanet atmospheres and galaxies at the peak star formation. In the 10-400 μm range, the spectral lines of important chemical species such H2O, HD, and [OI] can be used to map the formation and evolution of planetary systems. Dust emission in this spectral range is also an important tool for characterizing the morphology of debris disks and interstellar magnetic fields. At larger scales, accessing the formation and distribution of luminous Far-IR and sub-mm galaxies is essential to understanding star formation triggers, as well as the last stages of reionization at z 6. Detector technology is essential to realizing the full science potential of a next-generation Far-IR space telescope (Far-IR Surveyor). The technology gap in large-format, low-noise and ultra-low-noise Far-IR direct detectors is specifically highlighted by NASA's Cosmic Origins Program, and prioritized for development now to enable a flagship mission such as the Far-IR Surveyor that will address the key Cosmic Origins science questions of the next two decades. The detector requirements for a mid-resolution spectrometer are as follows: (1) Highly sensitive detectors with performance approaching 10^-19 - 10^-20 WHz 1/2 for background- limited operation in telescopes with cold optics. (2) Detector time constant in the sub- millisecond range. (3) Scalable architecture to a kilo pixel array with uniform detector characteristics. (4) Compatibility with space operation in the presence of particle radiation. We propose phononic crystals to meet the requirements of ultra-low-noise thermal detectors. By design, a phononic crystal exhibits phonon bandgaps where heat transport is forbidden. The size and location of the bandgaps depend on the elastic properties of the dielectric and the geometry of the phononic unit cell. A wide-bandwidth low-pass thermal filter with a cut-off frequency of 1.5 GHz and

  18. Ultra-small and broadband polarization splitters based on double-slit interference

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, Chengwei; Li, Hongyun [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Gong, Qihuang; Chen, Jianjun, E-mail: jjchern@pku.edu.cn [State Key Laboratory for Mesoscopic Physics, Collaborative Innovation Center of Quantum Matter, Department of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China); Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030006 (China)

    2016-03-07

    An ultra-small and broadband polarization splitter is numerically and experimentally demonstrated based on the double-slit interference in a polymer-film-coated double-slit structure. The hybrid slab waveguide (air-polymer-Au) supports both the transverse-magnetic and transverse-electric modes. The incident beam from the back side can excite these two guided modes of orthogonally polarized states in the hybrid structure. By exploiting the difference slit widths and the large mode birefringence, these two guided modes propagate to the opposite directions along the front metal surface. Moreover, the short interference length broadens the operation bandwidth. Experimentally, a polarization splitter with a lateral dimension of only about 1.6 μm and an operation bandwidth of 50 nm is realized. By designing the double-slit structure in a hybrid strip waveguide, the device dimension can be significant downscaled to about 0.3 × 1.3 μm{sup 2}. Such an ultra-small and broadband polarization splitter may find important applications in the integrated photonic circuits.

  19. Li-Ion, Ultra-capacitor Based Hybrid Energy Module

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Daboussi, Zaher; Paryani, Anil; Khalil, Gus; Catherino, Henry; Gargies, Sonya

    2007-01-01

    Ultra-capacitors in multi kilo-farad ranges are now starting to be considered as alternatives or complimentary to batteries for products ranging from toys to hybrid vehicles as well as for space applications...

  20. Consumers' conceptualization of ultra-processed foods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ares, Gastón; Vidal, Leticia; Allegue, Gimena; Giménez, Ana; Bandeira, Elisa; Moratorio, Ximena; Molina, Verónika; Curutchet, María Rosa

    2016-10-01

    Consumption of ultra-processed foods has been associated with low diet quality, obesity and other non-communicable diseases. This situation makes it necessary to develop educational campaigns to discourage consumers from substituting meals based on unprocessed or minimally processed foods by ultra-processed foods. In this context, the aim of the present work was to investigate how consumers conceptualize the term ultra-processed foods and to evaluate if the foods they perceive as ultra-processed are in concordance with the products included in the NOVA classification system. An online study was carried out with 2381 participants. They were asked to explain what they understood by ultra-processed foods and to list foods that can be considered ultra-processed. Responses were analysed using inductive coding. The great majority of the participants was able to provide an explanation of what ultra-processed foods are, which was similar to the definition described in the literature. Most of the participants described ultra-processed foods as highly processed products that usually contain additives and other artificial ingredients, stressing that they have low nutritional quality and are unhealthful. The most relevant products for consumers' conceptualization of the term were in agreement with the NOVA classification system and included processed meats, soft drinks, snacks, burgers, powdered and packaged soups and noodles. However, some of the participants perceived processed foods, culinary ingredients and even some minimally processed foods as ultra-processed. This suggests that in order to accurately convey their message, educational campaigns aimed at discouraging consumers from consuming ultra-processed foods should include a clear definition of the term and describe some of their specific characteristics, such as the type of ingredients included in their formulation and their nutritional composition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Design and Control of a Multiple Input DC/DC Converter for Battery/Ultra-capacitor Based Electric Vehicle Power System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schaltz, Erik; Li, Zhihao; Onar, Omer

    2009-01-01

    Battery/Ultra-capacitor based electrical vehicles (EV) combine two energy sources with different voltage levels and current characteristics. This paper focuses on design and control of a multiple input DC/DC converter, to regulate output voltage from different inputs. The proposed multi-input con......Battery/Ultra-capacitor based electrical vehicles (EV) combine two energy sources with different voltage levels and current characteristics. This paper focuses on design and control of a multiple input DC/DC converter, to regulate output voltage from different inputs. The proposed multi...

  2. Advances in ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for sensitive detection of several food allergens in complex and processed foodstuffs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Planque, M; Arnould, T; Dieu, M; Delahaut, P; Renard, P; Gillard, N

    2016-09-16

    Sensitive detection of food allergens is affected by food processing and foodstuff complexity. It is therefore a challenge to detect cross-contamination in food production that could endanger an allergic customer's life. Here we used ultra-high performance liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry for simultaneous detection of traces of milk (casein, whey protein), egg (yolk, white), soybean, and peanut allergens in different complex and/or heat-processed foodstuffs. The method is based on a single protocol (extraction, trypsin digestion, and purification) applicable to the different tested foodstuffs: chocolate, ice cream, tomato sauce, and processed cookies. The determined limits of quantitation, expressed in total milk, egg, peanut, or soy proteins (and not soluble proteins) per kilogram of food, are: 0.5mg/kg for milk (detection of caseins), 5mg/kg for milk (detection of whey), 2.5mg/kg for peanut, 5mg/kg for soy, 3.4mg/kg for egg (detection of egg white), and 30.8mg/kg for egg (detection of egg yolk). The main advantage is the ability of the method to detect four major food allergens simultaneously in processed and complex matrices with very high sensitivity and specificity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Tc-99m Labeled Red Blood Cell by Ultra Tag RBC Kit in Patients Suspected of Gastrointestinal Bleeding

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pusuwan, Pawana; Leaungwutiwong, Suraphong; Tocharoenchai, Chiraporn; Chaiwatanarat, Tawatchai; Sirisatipoch, Sasitorn; Rajadara, Samart; Naktong, Thanyada; Thanyarak, Sucheera

    2001-06-01

    Twenty patients suspected of gastrointestinal bleeding who underwent Tc-99m labeled red blood cell (RBC) by ultraTag RBC kit at Division of Nuclear Medicine, Bumrungrad Hospital between January 2000 and December 2002 were studied. The histories of patients together with either endoscopic results or angiographic findings or pathological reports were used as gold standards. Two by Two decision matrix was used for data analysis and the sensitivity together with specificity were calculated. The results show that the sensitivity and specificity of Tc-99m labeled RBC by ultraTag RBC kit are 87.5% and 91.7%, respectively. We conclude that Tc-99m labeled RBC by ultraTag RBC kit gives high percentages of sensitivity and specificity. Moreover, the image quality is improved because of the absence of free Tc-99m pertechnetate uptake in the stomach in all patients

  4. Ultra-Sensitive Transition-Edge Sensors for the Background Limited Infrared/Sub-mm Spectrograph (BLISS)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyer, A. D.; Kenyon, M. E.; Echternach, P. M.; Chui, T.; Eom, B.-H.; Day, P. K.; Bock, J. J.; Holmes, W.A.; Bradford, C. M.

    2011-01-01

    We report progress in fabricating ultra-sensitive superconducting transition-edge sensors (TESs) for BLISS. BLISS is a suite of grating spectrometers covering 35-433 micron with R approx. 700 cooled to 50 mK that is proposed to fly on the Japanese space telescope SPICA. The detector arrays for BLISS are TES bolometers readout with a time domain SQUID multiplexer. The required noise equivalent power (NEP) for BLISS is NEP = 10(exp -19) W/Hz(exp 1/2) with an ultimate goal of NEP= 5 x 10(exp -20) W/Hz(exp 1/2) to achieve background limited noise performance. The required and goal response times are tau = 150 ms and tau = 50ms respectively to achieve the NEP at the required and goal optical chop frequency 1-5 Hz. We measured prototype BLISS arrays and have achieved NEP = 6 x 10(exp -18) W/Hz(exp 1/2) and tau = 1.4 ms with a Ti TES (T(sub C) = 565 mK) and NEP approx. 2.5 x 10(exp -19) W/Hz(exp 1/2) and tau approximates 4.5 ms with an Ir TES (T(sub C) = 130 mK). Dark power for these tests is estimated at 1-5 fW.

  5. Photodetector of ultra-violet radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dorogan, V.; Vieru, T.; Coseac, V.; Chirita, F.

    1999-01-01

    The invention relates to photodetectors on the semiconductors base, in particular, to photodetectors of ultra-violet radiation and can be used in the optoelectronics systems for determining the intensity and dose of ultraviolet radiation emitted by the Sun and other sources. In the structure of the photodetector of ultraviolet radiation with a superficial potential barrier formed of semiconductors A 3 B 5 with the prohibited power width Eg 1 , solid solutions thereof with the prohibited power width Eg 2 and SnO 2 or ITO, in the semiconductors A 3 B 5 at a surface distance less than the absorption length of the visible radiation it is formed an isotype heterojunction between the semiconductors A 3 B 5 and solid solutions thereof with the prohibited power width Eg 2 > Eg 1 . The technical result consists in manufacturing of a photodetector sensitive solely to the ultraviolet radiation

  6. Tracing discharges of plutonium and technetium from nuclear processing plants by ultra-sensitive accelerator mass spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fifield, L.K.; Hausladen, P.A.; Cresswell, R.G.; Di Tada, M.L.; Day, J.P.; Carling, R.S.; Oughton, D.H.

    1999-01-01

    Historical discharges of plutonium from the Russian nuclear processing plant at Mayak in the Urals have been traced in sediments, soils and river water using ultra-sensitive detection of plutonium isotopes by accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS). Significant advantages of AMS over other techniques are its very high sensitivity. which is presently ∼10 6 atoms (1 μBq), and its ability to determine the 240 Pu/ 239 Pu ratio. The latter is a sensitive indicator of the source of the plutonium, being very low (1-2%) for weapons grade plutonium, and higher (∼ 20%) for plutonium from civil reactors or fallout from nuclear weapons testing. Since this ratio has changed significantly over the years of discharges from Mayak, a measurement can provide important information about the source of plutonium at a particular location. Similar measurements have been performed on samples from the Kara Sea which contains a graveyard of nuclear submarines from the former Soviet Union. AMS techniques have also been developed for detection of 99 Tc down to levels of a few femtograms. This isotope is one of the most prolific fission products and has a very long half-life of 220 ka. Hundreds of kg have been discharged from the nuclear reprocessing plant at Sellafield in the UK. While there may be public health issues associated with these discharges which can be addressed with AMS, these discharges may also constitute a valuable oceanographic tracer experiment in this climatically-important region of the world's oceans. Applications to date have included a human uptake study to assess long-term retention of 99 Tc in the body, and a survey of seaweeds from northern Europe to establish a baseline for a future oceanographic study

  7. Kernel based methods for accelerated failure time model with ultra-high dimensional data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiang Feng

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Most genomic data have ultra-high dimensions with more than 10,000 genes (probes. Regularization methods with L1 and Lp penalty have been extensively studied in survival analysis with high-dimensional genomic data. However, when the sample size n ≪ m (the number of genes, directly identifying a small subset of genes from ultra-high (m > 10, 000 dimensional data is time-consuming and not computationally efficient. In current microarray analysis, what people really do is select a couple of thousands (or hundreds of genes using univariate analysis or statistical tests, and then apply the LASSO-type penalty to further reduce the number of disease associated genes. This two-step procedure may introduce bias and inaccuracy and lead us to miss biologically important genes. Results The accelerated failure time (AFT model is a linear regression model and a useful alternative to the Cox model for survival analysis. In this paper, we propose a nonlinear kernel based AFT model and an efficient variable selection method with adaptive kernel ridge regression. Our proposed variable selection method is based on the kernel matrix and dual problem with a much smaller n × n matrix. It is very efficient when the number of unknown variables (genes is much larger than the number of samples. Moreover, the primal variables are explicitly updated and the sparsity in the solution is exploited. Conclusions Our proposed methods can simultaneously identify survival associated prognostic factors and predict survival outcomes with ultra-high dimensional genomic data. We have demonstrated the performance of our methods with both simulation and real data. The proposed method performs superbly with limited computational studies.

  8. Impedance self-matching ultra-narrow linewidth fiber resonator by use of a tunable π-phase-shifted FBG.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jing, Mingyong; Yu, Bo; Hu, Jianyong; Hou, Huifang; Zhang, Guofeng; Xiao, Liantuan; Jia, Suotang

    2017-05-15

    In this paper, we present a novel ultra-narrow linewidth fiber resonator formed by a tunable polarization maintaining (PM) π-phase-shifted fiber Bragg grating and a PM uniform fiber Bragg grating with a certain length of PM single mode fiber patch cable between them. Theoretical prediction shows that this resonator has ultra-narrow linewidth resonant peaks and is easy to realize impedance matching. We experimentally obtain 3 MHz narrow linewidth impedance matched resonant peak in a 7.3 m ultra-long passive fiber cavity. The impedance self-matching characteristic of this resonator also makes itself particularly suitable for use in ultra-sensitive sensors, ultra-narrow band rejection optical filters and fiber lasers applications.

  9. Laser-assisted synthesis of ultra-small anatase TiO{sub 2} nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Amin, M. [Department of Physics, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 (United States); Tomko, J.; Naddeo, J.J.; Jimenez, R.; Bubb, D.M. [Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08102 (United States); Steiner, M.; Fitz-Gerald, J. [Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904 (United States); O’Malley, S.M., E-mail: omallese@camden.rutgers.edu [Department of Physics, Rutgers University, Camden, NJ 08102 (United States)

    2015-09-01

    Highlights: • Transformation of polymorphic TiO{sub 2} NPs to ultra-small particles via laser processing. • Bandgap shift explained by quantum confinement and the Brus model. • High-frequency shockwave ripples related to laser induced stress-wave reflections. • Visible light sensitization observed for LAL prepared polymorphic particles. - Abstract: Titanium dioxide is one of the most important materials today in terms of green technology. In this work, we synthesis ultra-small titanium dioxide nanoparticles (NPs) via a two step process involving infrared laser ablation of a bulk titanium target in DDI water and subsequent irradiation of the colloidal solution with visible light. The as-prepared NPs contain defect states related to oxygen vacancies which lead to visible light sensitization as observed by photodegradation of methylene blue. Irradiation of the colloidal TiO{sub 2} solution, with a 532 nm picosecond laser, lead to fragmentation and ultimate formation of ultra-small (<3 nm) anatase particles. Shadowgraph was utilized to capture shockwave and cavitation bubble propagation during both the ablation and fragmentation processes. High-frequency ripples within the primary shockwave are identified as coming from laser induced stress-wave reflections within the metal target. A blueshift of the bandgap, for the ultra-small NPs, is explained by quantum confinement effects and rationalized using the Brus model.

  10. Compact Liquid Crystal Based Tunable Band-Stop Filter with an Ultra-Wide Stopband by Using Wave Interference Technique

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Longzhu Cai

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available A wave interference filtering section that consists of three stubs of different lengths, each with an individual stopband of its own central frequency, is reported here for the design of band-stop filters (BSFs with ultra-wide and sharp stopbands as well as large attenuation characteristics. The superposition of the individual stopbands provides the coverage over an ultra-wide frequency range. Equations and guidelines are presented for the application of a new wave interference technique to adjust the rejection level and width of its stopband. Based on that, an electrically tunable ultra-wide stopband BSF using a liquid crystal (LC material for ultra-wideband (UWB applications is designed. Careful treatment of the bent stubs, including impedance matching of the main microstrip line and bent stubs together with that of the SMA connectors and impedance adaptors, was carried out for the compactness and minimum insertion and reflection losses. The experimental results of the fabricated device agree very well with that of the simulation. The centre rejection frequency as measured can be tuned between 4.434 and 4.814 GHz when a biased voltage of 0–20 Vrms is used. The 3 dB and 25 dB stopband bandwidths were 4.86 GHz and 2.51 GHz, respectively, which are larger than that of other recently reported LC based tunable BSFs.

  11. Stray-field-induced Faraday contributions in wide-field Kerr microscopy and -magnetometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Markó, D.; Soldatov, I.; Tekielak, M.; Schäfer, R.

    2015-01-01

    The magnetic domain contrast in wide-field Kerr microscopy on bulk specimens can be substantially distorted by non-linear, field-dependent Faraday rotations in the objective lens that are caused by stray-field components emerging from the specimen. These Faraday contributions, which were detected by Kerr-magnetometry on grain-oriented iron–silicon steel samples, are thoroughly elaborated and characterized. They express themselves as a field-dependent gray-scale offset to the domain contrast and in highly distorted surface magnetization curves if optically measured in a wide field Kerr microscope. An experimental method to avoid such distortions is suggested. In the course of these studies, a low-permeability part in the surface magnetization loop of slightly misoriented (110)-surfaces in iron–silicon sheets was discovered that is attributed to demagnetization effects in direction perpendicular to the sheet surface. - Highlights: • Magnetizing a finite sample in a Kerr microscope leads to sample-generated stray-fields. • They cause non-linear, field- and position-dependent Faraday rotations in the objective. • This leads to a modulation of the Kerr contrast and to distorted MOKE loops. • A method to compensate these Faraday rotations is presented

  12. Performance analysis of InSb based QWFET for ultra high speed applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Subash, T. D.; Gnanasekaran, T.; Divya, C.

    2015-01-01

    An indium antimonide based QWFET (quantum well field effect transistor) with the gate length down to 50 nm has been designed and investigated for the first time for L-band radar applications at 230 GHz. QWFETs are designed at the high performance node of the International Technology Road Map for Semiconductors (ITRS) requirements of drive current (Semiconductor Industry Association 2010). The performance of the device is investigated using the SYNOPSYS CAD (TCAD) software. InSb based QWFET could be a promising device technology for very low power and ultra-high speed performance with 5–10 times low DC power dissipation. (semiconductor devices)

  13. High-throughput, Highly Sensitive Analyses of Bacterial Morphogenesis Using Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Desmarais, Samantha M.; Tropini, Carolina; Miguel, Amanda; Cava, Felipe; Monds, Russell D.; de Pedro, Miguel A.; Huang, Kerwyn Casey

    2015-01-01

    The bacterial cell wall is a network of glycan strands cross-linked by short peptides (peptidoglycan); it is responsible for the mechanical integrity of the cell and shape determination. Liquid chromatography can be used to measure the abundance of the muropeptide subunits composing the cell wall. Characteristics such as the degree of cross-linking and average glycan strand length are known to vary across species. However, a systematic comparison among strains of a given species has yet to be undertaken, making it difficult to assess the origins of variability in peptidoglycan composition. We present a protocol for muropeptide analysis using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and demonstrate that UPLC achieves resolution comparable with that of HPLC while requiring orders of magnitude less injection volume and a fraction of the elution time. We also developed a software platform to automate the identification and quantification of chromatographic peaks, which we demonstrate has improved accuracy relative to other software. This combined experimental and computational methodology revealed that peptidoglycan composition was approximately maintained across strains from three Gram-negative species despite taxonomical and morphological differences. Peptidoglycan composition and density were maintained after we systematically altered cell size in Escherichia coli using the antibiotic A22, indicating that cell shape is largely decoupled from the biochemistry of peptidoglycan synthesis. High-throughput, sensitive UPLC combined with our automated software for chromatographic analysis will accelerate the discovery of peptidoglycan composition and the molecular mechanisms of cell wall structure determination. PMID:26468288

  14. Ultra-Sensitive Humidity Sensor Based on Optical Properties of Graphene Oxide and Nano-Anatase TiO2.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghadiry, Mahdiar; Gholami, Mehrdad; Lai, C K; Ahmad, Harith; Chong, W Y

    2016-01-01

    Generally, in a waveguide-based humidity sensors, increasing the relative humidity (RH) causes the cladding refractive index (RI) to increase due to cladding water absorption. However, if graphene oxide (GO) is used, a reverse phenomenon is seen due to a gap increase in graphene layers. In this paper, this interesting property is applied in order to fabricate differential humidity sensor using the difference between RI of reduced GO (rGO) and nano-anatase TiO2 in a chip. First, a new approach is proposed to prepare high quality nano-anatase TiO2 in solution form making the fabrication process simple and straightforward. Then, the resulted solutions (TiO2 and GO) are effortlessly drop casted and reduced on SU8 two channels waveguide and extensively examined against several humid conditions. Investigating the sensitivity and performance (response time) of the device, reveals a great linearity in a wide range of RH (35% to 98%) and a variation of more than 30 dB in transmitted optical power with a response time of only ~0.7 sec. The effect of coating concentration and UV treatment are studied on the performance and repeatability of the sensor and the attributed mechanisms explained. In addition, we report that using the current approach, devices with high sensitivity and very low response time of only 0.3 sec can be fabricated. Also, the proposed device was comprehensively compared with other state of the art proposed sensors in the literature and the results were promising. Since high sensitivity ~0.47dB/%RH and high dynamic performances were demonstrated, this sensor is a proper choice for biomedical applications.

  15. Ultra-Sensitive Humidity Sensor Based on Optical Properties of Graphene Oxide and Nano-Anatase TiO2.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahdiar Ghadiry

    Full Text Available Generally, in a waveguide-based humidity sensors, increasing the relative humidity (RH causes the cladding refractive index (RI to increase due to cladding water absorption. However, if graphene oxide (GO is used, a reverse phenomenon is seen due to a gap increase in graphene layers. In this paper, this interesting property is applied in order to fabricate differential humidity sensor using the difference between RI of reduced GO (rGO and nano-anatase TiO2 in a chip. First, a new approach is proposed to prepare high quality nano-anatase TiO2 in solution form making the fabrication process simple and straightforward. Then, the resulted solutions (TiO2 and GO are effortlessly drop casted and reduced on SU8 two channels waveguide and extensively examined against several humid conditions. Investigating the sensitivity and performance (response time of the device, reveals a great linearity in a wide range of RH (35% to 98% and a variation of more than 30 dB in transmitted optical power with a response time of only ~0.7 sec. The effect of coating concentration and UV treatment are studied on the performance and repeatability of the sensor and the attributed mechanisms explained. In addition, we report that using the current approach, devices with high sensitivity and very low response time of only 0.3 sec can be fabricated. Also, the proposed device was comprehensively compared with other state of the art proposed sensors in the literature and the results were promising. Since high sensitivity ~0.47dB/%RH and high dynamic performances were demonstrated, this sensor is a proper choice for biomedical applications.

  16. Ultra-high-speed Optical Signal Processing using Silicon Photonics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Oxenløwe, Leif Katsuo; Ji, Hua; Jensen, Asger Sellerup

    with a photonic layer on top to interconnect them. For such systems, silicon is an attractive candidate enabling both electronic and photonic control. For some network scenarios, it may be beneficial to use optical on-chip packet switching, and for high data-density environments one may take advantage...... of the ultra-fast nonlinear response of silicon photonic waveguides. These chips offer ultra-broadband wavelength operation, ultra-high timing resolution and ultra-fast response, and when used appropriately offer energy-efficient switching. In this presentation we review some all-optical functionalities based...... on silicon photonics. In particular we use nano-engineered silicon waveguides (nanowires) [1] enabling efficient phasematched four-wave mixing (FWM), cross-phase modulation (XPM) or self-phase modulation (SPM) for ultra-high-speed optical signal processing of ultra-high bit rate serial data signals. We show...

  17. Efficient CO2 sorbents based on silica foam with ultra-large mesopores

    KAUST Repository

    Qi, Genggeng; Fu, Liling; Choi, Brian Hyun; Giannelis, Emmanuel P.

    2012-01-01

    A series of high-capacity, amine impregnated sorbents based on a cost-effective silica foam with ultra-large mesopores is reported. The sorbents exhibit fast CO2 capture kinetics, high adsorption capacity (of up to 5.8 mmol g-1 under 1 atm of dry CO2), as well as good stability over multiple adsorption-desorption cycles. A simple theoretical analysis is provided relating the support structure to sorbent performance. © 2012 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

  18. Synchrotron-radiation XPS analysis of ultra-thin silane films: Specifying the organic silicon

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dietrich, Paul M., E-mail: paul.dietrich@yahoo.de [Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und – prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany); Glamsch, Stephan [Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und – prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany); Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Fabeckstr. 34/36, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Ehlert, Christopher [Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und – prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany); Institut für Chemie, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476 Potsdam (Germany); Lippitz, Andreas [Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und – prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany); Kulak, Nora [Freie Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Fabeckstr. 34/36, 14195 Berlin (Germany); Unger, Wolfgang E.S. [Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung und – prüfung (BAM), Unter den Eichen 87, 12205 Berlin (Germany)

    2016-02-15

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • A synchrotron-based XPS method to analyze ultra-thin silane films is presented. • Specification and quantification of organic next to inorganic silicon is demonstrated. • Non-destructive chemical depth profiles of the silane monolayers were obtained. - Abstract: The analysis of chemical and elemental in-depth variations in ultra-thin organic layers with thicknesses below 5 nm is very challenging. Energy- and angle-resolved XPS (ER/AR-XPS) opens up the possibility for non-destructive chemical ultra-shallow depth profiling of the outermost surface layer of ultra-thin organic films due to its exceptional surface sensitivity. For common organic materials a reliable chemical in-depth analysis with a lower limit of the XPS information depth z{sub 95} of about 1 nm can be performed. As a proof-of-principle example with relevance for industrial applications the ER/AR-XPS analysis of different organic monolayers made of amino- or benzamidosilane molecules on silicon oxide surfaces is presented. It is demonstrated how to use the Si 2p core-level region to non-destructively depth-profile the organic (silane monolayer) – inorganic (SiO{sub 2}/Si) interface and how to quantify Si species, ranging from elemental silicon over native silicon oxide to the silane itself. The main advantage of the applied ER/AR-XPS method is the improved specification of organic from inorganic silicon components in Si 2p core-level spectra with exceptional low uncertainties compared to conventional laboratory XPS.

  19. Ultra-sensitive quasi-distributed temperature sensor based on an apodized fiber Bragg grating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohammed, Nazmi A; El Serafy, Hatem O

    2018-01-10

    This work targets a remarkable quasi-distributed temperature sensor based on an apodized fiber Bragg grating. To achieve this, the mathematical formula for a proposed apodization function is carried out and tested. Then, an optimization parametric process required to achieve the remarkable accuracy that is based on coupled mode theory (CMT) is done. A detailed investigation for the side lobe analysis, which is a primary judgment factor, especially in quasi-distributed configuration, is investigated. A comparison between elite selection of apodization profiles (extracted from related literatures) and the proposed modified-Nuttal profile is carried out covering reflectivity peak, full width half maximum (FWHM), and side lobe analysis. The optimization process concludes that the proposed modified-Nuttal profile with a length (L) of 15 mm and refractive index modulation amplitude (Δn) of 1.4×10 -4 is the optimum choice for single-stage and quasi-distributed temperature sensor networks. At previous values, the proposed profile achieves an acceptable reflectivity peak of 10 -0.426   dB, acceptable FWHM of 0.0808 nm, lowest side lobe maximum (SL max) of 7.037×10 -12   dB, lowest side lobe average (SL avg) of 3.883×10 -12   dB, and lowest side lobe suppression ratio (SLSR) of 1.875×10 -11   dB. These optimized characteristics lead to an accurate single-stage sensor with a temperature sensitivity of 0.0136 nm/°C. For the quasi-distributed scenario, a noteworthy total isolation of 91 dB is achieved without temperature, and an isolation of 4.83 dB is achieved while applying temperature of 110°C for a five-stage temperature-sensing network. Further investigation is made proving that consistency in choosing the apodization profile in the quasi-distributed network is mandatory. If the consistency condition is violated, the proposed profile still survives with a casualty of side lobe level rise of -73.2070  dB when adding uniform apodization and

  20. Highly vibrationally excited O2 molecules in low-pressure inductively-coupled plasmas detected by high sensitivity ultra-broad-band optical absorption spectroscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Foucher, Mickaël; Marinov, Daniil; Carbone, Emile; Chabert, Pascal; Booth, Jean-Paul

    2015-08-01

    Inductively-coupled plasmas in pure O2 (at pressures of 5-80 mTorr and radiofrequency power up to 500 W) were studied by optical absorption spectroscopy over the spectral range 200-450 nm, showing the presence of highly vibrationally excited O2 molecules (up to vʺ = 18) by Schumann-Runge band absorption. Analysis of the relative band intensities indicates a vibrational temperature up to 10,000 K, but these hot molecules only represent a fraction of the total O2 density. By analysing the (11-0) band at higher spectral resolution the O2 rotational temperature was also determined, and was found to increase with both pressure and power, reaching 900 K at 80 mTorr 500 W. These measurements were achieved using a new high-sensitivity ultra-broad-band absorption spectroscopy setup, based on a laser-plasma light source, achromatic optics and an aberration-corrected spectrograph. This setup allows the measurement of weak broadband absorbances due to a baseline variability lower than 2   ×   10-5 across a spectral range of 250 nm.

  1. Ultra Low Concentration Adsorption Equilibria

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Mahle, John J; Buettner, Leonard C; LeVan, M. D; Schindler, Bryan J

    2006-01-01

    .... Specifically this work focuses on novel experimental and modeling methods to characterize and predict at ultra-low chemical vapor concentrations the protection afforded by adsorption-based vapor filtration systems...

  2. Ultra-low-noise transition edge sensors for the SAFARI L-band on SPICA

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldie, D. J.; Gao, J. R.; Glowacka, D. M.; Griffin, D. K.; Hijmering, R.; Khosropanah, P.; Jackson, B. D.; Mauskopf, P. D.; Morozov, D.; Murphy, J. A.; Ridder, M.; Trappe, N.; O'Sullivan, C.; Withington, S.

    2012-09-01

    The Far-Infrared Fourier transform spectrometer instrument SAFARI-SPICA which will operate with cooled optics in a low-background space environment requires ultra-sensitive detector arrays with high optical coupling efficiencies over extremely wide bandwidths. In earlier papers we described the design, fabrication and performance of ultra-low-noise Transition Edge Sensors (TESs) operated close to 100mk having dark Noise Equivalent Powers (NEPs) of order 4 × 10-19W/√Hz close to the phonon noise limit and an improvement of two orders of magnitude over TESs for ground-based applications. Here we describe the design, fabrication and testing of 388-element arrays of MoAu TESs integrated with far-infrared absorbers and optical coupling structures in a geometry appropriate for the SAFARI L-band (110 - 210 μm). The measured performance shows intrinsic response time τ ~ 11ms and saturation powers of order 10 fW, and a dark noise equivalent powers of order 7 × 10-19W/√Hz. The 100 × 100μm2 MoAu TESs have transition temperatures of order 110mK and are coupled to 320×320μm2 thin-film β-phase Ta absorbers to provide impedance matching to the incoming fields. We describe results of dark tests (i.e without optical power) to determine intrinsic pixel characteristics and their uniformity, and measurements of the optical performance of representative pixels operated with flat back-shorts coupled to pyramidal horn arrays. The measured and modeled optical efficiency is dominated by the 95Ω sheet resistance of the Ta absorbers, indicating a clear route to achieve the required performance in these ultra-sensitive detectors.

  3. An ultra-stable iodine-based frequency reference for space applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schuldt, Thilo; Braxmaier, Claus; Doeringshoff, Klaus; Keetman, Anja; Reggentin, Matthias; Kovalchuk, Evgeny; Peters, Achim

    2012-07-01

    Future space missions require for ultra-stable optical frequency references. Examples are the gravitational wave detector LISA/eLISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna), the SpaceTime Asymmetry Research (STAR) program, the aperture-synthesis telescope Darwin and the GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) follow on mission exploring Earth's gravity. As high long-term frequency stability is required, lasers stabilized to atomic or molecular transitions are preferred, also offering an absolute frequency reference. Frequency stabilities in the 10 ^{-15} domains at longer integration times (up to several hours) are demonstrated in laboratory experiments using setups based on Doppler-free spectroscopy. Such setups with a frequency stability comparable to the hydrogen maser in the microwave domain, have the potential to be developed space compatible on a relatively short time scale. Here, we present the development of ultra-stable optical frequency references based on modulation-transfer spectroscopy of molecular iodine. Noise levels of 2\\cdot10 ^{-14} at an integration time of 1 s and below 3\\cdot10 ^{-15} at integration times between 100 s and 1000 s are demonstrated with a laboratory setup using an 80 cm long iodine cell in single-pass configuration in combination with a frequency-doubled Nd:YAG laser and standard optical components and optomechanic mounts. The frequency stability at longer integration times is (amongst other things) limited by the dimensional stability of the optical setup, i.e. by th pointing stability of the two counter-propagating beams overlapped in the iodine cell. With the goal of a future space compatible setup, a compact frequency standard on EBB (elegant breadboard) level was realized. The spectroscopy unit utilizes a baseplate made of Clearceram-HS, a glass ceramics with an ultra-low coefficient of thermal expansion of 2\\cdot10 ^{-8} K ^{-1}. The optical components are joint to the baseplate using adhesive bonding technology

  4. Highly sensitive MoS2 photodetectors with graphene contacts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Peize; St. Marie, Luke; Wang, Qing X.; Quirk, Nicholas; El Fatimy, Abdel; Ishigami, Masahiro; Barbara, Paola

    2018-05-01

    Two-dimensional materials such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) are ideal candidates to create ultra-thin electronics suitable for flexible substrates. Although optoelectronic devices based on TMDs have demonstrated remarkable performance, scalability is still a significant issue. Most devices are created using techniques that are not suitable for mass production, such as mechanical exfoliation of monolayer flakes and patterning by electron-beam lithography. Here we show that large-area MoS2 grown by chemical vapor deposition and patterned by photolithography yields highly sensitive photodetectors, with record shot-noise-limited detectivities of 8.7 × 1014 Jones in ambient condition and even higher when sealed with a protective layer. These detectivity values are higher than the highest values reported for photodetectors based on exfoliated MoS2. We study MoS2 devices with gold electrodes and graphene electrodes. The devices with graphene electrodes have a tunable band alignment and are especially attractive for scalable ultra-thin flexible optoelectronics.

  5. Fast-adaptive fiber-optic sensor for ultra-small vibration and deformation measurement

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Romashko, R V; Girolamo, S Di; Kulchin, Y N; Launay, J C; Kamshilin, A A

    2007-01-01

    Adaptive fiber-optic interferometer measuring system based on a dynamic hologram recorded in photorefractive CdTe crystal without applying an external electric field is developed. Vectorial mixing of two waves with different polarizations in the anisotropic diffraction geometry allows for the realization of linear regime of phase demodulation at the diffusion hologram. High sensitivity of the interferometer is achieved due to recording of the hologram in reflection geometry at high spatial frequencies in a crystal with sufficient concentration of photorefractive centers. The sensitivity obtained makes possible a broadband detection of ultra-small vibrations with amplitude of less then 0.1 nm. High cut-off frequency of the interferometer achieved using low-power light sources due to fast response of CdTe crystal allows one to eliminate temperature fluctuations and other industrial noises

  6. Fiber-Optic Magnetometry and Thermometry Using Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance With Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blakley, Sean Michael

    Nitrogen--vacancy diamond (NVD) quantum sensors are an emerging technology that has shown great promise in areas like high-resolution thermometry and magnetometry. Optical fibers provide attractive new application paradigms for NVD technology. A detailed description of the fabrication processes associated with the development of novel fiber-optic NVD probes are presented in this work. The demonstrated probes are tested on paradigmatic model systems designed to ascertain their suitability for use in challenging biological environments. Methods employing optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) are used to accurately measure and map temperature distributions of small objects and to demonstrate emergent temperature-dependent phenomena in genetically modified living organisms. These methods are also used to create detailed high resolution spatial maps of both magnetic scalar and magnetic vector field distributions of spatially localized weak field features in the presence of a noisy, high-field background.

  7. Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louzada, Maria Laura da Costa; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Canella, Daniela Silva; Baraldi, Larissa Galastri; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of consuming ultra-processed foods on the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. METHODS Cross-sectional study conducted with data from the module on individual food consumption from the 2008-2009 Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF – Brazilian Family Budgets Survey). The sample, which represented the section of the Brazilian population aged 10 years or over, involved 32,898 individuals. Food consumption was evaluated by two 24-hour food records. The consumed food items were classified into three groups: natural or minimally processed, including culinary preparations with these foods used as a base; processed; and ultra-processed. RESULTS The average daily energy consumption per capita was 1,866 kcal, with 69.5% being provided by natural or minimally processed foods, 9.0% by processed foods and 21.5% by ultra-processed food. The nutritional profile of the fraction of ultra-processed food consumption showed higher energy density, higher overall fat content, higher saturated and trans fat, higher levels of free sugar and less fiber, protein, sodium and potassium, when compared to the fraction of consumption related to natural or minimally processed foods. Ultra-processed foods presented generally unfavorable characteristics when compared to processed foods. Greater inclusion of ultra-processed foods in the diet resulted in a general deterioration in the dietary nutritional profile. The indicators of the nutritional dietary profile of Brazilians who consumed less ultra-processed foods, with the exception of sodium, are the stratum of the population closer to international recommendations for a healthy diet. CONCLUSIONS The results from this study highlight the damage to health that is arising based on the observed trend in Brazil of replacing traditional meals, based on natural or minimally processed foods, with ultra-processed foods. These results also support the recommendation of avoiding the consumption of these kinds of foods

  8. Ultra-processed foods and the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa Louzada, Maria Laura da; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Canella, Daniela Silva; Baraldi, Larissa Galastri; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

    2015-01-01

    OBJECTIVE To assess the impact of consuming ultra-processed foods on the nutritional dietary profile in Brazil. METHODS Cross-sectional study conducted with data from the module on individual food consumption from the 2008-2009 Pesquisa de Orçamentos Familiares (POF - Brazilian Family Budgets Survey). The sample, which represented the section of the Brazilian population aged 10 years or over, involved 32,898 individuals. Food consumption was evaluated by two 24-hour food records. The consumed food items were classified into three groups: natural or minimally processed, including culinary preparations with these foods used as a base; processed; and ultra-processed. RESULTS The average daily energy consumption per capita was 1,866 kcal, with 69.5% being provided by natural or minimally processed foods, 9.0% by processed foods and 21.5% by ultra-processed food. The nutritional profile of the fraction of ultra-processed food consumption showed higher energy density, higher overall fat content, higher saturated and trans fat, higher levels of free sugar and less fiber, protein, sodium and potassium, when compared to the fraction of consumption related to natural or minimally processed foods. Ultra-processed foods presented generally unfavorable characteristics when compared to processed foods. Greater inclusion of ultra-processed foods in the diet resulted in a general deterioration in the dietary nutritional profile. The indicators of the nutritional dietary profile of Brazilians who consumed less ultra-processed foods, with the exception of sodium, are the stratum of the population closer to international recommendations for a healthy diet. CONCLUSIONS The results from this study highlight the damage to health that is arising based on the observed trend in Brazil of replacing traditional meals, based on natural or minimally processed foods, with ultra-processed foods. These results also support the recommendation of avoiding the consumption of these kinds of foods.

  9. Ultra compact triplexing filters based on SOI nanowire AWGs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiashun, Zhang; Junming, An; Lei, Zhao; Shijiao, Song; Liangliang, Wang; Jianguang, Li; Hongjie, Wang; Yuanda, Wu; Xiongwei, Hu

    2011-04-01

    An ultra compact triplexing filter was designed based on a silicon on insulator (SOI) nanowire arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) for fiber-to-the-home FTTH. The simulation results revealed that the design performed well in the sense of having a good triplexing function. The designed SOI nanowire AWGs were fabricated using ultraviolet lithography and induced coupler plasma etching. The experimental results showed that the crosstalk was less than -15 dB, and the 3 dB-bandwidth was 11.04 nm. The peak wavelength output from ports a, c, and b were 1455, 1510 and 1300 nm, respectively, which deviated from our original expectations. The deviation of the wavelength is mainly caused by 45 nm width deviation of the arrayed waveguides during the course of the fabrication process and partly caused by material dispersion.

  10. Magnetic Microcalorimeter (MMC) Gamma Detectors with Ultra-High Energy Resolution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Friedrich, Stephen [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

    2018-01-19

    The goal of this LCP is to develop ultra-high resolution gamma detectors based on magnetic microcalorimeters (MMCs) for accurate non-destructive analysis (NDA) of nuclear materials. For highest energy resolution, we will introduce erbium-doped silver (Ag:Er) as a novel sensor material, and implement several geometry and design changes to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. The detector sensitivity will be increased by developing arrays of 32 Ag:Er pixels read out by 16 SQUID preamplifiers, and by developing a cryogenic Compton veto to reduce the spectral background. Since best MMC performance requires detector operation at ~10 mK, we will purchase a dilution refrigerator with a base temperature <10 mK and adapt it for MMC operation. The detector performance will be tested with radioactive sources of interest to the safeguards community.

  11. Development and optimization of a nuclear method to determine the lead concentration as an ultra-trace element in ultra-pure water

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amara, A.; Giovagnoli, A.; Barrandon, J.N.

    1994-01-01

    Here we intend to perfect a nuclear analytical technique for the determination of lead concentration as an ultra-trace element in ultra-pure water Inmost cases the analysis of an aqueous solution is made by non-nuclear methods, therefore methods which are sensitive to the chemical form of the element to be determined. To ovoid this problem we developed a nuclear technique using a cyclotron,which allows the determination of the lead concentration in any of its chemical forms. We studied the possibilities of several incident beams, like neutral particles and charged particles. Proton activation showed to be the most sensitive of all the irradiation procedures. Several points have though be studied and developed: - an irradiation cell for liquids irradiation under a strong proton current; - the bismuth chemical separation. This element has two radio-isotopes allowing the determination of lead;-optimize the experimental irradiation and measurements parameters in order to reach the lower detection limit. At last an intercomparison of several techniques has been made for different standards. It clearly showed that, contrary to atomic,potentiometric or mass spectrometry methods,only activation technique give accurate and reproducible results. (author).1 fig., 2 tabs., 4 refs

  12. Ultra-light and stable composite structure to support and cool the ATLAS pixel detector barrel electronics modules

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Olcese, M.; Caso, C.; Castiglioni, G.; Cereseto, R.; Cuneo, S.; Dameri, M.; Gemme, C.; Glitza, K.-W.; Lenzen, G.; Mora, F.; Netchaeva, P.; Ockenfels, W.; Piano, E.; Pizzorno, C.; Puppo, R.; Rebora, A.; Rossi, L.; Thadome, J.; Vernocchi, F.; Vigeolas, E.; Vinci, A.

    2004-01-01

    The design of an ultra light structure, the so-called 'stave', to support and cool the sensitive elements of the Barrel Pixel detector, the innermost part of the ATLAS detector to be installed on the new Large Hadron Collider at CERN (Geneva), is presented. Very high-dimensional stability, minimization of the material and ability of operating 10 years in a high radiation environment are the key design requirements. The proposed solution consists of a combination of different carbon-based materials (impregnated carbon-carbon, ultra high modulus carbon fibre composites) coupled to a thin aluminum tube to form a very light support with an integrated cooling channel. Our design has proven to successfully fulfil the requirements. The extensive prototyping and testing program to fully qualify the design and release the production are discussed

  13. Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra for detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance: a prospective multicentre diagnostic accuracy study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dorman, Susan E; Schumacher, Samuel G; Alland, David; Nabeta, Pamela; Armstrong, Derek T; King, Bonnie; Hall, Sandra L; Chakravorty, Soumitesh; Cirillo, Daniela M; Tukvadze, Nestani; Bablishvili, Nino; Stevens, Wendy; Scott, Lesley; Rodrigues, Camilla; Kazi, Mubin I; Joloba, Moses; Nakiyingi, Lydia; Nicol, Mark P; Ghebrekristos, Yonas; Anyango, Irene; Murithi, Wilfred; Dietze, Reynaldo; Lyrio Peres, Renata; Skrahina, Alena; Auchynka, Vera; Chopra, Kamal Kishore; Hanif, Mahmud; Liu, Xin; Yuan, Xing; Boehme, Catharina C; Ellner, Jerrold J; Denkinger, Claudia M

    2018-01-01

    The Xpert MTB/RIF assay is an automated molecular test that has improved the detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance, but its sensitivity is inadequate in patients with paucibacillary disease or HIV. Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra (Xpert Ultra) was developed to overcome this limitation. We compared the diagnostic performance of Xpert Ultra with that of Xpert for detection of tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance. In this prospective, multicentre, diagnostic accuracy study, we recruited adults with pulmonary tuberculosis symptoms presenting at primary health-care centres and hospitals in eight countries (South Africa, Uganda, Kenya, India, China, Georgia, Belarus, and Brazil). Participants were allocated to the case detection group if no drugs had been taken for tuberculosis in the past 6 months or to the multidrug-resistance risk group if drugs for tuberculosis had been taken in the past 6 months, but drug resistance was suspected. Demographic information, medical history, chest imaging results, and HIV test results were recorded at enrolment, and each participant gave at least three sputum specimen on 2 separate days. Xpert and Xpert Ultra diagnostic performance in the same sputum specimen was compared with culture tests and drug susceptibility testing as reference standards. The primary objectives were to estimate and compare the sensitivity of Xpert Ultra test with that of Xpert for detection of smear-negative tuberculosis and rifampicin resistance and to estimate and compare Xpert Ultra and Xpert specificities for detection of rifampicin resistance. Study participants in the case detection group were included in all analyses, whereas participants in the multidrug-resistance risk group were only included in analyses of rifampicin-resistance detection. Between Feb 18, and Dec 24, 2016, we enrolled 2368 participants for sputum sampling. 248 participants were excluded from the analysis, and 1753 participants were distributed to the case detection group (n=1439

  14. Water-Based Pressure-Sensitive Paints

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jordan, Jeffrey D.; Watkins, A. Neal; Oglesby, Donald M.; Ingram, JoAnne L.

    2006-01-01

    Water-based pressure-sensitive paints (PSPs) have been invented as alternatives to conventional organic-solvent-based pressure-sensitive paints, which are used primarily for indicating distributions of air pressure on wind-tunnel models. Typically, PSPs are sprayed onto aerodynamic models after they have been mounted in wind tunnels. When conventional organic-solvent-based PSPs are used, this practice creates a problem of removing toxic fumes from inside the wind tunnels. The use of water-based PSPs eliminates this problem. The waterbased PSPs offer high performance as pressure indicators, plus all the advantages of common water-based paints (low toxicity, low concentrations of volatile organic compounds, and easy cleanup by use of water).

  15. Ultra-Compact 100 × 100 μm2 Footprint Hybrid Device with Spin-Valve Nanosensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Diana C. Leitao

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Magnetic field mapping with micrometric spatial resolution and high sensitivity is a challenging application, and the technological solutions are usually based on large area devices integrating discrete magnetic flux guide elements. In this work we demonstrate a high performance hybrid device with improved field sensitivity levels and small footprint, consisting of a ultra-compact 2D design where nanometric spin valve sensors are inserted within the gap of thin-film magnetic flux concentrators. Pole-sensor distances down to 400 nm are demonstrated using nanofabrication techniques combined with an optimized liftoff process. These 100 × 100 μm 2 pixel sensors can be integrated in modular devices for surface mapping without moving parts.

  16. Sensitivity Enhancement of FBG-Based Strain Sensor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Ruiya; Chen, Yiyang; Tan, Yuegang; Zhou, Zude; Li, Tianliang; Mao, Jian

    2018-05-17

    A novel fiber Bragg grating (FBG)-based strain sensor with a high-sensitivity is presented in this paper. The proposed FBG-based strain sensor enhances sensitivity by pasting the FBG on a substrate with a lever structure. This typical mechanical configuration mechanically amplifies the strain of the FBG to enhance overall sensitivity. As this mechanical configuration has a high stiffness, the proposed sensor can achieve a high resonant frequency and a wide dynamic working range. The sensing principle is presented, and the corresponding theoretical model is derived and validated. Experimental results demonstrate that the developed FBG-based strain sensor achieves an enhanced strain sensitivity of 6.2 pm/με, which is consistent with the theoretical analysis result. The strain sensitivity of the developed sensor is 5.2 times of the strain sensitivity of a bare fiber Bragg grating strain sensor. The dynamic characteristics of this sensor are investigated through the finite element method (FEM) and experimental tests. The developed sensor exhibits an excellent strain-sensitivity-enhancing property in a wide frequency range. The proposed high-sensitivity FBG-based strain sensor can be used for small-amplitude micro-strain measurement in harsh industrial environments.

  17. Real-time 2.5 Gbit/s ultra-wideband transmission using a Schottky diode-based envelope detector

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rommel, Simon; Cimoli, Bruno; Valdecasa, Guillermo Silva

    2017-01-01

    An experimental demonstration of 2.5 Gbit/s real-time ultra-wideband transmission is presented, using a Schottky diode-based envelope detector fabricated ad-hoc using microstrip technology on a Rogers6002 substrate and surface-mount components. Real-time transmission with a BER below FEC threshold...

  18. A fast and sensitive method for the separation of carotenoids using ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jumaah, Firas; Plaza, Merichel; Abrahamsson, Victor; Turner, Charlotta; Sandahl, Margareta

    2016-08-01

    In this study, a rapid and sensitive ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-mass spectrometry (UHPSFC-MS) method has been developed and partially validated for the separation of carotenoids within less than 6 min. Six columns of orthogonal selectivity were examined, and the best separation was obtained by using a 1-aminoanthracene (1-AA) column. The length of polyene chain as well as the number of hydroxyl groups in the structure of the studied carotenoids determines their differences in the physiochemical properties and thus the separation that is achieved on this column. All of the investigated carotenoids were baseline separated with resolution values greater than 1.5. The effects of gradient program, back pressure, and column temperature were studied with respect to chromatographic properties such as retention and selectivity. Electrospray ionization (ESI) and atmospheric pressure chemical ionization (APCI) were compared in both positive and negative mode, using both direct infusion and hyphenated with UHPSFC. The ESI in positive mode provided the highest response. The coefficient of determination (R (2)) for all calibration curves were greater than 0.998. Limit of detection (LOD) was in the range of 2.6 and 25.2 ng/mL for α-carotene and astaxanthin, respectively, whereas limit of quantification (LOQ) was in the range of 7.8 and 58.0 ng/mL for α-carotene and astaxanthin, respectively. Repeatability and intermediate precision of the developed UHPSFC-MS method were determined and found to be RSD supercritical fluid extracts of microalgae and rosehip. Graphical Abstract Ultra-high performance supercritical fluid chromatography-a rapid separation method for the analysis of carotenoids in rosehip and microalgae samples.

  19. Ultra High-Speed Radio Frequency Switch Based on Photonics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ge, Jia; Fok, Mable P

    2015-11-26

    Microwave switches, or Radio Frequency (RF) switches have been intensively used in microwave systems for signal routing. Compared with the fast development of microwave and wireless systems, RF switches have been underdeveloped particularly in terms of switching speed and operating bandwidth. In this paper, we propose a photonics based RF switch that is capable of switching at tens of picoseconds speed, which is hundreds of times faster than any existing RF switch technologies. The high-speed switching property is achieved with the use of a rapidly tunable microwave photonic filter with tens of gigahertz frequency tuning speed, where the tuning mechanism is based on the ultra-fast electro-optics Pockels effect. The RF switch has a wide operation bandwidth of 12 GHz and can go up to 40 GHz, depending on the bandwidth of the modulator used in the scheme. The proposed RF switch can either work as an ON/OFF switch or a two-channel switch, tens of picoseconds switching speed is experimentally observed for both type of switches.

  20. Ultra-compact air-mode photonic crystal nanobeam cavity integrated with bandstop filter for refractive index sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Fujun; Fu, Zhongyuan; Wang, Chunhong; Ding, Zhaoxiang; Wang, Chao; Tian, Huiping

    2017-05-20

    We propose and investigate an ultra-compact air-mode photonic crystal nanobeam cavity (PCNC) with an ultra-high quality factor-to-mode volume ratio (Q/V) by quadratically tapering the lattice space of the rectangular holes from the center to both ends while other parameters remain unchanged. By using the three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain method, an optimized geometry yields a Q of 7.2×10 6 and a V∼1.095(λ/n Si ) 3 in simulations, resulting in an ultra-high Q/V ratio of about 6.5×10 6 (λ/n Si ) -3 . When the number of holes on either side is 8, the cavity possesses a high sensitivity of 252 nm/RIU (refractive index unit), a high calculated Q-factor of 1.27×10 5 , and an ultra-small effective V of ∼0.758(λ/n Si ) 3 at the fundamental resonant wavelength of 1521.74 nm. Particularly, the footprint is only about 8×0.7  μm 2 . However, inevitably our proposed PCNC has several higher-order resonant modes in the transmission spectrum, which makes the PCNC difficult to be used for multiplexed sensing. Thus, a well-designed bandstop filter with weak sidelobes and broad bandwidth based on a photonic crystal nanobeam waveguide is created to connect with the PCNC to filter out the high-order modes. Therefore, the integrated structure presented in this work is promising for building ultra-compact lab-on-chip sensor arrays with high density and parallel-multiplexing capability.

  1. FttC-Based Fronthaul for 5G Dense/Ultra-Dense Access Network: Performance and Costs in Realistic Scenarios

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Franco Mazzenga

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available One distinctive feature of the next 5G systems is the presence of a dense/ultra-dense wireless access network with a large number of access points (or nodes at short distances from each other. Dense/ultra-dense access networks allow for providing very high transmission capacity to terminals. However, the deployment of dense/ultra-dense networks is slowed down by the cost of the fiber-based infrastructure required to connect radio nodes to the central processing units and then to the core network. In this paper, we investigate the possibility for existing FttC access networks to provide fronthaul capabilities for dense/ultra-dense 5G wireless networks. The analysis is realistic in that it is carried out considering an actual access network scenario, i.e., the Italian FttC deployment. It is assumed that access nodes are connected to the Cabinets and to the corresponding distributors by a number of copper pairs. Different types of cities grouped in terms of population have been considered. Results focus on fronthaul transport capacity provided by the FttC network and have been expressed in terms of the available fronthaul bit rate per node and of the achievable coverage.

  2. Radiobiological response to ultra-short pulsed megavoltage electron beams of ultra-high pulse dose rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Beyreuther, Elke; Karsch, Leonhard; Laschinsky, Lydia; Leßmann, Elisabeth; Naumburger, Doreen; Oppelt, Melanie; Richter, Christian; Schürer, Michael; Woithe, Julia; Pawelke, Jörg

    2015-08-01

    In line with the long-term aim of establishing the laser-based particle acceleration for future medical application, the radiobiological consequences of the typical ultra-short pulses and ultra-high pulse dose rate can be investigated with electron delivery. The radiation source ELBE (Electron Linac for beams with high Brilliance and low Emittance) was used to mimic the quasi-continuous electron beam of a clinical linear accelerator (LINAC) for comparison with electron pulses at the ultra-high pulse dose rate of 10(10) Gy min(-1) either at the low frequency of a laser accelerator or at 13 MHz avoiding effects of prolonged dose delivery. The impact of pulse structure was analyzed by clonogenic survival assay and by the number of residual DNA double-strand breaks remaining 24 h after irradiation of two human squamous cell carcinoma lines of differing radiosensitivity. The radiation response of both cell lines was found to be independent from electron pulse structure for the two endpoints under investigation. The results reveal, that ultra-high pulse dose rates of 10(10) Gy min(-1) and the low repetition rate of laser accelerated electrons have no statistically significant influence (within the 95% confidence intervals) on the radiobiological effectiveness of megavoltage electrons.

  3. Gold ultra-microelectrode arrays: application to the steady-state voltammetry of hydroxide ion in aqueous solution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ordeig, Olga; Banks, Craig E; Davies, Trevor J; del Campo, F Javier; Muñoz, Francesc Xavier; Compton, Richard G

    2006-05-01

    Gold ultra-microelectrode arrays are used to explore the electrochemical oxidation of hydroxide ions and are shown to be analytical useful. Two types of ultra-microelectrode arrays are used; the first consist of 256 individual electrodes of 5 microm in radius, 170 of which are electrochemically active in a cubic arrangement which are separated from their nearest neighbour by a distance of 100 microm. The second array compromises 2597 electrodes of 2.5 microm in radius and of which 1550 of which are electrochemically active in a hexagonal arrangement separated by the nearest neighbour by 55 microm. Well defined voltammetric waves are found with peak currents proportional to the concentration of hydroxide ions in the range 50 microM to 1 mM. Detection limits of 20 microM using the 170 ultra-microelectrode and 10 microM with the 1550 ultra-microelectrode array are shown to be possible but with a higher sensitivity of 4 mA M(-1) observed using the 1550 ultra-microelectrode array compared to 1.2 mA M(-1) with the 170 ultra-microelectrode array.

  4. Ultra compact triplexing filters based on SOI nanowire AWGs

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang Jiashun; An Junming; Zhao Lei; Song Shijiao; Wang Liangliang; Li Jianguang; Wang Hongjie; Wu Yuanda; Hu Xiongwei, E-mail: junming@red.semi.ac.cn [State Key Laboratory on Integrated Optoelectronics, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100083 (China)

    2011-04-15

    An ultra compact triplexing filter was designed based on a silicon on insulator (SOI) nanowire arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) for fiber-to-the-home FTTH. The simulation results revealed that the design performed well in the sense of having a good triplexing function. The designed SOI nanowire AWGs were fabricated using ultraviolet lithography and induced coupler plasma etching. The experimental results showed that the crosstalk was less than -15 dB, and the 3 dB-bandwidth was 11.04 nm. The peak wavelength output from ports a, c, and b were 1455, 1510 and 1300 nm, respectively, which deviated from our original expectations. The deviation of the wavelength is mainly caused by 45 nm width deviation of the arrayed waveguides during the course of the fabrication process and partly caused by material dispersion. (semiconductor devices)

  5. Ultra compact triplexing filters based on SOI nanowire AWGs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Jiashun; An Junming; Zhao Lei; Song Shijiao; Wang Liangliang; Li Jianguang; Wang Hongjie; Wu Yuanda; Hu Xiongwei

    2011-01-01

    An ultra compact triplexing filter was designed based on a silicon on insulator (SOI) nanowire arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) for fiber-to-the-home FTTH. The simulation results revealed that the design performed well in the sense of having a good triplexing function. The designed SOI nanowire AWGs were fabricated using ultraviolet lithography and induced coupler plasma etching. The experimental results showed that the crosstalk was less than -15 dB, and the 3 dB-bandwidth was 11.04 nm. The peak wavelength output from ports a, c, and b were 1455, 1510 and 1300 nm, respectively, which deviated from our original expectations. The deviation of the wavelength is mainly caused by 45 nm width deviation of the arrayed waveguides during the course of the fabrication process and partly caused by material dispersion. (semiconductor devices)

  6. Design and Fabrication of a Piezoresistive Pressure Sensor for Ultra High Temperature Environment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, L B; Zhao, Y L; Jiang, Z D

    2006-01-01

    In order to solve the pressure measurement problem in the harsh environment, a piezoresistive pressure sensor has been developed, which can be used under high temperature above 200 deg. C and is able to endure instantaneous ultra high temperature (2000deg. C, duration≤2s) impact. Based on the MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical System) and integrated circuit technology, the piezoresistive pressure sensor's sensitive element was fabricated and constituted by silicon substrate, a thin buried silicon dioxide layer, four p-type resistors in the measuring circuit layer by boron ion implantation and photolithography, the top SiO2 layer by oxidation, stress matching Si3N4 layer, and a Ti-Pt-Au beam lead layer for connecting p-type resistors by sputtering. In order to decrease the leak-current influence to sensor in high temperature above 200deg. C, the buried SiO2 layer with the thickness 367 nm was fabricated by the SIMOX (Separation by Implantation of Oxygen) technology, which was instead of p-n junction to isolate the upper measuring circuit layer from Si substrate. In order to endure instantaneous ultra high temperature impact, the mechanical structure with cantilever and diaphragm and transmitting beam was designed. By laser welding and high temperature packaging technology, the high temperature piezoresistive pressure sensor was fabricated with range of 120MPa. After the thermal compensation, the sensor's thermal zero drift k 0 and thermal sensitivity drift k s were easy to be less than 3x10 -4 FS/deg. C. The experimental results show that the developed piezoresistive pressure sensor has good performances under high temperature and is able to endure instantaneous ultra high temperature impact, which meets the requirements of modern industry, such as aviation, oil, engine, etc

  7. Investigation of the response of Lexan polycarbonate to relativistic ultra heavy nuclear particles

    CERN Document Server

    Keane, A J; O'Sullivan, D

    1999-01-01

    Recent investigations of the track response of Lexan to relativistic ultra heavy nuclei are reported. The inherent charge resolution of Lexan for relativistic ultra heavy nuclei under normal exposure conditions at accelerators has been investigated. The registration temperature effect was measured using gold (Z=79) at energies 2, 4 and 11 GeV/u covering a wide range of temperatures from -78 deg. C to +22 deg. C. In addition, the sensitivity of the track etch rate and the bulk etch rate to etch product concentration was re-examined.

  8. Investigation of the response of Lexan polycarbonate to relativistic ultra heavy nuclear particles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Keane, A.J.; Thompson, A.; O'Sullivan, D.

    1999-01-01

    Recent investigations of the track response of Lexan to relativistic ultra heavy nuclei are reported. The inherent charge resolution of Lexan for relativistic ultra heavy nuclei under normal exposure conditions at accelerators has been investigated. The registration temperature effect was measured using gold (Z=79) at energies 2, 4 and 11 GeV/u covering a wide range of temperatures from -78 deg. C to +22 deg. C. In addition, the sensitivity of the track etch rate and the bulk etch rate to etch product concentration was re-examined

  9. Ultra-low dose dual-source high-pitch computed tomography of the paranasal sinus: diagnostic sensitivity and radiation dose

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schulz, Boris; Zangos, Stefan; Friedrichs, Ingke; Bauer, Ralf W.; Kerl, Matthias; Vogl, Thomas J.; Martin M Mack, Martin M.; Potente, Stefan

    2012-01-01

    Background: Today's gold standard for diagnostic imaging of inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinus is computed tomography (CT). Purpose: To evaluate diagnostic sensitivity and radiation dose of an ultra-low dose dual-source CT technique. Material and Methods: Paranasal sinuses of 14 cadaveric heads were independently evaluated by two readers using a modern dual-source CT with lowest reasonable dosage in high-pitch mode (100 kV, 10 mAs, collimation 0.6 mm, pitch value 3.0). Additionally the head part of an anthropomorphic Alderson-Rando phantom was equipped with thermoluminescent detectors to measure radiation exposure to the eye lenses and thyroid gland. Results: Diagnostic accuracy regarding sinusoidal fluid, nasal septum deviation, and mucosal swelling was 100%. Mastoid fluid was detected in 76% and 92%, respectively. In the phantom study, average measured eye lens dosage was 0.64 mGy; radiation exposure of the thyroid gland was 0.085 mGy. Conclusion: Regarding evaluation of inflammatory diseases of the paranasal sinus this study indicates sufficient accuracy of the proposed CT protocol at a very low dosage level

  10. The New Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra: Improving Detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Resistance to Rifampin in an Assay Suitable for Point-of-Care Testing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chakravorty, Soumitesh; Simmons, Ann Marie; Rowneki, Mazhgan; Parmar, Heta; Cao, Yuan; Ryan, Jamie; Banada, Padmapriya P; Deshpande, Srinidhi; Shenai, Shubhada; Gall, Alexander; Glass, Jennifer; Krieswirth, Barry; Schumacher, Samuel G; Nabeta, Pamela; Tukvadze, Nestani; Rodrigues, Camilla; Skrahina, Alena; Tagliani, Elisa; Cirillo, Daniela M; Davidow, Amy; Denkinger, Claudia M; Persing, David; Kwiatkowski, Robert; Jones, Martin; Alland, David

    2017-08-29

    The Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert) is a rapid test for tuberculosis (TB) and rifampin resistance (RIF-R) suitable for point-of-care testing. However, it has decreased sensitivity in smear-negative sputum, and false identification of RIF-R occasionally occurs. We developed the Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra assay (Ultra) to improve performance. Ultra and Xpert limits of detection (LOD), dynamic ranges, and RIF-R rpoB mutation detection were tested on Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA or sputum samples spiked with known numbers of M. tuberculosis H37Rv or Mycobacterium bovis BCG CFU. Frozen and prospectively collected clinical samples from patients suspected of having TB, with and without culture-confirmed TB, were also tested. For M. tuberculosis H37Rv, the LOD was 15.6 CFU/ml of sputum for Ultra versus 112.6 CFU/ml of sputum for Xpert, and for M. bovis BCG, it was 143.4 CFU/ml of sputum for Ultra versus 344 CFU/ml of sputum for Xpert. Ultra resulted in no false-positive RIF-R specimens, while Xpert resulted in two false-positive RIF-R specimens. All RIF-R-associated M. tuberculosis rpoB mutations tested were identified by Ultra. Testing on clinical sputum samples, Ultra versus Xpert, resulted in an overall sensitivity of 87.5% (95% confidence interval [CI], 82.1, 91.7) versus 81.0% (95% CI, 74.9, 86.2) and a sensitivity on sputum smear-negative samples of 78.9% (95% CI, 70.0, 86.1) versus 66.1% (95% CI, 56.4, 74.9). Both tests had a specificity of 98.7% (95% CI, 93.0, 100), and both had comparable accuracies for detection of RIF-R in these samples. Ultra should significantly improve TB detection, especially in patients with paucibacillary disease, and may provide more-reliable RIF-R detection. IMPORTANCE The Xpert MTB/RIF assay (Xpert), the first point-of-care assay for tuberculosis (TB), was endorsed by the World Health Organization in December 2010. Since then, 23 million Xpert tests have been procured in 130 countries. Although Xpert showed high overall sensitivity and

  11. An Ultra-Low-Latency Geo-Routing Scheme for Team-Based Unmanned Vehicular Applications

    KAUST Repository

    Bader, Ahmed

    2016-02-26

    Results and lessons learned from the implementation of a novel ultra low-latency geo-routing scheme are presented in this paper. The geo-routing scheme is intended for team-based mobile systems whereby a cluster of unmanned autonomous vehicles are deployed to accomplish a critical mission under human supervision. The contention-free nature of the developed scheme lends itself to jointly achieve lower latency and higher throughput. Implementation challenges are presented and corresponding resolutions are discussed herewith. © 2015 IEEE.

  12. Volumetric localization of epileptic activities in tuberous sclerosis using synthetic aperture magnetometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Xiao, Zheng [Hospital for Sick Children, Research Institute, Toronto (Canada); Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Xiang, Jing [Hospital for Sick Children, Research Institute, Toronto (Canada); Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Holowka, Stephanie; Chuang, Sylvester [Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Toronto (Canada); Hunjan, Amrita; Sharma, Rohit; Otsubo, Hiroshi [Hospital for Sick Children, Division of Neurology, Toronto (Canada)

    2006-01-01

    Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a novel noninvasive technique for localizing epileptic zones. Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is often associated with medically refractory epilepsy with multiple epileptic zones. Surgical treatment of TSC requires accurate localization of epileptogenic tubers. The objective of this study was to introduce a new MEG technique, synthetic aperture magnetometry (SAM), to volumetrically localize irritable zones and clarify the correlations between SAM, dipole modeling and anatomical tubers. Eight pediatric patients with TSC confirmed by clinical and neuroimaging findings were retrospectively studied. MEG data were recorded using a whole-cortex CTF OMEGA system. Sleep deprivation was employed to provoke epileptiform activity. Irritable zones were localized using both dipole modeling and SAM. MRI detected 42 tubers in the eight patients. Dipole modeling localized 28 irritable zones, and 19 out of the 28 zones were near tubers (19/42, 45%). SAM found 51 irritable zones, and 31 out of the 51 zones were near tubers (31/42, 74%). Among the 51 irritable zones determined by SAM, thirty-five zones were in 1-35 Hz, nine zones were in 35-60 Hz, and seven zones were in 60-120 Hz. The new method, SAM, yielded very plausible equivalent sources for patients who showed anatomical tubers on MRI. Compared to conventional dipole modeling, SAM appeared to offer increased detection of irritable zones and beneficial volumetric and frequency descriptions. (orig.)

  13. Surface Acoustic Wave Monitor for Deposition and Analysis of Ultra-Thin Films

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hines, Jacqueline H. (Inventor)

    2015-01-01

    A surface acoustic wave (SAW) based thin film deposition monitor device and system for monitoring the deposition of ultra-thin films and nanomaterials and the analysis thereof is characterized by acoustic wave device embodiments that include differential delay line device designs, and which can optionally have integral reference devices fabricated on the same substrate as the sensing device, or on a separate device in thermal contact with the film monitoring/analysis device, in order to provide inherently temperature compensated measurements. These deposition monitor and analysis devices can include inherent temperature compensation, higher sensitivity to surface interactions than quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) devices, and the ability to operate at extreme temperatures.

  14. Non-invasive paper-based microfluidic device for ultra-low detection of urea through enzyme catalysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suresh, Vignesh; Qunya, Ong; Kanta, Bera Lakshmi; Yuh, Lee Yeong; Chong, Karen S. L.

    2018-03-01

    This work describes the design, fabrication and characterization of a paper-based microfluidic device for ultra-low detection of urea through enzyme catalysis. The microfluidic system comprises an entry port, a fluidic channel, a reaction zone and two electrodes (contacts). Wax printing was used to create fluidic channels on the surface of a chromatography paper. Pre-conceptualized designs of the fluidic channel are wax-printed on the paper substrate while the electrodes are screen-printed. The paper printed with wax is heated to cause the wax reflow along the thickness of the paper that selectively creates hydrophilic and hydrophobic zones inside the paper. Urease immobilized in the reaction zone catalyses urea into releasing ions and, thereby, generating a current flow between the electrodes. A measure of current with respect to time at a fixed potential enables the detection of urea. The methodology enabled urea concentration down to 1 pM to be detected. The significance of this work lies in the use of simple and inexpensive paper-based substrates to achieve detection of ultra-low concentrations of analytes such as urea. The process is non-invasive and employs a less cumbersome two-electrode assembly.

  15. Contributed review: camera-limits for wide-field magnetic resonance imaging with a nitrogen-vacancy spin sensor

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wojciechowski, Adam M.; Karadas, Mürsel; Huck, Alexander

    2018-01-01

    Sensitive, real-time optical magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond relies on accurate imaging of small (≪10−2), fractional fluorescence changes across the diamond sample. We discuss the limitations on magnetic field sensitivity resulting from the limited number of photoelectrons t......-level sensitivity in 1 s of a combined exposure. Finally, we demonstrate the results obtained with a lock-in camera that paves the way for real-time, wide-field magnetometry at the nanotesla level and with a micrometer resolution....

  16. Design of rotating mirror for ultra-high speed camera based on dynamic characteristic

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li Chunbo; Chai Jinlong; Liang Yexing; Liu Chunping; Wang Hongzhi; Yu Chunhui; Li Jingzhen; Huang Hongbin

    2011-01-01

    A systematic design method has been proposed for studying the dynamic design of rotating mirror for ultra-high speed camera. With the finite element software, the numerical analyses of static, modal, harmonic responses and natural frequency sensitivity for the preliminary-designed rotating mirror were done based on the static and dynamic theories. Some experiments were done to verify the results. The physical dimensions of the rotating mirror were modified repeatedly according to the results for designing a new rotating mirror. Then simulation and experiments of fatigue life for the new rotating mirror under alternating force were done. The results show that the maximum static stress is less than the yield stress of the rotating mirror material, which proves the new rotating mirror will not be subjected to static strength failure. However, the results of modal and harmonic response analyses indicate that the dynamic characteristic of the new rotating mirror can not meet the design requirement for the first critical speed is less than the service speed. In all the physical dimensions of the rotating mirror, the circum radius of mirror body and natural frequency are negatively correlated and the degree of correlation is maximal. The first-order natural frequency in- creases from 459.4 Hz to 713.6 Hz, the rate of change is 55.3%, the first critical speed is up to 42 816 r/min, avoiding resonance successfully, and the fatigue strength of the new rotating mirror can meet the design requirement. (authors)

  17. Studies of azimuthal dihadron correlations in ultra-central PbPb collisions at $\\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV

    CERN Document Server

    Chatrchyan, Serguei; Sirunyan, Albert M; Tumasyan, Armen; Adam, Wolfgang; Bergauer, Thomas; Dragicevic, Marko; Erö, Janos; Fabjan, Christian; Friedl, Markus; Fruehwirth, Rudolf; Ghete, Vasile Mihai; Hartl, Christian; Hörmann, Natascha; Hrubec, Josef; Jeitler, Manfred; Kiesenhofer, Wolfgang; Knünz, Valentin; Krammer, Manfred; Krätschmer, Ilse; Liko, Dietrich; Mikulec, Ivan; Rabady, Dinyar; Rahbaran, Babak; Rohringer, Herbert; Schöfbeck, Robert; Strauss, Josef; Taurok, Anton; Treberer-Treberspurg, Wolfgang; Waltenberger, Wolfgang; Wulz, Claudia-Elisabeth; Mossolov, Vladimir; Shumeiko, Nikolai; Suarez Gonzalez, Juan; Alderweireldt, Sara; Bansal, Monika; Bansal, Sunil; Cornelis, Tom; De Wolf, Eddi A; Janssen, Xavier; Knutsson, Albert; Luyckx, Sten; Mucibello, Luca; Ochesanu, Silvia; Roland, Benoit; Rougny, Romain; Van Haevermaet, Hans; Van Mechelen, Pierre; Van Remortel, Nick; Van Spilbeeck, Alex; Blekman, Freya; Blyweert, Stijn; D'Hondt, Jorgen; Heracleous, Natalie; Kalogeropoulos, Alexis; Keaveney, James; Kim, Tae Jeong; Lowette, Steven; Maes, Michael; Olbrechts, Annik; Strom, Derek; Tavernier, Stefaan; Van Doninck, Walter; Van Mulders, Petra; Van Onsem, Gerrit Patrick; Villella, Ilaria; Caillol, Cécile; Clerbaux, Barbara; De Lentdecker, Gilles; Favart, Laurent; Gay, Arnaud; Léonard, Alexandre; Marage, Pierre Edouard; Mohammadi, Abdollah; Perniè, Luca; Reis, Thomas; Seva, Tomislav; Thomas, Laurent; Vander Velde, Catherine; Vanlaer, Pascal; Wang, Jian; Adler, Volker; Beernaert, Kelly; Benucci, Leonardo; Cimmino, Anna; Costantini, Silvia; Dildick, Sven; Garcia, Guillaume; Klein, Benjamin; Lellouch, Jérémie; Mccartin, Joseph; Ocampo Rios, Alberto Andres; Ryckbosch, Dirk; Salva Diblen, Sinem; Sigamani, Michael; Strobbe, Nadja; Thyssen, Filip; Tytgat, Michael; Walsh, Sinead; Yazgan, Efe; Zaganidis, Nicolas; Basegmez, Suzan; Beluffi, Camille; Bruno, Giacomo; Castello, Roberto; Caudron, Adrien; Ceard, Ludivine; Da Silveira, Gustavo Gil; Delaere, Christophe; Du Pree, Tristan; Favart, Denis; Forthomme, Laurent; Giammanco, Andrea; Hollar, Jonathan; Jez, Pavel; Komm, Matthias; Lemaitre, Vincent; Liao, Junhui; Militaru, Otilia; Nuttens, Claude; Pagano, Davide; Pin, Arnaud; Piotrzkowski, Krzysztof; Popov, Andrey; Quertenmont, Loic; Selvaggi, Michele; Vidal Marono, Miguel; Vizan Garcia, Jesus Manuel; Beliy, Nikita; Caebergs, Thierry; Daubie, Evelyne; Hammad, Gregory Habib; Alves, Gilvan; Correa Martins Junior, Marcos; Martins, Thiago; Pol, Maria Elena; Henrique Gomes E Souza, Moacyr; Aldá Júnior, Walter Luiz; Carvalho, Wagner; Chinellato, Jose; Custódio, Analu; Melo Da Costa, Eliza; De Jesus Damiao, Dilson; De Oliveira Martins, Carley; Fonseca De Souza, Sandro; Malbouisson, Helena; Malek, Magdalena; Matos Figueiredo, Diego; Mundim, Luiz; Nogima, Helio; Prado Da Silva, Wanda Lucia; Santaolalla, Javier; Santoro, Alberto; Sznajder, Andre; Tonelli Manganote, Edmilson José; Vilela Pereira, Antonio; Bernardes, Cesar Augusto; De Almeida Dias, Flavia; Tomei, Thiago; De Moraes Gregores, Eduardo; Lagana, Caio; Mercadante, Pedro G; Novaes, Sergio F; Padula, Sandra; Genchev, Vladimir; Iaydjiev, Plamen; Marinov, Andrey; Piperov, Stefan; Rodozov, Mircho; Sultanov, Georgi; Vutova, Mariana; Dimitrov, Anton; Glushkov, Ivan; Hadjiiska, Roumyana; Kozhuharov, Venelin; Litov, Leander; Pavlov, Borislav; Petkov, Peicho; Bian, Jian-Guo; Chen, Guo-Ming; Chen, He-Sheng; Chen, Mingshui; Du, Ran; Jiang, Chun-Hua; Liang, Dong; Liang, Song; Meng, Xiangwei; Plestina, Roko; Tao, Junquan; Wang, Xianyou; Wang, Zheng; Asawatangtrakuldee, Chayanit; Ban, Yong; Guo, Yifei; Li, Qiang; Liu, Shuai; Mao, Yajun; Qian, Si-Jin; Wang, Dayong; Zhang, Linlin; Zou, Wei; Avila, Carlos; Carrillo Montoya, Camilo Andres; Chaparro Sierra, Luisa Fernanda; Florez, Carlos; Gomez, Juan Pablo; Gomez Moreno, Bernardo; Sanabria, Juan Carlos; Godinovic, Nikola; Lelas, Damir; Polic, Dunja; Puljak, Ivica; Antunovic, Zeljko; Kovac, Marko; Brigljevic, Vuko; Kadija, Kreso; Luetic, Jelena; Mekterovic, Darko; Morovic, Srecko; Tikvica, Lucija; Attikis, Alexandros; Mavromanolakis, Georgios; Mousa, Jehad; Nicolaou, Charalambos; Ptochos, Fotios; Razis, Panos A; Finger, Miroslav; Finger Jr, Michael; Abdelalim, Ahmed Ali; Assran, Yasser; Elgammal, Sherif; Ellithi Kamel, Ali; Mahmoud, Mohammed; Radi, Amr; Kadastik, Mario; Müntel, Mait; Murumaa, Marion; Raidal, Martti; Rebane, Liis; Tiko, Andres; Eerola, Paula; Fedi, Giacomo; Voutilainen, Mikko; Härkönen, Jaakko; Karimäki, Veikko; Kinnunen, Ritva; Kortelainen, Matti J; Lampén, Tapio; Lassila-Perini, Kati; Lehti, Sami; Lindén, Tomas; Luukka, Panja-Riina; Mäenpää, Teppo; Peltola, Timo; Tuominen, Eija; Tuominiemi, Jorma; Tuovinen, Esa; Wendland, Lauri; Tuuva, Tuure; Besancon, Marc; Couderc, Fabrice; Dejardin, Marc; Denegri, Daniel; Fabbro, Bernard; Faure, Jean-Louis; Ferri, Federico; Ganjour, Serguei; Givernaud, Alain; Gras, Philippe; Hamel de Monchenault, Gautier; Jarry, Patrick; Locci, Elizabeth; Malcles, Julie; Nayak, Aruna; Rander, John; Rosowsky, André; Titov, Maksym; Baffioni, Stephanie; Beaudette, Florian; Busson, Philippe; Charlot, Claude; Daci, Nadir; Dahms, Torsten; Dalchenko, Mykhailo; Dobrzynski, Ludwik; Florent, Alice; Granier de Cassagnac, Raphael; Miné, Philippe; Mironov, Camelia; Naranjo, Ivo Nicolas; Nguyen, Matthew; Ochando, Christophe; Paganini, Pascal; Sabes, David; Salerno, Roberto; Sirois, Yves; Veelken, Christian; Yilmaz, Yetkin; Zabi, Alexandre; Agram, Jean-Laurent; Andrea, Jeremy; Bloch, Daniel; Brom, Jean-Marie; Chabert, Eric Christian; Collard, Caroline; Conte, Eric; Drouhin, Frédéric; Fontaine, Jean-Charles; Gelé, Denis; Goerlach, Ulrich; Goetzmann, Christophe; Juillot, Pierre; Le Bihan, Anne-Catherine; Van Hove, Pierre; Gadrat, Sébastien; Beauceron, Stephanie; Beaupere, Nicolas; Boudoul, Gaelle; Brochet, Sébastien; Chasserat, Julien; Chierici, Roberto; Contardo, Didier; Depasse, Pierre; El Mamouni, Houmani; Fan, Jiawei; Fay, Jean; Gascon, Susan; Gouzevitch, Maxime; Ille, Bernard; Kurca, Tibor; Lethuillier, Morgan; Mirabito, Laurent; Perries, Stephane; Ruiz Alvarez, José David; Sgandurra, Louis; Sordini, Viola; Vander Donckt, Muriel; Verdier, Patrice; Viret, Sébastien; Xiao, Hong; Tsamalaidze, Zviad; Autermann, Christian; Beranek, Sarah; Bontenackels, Michael; Calpas, Betty; Edelhoff, Matthias; Feld, Lutz; Hindrichs, Otto; Klein, Katja; Ostapchuk, Andrey; Perieanu, Adrian; Raupach, Frank; Sammet, Jan; Schael, Stefan; Sprenger, Daniel; Weber, Hendrik; Wittmer, Bruno; Zhukov, Valery; Ata, Metin; Caudron, Julien; Dietz-Laursonn, Erik; Duchardt, Deborah; Erdmann, Martin; Fischer, Robert; Güth, Andreas; Hebbeker, Thomas; Heidemann, Carsten; Hoepfner, Kerstin; Klingebiel, Dennis; Knutzen, Simon; Kreuzer, Peter; Merschmeyer, Markus; Meyer, Arnd; Olschewski, Mark; Padeken, Klaas; Papacz, Paul; Reithler, Hans; Schmitz, Stefan Antonius; Sonnenschein, Lars; Teyssier, Daniel; Thüer, Sebastian; Weber, Martin; Cherepanov, Vladimir; Erdogan, Yusuf; Flügge, Günter; Geenen, Heiko; Geisler, Matthias; Haj Ahmad, Wael; Hoehle, Felix; Kargoll, Bastian; Kress, Thomas; Kuessel, Yvonne; Lingemann, Joschka; Nowack, Andreas; Nugent, Ian Michael; Perchalla, Lars; Pooth, Oliver; Stahl, Achim; Asin, Ivan; Bartosik, Nazar; Behr, Joerg; Behrenhoff, Wolf; Behrens, Ulf; Bell, Alan James; Bergholz, Matthias; Bethani, Agni; Borras, Kerstin; Burgmeier, Armin; Cakir, Altan; Calligaris, Luigi; Campbell, Alan; Choudhury, Somnath; Costanza, Francesco; Diez Pardos, Carmen; Dooling, Samantha; Dorland, Tyler; Eckerlin, Guenter; Eckstein, Doris; Eichhorn, Thomas; Flucke, Gero; Geiser, Achim; Grebenyuk, Anastasia; Gunnellini, Paolo; Habib, Shiraz; Hauk, Johannes; Hellwig, Gregor; Hempel, Maria; Horton, Dean; Jung, Hannes; Kasemann, Matthias; Katsas, Panagiotis; Kieseler, Jan; Kleinwort, Claus; Krämer, Mira; Krücker, Dirk; Lange, Wolfgang; Leonard, Jessica; Lipka, Katerina; Lohmann, Wolfgang; Lutz, Benjamin; Mankel, Rainer; Marfin, Ihar; Melzer-Pellmann, Isabell-Alissandra; Meyer, Andreas Bernhard; Mnich, Joachim; Mussgiller, Andreas; Naumann-Emme, Sebastian; Novgorodova, Olga; Nowak, Friederike; Perrey, Hanno; Petrukhin, Alexey; Pitzl, Daniel; Placakyte, Ringaile; Raspereza, Alexei; Ribeiro Cipriano, Pedro M; Riedl, Caroline; Ron, Elias; Sahin, Mehmet Özgür; Salfeld-Nebgen, Jakob; Schmidt, Ringo; Schoerner-Sadenius, Thomas; Schröder, Matthias; Stein, Matthias; Vargas Trevino, Andrea Del Rocio; Walsh, Roberval; Wissing, Christoph; Aldaya Martin, Maria; Blobel, Volker; Enderle, Holger; Erfle, Joachim; Garutti, Erika; Görner, Martin; Gosselink, Martijn; Haller, Johannes; Goebel, Kristin; Höing, Rebekka Sophie; Kirschenmann, Henning; Klanner, Robert; Kogler, Roman; Lange, Jörn; Marchesini, Ivan; Ott, Jochen; Peiffer, Thomas; Pietsch, Niklas; Rathjens, Denis; Sander, Christian; Schettler, Hannes; Schleper, Peter; Schlieckau, Eike; Schmidt, Alexander; Seidel, Markus; Sibille, Jennifer; Sola, Valentina; Stadie, Hartmut; Steinbrück, Georg; Troendle, Daniel; Usai, Emanuele; Vanelderen, Lukas; Barth, Christian; Baus, Colin; Berger, Joram; Böser, Christian; Butz, Erik; Chwalek, Thorsten; De Boer, Wim; Descroix, Alexis; Dierlamm, Alexander; Feindt, Michael; Guthoff, Moritz; Hartmann, Frank; Hauth, Thomas; Held, Hauke; Hoffmann, Karl-Heinz; Husemann, Ulrich; Katkov, Igor; Kornmayer, Andreas; Kuznetsova, Ekaterina; Lobelle Pardo, Patricia; Martschei, Daniel; Mozer, Matthias Ulrich; Müller, Thomas; Niegel, Martin; Nürnberg, Andreas; Oberst, Oliver; Quast, Gunter; Rabbertz, Klaus; Ratnikov, Fedor; Röcker, Steffen; Schilling, Frank-Peter; Schott, Gregory; Simonis, Hans-Jürgen; Stober, Fred-Markus Helmut; Ulrich, Ralf; Wagner-Kuhr, Jeannine; Wayand, Stefan; Weiler, Thomas; Wolf, Roger; Zeise, Manuel; Anagnostou, Georgios; Daskalakis, Georgios; Geralis, Theodoros; Kesisoglou, Stilianos; Kyriakis, Aristotelis; Loukas, Demetrios; Markou, Athanasios; Markou, Christos; Ntomari, Eleni; Topsis-Giotis, Iasonas; Gouskos, Loukas; Panagiotou, Apostolos; Saoulidou, Niki; Stiliaris, Efstathios; Aslanoglou, Xenofon; Evangelou, Ioannis; Flouris, Giannis; Foudas, Costas; Kokkas, Panagiotis; Manthos, Nikolaos; Papadopoulos, Ioannis; Paradas, Evangelos; Bencze, Gyorgy; Hajdu, Csaba; Hidas, Pàl; Horvath, Dezso; Sikler, Ferenc; Veszpremi, Viktor; Vesztergombi, Gyorgy; Zsigmond, Anna Julia; Beni, Noemi; Czellar, Sandor; Molnar, Jozsef; Palinkas, Jozsef; Szillasi, Zoltan; Karancsi, János; Raics, Peter; Trocsanyi, Zoltan Laszlo; Ujvari, Balazs; Swain, Sanjay Kumar; Beri, Suman Bala; Bhatnagar, Vipin; Dhingra, Nitish; Gupta, Ruchi; Kaur, Manjit; Mehta, Manuk Zubin; Mittal, Monika; Nishu, Nishu; Sharma, Archana; Singh, Jasbir; Kumar, Ashok; Kumar, Arun; Ahuja, Sudha; Bhardwaj, Ashutosh; Choudhary, Brajesh C; Kumar, Ajay; Malhotra, Shivali; Naimuddin, Md; Ranjan, Kirti; Saxena, Pooja; Sharma, Varun; Shivpuri, Ram Krishen; Banerjee, Sunanda; Bhattacharya, Satyaki; Chatterjee, Kalyanmoy; Dutta, Suchandra; Gomber, Bhawna; Jain, Sandhya; Jain, Shilpi; Khurana, Raman; Modak, Atanu; Mukherjee, Swagata; Roy, Debarati; Sarkar, Subir; Sharan, Manoj; Singh, Anil; Abdulsalam, Abdulla; Dutta, Dipanwita; Kailas, Swaminathan; Kumar, Vineet; Mohanty, Ajit Kumar; Pant, Lalit Mohan; Shukla, Prashant; Topkar, Anita; Aziz, Tariq; Chatterjee, Rajdeep Mohan; Ganguly, Sanmay; Ghosh, Saranya; Guchait, Monoranjan; Gurtu, Atul; Kole, Gouranga; Kumar, Sanjeev; Maity, Manas; Majumder, Gobinda; Mazumdar, Kajari; Mohanty, Gagan Bihari; Parida, Bibhuti; Sudhakar, Katta; Wickramage, Nadeesha; Banerjee, Sudeshna; Dugad, Shashikant; Arfaei, Hessamaddin; Bakhshiansohi, Hamed; Behnamian, Hadi; Etesami, Seyed Mohsen; Fahim, Ali; Jafari, Abideh; Khakzad, Mohsen; Mohammadi Najafabadi, Mojtaba; Naseri, Mohsen; Paktinat Mehdiabadi, Saeid; Safarzadeh, Batool; Zeinali, Maryam; Grunewald, Martin; Abbrescia, Marcello; Barbone, Lucia; Calabria, Cesare; Chhibra, Simranjit Singh; Colaleo, Anna; Creanza, Donato; De Filippis, Nicola; De Palma, Mauro; Fiore, Luigi; Iaselli, Giuseppe; Maggi, Giorgio; Maggi, Marcello; Marangelli, Bartolomeo; My, Salvatore; Nuzzo, Salvatore; Pacifico, Nicola; Pompili, Alexis; Pugliese, Gabriella; Radogna, Raffaella; Selvaggi, Giovanna; Silvestris, Lucia; Singh, Gurpreet; Venditti, Rosamaria; Verwilligen, Piet; Zito, Giuseppe; Abbiendi, Giovanni; Benvenuti, Alberto; Bonacorsi, Daniele; Braibant-Giacomelli, Sylvie; Brigliadori, Luca; Campanini, Renato; Capiluppi, Paolo; Castro, Andrea; Cavallo, Francesca Romana; Codispoti, Giuseppe; Cuffiani, Marco; Dallavalle, Gaetano-Marco; Fabbri, Fabrizio; Fanfani, Alessandra; Fasanella, Daniele; Giacomelli, Paolo; Grandi, Claudio; Guiducci, Luigi; Marcellini, Stefano; Masetti, Gianni; Meneghelli, Marco; Montanari, Alessandro; Navarria, Francesco; Odorici, Fabrizio; Perrotta, Andrea; Primavera, Federica; Rossi, Antonio; Rovelli, Tiziano; Siroli, Gian Piero; Tosi, Nicolò; Travaglini, Riccardo; Albergo, Sebastiano; Cappello, Gigi; Chiorboli, Massimiliano; Costa, Salvatore; Giordano, Ferdinando; Potenza, Renato; Tricomi, Alessia; Tuve, Cristina; Barbagli, Giuseppe; Ciulli, Vitaliano; Civinini, Carlo; D'Alessandro, Raffaello; Focardi, Ettore; Gallo, Elisabetta; Gonzi, Sandro; Gori, Valentina; Lenzi, Piergiulio; Meschini, Marco; Paoletti, Simone; Sguazzoni, Giacomo; Tropiano, Antonio; Benussi, Luigi; Bianco, Stefano; Fabbri, Franco; Piccolo, Davide; Fabbricatore, Pasquale; Ferretti, Roberta; Ferro, Fabrizio; Lo Vetere, Maurizio; Musenich, Riccardo; Robutti, Enrico; Tosi, Silvano; Benaglia, Andrea; Dinardo, Mauro Emanuele; Fiorendi, Sara; Gennai, Simone; Ghezzi, Alessio; Govoni, Pietro; Lucchini, Marco Toliman; Malvezzi, Sandra; Manzoni, Riccardo Andrea; Martelli, Arabella; Menasce, Dario; Moroni, Luigi; Paganoni, Marco; Pedrini, Daniele; Ragazzi, Stefano; Redaelli, Nicola; Tabarelli de Fatis, Tommaso; Buontempo, Salvatore; Cavallo, Nicola; Fabozzi, Francesco; Iorio, Alberto Orso Maria; Lista, Luca; Meola, Sabino; Merola, Mario; Paolucci, Pierluigi; Azzi, Patrizia; Bacchetta, Nicola; Biasotto, Massimo; Bisello, Dario; Branca, Antonio; Carlin, Roberto; Checchia, Paolo; Dorigo, Tommaso; Galanti, Mario; Gasparini, Fabrizio; Gasparini, Ugo; Giubilato, Piero; Gozzelino, Andrea; Kanishchev, Konstantin; Lacaprara, Stefano; Lazzizzera, Ignazio; Margoni, Martino; Meneguzzo, Anna Teresa; Montecassiano, Fabio; Passaseo, Marina; Pazzini, Jacopo; Pegoraro, Matteo; Pozzobon, Nicola; Ronchese, Paolo; Simonetto, Franco; Torassa, Ezio; Tosi, Mia; Zotto, Pierluigi; Zucchetta, Alberto; Gabusi, Michele; Ratti, Sergio P; Riccardi, Cristina; Vitulo, Paolo; Biasini, Maurizio; Bilei, Gian Mario; Fanò, Livio; Lariccia, Paolo; Mantovani, Giancarlo; Menichelli, Mauro; Nappi, Aniello; Romeo, Francesco; Saha, Anirban; Santocchia, Attilio; Spiezia, Aniello; Androsov, Konstantin; Azzurri, Paolo; Bagliesi, Giuseppe; Bernardini, Jacopo; Boccali, Tommaso; Broccolo, Giuseppe; Castaldi, Rino; Ciocci, Maria Agnese; Dell'Orso, Roberto; Fiori, Francesco; Foà, Lorenzo; Giassi, Alessandro; Grippo, Maria Teresa; Kraan, Aafke; Ligabue, Franco; Lomtadze, Teimuraz; Martini, Luca; Messineo, Alberto; Moon, Chang-Seong; Palla, Fabrizio; Rizzi, Andrea; Savoy-Navarro, Aurore; Serban, Alin Titus; Spagnolo, Paolo; Squillacioti, Paola; Tenchini, Roberto; Tonelli, Guido; Venturi, Andrea; Verdini, Piero Giorgio; Vernieri, Caterina; Barone, Luciano; Cavallari, Francesca; Del Re, Daniele; Diemoz, Marcella; Grassi, Marco; Jorda, Clara; Longo, Egidio; Margaroli, Fabrizio; Meridiani, Paolo; Micheli, Francesco; Nourbakhsh, Shervin; Organtini, Giovanni; Paramatti, Riccardo; Rahatlou, Shahram; Rovelli, Chiara; Soffi, Livia; Traczyk, Piotr; Amapane, Nicola; Arcidiacono, Roberta; Argiro, Stefano; Arneodo, Michele; Bellan, Riccardo; Biino, Cristina; Cartiglia, Nicolo; Casasso, Stefano; Costa, Marco; Degano, Alessandro; Demaria, Natale; Mariotti, Chiara; Maselli, Silvia; Migliore, Ernesto; Monaco, Vincenzo; Musich, Marco; Obertino, Maria Margherita; Ortona, Giacomo; Pacher, Luca; Pastrone, Nadia; Pelliccioni, Mario; Potenza, Alberto; Romero, Alessandra; Ruspa, Marta; Sacchi, Roberto; Solano, Ada; Staiano, Amedeo; Tamponi, Umberto; Belforte, Stefano; Candelise, Vieri; Casarsa, Massimo; Cossutti, Fabio; Della Ricca, Giuseppe; Gobbo, Benigno; La Licata, Chiara; Marone, Matteo; Montanino, Damiana; Penzo, Aldo; Schizzi, Andrea; Umer, Tomo; Zanetti, Anna; Chang, Sunghyun; Kim, Tae Yeon; Nam, Soon-Kwon; Kim, Dong Hee; Kim, Gui Nyun; Kim, Ji Eun; Kong, Dae Jung; Lee, Sangeun; Oh, Young Do; Park, Hyangkyu; Son, Dong-Chul; Kim, Jae Yool; Kim, Zero Jaeho; Song, Sanghyeon; Choi, Suyong; Gyun, Dooyeon; Hong, Byung-Sik; Jo, Mihee; Kim, Hyunchul; Kim, Yongsun; Lee, Kyong Sei; Park, Sung Keun; Roh, Youn; Choi, Minkyoo; Kim, Ji Hyun; Park, Chawon; Park, Inkyu; Park, Sangnam; Ryu, Geonmo; Choi, Young-Il; Choi, Young Kyu; Goh, Junghwan; Kim, Min Suk; Kwon, Eunhyang; Lee, Byounghoon; Lee, Jongseok; Lee, Sungeun; Seo, Hyunkwan; Yu, Intae; Juodagalvis, Andrius; Castilla-Valdez, Heriberto; De La Cruz-Burelo, Eduard; Heredia-de La Cruz, Ivan; Lopez-Fernandez, Ricardo; Martínez-Ortega, Jorge; Sánchez Hernández, Alberto; Villasenor-Cendejas, Luis Manuel; Carrillo Moreno, Salvador; Vazquez Valencia, Fabiola; Salazar Ibarguen, Humberto Antonio; Casimiro Linares, Edgar; Morelos Pineda, Antonio; Krofcheck, David; Butler, Philip H; Doesburg, Robert; Reucroft, Steve; Silverwood, Hamish; Ahmad, Muhammad; Asghar, Muhammad Irfan; Butt, Jamila; Hoorani, Hafeez R; Khalid, Shoaib; Khan, Wajid Ali; Khurshid, Taimoor; Qazi, Shamona; Shah, Mehar Ali; Shoaib, Muhammad; Bialkowska, Helena; Bluj, Michal; Boimska, Bożena; Frueboes, Tomasz; Górski, Maciej; Kazana, Malgorzata; Nawrocki, Krzysztof; Romanowska-Rybinska, Katarzyna; Szleper, Michal; Wrochna, Grzegorz; Zalewski, Piotr; Brona, Grzegorz; Bunkowski, Karol; Cwiok, Mikolaj; Dominik, Wojciech; Doroba, Krzysztof; Kalinowski, Artur; Konecki, Marcin; Krolikowski, Jan; Misiura, Maciej; Wolszczak, Weronika; Bargassa, Pedrame; Beirão Da Cruz E Silva, Cristóvão; Faccioli, Pietro; Ferreira Parracho, Pedro Guilherme; Gallinaro, Michele; Nguyen, Federico; Rodrigues Antunes, Joao; Seixas, Joao; Varela, Joao; Vischia, Pietro; Afanasiev, Serguei; Bunin, Pavel; Gavrilenko, Mikhail; Golutvin, Igor; Gorbunov, Ilya; Karjavin, Vladimir; Konoplyanikov, Viktor; Kozlov, Guennady; Lanev, Alexander; Malakhov, Alexander; Matveev, Viktor; Moisenz, Petr; Palichik, Vladimir; Perelygin, Victor; Shmatov, Sergey; Skatchkov, Nikolai; Smirnov, Vitaly; Zarubin, Anatoli; Golovtsov, Victor; Ivanov, Yury; Kim, Victor; Levchenko, Petr; Murzin, Victor; Oreshkin, Vadim; Smirnov, Igor; Sulimov, Valentin; Uvarov, Lev; Vavilov, Sergey; Vorobyev, Alexey; Vorobyev, Andrey; Andreev, Yuri; Dermenev, Alexander; Gninenko, Sergei; Golubev, Nikolai; Kirsanov, Mikhail; Krasnikov, Nikolai; Pashenkov, Anatoli; Tlisov, Danila; Toropin, Alexander; Epshteyn, Vladimir; Gavrilov, Vladimir; Lychkovskaya, Natalia; Popov, Vladimir; Safronov, Grigory; Semenov, Sergey; Spiridonov, Alexander; Stolin, Viatcheslav; Vlasov, Evgueni; Zhokin, Alexander; Andreev, Vladimir; Azarkin, Maksim; Dremin, Igor; Kirakosyan, Martin; Leonidov, Andrey; Mesyats, Gennady; Rusakov, Sergey V; Vinogradov, Alexey; Belyaev, Andrey; Boos, Edouard; Demiyanov, Andrey; Ershov, Alexander; Gribushin, Andrey; Kodolova, Olga; Korotkikh, Vladimir; Lokhtin, Igor; Obraztsov, Stepan; Petrushanko, Sergey; Savrin, Viktor; Snigirev, Alexander; Vardanyan, Irina; Azhgirey, Igor; Bayshev, Igor; Bitioukov, Sergei; Kachanov, Vassili; Kalinin, Alexey; Konstantinov, Dmitri; Krychkine, Victor; Petrov, Vladimir; Ryutin, Roman; Sobol, Andrei; Tourtchanovitch, Leonid; Troshin, Sergey; Tyurin, Nikolay; Uzunian, Andrey; Volkov, Alexey; Adzic, Petar; Djordjevic, Milos; Ekmedzic, Marko; Milosevic, Jovan; Aguilar-Benitez, Manuel; Alcaraz Maestre, Juan; Battilana, Carlo; Calvo, Enrique; Cerrada, Marcos; Chamizo Llatas, Maria; Colino, Nicanor; De La Cruz, Begona; Delgado Peris, Antonio; Domínguez Vázquez, Daniel; Fernandez Bedoya, Cristina; Fernández Ramos, Juan Pablo; Ferrando, Antonio; Flix, Jose; Fouz, Maria Cruz; Garcia-Abia, Pablo; Gonzalez Lopez, Oscar; Goy Lopez, Silvia; Hernandez, Jose M; Josa, Maria Isabel; Merino, Gonzalo; Navarro De Martino, Eduardo; Puerta Pelayo, Jesus; Quintario Olmeda, Adrián; Redondo, Ignacio; Romero, Luciano; Senghi Soares, Mara; Willmott, Carlos; Albajar, Carmen; de Trocóniz, Jorge F; Brun, Hugues; Cuevas, Javier; Fernandez Menendez, Javier; Folgueras, Santiago; Gonzalez Caballero, Isidro; Lloret Iglesias, Lara; Brochero Cifuentes, Javier Andres; Cabrillo, Iban Jose; Calderon, Alicia; Chuang, Shan-Huei; Duarte Campderros, Jordi; Fernandez, Marcos; Gomez, Gervasio; Gonzalez Sanchez, Javier; Graziano, Alberto; Lopez Virto, Amparo; Marco, Jesus; Marco, Rafael; Martinez Rivero, Celso; Matorras, Francisco; Munoz Sanchez, Francisca Javiela; Piedra Gomez, Jonatan; Rodrigo, Teresa; Rodríguez-Marrero, Ana Yaiza; Ruiz-Jimeno, Alberto; Scodellaro, Luca; Vila, Ivan; Vilar Cortabitarte, Rocio; Abbaneo, Duccio; Auffray, Etiennette; Auzinger, Georg; Bachtis, Michail; Baillon, Paul; Ball, Austin; Barney, David; Bendavid, Joshua; Benhabib, Lamia; Benitez, Jose F; Bernet, Colin; Bianchi, Giovanni; Bloch, Philippe; Bocci, Andrea; Bonato, Alessio; Bondu, Olivier; Botta, Cristina; Breuker, Horst; Camporesi, Tiziano; Cerminara, Gianluca; Christiansen, Tim; Coarasa Perez, Jose Antonio; Colafranceschi, Stefano; D'Alfonso, Mariarosaria; D'Enterria, David; Dabrowski, Anne; David Tinoco Mendes, Andre; De Guio, Federico; De Roeck, Albert; De Visscher, Simon; Di Guida, Salvatore; Dobson, Marc; Dupont-Sagorin, Niels; Elliott-Peisert, Anna; Eugster, Jürg; Franzoni, Giovanni; Funk, Wolfgang; Giffels, Manuel; Gigi, Dominique; Gill, Karl; Girone, Maria; Giunta, Marina; Glege, Frank; Gomez-Reino Garrido, Robert; Gowdy, Stephen; Guida, Roberto; Hammer, Josef; Hansen, Magnus; Harris, Philip; Innocente, Vincenzo; Janot, Patrick; Karavakis, Edward; Kousouris, Konstantinos; Krajczar, Krisztian; Lecoq, Paul; Lourenco, Carlos; Magini, Nicolo; Malgeri, Luca; Mannelli, Marcello; Masetti, Lorenzo; Meijers, Frans; Mersi, Stefano; Meschi, Emilio; Moortgat, Filip; Mulders, Martijn; Musella, Pasquale; Orsini, Luciano; Palencia Cortezon, Enrique; Perez, Emmanuelle; Perrozzi, Luca; Petrilli, Achille; Petrucciani, Giovanni; Pfeiffer, Andreas; Pierini, Maurizio; Pimiä, Martti; Piparo, Danilo; Plagge, Michael; Racz, Attila; Reece, William; Rolandi, Gigi; Rovere, Marco; Sakulin, Hannes; Santanastasio, Francesco; Schäfer, Christoph; Schwick, Christoph; Sekmen, Sezen; Sharma, Archana; Siegrist, Patrice; Silva, Pedro; Simon, Michal; Sphicas, Paraskevas; Steggemann, Jan; Stieger, Benjamin; Stoye, Markus; Tsirou, Andromachi; Veres, Gabor Istvan; Vlimant, Jean-Roch; Wöhri, Hermine Katharina; Zeuner, Wolfram Dietrich; Bertl, Willi; Deiters, Konrad; Erdmann, Wolfram; Horisberger, Roland; Ingram, Quentin; Kaestli, Hans-Christian; König, Stefan; Kotlinski, Danek; Langenegger, Urs; Renker, Dieter; Rohe, Tilman; Bachmair, Felix; Bäni, Lukas; Bianchini, Lorenzo; Bortignon, Pierluigi; Buchmann, Marco-Andrea; Casal, Bruno; Chanon, Nicolas; Deisher, Amanda; Dissertori, Günther; Dittmar, Michael; Donegà, Mauro; Dünser, Marc; Eller, Philipp; Grab, Christoph; Hits, Dmitry; Lustermann, Werner; Mangano, Boris; Marini, Andrea Carlo; Martinez Ruiz del Arbol, Pablo; Meister, Daniel; Mohr, Niklas; Nägeli, Christoph; Nef, Pascal; Nessi-Tedaldi, Francesca; Pandolfi, Francesco; Pape, Luc; Pauss, Felicitas; Peruzzi, Marco; Quittnat, Milena; Ronga, Frederic Jean; Rossini, Marco; Starodumov, Andrei; Takahashi, Maiko; Tauscher, Ludwig; Theofilatos, Konstantinos; Treille, Daniel; Wallny, Rainer; Weber, Hannsjoerg Artur; Amsler, Claude; Chiochia, Vincenzo; De Cosa, Annapaola; Favaro, Carlotta; Hinzmann, Andreas; Hreus, Tomas; Ivova Rikova, Mirena; Kilminster, Benjamin; Millan Mejias, Barbara; Ngadiuba, Jennifer; Robmann, Peter; Snoek, Hella; Taroni, Silvia; Verzetti, Mauro; Yang, Yong; Cardaci, Marco; Chen, Kuan-Hsin; Ferro, Cristina; Kuo, Chia-Ming; Li, Syue-Wei; Lin, Willis; Lu, Yun-Ju; Volpe, Roberta; Yu, Shin-Shan; Bartalini, Paolo; Chang, Paoti; Chang, You-Hao; Chang, Yu-Wei; Chao, Yuan; Chen, Kai-Feng; Chen, Po-Hsun; Dietz, Charles; Grundler, Ulysses; Hou, George Wei-Shu; Hsiung, Yee; Kao, Kai-Yi; Lei, Yeong-Jyi; Liu, Yueh-Feng; Lu, Rong-Shyang; Majumder, Devdatta; Petrakou, Eleni; Shi, Xin; Shiu, Jing-Ge; Tzeng, Yeng-Ming; Wang, Minzu; Wilken, Rachel; Asavapibhop, Burin; Suwonjandee, Narumon; Adiguzel, Aytul; Bakirci, Mustafa Numan; Cerci, Salim; Dozen, Candan; Dumanoglu, Isa; Eskut, Eda; Girgis, Semiray; Gokbulut, Gul; Gurpinar, Emine; Hos, Ilknur; Kangal, Evrim Ersin; Kayis Topaksu, Aysel; Onengut, Gulsen; Ozdemir, Kadri; Ozturk, Sertac; Polatoz, Ayse; Sogut, Kenan; Sunar Cerci, Deniz; Tali, Bayram; Topakli, Huseyin; Vergili, Mehmet; Akin, Ilina Vasileva; Aliev, Takhmasib; Bilin, Bugra; Bilmis, Selcuk; Deniz, Muhammed; Gamsizkan, Halil; Guler, Ali Murat; Karapinar, Guler; Ocalan, Kadir; Ozpineci, Altug; Serin, Meltem; Sever, Ramazan; Surat, Ugur Emrah; Yalvac, Metin; Zeyrek, Mehmet; Gülmez, Erhan; Isildak, Bora; Kaya, Mithat; Kaya, Ozlem; Ozkorucuklu, Suat; Bahtiyar, Hüseyin; Barlas, Esra; Cankocak, Kerem; Günaydin, Yusuf Oguzhan; Vardarli, Fuat Ilkehan; Yücel, Mete; Levchuk, Leonid; Sorokin, Pavel; Brooke, James John; Clement, Emyr; Cussans, David; Flacher, Henning; Frazier, Robert; Goldstein, Joel; Grimes, Mark; Heath, Greg P; Heath, Helen F; Jacob, Jeson; Kreczko, Lukasz; Lucas, Chris; Meng, Zhaoxia; Newbold, Dave M; Paramesvaran, Sudarshan; Poll, Anthony; Senkin, Sergey; Smith, Vincent J; Williams, Thomas; Belyaev, Alexander; Brew, Christopher; Brown, Robert M; Cockerill, David JA; Coughlan, John A; Harder, Kristian; Harper, Sam; Ilic, Jelena; Olaiya, Emmanuel; Petyt, David; Shepherd-Themistocleous, Claire; Thea, Alessandro; Tomalin, Ian R; Womersley, William John; Worm, Steven; Baber, Mark; Bainbridge, Robert; Buchmuller, Oliver; Burton, Darren; Colling, David; Cripps, Nicholas; Cutajar, Michael; Dauncey, Paul; Davies, Gavin; Della Negra, Michel; Ferguson, William; Fulcher, Jonathan; Futyan, David; Gilbert, Andrew; Guneratne Bryer, Arlo; Hall, Geoffrey; Hatherell, Zoe; Hays, Jonathan; Iles, Gregory; Jarvis, Martyn; Karapostoli, Georgia; Kenzie, Matthew; Lane, Rebecca; Lucas, Robyn; Lyons, Louis; Magnan, Anne-Marie; Marrouche, Jad; Mathias, Bryn; Nandi, Robin; Nash, Jordan; Nikitenko, Alexander; Pela, Joao; Pesaresi, Mark; Petridis, Konstantinos; Pioppi, Michele; Raymond, David Mark; Rogerson, Samuel; Rose, Andrew; Seez, Christopher; Sharp, Peter; Sparrow, Alex; Tapper, Alexander; Vazquez Acosta, Monica; Virdee, Tejinder; Wakefield, Stuart; Wardle, Nicholas; Cole, Joanne; Hobson, Peter R; Khan, Akram; Kyberd, Paul; Leggat, Duncan; Leslie, Dawn; Martin, William; Reid, Ivan; Symonds, Philip; Teodorescu, Liliana; Turner, Mark; Dittmann, Jay; Hatakeyama, Kenichi; Kasmi, Azeddine; Liu, Hongxuan; Scarborough, Tara; Charaf, Otman; Cooper, Seth; Henderson, Conor; Rumerio, Paolo; Avetisyan, Aram; Bose, Tulika; Fantasia, Cory; Heister, Arno; Lawson, Philip; Lazic, Dragoslav; Rohlf, James; Sperka, David; St John, Jason; Sulak, Lawrence; Alimena, Juliette; Bhattacharya, Saptaparna; Christopher, Grant; Cutts, David; Demiragli, Zeynep; Ferapontov, Alexey; Garabedian, Alex; Heintz, Ulrich; Jabeen, Shabnam; Kukartsev, Gennadiy; Laird, Edward; Landsberg, Greg; Luk, Michael; Narain, Meenakshi; Segala, Michael; Sinthuprasith, Tutanon; Speer, Thomas; Swanson, Joshua; Breedon, Richard; Breto, Guillermo; Calderon De La Barca Sanchez, Manuel; Chauhan, Sushil; Chertok, Maxwell; Conway, John; Conway, Rylan; Cox, Peter Timothy; Erbacher, Robin; Gardner, Michael; Ko, Winston; Kopecky, Alexandra; Lander, Richard; Miceli, Tia; Pellett, Dave; Pilot, Justin; Ricci-Tam, Francesca; Rutherford, Britney; Searle, Matthew; Shalhout, Shalhout; Smith, John; Squires, Michael; Tripathi, Mani; Wilbur, Scott; Yohay, Rachel; Andreev, Valeri; Cline, David; Cousins, Robert; Erhan, Samim; Everaerts, Pieter; Farrell, Chris; Felcini, Marta; Hauser, Jay; Ignatenko, Mikhail; Jarvis, Chad; Rakness, Gregory; Schlein, Peter; Takasugi, Eric; Valuev, Vyacheslav; Weber, Matthias; Babb, John; Clare, Robert; Ellison, John Anthony; Gary, J William; Hanson, Gail; Heilman, Jesse; Jandir, Pawandeep; Lacroix, Florent; Liu, Hongliang; Long, Owen Rosser; Luthra, Arun; Malberti, Martina; Nguyen, Harold; Shrinivas, Amithabh; Sturdy, Jared; Sumowidagdo, Suharyo; Wimpenny, Stephen; Andrews, Warren; Branson, James G; Cerati, Giuseppe Benedetto; Cittolin, Sergio; D'Agnolo, Raffaele Tito; Evans, David; Holzner, André; Kelley, Ryan; Kovalskyi, Dmytro; Lebourgeois, Matthew; Letts, James; Macneill, Ian; Padhi, Sanjay; Palmer, Christopher; Pieri, Marco; Sani, Matteo; Sharma, Vivek; Simon, Sean; Sudano, Elizabeth; Tadel, Matevz; Tu, Yanjun; Vartak, Adish; Wasserbaech, Steven; Würthwein, Frank; Yagil, Avraham; Yoo, Jaehyeok; Barge, Derek; Campagnari, Claudio; Danielson, Thomas; Flowers, Kristen; Geffert, Paul; George, Christopher; Golf, Frank; Incandela, Joe; Justus, Christopher; Magaña Villalba, Ricardo; Mccoll, Nickolas; Pavlunin, Viktor; Richman, Jeffrey; Rossin, Roberto; Stuart, David; To, Wing; West, Christopher; Apresyan, Artur; Bornheim, Adolf; Bunn, Julian; Chen, Yi; Di Marco, Emanuele; Duarte, Javier; Kcira, Dorian; Mott, Alexander; Newman, Harvey B; Pena, Cristian; Rogan, Christopher; Spiropulu, Maria; Timciuc, Vladlen; Wilkinson, Richard; Xie, Si; Zhu, Ren-Yuan; Azzolini, Virginia; Calamba, Aristotle; Carroll, Ryan; Ferguson, Thomas; Iiyama, Yutaro; Jang, Dong Wook; Paulini, Manfred; Russ, James; Vogel, Helmut; Vorobiev, Igor; Cumalat, John Perry; Drell, Brian Robert; Ford, William T; Gaz, Alessandro; Luiggi Lopez, Eduardo; Nauenberg, Uriel; Smith, James; Stenson, Kevin; Ulmer, Keith; Wagner, Stephen Robert; Alexander, James; Chatterjee, Avishek; Eggert, Nicholas; Gibbons, Lawrence Kent; Hopkins, Walter; Khukhunaishvili, Aleko; Kreis, Benjamin; Mirman, Nathan; Nicolas Kaufman, Gala; Patterson, Juliet Ritchie; Ryd, Anders; Salvati, Emmanuele; Sun, Werner; Teo, Wee Don; Thom, Julia; Thompson, Joshua; Tucker, Jordan; Weng, Yao; Winstrom, Lucas; Wittich, Peter; Winn, Dave; Abdullin, Salavat; Albrow, Michael; Anderson, Jacob; Apollinari, Giorgio; Bauerdick, Lothar AT; Beretvas, Andrew; Berryhill, Jeffrey; Bhat, Pushpalatha C; Burkett, Kevin; Butler, Joel Nathan; Chetluru, Vasundhara; Cheung, Harry; Chlebana, Frank; Cihangir, Selcuk; Elvira, Victor Daniel; Fisk, Ian; Freeman, Jim; Gao, Yanyan; Gottschalk, Erik; Gray, Lindsey; Green, Dan; Grünendahl, Stefan; Gutsche, Oliver; Hare, Daryl; Harris, Robert M; Hirschauer, James; Hooberman, Benjamin; Jindariani, Sergo; Johnson, Marvin; Joshi, Umesh; Kaadze, Ketino; Klima, Boaz; Kwan, Simon; Linacre, Jacob; Lincoln, Don; Lipton, Ron; Lykken, Joseph; Maeshima, Kaori; Marraffino, John Michael; Martinez Outschoorn, Verena Ingrid; Maruyama, Sho; Mason, David; McBride, Patricia; Mishra, Kalanand; Mrenna, Stephen; Musienko, Yuri; Nahn, Steve; Newman-Holmes, Catherine; O'Dell, Vivian; Prokofyev, Oleg; Ratnikova, Natalia; Sexton-Kennedy, Elizabeth; Sharma, Seema; Spalding, William J; Spiegel, Leonard; Taylor, Lucas; Tkaczyk, Slawek; Tran, Nhan Viet; Uplegger, Lorenzo; Vaandering, Eric Wayne; Vidal, Richard; Whitbeck, Andrew; Whitmore, Juliana; Wu, Weimin; Yang, Fan; Yun, Jae Chul; Acosta, Darin; Avery, Paul; Bourilkov, Dimitri; Cheng, Tongguang; Das, Souvik; De Gruttola, Michele; Di Giovanni, Gian Piero; Dobur, Didar; Field, Richard D; Fisher, Matthew; Fu, Yu; Furic, Ivan-Kresimir; Hugon, Justin; Kim, Bockjoo; Konigsberg, Jacobo; Korytov, Andrey; Kropivnitskaya, Anna; Kypreos, Theodore; Low, Jia Fu; Matchev, Konstantin; Milenovic, Predrag; Mitselmakher, Guenakh; Muniz, Lana; Rinkevicius, Aurelijus; Shchutska, Lesya; Skhirtladze, Nikoloz; Snowball, Matthew; Yelton, John; Zakaria, Mohammed; Gaultney, Vanessa; Hewamanage, Samantha; Linn, Stephan; Markowitz, Pete; Martinez, German; Rodriguez, Jorge Luis; Adams, Todd; Askew, Andrew; Bochenek, Joseph; Chen, Jie; Diamond, Brendan; Haas, Jeff; Hagopian, Sharon; Hagopian, Vasken; Johnson, Kurtis F; Prosper, Harrison; Veeraraghavan, Venkatesh; Weinberg, Marc; Baarmand, Marc M; Dorney, Brian; Hohlmann, Marcus; Kalakhety, Himali; Yumiceva, Francisco; Adams, Mark Raymond; Apanasevich, Leonard; Bazterra, Victor Eduardo; Betts, Russell Richard; Bucinskaite, Inga; Cavanaugh, Richard; Evdokimov, Olga; Gauthier, Lucie; Gerber, Cecilia Elena; Hofman, David Jonathan; Khalatyan, Samvel; Kurt, Pelin; Moon, Dong Ho; O'Brien, Christine; Silkworth, Christopher; Turner, Paul; Varelas, Nikos; Akgun, Ugur; Albayrak, Elif Asli; Bilki, Burak; Clarida, Warren; Dilsiz, Kamuran; Duru, Firdevs; Merlo, Jean-Pierre; Mermerkaya, Hamit; Mestvirishvili, Alexi; Moeller, Anthony; Nachtman, Jane; Ogul, Hasan; Onel, Yasar; Ozok, Ferhat; Sen, Sercan; Tan, Ping; Tiras, Emrah; Wetzel, James; Yetkin, Taylan; Yi, Kai; Barnett, Bruce Arnold; Blumenfeld, Barry; Bolognesi, Sara; Fehling, David; Gritsan, Andrei; Maksimovic, Petar; Martin, Christopher; Swartz, Morris; Baringer, Philip; Bean, Alice; Benelli, Gabriele; Kenny III, Raymond Patrick; Murray, Michael; Noonan, Daniel; Sanders, Stephen; Sekaric, Jadranka; Stringer, Robert; Wang, Quan; Wood, Jeffrey Scott; Barfuss, Anne-Fleur; Chakaberia, Irakli; Ivanov, Andrew; Khalil, Sadia; Makouski, Mikhail; Maravin, Yurii; Saini, Lovedeep Kaur; Shrestha, Shruti; Svintradze, Irakli; Gronberg, Jeffrey; Lange, David; Rebassoo, Finn; Wright, Douglas; Baden, Drew; Calvert, Brian; Eno, Sarah Catherine; Gomez, Jaime; Hadley, Nicholas John; Kellogg, Richard G; Kolberg, Ted; Lu, Ying; Marionneau, Matthieu; Mignerey, Alice; Pedro, Kevin; Skuja, Andris; Temple, Jeffrey; Tonjes, Marguerite; Tonwar, Suresh C; Apyan, Aram; Barbieri, Richard; Bauer, Gerry; Busza, Wit; Cali, Ivan Amos; Chan, Matthew; Di Matteo, Leonardo; Dutta, Valentina; Gomez Ceballos, Guillelmo; Goncharov, Maxim; Gulhan, Doga; Klute, Markus; Lai, Yue Shi; Lee, Yen-Jie; Levin, Andrew; Luckey, Paul David; Ma, Teng; Paus, Christoph; Ralph, Duncan; Roland, Christof; Roland, Gunther; Stephans, George; Stöckli, Fabian; Sumorok, Konstanty; Velicanu, Dragos; Veverka, Jan; Wyslouch, Bolek; Yang, Mingming; Yoon, Sungho; Zanetti, Marco; Zhukova, Victoria; Dahmes, Bryan; De Benedetti, Abraham; Gude, Alexander; Kao, Shih-Chuan; Klapoetke, Kevin; Kubota, Yuichi; Mans, Jeremy; Pastika, Nathaniel; Rusack, Roger; Singovsky, Alexander; Tambe, Norbert; Turkewitz, Jared; Acosta, John Gabriel; Cremaldi, Lucien Marcus; Kroeger, Rob; Oliveros, Sandra; Perera, Lalith; Rahmat, Rahmat; Sanders, David A; Summers, Don; Avdeeva, Ekaterina; Bloom, Kenneth; Bose, Suvadeep; Claes, Daniel R; Dominguez, Aaron; Gonzalez Suarez, Rebeca; Keller, Jason; Knowlton, Dan; Kravchenko, Ilya; Lazo-Flores, Jose; Malik, Sudhir; Meier, Frank; Snow, Gregory R; Dolen, James; Godshalk, Andrew; Iashvili, Ia; Jain, Supriya; Kharchilava, Avto; Kumar, Ashish; Rappoccio, Salvatore; Wan, Zongru; Alverson, George; Barberis, Emanuela; Baumgartel, Darin; Chasco, Matthew; Haley, Joseph; Massironi, Andrea; Nash, David; Orimoto, Toyoko; Trocino, Daniele; Wood, Darien; Zhang, Jinzhong; Anastassov, Anton; Hahn, Kristan Allan; Kubik, Andrew; Lusito, Letizia; Mucia, Nicholas; Odell, Nathaniel; Pollack, Brian; Pozdnyakov, Andrey; Schmitt, Michael Henry; Stoynev, Stoyan; Sung, Kevin; Velasco, Mayda; Won, Steven; Berry, Douglas; Brinkerhoff, Andrew; Chan, Kwok Ming; Drozdetskiy, Alexey; Hildreth, Michael; Jessop, Colin; Karmgard, Daniel John; Kellams, Nathan; Kolb, Jeff; Lannon, Kevin; Luo, Wuming; Lynch, Sean; Marinelli, Nancy; Morse, David Michael; Pearson, Tessa; Planer, Michael; Ruchti, Randy; Slaunwhite, Jason; Valls, Nil; Wayne, Mitchell; Wolf, Matthias; Woodard, Anna; Antonelli, Louis; Bylsma, Ben; Durkin, Lloyd Stanley; Flowers, Sean; Hill, Christopher; Hughes, Richard; Kotov, Khristian; Ling, Ta-Yung; Puigh, Darren; Rodenburg, Marissa; Smith, Geoffrey; Vuosalo, Carl; Winer, Brian L; Wolfe, Homer; Wulsin, Howard Wells; Berry, Edmund; Elmer, Peter; Halyo, Valerie; Hebda, Philip; Hegeman, Jeroen; Hunt, Adam; Jindal, Pratima; Koay, Sue Ann; Lujan, Paul; Marlow, Daniel; Medvedeva, Tatiana; Mooney, Michael; Olsen, James; Piroué, Pierre; Quan, Xiaohang; Raval, Amita; Saka, Halil; Stickland, David; Tully, Christopher; Werner, Jeremy Scott; Zenz, Seth Conrad; Zuranski, Andrzej; Brownson, Eric; Lopez, Angel; Mendez, Hector; Ramirez Vargas, Juan Eduardo; Alagoz, Enver; Benedetti, Daniele; Bolla, Gino; Bortoletto, Daniela; De Mattia, Marco; Everett, Adam; Hu, Zhen; Jones, Matthew; Jung, Kurt; Kress, Matthew; Leonardo, Nuno; Lopes Pegna, David; Maroussov, Vassili; Merkel, Petra; Miller, David Harry; Neumeister, Norbert; Radburn-Smith, Benjamin Charles; Shipsey, Ian; Silvers, David; Svyatkovskiy, Alexey; Wang, Fuqiang; Xie, Wei; Xu, Lingshan; Yoo, Hwi Dong; Zablocki, Jakub; Zheng, Yu; Parashar, Neeti; Adair, Antony; Akgun, Bora; Ecklund, Karl Matthew; Geurts, Frank JM; Li, Wei; Michlin, Benjamin; Padley, Brian Paul; Redjimi, Radia; Roberts, Jay; Zabel, James; Betchart, Burton; Bodek, Arie; Covarelli, Roberto; de Barbaro, Pawel; Demina, Regina; Eshaq, Yossof; Ferbel, Thomas; Garcia-Bellido, Aran; Goldenzweig, Pablo; Han, Jiyeon; Harel, Amnon; Miner, Daniel Carl; Petrillo, Gianluca; Vishnevskiy, Dmitry; Zielinski, Marek; Bhatti, Anwar; Ciesielski, Robert; Demortier, Luc; Goulianos, Konstantin; Lungu, Gheorghe; Malik, Sarah; Mesropian, Christina; Arora, Sanjay; Barker, Anthony; Chou, John Paul; Contreras-Campana, Christian; Contreras-Campana, Emmanuel; Duggan, Daniel; Ferencek, Dinko; Gershtein, Yuri; Gray, Richard; Halkiadakis, Eva; Hidas, Dean; Lath, Amitabh; Panwalkar, Shruti; Park, Michael; Patel, Rishi; Rekovic, Vladimir; Robles, Jorge; Salur, Sevil; Schnetzer, Steve; Seitz, Claudia; Somalwar, Sunil; Stone, Robert; Thomas, Scott; Thomassen, Peter; Walker, Matthew; Rose, Keith; Spanier, Stefan; Yang, Zong-Chang; York, Andrew; Bouhali, Othmane; Eusebi, Ricardo; Flanagan, Will; Gilmore, Jason; Kamon, Teruki; Khotilovich, Vadim; Krutelyov, Vyacheslav; Montalvo, Roy; Osipenkov, Ilya; Pakhotin, Yuriy; Perloff, Alexx; Roe, Jeffrey; Safonov, Alexei; Sakuma, Tai; Suarez, Indara; Tatarinov, Aysen; Toback, David; Akchurin, Nural; Cowden, Christopher; Damgov, Jordan; Dragoiu, Cosmin; Dudero, Phillip Russell; Kovitanggoon, Kittikul; Kunori, Shuichi; Lee, Sung Won; Libeiro, Terence; Volobouev, Igor; Appelt, Eric; Delannoy, Andrés G; Greene, Senta; Gurrola, Alfredo; Johns, Willard; Maguire, Charles; Mao, Yaxian; Melo, Andrew; Sharma, Monika; Sheldon, Paul; Snook, Benjamin; Tuo, Shengquan; Velkovska, Julia; Arenton, Michael Wayne; Boutle, Sarah; Cox, Bradley; Francis, Brian; Goodell, Joseph; Hirosky, Robert; Ledovskoy, Alexander; Lin, Chuanzhe; Neu, Christopher; Wood, John; Gollapinni, Sowjanya; Harr, Robert; Karchin, Paul Edmund; Kottachchi Kankanamge Don, Chamath; Lamichhane, Pramod; Belknap, Donald; Borrello, Laura; Carlsmith, Duncan; Cepeda, Maria; Dasu, Sridhara; Duric, Senka; Friis, Evan; Grothe, Monika; Hall-Wilton, Richard; Herndon, Matthew; Hervé, Alain; Klabbers, Pamela; Klukas, Jeffrey; Lanaro, Armando; Levine, Aaron; Loveless, Richard; Mohapatra, Ajit; Ojalvo, Isabel; Perry, Thomas; Pierro, Giuseppe Antonio; Polese, Giovanni; Ross, Ian; Sakharov, Alexandre; Sarangi, Tapas; Savin, Alexander; Smith, Wesley H

    2014-02-20

    Azimuthal dihadron correlations of charged particles have been measured in PbPb collisions at $\\sqrt{s_{NN}}$ = 2.76 TeV by the CMS collaboration, using data from the 2011 LHC heavy-ion run. The data set includes a sample of ultra-central (0-0.2% centrality) PbPb events collected using a trigger based on total transverse energy in the hadron forward calorimeters and the total multiplicity of pixel clusters in the silicon pixel tracker. A total of about 1.8 million ultra-central events were recorded, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 120 inverse microbarns. The observed correlations in ultra-central PbPb events are expected to be particularly sensitive to initial-state fluctuations. The single-particle anisotropy Fourier harmonics, from $v_2$ to $v_6$, are extracted as a function of particle transverse momentum. At higher transverse momentum, the $v_2$ harmonic becomes significantly smaller than the higher-order $v_n$ (n greater than or equal to 3). The pt-averaged $v_2$ and $v_3$ are found to be eq...

  18. Radio frequency acceleration and manipulation of ultra-cold electron bunches

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Franssen, J.G.H.; Vredenbregt, E.J.D.; Luiten, O.J.

    2016-01-01

    We are developing an ultra-fast and ultra-cold electron source based on a grating magneto optical trap, RF acceleration and RF (de-) compression techniques. The electrons will be created by near-threshold, femtosecond photoionization of a laser-cooled and trapped gas. The electron cloud is extracted

  19. Base Station Ordering for Emergency Call Localization in Ultra-dense Cellular Networks

    KAUST Repository

    Elsawy, Hesham

    2017-10-04

    This paper proposes the base station ordering localization technique (BoLT) for emergency call localization in cellular networks. Exploiting the foreseen ultra-densification of the next-generation (5G and beyond) cellular networks, we utilize higher-order Voronoi tessellations to provide ubiquitous localization services that are in compliance to the public safety standards in cellular networks. The proposed localization algorithm runs at the base stations (BSs) and requires minimal operation from agents (i.e., mobile users). Particularly, BoLT requires each agent to feedback a neighbor cell list (NCL) that contains the order of neighboring BSs based on the received signal power in the pilots sent from these BSs. Moreover, this paper utilizes stochastic geometry to develop a tractable mathematical model to assess the performance of BoLT in a general network setting. The goal of this paper is to answer the following two fundamental questions: i) how many BSs should be ordered and reported by the agent to achieve a desirable localization accuracy? and ii) what is the localization error probability given that the pilot signals are subject to shadowing? Assuming that the BSs are deployed according to a Poisson point process (PPP), we answer these two questions via characterizing the tradeoff between the area of location region (ALR) and the localization error probability in terms of the number of BSs ordered by the agent. The results show that reporting the order of six neighboring BSs is sufficient to localize the agent within 10% of the cell area. Increasing the number of reported BSs to ten confines the location region to 1% of the cell area. This would translate to the range of a few meters to decimeters in the foreseen ultra-dense 5G networks.

  20. Base Station Ordering for Emergency Call Localization in Ultra-dense Cellular Networks

    KAUST Repository

    Elsawy, Hesham; Dai, Wenhan; Alouini, Mohamed-Slim; Win, Moe Z.

    2017-01-01

    This paper proposes the base station ordering localization technique (BoLT) for emergency call localization in cellular networks. Exploiting the foreseen ultra-densification of the next-generation (5G and beyond) cellular networks, we utilize higher-order Voronoi tessellations to provide ubiquitous localization services that are in compliance to the public safety standards in cellular networks. The proposed localization algorithm runs at the base stations (BSs) and requires minimal operation from agents (i.e., mobile users). Particularly, BoLT requires each agent to feedback a neighbor cell list (NCL) that contains the order of neighboring BSs based on the received signal power in the pilots sent from these BSs. Moreover, this paper utilizes stochastic geometry to develop a tractable mathematical model to assess the performance of BoLT in a general network setting. The goal of this paper is to answer the following two fundamental questions: i) how many BSs should be ordered and reported by the agent to achieve a desirable localization accuracy? and ii) what is the localization error probability given that the pilot signals are subject to shadowing? Assuming that the BSs are deployed according to a Poisson point process (PPP), we answer these two questions via characterizing the tradeoff between the area of location region (ALR) and the localization error probability in terms of the number of BSs ordered by the agent. The results show that reporting the order of six neighboring BSs is sufficient to localize the agent within 10% of the cell area. Increasing the number of reported BSs to ten confines the location region to 1% of the cell area. This would translate to the range of a few meters to decimeters in the foreseen ultra-dense 5G networks.

  1. Wearable device for monitoring momentary presence of intense x-ray and/or ultra-violet radiations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shriner, W.

    1981-01-01

    A credit-card-size clear-plastic-encased device can be worn or carried by a person to warn him of the momentary presence of dangerous intensities of ultra-violet and/or x-ray radiations. A base lamina (e.g. of cardboard) is coated with a material (e.g. zinc-cadmium sulfide or lead-barium sulfate) which fluoresces under such radiations. Numerals, letters, words or symbols are printed over the fluorescent coat with a material inhibitory to said radiations so that a warning message in dark print will appear on a light background when dangerous intensities of said radiations are present. An x-ray-warning area is covered with an ultra-violet absorbing screen so that said area will glow only under x-rays (Which rays will also activate the remaining ultra-violet-responsive area). The colors of the laminas and the coats are so selected that the messages are not visible when dangerous radiations are not present. If desired, only the message can be printed with fluorescent material so as to glow on a darker background. Optionally, step-layer attenuation devices can be added to indicate degrees of radiation; and reflecting surfaces can underlie the fluorescent coat to increase efficiency and/or sensitively

  2. Magnetic Random Access Memory based non-volatile asynchronous Muller cell for ultra-low power autonomous applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Di Pendina, G.; Zianbetov, E.; Beigne, E.

    2015-05-01

    Micro and nano electronic integrated circuit domain is today mainly driven by the advent of the Internet of Things for which the constraints are strong, especially in terms of power consumption and autonomy, not only during the computing phases but also during the standby or idle phases. In such ultra-low power applications, the circuit has to meet new constraints mainly linked to its changing energetic environment: long idle phases, automatic wake up, data back-up when the circuit is sporadically turned off, and ultra-low voltage power supply operation. Such circuits have to be completely autonomous regarding their unstable environment, while remaining in an optimum energetic configuration. Therefore, we propose in this paper the first MRAM-based non-volatile asynchronous Muller cell. This cell has been simulated and characterized in a very advanced 28 nm CMOS fully depleted silicon-on-insulator technology, presenting good power performance results due to an extremely efficient body biasing control together with ultra-wide supply voltage range from 160 mV up to 920 mV. The leakage current can be reduced to 154 pA thanks to reverse body biasing. We also propose an efficient standard CMOS bulk version of this cell in order to be compatible with different fabrication processes.

  3. Magnetic Random Access Memory based non-volatile asynchronous Muller cell for ultra-low power autonomous applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Di Pendina, G., E-mail: gregory.dipendina@cea.fr, E-mail: eldar.zianbetov@cea.fr, E-mail: edith.beigne@cea.fr; Zianbetov, E., E-mail: gregory.dipendina@cea.fr, E-mail: eldar.zianbetov@cea.fr, E-mail: edith.beigne@cea.fr [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, INAC-SPINTEC, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CNRS, SPINTEC, F-38000 Grenoble (France); CEA, INAC-SPINTEC, F-38000 Grenoble (France); Beigne, E., E-mail: gregory.dipendina@cea.fr, E-mail: eldar.zianbetov@cea.fr, E-mail: edith.beigne@cea.fr [Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, LETI, F-38000 Grenoble (France)

    2015-05-07

    Micro and nano electronic integrated circuit domain is today mainly driven by the advent of the Internet of Things for which the constraints are strong, especially in terms of power consumption and autonomy, not only during the computing phases but also during the standby or idle phases. In such ultra-low power applications, the circuit has to meet new constraints mainly linked to its changing energetic environment: long idle phases, automatic wake up, data back-up when the circuit is sporadically turned off, and ultra-low voltage power supply operation. Such circuits have to be completely autonomous regarding their unstable environment, while remaining in an optimum energetic configuration. Therefore, we propose in this paper the first MRAM-based non-volatile asynchronous Muller cell. This cell has been simulated and characterized in a very advanced 28 nm CMOS fully depleted silicon-on-insulator technology, presenting good power performance results due to an extremely efficient body biasing control together with ultra-wide supply voltage range from 160 mV up to 920 mV. The leakage current can be reduced to 154 pA thanks to reverse body biasing. We also propose an efficient standard CMOS bulk version of this cell in order to be compatible with different fabrication processes.

  4. Magnetic Random Access Memory based non-volatile asynchronous Muller cell for ultra-low power autonomous applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Di Pendina, G.; Zianbetov, E.; Beigne, E.

    2015-01-01

    Micro and nano electronic integrated circuit domain is today mainly driven by the advent of the Internet of Things for which the constraints are strong, especially in terms of power consumption and autonomy, not only during the computing phases but also during the standby or idle phases. In such ultra-low power applications, the circuit has to meet new constraints mainly linked to its changing energetic environment: long idle phases, automatic wake up, data back-up when the circuit is sporadically turned off, and ultra-low voltage power supply operation. Such circuits have to be completely autonomous regarding their unstable environment, while remaining in an optimum energetic configuration. Therefore, we propose in this paper the first MRAM-based non-volatile asynchronous Muller cell. This cell has been simulated and characterized in a very advanced 28 nm CMOS fully depleted silicon-on-insulator technology, presenting good power performance results due to an extremely efficient body biasing control together with ultra-wide supply voltage range from 160 mV up to 920 mV. The leakage current can be reduced to 154 pA thanks to reverse body biasing. We also propose an efficient standard CMOS bulk version of this cell in order to be compatible with different fabrication processes

  5. Designable ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphases of three alkali metal anodes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Yu; Wang, Wei-Wei; Li, Yi-Juan; Wu, Qi-Hui; Tang, Shuai; Yan, Jia-Wei; Zheng, Ming-Sen; Wu, De-Yin; Fan, Chun-Hai; Hu, Wei-Qiang; Chen, Zhao-Bin; Fang, Yuan; Zhang, Qing-Hong; Dong, Quan-Feng; Mao, Bing-Wei

    2018-04-09

    Dendrite growth of alkali metal anodes limited their lifetime for charge/discharge cycling. Here, we report near-perfect anodes of lithium, sodium, and potassium metals achieved by electrochemical polishing, which removes microscopic defects and creates ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase layers at metal surfaces for providing a homogeneous environment. Precise characterizations by AFM force probing with corroborative in-depth XPS profile analysis reveal that the ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase can be designed to have alternating inorganic-rich and organic-rich/mixed multi-layered structure, which offers mechanical property of coupled rigidity and elasticity. The polished metal anodes exhibit significantly enhanced cycling stability, specifically the lithium anodes can cycle for over 200 times at a real current density of 2 mA cm -2 with 100% depth of discharge. Our work illustrates that an ultra-smooth ultra-thin solid-electrolyte interphase may be robust enough to suppress dendrite growth and thus serve as an initial layer for further improved protection of alkali metal anodes.

  6. A spongy graphene based bimorph actuator with ultra-large displacement towards biomimetic application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Ying; Lan, Tian; Wu, Guan; Zhu, Zicai; Chen, Wei

    2014-11-07

    Bimorph actuators, consisting of two layers with asymmetric expansion and generating bending displacement, have been widely researched. Their actuation performances greatly rely on the difference of coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) between the two material layers. Here, by introducing a spongy graphene (sG) paper with a large negative CTE as well as high electrical-to-thermal properties, an electromechanical sG/PDMS bimorph actuator is designed and fabricated, showing an ultra-large bending displacement output under low voltage stimulation (curvature of about 1.2 cm(-1) at 10 V for 3 s), a high displacement-to-length ratio (∼0.79), and vibration motion at AC voltage (up to 10 Hz), which is much larger and faster than that of the other electromechanical bimorph actuators. Based on the sG/PDMS bimorph serving as the "finger", a mechanical gripper is constructed to realize the fast manipulation of the objects under 0.1 Hz square wave voltage stimulation (0-8 V). The designed bimorph actuator coupled with ultra-large bending displacement, low driven voltage, and the ease of fabrication may open up substantial possibilities for the utilization of electromechanical actuators in practical biomimetic device applications.

  7. Recent Advances in Gas and Chemical Detection by Vernier Effect-Based Photonic Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario La Notte

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available Recently, the Vernier effect has been proved to be very efficient for significantly improving the sensitivity and the limit of detection (LOD of chemical, biochemical and gas photonic sensors. In this paper a review of compact and efficient photonic sensors based on the Vernier effect is presented. The most relevant results of several theoretical and experimental works are reported, and the theoretical model of the typical Vernier effect-based sensor is discussed as well. In particular, sensitivity up to 460 μm/RIU has been experimentally reported, while ultra-high sensitivity of 2,500 μm/RIU and ultra-low LOD of 8.79 × 10−8 RIU have been theoretically demonstrated, employing a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI as sensing device instead of an add drop ring resonator.

  8. Generation and stabilization of whey-based monodisperse naoemulsions using ultra-high pressure homogenization and small amphipathic co-emulsifier combinations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ultra-high-pressure homogenization (UHPH) was used to generate monodisperse stable peanut oil nanoemulsions within a desired nanosize range (whey protein concentrate (WPC), sodium dodecyl sulfate, Triton X-100 (X100), and zwitterionic sulfobetaine-base...

  9. Dictionary-based monitoring of premature ventricular contractions: An ultra-low-cost point-of-care service.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bollepalli, S Chandra; Challa, S Sastry; Anumandla, Laxminarayana; Jana, Soumya

    2018-04-25

    While cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are prevalent across economic strata, the economically disadvantaged population is disproportionately affected due to the high cost of traditional CVD management, involving consultations, testing and monitoring at medical facilities. Accordingly, developing an ultra-low-cost alternative, affordable even to groups at the bottom of the economic pyramid, has emerged as a societal imperative. Against this backdrop, we propose an inexpensive yet accurate home-based electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring service. Specifically, we seek to provide point-of-care monitoring of premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), high frequency of which could indicate the onset of potentially fatal arrhythmia. Note that the first-generation telecardiology system acquires the ECG, transmits it to a professional diagnostic center without processing, and nearly achieves the diagnostic accuracy of a bedside setup. In the process, such a system incurs high bandwidth cost and requires the physicians to process the entire record for diagnosis. To reduce cost, current telecardiology systems compress data before transmitting. However, the burden on physicians remains undiminished. In this context, we develop a dictionary-based algorithm that reduces not only the overall bandwidth requirement, but also the physicians workload by localizing anomalous beats. Specifically, we detect anomalous beats with high sensitivity and only those beats are then transmitted. In fact, we further compress those beats using class-specific dictionaries subject to suitable reconstruction/diagnostic fidelity. Finally, using Monte Carlo cross validation on MIT/BIH arrhythmia database, we evaluate the performance of the proposed system. In particular, with a sensitivity target of at most one undetected PVC in one hundred beats, and a percentage root mean squared difference less than 9% (a clinically acceptable level of fidelity), we achieved about 99.15% reduction in bandwidth cost

  10. Calibration of an ultra-low-background proportional counter for measuring 37Ar

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seifert, A.; Aalseth, C. E.; Bonicalzi, R. M.; Bowyer, T. W.; Day, A. R.; Fuller, E. S.; Haas, D. A.; Hayes, J. C.; Hoppe, E. W.; Humble, P. H.; Keillor, M. E.; LaFerriere, B. D.; Mace, E. K.; McIntyre, J. I.; Merriman, J. H.; Miley, H. S.; Myers, A. W.; Orrell, J. L.; Overman, C. T.; Panisko, M. E.

    2013-01-01

    An ultra-low-background proportional counter design has been developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) using clean materials, primarily electro-chemically-purified copper. This detector, along with an ultra-low-background counting system (ULBCS), was developed to complement a new shallow underground laboratory (30 meters water-equivalent) at PNNL. The ULBCS design includes passive neutron and gamma shielding, along with an active cosmic-veto system. This system provides a capability for making ultra-sensitive measurements to support applications like age-dating soil hydrocarbons with 14 C/ 3 H, age-dating of groundwater with 39 Ar, and soil-gas assay for 37 Ar to support On-Site Inspection (OSI). On-Site Inspection is a key component of the verification regime for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). Measurements of radionuclides created by an underground nuclear explosion are valuable signatures of a Treaty violation. For OSI, the 35-day half-life of 37 Ar, produced from neutron interactions with calcium in soil, provides both high specific activity and sufficient time for inspection before decay limits sensitivity. This work describes the calibration techniques and analysis methods developed to enable quantitative measurements of 37 Ar samples over a broad range of proportional counter operating pressures. These efforts, along with parallel work in progress on gas chemistry separation, are expected to provide a significant new capability for 37 Ar soil gas background studies

  11. Vector magnetometer based on synchronous manipulation of nitrogen-vacancy centers in all crystal directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Chen; Yuan, Heng; Zhang, Ning; Xu, Lixia; Zhang, Jixing; Li, Bo; Fang, Jiancheng

    2018-04-01

    Negatively charged nitrogen vacancy (NV‑) centers in diamond have been extensively studied as high-sensitivity magnetometers, showcasing a wide range of applications. This study experimentally demonstrates a vector magnetometry scheme based on synchronous manipulation of NV‑ center ensembles in all crystal directions using double frequency microwaves (MWs) and multi-coupled-strip-lines (mCSL) waveguide. The application of the mCSL waveguide ensures a high degree of synchrony (99%) for manipulating NV‑ centers in multiple orientations in a large volume. Manipulation with double frequency MWs makes NV‑ centers of all four crystal directions involved, and additionally leads to an enhancement of the manipulation field. In this work, by monitoring the changes in the slope of the resonance line consisting of multi-axes NV‑ centers, measurement of the direction of the external field vector was demonstrated with a sensitivity of {{10}\\prime}/\\sqrt{Hz} . Based on the scheme, the fluorescence signal contrast was improved by four times higher and the sensitivity to the magnetic field strength was improved by two times. The method provides a more practical way of achieving vector sensors based on NV‑ center ensembles in diamond.

  12. Ultra-high mechanical properties of porous composites based on regenerated cellulose and cross-linked poly(ethylene glycol).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teng, Jian; Yang, Biao; Zhang, Liang-Qing; Lin, Sheng-Qiang; Xu, Ling; Zhong, Gan-Ji; Tang, Jian-Hua; Li, Zhong-Ming

    2018-01-01

    The ultra-high mechanical, biocompatible and biodegradable porous regenerated cellulose/poly(ethylene glycol) (RC/PEG) composites with double network structure were fabricated via an simple method to dissolve cellulose followed by UV irradiation. The porous structure of RC/PEG was sensitively altered by PEG contents, which led to the porous structure morphology transition from 3D fibrillar network to close-grained sheet-like-network with the loading of cross-linked PEG. The porous RC/PEG showed excellent mechanical properties, i.e., the compressive strength can reach 33 times higher than that of neat RC (0.07MPa) at the compressive strain of 30%. Porous RC/PEG also displayed outstanding properties with openly porous structure and structural stabilization. Besides, porous RC/PEG exhibited good water absorbency, which the water absorbency ratio at equilibrium state was 83% higher than that of porous RC. This work provides an environmentally friendly and simple pathway to prepare non-toxic and biocompatible porous regenerated cellulose-based composites with high strength, structural stabilization and good water absorbency, which could be useful for packaging, biomedical applications, sewage purification, etc. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Ultra-Sensitive HIV-1 Latency Viral Outgrowth Assays Using Humanized Mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmitt, Kimberly; Akkina, Ramesh

    2018-01-01

    In the current quest for a complete cure for HIV/AIDS, highly sensitive HIV-1 latency detection methods are critical to verify full viral eradication. Until now, the in vitro quantitative viral outgrowth assays (qVOA) have been the gold standard for assessing latent HIV-1 viral burden. However, these assays have been inadequate in detecting the presence of ultralow levels of latent virus in a number of patients who were initially thought to have been cured, but eventually showed viral rebound. In this context, new approaches utilizing in vivo mouse-based VOAs are promising. In the murine VOA (mVOA), large numbers of CD4 + T cells or PBMC from aviremic subjects are xenografted into immunodeficient NSG mice, whereas in the humanized mouse-based VOA (hmVOA) patient CD4 + T cell samples are injected into BLT or hu-hematopoetic stem cells (hu-HSC) humanized mice. While latent virus could be recovered in both of these systems, the hmVOA provides higher sensitivity than the mVOA using a fewer number of input cells. In contrast to the mVOA, the hmVOA provides a broader spectrum of highly susceptible HIV-1 target cells and enables newly engrafted cells to home into preformed human lymphoid organs where they can infect cells in situ after viral activation. Hu-mice also allow for both xenograft- and allograft-driven cell expansions with less severe GvH providing a longer time frame for potential viral outgrowth from cells with a delayed latent viral activation. Based on these advantages, the hmVOA has great potential in playing an important role in HIV-1 latency and cure research.

  14. Impact of image denoising on image quality, quantitative parameters and sensitivity of ultra-low-dose volume perfusion CT imaging

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Othman, Ahmed E.; Brockmann, Carolin; Afat, Saif; Pjontek, Rastislav; Nikoubashman, Omid; Brockmann, Marc A.; Wiesmann, Martin; Yang, Zepa; Kim, Changwon; Nikolaou, Konstantin; Kim, Jong Hyo

    2016-01-01

    To examine the impact of denoising on ultra-low-dose volume perfusion CT (ULD-VPCT) imaging in acute stroke. Simulated ULD-VPCT data sets at 20 % dose rate were generated from perfusion data sets of 20 patients with suspected ischemic stroke acquired at 80 kVp/180 mAs. Four data sets were generated from each ULD-VPCT data set: not-denoised (ND); denoised using spatiotemporal filter (D1); denoised using quanta-stream diffusion technique (D2); combination of both methods (D1 + D2). Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was measured in the resulting 100 data sets. Image quality, presence/absence of ischemic lesions, CBV and CBF scores according to a modified ASPECTS score were assessed by two blinded readers. SNR and qualitative scores were highest for D1 + D2 and lowest for ND (all p ≤ 0.001). In 25 % of the patients, ND maps were not assessable and therefore excluded from further analyses. Compared to original data sets, in D2 and D1 + D2, readers correctly identified all patients with ischemic lesions (sensitivity 1.0, kappa 1.0). Lesion size was most accurately estimated for D1 + D2 with a sensitivity of 1.0 (CBV) and 0.94 (CBF) and an inter-rater agreement of 1.0 and 0.92, respectively. An appropriate combination of denoising techniques applied in ULD-VPCT produces diagnostically sufficient perfusion maps at substantially reduced dose rates as low as 20 % of the normal scan. (orig.)

  15. Systematic Calibration for Ultra-High Accuracy Inertial Measurement Units

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Qingzhong Cai

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available An inertial navigation system (INS has been widely used in challenging GPS environments. With the rapid development of modern physics, an atomic gyroscope will come into use in the near future with a predicted accuracy of 5 × 10−6°/h or better. However, existing calibration methods and devices can not satisfy the accuracy requirements of future ultra-high accuracy inertial sensors. In this paper, an improved calibration model is established by introducing gyro g-sensitivity errors, accelerometer cross-coupling errors and lever arm errors. A systematic calibration method is proposed based on a 51-state Kalman filter and smoother. Simulation results show that the proposed calibration method can realize the estimation of all the parameters using a common dual-axis turntable. Laboratory and sailing tests prove that the position accuracy in a five-day inertial navigation can be improved about 8% by the proposed calibration method. The accuracy can be improved at least 20% when the position accuracy of the atomic gyro INS can reach a level of 0.1 nautical miles/5 d. Compared with the existing calibration methods, the proposed method, with more error sources and high order small error parameters calibrated for ultra-high accuracy inertial measurement units (IMUs using common turntables, has a great application potential in future atomic gyro INSs.

  16. Super-resolution and ultra-sensitivity of angular rotation measurement based on SU(1,1) interferometers using homodyne detection

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jun; Li, Shitao; Wei, Dong; Gao, Hong; Li, Fuli

    2018-02-01

    We theoretically explore the angular rotation measurement sensitivity of SU(1,1) interferometers with a coherent beam and a vacuum beam input by using orbital angular momentum (OAM). Compared with the OAM in an SU(2) interferometer, the SU(1,1) interferometer employing homodyne detection can further surpass the angular rotation shot noise limit \\tfrac{1}{2l\\sqrt{N}} and improve the resolution and sensitivity of angular rotation measurement. Two models are considered, one is that OAM is carried by a probe beam and the other one is a pump beam with the OAM. The sensitivity can be improved by higher OAM and nonlinear process with a large gain. The resolution can be enhanced in the case that the pump beam has OAM. Moreover, we present a brief discussion on the variation of resolution and sensitivity in the presence of photon loss.

  17. High-resolution vector magnetometry: Piezo-spin-polarization effect and in-plane strain-induced dominating uniaxial magnetic anisotropy in a 200-nm-thick Ni thin film

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benito, L.

    2018-04-01

    Owing to its high-sensitivity, reliability, fast, versatile and cost-effective operation, vibrating sample magnetometers (VSM) are massively popular characterization instruments at Magnetism laboratories worldwide. Nevertheless, the inherent appearance of synchronous noise represents a major drawback, which critically limits the fine probing of nanometer-sized media. I here report on an innovative approach to eliminate synchronous noise in VSM. This consists of fitting engineered mechanical devices that absorbs vibration energy, dissipating that into heat. Complementarily, a novel transversal pick-up coil system is also presented and analyzed; this detection system has been engineered to enhance the noise-to-signal ratio and optimized for measuring small size thin film samples. The implementation of a combined mechanical and electromagnetic approach enables to notably enhance the VSM performance, achieving a sensitivity better than 1 ×10-6 emu and a resolution below 5 ×10-8 emu, so that the magnetization vector in nanostructured media can be accurately mapped out down to cryogenic temperatures. I lastly show precision magnetometry measurements carried out in an epitaxial (0 0 1)-oriented 200 nm-thick Ni thin film. The analysis reveals the arising of an in-plane dominating strain-induced uniaxial magnetic anisotropy, K2ef = - 6.455kJ m - 3 , and a stunning piezo-spin-polarization effect resulting in a remarkable 10% modulation of the magnetization vector, ∼ 27 emu/cm3, with respect to the cubic lattice axes. Both effects are attributed to the likely existence of an orthorhombic lattice distortion, i.e.εxx -εyy ≈ - 2 ×10-3 . This categorical link enables to assign the observed anisotropic spin-polarization in the Ni overlayer to a two-ion magnetoelastic coupling effect.

  18. Report on the FY 1999 R and D survey on ultra-high sensitive photoelectric converter; 1999 nendo chokokando koden henkan soshi ni kansuru kenkyu kaihatsu chosa hokokusho

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    2000-03-01

    By the ICB method which is one of the ion engineering methods, photomultipliers were formed using organic dye thin films. By changing the energy to bond traps on thin film/metal electrode interface and electric charges by change of acceleration energy of ion beams, a technology was developed for adjusting the optimum operating temperature between -20 degrees C and +100 degrees C. The wide range of operating temperature and favorable SN ratio can be realized. It was made clear that the dark current of the photomultiplier is composed of two components of contribution by the residual charge stored on the interface at photomultiplying and of contribution by charge injection from the Schottky barrier. Based on this, the residual electric charge removal method by heating and applied pulse voltage was developed. The development for practical use was studied of ultra-high sensitive photoelectric converters. As an intelligent photo sensor, a biomimetic visual photosensor was proposed which uses amplification/memory/arithmetic functions and film formation/processability of organic thin films. The paper also described the image sensor. (NEDO)

  19. 8th conference on Ultra-Wideband Short-Pulse Electromagnetics

    CERN Document Server

    Tyo, J. Scott; Baum, Carl E; Ultra-Wideband Short-Pulse Electromagnetics 8; UWBSP8

    2007-01-01

    The purpose of the Ultra-Wideband Short-Pulse Electromagnetics Conference series is to focus on advanced technologies for the generation, radiation and detection of ultra-wideband short pulse signals, taking into account their propagation and scattering from and coupling to targets of interest. This Conference series reports on developments in supporting mathematical and numerical methods and presents current and potential future applications of the technology. Ultra-Wideband Short-Pulse Electromagnetics 8 is based on the American Electromagnetics 2006 conference held from June 3-7 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Topical areas covered in this volume include pulse radiation and measurement, scattering theory, target detection and identification, antennas, signal processing, and communications.

  20. Damage evaluation on oil-based drill-in fluids for ultra-deep fractured tight sandstone gas reservoirs

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinzhi Zhu

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available In order to explore the damage mechanisms and improve the method to evaluate and optimize the performance of formation damage control of oil-based drill-in fluids, this paper took an ultra-deep fractured tight gas reservoir in piedmont configuration, located in the Cretaceous Bashijiqike Fm of the Tarim Basin, as an example. First, evaluation experiments were conducted on the filtrate invasion, the dynamic damage of oil-based drill-in fluids and the loading capacity of filter cakes. Meanwhile, the evaluating methods were optimized for the formation damage control effect of oil-based drill-in fluids in laboratory: pre-processing drill-in fluids before grading analysis; using the dynamic damage method to simulate the damage process for evaluating the percentage of regained permeability; and evaluating the loading capacity of filter cakes. The experimental results show that (1 oil phase trapping damage and solid phase invasion are the main formation damage types; (2 the damage degree of filtrate is the strongest on the matrix; and (3 the dynamic damage degree of oil-based drill-in fluids reaches medium strong to strong on fractures and filter cakes show a good sealing capacity for the fractures less than 100 μm. In conclusion, the filter cakes' loading capacity should be first guaranteed, and both percentage of regained permeability and liquid trapping damage degree should be both considered in the oil-based drill-in fluids prepared for those ultra-deep fractured tight sandstone gas reservoirs.

  1. Evaluation of trace organic contaminants in ultra-pure water production processes by measuring total organic halogen formation potential

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Urano, Kohei; Iwase, Yoko

    1984-01-01

    A new procedure for the determination of organic substances in water with high accuracy and high sensitivity was proposed, in which a hypochlorite is added to water, and the resultant total amount of organic halogen compounds (TOX formation potential) was measured, and it was applied to the evaluation of trace organic contaminants in ultra-pure water production process. In this investigation, the TOX formation potential of the raw water which was to be used for the ultra-pure water production process, intermediately treated water and ultra-pure water was measured to clarify the behavior of organic substances in the ultra-pure water production process and to demonstrate the usefulness of this procedure to evaluate trace organic contaminants in water. The measurement of TOX formation potential requires no specific technical skill, and only a short time, and gives accurate results, therefore, it is expected that the water quality control in the ultra-pure water production process can be performed more exactly by applying this procedure. (Yoshitake, I.)

  2. A sensitive kinetic spectrophotometric determination of traces of tungsten in solution based on its inhibitory effect on the decolorization reaction of potassium permanganate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Petković Branka

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available The present work describes a rapid and sensitive method for the determination of ultra micro amounts of tungsten (VI based on its inhibitory effect on the oxidation of 4-hidroxycoumarine by potassium permanganate in the presence of hydrochloric acid. The sensitivity of the method is 20 ng/cm3. The probable relative error is -4.8-13 % for the W(VI concentration range 250 to 20 ng/cm3, respectively. Kinetic equations for the investigated process which determine the order of the reactions regarding to each reaction parameter under certain experimental conditions were proposed, and they allowed quantification of the unknown concentrations W(VI in solution. The detection and quantification limit of the method are 4.5 and 15.1 ng/cm3. The effects of certain foreign ions upon the reaction rate were determined for the assessing the selectivity of the method.

  3. Detecting ultra high energy neutrinos with LOFAR

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mevius, M.; Buitink, S.; Falcke, H.; Hörandel, J.; James, C.W.; McFadden, R.; Scholten, O.; Singh, K.; Stappers, B.; Veen, S. ter

    2012-01-01

    The NuMoon project aims to detect signals of Ultra High Energy (UHE) Cosmic Rays with radio telescopes on Earth using the Lunar Cherenkov technique at low frequencies (∼150MHz). The advantage of using low frequencies is the much larger effective detecting volume, with as trade-off the cut-off in sensitivity at lower energies. A first upper limit on the UHE neutrino flux from data of the Westerbork Radio Telescope (WSRT) has been published, while a second experiment, using the new LOFAR telescope, is in preparation. The advantages of LOFAR over WSRT are the larger collecting area, the better pointing accuracy and the use of ring buffers, which allow the implementation of a sophisticated self-trigger algorithm. The expected sensitivity of LOFAR reaches flux limits within the range of some theoretical production models.

  4. Ultra-thin zirconia films on Zr-alloys

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Choi, Joong Il Jake; Mayr-Schmoelzer, Wernfried; Mittendorfer, Florian; Redinger, Josef; Diebold, Ulrike; Schmid, Michael [Institute of Applied Physics, Vienna University of Technology (Austria); Li, Hao; Rupprechter, Guenther [Institute of Materials Chemistry, Vienna University of Technology (Austria)

    2014-07-01

    Zirconia ultra-thin films have been prepared by oxidation of Pt{sub 3}Zr(0001) and showed a structure equivalent to (111) of cubic zirconia. Following previous work, we have prepared ultra-thin zirconia by oxidation of a different alloy, Pd{sub 3}Zr(0001), which resulted in a similar structure with a slightly different lattice parameter, 351.2 ±0.4 pm. Unlike the oxide on Pt{sub 3}Zr, where Zr of the oxide binds to Pt in the substrate, here the oxide binds to substrate Zr via oxygen. This causes stronger distortion of the oxide structure, i.e. a stronger buckling of Zr in the oxide. After additional oxidation of ZrO{sub 2}/Pt{sub 3}Zr, a different ultra-thin zirconia phase is observed. A preliminary structure model for this film is based on (113)-oriented cubic zirconia. 3D oxide clusters are also present after growing ultra-thin zirconia films. They occur at the step edges, and the density is higher on Pd{sub 3}Zr. These clusters also appear on terraces after additional oxidation. XPS reveals different core level shifts of the oxide films, bulk, and oxide clusters.

  5. Ultra low bit-rate speech coding

    CERN Document Server

    Ramasubramanian, V

    2015-01-01

    "Ultra Low Bit-Rate Speech Coding" focuses on the specialized topic of speech coding at very low bit-rates of 1 Kbits/sec and less, particularly at the lower ends of this range, down to 100 bps. The authors set forth the fundamental results and trends that form the basis for such ultra low bit-rates to be viable and provide a comprehensive overview of various techniques and systems in literature to date, with particular attention to their work in the paradigm of unit-selection based segment quantization. The book is for research students, academic faculty and researchers, and industry practitioners in the areas of speech processing and speech coding.

  6. Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

    KAUST Repository

    Zhou, Jian; Yu, Hu; Xu, Xuezhu; Han, Fei; Lubineau, Gilles

    2017-01-01

    The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly

  7. A task specific uncertainty analysis method for least-squares-based form characterization of ultra-precision freeform surfaces

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ren, M J; Cheung, C F; Kong, L B

    2012-01-01

    In the measurement of ultra-precision freeform surfaces, least-squares-based form characterization methods are widely used to evaluate the form error of the measured surfaces. Although many methodologies have been proposed in recent years to improve the efficiency of the characterization process, relatively little research has been conducted on the analysis of associated uncertainty in the characterization results which may result from those characterization methods being used. As a result, this paper presents a task specific uncertainty analysis method with application in the least-squares-based form characterization of ultra-precision freeform surfaces. That is, the associated uncertainty in the form characterization results is estimated when the measured data are extracted from a specific surface with specific sampling strategy. Three factors are considered in this study which include measurement error, surface form error and sample size. The task specific uncertainty analysis method has been evaluated through a series of experiments. The results show that the task specific uncertainty analysis method can effectively estimate the uncertainty of the form characterization results for a specific freeform surface measurement

  8. Antioxidant system for the preservation of vitamin A in Ultra Rice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yao Olive; Lam, Jane; Diosady, Levente L; Jankowski, Shirley

    2009-03-01

    Ultra Rice grains are micronutrient-fortified, extruded rice grains designed to address specific nutritional deficiencies in populations where rice is a staple food. Vitamin A and some of the B vitamins, as well as iron and zinc, are target nutrients for fortification through Ultra Rice technology. Vitamin A is sensitive to degradation. Therefore, the original Ultra Rice formulations included stabilizers, some of which were not approved as food additives in all of the receiving markets. To develop a new antioxidant system for improving vitamin A storage stability in Ultra Rice grains, while complying with international food regulations. Ten formulations were prepared containing various combinations of hydrophilic and hydrophobic antioxidants, as well as moisture stabilizers. Accelerated vitamin A storage stability tests were conducted at 25 degrees, 35 degrees, and 45 degrees C with 70% to 100% relative humidity. The most stable samples contained one or more phenolic antioxidants, a water-soluble antioxidant, and stabilizing agents. The best results were obtained by using butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) in combination with butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) as the hydrophobic antioxidants and ascorbic acid as the hydrophilic antioxidant. Citric acid and sodium tripolyphosphate (STPP) were used to chelate metal ions and to stabilize moisture, respectively. The best formulations retained more than 85% and approximately 70% of the added vitamin A at 25 degrees and 45 degrees C, respectively, after 24 weeks storage. The best antioxidant system, composed of generally accepted food additives, improved vitamin A stability while reducing the price, thus greatly improving the commercial viability of Ultra Rice grains for use as a ricefortificant.

  9. J/ψ photoproduction in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions with the ALICE detector

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adam Jaroslav

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Ultra-relativistic heavy ions generate strong electromagnetic fields which offer the possibility to study gamma-gamma, gamma-nucleus and gamma-proton processes at the LHC in ultra-peripheral Pb-Pb and p-Pb collisions. Exclusive photoproduction of J/ψ vector mesons is sensitive to the gluon distribution of the target. Here we report on the ALICE measurement of J/ψ coherent photoproduction in Pb-Pb ultra-peripheral collisions at √sNN = 2.76 TeV for the rapidity ranges -3.6 < y < -2.6 and |y| < 0.9, and on preliminary results on the J/ψ photoproduction in p-Pb at √sNN = 5.02 TeV. The J/ψ mesons have been identified through their leptonic decays.

  10. Conformal Interpolating Algorithm Based on Cubic NURBS in Aspheric Ultra-Precision Machining

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, C G; Zhang, Q R; Cao, C G; Zhao, S L

    2006-01-01

    Numeric control machining and on-line compensation for aspheric surface are key techniques in ultra-precision machining. In this paper, conformal cubic NURBS interpolating curve is applied to fit the character curve of aspheric surface. Its algorithm and process are also proposed and imitated by Matlab7.0 software. To evaluate the performance of the conformal cubic NURBS interpolation, we compare it with the linear interpolations. The result verifies this method can ensure smoothness of interpolating spline curve and preserve original shape characters. The surface quality interpolated by cubic NURBS is higher than by line. The algorithm is benefit to increasing the surface form precision of workpieces in ultra-precision machining

  11. A photonic ultra-wideband pulse generator based on relaxation oscillations of a semiconductor laser

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yu, Xianbin; Gibbon, Timothy Braidwood; Pawlik, Michal

    2009-01-01

    A photonic ultra-wideband (UWB) pulse generator based on relaxation oscillations of a semiconductor laser is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. We numerically simulate the modulation response of a direct modulation laser (DML) and show that due to the relaxation oscillations of the laser......, the generated signals with complex shape in time domain match the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) mask in the frequency domain. Experimental results using a DML agree well with simulation predictions. Furthermore, we also experimentally demonstrate the generation of FCC compliant UWB signals...

  12. Physiology and Pathophysiology in Ultra-Marathon Running

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Beat Knechtle

    2018-06-01

    Full Text Available In this overview, we summarize the findings of the literature with regards to physiology and pathophysiology of ultra-marathon running. The number of ultra-marathon races and the number of official finishers considerably increased in the last decades especially due to the increased number of female and age-group runners. A typical ultra-marathoner is male, married, well-educated, and ~45 years old. Female ultra-marathoners account for ~20% of the total number of finishers. Ultra-marathoners are older and have a larger weekly training volume, but run more slowly during training compared to marathoners. Previous experience (e.g., number of finishes in ultra-marathon races and personal best marathon time is the most important predictor variable for a successful ultra-marathon performance followed by specific anthropometric (e.g., low body mass index, BMI, and low body fat and training (e.g., high volume and running speed during training characteristics. Women are slower than men, but the sex difference in performance decreased in recent years to ~10–20% depending upon the length of the ultra-marathon. The fastest ultra-marathon race times are generally achieved at the age of 35–45 years or older for both women and men, and the age of peak performance increases with increasing race distance or duration. An ultra-marathon leads to an energy deficit resulting in a reduction of both body fat and skeletal muscle mass. An ultra-marathon in combination with other risk factors, such as extreme weather conditions (either heat or cold or the country where the race is held, can lead to exercise-associated hyponatremia. An ultra-marathon can also lead to changes in biomarkers indicating a pathological process in specific organs or organ systems such as skeletal muscles, heart, liver, kidney, immune and endocrine system. These changes are usually temporary, depending on intensity and duration of the performance, and usually normalize after the race. In

  13. Ultra-cool dwarfs viewed equator-on: surveying the best host stars for biosignature detection in transiting exoplanets

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miles-Paez, Paulo; Metchev, Stanimir; Burgasser, Adam; Apai, Daniel; Palle, Enric; Zapatero Osorio, Maria Rosa; Artigau, Etienne; Mace, Greg; Tannock, Megan; Triaud, Amaury

    2018-05-01

    There are about 150 known planets around M dwarfs, but only one system around an ultra-cool (>M7) dwarf: Trappist-1. Ultra-cool dwarfs are arguably the most promising hosts for atmospheric and biosignature detection in transiting planets because of the enhanced feature contrast in transit and eclipse spectroscopy. We propose a Spitzer survey to continuously monitor 15 of the brightest ultra-cool dwarfs over 3 days. To maximize the probability of detecting transiting planets, we have selected only targets seen close to equator-on. Spin-orbit alignment expectations dictate that the planetary systems around these ultra-cool dwarfs should also be oriented nearly edge-on. Any planet detections from this survey will immediately become top priority targets for JWST transit spectroscopy. No other telescope, present or within the foreseeable future, will be able to conduct a similarly sensitive and dedicated survey for characterizeable Earth analogs.

  14. Sensitivity Enhancement for Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors by Four Wave Mixing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiangbing Du

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available All-optical signal processing based on four wave mixing (FWM in a highly nonlinear fiber (HNLF to enhance the sensitivity of a fiber sensor is demonstrated and comprehensively reviewed in this paper. The principle is based on the frequency chirp magnification (FCM by FWM. Degenerated FWM, cascaded two-stage FWM and pump-pulsed FWM with optical parametric amplification (OPA are experimentally utilized for magnifying the frequency chirp. By using the pump pulse modulation to increase the peak power, OPA can be induced with the use of a dispersion-optimized HNLF. Therefore, ultra-highly efficient FWM can be realized due to the high peak power and OPA. By using the fiber Bragg grating (FBG laser as the FWM pump, the wavelength drift of the FBG can thus be magnified due to the FCM. We obtain a sensing performance of 13.3 pm/με strain sensitivity and 141.2 pm/°C temperature sensitivity for a conventional FBG, which has an intrinsic strain sensitivity of only ~1 pm/με and an intrinsic temperature sensitivity of only ~10 pm/°C, respectively.

  15. Flexible Ultra Moisture Barrier Film for Thin-Film Photovoltaic Applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    David M. Dean

    2012-10-30

    Flexible Thin-film photovoltaic (TFPV) is a low cost alternative to incumbent c-Si PV products as it requires less volume of costly semiconductor materials and it can potentially reduce installation cost. Among the TFPV options, copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) has the highest efficiency and is believed to be one of the most attractive candidates to achieve PV cost reduction. However, CIGS cells are very moisture sensitive and require module water vapor transmission rate (WVTR) of less than 1x10-4 gram of water per square meter per day (g-H2O/m2/day). Successful development and commercialization of flexible transparent ultra moisture barrier film is the key to enable flexible CIGS TFPV products, and thus enable ultimate PV cost reduction. At DuPont, we have demonstrated at lab scale that we can successfully make polymer-based flexible transparent ultra moisture barrier film by depositing alumina on polymer films using atomic layer deposition (ALD) technology. The layer by layer ALD approach results in uniform and amorphous structure which effectively reduces pinhole density of the inorganic coating on the polymer, and thus allow the fabrication of flexible barrier film with WVTR of 10-5 g-H2O/m2/day. Currently ALD is a time-consuming process suitable only for high-value, relatively small substrates. To successfully commercialize the ALD-on-plastic technology for the PV industry, there is the need to scale up this technology and improve throughput. The goal of this contract work was to build a prototype demonstrating that the ALD technology could be scaled-up for commercial use. Unfortunately, the prototype failed to produce an ultra-barrier film by the close of the project.

  16. Ultra-wideband high-efficiency reflective linear-to-circular polarization converter based on metasurface at terahertz frequencies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Yannan; Wang, Lei; Wang, Jiao; Akwuruoha, Charles Nwakanma; Cao, Weiping

    2017-10-30

    The polarization conversion of electromagnetic (EM) waves, especially linear-to-circular (LTC) polarization conversion, is of great significance in practical applications. In this study, we propose an ultra-wideband high-efficiency reflective LTC polarization converter based on a metasurface in the terahertz regime. It consists of periodic unit cells, each cell of which is formed by a double split resonant square ring, dielectric layer, and fully reflective gold mirror. In the frequency range of 0.60 - 1.41 THz, the magnitudes of the reflection coefficients reach approximately 0.7, and the phase difference between the two orthogonal electric field components of the reflected wave is close to 90° or -270°. The results indicate that the relative bandwidth reaches 80% and the efficiency is greater than 88%, thus, ultra-wideband high-efficiency LTC polarization conversion has been realized. Finally, the physical mechanism of the polarization conversion is revealed. This converter has potential applications in antenna design, EM measurement, and stealth technology.

  17. All-optical ultra-high-speed OFDM to Nyquist-WDM conversion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Guan, Pengyu; Røge, Kasper Meldgaard; Mulvad, Hans Christian Hansen

    2015-01-01

    We propose an all-optical ultra-high-speed OFDM to Nyquist-WDM conversion scheme based on complete OFT. An 8-subcarrier 640 Gbit/s DPSK OFDM super-channel is converted to eight 80-Gbit/s Nyquist-WDM channels with BER <10−9 performance for all channels.......We propose an all-optical ultra-high-speed OFDM to Nyquist-WDM conversion scheme based on complete OFT. An 8-subcarrier 640 Gbit/s DPSK OFDM super-channel is converted to eight 80-Gbit/s Nyquist-WDM channels with BER

  18. A flexible, robust and antifouling asymmetric membrane based on ultra-long ceramic/polymeric fibers for high-efficiency separation of oil/water emulsions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Kui; Yiming, Wubulikasimu; Saththasivam, Jayaprakash; Liu, Zhaoyang

    2017-07-06

    Polymeric and ceramic asymmetric membranes have dominated commercial membranes for water treatment. However, polymeric membranes are prone to becoming fouled, while ceramic membranes are mechanically fragile. Here, we report a novel concept to develop asymmetric membranes based on ultra-long ceramic/polymeric fibers, with the combined merits of good mechanical stability, excellent fouling resistance and high oil/water selectivity, in order to meet the stringent requirements for practical oil/water separation. The ultra-long dimensions of ceramic nanofibers/polymeric microfibers endow this novel membrane with mechanical flexibility and robustness, due to the integrated and intertwined structure. This membrane is capable of separating oil/water emulsions with high oil-separation efficiency (99.9%), thanks to its nanoporous selective layer made of ceramic nanofibers. Further, this membrane also displays superior antifouling properties due to its underwater superoleophobicity and ultra-low oil adhesion of the ceramic-based selective layer. This membrane exhibits high water permeation flux (6.8 × 10 4 L m -2 h -1 bar -1 ) at low operation pressures, which is attributed to its 3-dimensional (3D) interconnected fiber-based structure throughout the membrane. In addition, the facile fabrication process and inexpensive materials required for this membrane suggest its significant potential for industrial applications.

  19. Fiscal 1997 survey report. `Ultra high electronic technology development promotion project` under consignment from NEDO; 1997 nendo kenkyu seika hokokusho. Shin Energy Sangyo Gijutsu Sogo Kaihatsu Kiko itaku jigyo `Chosentan denshi gijutsu kaihatsu sokushin jigyo`

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    NONE

    1998-05-01

    For the purpose of establishing ultra high technology of a next next generation level, the R and D was conducted of ultra fine processing process technology, technologies on limit measuring/analysis/control and new functional electronic materials. Themes of the R and D are electronic beam direct picture drawing system technology, ultra short wavelength electromagnetic radiation patterning/system technology, ultra fine sensitizing technology, ultra high accuracy shading system technology, ultra high tech plasma reactive measuring/analysis/control technology, ultra high tech cleaning basic technology, ultra high sensitivity medium technology, new functional element/film formation technology, etc. This R and D is a greatly influential basic research in the whole industrial field, and therefore, it is necessary that researchers standing foremost in each field of industry/university/government join the project and that various R and D infrastructures are made the most of. For this, the concentrated joint research method and the dispersed joint research method are combined, and the R and D is being conduced by equal partnership of each researcher. 421 refs., 823 figs., 91 tabs.

  20. Preliminary experience with 4K ultra-high definition endoscope: analysis of pros and cons in skull base surgery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rigante, M; La Rocca, G; Lauretti, L; D'Alessandris, G Q; Mangiola, A; Anile, C; Olivi, A; Paludetti, G

    2017-06-01

    During the last two decades endoscopic skull base surgery observed a continuous technical and technological development 3D endoscopy and ultra High Definition (HD) endoscopy have provided great advances in terms of visualisation and spatial resolution. Ultra-high definition (UHD) 4K systems, recently introduced in the clinical practice, will shape next steps forward especially in skull base surgery field. Patients were operated on through transnasal transsphenoidal endoscopic approaches performed using Olympus NBI 4K UHD endoscope with a 4 mm 0° Ultra Telescope, 300 W xenon lamp (CLV-S400) predisposed for narrow band imaging (NBI) technology connected through a camera head to a high-quality control unit (OTV-S400 - VISERA 4K UHD) (Olympus Corporation, Tokyo, Japan). Two screens are used, one 31" Monitor - (LMD-X310S) and one main ultra-HD 55" screen optimised for UHD image reproduction (LMD-X550S). In selected cases, we used a navigation system (Stealthstation S7, Medtronic, Minneapolis, MN, US). We evaluated 22 pituitary adenomas (86.3% macroadenomas; 13.7% microadenomas). 50% were not functional (NF), 22.8% GH, 18.2% ACTH, 9% PRL-secreting. Three of 22 were recurrences. In 91% of cases we achieved total removal, while in 9% near total resection. A mean follow-up of 187 days and average length of hospitalisation was 3.09 ± 0.61 days. Surgical duration was 128.18± 30.74 minutes. We experienced only 1 case of intraoperative low flow fistula with no further complications. None of the cases required any post- or intraoperative blood transfusion. The visualisation and high resolution of the operative field provided a very detailed view of all anatomical structures and pathologies allowing an improvement in safety and efficacy of the surgical procedure. The operative time was similar to the standard 2D HD and 3D procedures and the physical strain was also comparable to others in terms of ergonomics and weight. © Copyright by Società Italiana di Otorinolaringologia

  1. Variance-based sensitivity indices for models with dependent inputs

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mara, Thierry A.; Tarantola, Stefano

    2012-01-01

    Computational models are intensively used in engineering for risk analysis or prediction of future outcomes. Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are of great help in these purposes. Although several methods exist to perform variance-based sensitivity analysis of model output with independent inputs only a few are proposed in the literature in the case of dependent inputs. This is explained by the fact that the theoretical framework for the independent case is set and a univocal set of variance-based sensitivity indices is defined. In the present work, we propose a set of variance-based sensitivity indices to perform sensitivity analysis of models with dependent inputs. These measures allow us to distinguish between the mutual dependent contribution and the independent contribution of an input to the model response variance. Their definition relies on a specific orthogonalisation of the inputs and ANOVA-representations of the model output. In the applications, we show the interest of the new sensitivity indices for model simplification setting. - Highlights: ► Uncertainty and sensitivity analyses are of great help in engineering. ► Several methods exist to perform variance-based sensitivity analysis of model output with independent inputs. ► We define a set of variance-based sensitivity indices for models with dependent inputs. ► Inputs mutual contributions are distinguished from their independent contributions. ► Analytical and computational tests are performed and discussed.

  2. Ultra-Reliable Communications in Failure-Prone Realistic Networks

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gerardino, Guillermo Andrés Pocovi; Lauridsen, Mads; Alvarez, Beatriz Soret

    2016-01-01

    We investigate the potential of different diversity and interference management techniques to achieve the required downlink SINR outage probability for ultra-reliable communications. The evaluation is performed in a realistic network deployment based on site-specific data from a European capital....... Micro and macroscopic diversity techniques are proved to be important enablers of ultra-reliable communications. Particularly, it is shown how a 4x4 MIMO scheme with three orders of macroscopic diversity can achieve the required SINR outage performance. Smaller gains are obtained from interference...

  3. Scalable, ultra-resistant structural colors based on network metamaterials

    KAUST Repository

    Galinski, Henning

    2017-05-05

    Structural colors have drawn wide attention for their potential as a future printing technology for various applications, ranging from biomimetic tissues to adaptive camouflage materials. However, an efficient approach to realize robust colors with a scalable fabrication technique is still lacking, hampering the realization of practical applications with this platform. Here, we develop a new approach based on large-scale network metamaterials that combine dealloyed subwavelength structures at the nanoscale with lossless, ultra-thin dielectric coatings. By using theory and experiments, we show how subwavelength dielectric coatings control a mechanism of resonant light coupling with epsilon-near-zero regions generated in the metallic network, generating the formation of saturated structural colors that cover a wide portion of the spectrum. Ellipsometry measurements support the efficient observation of these colors, even at angles of 70°. The network-like architecture of these nanomaterials allows for high mechanical resistance, which is quantified in a series of nano-scratch tests. With such remarkable properties, these metastructures represent a robust design technology for real-world, large-scale commercial applications.

  4. Simultaneous measurement of tritium and radiocarbon by ultra-low-background proportional counting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mace, Emily; Aalseth, Craig; Alexander, Tom; Back, Henning; Day, Anthony; Hoppe, Eric; Keillor, Martin; Moran, Jim; Overman, Cory; Panisko, Mark; Seifert, Allen

    2017-08-01

    Use of ultra-low-background capabilities at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provide enhanced sensitivity for measurement of low-activity sources of tritium and radiocarbon using proportional counters. Tritium levels are nearly back to pre-nuclear test backgrounds (~2-8 TU in rainwater), which can complicate their dual measurement with radiocarbon due to overlap in the beta decay spectra. We present results of single-isotope proportional counter measurements used to analyze a dual-isotope methane sample synthesized from ~120mg of H 2 O and present sensitivity results. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Plasmon enhanced fluoro-immunoassay using egg yolk antibodies for ultra-sensitive detection of herbicide diuron.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharma, Priyanka; Kukkar, Manil; Ganguli, Ashok K; Bhasin, Aman; Suri, C Raman

    2013-08-07

    Plasmon enhanced fluorescence immunoassay (PEFI) format has been reported in developing a sensitive heterogeneous fluoroimmunoassay for monitoring the phenylurea herbicide diuron. Computer-assisted molecular modeling was carried out to study the conformational and electrostatic effects of synthesized hapten for producing highly specific egg yolk antibody against a phenyl urea herbicide diuron. The generated antibodies were labeled with fluorescein isothiocyanate at different molar ratios and used as tracer in the developed fluorescence based immunoassay. The sensitivity of the assay format was enhanced by using silver nanoparticles tagged with bovine serum albumin as a new blocking reagent in the developed PEFI format. Enhancer treatment on the developed immunoassay showed a significant improvement of fluorescence signal intensity with approximately 10 fold increase in assay sensitivity. The immunoassay has a detection limit of 0.01 ng mL(-1) with good signal precision (~2%) in the optimum working concentration range between 1 pg mL(-1) to 10 μg mL(-1) of diuron. These findings facilitate high throughput fluorescence-based processes that could be useful in biology, drug discovery and compound screening applications.

  6. Thermo-sensitively and magnetically ordered mesoporous carbon nanospheres for targeted controlled drug release and hyperthermia application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Lin; Zhang, Huan; Zheng, Jing; Yu, Shiping; Du, Jinglei; Yang, Yongzhen; Liu, Xuguang

    2018-03-01

    A multifunctional nanoplatform based on thermo-sensitively and magnetically ordered mesoporous carbon nanospheres (TMOMCNs) is developed for effective targeted controlled release of doxorubicin hydrochloride (DOX) and hyperthermia in this work. The morphology, specific surface area, porosity, thermo-stability, thermo-sensitivity, as well as magnetism properties of TMOMCNs were verified by high resolution transmission electron microscopy, field emission scanning electron microscopy, thermo-gravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, Brunauer-Emmeltt-Teller surface area analysis, dynamic light scattering and vibrating sample magnetometry measurement. The results indicate that TMOMCNs have an average diameter of ~146nm with a lower critical solution temperature at around 39.5°C. They are superparamagnetic with a magnetization of 10.15emu/g at 20kOe. They generate heat when inductive magnetic field is applied to them and have a normalized specific absorption rate of 30.23W/g at 230kHz and 290Oe, showing good potential for hyperthermia. The DOX loading and release results illustrate that the loading capacity is 135.10mg/g and release performance could be regulated by changing pH and temperature. The good targeting, DOX loading and release and hyperthermia properties of TMOMCNs offer new probabilities for high effectiveness and low toxicity of cancer chemotherapy. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Development of Ultra-Low Power Metal Oxide Sensors and Arrays for Embedded Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lutz, Brent; Wind, Rikard; Kostelecky, Clayton; Routkevitch, Dmitri; Deininger, Debra

    2011-09-01

    Metal oxide semiconductor sensors are widely used as individual sensors and in arrays, and a variety of designs for low power microhotplates have been demonstrated.1 Synkera Technologies has developed an embeddable chemical microsensor platform, based on a unique ceramic MEMS technology, for practical implementation in cell phones and other mobile electronic devices. Key features of this microsensor platform are (1) small size, (2) ultra-low power consumption, (3) high chemical sensitivity, (4) accurate response to a wide-range of threats, and (5) low cost. The sensor platform is enabled by a combination of advances in ceramic micromachining, and precision deposition of sensing films inside the high aspect ratio pores of anodic aluminum oxide (AAO).

  8. Sensitive parameters' optimization of the permanent magnet supporting mechanism

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Liu, Yongguang; Gao, Xiaohui; Wang, Yixuan; Yang, Xiaowei [Beihang University, Beijing (China)

    2014-07-15

    The fast development of the ultra-high speed vertical rotor promotes the study and exploration for the supporting mechanism. It has become the focus of research that how to improve the speed and overcome the vibration when the rotors pass through the low-order critical frequencies. This paper introduces a kind of permanent magnet (PM) supporting mechanism and describes an optimization method of its sensitive parameters, which can make the vertical rotor system reach 80000 r/min smoothly. Firstly we find the sensitive parameters through analyzing the rotor's features in the process of achieving high-speed, then, study these sensitive parameters and summarize the regularities with the method of combining the experiment and the finite element method (FEM), at last, achieve the optimization method of these parameters. That will not only get a stable effect of raising speed and shorten the debugging time greatly, but also promote the extensive application of the PM supporting mechanism in the ultra-high speed vertical rotors.

  9. Opportunities for Decay Counting of Environmental Radioisotopes Using Ultra-low-background Detection Systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Runkle, Robert C.; Aalseth, Craig E.; Bailey, Vanessa L.; Bonicalzi, Ricco; Moran, James J.; Seifert, Allen; Warren, Glen A.

    2012-08-01

    Executive Summary We present results from a scoping study whose intent was to define challenge measurements to be pursued on the Ultra-Sensitive Nuclear Measurements Initiative. Potential challenge measurements using new radiation detection technology in the shallow underground laboratory that would have substantial impact in environmental science were the focus of this study.

  10. Ultra-high temperature direct propulsion

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Araj, K.J.; Slovik, G.; Powell, J.R.; Ludewig, H.

    1987-01-01

    Potential advantages of ultra-high exhaust temperature (3000 K - 4000 K) direct propulsion nuclear rockets are explored. Modifications to the Particle Bed Reactor (PBR) to achieve these temperatures are described. Benefits of ultra-high temperature propulsion are discussed for two missions - orbit transfer (ΔV = 5546 m/s) and interplanetary exploration (ΔV = 20000 m/s). For such missions ultra-high temperatures appear to be worth the additional complexity. Thrust levels are reduced substantially for a given power level, due to the higher enthalpy caused by partial disassociation of the hydrogen propellant. Though technically challenging, it appears potentially feasible to achieve such ultra high temperatures using the PBR

  11. ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT CEMENT

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fred Sabins

    2001-10-23

    The objective of this project is to develop an improved ultra-lightweight cement using ultra-lightweight hollow glass spheres (ULHS). Work reported herein addresses tasks performed in the fourth quarter as well as the other three quarters of the past year. The subjects that were covered in previous reports and that are also discussed in this report include: Analysis of field laboratory data of active cement applications from three oil-well service companies; Preliminary findings from a literature review focusing on problems associated with ultra-lightweight cements; Summary of pertinent information from Russian ultra-lightweight cement literature review; and Comparison of compressive strengths of ULHS systems using ultrasonic and crush methods Results reported from the fourth quarter include laboratory testing of ULHS systems along with other lightweight cement systems--foamed and sodium silicate slurries. These comparison studies were completed for two different densities (10.0 and 11.5 lb/gal) and three different field application scenarios. Additional testing included the mechanical properties of ULHS systems and other lightweight systems. Studies were also performed to examine the effect that circulation by centrifugal pump during mixing has on breakage of ULHS.

  12. Sensitivity and specificity considerations for fMRI encoding, decoding, and mapping of auditory cortex at ultra-high field.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moerel, Michelle; De Martino, Federico; Kemper, Valentin G; Schmitter, Sebastian; Vu, An T; Uğurbil, Kâmil; Formisano, Elia; Yacoub, Essa

    2018-01-01

    Following rapid technological advances, ultra-high field functional MRI (fMRI) enables exploring correlates of neuronal population activity at an increasing spatial resolution. However, as the fMRI blood-oxygenation-level-dependent (BOLD) contrast is a vascular signal, the spatial specificity of fMRI data is ultimately determined by the characteristics of the underlying vasculature. At 7T, fMRI measurement parameters determine the relative contribution of the macro- and microvasculature to the acquired signal. Here we investigate how these parameters affect relevant high-end fMRI analyses such as encoding, decoding, and submillimeter mapping of voxel preferences in the human auditory cortex. Specifically, we compare a T 2 * weighted fMRI dataset, obtained with 2D gradient echo (GE) EPI, to a predominantly T 2 weighted dataset obtained with 3D GRASE. We first investigated the decoding accuracy based on two encoding models that represented different hypotheses about auditory cortical processing. This encoding/decoding analysis profited from the large spatial coverage and sensitivity of the T 2 * weighted acquisitions, as evidenced by a significantly higher prediction accuracy in the GE-EPI dataset compared to the 3D GRASE dataset for both encoding models. The main disadvantage of the T 2 * weighted GE-EPI dataset for encoding/decoding analyses was that the prediction accuracy exhibited cortical depth dependent vascular biases. However, we propose that the comparison of prediction accuracy across the different encoding models may be used as a post processing technique to salvage the spatial interpretability of the GE-EPI cortical depth-dependent prediction accuracy. Second, we explored the mapping of voxel preferences. Large-scale maps of frequency preference (i.e., tonotopy) were similar across datasets, yet the GE-EPI dataset was preferable due to its larger spatial coverage and sensitivity. However, submillimeter tonotopy maps revealed biases in assigned frequency

  13. Theory and experiment research for ultra-low frequency maglev vibration sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Dezhi; Liu, Yixuan; Guo, Zhanshe; Zhao, Xiaomeng; Fan, Shangchun

    2015-10-01

    A new maglev sensor is proposed to measure ultra-low frequency (ULF) vibration, which uses hybrid-magnet levitation structure with electromagnets and permanent magnets as the supporting component, rather than the conventional spring structure of magnetoelectric vibration sensor. Since the lower measurement limit needs to be reduced, the equivalent bearing stiffness coefficient and the equivalent damping coefficient are adjusted by the sensitivity unit structure of the sensor and the closed-loop control system, which realizes both the closed-loop control and the solving algorithms. A simple sensor experimental platform is then assembled based on a digital hardware system, and experimental results demonstrate that the lower measurement limit of the sensor is increased to 0.2 Hz under these experimental conditions, indicating promising results of the maglev sensor for ULF vibration measurements.

  14. Theory and experiment research for ultra-low frequency maglev vibration sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zheng, Dezhi; Liu, Yixuan; Guo, Zhanshe; Fan, Shangchun; Zhao, Xiaomeng

    2015-01-01

    A new maglev sensor is proposed to measure ultra-low frequency (ULF) vibration, which uses hybrid-magnet levitation structure with electromagnets and permanent magnets as the supporting component, rather than the conventional spring structure of magnetoelectric vibration sensor. Since the lower measurement limit needs to be reduced, the equivalent bearing stiffness coefficient and the equivalent damping coefficient are adjusted by the sensitivity unit structure of the sensor and the closed-loop control system, which realizes both the closed-loop control and the solving algorithms. A simple sensor experimental platform is then assembled based on a digital hardware system, and experimental results demonstrate that the lower measurement limit of the sensor is increased to 0.2 Hz under these experimental conditions, indicating promising results of the maglev sensor for ULF vibration measurements

  15. Theory and experiment research for ultra-low frequency maglev vibration sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Dezhi; Liu, Yixuan, E-mail: xuan61x@163.com; Guo, Zhanshe; Fan, Shangchun [School of Instrument Science and Opto-electronics Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191 (China); Zhao, Xiaomeng [Laser Medicine Laboratory, Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Chinese Academy of medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin 300192 (China)

    2015-10-15

    A new maglev sensor is proposed to measure ultra-low frequency (ULF) vibration, which uses hybrid-magnet levitation structure with electromagnets and permanent magnets as the supporting component, rather than the conventional spring structure of magnetoelectric vibration sensor. Since the lower measurement limit needs to be reduced, the equivalent bearing stiffness coefficient and the equivalent damping coefficient are adjusted by the sensitivity unit structure of the sensor and the closed-loop control system, which realizes both the closed-loop control and the solving algorithms. A simple sensor experimental platform is then assembled based on a digital hardware system, and experimental results demonstrate that the lower measurement limit of the sensor is increased to 0.2 Hz under these experimental conditions, indicating promising results of the maglev sensor for ULF vibration measurements.

  16. Sex Difference in Draft-Legal Ultra-Distance Events - A Comparison between Ultra-Swimming and Ultra-Cycling.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salihu, Lejla; Rüst, Christoph Alexander; Rosemann, Thomas; Knechtle, Beat

    2016-04-30

    Recent studies reported that the sex difference in performance in ultra-endurance sports such as swimming and cycling changed over the years. However, the aspect of drafting in draft-legal ultra-endurance races has not yet been investigated. This study investigates the sex difference in ultra-swimming and ultra-cycling draft-legal races where drafting - swimming or cycling behind other participants to save energy and have more power at the end of the race to overtake them, is allowed. The change in performance of the annual best and the annual three best in an ultra-endurance swimming race (16-km 'Faros Swim Marathon') over 38 years and in a 24-h ultra-cycling race ('World Cycling Race') over 13 years were compared and analysed with respect to sex difference. Furthermore, performances of the fastest female and male finishers ever were compared. In the swimming event, the sex difference of the annual best male and female decreased non-significantly (P = 0.262) from 5.3% (1976) to 1.0% (2013). The sex gap of speed in the annual three fastest swimmers decreased significantly (P = 0.043) from 5.9 ± 1.6% (1979) to 4.7 ± 3.1% (2013). In the cycling event, the difference in cycling speed between the annual best male and female decreased significantly (P = 0.026) from 33.31% (1999) to 10.89% (2011). The sex gap of speed in the annual three fastest decreased significantly (P = 0.001) from 32.9 ± 0.6% (1999) to 16.4 ± 5.9% (2011). The fastest male swimmer ever (swimming speed 5.3 km/h, race time: 03:01:55 h:min:s) was 1.5% faster than the fastest female swimmer (swimming speed 5.2 km/h, race time: 03:04:09 h:min:s). The three fastest male swimmers ever (mean 5.27 ± 0.13 km/h) were 4.4% faster than the three fastest female swimmers (mean 5.05 ± 0.20 km/h) (P swimming and cycling, the sex difference in the annual top and annual top three swimmers and cyclists decreased (i.e. non-linearly in swimmers and linearly in cyclists) over the years. The sex difference of the

  17. SEMANTIC LABELLING OF ULTRA DENSE MLS POINT CLOUDS IN URBAN ROAD CORRIDORS BASED ON FUSING CRF WITH SHAPE PRIORS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Yao

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available In this paper, a labelling method for the semantic analysis of ultra-high point density MLS data (up to 4000 points/m2 in urban road corridors is developed based on combining a conditional random field (CRF for the context-based classification of 3D point clouds with shape priors. The CRF uses a Random Forest (RF for generating the unary potentials of nodes and a variant of the contrastsensitive Potts model for the pair-wise potentials of node edges. The foundations of the classification are various geometric features derived by means of co-variance matrices and local accumulation map of spatial coordinates based on local neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, in order to cope with the ultra-high point density, a plane-based region growing method combined with a rule-based classifier is applied to first fix semantic labels for man-made objects. Once such kind of points that usually account for majority of entire data amount are pre-labeled; the CRF classifier can be solved by optimizing the discriminative probability for nodes within a subgraph structure excluded from pre-labeled nodes. The process can be viewed as an evidence fusion step inferring a degree of belief for point labelling from different sources. The MLS data used for this study were acquired by vehicle-borne Z+F phase-based laser scanner measurement, which permits the generation of a point cloud with an ultra-high sampling rate and accuracy. The test sites are parts of Munich City which is assumed to consist of seven object classes including impervious surfaces, tree, building roof/facade, low vegetation, vehicle and pole. The competitive classification performance can be explained by the diverse factors: e.g. the above ground height highlights the vertical dimension of houses, trees even cars, but also attributed to decision-level fusion of graph-based contextual classification approach with shape priors. The use of context-based classification methods mainly contributed to smoothing of

  18. Semantic Labelling of Ultra Dense Mls Point Clouds in Urban Road Corridors Based on Fusing Crf with Shape Priors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, W.; Polewski, P.; Krzystek, P.

    2017-09-01

    In this paper, a labelling method for the semantic analysis of ultra-high point density MLS data (up to 4000 points/m2) in urban road corridors is developed based on combining a conditional random field (CRF) for the context-based classification of 3D point clouds with shape priors. The CRF uses a Random Forest (RF) for generating the unary potentials of nodes and a variant of the contrastsensitive Potts model for the pair-wise potentials of node edges. The foundations of the classification are various geometric features derived by means of co-variance matrices and local accumulation map of spatial coordinates based on local neighbourhoods. Meanwhile, in order to cope with the ultra-high point density, a plane-based region growing method combined with a rule-based classifier is applied to first fix semantic labels for man-made objects. Once such kind of points that usually account for majority of entire data amount are pre-labeled; the CRF classifier can be solved by optimizing the discriminative probability for nodes within a subgraph structure excluded from pre-labeled nodes. The process can be viewed as an evidence fusion step inferring a degree of belief for point labelling from different sources. The MLS data used for this study were acquired by vehicle-borne Z+F phase-based laser scanner measurement, which permits the generation of a point cloud with an ultra-high sampling rate and accuracy. The test sites are parts of Munich City which is assumed to consist of seven object classes including impervious surfaces, tree, building roof/facade, low vegetation, vehicle and pole. The competitive classification performance can be explained by the diverse factors: e.g. the above ground height highlights the vertical dimension of houses, trees even cars, but also attributed to decision-level fusion of graph-based contextual classification approach with shape priors. The use of context-based classification methods mainly contributed to smoothing of labelling by removing

  19. Heat acclimation responses of an ultra-endurance running group preparing for hot desert-based competition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Ricardo J S; Crockford, Michael J; Moore, Jonathan P; Walsh, Neil P

    2014-01-01

    Heat acclimation induces adaptations that improve exercise tolerance in hot conditions. Here we report novel findings into the effects of ultra-marathon specific exercise load in increasing hot ambient conditions on indices of heat acclimation. Six male ultra-endurance runners completed a standard pre-acclimation protocol at 20°C ambient temperature (T amb), followed by a heat acclimation protocol consisting of six 2 h running exercise-heat exposures (EH) at 60% VO2max on a motorised treadmill in an environmental chamber. Three EH were performed at 30°C T amb, followed by another three EH at 35°C T amb. EH were separated by 48 h within T amb and 72 h between T amb. Nude body mass (NBM), blood and urine samples were collected pre-exercise; while NBM and urine were collected post-exercise. Rectal temperature (T re), heart rate (HR), thermal comfort rating (TCR) and rating of perceived exertion were measured pre-exercise and monitored every 5 min during exercise. Water was provided ad libitum during exercise. Data were analysed using a repeated measures and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with post hoc Tukey's HSD. Significance was accepted as Pheat acclimation in all ultra-endurance runners. Further, heat acclimation responses occurred with increasing EH to 35°C T amb. Preventing exertional heat illnesses and optimising performance outcomes in ultra-endurance runners may occur with exposure to at least 2 h of exercise-heat stress on at least two occasions in the days leading up to multi-stage ultra-marathon competition in the heat.

  20. DNA based radiological dosimetry technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Diaz Quijada, Gerardo A.; Roy, Emmanuel; Veres, Teodor; Dumoulin, Michel M.; Vachon, Caroline; Blagoeva, Rosita; Pierre, Martin

    2008-01-01

    Full text: The purpose of this project is to develop a personal and wearable dosimeter using a highly-innovative approach based on the specific recognition of DNA damage with a polymer hybrid. Our biosensor will be sensitive to breaks in nucleic acid macromolecules and relevant to mixed-field radiation. The dosimeter proposed will be small, field deployable and will sense damages for all radiation types at the DNA level. The generalized concept for the novel-based radiological dosimeter: 1) Single or double stranded oligonucleotide is immobilized on surface; 2) Single stranded has higher cross-section for fragmentation; 3) Double stranded is more biological relevant; 4) Radiation induces fragmentation; 5) Ultra-sensitive detection of fragments provides radiation dose. Successful efforts have been made towards a proof-of-concept personal wearable DNA-based dosimeter that is appropriate for mixed-field radiation. The covalent immobilization of oligonucleotides on large areas of plastic surfaces has been demonstrated and corroborated spectroscopically. The surface concentration of DNA was determined to be 8 x 1010 molecules/cm 2 from a Ce(IV) catalyzed hydrolysis study of a fluorescently labelled oligonucleotide. Current efforts are being directed at studying radiation induced fragmentation of DNA followed by its ultra-sensitive detection via a novel method. In addition, proof-of-concept wearable personal devices and a detection platform are presently being fabricated. (author)

  1. Effect of ambient on electrical transport properties of ultra-thin Au nanowires

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amin, Kazi Rafsanjani; Kundu, Subhajit; Biswas, Sangram; Roy, Ahin; Singh, Abhishek Kumar; Ravishankar, N.; Bid, Aveek

    2016-12-01

    In this letter we present systematic studies of the dynamics of surface adsorption of various chemicals on ultra-thin single crystalline gold nanowires (AuNW) through sensitive resistance fluctuation spectroscopy measurements coupled with ab initio simulations. We show that, contrary to expectations, the adsorption of common chemicals like methanol and acetone has a profound impact on the electrical transport properties of the AuNW. Our measurements and subsequent calculations establish conclusively that in AuNW, semiconductor-like sensitivity to the ambient arises because of changes induced in its local density of states by the surface adsorbed molecules. The extreme sensitivity of the resistance fluctuations of the AuNW to ambient suggests their possible use as solid-state sensors.

  2. The chemistry of ultra-low concentrations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Vertes, Attila; Kiss, Istvan

    1987-01-01

    Methods for the separation and enrichment of radionuclides in the ultra-low concentration range (coprecipitation, adsorption of radioactive substances on crystals) are disscussed in this chapter of the textbook. The properties and behaviour of ultra-dilute solutions, radiocolloids and the electrochemistry of ultra-dilute solution are also overviewed

  3. Discovery of z ~ 8 Galaxies in the Hubble Ultra Deep Field from Ultra-Deep WFC3/IR Observations

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouwens, R. J.; Illingworth, G. D.; Oesch, P. A.; Stiavelli, M.; van Dokkum, P.; Trenti, M.; Magee, D.; Labbé, I.; Franx, M.; Carollo, C. M.; Gonzalez, V.

    2010-02-01

    We utilize the newly acquired, ultra-deep WFC3/IR observations over the Hubble Ultra Deep Field (HUDF) to search for star-forming galaxies at z ~ 8-8.5, only 600 million years from recombination, using a Y 105-dropout selection. The new 4.7 arcmin2 WFC3/IR observations reach to ~28.8 AB mag (5σ) in the Y 105 J 125 H 160 bands. These remarkable data reach ~1.5 AB mag deeper than the previous data over the HUDF, and now are an excellent match to the HUDF optical ACS data. For our search criteria, we use a two-color Lyman break selection technique to identify z ~ 8-8.5Y 105-dropouts. We find five likely z ~ 8-8.5 candidates. The sources have H 160-band magnitudes of ~28.3 AB mag and very blue UV-continuum slopes, with a median estimated β of lsim-2.5 (where f λ vprop λβ). This suggests that z ~ 8 galaxies are not only essentially dust free but also may have very young ages or low metallicities. The observed number of Y 105-dropout candidates is smaller than the 20 ± 6 sources expected assuming no evolution from z ~ 6, but is consistent with the five expected extrapolating the Bouwens et al. luminosity function (LF) results to z ~ 8. These results provide evidence that the evolution in the LF seen from z ~ 7 to z ~ 3 continues to z ~ 8. The remarkable improvement in the sensitivity of WFC3/IR has enabled Hubble Space Telescope to cross a threshold, revealing star-forming galaxies at z~ 8-9. Based on observations made with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS 5-26555. These observations are associated with programs 11563, 9797.

  4. Flexible Mixed-Potential-Type (MPT) NO₂ Sensor Based on An Ultra-Thin Ceramic Film.

    Science.gov (United States)

    You, Rui; Jing, Gaoshan; Yu, Hongyan; Cui, Tianhong

    2017-07-29

    A novel flexible mixed-potential-type (MPT) sensor was designed and fabricated for NO₂ detection from 0 to 500 ppm at 200 °C. An ultra-thin Y₂O₃-doped ZrO₂ (YSZ) ceramic film 20 µm thick was sandwiched between a heating electrode and reference/sensing electrodes. The heating electrode was fabricated by a conventional lift-off process, while the porous reference and the sensing electrodes were fabricated by a two-step patterning method using shadow masks. The sensor's sensitivity is achieved as 58.4 mV/decade at the working temperature of 200 °C, as well as a detection limit of 26.7 ppm and small response time of less than 10 s at 200 ppm. Additionally, the flexible MPT sensor demonstrates superior mechanical stability after bending over 50 times due to the mechanical stability of the YSZ ceramic film. This simply structured, but highly reliable flexible MPT NO₂ sensor may lead to wide application in the automobile industry for vehicle emission systems to reduce NO₂ emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

  5. Old Fashioned vs. Ultra-Processed-Based Current Diets: Possible Implication in the Increased Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in Childhood

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguayo-Patrón, Sandra V.; Calderón de la Barca, Ana M.

    2017-01-01

    Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat products created to replace traditional homemade meals and dishes due to convenience and accessibility. Because of their low-fiber and high-fat and sugar composition, these foodstuffs could induce a negative impact on health. They are partially responsible for obesity and chronic non-transmissible diseases; additionally, they could impact in the prevalence of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. The rationale is that the nutritional composition of ultra-processed foodstuffs can induce gut dysbiosis, promoting a pro-inflammatory response and consequently, a “leaky gut”. These factors have been associated with increased risk of autoimmunity in genetically predisposed children. In addition, food emulsifiers, commonly used in ultra-processed products could modify the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability, which could increase the risk of autoimmunity. In contrast, unprocessed and minimally processed food-based diets have shown the capacity to promote gut microbiota eubiosis, anti-inflammatory response, and epithelial integrity, through bacterial butyrate production. Thus, to decrease the susceptibility to autoimmunity, genetically predisposed children should avoid ultra-processed food products and encourage the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods. PMID:29140275

  6. Old Fashioned vs. Ultra-Processed-Based Current Diets: Possible Implication in the Increased Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in Childhood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra V. Aguayo-Patrón

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat products created to replace traditional homemade meals and dishes due to convenience and accessibility. Because of their low-fiber and high-fat and sugar composition, these foodstuffs could induce a negative impact on health. They are partially responsible for obesity and chronic non-transmissible diseases; additionally, they could impact in the prevalence of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. The rationale is that the nutritional composition of ultra-processed foodstuffs can induce gut dysbiosis, promoting a pro-inflammatory response and consequently, a “leaky gut”. These factors have been associated with increased risk of autoimmunity in genetically predisposed children. In addition, food emulsifiers, commonly used in ultra-processed products could modify the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability, which could increase the risk of autoimmunity. In contrast, unprocessed and minimally processed food-based diets have shown the capacity to promote gut microbiota eubiosis, anti-inflammatory response, and epithelial integrity, through bacterial butyrate production. Thus, to decrease the susceptibility to autoimmunity, genetically predisposed children should avoid ultra-processed food products and encourage the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods.

  7. Old Fashioned vs. Ultra-Processed-Based Current Diets: Possible Implication in the Increased Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in Childhood.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguayo-Patrón, Sandra V; Calderón de la Barca, Ana M

    2017-11-15

    Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat products created to replace traditional homemade meals and dishes due to convenience and accessibility. Because of their low-fiber and high-fat and sugar composition, these foodstuffs could induce a negative impact on health. They are partially responsible for obesity and chronic non-transmissible diseases; additionally, they could impact in the prevalence of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. The rationale is that the nutritional composition of ultra-processed foodstuffs can induce gut dysbiosis, promoting a pro-inflammatory response and consequently, a "leaky gut". These factors have been associated with increased risk of autoimmunity in genetically predisposed children. In addition, food emulsifiers, commonly used in ultra-processed products could modify the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability, which could increase the risk of autoimmunity. In contrast, unprocessed and minimally processed food-based diets have shown the capacity to promote gut microbiota eubiosis, anti-inflammatory response, and epithelial integrity, through bacterial butyrate production. Thus, to decrease the susceptibility to autoimmunity, genetically predisposed children should avoid ultra-processed food products and encourage the consumption of fresh and minimally processed foods.

  8. Comparative Overview of UWB and VLC for Data- Intensive and Security-Sensitive Applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Prasad, Ramjee; Mihovska, Albena D.; Cianca, Ernestina

    2012-01-01

    This paper provides a comparative overview of two short-range wireless technologies with high potential for use in various data-intensive and security-sensitive applications, namely, ultra wideband (UWB) and visible light communications (VLC). Both are emerging technologies with some unique...... and standardization developments for both technologies and gives a proposal for their suitability based on a comparative view, of the strengths and weaknesses for use in applications, such as home networking, vehicular communications, and medical care, including the main technical challenges....

  9. Simultaneous determination of phenolic compounds in Equisetum palustre L. by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry combined with matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Zuofu; Pan, Youzhi; Li, Lu; Huang, Yuyang; Qi, Xiaolin; Luo, Meng; Zu, Yuangang; Fu, Yujie

    2014-11-01

    A method based on matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction followed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry is presented for the extraction and determination of phenolic compounds in Equisetum palustre. This method combines the high efficiency of matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction and the rapidity, sensitivity, and accuracy of ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry. The influential parameters of the matrix solid-phase dispersion extraction were investigated and optimized. The optimized conditions were as follows: silica gel was selected as dispersing sorbent, the ratio of silica gel to sample was selected to be 2:1 (400/200 mg), and 8 mL of 80% methanol was used as elution solvent. Furthermore, a fast and sensitive ultra high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method was developed for the determination of nine phenolic compounds in E. palustre. This method was carried out within <6 min, and exhibited satisfactory linearity, precision, and recovery. Compared with ultrasound-assisted extraction, the proposed matrix solid-phase dispersion procedure possessed higher extraction efficiency, and was more convenient and time saving with reduced requirements on sample and solvent amounts. All these results suggest that the developed method represents an excellent alternative for the extraction and determination of active components in plant matrices. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  10. Mass and abundance 236U sensitivities at CIRCE

    Science.gov (United States)

    De Cesare, M.; De Cesare, N.; D'Onofrio, A.; Fifield, L. K.; Gialanella, L.; Terrasi, F.

    2015-10-01

    The actinides (e.g. 236U and xPu isotopes) are present in environmental samples at the ultra trace level since atmospheric tests of NWs (Nuclear Weapons) performed in the past, deliberate dumping of nuclear waste, nuclear fuel reprocessing, on a large scale and operation of NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants) on a small scale have led to the release of a wide range of radioactive nuclides in the environment. Their detection requires the most sensitive AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) techniques and at the Center for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage (CIRCE) in Caserta, Italy, an upgraded actinide AMS system, based on a 3-MV pelletron tandem accelerator, has been operated. In this paper the progress made in order to push the 236U mass sensitivity and 236U/238U isotopic ratio down to the natural levels is reported. A uranium contamination mass of about 0.05 μg and a 236U/238U isotopic ratio sensitivities at the level of 3.2 × 10-13 are presently achievable.

  11. Ultra low-noise differential ac-coupled photodetector for sensitive pulse detection applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Windpassinger, Patrick J; Boisen, Axel; Kjærgaard, Niels; Polzik, Eugene S; Müller, Jörg Helge; Kubasik, Marcin; Koschorreck, Marco

    2009-01-01

    We report on the performance of ultra low-noise differential photodetectors especially designed for probing of atomic ensembles with weak light pulses. The working principle of the detectors is described together with the analysis procedures employed to extract the photon shot noise of light pulses with ∼1 μs duration. As opposed to frequency response peaked detectors, our approach allows for broadband quantum noise measurements. The equivalent noise charge (ENC) for two different hardware approaches is evaluated to 280 and 340 electrons per pulse, respectively, which corresponds to a dark noise equivalent photon number of n 3dB = 0.8 × 10 5 and n 3dB = 1.2 × 10 5 in the two approaches. Finally, we discuss the possibility of removing classical correlations in the output signal caused by detector imperfection by using double-correlated sampling methods

  12. Enhancing thermal reliability of fiber-optic sensors for bio-inspired applications at ultra-high temperatures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Donghoon; Kim, Heon-Young; Kim, Dae-Hyun

    2014-07-01

    The rapid growth of bio-(inspired) sensors has led to an improvement in modern healthcare and human-robot systems in recent years. Higher levels of reliability and better flexibility, essential features of these sensors, are very much required in many application fields (e.g. applications at ultra-high temperatures). Fiber-optic sensors, and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in particular, are being widely studied as suitable sensors for improved structural health monitoring (SHM) due to their many merits. To enhance the thermal reliability of FBG sensors, thermal sensitivity, generally expressed as αf + ξf and considered a constant, should be investigated more precisely. For this purpose, the governing equation of FBG sensors is modified using differential derivatives between the wavelength shift and the temperature change in this study. Through a thermal test ranging from RT to 900 °C, the thermal sensitivity of FBG sensors is successfully examined and this guarantees thermal reliability of FBG sensors at ultra-high temperatures. In detail, αf + ξf has a non-linear dependence on temperature and varies from 6.0 × 10-6 °C-1 (20 °C) to 10.6 × 10-6 °C-1 (650 °C). Also, FBGs should be carefully used for applications at ultra-high temperatures due to signal disappearance near 900 °C.

  13. Ultra-sensitive Magnetic Microscopy with an Atomic Magnetometer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Young Jin [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

    2015-08-19

    The PowerPoint presentation focused on research goals, specific information about the atomic magnetometer, response and resolution factors of the SERF magnetometer, FC+AM systems, tests of field transfer and resolution on FC, gradient cancellation, testing of AM performance, ideas for a multi-channel AM, including preliminary sensitivity testing, and a description of a 6 channel DAQ system. A few ideas for future work ended the presentation.

  14. High Efficiency Dye-sensitized Solar Cells Constructed with Composites of TiO2 and the Hot-bubbling Synthesized Ultra-Small SnO2 Nanocrystals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mao, Xiaoli; Zhou, Ru; Zhang, Shouwei; Ding, Liping; Wan, Lei; Qin, Shengxian; Chen, Zhesheng; Xu, Jinzhang; Miao, Shiding

    2016-01-13

    An efficient photo-anode for the dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) should have features of high loading of dye molecules, favorable band alignments and good efficiency in electron transport. Herein, the 3.4 nm-sized SnO2 nanocrystals (NCs) of high crystallinity, synthesized via the hot-bubbling method, were incorporated with the commercial TiO2 (P25) particles to fabricate the photo-anodes. The optimal percentage of the doped SnO2 NCs was found at ~7.5% (SnO2/TiO2, w/w), and the fabricated DSSC delivers a power conversion efficiency up to 6.7%, which is 1.52 times of the P25 based DSSCs. The ultra-small SnO2 NCs offer three benefits, (1) the incorporation of SnO2 NCs enlarges surface areas of the photo-anode films, and higher dye-loading amounts were achieved; (2) the high charge mobility provided by SnO2 was confirmed to accelerate the electron transport, and the photo-electron recombination was suppressed by the highly-crystallized NCs; (3) the conduction band minimum (CBM) of the SnO2 NCs was uplifted due to the quantum size effects, and this was found to alleviate the decrement in the open-circuit voltage. This work highlights great contributions of the SnO2 NCs to the improvement of the photovoltaic performances in the DSSCs.

  15. Ultra-Sensitive NT-proBNP Quantification for Early Detection of Risk Factors Leading to Heart Failure

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Keum-Soo Song

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available Cardiovascular diseases such as acute myocardial infarction and heart failure accounted for the death of 17.5 million people (31% of all global deaths in 2015. Monitoring the level of circulating N-terminal proBNP (NT-proBNP is crucial for the detection of people at risk of heart failure. In this article, we describe a novel ultra-sensitive NT-proBNP test (us-NT-proBNP that allows the quantification of circulating NT-proBNP in 30 min at 25 °C in the linear detection range of 7.0–600 pg/mL. It is a first report on the application of a fluorescence bead labeled detection antibody, DNA-guided detection method, and glass fiber membrane platform for the quantification of NT-proBNP in clinical samples. Limit of blank, limit of detection, and limit of quantification were 2.0 pg/mL, 3.7 pg/mL, and 7 pg/mL, respectively. The coefficient of variation was found to be less than 10% in the entire detection range of 7–600 pg/mL. The test demonstrated specificity for NT-proBNP without interferences from bilirubin, intra-lipid, biotin, and hemoglobin. The serial dilution test for plasma samples containing various NT-proBNP levels showed the linear decrement in concentration with the regression coefficient of 0.980–0.998. These results indicate that us-NT-proBNP test does not suffer from the interference of the plasma components for the measurement of NT-proBNP in clinical samples.

  16. Exploration of coal-based pitch precursors for ultra-high thermal conductivity graphite fibers. Final report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Deshpande, G.V. [Amoco Performance Products, Inc., Alpharetta, GA (United States)

    1996-12-27

    Goal was to explore the utility of coal-based pitch precursors for use in ultra high thermal conductivity carbon (graphite) fibers. From graphite electrode experience, it was established that coal-based pitches tend to form more highly crystalline graphite at lower temperatures. Since the funding was limited to year 1 effort of the 3 year program, the goal was only partially achieved. The coal-base pitches can form large domain mesophase in spite of high N and O contents. The mesophase reactivity test performed on one of the variants of coal-based pitch (DO84) showed that it was not a good candidate for carbon fiber processing. Optimization of WVU`s isotropic pitch process is required to tailor the pitch for carbon fiber processing. The hetero atoms in the coal pitch need to be reduced to improve mesophase formation.

  17. Ultra-thin ZnSe: Anisotropic and flexible crystal structure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bacaksiz, C., E-mail: cihanbacaksiz@iyte.edu.tr [Department of Physics, Izmir Institute of Technology, 35430 Izmir (Turkey); Senger, R.T. [Department of Physics, Izmir Institute of Technology, 35430 Izmir (Turkey); Sahin, H. [Department of Photonics, Izmir Institute of Technology, 35430 Izmir (Turkey)

    2017-07-01

    Highlights: • Ultra-thin ZnSe is dynamically stable. • Ultra-thin ZnSe is electronically direct-gap semiconductor. • Ultra-thin ZnSe is ultra-flexible. • Ultra-thin ZnSe is mechanically in-plane anisotropic. - Abstract: By performing density functional theory-based calculations, we investigate the structural, electronic, and mechanical properties of the thinnest ever ZnSe crystal . The vibrational spectrum analysis reveals that the monolayer ZnSe is dynamically stable and has flexible nature with its soft phonon modes. In addition, a direct electronic band gap is found at the gamma point for the monolayer structure of ZnSe. We also elucidate that the monolayer ZnSe has angle dependent in-plane elastic parameters. In particular, the in-plane stiffness values are found to be 2.07 and 6.89 N/m for the arm-chair and zig-zag directions, respectively. The angle dependency is also valid for the Poisson ratio of the monolayer ZnSe. More significantly, the in-plane stiffness of the monolayer ZnSe is the one-tenth of Young modulus of bulk zb-ZnSe which indicates that the monolayer ZnSe is a quite flexible single layer crystal. With its flexible nature and in-plane anisotropic mechanical properties, the monolayer ZnSe is a good candidate for nanoscale mechanical applications.

  18. Ultra-thin ZnSe: Anisotropic and flexible crystal structure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bacaksiz, C.; Senger, R.T.; Sahin, H.

    2017-01-01

    Highlights: • Ultra-thin ZnSe is dynamically stable. • Ultra-thin ZnSe is electronically direct-gap semiconductor. • Ultra-thin ZnSe is ultra-flexible. • Ultra-thin ZnSe is mechanically in-plane anisotropic. - Abstract: By performing density functional theory-based calculations, we investigate the structural, electronic, and mechanical properties of the thinnest ever ZnSe crystal . The vibrational spectrum analysis reveals that the monolayer ZnSe is dynamically stable and has flexible nature with its soft phonon modes. In addition, a direct electronic band gap is found at the gamma point for the monolayer structure of ZnSe. We also elucidate that the monolayer ZnSe has angle dependent in-plane elastic parameters. In particular, the in-plane stiffness values are found to be 2.07 and 6.89 N/m for the arm-chair and zig-zag directions, respectively. The angle dependency is also valid for the Poisson ratio of the monolayer ZnSe. More significantly, the in-plane stiffness of the monolayer ZnSe is the one-tenth of Young modulus of bulk zb-ZnSe which indicates that the monolayer ZnSe is a quite flexible single layer crystal. With its flexible nature and in-plane anisotropic mechanical properties, the monolayer ZnSe is a good candidate for nanoscale mechanical applications.

  19. A Delay Time Measurement of ULTRAS (Ultra-high Temperature Ultrasonic Response Analysis System) for a High Temperature Experiment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Koo, Kil Mo; Kim, Sang Baik

    2010-01-01

    The temperature measurement of very high temperature core melt is of importance in a high temperature as the molten pool experiment in which gap formation between core melt and the reactor lower head, and the effect of the gap on thermal behavior are to be measured. The existing temperature measurement techniques have some problems, which the thermocouple, one of the contact methods, is restricted to under 2000 .deg. C, and the infrared thermometry, one of the non-contact methods, is unable to measure an internal temperature and very sensitive to the interference from reacted gases. In order to solve these problems, the delay time technique of ultrasonic wavelets due to high temperature has two sorts of stage. As a first stage, a delay time measurement of ULTRAS (Ultra-high Temperature Ultrasonic Response Analysis System) is suggested. As a second stage, a molten material temperature was measured up to 2300 .deg. C. Also, the optimization design of the UTS (ultrasonic temperature sensor) with persistence at the high temperature was suggested in this paper. And the utilization of the theory suggested in this paper and the efficiency of the developed system are performed by special equipment and some experiments supported by KRISS (Korea Research Institute of Standard and Science)

  20. In-Situ Monitoring of the Microstructure of TATB-based Explosive Formulations During Temperature Cycling using Ultra-small Angle X-ray Scattering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Willey, T M; Hoffman, D M; van Buuren, T; Lauderbach, L; Ilavsky, J; Gee, R H; Maiti, A; Overturf, G; Fried, L

    2008-02-06

    TATB (1,3,5 triamino-2,4,6-trinitrobenzene), an extremely insensitive explosive, is used both in plastic-bonded explosives (PBXs) and as an ultra-fine pressed powder (UFTATB). With both PBXs and UFTATB, an irreversible expansion occurs with temperature cycling known as ratchet growth. In TATB-based explosives using Kel-F 800 as binder (LX-17 and PBX-9502), additional voids, sizes hundreds of nanometers to a few microns account for much of the volume expansion caused by temperature cycling. These voids are in the predicted size regime for hot-spot formation during ignition and detonation, and thus an experimental measure of these voids is important feedback for hot-spot theory and for determining the relationship between void size distributions and detonation properties. Also, understanding the mechanism of ratchet growth allows future choice of explosive/binder mixtures to minimize these types of changes to explosives, further extending PBX shelf life. This paper presents the void size distributions of LX-17, UFTATB, and PBXs using commercially available Cytop M, Cytop A, and Hyflon AD60 binders during temperature cycling between -55 C and 70 C. These void size distributions are derived from ultra-small angle x-ray scattering (USAXS), a technique sensitive to structures from about 10 nm to about 2 mm. Structures with these sizes do not appreciably change in UFTATB, indicating voids or cracks larger than a few microns appear in UFTATB during temperature cycling. Compared to Kel-F 800 binders, Cytop M and Cytop A show relatively small increases in void volume from 0.9% to 1.3% and 0.6% to 1.1%, respectively, while Hyflon fails to prevent irreversible volume expansion (1.2% to 4.6%). Computational mesoscale models of ratchet growth and binder wetting and adhesion properties point to mechanisms of ratchet growth, and are discussed in combination with the experimental results.

  1. A novel high performance, ultra thin heat sink for electronics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Escher, W.; Michel, B.; Poulikakos, D.

    2010-01-01

    We present an ultra thin heat sink for electronics, combining optimized impinging slot-jets, micro-channels and manifolds for efficient cooling. We first introduce a three-dimensional numerical model of the heat transfer structure, to investigate its hydrodynamic and thermal performance and its sensitivity to geometric parameters. In a second step we propose a three-dimensional hydrodynamic numerical model representing the complete system. Based on this model we design a novel manifold providing uniform fluid distribution. In order to save computational time a simpler semi-empirical model is proposed and validated. The semi-empirical model allows a robust optimization of the heat sink geometric parameters. The design is optimized for a 2 x 2 cm 2 chip and provides a total thermal resistance of 0.087 cm 2 K/W for flow rates 2 for a temperature difference between fluid inlet and chip of 65 K.

  2. Molybdenum disulfide for ultra-low detection of free radicals: electrochemical response and molecular modeling

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Ankur; Rawal, Takat B.; Neal, Craig J.; Das, Soumen; Rahman, Talat S.; Seal, Sudipta

    2017-06-01

    Two-dimensional (2D) molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) offers attractive properties due to its band gap modulation and has led to significant research-oriented applications (i.e. DNA and protein detection, cell imaging (fluorescent label) etc.). In biology, detection of free radicals (i.e. reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen (NO*) species are very important for early discovery and treatment of diseases. Herein, for the first time, we demonstrate the ultra-low (pico-molar) detection of pharmaceutically relevant free radicals using MoS2 for electrochemical sensing. We present pico- to nano- molar level sensitivity in smaller MoS2 with S-deficiency as revealed by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Furthermore, the detection mechanism and size-dependent sensitivity have been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) showing the change in electronic density of states of Mo atoms at edges which lead to the preferred adsorption of H2O2 on Mo edges. The DFT analysis signifies the role of size and S-deficiency in the higher catalytic activity of smaller MoS2 particles and, thus, ultra-low detection.

  3. Water and sodium intake habits and status of ultra-endurance runners during a multi-stage ultra-marathon conducted in a hot ambient environment: an observational field based study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Costa Ricardo JS

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Anecdotal evidence suggests ultra-runners may not be consuming sufficient water through foods and fluids to maintenance euhydration, and present sub-optimal sodium intakes, throughout multi-stage ultra-marathon (MSUM competitions in the heat. Subsequently, the aims were primarily to assess water and sodium intake habits of recreational ultra-runners during a five stage 225 km semi self-sufficient MSUM conducted in a hot ambient environment (Tmax range: 32°C to 40°C; simultaneously to monitor serum sodium concentration, and hydration status using multiple hydration assessment techniques. Methods Total daily, pre-stage, during running, and post-stage water and sodium ingestion of ultra-endurance runners (UER, n = 74 and control (CON, n = 12 through foods and fluids were recorded on Stages 1 to 4 by trained dietetic researchers using dietary recall interview technique, and analysed through dietary analysis software. Body mass (BM, hydration status, and serum sodium concentration were determined pre- and post-Stages 1 to 5. Results Water (overall mean (SD: total daily 7.7 (1.5 L/day, during running 732 (183 ml/h and sodium (total daily 3.9 (1.3 g/day, during running 270 (151 mg/L ingestion did not differ between stages in UER (p vs. CON. Exercise-induced BM loss was 2.4 (1.2% (p p > 0.05 vs. CON pre-stage. Asymptomatic hyponatraemia (n = 8 UER, corresponding to 42% of sampled participants. Pre- and post-stage urine colour, urine osmolality and urine/plasma osmolality ratio increased (p p  Conclusion Water intake habits of ultra-runners during MSUM conducted in hot ambient conditions appear to be sufficient to maintain baseline euhydration levels. However, fluid over-consumption behaviours were evident along competition, irrespective of running speed and gender. Normonatraemia was observed in the majority of ultra-runners throughout MSUM, despite sodium ingestion under benchmark recommendations.

  4. mrsFAST-Ultra: a compact, SNP-aware mapper for high performance sequencing applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hach, Faraz; Sarrafi, Iman; Hormozdiari, Farhad; Alkan, Can; Eichler, Evan E; Sahinalp, S Cenk

    2014-07-01

    High throughput sequencing (HTS) platforms generate unprecedented amounts of data that introduce challenges for processing and downstream analysis. While tools that report the 'best' mapping location of each read provide a fast way to process HTS data, they are not suitable for many types of downstream analysis such as structural variation detection, where it is important to report multiple mapping loci for each read. For this purpose we introduce mrsFAST-Ultra, a fast, cache oblivious, SNP-aware aligner that can handle the multi-mapping of HTS reads very efficiently. mrsFAST-Ultra improves mrsFAST, our first cache oblivious read aligner capable of handling multi-mapping reads, through new and compact index structures that reduce not only the overall memory usage but also the number of CPU operations per alignment. In fact the size of the index generated by mrsFAST-Ultra is 10 times smaller than that of mrsFAST. As importantly, mrsFAST-Ultra introduces new features such as being able to (i) obtain the best mapping loci for each read, and (ii) return all reads that have at most n mapping loci (within an error threshold), together with these loci, for any user specified n. Furthermore, mrsFAST-Ultra is SNP-aware, i.e. it can map reads to reference genome while discounting the mismatches that occur at common SNP locations provided by db-SNP; this significantly increases the number of reads that can be mapped to the reference genome. Notice that all of the above features are implemented within the index structure and are not simple post-processing steps and thus are performed highly efficiently. Finally, mrsFAST-Ultra utilizes multiple available cores and processors and can be tuned for various memory settings. Our results show that mrsFAST-Ultra is roughly five times faster than its predecessor mrsFAST. In comparison to newly enhanced popular tools such as Bowtie2, it is more sensitive (it can report 10 times or more mappings per read) and much faster (six times or

  5. Ultra-orthodox Jewish Women Go to Work

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Foscarini, Giorgia

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available In the last three decades the ultra-orthodox community in Israel has experienced great changes in its internal social functioning. More specifically, these developments were linked to the education of ultra-orthodox women. Through an accurate review of the existing literature and a series of in-depth interviews with Israeli scholars, rabbis, educators and women of the ultra-orthodox community in Jerusalem, it was found that the introduction of new vocational and academic training tracks in women's education, is gradually changing the internal social structure of the ultra-orthodox family and community. The main consequence is expressed in a renegotiation of gender roles within the ultra-orthodox community and in a subversion of the traditional patriarchal framework. As a result of their participation in the labor market and in higher education institutions, women are more and more exposed to the Israeli secular culture, introducing in the traditional and segregated ultra-orthodox community customs typically modern, narrowing the gap between the ultra-orthodox community and the mainstream Israeli society.

  6. Reliability-based sensitivity of mechanical components with arbitrary distribution parameters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Yi Min; Yang, Zhou; Wen, Bang Chun; He, Xiang Dong; Liu, Qiaoling

    2010-01-01

    This paper presents a reliability-based sensitivity method for mechanical components with arbitrary distribution parameters. Techniques from the perturbation method, the Edgeworth series, the reliability-based design theory, and the sensitivity analysis approach were employed directly to calculate the reliability-based sensitivity of mechanical components on the condition that the first four moments of the original random variables are known. The reliability-based sensitivity information of the mechanical components can be accurately and quickly obtained using a practical computer program. The effects of the design parameters on the reliability of mechanical components were studied. The method presented in this paper provides the theoretic basis for the reliability-based design of mechanical components

  7. Ultra-short laser pulses. Petawatt and femtosecond

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lemoine, P.

    1999-01-01

    This book deals with a series of new results obtained thanks to the use of ultra-short laser pulses. This branch of physics has made incredible progresses during the last 25 years. Ultra-short laser pulses offer the opportunity to explore the domain of ultra-high energies and of ultra-short duration events. Applications are various, from controlled nuclear fusion to eye surgery and to more familiar industrial applications such as electronics. (J.S.)

  8. Effect of different reconstruction algorithms on computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) performance in ultra-low dose CT colonography

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Eun Sun; Kim, Se Hyung; Im, Jong Pil; Kim, Sang Gyun; Shin, Cheong-il; Han, Joon Koo; Choi, Byung Ihn

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: •We assessed the effect of reconstruction algorithms on CAD in ultra-low dose CTC. •30 patients underwent ultra-low dose CTC using 120 and 100 kVp with 10 mAs. •CT was reconstructed with FBP, ASiR and Veo and then, we applied a CAD system. •Per-polyp sensitivity of CAD in ULD CT can be improved with the IR algorithms. •Despite of an increase in the number of FPs with IR, it was still acceptable. -- Abstract: Purpose: To assess the effect of different reconstruction algorithms on computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) performance in ultra-low-dose CT colonography (ULD CTC). Materials and methods: IRB approval and informed consents were obtained. Thirty prospectively enrolled patients underwent non-contrast CTC at 120 kVp/10 mAs in supine and 100 kVp/10 mAs in prone positions, followed by same-day colonoscopy. Images were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), 80% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR80), and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). A commercial CAD system was applied and per-polyp sensitivities and numbers of false-positives (FPs) were compared among algorithms. Results: Mean effective radiation dose of CTC was 1.02 mSv. Of 101 polyps detected and removed by colonoscopy, 61 polyps were detected on supine and on prone CTC datasets on consensus unblinded review, resulting in 122 visible polyps (32 polyps <6 mm, 52 6–9.9 mm, and 38 ≥ 10 mm). Per-polyp sensitivity of CAD for all polyps was highest with MBIR (56/122, 45.9%), followed by ASIR80 (54/122, 44.3%) and FBP (43/122, 35.2%), with significant differences between FBP and IR algorithms (P < 0.017). Per-polyp sensitivity for polyps ≥ 10 mm was also higher with MBIR (25/38, 65.8%) and ASIR80 (24/38, 63.2%) than with FBP (20/38, 58.8%), albeit without statistical significance (P > 0.017). Mean number of FPs was significantly different among algorithms (FBP, 1.4; ASIR, 2.1; MBIR, 2.4) (P = 0.011). Conclusion: Although the performance of stand-alone CAD

  9. Effect of different reconstruction algorithms on computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) performance in ultra-low dose CT colonography

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Eun Sun [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital (Korea, Republic of); Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Se Hyung, E-mail: shkim7071@gmail.com [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital (Korea, Republic of); Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital (Korea, Republic of); Im, Jong Pil; Kim, Sang Gyun [Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital (Korea, Republic of); Shin, Cheong-il; Han, Joon Koo; Choi, Byung Ihn [Department of Radiology, Seoul National University Hospital (Korea, Republic of); Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-04-15

    Highlights: •We assessed the effect of reconstruction algorithms on CAD in ultra-low dose CTC. •30 patients underwent ultra-low dose CTC using 120 and 100 kVp with 10 mAs. •CT was reconstructed with FBP, ASiR and Veo and then, we applied a CAD system. •Per-polyp sensitivity of CAD in ULD CT can be improved with the IR algorithms. •Despite of an increase in the number of FPs with IR, it was still acceptable. -- Abstract: Purpose: To assess the effect of different reconstruction algorithms on computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) performance in ultra-low-dose CT colonography (ULD CTC). Materials and methods: IRB approval and informed consents were obtained. Thirty prospectively enrolled patients underwent non-contrast CTC at 120 kVp/10 mAs in supine and 100 kVp/10 mAs in prone positions, followed by same-day colonoscopy. Images were reconstructed with filtered back projection (FBP), 80% adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR80), and model-based iterative reconstruction (MBIR). A commercial CAD system was applied and per-polyp sensitivities and numbers of false-positives (FPs) were compared among algorithms. Results: Mean effective radiation dose of CTC was 1.02 mSv. Of 101 polyps detected and removed by colonoscopy, 61 polyps were detected on supine and on prone CTC datasets on consensus unblinded review, resulting in 122 visible polyps (32 polyps <6 mm, 52 6–9.9 mm, and 38 ≥ 10 mm). Per-polyp sensitivity of CAD for all polyps was highest with MBIR (56/122, 45.9%), followed by ASIR80 (54/122, 44.3%) and FBP (43/122, 35.2%), with significant differences between FBP and IR algorithms (P < 0.017). Per-polyp sensitivity for polyps ≥ 10 mm was also higher with MBIR (25/38, 65.8%) and ASIR80 (24/38, 63.2%) than with FBP (20/38, 58.8%), albeit without statistical significance (P > 0.017). Mean number of FPs was significantly different among algorithms (FBP, 1.4; ASIR, 2.1; MBIR, 2.4) (P = 0.011). Conclusion: Although the performance of stand-alone CAD

  10. Advanced technique for ultra-thin residue inspection with sub-10nm thickness using high-energy back-scattered electrons

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Jin-Hee

    2018-03-01

    Recently the aspect ratio of capacitor and via hole of memory semiconductor device has been dramatically increasing in order to store more information in a limited area. A small amount of remained residues after etch process on the bottom of the high aspect ratio structure can make a critical failure in device operation. Back-scattered electrons (BSE) are mainly used for inspecting the defect located at the bottom of the high aspect ratio structure or analyzing the overlay of the multi-layer structure because these electrons have a high linearity with the direction of emission and a high kinetic energy above 50eV. However, there is a limitation on that it cannot detect ultra-thin residue material having a thickness of several nanometers because the surface sensitivity is extremely low. We studied the characteristics of BSE spectra using Monte Carlo simulations for several cases which the high aspect ratio structures have extreme microscopic residues. Based on the assumption that most of the electrons emitted without energy loss are localized on the surface, we selected the detection energy window which has a range of 20eV below the maximum energy of the BSE. This window section is named as the high-energy BSE region. As a result of comparing the detection sensitivity of the conventional and the high-energy BSE detection mode, we found that the detection sensitivity for the residuals which have 2nm thickness is improved by more than 10 times in the high-energy BSE mode. This BSE technology is a new inspection method that can greatly be improved the inspection sensitivity for the ultra-thin residual material presented in the high aspect ratio structure, and its application will be expanded.

  11. Ultra thin hydro-films based on lactose-crosslinked fish gelatin for wound healing applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Etxabide, Alaitz; Vairo, Claudia; Santos-Vizcaino, Edorta; Guerrero, Pedro; Pedraz, Jose Luis; Igartua, Manoli; de la Caba, Koro; Hernandez, Rosa Maria

    2017-09-15

    This study focuses on the development and characterization of an ultra thin hydro-film based on lactose-mediated crosslinking of fish gelatin by Maillard reaction. Lactose results in the only efficient crosslinker able to produce resistant to handling hydro-films when compared to conventional crosslinkers such as glutaraldehyde or genipin (tested at 25 and 37°C in phosphate buffer saline solution (PBS)).The disappearance of the peak related to the N-containing groups (XPS) and the images obtained by SEM and AFM demonstrate the highly ordered nano-scaled structure of lactose-crosslinked gelatin, confirming the crosslinking efficiency. This dressing presents high hydrophilicity and mild occlusivity, as shown by the swelling curve (max swelling at 5min) and by the occlusion factor of 25.17±0.99%, respectively. It demonstrates high stability to hydrolysis or cell-mediated degradation. Moreover, ISO 10993-5:2009 biocompatibility assay results in undetectable cytotoxicity effects. Spreading, adhesion and proliferation assays confirm the excellent adaptability of the cells onto the hydro-film surface without invading the dressing. Finally, the hydro-film enables the controlled delivery of therapeutic factors, such as the epidermal growth factor (EGF). This study demonstrates that lactose-mediated crosslinking is able to produce ultra thin gelatin hydro-films with suitable properties for biomedical applications, such as wound healing. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Sensitive analysis of steroid estrogens and bisphenol a in small volumes of water using isotope-dilution ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chang, Hong; Shen, Xiaoyan; Shao, Bing; Wu, Fengchang

    2018-04-01

    An isotope-dilution ultra-performance liquid chromatography-electrospray tandem mass spectrometry method combined with dansylation was established to sensitively quantify four steroid estrogens (estrone, 17α-estradiol, 17β-estradiol and 17α-ethynylestradiol) and bisphenol A in sewage influent and effluent. A simple hexane extraction was performed from a small volume (10 mL), followed by dansyl chloride derivatization and purification with a silica cartridge. The method effectively reduced the matrix effects in sample extract and permitted the selective and sensitive determination of target compounds from complicated matrices. The detection limits of the method for steroid estrogens were 0.20-0.90 ng L -1 in influent and 0.10-0.20 ng L -1 in effluent samples. For bisphenol A, the limits detection of the method were 20 and 0.80 for influent and effluent samples, respectively. Recoveries of 85%-96% were observed in all matrices. The method was applied to analyze residual estrogens and bisphenol A in sewage influent and effluent samples from Beijing, China. The concentrations of bisphenol A (636-1200 ng L -1 ) were up to 250 times higher than those of steroid estrogens. Estrone was the dominant estrogen in influent and effluent samples, while similar concentrations of 17α-estradiol and 17β-estradiol were detected in all samples. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Ultra-Compact linear chirped microwave signal generator

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yan, Siqi; Zhou, Feng; Dong, Jianji

    2017-01-01

    A novel concept to generate linear chirped microwave signal is proposed and experimentally verified. The frequency to time mapping method is used while the Mach-Zehnder interferometer based on the photonic crystal waveguide is employed as the key device with its significant advantages of the ultra...

  14. PFC Performance Improvement of Ultra-supercritical Secondary Reheat Unit

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Jun

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Ultra-supercritical secondary reheat unit has been widely used in the world because of its advantages of large capacity, low consumption and high efficiency etc., but rapid load change ability of the turbines to be weakened which caused by its system organization, cannot meet the requirements of power grid frequency modulation. Based on the analysis of the control characteristics of ultra-supercritical once-through reheat unit, the primary frequency control based on feed-water flow overshoot compensation is proposed. The main steam pressure generated by the feed-water is changed to improve the primary frequency control capability. The relevant control strategy has been applied to the 1000MW secondary reheating unit. The results show that the technology is feasible and has high economical efficiency.

  15. Field emission mechanism from a single-layer ultra-thin semiconductor film cathode

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duan Zhiqiang; Wang Ruzhi; Yuan Ruiyang; Yang Wei; Wang Bo; Yan Hui

    2007-01-01

    Field emission (FE) from a single-layer ultra-thin semiconductor film cathode (SUSC) on a metal substrate has been investigated theoretically. The self-consistent quantum FE model is developed by synthetically considering the energy band bending and electron scattering. As a typical example, we calculate the FE properties of ultra-thin AlN film with an adjustable film thickness from 1 to 10 nm. The calculated results show that the FE characteristic is evidently modulated by varying the film thickness, and there is an optimum thickness of about 3 nm. Furthermore, a four-step FE mechanism is suggested such that the distinct FE current of a SUSC is rooted in the thickness sensitivity of its quantum structure, and the optimum FE properties of the SUSC should be attributed to the change in the effective potential combined with the attenuation of electron scattering

  16. Neuro-genetic system for optimization of GMI samples sensitivity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pitta Botelho, A C O; Vellasco, M M B R; Hall Barbosa, C R; Costa Silva, E

    2016-03-01

    Magnetic sensors are largely used in several engineering areas. Among them, magnetic sensors based on the Giant Magnetoimpedance (GMI) effect are a new family of magnetic sensing devices that have a huge potential for applications involving measurements of ultra-weak magnetic fields. The sensitivity of magnetometers is directly associated with the sensitivity of their sensing elements. The GMI effect is characterized by a large variation of the impedance (magnitude and phase) of a ferromagnetic sample, when subjected to a magnetic field. Recent studies have shown that phase-based GMI magnetometers have the potential to increase the sensitivity by about 100 times. The sensitivity of GMI samples depends on several parameters, such as sample length, external magnetic field, DC level and frequency of the excitation current. However, this dependency is yet to be sufficiently well-modeled in quantitative terms. So, the search for the set of parameters that optimizes the samples sensitivity is usually empirical and very time consuming. This paper deals with this problem by proposing a new neuro-genetic system aimed at maximizing the impedance phase sensitivity of GMI samples. A Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP) Neural Network is used to model the impedance phase and a Genetic Algorithm uses the information provided by the neural network to determine which set of parameters maximizes the impedance phase sensitivity. The results obtained with a data set composed of four different GMI sample lengths demonstrate that the neuro-genetic system is able to correctly and automatically determine the set of conditioning parameters responsible for maximizing their phase sensitivities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Large sensitivity enhancement in semiconducting organic field effect transistor sensors through incorporation of ultra-fine platinum nanoparticles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zheng, Haisheng; Ramalingam, Balavinayagam; Korampally, Venumadhav; Gangopadhyay, Shubhra, E-mail: gangopadhyays@missouri.edu [Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65201 (United States)

    2013-11-04

    We report remarkable improvement in sensitivity of pentacene-based field effect transistor devices towards trace nitro-aromatic explosive vapors through the incorporation of high density, sub-2 nm platinum nanoparticles (NPs) within these structures. Exploiting the unique electronic properties of these NPs, we have demonstrated a detection limit of 56.6 parts per billion of 2,4-dinitrotoluene (DNT) vapor while control samples without any embedded NPs showed no observable sensitivity to DNT vapor. We attribute this remarkable enhancement in sensitivity to the ability of these NPs to function as discrete nodes, participating in the charge transfer with adsorbed nitro-aromatic molecules.

  18. Ultra-Lightweight, High Efficiency Silicon-Carbide (SIC) Based Power Electronic Converters, Phase I

    Data.gov (United States)

    National Aeronautics and Space Administration — This Small Business of Innovation Research Phase I proposal seeks to investigate and prove the feasibility of developing highly efficient, ultra-lightweight SiC...

  19. Development of the ultra-clean dry cleanup process for coal-based syngases: pilot-scale evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    R.B. Slimane; P.V. Bush; J.L. Aderhold, Jr.; B.G. Bryan; R.A. Newby; D. A. Horazak; S.C. Jain [Gas Technology Institute, Des Plaines, IL (United States)

    2005-07-01

    This paper reports on a recent successful pilot-scale evaluation of the Ultra-Clean Process performance at a 10-ton/day coal gasifier facility. In these tests, carbonaceous feedstocks were gasified, using GTI's fluidized bed U-GAS{reg_sign} gasification technology, to generate syngas. The raw syngas was then conditioned and fed to the UCP test section for deep cleaning to meet very stringent cleaning requirements for chemical feedstocks or liquid-fuel synthesis applications, or for fuel-cell power generation. Fine particle sorbents for sulfur, halide, and mercury removal were injected into the syngas upstream of two stages of particulate controlled devices, 'barrier filter-reactors', coupling efficient particle capture with an effective entrained and filter cake reaction environment for very effective multiple contaminant removal. The goal of the test program was to confirm sorbent selection, filter-reactor operating parameters and sorbent-to-contaminant ratios, which were previously determined in the laboratory to have potential to reduce contaminant concentrations to very low levels. The pilot-scale data developed are being used to update conceptual evaluations, which have shown the technical feasibility, cost effectiveness and commercial merit for the Ultra-Clean Process compared to conventional, Rectisol-based syngas cleaning. 10 refs., 5 figs.

  20. Nonlinear Filtering with IMM Algorithm for Ultra-Tight GPS/INS Integration

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dah-Jing Jwo

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract This paper conducts a performance evaluation for the ultra-tight integration of a Global positioning system (GPS and an inertial navigation system (INS, using nonlinear filtering approaches with an interacting multiple model (IMM algorithm. An ultra-tight GPS/INS architecture involves the integration of in-phase and quadrature components from the correlator of a GPS receiver with INS data. An unscented Kalman filter (UKF, which employs a set of sigma points by deterministic sampling, avoids the error caused by linearization as in an extended Kalman filter (EKF. Based on the filter structural adaptation for describing various dynamic behaviours, the IMM nonlinear filtering provides an alternative for designing the adaptive filter in the ultra-tight GPS/INS integration. The use of IMM enables tuning of an appropriate value for the process of noise covariance so as to maintain good estimation accuracy and tracking capability. Two examples are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the design and demonstrate the effective improvement in navigation estimation accuracy. A performance comparison among various filtering methods for ultra-tight integration of GPS and INS is also presented. The IMM based nonlinear filtering approach demonstrates the effectiveness of the algorithm for improved positioning performance.

  1. Ultra-low energy electrons from fast heavy-ion helium collisions: the `target Cusp`

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Schmitt, W. [Freiburg Univ. (Germany)]|[Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Moshammer, R.; Kollmus, H.; Ullrich, J. [Freiburg Univ. (Germany); O`Rourke, F.S.C. [Queen`s Univ., Belfast, Northern Ireland (United Kingdom); Sarkadi, L. [Magyar Tudomanyos Akademia, Debrecen (Hungary). Atommag Kutato Intezete; Mann, R. [Gesellschaft fuer Schwerionenforschung mbH, Darmstadt (Germany); Hagmann, S. [Kansas State Univ., Manhattan, KS (United States). J.R. MacDonald Lab.; Olson, R.E. [Missouri Univ., Rolla, MO (United States). Dept. of Physics

    1998-09-01

    Doubly differential cross sections d{sup 2}{sigma}/dv {sub parallel} dv {sub perpendicular} {sub to} have been obtained by mapping the 3-dimensional velocity space of ultra-low and low-energy electrons (1.5 meV{<=} E{sub e}{<=}100 eV) emitted in singly ionizing 3.6 MeV/u Au{sup 53+} on helium collisions. A sharp ({Delta}E{sub e} {sub perpendicular} {sub to} {sup FWHM} {<=} 22 meV) asymmetric peak centered at vertical stroke anti {nu} vertical stroke =0 is observed to emerge at ultra-low energies from the strongly forward shifted low-energy electron velocity distribution. The shape of this ``target cusp``, which is very sensitive on the details of the two-center potential, is in excellent accord with theoretical CTMC and CDW-EIS predictions. (orig.)

  2. Ultra-Wideband, Short Pulse Electromagnetics 9

    CERN Document Server

    Rachidi, Farhad; Kaelin, Armin; Sabath, Frank; UWB SP 9

    2010-01-01

    Ultra-wideband (UWB), short-pulse (SP) electromagnetics are now being used for an increasingly wide variety of applications, including collision avoidance radar, concealed object detection, and communications. Notable progress in UWB and SP technologies has been achieved by investigations of their theoretical bases and improvements in solid-state manufacturing, computers, and digitizers. UWB radar systems are also being used for mine clearing, oil pipeline inspections, archeology, geology, and electronic effects testing. Ultra-wideband Short-Pulse Electromagnetics 9 presents selected papers of deep technical content and high scientific quality from the UWB-SP9 Conference, which was held from July 21-25, 2008, in Lausanne, Switzerland. The wide-ranging coverage includes contributions on electromagnetic theory, time-domain computational techniques, modeling, antennas, pulsed-power, UWB interactions, radar systems, UWB communications, and broadband systems and components. This book serves as a state-of-the-art r...

  3. Characterization of a scintillating lithium glass ultra-cold neutron detector

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jamieson, B.; Rebenitsch, L.A.; Hansen-Romu, S.; Mammei, R.; Martin, J.W. [University of Winnipeg, Department of Physics, Winnipeg (Canada); Lauss, B. [Paul Scherrer Institute, Laboratory for Particle Physics, Villigen (Switzerland); Lindner, T. [TRIUMF, Vancouver (Canada); University of Winnipeg, Department of Physics, Winnipeg (Canada); Pierre, E. [TRIUMF, Vancouver (Canada); Osaka University, Research Centre for Nuclear Physics, Osaka (Japan)

    2017-01-15

    A {sup 6}Li-glass-based scintillation detector developed for the TRIUMF neutron electric dipole moment experiment was characterized using the ultra-cold neutron source at the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI). The data acquisition system for this detector was demonstrated to perform well at rejecting backgrounds. An estimate of the absolute efficiency of background rejection of 99.7±0.1% is made. For variable ultra-cold neutron rate (varying from < 1 kHz to approx. 100 kHz per channel) and background rate seen at the Paul Scherrer Institute, we estimate that the absolute detector efficiency is 89.7{sup +1.3}{sub -1.9}%. Finally a comparison with a commercial Cascade detector was performed for a specific setup at the West-2 beamline of the ultra-cold neutron source at PSI. (orig.)

  4. Mass and abundance {sup 236}U sensitivities at CIRCE

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    De Cesare, M., E-mail: m.decesare@cira.it [Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, ACT 0200 Canberra (Australia); CIRCE and Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Seconda Universitá di Napoli, via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta (Italy); De Cesare, N.; D’Onofrio, A. [CIRCE and Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Seconda Universitá di Napoli, via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta (Italy); INFN Sezione di Napoli, via Cintia, Edificio G, 80126 Napoli (Italy); Fifield, L.K. [Department of Nuclear Physics, Research School of Physics and Engineering, Australian National University, ACT 0200 Canberra (Australia); Gialanella, L.; Terrasi, F. [CIRCE and Dipartimento di Matematica e Fisica, Seconda Universitá di Napoli, via Vivaldi 43, 81100 Caserta (Italy); INFN Sezione di Napoli, via Cintia, Edificio G, 80126 Napoli (Italy)

    2015-10-15

    The actinides (e.g. {sup 236}U and {sup x}Pu isotopes) are present in environmental samples at the ultra trace level since atmospheric tests of NWs (Nuclear Weapons) performed in the past, deliberate dumping of nuclear waste, nuclear fuel reprocessing, on a large scale and operation of NPPs (Nuclear Power Plants) on a small scale have led to the release of a wide range of radioactive nuclides in the environment. Their detection requires the most sensitive AMS (Accelerator Mass Spectrometry) techniques and at the Center for Isotopic Research on Cultural and Environmental heritage (CIRCE) in Caserta, Italy, an upgraded actinide AMS system, based on a 3-MV pelletron tandem accelerator, has been operated. In this paper the progress made in order to push the {sup 236}U mass sensitivity and {sup 236}U/{sup 238}U isotopic ratio down to the natural levels is reported. A uranium contamination mass of about 0.05 μg and a {sup 236}U/{sup 238}U isotopic ratio sensitivities at the level of 3.2 × 10{sup −13} are presently achievable.

  5. Pedophiles in the Ultra-Orthodox Haredi Sector in Israel: Thought Processes Regarding their Actions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamo, Gil; Idisis, Yael

    2017-01-01

    This study explores thought patterns of Jewish Ashkenazi Ultra-Orthodox pedophiles in Israel and how they resolve the contradiction between their commitment to Jewish Law and having committed sexual offenses against minors. Ten adult men participated in this study. Using open semistructured interviews, their cognitive distortions before, during, and after the abuse were examined. Content analysis revealed that participants used cognitive distortions based on their own world of Jewish Law and social-cultural values. The insular nature of Ultra-Orthodox society and its many prohibitions, especially regarding sexuality, tempted offenders to test boundaries. When sexual drive was high, internal control mechanisms were ineffective even in presence of external control mechanisms. Some participants recognized the contradiction between their behaviors and being Ultra-Orthodox Jews, and others did not. Based on the findings, a flow chart was devised describing the cognitive processes of Jewish Ultra-Orthodox pedophiles. Theoretical and practical implications of the results were examined.

  6. Ultra-processed food products and obesity in Brazilian households (2008-2009).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canella, Daniela Silva; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Baraldi, Larissa Galastri; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

    2014-01-01

    Production and consumption of industrially processed food and drink products have risen in parallel with the global increase in overweight and obesity and related chronic non-communicable diseases. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between household availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the prevalence of excess weight (overweight plus obesity) and obesity in Brazil. The study was based on data from the 2008-2009 Household Budget Survey involving a probabilistic sample of 55,970 Brazilian households. The units of study were household aggregates (strata), geographically and socioeconomically homogeneous. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between the availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the average of Body Mass Index (BMI) and the percentage of individuals with excess weight and obesity in the strata, controlling for potential confounders (socio-demographic characteristics, percentage of expenditure on eating out of home, and dietary energy other than that provided by processed and ultra-processed products). Predictive values for prevalence of excess weight and obesity were estimated according to quartiles of the household availability of dietary energy from processed and ultra-processed products. The mean contribution of processed and ultra-processed products to total dietary energy availability ranged from 15.4% (lower quartile) to 39.4% (upper quartile). Adjusted linear regression coefficients indicated that household availability of ultra-processed products was positively associated with both the average BMI and the prevalence of excess weight and obesity, whereas processed products were not associated with these outcomes. In addition, people in the upper quartile of household consumption of ultra-processed products, compared with those in the lower quartile, were 37% more likely to be obese. Greater household availability of ultra-processed food products in

  7. Extrudable polymer-polymer composites based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

    Science.gov (United States)

    Panin, S. V.; Kornienko, L. A.; Alexenko, V. O.; Buslovich, D. G.; Dontsov, Yu. V.

    2017-12-01

    Mechanical and tribotechnical characteristics of polymer-polymeric composites of UHMWPE are studied with the aim of developing extrudable, wear-resistant, self-lubricant polymer mixtures for Additive Manufacturing (AM). The motivation of the study is their further application as feedstocks for 3D printing. Blends of UHMWPE with graft- and block copolymers of low-density polyethylene (HDPE-g-VTMS, HDPE-g-SMA, HDPE-b-EVA), polypropylene (PP), block copolymers of polypropylene and polyamide with linear low density polyethylene (PP-b-LLDPE, PA-b-LLDPE), as well as cross-linked polyethylene (PEX-b), are examined. The choice of compatible polymer components for an ultra- high molecular weight matrix for increasing processability (extrudability) is motivated by the search for commercially available and efficient additives aimed at developing wear-resistant extrudable polymer composites for additive manufacturing. The extrudability, mechanical properties and wear resistance of UHMWPE-based polymer-polymeric composites under sliding friction with different velocities and loads are studied.

  8. Simultaneous measurement of tritium and radiocarbon by ultra-low-background proportional counting

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mace, Emily; Aalseth, Craig; Alexander, Tom; Back, Henning; Day, Anthony; Hoppe, Eric; Keillor, Martin; Moran, Jim; Overman, Cory; Panisko, Mark; Seifert, Allen

    2017-08-01

    Use of ultra-low-background capabilities at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory provide enhanced sensitivity for measurement of low-activity sources of tritium and radiocarbon using proportional counters. Tritium levels are nearly back to pre-nuclear test backgrounds (~2-8 TU in rainwater), which can complicate their dual measurement with radiocarbon due to overlap in the isotope’s respective energy spectra. This activity makes direct dual-isotope measurements challenging without additional chemistry to concentrate the tritium in a sample. We present results of single-isotope proportional counter measurements used to analyze a dual-isotope methane sample synthesized from ~120 mg of H2O and present sensitivity results.

  9. Determination of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin by cloud point extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sun Mei; Wu Qianghua

    2010-01-01

    A cloud point extraction (CPE) method for the preconcentration of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin prior to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) had been developed in this paper. The CPE method was based on the complex of Al(III) with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) and Triton X-114 was used as non-ionic surfactant. The main factors affecting cloud point extraction efficiency, such as pH of solution, concentration and kind of complexing agent, concentration of non-ionic surfactant, equilibration temperature and time, were investigated in detail. An enrichment factor of 34.8 was obtained for the preconcentration of Al(III) with 10 mL solution. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of Al(III) was 0.06 ng mL -1 . The relative standard deviation (n = 7) of sample was 3.6%, values of recovery of aluminum were changed from 92.3% to 94.7% for three samples. This method is simple, accurate, sensitive and can be applied to the determination of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin.

  10. Determination of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin by cloud point extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun Mei, E-mail: sunmei@ustc.edu.cn [Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences on Microscale, University of Science and Technology of China, No. 96, Jinzhai Road, Hefei 230026 (China); Wu Qianghua [Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026 (China)

    2010-04-15

    A cloud point extraction (CPE) method for the preconcentration of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin prior to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) had been developed in this paper. The CPE method was based on the complex of Al(III) with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) and Triton X-114 was used as non-ionic surfactant. The main factors affecting cloud point extraction efficiency, such as pH of solution, concentration and kind of complexing agent, concentration of non-ionic surfactant, equilibration temperature and time, were investigated in detail. An enrichment factor of 34.8 was obtained for the preconcentration of Al(III) with 10 mL solution. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of Al(III) was 0.06 ng mL{sup -1}. The relative standard deviation (n = 7) of sample was 3.6%, values of recovery of aluminum were changed from 92.3% to 94.7% for three samples. This method is simple, accurate, sensitive and can be applied to the determination of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin.

  11. Dye-sensitized solar cells based on purple corn sensitizers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Phinjaturus, Kawin; Maiaugree, Wasan; Suriharn, Bhalang; Pimanpaeng, Samuk; Amornkitbamrung, Vittaya; Swatsitang, Ekaphan

    2016-01-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Extract from husk, cob and silk of purple corn was used as a photosensitizer in DSSC. • Effect of solvents i.e. acetone, ethanol and DI water on DSSC efficiency was studied. • The highest efficiency of 1.06% was obtained in DSSC based on acetone extraction. - Abstract: Natural dye extracted from husk, cob and silk of purple corn, were used for the first time as photosensitizers in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The dye sensitized solar cells fabrication process has been optimized in terms of solvent extraction. The resulting maximal efficiency of 1.06% was obtained from purple corn husk extracted by acetone. The ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) were employed to characterize the natural dye and the DSSCs.

  12. Dye-sensitized solar cells based on purple corn sensitizers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Phinjaturus, Kawin [Materials Science and Nanotechnology Program, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Maiaugree, Wasan [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Suriharn, Bhalang [Department of Plant Science and Agricultural Resources, Faculty of Agriculture, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Pimanpaeng, Samuk; Amornkitbamrung, Vittaya [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Integrated Nanotechnology Research Center (INRC), Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Swatsitang, Ekaphan, E-mail: ekaphan@kku.ac.th [Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Integrated Nanotechnology Research Center (INRC), Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand); Nanotec-KKU Center of Excellence on Advanced Nanomaterials for Energy Production and Storage, Khon Kaen 40002 (Thailand)

    2016-09-01

    Graphical abstract: - Highlights: • Extract from husk, cob and silk of purple corn was used as a photosensitizer in DSSC. • Effect of solvents i.e. acetone, ethanol and DI water on DSSC efficiency was studied. • The highest efficiency of 1.06% was obtained in DSSC based on acetone extraction. - Abstract: Natural dye extracted from husk, cob and silk of purple corn, were used for the first time as photosensitizers in dye sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The dye sensitized solar cells fabrication process has been optimized in terms of solvent extraction. The resulting maximal efficiency of 1.06% was obtained from purple corn husk extracted by acetone. The ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and incident photon-to-current efficiency (IPCE) were employed to characterize the natural dye and the DSSCs.

  13. Enhancing thermal reliability of fiber-optic sensors for bio-inspired applications at ultra-high temperatures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kang, Donghoon; Kim, Heon-Young; Kim, Dae-Hyun

    2014-01-01

    The rapid growth of bio-(inspired) sensors has led to an improvement in modern healthcare and human–robot systems in recent years. Higher levels of reliability and better flexibility, essential features of these sensors, are very much required in many application fields (e.g. applications at ultra-high temperatures). Fiber-optic sensors, and fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors in particular, are being widely studied as suitable sensors for improved structural health monitoring (SHM) due to their many merits. To enhance the thermal reliability of FBG sensors, thermal sensitivity, generally expressed as α f + ξ f and considered a constant, should be investigated more precisely. For this purpose, the governing equation of FBG sensors is modified using differential derivatives between the wavelength shift and the temperature change in this study. Through a thermal test ranging from RT to 900 °C, the thermal sensitivity of FBG sensors is successfully examined and this guarantees thermal reliability of FBG sensors at ultra-high temperatures. In detail, α f + ξ f has a non-linear dependence on temperature and varies from 6.0 × 10 −6  °C −1 (20 °C) to 10.6 × 10 −6  °C −1 (650 °C). Also, FBGs should be carefully used for applications at ultra-high temperatures due to signal disappearance near 900 °C. (paper)

  14. Determination of dasatinib in the tablet dosage form by ultra high performance liquid chromatography, capillary zone electrophoresis, and sequential injection analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonzalez, Aroa Garcia; Taraba, Lukáš; Hraníček, Jakub; Kozlík, Petr; Coufal, Pavel

    2017-01-01

    Dasatinib is a novel oral prescription drug proposed for treating adult patients with chronic myeloid leukemia. Three analytical methods, namely ultra high performance liquid chromatography, capillary zone electrophoresis, and sequential injection analysis, were developed, validated, and compared for determination of the drug in the tablet dosage form. The total analysis time of optimized ultra high performance liquid chromatography and capillary zone electrophoresis methods was 2.0 and 2.2 min, respectively. Direct ultraviolet detection with detection wavelength of 322 nm was employed in both cases. The optimized sequential injection analysis method was based on spectrophotometric detection of dasatinib after a simple colorimetric reaction with folin ciocalteau reagent forming a blue-colored complex with an absorbance maximum at 745 nm. The total analysis time was 2.5 min. The ultra high performance liquid chromatography method provided the lowest detection and quantitation limits and the most precise and accurate results. All three newly developed methods were demonstrated to be specific, linear, sensitive, precise, and accurate, providing results satisfactorily meeting the requirements of the pharmaceutical industry, and can be employed for the routine determination of the active pharmaceutical ingredient in the tablet dosage form. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Population of multi-quark states in exotic multiplets and thermalization in ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Scherer, S.; Bleicher, M.; Haussler, S.; Stoecker, H.

    2008-01-01

    The recent discussion about experimental evidence for pentaquark states has revitalized the interest in exotic hadrons. If such states really exist, it is natural to assume that they will be formed at the late hadronization stage of ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions, given the success of quark recombination models in the description of hadronization. Here, we apply the qMD model to study the formation of color neutral exotic multi-quark clusters at hadronization. We search for color neutral clusters made up of up to six color charges, respectively. We thus obtain estimates for the numbers and phase space distributions of exotic hadronic states produced by clustering in heavy ion collisions, including the members of the pentaquark multiplets. We obtain particle abundances that are smaller than thermal model predictions. Moreover, the results obtained in recombination from ultra-relativistic heavy ion collisions can be compared to the estimates based on equal population of the corresponding multiplets, and to results from fully thermalized systems. We find that the distribution of exotic hadrons from recombination over large multiplets provides a sensitive signal for thermalization and decorrelation of the initial, non-equilibrium state of the collision. (author)

  16. Determining surface coverage of ultra-thin gold films from X-ray reflectivity measurements

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kossoy, A.; Simakov, D.; Olafsson, S.; Leosson, K.

    2013-01-01

    The paper describes usage of X-ray reflectivity for characterization of surface coverage (i.e. film continuity) of ultra-thin gold films which are widely studied for optical, plasmonic and electronic applications. The demonstrated method is very sensitive and can be applied for layers below 1 nm. It has several advantages over other techniques which are often employed in characterization of ultra-thin metal films, such as optical absorption, Atomic Force Microscopy, Transmission Electron Microscopy or Scanning Electron Microscopy. In contrast to those techniques our method does not require specialized sample preparation and measurement process is insensitive to electrostatic charge and/or presence of surface absorbed water. We validate our results with image processing of Scanning Electron Microscopy images. To ensure precise quantitative analysis of the images we developed a generic local thresholding algorithm which allowed us to treat series of images with various values of surface coverage with similar image processing parameters. - Highlights: • Surface coverage/continuity of ultra-thin Au films (up to 7 nm) was determined. • Results from X-ray reflectivity were verified by scanning electron microscopy. • We developed local thresholding algorithm to treat non-homogeneous image contrast

  17. Neurocognitive performance of a community-based sample of young people at putative ultra high risk for psychosis: support for the processing speed hypothesis.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Kelleher, Ian

    2013-01-01

    A wide variety of neurocognitive deficits have been reported for help-seeking individuals who are at clinical or ultra high risk for psychosis based on fulfilling set criteria for prodromal syndromes\\/at risk mental states. We wished to extend this research by conducting the first population-based assessment of prodromal syndromes and associated neurocognition.

  18. Dithiafulvene-based organic sensitizers using pyridine as the acceptor for dye-sensitized solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Cheng, Jun; Cao, Yaxiong; Liang, Xiaozhong; Zheng, Jingxia; Zhang, Fang [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Research Center of Advanced Materials Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Wei, Shuxian; Lu, Xiaoqing [College of Science, China University of Petroleum, Qingdao, Shandong 266555 (China); Guo, Kunpeng, E-mail: guokunpeng@tyut.edu.cn [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Research Center of Advanced Materials Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Yang, Shihe, E-mail: chsyang@ust.hk [Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Interface Science and Engineering in Advanced Materials, Research Center of Advanced Materials Science and Technology, Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan 030024 (China); Department of Chemistry, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong (China)

    2017-05-01

    Three dithiafulvene-based metal-free organic sensitizers all using pyridine as the acceptor but with different π-bridges of phenyl (DTF-Py1), thienyl (DTF-Py2) and phenyl-thienyl (DTF-Py3) have been designed, synthesized and used as photosensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Introducing thienyl unit into the π-bridge, as well as extension of the π-bridge can dramatically improve their light harvesting ability and suppress the electron recombination, thus uplifting the performance of DSCs. The overall power conversion efficiency of DSC based on DTF-Py3 shows the highest efficiency of 2.61% with a short-circuit photocurrent density of 7.99 mA cm{sup -2}, an open-circuit photovoltage of 630 mV, and a fill factor of 0.52, under standard global AM 1.5 solar light condition. More importantly, the long-term stability of the DTF-Py3 based DSCs under 500 h light-soaking has been demonstrated. - Highlights: • Dithiafulvene sensitizers using pyridine ring as the acceptor were synthesized for the first time. • The power conversion efficiency of 2.61% was obtained for DTF-Py3 sensitized cell. • DTF-Py3 loaded TiO{sub 2} film shows improved light harvesting ability and suppressed electron recombination.

  19. The UltraLightweight Technology for Research in Astronomy (ULTRA) Project

    Science.gov (United States)

    Twarog, B. A.; Anthony-Twarog, B. J.; Shawl, S. J.; Hale, R.; Taghavi, R.; Fesen, R.; Etzel, P. B.; Martin, R.; Romeo, R.

    2004-12-01

    The collaborative focus of four academic departments (Univ. of Kansas Aerospace Engineering, Univ. of Kansas Physics & Astronomy, San Diego State University Astronomy and Dartmouth College Astronomy) and a private industry partner (Composite Mirror Applications, Inc.-CMA, Inc.) is a three-year plan to develop and test UltraLightweight Technology for Research in Astronomy (ULTRA). The ULTRA technology, using graphite fiber composites to fabricate mirrors and telescope structures, offers a versatile and cost-effective tool for optical astronomy, including the economical fabrication and operation of telescopes ranging from small (1m or smaller) aperture for education and research to extremely large (30m+) segmented telescopes (ELTs). The specific goal of this NSF-funded three-year Major Research Instrumentation project is to design, build, and test a 1m-class optical tube assembly (OTA) and mirrors constructed entirely from composites. In the first year of the project, the team has built and is field-testing two 0.4m prototypes to validate the optical surfaces and figures of the mirrors and to test and refine the structural dynamics of the OTA. Preparation for design and construction of the 1m telescope is underway. When completed in late 2005, the ULTRA telescope will be operated remotely from Mt. Laguna Observatory east of San Diego, where it will undergo a period of intensive optical and imaging tests. A 0.4m prototype OTA with mirrors (12 kg total weight) will be on display at the meeting. Support of this work by NSF through grants AST-0320784 and AST-0321247, NASA grant NCC5-600, the University of Kansas, and San Diego State University is gratefully acknowledged.

  20. 21 CFR 177.2910 - Ultra-filtration membranes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 3 2010-04-01 2009-04-01 true Ultra-filtration membranes. 177.2910 Section 177... Components of Articles Intended for Repeated Use § 177.2910 Ultra-filtration membranes. Ultra-filtration membranes identified in paragraphs (a)(1), (a)(2), (a)(3), and (a)(4) of this section may be safely used in...

  1. Optical buffer based on monolithic InP phased-array 1×16 switch with silica-PLC pitch converter and ultra-compact coiled fiber delay lines

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Tanemura, T.; Soganci, I. M.; Oyama, T.; Ohyama, T.; Mino, S.; Williams, K. A.; Calabretta, N.; Dorren, H. J S; Nakano, Y.

    2010-01-01

    We demonstrate large-capacity high-resolution optical buffer, comprising 1×16 InP switch and ultra-compact delay lines based on thin-cladding highly nonlinear fibers. Silica-PLC-based pitch converter is employed to realize uniform coupling from all 16 switch ports simultaneously.

  2. Reliability assessment of ultra-thin HfO2 films deposited on silicon wafer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fu, Wei-En; Chang, Chia-Wei; Chang, Yong-Qing; Yao, Chih-Kai; Liao, Jiunn-Der

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Nano-mechanical properties on annealed ultra-thin HfO 2 film are studied. ► By AFM analysis, hardness of the crystallized HfO 2 film significantly increases. ► By nano-indention, the film hardness increases with less contact stiffness. ► Quality assessment on the annealed ultra-thin films can thus be achieved. - Abstract: Ultra-thin hafnium dioxide (HfO 2 ) is used to replace silicon dioxide to meet the required transistor feature size in advanced semiconductor industry. The process integration compatibility and long-term reliability for the transistors depend on the mechanical performance of ultra-thin HfO 2 films. The criteria of reliability including wear resistance, thermal fatigue, and stress-driven failure rely on film adhesion significantly. The adhesion and variations in mechanical properties induced by thermal annealing of the ultra-thin HfO 2 films deposited on silicon wafers (HfO 2 /SiO 2 /Si) are not fully understood. In this work, the mechanical properties of an atomic layer deposited HfO 2 (nominal thickness ≈10 nm) on a silicon wafer were characterized by the diamond-coated tip of an atomic force microscope and compared with those of annealed samples. The results indicate that the annealing process leads to the formation of crystallized HfO 2 phases for the atomic layer deposited HfO 2 . The HfSi x O y complex formed at the interface between HfO 2 and SiO 2 /Si, where the thermal diffusion of Hf, Si, and O atoms occurred. The annealing process increases the surface hardness of crystallized HfO 2 film and therefore the resistance to nano-scratches. In addition, the annealing process significantly decreases the harmonic contact stiffness (or thereafter eliminate the stress at the interface) and increases the nano-hardness, as measured by vertically sensitive nano-indentation. Quality assessments on as-deposited and annealed HfO 2 films can be thereafter used to estimate the mechanical properties and adhesion of ultra-thin HfO 2

  3. Ultrasensitive string-based temperature sensors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Larsen, Tom; Schmid, Silvan; Gronberg, L.

    2011-01-01

    Resonant strings are a promising concept for ultra sensitive temperature detection. We present an analytical model for the sensitivity with which we optimize the temperature response of resonant strings by varying geometry and material. The temperature sensitivity of silicon nitride and aluminum ...

  4. Point source search techniques in ultra high energy gamma ray astronomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alexandreas, D.E.; Biller, S.; Dion, G.M.; Lu, X.Q.; Yodh, G.B.; Berley, D.; Goodman, J.A.; Haines, T.J.; Hoffman, C.M.; Horch, E.; Sinnis, C.; Zhang, W.

    1993-01-01

    Searches for point astrophysical sources of ultra high energy (UHE) gamma rays are plagued by large numbers of background events from isotropic cosmic rays. Some of the methods that have been used to estimate the expected number of background events coming from the direction of a possible source are found to contain biases. Search techniques that avoid this problem are described. There is also a discussion of how to optimize the sensitivity of a search to emission from a point source. (orig.)

  5. Ultra-small dye-doped silica nanoparticles via modified sol-gel technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riccò, R.; Nizzero, S.; Penna, E.; Meneghello, A.; Cretaio, E.; Enrichi, F.

    2018-05-01

    In modern biosensing and imaging, fluorescence-based methods constitute the most diffused approach to achieve optimal detection of analytes, both in solution and on the single-particle level. Despite the huge progresses made in recent decades in the development of plasmonic biosensors and label-free sensing techniques, fluorescent molecules remain the most commonly used contrast agents to date for commercial imaging and detection methods. However, they exhibit low stability, can be difficult to functionalise, and often result in a low signal-to-noise ratio. Thus, embedding fluorescent probes into robust and bio-compatible materials, such as silica nanoparticles, can substantially enhance the detection limit and dramatically increase the sensitivity. In this work, ultra-small fluorescent silica nanoparticles (NPs) for optical biosensing applications were doped with a fluorescent dye, using simple water-based sol-gel approaches based on the classical Stöber procedure. By systematically modulating reaction parameters, controllable size tuning of particle diameters as low as 10 nm was achieved. Particles morphology and optical response were evaluated showing a possible single-molecule behaviour, without employing microemulsion methods to achieve similar results. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  6. Radio reconstruction of the mass of ultra-high cosmic rays

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dorosti, Qader [Institut fuer Kernphysik (IKP), KIT (Germany)

    2015-07-01

    Detection of ultra-high energy cosmic rays can reveal the processes of the most violent sources in the Universe, which yet has to be determined. Interaction of cosmic rays with the Earth's atmosphere results in cascades of secondary particles, i.e. air showers. Many of such particles are electrons and positrons. The induced electrons and positrons interact with the geomagnetic field and induce radio emissions. Detection of air showers along with the detection of induced radio emissions can furnish a precise measurement of the direction, energy and mass of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. The Auger Engineering Radio Array consists of 124 radio stations measuring radio emission from air showers, in order to reconstruct the energy, direction and mass of cosmic rays. In this contribution, we present a method which employs a reduced hyperbolic model to describe the shape of radio wave front. We have investigated that the parameters of the reduced hyperbolic model are sensitive to the mass of cosmic rays. The obtained results are presented in this talk.

  7. Ultra high frequency induction welding of powder metal compacts

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Çavdar, Uǧur

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The application of the iron based Powder Metal (PM compacts in Ultra High Frequency Induction Welding (UHFIW were reviewed. These PM compacts are used to produce cogs. This study investigates the methods of joining PM materials enforceability with UHFIW in the industry application. Maximum stress and maximum strain of welded PM compacts were determined by three point bending and strength tests. Microhardness and microstructure of induction welded compacts were determined.Soldadura por inducción de ultra alta frecuencia de polvos de metal compactados. Se ha realizado un estudio de la aplicación de polvos de metal (PM de base hierro compactados por soldadura por inducción de ultra alta frecuencia (UHFIW. Estos polvos de metal compactados se utilizan para producir engranajes. Este estudio investiga los métodos de uni.n de los materiales de PM con UHFIW en su aplicación en la industria. La máxima tensión y la máxima deformación de los polvos de metal compactados soldados fueron determinadas por flexión en tres puntos y prueba de resistencia. Se determinó la microdureza y la microestructura de los polvos compactados por soldadura por inducción.

  8. High sensitivity probe absorption technique for time-of-flight ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    Abstract. We report on a phase-sensitive probe absorption technique with high sen- sitivity, capable of detecting a few hundred ultra-cold atoms in flight in an observation time of a few milliseconds. The large signal-to-noise ratio achieved is sufficient for reliable measurements on low intensity beams of cold atoms.

  9. Accuracy of magnetic resonance based susceptibility measurements

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erdevig, Hannah E.; Russek, Stephen E.; Carnicka, Slavka; Stupic, Karl F.; Keenan, Kathryn E.

    2017-05-01

    Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is increasingly used to map the magnetic susceptibility of tissue to identify cerebral microbleeds associated with traumatic brain injury and pathological iron deposits associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. Accurate measurements of susceptibility are important for determining oxygen and iron content in blood vessels and brain tissue for use in noninvasive clinical diagnosis and treatment assessments. Induced magnetic fields with amplitude on the order of 100 nT, can be detected using MRI phase images. The induced field distributions can then be inverted to obtain quantitative susceptibility maps. The focus of this research was to determine the accuracy of MRI-based susceptibility measurements using simple phantom geometries and to compare the susceptibility measurements with magnetometry measurements where SI-traceable standards are available. The susceptibilities of paramagnetic salt solutions in cylindrical containers were measured as a function of orientation relative to the static MRI field. The observed induced fields as a function of orientation of the cylinder were in good agreement with simple models. The MRI susceptibility measurements were compared with SQUID magnetometry using NIST-traceable standards. MRI can accurately measure relative magnetic susceptibilities while SQUID magnetometry measures absolute magnetic susceptibility. Given the accuracy of moment measurements of tissue mimicking samples, and the need to look at small differences in tissue properties, the use of existing NIST standard reference materials to calibrate MRI reference structures is problematic and better reference materials are required.

  10. Development of a Novel, Sensitive, Selective, and Fast Methodology to Determine Malondialdehyde in Leaves of Melon Plants by Ultra-High-Performance Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Melisa E. Yonny

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Early production of melon plant (Cucumis melo is carried out using tunnels structures, where extreme temperatures lead to high reactive oxygen species production and, hence, oxidative stress. Malondialdehyde (MDA is a recognized biomarker of the advanced oxidative status in a biological system. Thus a reliable, sensitive, simple, selective, and rapid separative strategy based on ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to positive electrospray-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-(+ESI-MS/MS was developed for the first time to measure MDA, without derivatization, in leaves of melon plants exposed to stress conditions. The detection and quantitation limits were 0.02 μg·L−1 and 0.08 μg·L−1, respectively, which was demonstrated to be better than the methodologies currently reported in the literature. The accuracy values were between 96% and 104%. The precision intraday and interday values were 2.7% and 3.8%, respectively. The optimized methodology was applied to monitoring of changes in MDA levels between control and exposed to thermal stress conditions melon leaves samples. Important preliminary conclusions were obtained. Besides, a comparison between MDA levels in melon leaves quantified by the proposed method and the traditional thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS approach was undertaken. The MDA determination by TBARS could lead to unrealistic conclusions regarding the oxidative stress status in plants.

  11. Development of Ultra-high Purity (UHP) Fe-Based Alloys with High Creep and Oxidation Resistance for A-USC Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamdani, Fethi; Das, Nishith K.; Shoji, Tetsuo

    2018-06-01

    The design of ultra-high purity (UHP) Fe-based model alloys for advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) technology is attempted in this work. Creep testing has been performed in air at 700 °C and a stress level of 150 MPa. Analysis of the fracture surface and cross section of the crept specimen was performed. To evaluate the oxidation resistance in A-USC conditions, oxidation testing was performed in supercritical water (SCW) at 700 °C and 25 MPa. Weight gain (WG) measurements and meticulous characterization of the oxide scale were carried out. Based on thermodynamics and density functional theory calculations, some reactive elements in the Fe-Cr-Ni system were designated to promote precipitation strengthening and to improve the hydrogen-accelerated oxidation resistance. The addition of a 2 wt pct Mo into Fe-22Cr-22Ni-0.6Nb wt pct-based matrix did not significantly improve the creep resistance. The addition of 0.26 wt pct Zr coupled with cold working was effective for improving creep properties. The Mo-modified model alloy showed almost the same WG value as SUS310, while the Zr-modified alloy showed a higher WG value. Meanwhile, a Cr-enriched continuous oxide layer was formed at the oxidation front of the Zr-modified alloy and SUS310S after exposure to SCW conditions.

  12. Development of Ultra-high Purity (UHP) Fe-Based Alloys with High Creep and Oxidation Resistance for A-USC Technology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamdani, Fethi; Das, Nishith K.; Shoji, Tetsuo

    2018-03-01

    The design of ultra-high purity (UHP) Fe-based model alloys for advanced ultra-supercritical (A-USC) technology is attempted in this work. Creep testing has been performed in air at 700 °C and a stress level of 150 MPa. Analysis of the fracture surface and cross section of the crept specimen was performed. To evaluate the oxidation resistance in A-USC conditions, oxidation testing was performed in supercritical water (SCW) at 700 °C and 25 MPa. Weight gain (WG) measurements and meticulous characterization of the oxide scale were carried out. Based on thermodynamics and density functional theory calculations, some reactive elements in the Fe-Cr-Ni system were designated to promote precipitation strengthening and to improve the hydrogen-accelerated oxidation resistance. The addition of a 2 wt pct Mo into Fe-22Cr-22Ni-0.6Nb wt pct-based matrix did not significantly improve the creep resistance. The addition of 0.26 wt pct Zr coupled with cold working was effective for improving creep properties. The Mo-modified model alloy showed almost the same WG value as SUS310, while the Zr-modified alloy showed a higher WG value. Meanwhile, a Cr-enriched continuous oxide layer was formed at the oxidation front of the Zr-modified alloy and SUS310S after exposure to SCW conditions.

  13. Management of light absorption in extraordinary optical transmission based ultra-thin-film tandem solar cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mashooq, Kishwar; Talukder, Muhammad Anisuzzaman

    2016-01-01

    Although ultra-thin-film solar cells can be attractive in reducing the cost, they suffer from low absorption as the thickness of the active layer is usually much smaller than the wavelength of incident light. Different nano-photonic techniques, including plasmonic structures, are being explored to increase the light absorption in ultra-thin-film solar cells. More than one layer of active materials with different energy bandgaps can be used in tandem to increase the light absorption as well. However, due to different amount of light absorption in different active layers, photo-generated currents in different active layers will not be the same. The current mismatch between the tandem layers makes them ineffective in increasing the efficiency. In this work, we investigate the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with two ultra-thin active layers working as two subcells and a metal layer with periodically perforated holes in-between the two subcells. While the metal layer helps to overcome the current mismatch, the periodic holes increase the absorption of incident light by helping extraordinary optical transmission of the incident light from the top to the bottom subcell, and by coupling the incident light to plasmonic and photonic modes within ultra-thin active layers. We extensively study the effects of the geometry of holes in the intermediate metal layer on the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with ultra-thin active layers. We also study how different metals in the intermediate layer affect the light absorption; how the geometry of holes in the intermediate layer affects the absorption when the active layer materials are changed; and how the intermediate metal layer affects the collection of photo-generated electron-hole pairs at the terminals. We find that in a solar cell with 6,6-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester top subcell and copper indium gallium selenide bottom subcell, if the periodic holes in the metal layer are square or

  14. Management of light absorption in extraordinary optical transmission based ultra-thin-film tandem solar cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mashooq, Kishwar; Talukder, Muhammad Anisuzzaman, E-mail: anis@eee.buet.ac.bd [Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka 1205 (Bangladesh)

    2016-05-21

    Although ultra-thin-film solar cells can be attractive in reducing the cost, they suffer from low absorption as the thickness of the active layer is usually much smaller than the wavelength of incident light. Different nano-photonic techniques, including plasmonic structures, are being explored to increase the light absorption in ultra-thin-film solar cells. More than one layer of active materials with different energy bandgaps can be used in tandem to increase the light absorption as well. However, due to different amount of light absorption in different active layers, photo-generated currents in different active layers will not be the same. The current mismatch between the tandem layers makes them ineffective in increasing the efficiency. In this work, we investigate the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with two ultra-thin active layers working as two subcells and a metal layer with periodically perforated holes in-between the two subcells. While the metal layer helps to overcome the current mismatch, the periodic holes increase the absorption of incident light by helping extraordinary optical transmission of the incident light from the top to the bottom subcell, and by coupling the incident light to plasmonic and photonic modes within ultra-thin active layers. We extensively study the effects of the geometry of holes in the intermediate metal layer on the light absorption properties of tandem solar cells with ultra-thin active layers. We also study how different metals in the intermediate layer affect the light absorption; how the geometry of holes in the intermediate layer affects the absorption when the active layer materials are changed; and how the intermediate metal layer affects the collection of photo-generated electron-hole pairs at the terminals. We find that in a solar cell with 6,6-phenyl C61-butyric acid methyl ester top subcell and copper indium gallium selenide bottom subcell, if the periodic holes in the metal layer are square or

  15. Design and characterization of ultra-stretchable monolithic silicon fabric

    KAUST Repository

    Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto

    2014-10-13

    Stretchable electronic systems can play instrumental role for reconfigurable macro-electronics such as distributed sensor networks for wearable and bio-integrated electronics. Typically, polymer composite based materials and its deterministic design as interconnects are used to achieve such systems. Nonetheless, non-polymeric inorganic silicon is the predominant material for 90% of electronics. Therefore, we report the design and fabrication of an all silicon based network of hexagonal islands connected through spiral springs to form an ultra-stretchable arrangement for complete compliance to highly asymmetric shapes. Several design parameters are considered and their validation is carried out through finite element analysis. The fabrication process is based on conventional microfabrication techniques and the measured stretchability is more than 1000% for single spirals and area expansions as high as 30 folds in arrays. The reported method can provide ultra-stretchable and adaptable electronic systems for distributed network of high-performance macro-electronics especially useful for wearable electronics and bio-integrated devices.

  16. Design and characterization of ultra-stretchable monolithic silicon fabric

    KAUST Repository

    Rojas, Jhonathan Prieto; Carreno, Armando Arpys Arevalo; Foulds, I. G.; Hussain, Muhammad Mustafa

    2014-01-01

    Stretchable electronic systems can play instrumental role for reconfigurable macro-electronics such as distributed sensor networks for wearable and bio-integrated electronics. Typically, polymer composite based materials and its deterministic design as interconnects are used to achieve such systems. Nonetheless, non-polymeric inorganic silicon is the predominant material for 90% of electronics. Therefore, we report the design and fabrication of an all silicon based network of hexagonal islands connected through spiral springs to form an ultra-stretchable arrangement for complete compliance to highly asymmetric shapes. Several design parameters are considered and their validation is carried out through finite element analysis. The fabrication process is based on conventional microfabrication techniques and the measured stretchability is more than 1000% for single spirals and area expansions as high as 30 folds in arrays. The reported method can provide ultra-stretchable and adaptable electronic systems for distributed network of high-performance macro-electronics especially useful for wearable electronics and bio-integrated devices.

  17. Continuous integration congestion cost allocation based on sensitivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Z.Q.; Wang, Y.N.

    2004-01-01

    Congestion cost allocation is a very important topic in congestion management. Allocation methods based on the Aumann-Shapley value use the discrete numerical integration method, which needs to solve the incremented OPF solution many times, and as such it is not suitable for practical application to large-scale systems. The optimal solution and its sensitivity change tendency during congestion removal using a DC optimal power flow (OPF) process is analysed. A simple continuous integration method based on the sensitivity is proposed for the congestion cost allocation. The proposed sensitivity analysis method needs a smaller computation time than the method based on using the quadratic method and inner point iteration. The proposed congestion cost allocation method uses a continuous integration method rather than discrete numerical integration. The method does not need to solve the incremented OPF solutions; which allows it use in large-scale systems. The method can also be used for AC OPF congestion management. (author)

  18. Laser-Based and Ultra-Portable Gas Sensor for Indoor and Outdoor Formaldehyde (HCHO) Monitoring

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shutter, J. D.; Allen, N.; Paul, J.; Thiebaud, J.; So, S.; Scherer, J. J.; Keutsch, F. N.

    2017-12-01

    While used as a key tracer of oxidative chemistry in the atmosphere, formaldehyde (HCHO) is also a known human carcinogen and is listed and regulated by the United States EPA as a hazardous air pollutant. Combustion processes and photochemical oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are the major outdoor sources of HCHO, and building materials and household products are ubiquitous sources of indoor HCHO. Due to the ease with which humans can be exposed to HCHO, it is imperative to monitor levels of both indoor and outdoor HCHO exposure in both short and long-term studies.High-quality direct and indirect methods of quantifying HCHO mixing ratios exist, but instrument size and user-friendliness can make them cumbersome or impractical for certain types of indoor and long-term outdoor measurements. In this study, we present urban HCHO measurements by using a new, commercially-available, ppbv-level accurate HCHO gas sensor (Aeris Technologies' MIRA Pico VOC Laser-Based Gas Analyzer) that is highly portable (29 cm x 20 cm x 10 cm), lightweight (3 kg), easy-to-use, and has low power (15 W) consumption. Using an ultra-compact multipass cell, an absorption path length of 13 m is achieved, resulting in a sensor capable of achieving ppbv/s sensitivity levels with no significant spectral interferences.To demonstrate the utility of the gas sensor for emissions measurements, a GPS was attached to the sensor's housing in order to map mobile HCHO measurements in real-time around the Boston, Massachusetts, metro area. Furthermore, the sensor was placed in residential and industrial environments to show its usefulness for indoor and outdoor pollution measurements. Lastly, we show the feasibility of using the HCHO sensor (or a network of them) in long-term monitoring stations for hazardous air pollutants.

  19. Digital pulse-shape discrimination applied to an ultra-low-background gas-proportional counting system. First results

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aalseth, C.E.; Day, A.R.; Fuller, E.S.; Hoppe, E.W.; Keillor, M.E.; Mace, E.K.; Myers, A.W.; Overman, C.T.; Panisko, M.E.; Seifert, A.

    2013-01-01

    A new ultra-low-background proportional counter design was recently developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). This design, along with an ultra-low-background counting system which provides passive and active shielding with radon exclusion, has been developed to complement a new shallow underground laboratory (∼30 m water-equivalent) constructed at PNNL. After these steps to mitigate dominant backgrounds (cosmic rays, external gamma-rays, radioactivity in materials), remaining background events do not exclusively arise from ionization of the proportional counter gas. Digital pulse-shape discrimination (PSD) is thus employed to further improve measurement sensitivity. In this work, a template shape is generated for each individual sample measurement of interest, a 'self-calibrating' template. Differences in event topology can also cause differences in pulse shape. In this work, the temporal region analyzed for each event is refined to maximize background discrimination while avoiding unwanted sensitivity to event topology. This digital PSD method is applied to sample and background data, and initial measurement results from a biofuel methane sample are presented in the context of low-background measurements currently being developed. (author)

  20. Advanced Power Ultra-Uprates of Existing Plants (APPU) Final Scientific/Technical Report

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rubiolo, Pablo R. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Science and Technology Dept.; Conway, Lawarence E. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Science and Technology Dept.; Oriani, Luca [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Science and Technology Dept.; Lahoda, Edward J. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Science and Technology Dept.; DeSilva, Greg [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Science and Technology Dept.; Hu, Min H. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Nuclear Services Division; Hartz, Josh [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Nuclear Services Division; Bachrach, Uriel [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Nuclear Services Division; Smith, Larry [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Nuclear Services Division; Dudek, Daniel F. [Westinghouse Electric Company LLC, Pittsburgh, PA (United States). Nuclear Services Division; Toman, Gary J. [Electric Power Research Inst. (EPRI), Palo Alto, CA (United States); Feng, Dandong [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Hejzlar, Pavel [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States); Kazimi, Mujid S. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

    2006-03-31

    This project assessed the feasibility of a Power Ultra-Uprate on an existing nuclear plant. The study determined the technical and design limitations of the current components, both inside and outside the containment. Based on the identified plant bottlenecks, the design changes for major pieces of equipment required to meet the Power Ultra-Uprate throughput were determined. Costs for modified pieces of equipment and for change-out and disposal of the replaced equipment were evaluated. These costs were then used to develop capital, fuel and operating and maintenance cost estimates for the Power Ultra-Uprate plant. The cost evaluation indicates that the largest cost components are the replacement of power (during the outage required for the uprate) and the new fuel loading. Based on these results, the study concluded that, for a standard 4-loop plant, the proposed Power Ultra-Uprate is technically feasible. However, the power uprate is likely to be more expensive than the cost (per Kw electric installed) of a new plant when large capacity uprates are considered (>25%). Nevertheless, the concept of the Power Ultra-Uprate may be an attractive option for specific nuclear power plants where a large margin exists in the steam and power conversion system or where medium power increases (~600 MWe) are needed. The results of the study suggest that development efforts on fuel technologies for current nuclear power plants should be oriented towards improving the fuel performance (fretting-wear, corrosion, uranium load, manufacturing, safety) required to achieve higher burnup rather focusing on potential increases in the fuel thermal output.

  1. Advanced Power Ultra-Uprates of Existing Plants (APPU) Final Scientific/Technical Report

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubiolo, Pablo R.; Conway, Lawarence E.; Oriani, Luca; Lahoda, Edward J.; DeSilva, Greg; Hu, Min H.; Hartz, Josh; Bachrach, Uriel; Smith, Larry; Dudek, Daniel F.; Toman, Gary J.; Feng, Dandong; Hejzlar, Pavel; Kazimi, Mujid S.

    2006-01-01

    This project assessed the feasibility of a Power Ultra-Uprate on an existing nuclear plant. The study determined the technical and design limitations of the current components, both inside and outside the containment. Based on the identified plant bottlenecks, the design changes for major pieces of equipment required to meet the Power Ultra-Uprate throughput were determined. Costs for modified pieces of equipment and for change-out and disposal of the replaced equipment were evaluated. These costs were then used to develop capital, fuel and operating and maintenance cost estimates for the Power Ultra-Uprate plant. The cost evaluation indicates that the largest cost components are the replacement of power (during the outage required for the uprate) and the new fuel loading. Based on these results, the study concluded that, for a ''standard'' 4-loop plant, the proposed Power Ultra-Uprate is technically feasible. However, the power uprate is likely to be more expensive than the cost (per Kw electric installed) of a new plant when large capacity uprates are considered (>25%). Nevertheless, the concept of the Power Ultra-Uprate may be an attractive option for specific nuclear power plants where a large margin exists in the steam and power conversion system or where medium power increases (∼600 MWe) are needed. The results of the study suggest that development efforts on fuel technologies for current nuclear power plants should be oriented towards improving the fuel performance (fretting-wear, corrosion, uranium load, manufacturing, safety) required to achieve higher burnup rather focusing on potential increases in the fuel thermal output

  2. Ultra-Tightly Coupled GNSS/INS for small UAVs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olesen, Daniel; Jakobsen, Jakob; Knudsen, Per

    2017-01-01

    This paper describes an ultra-tight integration of a Global Navigation Satellite System ( GNSS) receiver and an Inertial Navigation System ( INS) for small Unmanned Aerial Vehicles ( UAVs). The system is based on a low-cost and low-weight GNSS Intermediate Frequency ( IF) sampler which has been...

  3. Ultra-processed food products and obesity in Brazilian households (2008-2009.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Daniela Silva Canella

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Production and consumption of industrially processed food and drink products have risen in parallel with the global increase in overweight and obesity and related chronic non-communicable diseases. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between household availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the prevalence of excess weight (overweight plus obesity and obesity in Brazil. METHODS: The study was based on data from the 2008-2009 Household Budget Survey involving a probabilistic sample of 55,970 Brazilian households. The units of study were household aggregates (strata, geographically and socioeconomically homogeneous. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between the availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the average of Body Mass Index (BMI and the percentage of individuals with excess weight and obesity in the strata, controlling for potential confounders (socio-demographic characteristics, percentage of expenditure on eating out of home, and dietary energy other than that provided by processed and ultra-processed products. Predictive values for prevalence of excess weight and obesity were estimated according to quartiles of the household availability of dietary energy from processed and ultra-processed products. RESULTS: The mean contribution of processed and ultra-processed products to total dietary energy availability ranged from 15.4% (lower quartile to 39.4% (upper quartile. Adjusted linear regression coefficients indicated that household availability of ultra-processed products was positively associated with both the average BMI and the prevalence of excess weight and obesity, whereas processed products were not associated with these outcomes. In addition, people in the upper quartile of household consumption of ultra-processed products, compared with those in the lower quartile, were 37% more likely to be obese. CONCLUSION: Greater

  4. Performance Analysis of Si-Based Ultra-Shallow Junction Photodiodes for UV Radiation Detection

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shi, L.

    2013-01-01

    This thesis presents a performance investigation of newly-developed ultra-shallow junction photodiodes (PureB-diodes) for ultraviolet (UV) radiation detection. The photodiodes are fabricated by pure boron chemical vapor deposition (PureB CVD) technology, which can provide nanometer-thin boron

  5. An Ultra-wideband and Polarization-independent Metasurface for RCS Reduction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Pei; Zhao, Yongjiu; Jia, Shengli; Shi, Wenwen; Wang, Hongli

    2016-02-11

    In this paper, an ultra-wideband and polarization-independent metasurface for radar cross section (RCS) reduction is proposed. The unit cell of the metasurface operates in a linear cross-polarization scheme in a broad band. The phase and amplitude of cross-polarized reflection can be separately controlled by its geometry and rotation angle. Based on the diffuse reflection theory, a 3-bit coding metasurface is designed to reduce the RCS in an ultra-wide band. The wideband property of the metasurface benefits from the wideband cross polarization conversion and flexible phase modulation. In addition, the polarization-independent feature of the metasurface is achieved by tailoring the rotation angle of each element. Both the simulated and measured results demonstrate that the proposed metasurface can reduce the RCS significantly in an ultra-wide frequency band for both normal and oblique incidences, which makes it promising in the applications such as electromagnetic cloaking.

  6. Ultra-Low Voltage Class AB Switched Current Memory Cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Igor, Mucha

    1996-01-01

    This paper presents the theoretical basis for the design of class AB switched current memory cells employing floating-gate MOS transistors, suitable for ultra-low-voltage applications. To support the theoretical assumptions circuits based on these cells were designed using a CMOS process with thr......This paper presents the theoretical basis for the design of class AB switched current memory cells employing floating-gate MOS transistors, suitable for ultra-low-voltage applications. To support the theoretical assumptions circuits based on these cells were designed using a CMOS process...... with threshold voltages of 0.9V. Both hand calculations and PSPICE simulations showed that the cells designed allowed a maximum signal range better than +/-13 micoamp, with a supply voltage down to 1V and a quiescent bias current of 1 microamp, resulting in a very high current efficiency and effective power...

  7. Development of a coherent THz radiation source based on the ultra-short electron beam and its applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kuroda, R.; Yasumoto, M.; Toyokawa, H.; Sei, N.; Koike, M.; Yamada, K.

    2011-01-01

    At the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), a coherent terahertz (THz) radiation source has been developed based on an ultra-short electron beam using an S-band compact electron linac. The designed THz pulse has a high peak power of more than 1 kW in the frequency range 0.1-2 THz. The entire system is located in one research room of about 10 m square. The linac consists of a laser photocathode rf gun (BNL type) with a Cs 2 Te photocathode load-lock system and two 1.5-m-long S-band accelerator tubes. The electron beam can be accelerated up to approximately 42 MeV. The electron bunch was compressed to less than 1 ps (rms) with a magnetic bunch compressor. The coherent synchrotron radiation (CSR) of the THz region was generated from the ultra-short electron bunch at the 90 o bending magnet, and it was extracted from a z-cut quartz window for THz applications. In this work, the THz scanning transmission imaging was successfully demonstrated for measuring the freshness of a vegetable leaf over a period of time.

  8. Two-Step Time of Arrival Estimation for Pulse-Based Ultra-Wideband Systems

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Vincent Poor

    2008-05-01

    Full Text Available In cooperative localization systems, wireless nodes need to exchange accurate position-related information such as time-of-arrival (TOA and angle-of-arrival (AOA, in order to obtain accurate location information. One alternative for providing accurate position-related information is to use ultra-wideband (UWB signals. The high time resolution of UWB signals presents a potential for very accurate positioning based on TOA estimation. However, it is challenging to realize very accurate positioning systems in practical scenarios, due to both complexity/cost constraints and adverse channel conditions such as multipath propagation. In this paper, a two-step TOA estimation algorithm is proposed for UWB systems in order to provide accurate TOA estimation under practical constraints. In order to speed up the estimation process, the first step estimates a coarse TOA of the received signal based on received signal energy. Then, in the second step, the arrival time of the first signal path is estimated by considering a hypothesis testing approach. The proposed scheme uses low-rate correlation outputs and is able to perform accurate TOA estimation in reasonable time intervals. The simulation results are presented to analyze the performance of the estimator.

  9. ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT CEMENT

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fred Sabins

    2001-01-01

    The objective of this project is to develop an improved ultra-lightweight cement using ultralight hollow glass spheres (ULHS). Work reported herein addresses Task 1: Assess Ultra-Lightweight Cementing Problems and Task 3: Test Ultra-Lightweight Cements. Results reported this quarter include a review and summary of Halliburton Energy Services (HES) and BJ Services historical performance data for lightweight cement applications. These data are analyzed and compared to ULHS cement and foamed cement performances. Similar data is expected from Schlumberger, and an analysis of this data will be completed in the following phases of the project. Quality control testing of materials used to formulate ULHS cements in the laboratory was completed to establish baseline material performance standards. A testing protocol was developed employing standard procedures as well as procedures tailored to evaluate ULHS and foamed cement. This protocol is presented and discussed. Results of further testing of ULHS cements are presented along with an analysis to establish cement performance design criteria to be used during the remainder of the project. Finally, a list of relevant literature on lightweight cement performance is compiled for review during the next quarter

  10. Comparison of core-shell and totally porous ultra high performance liquid chromatographic stationary phases based on their selectivity towards alfuzosin compounds.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Szulfer, Jarosław; Plenis, Alina; Bączek, Tomasz

    2014-06-13

    This paper focuses on the application of a column classification system based on the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven for the characterization of physicochemical properties of core-shell and ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic stationary phases, followed by the verification of the reliability of the obtained column classification in pharmaceutical practice. In the study, 7 stationary phases produced in core-shell technology and 18 ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic columns were chromatographically tested, and ranking lists were built on the FKUL-values calculated against two selected reference columns. In the column performance test, an analysis of alfuzosin in the presence of related substances was carried out using the brands of the stationary phases with the highest ranking positions. Next, a system suitability test as described by the European Pharmacopoeia monograph was performed. Moreover, a study was also performed to achieve a purposeful shortening of the analysis time of the compounds of interest using the selected stationary phases. Finally, it was checked whether methods using core-shell and ultra-high performance liquid chromatographic columns can be an interesting alternative to the high-performance liquid chromatographic method for the analysis of alfuzosin in pharmaceutical practice. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. A high sensitivity nanomaterial based SAW humidity sensor

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, T-T; Chou, T-H [Institute of Applied Mechanics, National Taiwan University, Taipei 106, Taiwan (China); Chen, Y-Y [Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tatung University, Taipei 104, Taiwan (China)], E-mail: wutt@ndt.iam.ntu.edu.tw

    2008-04-21

    In this paper, a highly sensitive humidity sensor is reported. The humidity sensor is configured by a 128{sup 0}YX-LiNbO{sub 3} based surface acoustic wave (SAW) resonator whose operating frequency is at 145 MHz. A dual delay line configuration is realized to eliminate external temperature fluctuations. Moreover, for nanostructured materials possessing high surface-to-volume ratio, large penetration depth and fast charge diffusion rate, camphor sulfonic acid doped polyaniline (PANI) nanofibres are synthesized by the interfacial polymerization method and further deposited on the SAW resonator as selective coating to enhance sensitivity. The humidity sensor is used to measure various relative humidities in the range 5-90% at room temperature. Results show that the PANI nanofibre based SAW humidity sensor exhibits excellent sensitivity and short-term repeatability.

  12. Suggested search for 207Pb nuclear Schiff moment in PbTiO3 ferroelectric

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mukhamedjanov, T.N.; Sushkov, O.P.

    2005-01-01

    We suggest two types of experiments, NMR and macroscopic magnetometry, with solid PbTiO 3 to search for the nuclear Schiff moment of 207 Pb. Both kinds of experiments promise substantial improvement over the presently achieved sensitivities. Statistical considerations show that the improvement of the current sensitivity can be up to ten orders of magnitude for the magnetometry experiment and up to seven orders of magnitude for the NMR experiment. Such significant enhancement is due to the strong internal electric field of the ferroelectric, as well as due to the possibility to cool the nuclear-spin subsystem in the compound down to nanokelvin temperatures

  13. Structure and sensitivity analysis of individual-based predator–prey models

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Imron, Muhammad Ali; Gergs, Andre; Berger, Uta

    2012-01-01

    The expensive computational cost of sensitivity analyses has hampered the use of these techniques for analysing individual-based models in ecology. A relatively cheap computational cost, referred to as the Morris method, was chosen to assess the relative effects of all parameters on the model’s outputs and to gain insights into predator–prey systems. Structure and results of the sensitivity analysis of the Sumatran tiger model – the Panthera Population Persistence (PPP) and the Notonecta foraging model (NFM) – were compared. Both models are based on a general predation cycle and designed to understand the mechanisms behind the predator–prey interaction being considered. However, the models differ significantly in their complexity and the details of the processes involved. In the sensitivity analysis, parameters that directly contribute to the number of prey items killed were found to be most influential. These were the growth rate of prey and the hunting radius of tigers in the PPP model as well as attack rate parameters and encounter distance of backswimmers in the NFM model. Analysis of distances in both of the models revealed further similarities in the sensitivity of the two individual-based models. The findings highlight the applicability and importance of sensitivity analyses in general, and screening design methods in particular, during early development of ecological individual-based models. Comparison of model structures and sensitivity analyses provides a first step for the derivation of general rules in the design of predator–prey models for both practical conservation and conceptual understanding. - Highlights: ► Structure of predation processes is similar in tiger and backswimmer model. ► The two individual-based models (IBM) differ in space formulations. ► In both models foraging distance is among the sensitive parameters. ► Morris method is applicable for the sensitivity analysis even of complex IBMs.

  14. Sensor-Based Inspection of the Formation Accuracy in Ultra-Precision Grinding (UPG) of Aspheric Surface Considering the Chatter Vibration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Yao; Bai, Yue; Xu, Zhijun

    2018-03-01

    This paper proposes an experimental approach for monitoring and inspection of the formation accuracy in ultra-precision grinding (UPG) with respect to the chatter vibration. Two factors related to the grinding progress, the grinding speed of grinding wheel and spindle, and the oil pressure of the hydrostatic bearing are taken into account to determining the accuracy. In the meantime, a mathematical model of the radius deviation caused by the micro vibration is also established and applied in the experiments. The results show that the accuracy is sensitive to the vibration and the forming accuracy is much improved with proper processing parameters. It is found that the accuracy of aspheric surface can be less than 4 μm when the grinding speed is 1400 r/min and the wheel speed is 100 r/min with the oil pressure being 1.1 MPa.

  15. Sensor-Based Inspection of the Formation Accuracy in Ultra-Precision Grinding (UPG) of Aspheric Surface Considering the Chatter Vibration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lei, Yao; Bai, Yue; Xu, Zhijun

    2018-06-01

    This paper proposes an experimental approach for monitoring and inspection of the formation accuracy in ultra-precision grinding (UPG) with respect to the chatter vibration. Two factors related to the grinding progress, the grinding speed of grinding wheel and spindle, and the oil pressure of the hydrostatic bearing are taken into account to determining the accuracy. In the meantime, a mathematical model of the radius deviation caused by the micro vibration is also established and applied in the experiments. The results show that the accuracy is sensitive to the vibration and the forming accuracy is much improved with proper processing parameters. It is found that the accuracy of aspheric surface can be less than 4 μm when the grinding speed is 1400 r/min and the wheel speed is 100 r/min with the oil pressure being 1.1 MPa.

  16. The INTEGRAL long monitoring of persistent ultra compact X-ray bursters

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fiocchi, M.; Bazzano, A.; Ubertini, P.; Bird, A. J.; Natalucci, L.; Sguera, V.

    2008-12-01

    Context: The combination of compact objects, short period variability and peculiar chemical composition of the ultra compact X-ray binaries make up a very interesting laboratory to study accretion processes and thermonuclear burning on the neutron star surface. Improved large optical telescopes and more sensitive X-ray satellites have increased the number of known ultra compact X-ray binaries allowing their study with unprecedented detail. Aims: We analyze the average properties common to all ultra compact bursters observed by INTEGRAL from 0.2 keV to 150 keV. Methods: We have performed a systematic analysis of the INTEGRAL public data and Key-Program proprietary observations of a sample of the ultra compact X-ray binaries. In order to study their average properties in a very broad energy band, we combined INTEGRAL with BeppoSAX and SWIFT data whenever possible. For sources not showing any significant flux variations along the INTEGRAL monitoring, we build the average spectrum by combining all available data; in the case of variable fluxes, we use simultaneous INTEGRAL and SWIFT observations when available. Otherwise we compared IBIS and PDS data to check the variability and combine BeppoSAX with INTEGRAL /IBIS data. Results: All spectra are well represented by a two component model consisting of a disk-blackbody and Comptonised emission. The majority of these compact sources spend most of the time in a canonical low/hard state, with a dominating Comptonised component and accretion rate dot {M} lower than 10-9 {M⊙}/yr, not depending on the model used to fit the data. INTEGRAL is an ESA project with instruments and Science Data Center funded by ESA member states (especially the PI countries: Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Spain), Czech Republic and Poland, and with the participation of Russia and the USA.

  17. Ultra-Structure database design methodology for managing systems biology data and analyses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hemminger Bradley M

    2009-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Modern, high-throughput biological experiments generate copious, heterogeneous, interconnected data sets. Research is dynamic, with frequently changing protocols, techniques, instruments, and file formats. Because of these factors, systems designed to manage and integrate modern biological data sets often end up as large, unwieldy databases that become difficult to maintain or evolve. The novel rule-based approach of the Ultra-Structure design methodology presents a potential solution to this problem. By representing both data and processes as formal rules within a database, an Ultra-Structure system constitutes a flexible framework that enables users to explicitly store domain knowledge in both a machine- and human-readable form. End users themselves can change the system's capabilities without programmer intervention, simply by altering database contents; no computer code or schemas need be modified. This provides flexibility in adapting to change, and allows integration of disparate, heterogenous data sets within a small core set of database tables, facilitating joint analysis and visualization without becoming unwieldy. Here, we examine the application of Ultra-Structure to our ongoing research program for the integration of large proteomic and genomic data sets (proteogenomic mapping. Results We transitioned our proteogenomic mapping information system from a traditional entity-relationship design to one based on Ultra-Structure. Our system integrates tandem mass spectrum data, genomic annotation sets, and spectrum/peptide mappings, all within a small, general framework implemented within a standard relational database system. General software procedures driven by user-modifiable rules can perform tasks such as logical deduction and location-based computations. The system is not tied specifically to proteogenomic research, but is rather designed to accommodate virtually any kind of biological research. Conclusion We find

  18. 7 CFR 58.144 - Pasteurization or ultra-pasteurization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 7 Agriculture 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Pasteurization or ultra-pasteurization. 58.144 Section... Service 1 Operations and Operating Procedures § 58.144 Pasteurization or ultra-pasteurization. When pasteurization or ultra-pasteurization is intended or required, or when a product is designated “pasteurized” or...

  19. Raman enhancement on ultra-clean graphene quantum dots produced by quasi-equilibrium plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Donghua; Chen, Xiaosong; Hu, Yibin; Sun, Tai; Song, Zhibo; Zheng, Yujie; Cao, Yongbin; Cai, Zhi; Cao, Min; Peng, Lan; Huang, Yuli; Du, Lei; Yang, Wuli; Chen, Gang; Wei, Dapeng; Wee, Andrew Thye Shen; Wei, Dacheng

    2018-01-15

    Graphene is regarded as a potential surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate. However, the application of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) has had limited success due to material quality. Here, we develop a quasi-equilibrium plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition method to produce high-quality ultra-clean GQDs with sizes down to 2 nm directly on SiO 2 /Si, which are used as SERS substrates. The enhancement factor, which depends on the GQD size, is higher than conventional graphene sheets with sensitivity down to 1 × 10 -9  mol L -1 rhodamine. This is attributed to the high-quality GQDs with atomically clean surfaces and large number of edges, as well as the enhanced charge transfer between molecules and GQDs with appropriate diameters due to the existence of Van Hove singularities in the electronic density of states. This work demonstrates a sensitive SERS substrate, and is valuable for applications of GQDs in graphene-based photonics and optoelectronics.

  20. Associations of ultra-processed food and drink products with asthma and wheezing among Brazilian adolescents.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Melo, B; Rezende, L; Machado, P; Gouveia, N; Levy, R

    2018-04-21

    Although both consumption of ultra-processed products and asthma are common during adolescence, the epidemiological evidence in regarding their association is unclear. We investigated the associations of ultra-processed products consumption with asthma and wheezing in a representative sample of Brazilian adolescents. We used data from a representative sample of 109,104 Brazilian adolescents enrolled in the National Survey of School Health, 2012. The consumption of ultra-processed products was based on the weekly consumption (0-2, 3-4, ≥5 days/week) of sweet biscuits, salty biscuits, ultra-processed meats, sweets/candies, soft drinks, and packaged snacks over the previous seven days. We also calculated an ultra-processed consumption score by adding partial scores corresponding to weekly frequency intake of each ultra-processed product. The ultra-processed consumption score ranged from 0 to 42, the higher score, the higher the intake of these products. Presence of wheezing in the previous 12 months and asthma at any time in the past were self-reported. The adjusted odds ratios of asthma comparing the extreme categories ranged from 1.08 (95% CI 1.03-1.13) for sweets/candies to 1.30 (1.21-1.40) for ultra-processed meats. Similar magnitude of associations was found for wheezing outcome. The ultra-processed consumption score was positively associated with presence of asthma and wheezing in a dose-response manner. The adjusted OR of asthma and wheezing comparing highest to lowest quintile of ultra-processed consumption score were 1.27 (95% CI 1.15-1.41) and 1.42 (1.35-1.50), respectively. The consumption of ultra-processed products was positively associated with the presence of asthma and wheezing in adolescents. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  1. An innovative ultra-capacitor driven shape memory alloy actuator with an embedded control system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Peng; Song, Gangbing

    2014-01-01

    In this paper, an innovative ultra-capacitor driven shape memory alloy (SMA) actuator with an embedded control system is proposed targeting high power high-duty cycle SMA applications. The ultra-capacitor, which is capable of delivering massive amounts of instantaneous current in a compact dimension for high power applications, is chosen as the main component of the power supply. A specialized embedded system is designed from the ground up to control the ultra-capacitor driven SMA system. The control of the ultra-capacitor driven SMA is different from that of a regular constant voltage powered SMA system in that the energy and the voltage of the ultra-capacitor decrease as the system load increases. The embedded control system is also different from a computer-based control system in that it has limited computational power, and the control algorithm has to be designed to be simple while effective so that it can fit into the embedded system environment. The problem of a variable voltage power source induced by the use of the ultra-capacitor is solved by using a fuzzy PID (proportional integral and derivative) control. The method of using an ultra-capacitor to drive SMA actuators enabled SMA as a good candidate for high power high-duty cycle applications. The proposed embedded control system provides a good and ready-to-use solution for SMA high power applications. (paper)

  2. N -annulated perylene-based push-pull-type sensitizers

    KAUST Repository

    Qi, Qingbiao; Wang, Xingzhu; Fan, Li; Zheng, Bin; Zeng, Wangdong; Luo, Jie; Huang, Kuo-Wei; Wang, Qing; Wu, Jishan

    2015-01-01

    Alkoxy-wrapped N-annulated perylene (NP) was synthesized and used as a rigid and coplanar π-linker for three push-pull type metal-free sensitizers QB1-QB3. Their optical and electrochemical properties were tuned by varying the structure of acceptor. These new dyes were applied in Co(II)/(III) based dye-sensitized solar cells, and power conversion efficiency up to 6.95% was achieved, indicating that NP could be used as a new building block for the design of high-performance sensitizers in the future.

  3. N -annulated perylene-based push-pull-type sensitizers

    KAUST Repository

    Qi, Qingbiao

    2015-02-06

    Alkoxy-wrapped N-annulated perylene (NP) was synthesized and used as a rigid and coplanar π-linker for three push-pull type metal-free sensitizers QB1-QB3. Their optical and electrochemical properties were tuned by varying the structure of acceptor. These new dyes were applied in Co(II)/(III) based dye-sensitized solar cells, and power conversion efficiency up to 6.95% was achieved, indicating that NP could be used as a new building block for the design of high-performance sensitizers in the future.

  4. Content sensitivity based access control framework for Hadoop

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    T.K. Ashwin Kumar

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Big data technologies have seen tremendous growth in recent years. They are widely used in both industry and academia. In spite of such exponential growth, these technologies lack adequate measures to protect data from misuse/abuse. Corporations that collect data from multiple sources are at risk of liabilities due to the exposure of sensitive information. In the current implementation of Hadoop, only file-level access control is feasible. Providing users with the ability to access data based on the attributes in a dataset or the user’s role is complicated because of the sheer volume and multiple formats (structured, unstructured and semi-structured of data. In this paper, we propose an access control framework, which enforces access control policies dynamically based on the sensitivity of the data. This framework enforces access control policies by harnessing the data context, usage patterns and information sensitivity. Information sensitivity changes over time with the addition and removal of datasets, which can lead to modifications in access control decisions. The proposed framework accommodates these changes. The proposed framework is automated to a large extent as the data itself determines the sensitivity with minimal user intervention. Our experimental results show that the proposed framework is capable of enforcing access control policies on non-multimedia datasets with minimal overhead.

  5. High sensitivity MOSFET-based neutron dosimetry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fragopoulou, M.; Konstantakos, V.; Zamani, M.; Siskos, S.; Laopoulos, T.; Sarrabayrouse, G.

    2010-01-01

    A new dosemeter based on a metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor sensitive to both neutrons and gamma radiation was manufactured at LAAS-CNRS Laboratory, Toulouse, France. In order to be used for neutron dosimetry, a thin film of lithium fluoride was deposited on the surface of the gate of the device. The characteristics of the dosemeter, such as the dependence of its response to neutron dose and dose rate, were investigated. The studied dosemeter was very sensitive to gamma rays compared to other dosemeters proposed in the literature. Its response in thermal neutrons was found to be much higher than in fast neutrons and gamma rays.

  6. Laser beam welding of new ultra-high strength and supra-ductile steels

    OpenAIRE

    Dahmen, M.

    2015-01-01

    Ultra-high strength and supra-ductile are entering fields of new applications. Those materials are excellent candidates for modern light-weight construction and functional integration. As ultra-high strength steels the stainless martensitic grade 1.4034 and the bainitic steel UNS 53835 are investigated. For the supra-ductile steels stand two high austenitic steels with 18 and 28 % manganese. As there are no processing windows an approach from the metallurgical base on is required. Adjusting t...

  7. Study of dispersion of mass distribution of ultra-high energy cosmic rays using a surface array of muon and electromagnetic detectors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vícha, Jakub; Trávníček, Petr; Nosek, Dalibor; Ebr, Jan

    2015-09-01

    We consider a hypothetical observatory of ultra-high energy cosmic rays consisting of two surface detector arrays that measure independently electromagnetic and muon signals induced by air showers. Using the constant intensity cut method, sets of events ordered according to each of both signal sizes are compared giving the number of matched events. Based on its dependence on the zenith angle, a parameter sensitive to the dispersion of the distribution of the logarithmic mass of cosmic rays is introduced. The results obtained using two post-LHC models of hadronic interactions are very similar and indicate a weak dependence on details of these interactions.

  8. Clinical validation of an ultra high-throughput spiral microfluidics for the detection and enrichment of viable circulating tumor cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bee Luan Khoo

    Full Text Available Circulating tumor cells (CTCs are cancer cells that can be isolated via liquid biopsy from blood and can be phenotypically and genetically characterized to provide critical information for guiding cancer treatment. Current analysis of CTCs is hindered by the throughput, selectivity and specificity of devices or assays used in CTC detection and isolation.Here, we enriched and characterized putative CTCs from blood samples of patients with both advanced stage metastatic breast and lung cancers using a novel multiplexed spiral microfluidic chip. This system detected putative CTCs under high sensitivity (100%, n = 56 (Breast cancer samples: 12-1275 CTCs/ml; Lung cancer samples: 10-1535 CTCs/ml rapidly from clinically relevant blood volumes (7.5 ml under 5 min. Blood samples were completely separated into plasma, CTCs and PBMCs components and each fraction were characterized with immunophenotyping (Pan-cytokeratin/CD45, CD44/CD24, EpCAM, fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH (EML4-ALK or targeted somatic mutation analysis. We used an ultra-sensitive mass spectrometry based system to highlight the presence of an EGFR-activating mutation in both isolated CTCs and plasma cell-free DNA (cf-DNA, and demonstrate concordance with the original tumor-biopsy samples.We have clinically validated our multiplexed microfluidic chip for the ultra high-throughput, low-cost and label-free enrichment of CTCs. Retrieved cells were unlabeled and viable, enabling potential propagation and real-time downstream analysis using next generation sequencing (NGS or proteomic analysis.

  9. An ultra low-power off-line APDM-based switchmode power supply with very high conversion efficiency

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nielsen, Nils

    2001-01-01

    This article describes the results from the research work on design of a ultra low power off-line power supply with very high conversion efficiency. The input voltage is 230 VAC nominal and output voltage is 5 VDC. By ultra low power levels, an output power level in the area ranging from 50 m......W and up to 1000 mW is meant. The small power supply is intended for use as a standby power supply in mains operated equipment, which requires a small amount of power in standby mode....

  10. Flexible Mixed-Potential-Type (MPT NO2 Sensor Based on An Ultra-Thin Ceramic Film

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rui You

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available A novel flexible mixed-potential-type (MPT sensor was designed and fabricated for NO2 detection from 0 to 500 ppm at 200 °C. An ultra-thin Y2O3-doped ZrO2 (YSZ ceramic film 20 µm thick was sandwiched between a heating electrode and reference/sensing electrodes. The heating electrode was fabricated by a conventional lift-off process, while the porous reference and the sensing electrodes were fabricated by a two-step patterning method using shadow masks. The sensor’s sensitivity is achieved as 58.4 mV/decade at the working temperature of 200 °C, as well as a detection limit of 26.7 ppm and small response time of less than 10 s at 200 ppm. Additionally, the flexible MPT sensor demonstrates superior mechanical stability after bending over 50 times due to the mechanical stability of the YSZ ceramic film. This simply structured, but highly reliable flexible MPT NO2 sensor may lead to wide application in the automobile industry for vehicle emission systems to reduce NO2 emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

  11. Time-Domain Diversity in Ultra-Wideband MIMO Communications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alain Sibille

    2005-03-01

    Full Text Available The development of ultra-wideband (UWB communications is impeded by the drastic transmitted power limitations imposed by regulation authorities due to the “polluting” character of these radio emissions with respect to existing services. Technical solutions must be researched in order either to limit the level of spectral pollution by UWB devices or to increase their reception sensitivity. In the present work, we consider pulse-based modulations and investigate time-domain multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO diversity as one such possible solution. The basic principles of time-domain diversity in the extreme (low multipath density or intermediate (dense multipath UWB regimes are addressed, which predict the possibility of a MIMO gain equal to the product Nt×Nr of the numbers of transmit/receive antenna elements when the channel is not too severe. This analysis is confirmed by simulations using a parametric empirical stochastic double-directional channel model. They confirm the potential interest of MIMO approaches solutions in order to bring a valuable performance gain in UWB communications.

  12. Variable screening and ranking using sampling-based sensitivity measures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wu, Y-T.; Mohanty, Sitakanta

    2006-01-01

    This paper presents a methodology for screening insignificant random variables and ranking significant important random variables using sensitivity measures including two cumulative distribution function (CDF)-based and two mean-response based measures. The methodology features (1) using random samples to compute sensitivities and (2) using acceptance limits, derived from the test-of-hypothesis, to classify significant and insignificant random variables. Because no approximation is needed in either the form of the performance functions or the type of continuous distribution functions representing input variables, the sampling-based approach can handle highly nonlinear functions with non-normal variables. The main characteristics and effectiveness of the sampling-based sensitivity measures are investigated using both simple and complex examples. Because the number of samples needed does not depend on the number of variables, the methodology appears to be particularly suitable for problems with large, complex models that have large numbers of random variables but relatively few numbers of significant random variables

  13. Determination of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin by cloud point extraction and graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Mei; Wu, Qianghua

    2010-04-15

    A cloud point extraction (CPE) method for the preconcentration of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin prior to its determination by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS) had been developed in this paper. The CPE method was based on the complex of Al(III) with 1-(2-pyridylazo)-2-naphthol (PAN) and Triton X-114 was used as non-ionic surfactant. The main factors affecting cloud point extraction efficiency, such as pH of solution, concentration and kind of complexing agent, concentration of non-ionic surfactant, equilibration temperature and time, were investigated in detail. An enrichment factor of 34.8 was obtained for the preconcentration of Al(III) with 10 mL solution. Under the optimal conditions, the detection limit of Al(III) was 0.06 ng mL(-1). The relative standard deviation (n=7) of sample was 3.6%, values of recovery of aluminum were changed from 92.3% to 94.7% for three samples. This method is simple, accurate, sensitive and can be applied to the determination of ultra-trace aluminum in human albumin. 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Experimental demonstration of the transmission performance for LDPC-coded multiband OFDM ultra-wideband over fiber system

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Jing; Wen, Xuejie; Chen, Ming; Chen, Lin; Su, Jinshu

    2015-01-01

    To improve the transmission performance of multiband orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (MB-OFDM) ultra-wideband (UWB) over optical fiber, a pre-coding scheme based on low-density parity-check (LDPC) is adopted and experimentally demonstrated in the intensity-modulation and direct-detection MB-OFDM UWB over fiber system. Meanwhile, a symbol synchronization and pilot-aided channel estimation scheme is implemented on the receiver of the MB-OFDM UWB over fiber system. The experimental results show that the LDPC pre-coding scheme can work effectively in the MB-OFDM UWB over fiber system. After 70 km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) transmission, at the bit error rate of 1 × 10-3, the receiver sensitivities are improved about 4 dB when the LDPC code rate is 75%.

  15. Thickness and angular dependent magnetic anisotropy of La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 thin films by Vectorial Magneto Optical Kerr Magnetometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chaluvadi, S. K.; Perna, P.; Ajejas, F.; Camarero, J.; Pautrat, A.; Flament, S.; Méchin, L.

    2017-10-01

    We investigate the in-plane magnetic anisotropy in La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 thin films grown on SrTiO3 (001) substrate using angular dependent room temperature Vectorial Magneto-Optical Kerr Magnetometry. The experimental data reveals that the magnetic anisotropy symmetry landscape significantly changes depending upon the strain and thickness. At low film thickness (12 and 25 nm) the dominant uniaxial anisotropy is due to interface effects, step edges due to mis-cut angle of SrTiO3 substrate. At intermediate thickness, the magnetic anisotropy presents a competition between magnetocrystalline (biaxial) and substrate step induced (uniaxial) anisotropy. Depending upon their relative strengths, a profound biaxial or uniaxial or mixed anisotropy is favoured. Above the critical thickness, magnetocrystalline anisotropy dominates all other effects and shows a biaxial anisotropy.

  16. Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Nikookar, Homayoun; Prasad, Ramjee

    wireless channels, interference, signal processing as well as applications and standardization activities are addressed. Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications provides easy-to-understand material to (graduate) students and researchers working in the field of commercial UWB wireless......Ultra Wideband (UWB) Technology is the cutting edge technology for wireless communications with a wide range of applications. In Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications UWB principles and technologies for wireless communications are explained clearly. Key issues such as UWB...... communications. Due to tutorial nature of the book it can also be adopted as a textbook on the subject in the Telecommunications Engineering curriculum. Problems at the end of each chapter extend the reader's understanding of the subject. Introduction to Ultra Wideband for Wireless Communications will aslo...

  17. An enhanced electronic topology aimed at improving the phase sensitivity of GMI sensors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Costa Silva, E; Gusmão, L A P; Hall Barbosa, C R; Costa Monteiro, E

    2014-01-01

    The giant magnetoimpedance effect (GMI) is used in the most recent technologies developed for the detection of magnetic fields, showing potential to be applied in the measurement of ultra-weak fields. GMI samples exhibit a huge dependency of their electrical impedance on the magnetic field, which makes them excellent magnetic sensors. In spite of GMI magnetometers being mostly based on magnitude impedance characteristics, it was previously verified that sensitivity could be significantly increased by reading the impedance phase. Pursuing this idea, a phase-based GMI magnetometer has been already developed as well as an electronic configuration capable of improving the phase sensitivity of GMI samples. However, when using this topology, it was noted that the sensitivity improvement comes at the cost of reduced voltage levels in the reading terminal, degrading the signal-to-noise ratio. Another drawback of the electronic configuration was that it was not capable of enforcing a linear behavior of the impedance phase in the function of the magnetic field in a given operation region. Aiming at overcoming those issues and then optimizing the behavior of the circuit developed to improve the phase sensitivity, this paper mathematically describes a completely new methodology, presents an enhanced newly developed electronic topology and exemplifies its application. (paper)

  18. Single-mode optical fiber design with wide-band ultra low bending-loss for FTTH application.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watekar, Pramod R; Ju, Seongmin; Han, Won-Taek

    2008-01-21

    We propose a new design of a single-mode optical fiber (SMF) which exhibits ultra low bend sensitivity over a wide communication band (1.3 microm to 1.65 microm). A five-cladding fiber structure has been proposed to minimize the bending loss, estimated to be as low as 4.4x10(-10) dB/turn for the bend radius of 10 mm.

  19. Innovation: study of 'ultra-short' time reactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Anon.

    2001-01-01

    This short article presents the new Elyse facility of Orsay-Paris 11 university for the study of ultra-short chemical and biochemical phenomena. Elyse uses the 'pump-probe' technique which consists in two perfectly synchronized electron and photon pulses. It comprises a 3 to 9 MeV electron accelerator with a HF gun photo-triggered with a laser. Elyse can initiate reactions using ultra-short electron pulses (radiolysis) or ultra-short photon pulses (photolysis). (J.S.)

  20. Probing physics at extreme energies with cosmic ultra-high energy ...

    Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

    testing new particle physics. Keywords. Ultra-high ... conventional theories of CR origin based on acceleration of charged particles in powerful ... Before discussing specific scenarios for UHECR origin we give a short account of the numerical ...

  1. Budget impact analysis of drugs for ultra-orphan non-oncological diseases in Europe.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schlander, Michael; Adarkwah, Charles Christian; Gandjour, Afschin

    2015-02-01

    Ultra-orphan diseases (UODs) have been defined by a prevalence of less than 1 per 50,000 persons. However, little is known about budget impact of ultra-orphan drugs. For analysis, the budget impact analysis (BIA) had a time horizon of 10 years (2012-2021) and a pan-European payer's perspective, based on prevalence data for UODs for which patented drugs are available and/or for which drugs are in clinical development. A total of 18 drugs under patent protection or orphan drug designation for non-oncological UODs were identified. Furthermore, 29 ultra-orphan drugs for non-oncological diseases under development that have the potential of reaching the market by 2021 were found. Total budget impact over 10 years was estimated to be €15,660 and €4965 million for approved and pipeline ultra-orphan drugs, respectively (total: €20,625 million). The analysis does not support concerns regarding an uncontrolled growth in expenditures for drugs for UODs.

  2. Ultra wide band antennas

    CERN Document Server

    Begaud, Xavier

    2013-01-01

    Ultra Wide Band Technology (UWB) has reached a level of maturity that allows us to offer wireless links with either high or low data rates. These wireless links are frequently associated with a location capability for which ultimate accuracy varies with the inverse of the frequency bandwidth. Using time or frequency domain waveforms, they are currently the subject of international standards facilitating their commercial implementation. Drawing up a complete state of the art, Ultra Wide Band Antennas is aimed at students, engineers and researchers and presents a summary of internationally recog

  3. The share of ultra-processed foods determines the overall nutritional quality of diets in Brazil.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Louzada, Maria Laura da Costa; Ricardo, Camila Zancheta; Steele, Euridice Martinez; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

    2018-01-01

    To estimate the dietary share of ultra-processed foods and to determine its association with the overall nutritional quality of diets in Brazil. Cross-sectional. Brazil. A representative sample of 32 898 Brazilians aged ≥10 years was studied. Food intake data were collected. We calculated the average dietary content of individual nutrients and compared them across quintiles of energy share of ultra-processed foods. Then we identified nutrient-based dietary patterns, and evaluated the association between quintiles of dietary share of ultra-processed foods and the patterns' scores. The mean per capita daily dietary energy intake was 7933 kJ (1896 kcal), with 58·1 % from unprocessed or minimally processed foods, 10·9 % from processed culinary ingredients, 10·6 % from processed foods and 20·4 % from ultra-processed foods. Consumption of ultra-processed foods was directly associated with high consumption of free sugars and total, saturated and trans fats, and with low consumption of protein, dietary fibre, and most of the assessed vitamins and minerals. Four nutrient-based dietary patterns were identified. 'Healthy pattern 1' carried more protein and micronutrients, and less free sugars. 'Healthy pattern 2' carried more vitamins. 'Healthy pattern 3' carried more dietary fibre and minerals and less free sugars. 'Unhealthy pattern' carried more total, saturated and trans fats, and less dietary fibre. The dietary share of ultra-processed foods was inversely associated with 'healthy pattern 1' (-0·16; 95 % CI -0·17, -0·15) and 'healthy pattern 3' (-0·18; 95 % CI -0·19, -0·17), and directly associated with 'unhealthy pattern' (0·17; 95 % CI 0·15, 0·18). Dietary share of ultra-processed foods determines the overall nutritional quality of diets in Brazil.

  4. An ultra-wideband pattern reconfigurable antenna based on graphene coating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, YanNan; Yuan, Rui; Gao, Xi; Wang, Jiao; Li, SiMin; Lin, Yi-Yu

    2016-11-01

    An ultra-wideband pattern reconfigurable antenna is proposed. The antenna is a dielectric coaxial hollow monopole with a cylindrical graphene-based impedance surface coating. It consists of a graphene sheet coated onto the inner surface of a cylindrical substrate and a set of independent polysilicon DC gating pads mounted on the outside of the cylindrical substrate. By changing the DC bias voltages to the different gating pads, the surface impedance of the graphene coating can be freely controlled. Due to the tunability of graphene's surface impedance, the radiation pattern of the proposed antenna can be reconfigured. A transmission line method is used to illustrate the physical mechanism of the proposed antenna. The results show that the proposed antenna can reconfigure its radiation pattern in the omnidirectional mode with the relative bandwidth of 58.5% and the directional mode over the entire azimuth plane with the relative bandwidth of 67%. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 61661012, 61461016, and 61361005), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangxi, China (Grant Nos. 2015GXNSFBB139003 and 2014GXNSFAA118283), Program for Innovation Research Team of Guilin University of Electromagnetic Technology, China, and the Dean Project of Guangxi Key Laboratory of Wireless Wideband Communication and Signal Processing, China.

  5. Rapid, Sensitive and Validated Ultra-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometric Method for the Determination of Fenofibric Acid and its Application to Human Pharmacokinetic Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sunil K. Dubey

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available The first, rapid and sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography mass spectrometric method for the determination of fenofibric acid, the active metabolite of fenofibrate, a lipid regulating agent, in human EDTA plasma has been developed and validated using fenofibric d6 acid as internal standard and Waters LC-MS/MS. Negative ions of fenofibric acid and fenofibric d6 acid were detected in multiple reaction-monitoring (MRM mode. The method was validated over a concentration range of 0.176 μg/mL to 19.837 μg/mL (r ≥ 0.99. It took only 1.5 minute to analyse a sample. Intra- and inter-run precision of fenofibric acid assay at four concentrations ranged from 0.5% to 4.3% with accuracy varied from 93.1 to 108.1% indicating good precision and accuracy. Analytical recoveries of fenofibric acid and internal standard in plasma were less than 90%. This method was successfully applied for evaluation of pharmacokinetics of fenofibric acid after a single oral dose of 145 mg fenofibrate to 10 Indian healthy volunteers

  6. Low Power and High Sensitivity MOSFET-Based Pressure Sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang Zhao-Hua; Ren Tian-Ling; Zhang Yan-Hong; Han Rui-Rui; Liu Li-Tian

    2012-01-01

    Based on the metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) stress sensitive phenomenon, a low power MOSFET pressure sensor is proposed. Compared with the traditional piezoresistive pressure sensor, the present pressure sensor displays high performances on sensitivity and power consumption. The sensitivity of the MOSFET sensor is raised by 87%, meanwhile the power consumption is decreased by 20%. (cross-disciplinary physics and related areas of science and technology)

  7. Ultra-Deepwater Gulf of Mexico Oil and Gas: Energy Return on Financial Investment and a Preliminary Assessment of Energy Return on Energy Investment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew Moerschbaecher

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available The purpose of this paper is to calculate the energy return on financial investment (EROFI of oil and gas production in the ultra-deepwater Gulf of Mexico (GoM in 2009 and for the estimated oil reserves of the Macondo Prospect (Mississippi Canyon Block 252. We also calculated a preliminary Energy Return on Investment (EROI based on published energy intensity ratios including a sensitivity analysis using a range of energy intensity ratios (7 MJ/$, 12 MJ/$, and 18 MJ/$. The EROFI for ultra-deepwater oil and gas at the well-head, ranged from 0.019 to 0.022 barrels (BOE, or roughly 0.85 gallons, per dollar. Our estimates of EROI for 2009 ultra-deepwater oil and natural gas at the well-head ranged from 7–22:1. The independently-derived EROFI of the Macondo Prospect oil reserves ranged from 0.012 to 0.0071 barrels per dollar (i.e., $84 to $140 to produce a barrel and EROI ranged from 4–16:1, related to the energy intensity ratio used to quantify costs. We believe that the lower end of these EROI ranges (i.e., 4 to 7:1 is more accurate since these values were derived using energy intensities averaged across the entire domestic oil and gas industry. Time series of the financial and preliminary EROI estimates found in this study suggest that the extraction costs of ultra-deepwater energy reserves in the GoM come at increasing energetic and economic cost to society.

  8. Contributed Review: Camera-limits for wide-field magnetic resonance imaging with a nitrogen-vacancy spin sensor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wojciechowski, Adam M.; Karadas, Mürsel; Huck, Alexander; Osterkamp, Christian; Jankuhn, Steffen; Meijer, Jan; Jelezko, Fedor; Andersen, Ulrik L.

    2018-03-01

    Sensitive, real-time optical magnetometry with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond relies on accurate imaging of small (≪10-2), fractional fluorescence changes across the diamond sample. We discuss the limitations on magnetic field sensitivity resulting from the limited number of photoelectrons that a camera can record in a given time. Several types of camera sensors are analyzed, and the smallest measurable magnetic field change is estimated for each type. We show that most common sensors are of a limited use in such applications, while certain highly specific cameras allow achieving nanotesla-level sensitivity in 1 s of a combined exposure. Finally, we demonstrate the results obtained with a lock-in camera that paves the way for real-time, wide-field magnetometry at the nanotesla level and with a micrometer resolution.

  9. Ultra-Processed Food Products and Obesity in Brazilian Households (2008–2009)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Canella, Daniela Silva; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Martins, Ana Paula Bortoletto; Claro, Rafael Moreira; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Baraldi, Larissa Galastri; Cannon, Geoffrey; Monteiro, Carlos Augusto

    2014-01-01

    Background Production and consumption of industrially processed food and drink products have risen in parallel with the global increase in overweight and obesity and related chronic non-communicable diseases. The objective of this study was to analyze the relationship between household availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the prevalence of excess weight (overweight plus obesity) and obesity in Brazil. Methods The study was based on data from the 2008–2009 Household Budget Survey involving a probabilistic sample of 55,970 Brazilian households. The units of study were household aggregates (strata), geographically and socioeconomically homogeneous. Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the relationship between the availability of processed and ultra-processed products and the average of Body Mass Index (BMI) and the percentage of individuals with excess weight and obesity in the strata, controlling for potential confounders (socio-demographic characteristics, percentage of expenditure on eating out of home, and dietary energy other than that provided by processed and ultra-processed products). Predictive values for prevalence of excess weight and obesity were estimated according to quartiles of the household availability of dietary energy from processed and ultra-processed products. Results The mean contribution of processed and ultra-processed products to total dietary energy availability ranged from 15.4% (lower quartile) to 39.4% (upper quartile). Adjusted linear regression coefficients indicated that household availability of ultra-processed products was positively associated with both the average BMI and the prevalence of excess weight and obesity, whereas processed products were not associated with these outcomes. In addition, people in the upper quartile of household consumption of ultra-processed products, compared with those in the lower quartile, were 37% more likely to be obese. Conclusion Greater household

  10. Ultra high energy gamma-ray astronomy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wdowczyk, J.

    1986-01-01

    The experimental data on ultra high energy γ-rays are reviewed and a comparison of the properties of photon and proton initiated shower is made. The consequences of the existence of the strong ultra high energy γ-ray sources for other observations is analysed and possible mechanisms for the production of ultra high energy γ-rays in the sources are discussed. It is demonstrated that if the γ-rays are produced via cosmic ray interactions the sources have to produce very high fluxes of cosmic ray particles. In fact it is possible that a small number of such sources can supply the whole Galactic cosmic ray flux

  11. Ultrasensitive, Stretchable Strain Sensors Based on Fragmented Carbon Nanotube Papers

    KAUST Repository

    Zhou, Jian

    2017-01-17

    The development of strain sensors featuring both ultra high sensitivity and high stretchability is still a challenge. We demonstrate that strain sensors based on fragmented single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) paper embedded in poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) can sustain their sensitivity even at very high strain levels (with a gauge factor of over 10(7) at 50% strain). This record sensitivity is ascribed to the low initial electrical resistance (5-28 Omega) of the SWCNT paper and the wide change in resistance (up to 10(6) Omega) governed by the percolated network of SWCNT in the cracked region. The sensor response remains nearly unchanged after 10 000 strain cycles at 20% proving the robustness of this technology. This fragmentation based sensing system brings opportunities to engineer highly sensitive stretchable sensors.

  12. Survey of sampling-based methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Helton, J.C.; Johnson, J.D.; Sallaberry, C.J.; Storlie, C.B.

    2006-01-01

    Sampling-based methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis are reviewed. The following topics are considered: (i) definition of probability distributions to characterize epistemic uncertainty in analysis inputs (ii) generation of samples from uncertain analysis inputs (iii) propagation of sampled inputs through an analysis (iv) presentation of uncertainty analysis results, and (v) determination of sensitivity analysis results. Special attention is given to the determination of sensitivity analysis results, with brief descriptions and illustrations given for the following procedures/techniques: examination of scatterplots, correlation analysis, regression analysis, partial correlation analysis, rank transformations, statistical tests for patterns based on gridding, entropy tests for patterns based on gridding, nonparametric regression analysis, squared rank differences/rank correlation coefficient test, two-dimensional Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, tests for patterns based on distance measures, top down coefficient of concordance, and variance decomposition

  13. Survey of sampling-based methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis.

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Johnson, Jay Dean; Helton, Jon Craig; Sallaberry, Cedric J. PhD. (.; .); Storlie, Curt B. (Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO)

    2006-06-01

    Sampling-based methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis are reviewed. The following topics are considered: (1) Definition of probability distributions to characterize epistemic uncertainty in analysis inputs, (2) Generation of samples from uncertain analysis inputs, (3) Propagation of sampled inputs through an analysis, (4) Presentation of uncertainty analysis results, and (5) Determination of sensitivity analysis results. Special attention is given to the determination of sensitivity analysis results, with brief descriptions and illustrations given for the following procedures/techniques: examination of scatterplots, correlation analysis, regression analysis, partial correlation analysis, rank transformations, statistical tests for patterns based on gridding, entropy tests for patterns based on gridding, nonparametric regression analysis, squared rank differences/rank correlation coefficient test, two dimensional Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, tests for patterns based on distance measures, top down coefficient of concordance, and variance decomposition.

  14. Present and Future Challenges in Trace and Ultra-Trace Analysis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Toulhoat, P.

    2005-01-01

    The analysis of trace and ultra-trace elements is continuously stimulating the progress in analytical chemistry. Environmental chemistry, radiochemistry, biology, health, agri-food are prescribers of trace analyses, with continuously increasing exigencies: lowering detection limits, lowering costs and analysis time, improving the quality of analytical information. Precise data about the chemical identity and chemical environment of analytes are now requested. Such pieces of information, beyond simple numerical data and confidence intervals, are necessary to understand studied systems, and to predict their evolution. From environmental contamination cases, one can envisage the various aspects of a problem, with for each of them its own exigencies and specificities in terms of analytical methods and approaches. The detection of traces and ultra-traces of actinides and fission products has been recently revisited and stimulates new technological developments (non proliferation issues, waste management). Data on their speciation in geological and biological media are essential for evaluating the safety of nuclear waste repositories. Various techniques are now used to determine speciation in liquid samples or on surfaces, with tremendous spatial resolutions or sensitivities. A new revolution in analytical chemistry is expected with the development of micro- or nano-analytical technologies. (author)

  15. Ultra-small platinum and gold nanoparticles by arc plasma deposition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Sang Hoon; Jeong, Young Eun; Ha, Heonphil; Byun, Ji Young; Kim, Young Dok

    2014-01-01

    Highlights: • Ultra-small (<2 nm) and bigger platinum and gold nanoparticles were produced by arc plasma deposition (APD). • Size and coverage of deposited nanoparticles were easily controlled with APD parameters. • Crystalline structures of deposited nanoparticles emerged only when the particle size was bigger than ∼2 nm. - Abstract: Ultra-small (<2 nm) nanoparticles of platinum and gold were produced by arc plasma deposition (APD) in a systematic way and the deposition behavior was studied. Nanoparticles were deposited on two dimensional amorphous carbon and amorphous titania thin films and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Deposition behavior of nanoparticles by APD was studied with discharge voltage (V), discharge condenser capacitance (C), and the number of plasma pulse shots (n) as controllable parameters. The average size of intrinsic nanoparticles generated by APD process was as small as 0.9 nm and deposited nanoparticles began to have crystal structures from the particle size of about 2 nm. V was the most sensitive parameter to control the size and coverage of generated nanoparticles compared to C and n. Size of APD deposited nanoparticles was also influenced by the nature of evaporating materials and substrates

  16. A highly selective molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence sensor for ultra-trace beryllium detection

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Jianping; Ma, Fei; Wei, Xiaoping; Fu, Cong; Pan, Hongcheng

    2015-01-01

    Graphical abstract: A novel molecular imprinted electrochemiluminescence sensor was fabricated for ultra-trace Be 2+ detection with an extremely lower detection limit based on the luminol–H 2 O 2 ECL system. - Highlights: • A novel molecular imprinted electrochemiluminescence sensor was fabricated for ultra-trace Be 2+ detection. • Imprint cavities in the MIPs from elution the Be–PAR complex could provide more recognition sites for analytes. • ECL emission produced by the luminol–H 2 O 2 ECL system, which was applied to detect Be 2+ . • It gave an extremely lower detection limit (2.35 × 10 −11 mol L −1 ) than the reported methods. - Abstract: A new molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence (ECL) sensor was proposed for highly sensitive and selective determination of ultratrace Be 2+ determination. The complex of Be 2+ with 4-(2-pyridylazo)-resorcinol (PAR) was chosen as the template molecule for the molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP). In this assay, the complex molecule could be eluted from the MIP, and the cavities formed could then selectively recognize the complex molecules. The cavities formed could also work as the tunnel for the transfer of probe molecules to produce sound responsive signal. The determination was based on the intensity of the signal, which was proportional to the concentrations of the complex molecule in the sample solution, and the Be 2+ concentration could then be determined indirectly. The results showed that in the range of 7 × 10 −11 mol L −1 to 8.0 × 10 −9 mol L −1 , the ECL intensity had a linear relationship with the Be 2+ concentrations, with the limit of detection of 2.35 × 10 −11 mol L −1 . This method was successfully used to detect Be 2+ in real water samples

  17. Ultra-Abrupt Tapered Fiber Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Sensors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lanying Zhou

    2011-05-01

    Full Text Available A fiber inline Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI consisting of ultra-abrupt fiber tapers was fabricated through a new fusion-splicing method. By fusion-splicing, the taper diameter-length ratio is around 1:1, which is much greater than those (1:10 made by stretching. The proposed fabrication method is very low cost, 1/20–1/50 of those of LPFG pair MZI sensors. The fabricated MZIs are applied to measure refractive index, temperature and rotation angle changes. The temperature sensitivity of the MZI at a length of 30 mm is 0.061 nm/°C from 30–350 °C. The proposed MZI is also used to measure rotation angles ranging from 0° to 0.55°; the sensitivity is 54.98 nm/°. The refractive index sensitivity is improved by 3–5 fold by fabricating an inline micro–trench on the fiber cladding using a femtosecond laser. Acetone vapor of 50 ppm in N2 is tested by the MZI sensor coated with MFI–type zeolite thin film. The proposed MZI sensors are capable of in situ detection in many areas of interest such as environmental management, industrial process control, and public health.

  18. Sensitive Mid-IR Laser Sensor Development and Mass Spectrometric Measurements in Shock Tube and Flames

    KAUST Repository

    Alquaity, Awad

    2016-01-01

    CRDS technique was utilized to develop an ultra-fast, high sensitivity diagnostic to monitor trace concentrations of ethylene in shock tube pyrolysis experiments. This diagnostic represented the first ever successful application of CRDS technique

  19. Ultra thin metallic coatings to control near field radiative heat transfer

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esquivel-Sirvent, R.

    2016-09-01

    We present a theoretical calculation of the changes in the near field radiative heat transfer between two surfaces due to the presence of ultra thin metallic coatings on semiconductors. Depending on the substrates, the radiative heat transfer is modulated by the thickness of the ultra thin film. In particular we consider gold thin films with thicknesses varying from 4 to 20 nm. The ultra-thin film has an insulator-conductor transition close to a critical thickness of dc = 6.4 nm and there is an increase in the near field spectral heat transfer just before the percolation transition. Depending on the substrates (Si or SiC) and the thickness of the metallic coatings we show how the near field heat transfer can be increased or decreased as a function of the metallic coating thickness. The calculations are based on available experimental data for the optical properties of ultrathin coatings.

  20. Prevalence of Injury in Ultra Trail Running

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Malliaropoulos Nikolaos

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of the study was to find the rate of musculoskeletal injuries in ultra-trail runners, investigate the most sensitive anatomical areas, and discover associated predicting factors to aid in the effective prevention and rapid rehabilitation of trail running injuries. Methods. Forty ultra trail runners responded to an epidemiological questionnaire. Results. At least one running injury was reported by 90% of the sample, with a total of 135 injuries were reported (111 overuse injuries, 24 appeared during competing. Lower back pain was the most common source of injury (42.5%. Running in the mountains (p = 0.0004 and following a personalized training schedule (p = 0.0995 were found to be protective factors. Runners involved in physical labor are associated with more injuries (p = 0.058. Higher-level runners are associated with more injuries than lower-level cohorts (p = 0.067, with symptoms most commonly arising in the lower back (p = 0.091, hip joint (p = 0.083, and the plantar surface of the foot (p = 0.054. Experienced runners (> 6 years are at greater risk of developing injuries (p = 0.001, especially in the lower back (p = 0.012, tibia (p = 0.049, and the plantar surface of the foot (p = 0 .028. Double training sessions could cause hip joint injury (p = 0.060. Conclusions. In order to avoid injury, it is recommended to train mostly on mountain trails and have a training program designed by professionals.

  1. Dependence of high density nitrogen-vacancy center ensemble coherence on electron irradiation doses and annealing time

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, C.; Yuan, H.; Zhang, N.; Xu, L. X.; Li, B.; Cheng, G. D.; Wang, Y.; Gui, Q.; Fang, J. C.

    2017-12-01

    Negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) center ensembles in diamond have proved to have great potential for use in highly sensitive, small-package solid-state quantum sensors. One way to improve sensitivity is to produce a high-density NV- center ensemble on a large scale with a long coherence lifetime. In this work, the NV- center ensemble is prepared in type-Ib diamond using high energy electron irradiation and annealing, and the transverse relaxation time of the ensemble—T 2—was systematically investigated as a function of the irradiation electron dose and annealing time. Dynamical decoupling sequences were used to characterize T 2. To overcome the problem of low signal-to-noise ratio in T 2 measurement, a coupled strip lines waveguide was used to synchronously manipulate NV- centers along three directions to improve fluorescence signal contrast. Finally, NV- center ensembles with a high concentration of roughly 1015 mm-3 were manipulated within a ~10 µs coherence time. By applying a multi-coupled strip-lines waveguide to improve the effective volume of the diamond, a sub-femtotesla sensitivity for AC field magnetometry can be achieved. The long-coherence high-density large-scale NV- center ensemble in diamond means that types of room-temperature micro-sized solid-state quantum sensors with ultra-high sensitivity can be further developed in the near future.

  2. An explorative study of non-invasive ultra-weak photon emission and the anti-oxidative influence of oral zinc sulphate in light-sensitive patients with erythropoietic protoporphyria

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petersen, Anita Birgit; Philipsen, Peter Alshede; Wulf, Hans Christian

    2011-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) is a rare, inherited disorder of haem biosynthesis owing to deficient ferrochelatase (FECH) and accumulation of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX). This results in acute cutaneous photosensitivity upon light exposure with production of reactive oxygen species...... correlation was found between plasma zinc concentration and the initial burst. CONCLUSION: Measurements of UPE can be used for monitoring UVA-induced oxidative processes in vivo in the skin of EPP patients....... (ROS) and ultra-weak photon emission (UPE) as a by-product. We investigated if UPE evaluated the light sensitivity in EPP patients and influence of zinc treatment. METHODS: Fourteen EPP patients took zinc sulphate (3 × 200 mg/day) during spring and summer. Using a photomultiplier (PM), UPE was measured...... from the buttock skin and dorsal hand before and after solar-simulated light (SUN) exposure. Blood samples were analysed routinely for plasma zinc, iron, ferritin, transferrin, haemoglobin, erythrocyte PPIX and Zn-PPIX. RESULTS: UPE in EPP patients resembled that seen in healthy individuals. Without...

  3. Miniature CRLH-based ultra wideband antenna with gain enhancement for wireless communication applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammad Alibakhshi-Kenari

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available A novel miniaturized ultra wideband (UWB antenna based on composite right/left-handed (CRLH metamaterial unit cells for modern wireless communication applications is presented. The physical size of the small and compact antenna is 15×7.87×1.6 mm3 or 0.15λo×0.07λo×0.01λo in terms of the free-space wavelength at 3 GHz. The proposed antenna covers an impedance bandwidth of 3–10.6 GHz, which is equivalent to a fractional bandwidth of 111%. The gain and efficiency of the antenna are greater than 2.89 dBi and 38.54%, respectively, with a peak gain of 9.41 dBi and a peak efficiency of 99.93%. The characteristics of the antenna were validated with measured results obtained from a fabricated prototype to establish the proof of concept.

  4. Digital Receiver Design for Transmitted Reference Ultra-Wideband Systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Wang, Y.; Leus, G.; Van der Veen, A.J.

    2009-01-01

    A complete detection, channel estimation, synchronization, and equalization scheme for a transmitted reference (TR) ultra-wideband (UWB) system is proposed in this paper. The scheme is based on a data model which admits a moderate data rate and takes both the interframe interference (IFI) and the

  5. Characterization of the mechanical properties of a new grade of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene and modeling with the viscoplasticity based on overstress.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Fazeel; Yeakle, Colin; Gomaa, Said

    2012-02-01

    Enhancements to the service life and performance of orthopedic implants used in total knee and hip replacement procedures can be achieved through optimization of design and the development of superior biocompatible polymeric materials. The introduction of a new or modified polymer must, naturally, be preceded by a rigorous testing program. This paper presents the assessment of the mechanical properties of a new filled grade of ultra high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) designated AOX(TM) and developed by DePuy Orthopaedics Inc. The deformation behavior was investigated through a series of tensile and compressive tests including strain rate sensitivity, creep, relaxation, and recovery. The polymer was found to exhibit rate-reversal behavior for certain loading histories: strain rate during creep with a compressive stress can be negative, positive, or change between the two during a test. Analogous behavior occurs during relaxation as well. This behavior lies beyond the realm of most numerical models used to computationally investigate and improve part geometry through finite element analysis of components. To address this shortcoming, the viscoplasticity theory based on overstress (VBO) has been suitably modified to capture these trends. VBO is a state variable based model in a differential formulation. Numerical simulation and prediction of all of the aforementioned tests, including good reproduction of the rate reversal behavior, is presented in this study. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. 39Ar/Ar measurements using ultra-low background proportional counters

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hall, Jeter; Aalseth, Craig E.; Bonicalzi, Ricco M.; Brandenberger, Jill M.; Day, Anthony R.; Humble, Paul H.; Mace, Emily K.; Panisko, Mark E.; Seifert, Allen

    2016-01-01

    Age-dating groundwater and seawater using the 39 Ar/Ar ratio is an important tool to understand water mass-flow rates and mean residence time. Low-background proportional counters developed at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory use mixtures of argon and methane as counting gas. We demonstrate sensitivity to 39 Ar by comparing geological (ancient) argon recovered from a carbon dioxide gas well and commercial argon. The demonstrated sensitivity to the 39 Ar/Ar ratio is sufficient to date water masses as old as 1000 years. - Highlights: • 39 Ar/Ar age dating is important for understanding environmental water migration. • Ultra low background proportional counters have been developed. • 39 Ar is detected in atmospheric argon at a rate of 70.3 counts per day. The demonstrated background is 166 counts per day. • Age dating is possible for water with underground residence time of up to 1000 years.

  7. Fiber-distributed Ultra-wideband noise radar with steerable power spectrum and colorless base station.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zheng, Jianyu; Wang, Hui; Fu, Jianbin; Wei, Li; Pan, Shilong; Wang, Lixian; Liu, Jianguo; Zhu, Ninghua

    2014-03-10

    A fiber-distributed Ultra-wideband (UWB) noise radar was achieved, which consists of a chaotic UWB noise source based on optoelectronic oscillator (OEO), a fiber-distributed transmission link, a colorless base station (BS), and a cross-correlation processing module. Due to a polarization modulation based microwave photonic filter and an electrical UWB pass-band filter embedded in the feedback loop of the OEO, the power spectrum of chaotic UWB signal could be shaped and notch-filtered to avoid the spectrum-overlay-induced interference to the narrow band signals. Meanwhile, the wavelength-reusing could be implemented in the BS by means of the distributed polarization modulation-to-intensity modulation conversion. The experimental comparison for range finding was carried out as the chaotic UWB signal was notch-filtered at 5.2 GHz and 7.8 GHz or not. Measured results indicate that space resolution with cm-level could be realized after 3-km fiber transmission thanks to the excellent self-correlation property of the UWB noise signal provided by the OEO. The performance deterioration of the radar raised by the energy loss of the notch-filtered noise signal was negligible.

  8. Inkjet-Printed Ultra Wide Band Fractal Antennas

    KAUST Repository

    Maza, Armando Rodriguez

    2012-05-01

    In this work, Paper-based inkjet-printed Ultra-wide band (UWB) fractal antennas are presented. Three new designs, a combined UWB fractal monopole based on the fourth order Koch Snowflake fractal which utilizes a Sierpinski Gasket fractal for ink reduction, a Cantor-based fractal antenna which performs a larger bandwidth compared to previously published UWB Cantor fractal monopole antenna, and a 3D loop fractal antenna which attains miniaturization, impedance matching and multiband characteristics. It is shown that fractals prove to be a successful method of reducing fabrication cost in inkjet printed antennas while retaining or enhancing printed antenna performance.

  9. Water-Based Pressure Sensitive Paint

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oglesby, Donald M.; Ingram, JoAnne L.; Jordan, Jeffrey D.; Watkins, A. Neal; Leighty, Bradley D.

    2004-01-01

    Preparation and performance of a water-based pressure sensitive paint (PSP) is described. A water emulsion of an oxygen permeable polymer and a platinum porphyrin type luminescent compound were dispersed in a water matrix to produce a PSP that performs well without the use of volatile, toxic solvents. The primary advantages of this PSP are reduced contamination of wind tunnels in which it is used, lower health risk to its users, and easier cleanup and disposal. This also represents a cost reduction by eliminating the need for elaborate ventilation and user protection during application. The water-based PSP described has all the characteristics associated with water-based paints (low toxicity, very low volatile organic chemicals, and easy water cleanup) but also has high performance as a global pressure sensor for PSP measurements in wind tunnels. The use of a water-based PSP virtually eliminates the toxic fumes associated with the application of PSPs to a model in wind tunnels.

  10. Ultra Deep Wave Equation Imaging and Illumination

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Alexander M. Popovici; Sergey Fomel; Paul Sava; Sean Crawley; Yining Li; Cristian Lupascu

    2006-09-30

    In this project we developed and tested a novel technology, designed to enhance seismic resolution and imaging of ultra-deep complex geologic structures by using state-of-the-art wave-equation depth migration and wave-equation velocity model building technology for deeper data penetration and recovery, steeper dip and ultra-deep structure imaging, accurate velocity estimation for imaging and pore pressure prediction and accurate illumination and amplitude processing for extending the AVO prediction window. Ultra-deep wave-equation imaging provides greater resolution and accuracy under complex geologic structures where energy multipathing occurs, than what can be accomplished today with standard imaging technology. The objective of the research effort was to examine the feasibility of imaging ultra-deep structures onshore and offshore, by using (1) wave-equation migration, (2) angle-gathers velocity model building, and (3) wave-equation illumination and amplitude compensation. The effort consisted of answering critical technical questions that determine the feasibility of the proposed methodology, testing the theory on synthetic data, and finally applying the technology for imaging ultra-deep real data. Some of the questions answered by this research addressed: (1) the handling of true amplitudes in the downward continuation and imaging algorithm and the preservation of the amplitude with offset or amplitude with angle information required for AVO studies, (2) the effect of several imaging conditions on amplitudes, (3) non-elastic attenuation and approaches for recovering the amplitude and frequency, (4) the effect of aperture and illumination on imaging steep dips and on discriminating the velocities in the ultra-deep structures. All these effects were incorporated in the final imaging step of a real data set acquired specifically to address ultra-deep imaging issues, with large offsets (12,500 m) and long recording time (20 s).

  11. A low-cost, ultra-fast and ultra-low noise preamplifier for silicon avalanche photodiodes

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gasmi, Khaled

    2018-02-01

    An ultra-fast and ultra-low noise preamplifier for amplifying the fast and weak electrical signals generated by silicon avalanche photodiodes has been designed and developed. It is characterized by its simplicity, compactness, reliability and low cost of construction. A very wide bandwidth of 300 MHz, a very good linearity from 1 kHz to 280 MHz, an ultra-low noise level at the input of only 1.7 nV Hz-1/2 and a very good stability are its key features. The compact size (70 mm  ×  90 mm) and light weight (45 g), as well as its excellent characteristics, make this preamplifier very competitive compared to any commercial preamplifier. The preamplifier, which is a main part of the detection system of a homemade laser remote sensing system, has been successfully tested. In addition, it is versatile and can be used in any optical detection system requiring high speed and very low noise electronics.

  12. Static and dynamic magnetization properties of Y1Ba2Cu3Oz thin films

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sekula, S.T.

    1989-08-01

    Magnetization studies were carried out on Y 1 Ba 2 Cu 3 O z (YBCO) thin films that were e-beam evaporated onto circular discs of single-crystal SrTiO 3 with (001) and (110) faces as well as KTaO 3 with (001) faces. The measurements were made using vibrating sample (VSM) and SQUID-based magnetometry with the applied field perpendicular to the substrate surface. Critical current densities J c (H,T) are deduced from the magnetic hysteresis. Flux creep effects are observed over longer periods with the SQUID magnetometer. Analysis of the results of low frequency response of these films to collinear ac and dc magnetic fields are compared with the dc magnetometry results. J c (H,T) is observed to be quite sensitive to the type of epitaxial growth on the various substrates. 16 refs., 10 figs

  13. Taking water-based mud to extremes : new ultra-high temperature water-based mud development and applications in Europe

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Conn, L.; Cullum, D.; Ray, R.; Marinescu, P. [Mi SWACO, Calgary, AB (Canada)

    2008-07-01

    The design, development and field applications of an ultra-high temperature water-based mud used for drilling very deep and hot wells in continental Europe was described. Basin-centred gas production from unconventional tight sands represents a significant resources that may revive exploration and gas production. However, these accumulations lie deep down from normal-pressure reservoirs and the bottom hole static temperatures are greater than 200 degrees C. In addition, they host acid gases such as carbon dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. As such, there are severe limitations on the design and choice of drilling fluids. This paper also described the extensive laboratory work that is needed to optimize the formulation of drilling fluids for high densities and extreme high temperatures. The lessons learned were described with reference to critical engineering guidelines for running a water-based system in such harsh conditions. The effectiveness of new fluids in delivering optimum drilling in extreme high temperature high pressure (HTHP) conditions were demonstrated using a unique software program that predicted the rheological behaviour, pressure losses, equivalent circulating density and equivalent static density. The new water-based system proved to be effective in drilling HTHP wells in areas where invert emulsion drilling fluid systems are not allowed.

  14. Adequacy of the Ultra-Short-Term HRV to Assess Adaptive Processes in Youth Female Basketball Players.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakamura, Fabio Y; Pereira, Lucas A; Cal Abad, Cesar C; Cruz, Igor F; Flatt, Andrew A; Esco, Michael R; Loturco, Irineu

    2017-02-01

    Heart rate variability has been widely used to monitor athletes' cardiac autonomic control changes induced by training and competition, and recently shorter recording times have been sought to improve its practicality. The aim of this study was to test the agreement between the (ultra-short-term) natural log of the root-mean-square difference of successive normal RR intervals (lnRMSSD - measured in only 1 min post-1 min stabilization) and the criterion lnRMSSD (measured in the last 5 min out of 10 min of recording) in young female basketball players. Furthermore, the correlation between training induced delta change in the ultra-short-term lnRMSSD and the criterion lnRMSSD was calculated. Seventeen players were assessed at rest pre- and post-eight weeks of training. Trivial effect sizes (-0.03 in the pre- and 0.10 in the post- treatment) were found in the comparison between the ultra-short-term lnRMSSD (3.29 ± 0.45 and 3.49 ± 0.35 ms, in the pre- and post-, respectively) and the criterion lnRMSSD (3.30 ± 0.40 and 3.45 ± 0.41 ms, in the pre- and post-, respectively) (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.95 and 0.93). In both cases, the response to training was significant, with Pearson's correlation of 0.82 between the delta changes of the ultra-short-term lnRMSSD and the criterion lnRMSSD. In conclusion, the lnRMSSD can be calculated within only 2 min of data acquisition (the 1 st min discarded) in young female basketball players, with the ultra-short-term measure presenting similar sensitivity to training effects as the standard criterion measure.

  15. Ultras in Trnava: History, Activities and Ideology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kušnierová Daniela

    2014-12-01

    Full Text Available The environment of football fans is unknown phenomenon for the rest of the public. This article offers basic view on formation and functioning of the most numerous and the most active ultras group in Slovakia, Trnava fans. First part of the text encompasses a history overview of ultras movement, as well as an overview of basic activities of ultras fans during a football match and also outside of it. The second part of this text deals with the most debated activity of football fans, which is violence during a football match.

  16. A voxel-based investigation for MRI-only radiotherapy of the brain using ultra short echo times

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Edmund, Jens Morgenthaler; Kjer, Hans Martin; Van Leemput, Koen

    2014-01-01

    including or excluding additional spatial information. Approach 3 used a statistical regression correlating MRI voxels with their corresponding CT voxels. A similar photon and proton treatment plan was generated for a target positioned between the nasal cavity and the brainstem for all patients. The CT...... receiving cranial irradiation, each containing a co-registered MRI and CT scan, were included. An ultra short echo time MRI sequence for bone visualization was used. Six methods were investigated for three popular types of voxel-based approaches; (1) threshold-based segmentation, (2) Bayesian segmentation...... significantly better than the threshold and Bayesian segmentation methods (excluding spatial information). All methods agreed significantly better with CT than a reference water MRI comparison. The mean dosimetric deviation for photons and protons compared to the CT was about 2% and highest in the gradient dose...

  17. Development of an underground HPGe array facility for ultra low radioactivity measurements

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sala, E.; Kang, W. G.; Kim, Y. D.; Lee, M. H.; Leonard, D. S. [Center for Underground Physics - Institute for Basic Science, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Hahn, I. S.; Kim, G. W.; Park, S. Y. [Ewha Womans University, Physics Department, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-08-17

    Low Level Counting techniques using low background facilities are continuously under development to increase the possible sensitivity needed for rare physics events experiments. The CUP (Center for Underground Physics) group of IBS is developing, in collaboration with Canberra, a ultra low background instrument composed of two arrays facing each other with 7 HPGe detectors each. The low radioactive background of each detector has been evaluated and improved by the material selection of the detector components. Samples of all the building materials have been provided by the manufacturer and the contaminations had been measured using an optimized low background 100% HPGe with a dedicated shielding. The evaluation of the intrinsic background has been performed using MonteCarlo simulations and considering the contribution of each material with the measured contamination. To further reduce the background, the instrument will be placed in the new underground laboratory at YangYang exploiting the 700m mountain coverage and radon-free air supplying system. The array has been designed to perform various Ultra Low background measurements; the sensitivity we are expecting will allow not only low level measurements of Ra and Th contaminations in Copper or other usually pure materials, but also the search for rare decays. In particular some possible candidates and configurations to detect the 0νECEC (for example {sup 106}Cd and {sup 156}Dy) and rare β decays ({sup 96}Zr, {sup 180m}Ta , etc ) are under study.

  18. Ultra-high Rates and Reversible Capacity of Li-S Battery with a Nitrogen-doping Conductive Lewis Base Matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Cao, Yong; Li, Xi-long; Zheng, Ming-sen; Yang, Mao-ping; Yang, Xu-lai; Dong, Quan-feng

    2016-01-01

    Highlights: • A polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide (PPy/rGO) composite was prepared from in-situ hybridization of graphene oxide and pyrrole without additional oxidant. • Nitrogen doped graphene (NG) was obtained from the calcination of the PPy/rGO composite under 1500 °C and was confirmed with abundant pyridinic type nitrogen doping. • NG was employed as a conductive Lewis base matrix of sulfur cathode and the obtained composite cathode exhibited ultra-high rates and reversible capacity. • The excellent electrochemical performance can be attributed to the efficient adsorption of Li 2 S n (n=4-8) on the pyridinic-N enriched NG surface. - Abstract: To improve the electrochemical performance of lithium sulfur batteries, a conductive Lewis base matrix, nitrogen doped graphene (NG), was prepared here through a facile strategy of annealing a polypyrrole/reduced graphene oxide composite. The obtained NG was demonstrated with enriched pyridinic-N doping and was employed as the matrix of sulfur cathode with ultra-high rates, reversible capacity and high coulombic efficiency. The improved performance can be attributed to the high conductivity of the NG and the enhanced adsorption energy of Li 2 S n (n=4-8) on the NG surface. The NG can act not only as an electronic conductive network but also as a Lewis base “catalyst” matrix that promotes the higher Li 2 S n to be further oxidized completely to S 8 as demonstrated in the cyclic voltammetry curve, which can thus significantly improve the sulfur utilization and cyclic stability even at a high sulfur loading of 75% (w/w) in the S@NG composite.

  19. Ultra-thin chip technology and applications

    CERN Document Server

    2010-01-01

    Ultra-thin chips are the "smart skin" of a conventional silicon chip. This book shows how very thin and flexible chips can be fabricated and used in many new applications in microelectronics, microsystems, biomedical and other fields. It provides a comprehensive reference to the fabrication technology, post processing, characterization and the applications of ultra-thin chips.

  20. DFT coupled with NEGF study of ultra-sensitive HCN and HNC gases detection and distinct I-V response based on phosphorene.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pang, Jiu; Yang, Qun; Ma, Xiaosong; Wang, Liming; Tan, Chunjian; Xiong, Daxi; Ye, Huaiyu; Chen, Xianping

    2017-11-22

    The sensing performances of pristine and X-doped phosphorene substrates (X = Al, Si, and S atoms) toward the adsorption of the toxic gases HCN and HNC were systematically investigated by first-principles simulations. The numerical results show that the pristine phosphorene is sensitive to HCN and HNC molecules with moderate adsorption energy, excellent charge transfer, high sensitivity and selectivity, implying its potential applications as excellent HCN and HNC sensors. In addition, the Al-doped phosphorene exhibits extremely high reactive activity toward HCN and HNC gases; thus, it has potential for use as a metal-free catalyst for activating or catalyzing HCN or HNC adsorbates. Moreover, the transport properties, i.e., current-voltage (I-V) characteristics, were calculated by the non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) method within the framework of the density functional theory (DFT). The obtained results reveal that the adsorbed HCN or HNC gas molecules have a remarkable impact on the electronic conductivity of phosphorene, and the zigzag direction of phosphorene is more sensitive to gas molecules than the armchair direction. The combination of the high sensitivity, superior selectivity, and moderate adsorption energy of pristine phosphorene toward HCN or HNC gas molecules adsorption, makes phosphorene an excellent candidate for HCN and HNC sensors.

  1. Stretchers and compressors for ultra-high power laser systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yakovlev, I V [Institute of Applied Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Nizhnii Novgorod (Russian Federation)

    2014-05-30

    This review is concerned with pulse stretchers and compressors as key components of ultra-high power laser facilities that take advantage of chirped-pulse amplification. The potentialities, characteristics, configurations and methods for the matching and alignment of these devices are examined, with particular attention to the history of the optics of ultra-short, ultra-intense pulses before and after 1985, when the chirped-pulse amplification method was proposed, which drastically changed the view of the feasibility of creating ultra-high power laser sources. The review is intended primarily for young scientists and experts who begin to address the amplification and compression of chirped pulses, experts in laser optics and all who are interested in scientific achievements in the field of ultra-high power laser systems. (review)

  2. Sensitivity of a multi-photomultiplier optical module for KM3NeT

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Löhner, H.; Mjos, A.

    2009-01-01

    For the KM3NeT neutrino telescope an optical module with a number of small photomultiplier tubes (multi-PMT optical module) will be advantageous for various reasons, e.g. reduced background rate, a larger number of coincidence hits, and sensitivity to ultra-high energy neutrinos. The properties of

  3. Fabrication of all diamond scanning probes for nanoscale magnetometry

    OpenAIRE

    Appel Patrick; Neu Elke; Ganzhorn Marc; Barfuss Arne; Batzer Marietta; Gratz Micha; Tschoepe Andreas; Maletinsky Patrick

    2016-01-01

    The electronic spin of the nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond forms an atomically sized, highly sensitive sensor for magnetic fields. To harness the full potential of individual NV centers for sensing with high sensitivity and nanoscale spatial resolution, NV centers have to be incorporated into scanning probe structures enabling controlled scanning in close proximity to the sample surface. Here, we present an optimized procedure to fabricate single-crystal, all-diamond scanning probes s...

  4. Design of a birefringent Michelson interferometer-based interleaver with ultra-low dispersion and low cost.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Haocheng; Zheng, Baozhong; Liu, Qingming; Li, Yang; Wu, Li; Gu, Shijie

    2011-11-21

    We design and demonstrate a birefringent Michelson interferometer based interleaver with ultra-low dispersion and low cost. The interleaver consists of polarizing beam splitters (PBS's) and quarter-wave plates and half-wave plates. The PBS's based Michelson interferometers provide the optical path difference for interference between the two orthogonal polarization components and the half-wave plates provide the birefringent needed to minimize ripple of output. The designed interleaver with two-stage interferometer in a 50 GHz channel spacing application exhibits a 0.5 dB passband and a 25 dB stopband both 27 GHz; a channel isolation higher than 35 dB and chromatic dispersion less than ±5 ps/nm within 0.5 dB passband; 1.3 dB insertion loss and 0.3 dB PDL; 0.04 GHz/°C thermal stability. Since all of the optical components can be optically bonded together, the device is robust and easy to be aligned, which reduces labor cost. © 2011 Optical Society of America

  5. Mechanism and experimental research on ultra-precision grinding of ferrite

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ban, Xinxing; Zhao, Huiying; Dong, Longchao; Zhu, Xueliang; Zhang, Chupeng; Gu, Yawen

    2017-02-01

    Ultra-precision grinding of ferrite is conducted to investigate the removal mechanism. Effect of the accuracy of machine tool key components on grinding surface quality is analyzed. The surface generation model of ferrite ultra-precision grinding machining is established. In order to reveal the surface formation mechanism of ferrite in the process of ultraprecision grinding, furthermore, the scientific and accurate of the calculation model are taken into account to verify the grinding surface roughness, which is proposed. Orthogonal experiment is designed using the high precision aerostatic turntable and aerostatic spindle for ferrite which is a typical hard brittle materials. Based on the experimental results, the influence factors and laws of ultra-precision grinding surface of ferrite are discussed through the analysis of the surface roughness. The results show that the quality of ferrite grinding surface is the optimal parameters, when the wheel speed of 20000r/mm, feed rate of 10mm/min, grinding depth of 0.005mm, and turntable rotary speed of 5r/min, the surface roughness Ra can up to 75nm.

  6. Ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry measurement of climbazole deposition from hair care products onto artificial skin and human scalp

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Chen, G.; Hoptroff, M.; Fei, X.; Su, Y.; Janssen, H.-G.

    2013-01-01

    A sensitive and specific ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UHPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for the measurement of climbazole deposition from hair care products onto artificial skin and human scalp. Deuterated climbazole was used as the internal

  7. Consumption of ultra-processed foods predicts diet quality in Canada.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Batal, M; Louzada, M L; Martinez Steele, E; Monteiro, C A

    2017-01-01

    This study describes food consumption patterns in Canada according to the types of food processing using the Nova classification and investigates the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and the nutrient profile of the diet. Dietary intakes of 33,694 individuals from the 2004 Canadian Community Health Survey aged 2 years and above were analyzed. Food and drinks were classified using Nova into unprocessed or minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods and ultra-processed foods. Average consumption (total daily energy intake) and relative consumption (% of total energy intake) provided by each of the food groups were calculated. Consumption of ultra-processed foods according to sex, age, education, residential location and relative family revenue was assessed. Mean nutrient content of ultra-processed foods and non-ultra-processed foods were compared, and the average nutrient content of the overall diet across quintiles of dietary share of ultra-processed foods was measured. In 2004, 48% of calories consumed by Canadians came from ultra-processed foods. Consumption of such foods was high amongst all socioeconomic groups, and particularly in children and adolescents. As a group, ultra-processed foods were grossly nutritionally inferior to non-ultra-processed foods. After adjusting for covariates, a significant and positive relationship was found between the dietary share of ultra-processed foods and the content in carbohydrates, free sugars, total and saturated fats and energy density, while an inverse relationship was observed with the dietary content in protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, D, B6 and B12, niacin, thiamine, riboflavin, as well as zinc, iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and potassium. Lowering the dietary share of ultra-processed foods and raising consumption of hand-made meals from unprocessed or minimally processed foods would substantially improve the diet quality of Canadian. Copyright © 2016

  8. Space-Based Diagnosis of Surface Ozone Sensitivity to Anthropogenic Emissions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martin, Randall V.; Fiore, Arlene M.; VanDonkelaar, Aaron

    2004-01-01

    We present a novel capability in satellite remote sensing with implications for air pollution control strategy. We show that the ratio of formaldehyde columns to tropospheric nitrogen dioxide columns is an indicator of the relative sensitivity of surface ozone to emissions of nitrogen oxides (NO(x) = NO + NO2) and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The diagnosis from these space-based observations is highly consistent with current understanding of surface ozone chemistry based on in situ observations. The satellite-derived ratios indicate that surface ozone is more sensitive to emissions of NO(x) than of VOCs throughout most continental regions of the Northern Hemisphere during summer. Exceptions include Los Angeles and industrial areas of Germany. A seasonal transition occurs in the fall when surface ozone becomes less sensitive to NOx and more sensitive to VOCs.

  9. An ultra-sensitive biophysical risk assessment of light effect on skin cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bennet, Devasier; Viswanath, Buddolla; Kim, Sanghyo; An, Jeong Ho

    2017-07-18

    The aim of this study was to analyze photo-dynamic and photo-pathology changes of different color light radiations on human adult skin cells. We used a real-time biophysical and biomechanics monitoring system for light-induced cellular changes in an in vitro model to find mechanisms of the initial and continuous degenerative process. Cells were exposed to intermittent, mild and intense (1-180 min) light with On/Off cycles, using blue, green, red and white light. Cellular ultra-structural changes, damages, and ECM impair function were evaluated by up/down-regulation of biophysical, biomechanical and biochemical properties. All cells exposed to different color light radiation showed significant changes in a time-dependent manner. Particularly, cell growth, stiffness, roughness, cytoskeletal integrity and ECM proteins of the human dermal fibroblasts-adult (HDF-a) cells showed highest alteration, followed by human epidermal keratinocytes-adult (HEK-a) cells and human epidermal melanocytes-adult (HEM-a) cells. Such changes might impede the normal cellular functions. Overall, the obtained results identify a new insight that may contribute to premature aging, and causes it to look aged in younger people. Moreover, these results advance our understanding of the different color light-induced degenerative process and help the development of new therapeutic strategies.

  10. Comparison of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography, ultra high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography for the separation of synthetic cathinones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carnes, Stephanie; O'Brien, Stacey; Szewczak, Angelica; Tremeau-Cayel, Lauriane; Rowe, Walter F; McCord, Bruce; Lurie, Ira S

    2017-09-01

    A comparison of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography, ultra high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography for the separation of synthetic cathinones has been conducted. Nine different mixtures of bath salts were analyzed in this study. The three different chromatographic techniques were examined using a general set of controlled synthetic cathinones as well as a variety of other synthetic cathinones that exist as positional isomers. Overall 35 different synthetic cathinones were analyzed. A variety of column types and chromatographic modes were examined for developing each separation. For the ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography separations, analyses were performed using a series of Torus and Trefoil columns with either ammonium formate or ammonium hydroxide as additives, and methanol, ethanol or isopropanol organic solvents as modifiers. Ultra high performance liquid chromatographic separations were performed in both reversed phase and hydrophilic interaction chromatographic modes using SPP C18 and SPP HILIC columns. Gas chromatography separations were performed using an Elite-5MS capillary column. The orthogonality of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography, ultra high performance liquid chromatography, and gas chromatography was examined using principal component analysis. For the best overall separation of synthetic cathinones, the use of ultra high performance supercritical fluid chromatography in combination with gas chromatography is recommended. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Adjoint-based sensitivity analysis of low-order thermoacoustic networks using a wave-based approach

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aguilar, José G.; Magri, Luca; Juniper, Matthew P.

    2017-07-01

    Strict pollutant emission regulations are pushing gas turbine manufacturers to develop devices that operate in lean conditions, with the downside that combustion instabilities are more likely to occur. Methods to predict and control unstable modes inside combustion chambers have been developed in the last decades but, in some cases, they are computationally expensive. Sensitivity analysis aided by adjoint methods provides valuable sensitivity information at a low computational cost. This paper introduces adjoint methods and their application in wave-based low order network models, which are used as industrial tools, to predict and control thermoacoustic oscillations. Two thermoacoustic models of interest are analyzed. First, in the zero Mach number limit, a nonlinear eigenvalue problem is derived, and continuous and discrete adjoint methods are used to obtain the sensitivities of the system to small modifications. Sensitivities to base-state modification and feedback devices are presented. Second, a more general case with non-zero Mach number, a moving flame front and choked outlet, is presented. The influence of the entropy waves on the computed sensitivities is shown.

  12. Ultra Low Voltage Class AB Switched Current Memory Cells Based on Floating Gate Transistors

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mucha, Igor

    1999-01-01

    current memory cells were designed using a CMOS process with threshold voltages V-T0n = \\V-T0p\\ = 0.9 V for the n- and p-channel devices. Both hand calculations and PSPICE simulations showed that the designed example switched current memory cell allowed a maximum signal range better than +/-18 mu......A proposal for a class AB switched current memory cell, suitable for ultra-low-voltage applications is presented. The proposal employs transistors with floating gates, allowing to build analog building blocks for ultralow supply voltage operation also in CMOS processes with high threshold voltages....... This paper presents the theoretical basis for the design of "floating-gate'' switched current memory cells by giving a detailed description and analysis of the most important impacts degrading the performance of the cells. To support the theoretical assumptions circuits based on "floating-gate'' switched...

  13. An Ultra-Wideband Millimeter-Wave Phased Array

    Science.gov (United States)

    Novak, Markus H.; Miranda, Felix A.; Volakis, John L.

    2016-01-01

    Wideband millimeter-wave arrays are of increasing importance due to their growing use in high data rate systems, including 5G communication networks. In this paper, we present a new class of ultra-wideband millimeter wave arrays that operate from nearly 20 GHz to 90 GHz. The array is based on tightly coupled dipoles. Feeding designs and fabrication challenges are presented, and a method for suppressing feed resonances is provided.

  14. Reliability assessment of ultra-thin HfO{sub 2} films deposited on silicon wafer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fu, Wei-En [Center for Measurement Standards, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Room 216, Building 8, 321 Kuang Fu Road Sec. 2, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Chang, Chia-Wei [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Chang, Yong-Qing [Center for Measurement Standards, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Room 216, Building 8, 321 Kuang Fu Road Sec. 2, Hsinchu, Taiwan (China); Yao, Chih-Kai [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China); Liao, Jiunn-Der, E-mail: jdliao@mail.ncku.edu.tw [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 1 University Road, Tainan 70101, Taiwan (China)

    2012-09-01

    sensitive nano-indentation. Quality assessments on as-deposited and annealed HfO{sub 2} films can be thereafter used to estimate the mechanical properties and adhesion of ultra-thin HfO{sub 2} films on SiO{sub 2}/Si substrates.

  15. Computer models versus reality: how well do in silico models currently predict the sensitization potential of a substance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Teubner, Wera; Mehling, Anette; Schuster, Paul Xaver; Guth, Katharina; Worth, Andrew; Burton, Julien; van Ravenzwaay, Bennard; Landsiedel, Robert

    2013-12-01

    National legislations for the assessment of the skin sensitization potential of chemicals are increasingly based on the globally harmonized system (GHS). In this study, experimental data on 55 non-sensitizing and 45 sensitizing chemicals were evaluated according to GHS criteria and used to test the performance of computer (in silico) models for the prediction of skin sensitization. Statistic models (Vega, Case Ultra, TOPKAT), mechanistic models (Toxtree, OECD (Q)SAR toolbox, DEREK) or a hybrid model (TIMES-SS) were evaluated. Between three and nine of the substances evaluated were found in the individual training sets of various models. Mechanism based models performed better than statistical models and gave better predictivities depending on the stringency of the domain definition. Best performance was achieved by TIMES-SS, with a perfect prediction, whereby only 16% of the substances were within its reliability domain. Some models offer modules for potency; however predictions did not correlate well with the GHS sensitization subcategory derived from the experimental data. In conclusion, although mechanistic models can be used to a certain degree under well-defined conditions, at the present, the in silico models are not sufficiently accurate for broad application to predict skin sensitization potentials. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. The derivative based variance sensitivity analysis for the distribution parameters and its computation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Pan; Lu, Zhenzhou; Ren, Bo; Cheng, Lei

    2013-01-01

    The output variance is an important measure for the performance of a structural system, and it is always influenced by the distribution parameters of inputs. In order to identify the influential distribution parameters and make it clear that how those distribution parameters influence the output variance, this work presents the derivative based variance sensitivity decomposition according to Sobol′s variance decomposition, and proposes the derivative based main and total sensitivity indices. By transforming the derivatives of various orders variance contributions into the form of expectation via kernel function, the proposed main and total sensitivity indices can be seen as the “by-product” of Sobol′s variance based sensitivity analysis without any additional output evaluation. Since Sobol′s variance based sensitivity indices have been computed efficiently by the sparse grid integration method, this work also employs the sparse grid integration method to compute the derivative based main and total sensitivity indices. Several examples are used to demonstrate the rationality of the proposed sensitivity indices and the accuracy of the applied method

  17. Ultra-broadband and wide-angle perfect absorber based on composite metal-semiconductor grating

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Xu; Wang, Zongpeng; Hou, Yumin

    2018-01-01

    In this letter, we present an ultra-broadband and wide-angle perfect absorber based on composite Ge-Ni grating. Near perfect absorption above 90% is achieved in a wide frequency range from 150 nm to 4200 nm, which covers almost the full spectrum of solar radiation. The absorption keeps robust in a wide range of incident angle from 0º to 60º. The upper triangle Ge grating works as an antireflection coating. The lower Ni grating works as a reflector and an effective energy trapper. The guided modes inside Ge grating are excited due to reflection of the lower Ni grating surface. In longer wavelength band, gap surface plasmons (GSPs) in the Ni grating are excited and couple with the guided modes inside the Ge grating. The coupled modes extend the perfect absorption band to the near-infrared region (150 nm-4200 nm). This design has potential application in photovoltaic devices and thermal emitters.

  18. Silicon-Based Asymmetric Add-Drop Microring Resonators with Ultra-Large Through-Port Extinctions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Xi, Xiao; Yun-Tao, Li; Yu-De, Yu; Jin-Zhong, Yu

    2010-01-01

    We theoretically simulate and experimentally demonstrate ultra-large through-port extinctions in silicon-based asymmetrically-coupled add-drop microring resonators (MRs). Through-port responses in an add-drop MR are analyzed by simulations and large extinctions are found when the MR is near-critically coupled. Accurate fabrication techniques are applied in producing a series of 20 μm-radii add-drop microrings with drop-side gap-widths in slight differences. A through-port extinction of about 42.7 dB is measured in an MR with through- and drop-side gap-width to be respectively 280nm and 295nm. The large extinction suggests about a 20.5 dB improvement from the symmetrical add-drop MR of the same size and the through-side gap-width. The experimental results are finally compared with the post-fabrication simulations, which show a gap-width tolerance of > 30 am for the through-port extinction enhancement

  19. Apparatus And Method For Wireless Monitoring Using Ultra-wideband Frequencies

    KAUST Repository

    Sana, Furrukh

    2015-04-23

    A system for and a method of wirelessly monitoring one or more patients can include transmitting ultra-wideband pulses toward the one or more patients, receiving ultra-wideband signals, and sampling the ultra-wideband signals. Sampling the ultra-wideband pulses can be performed with a sample rate that is less than the Nyquist rate. Impulse response can be estimated and/or recovered by exploiting sparsity of the impulse response.

  20. Sensitivity-based virtual fields for the non-linear virtual fields method

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marek, Aleksander; Davis, Frances M.; Pierron, Fabrice

    2017-09-01

    The virtual fields method is an approach to inversely identify material parameters using full-field deformation data. In this manuscript, a new set of automatically-defined virtual fields for non-linear constitutive models has been proposed. These new sensitivity-based virtual fields reduce the influence of noise on the parameter identification. The sensitivity-based virtual fields were applied to a numerical example involving small strain plasticity; however, the general formulation derived for these virtual fields is applicable to any non-linear constitutive model. To quantify the improvement offered by these new virtual fields, they were compared with stiffness-based and manually defined virtual fields. The proposed sensitivity-based virtual fields were consistently able to identify plastic model parameters and outperform the stiffness-based and manually defined virtual fields when the data was corrupted by noise.

  1. Ultra low power full adder topologies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Moradi, Farshad; Wisland, Dag T.; Mahmoodi, Hamid

    In this paper several low power full adder topologies are presented. The main idea of these circuits is based on the sense energy recovery full adder (SERF) design and the GDI (gate diffusion input) technique. These subthreshold circuits are employed for ultra low power applications. While the pr...... the proposed circuits have some area overhead that is negligible, they have at least 62% less power dissipation when compared with existing designs. In this paper, 65 nm standard models are used for simulations....

  2. Laser beam welding of new ultra-high strength and supra-ductile steels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dahmen, Martin

    2015-03-01

    Ultra-high strength and supra-ductile are entering fields of new applications. Those materials are excellent candidates for modern light-weight construction and functional integration. As ultra-high strength steels the stainless martensitic grade 1.4034 and the bainitic steel UNS 53835 are investigated. For the supra-ductile steels stand two high austenitic steels with 18 and 28 % manganese. As there are no processing windows an approach from the metallurgical base on is required. Adjusting the weld microstructure the Q+P and the QT steels require weld heat treatment. The HSD steel is weldable without. Due to their applications the ultra-high strength steels are welded in as-rolled and strengthened condition. Also the reaction of the weld on hot stamping is reflected for the martensitic grades. The supra-ductile steels are welded as solution annealed and work hardened by 50%. The results show the general suitability for laser beam welding.

  3. 7th conference on ultra-wideband, short-pulse electromagnetics

    CERN Document Server

    Schenk, Uwe; Nitsch, Daniel; Sabath, Frank; Ultra-Wideband, Short-Pulse Electromagnetics 7; UWBSP7

    2007-01-01

    Ultra-wideband (UWB), short-pulse (SP) electromagnetics are now being used for an increasingly wide variety of applications, including collision avoidance radar, concealed object detection, and communications. Notable progress in UWB and SP technologies has been achieved by investigations of their theoretical bases and improvements in solid-state manufacturing, computers, and digitizers. UWB radar systems are also being used for mine clearing, oil pipeline inspections, archeology, geology, and electronic effects testing. Ultra-Wideband Short-Pulse Electromagnetics 7 presents selected papers of deep technical content and high scientific quality from the UWB-SP7 Conference, including wide-ranging contributions on electromagnetic theory, scattering, UWB antennas, UWB systems, ground penetrating radar (GPR), UWB communications, pulsed-power generation, time-domain computational electromagnetics, UWB compatibility, target detection and discrimination, propagation through dispersive media, and wavelet and multi-res...

  4. Development of a highly sensitive methodology for quantitative determination of fexofenadine in a microdose study by multiple injection method using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tanaka, Yukari; Yoshikawa, Yutaka; Yasui, Hiroyuki

    2012-01-01

    An ultra high-sensitivity method for quantifying fexofenadine concentration in rat plasma samples by multiple injection method (MIM) was developed for a microdose study. In this study, MIM involved continuous injections of multiple samples containing the single compound into a column of the ultra-HPLC (UHPLC) system, and then, temporary trapping of the analyte at the column head. This was followed by elution of the compound from the column and detection by mass spectrometer. Fexofenadine, used as a model compound in this study, was extracted from the plasma samples by a protein precipitation method. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a reversed-phase C18 column by using a gradient method with 0.1% formic acid and 0.1% formic acid in acetonitrile as the mobile phase. The analyte was quantified in the positive-ion electrospray ionization mode using selected reaction monitoring. In this study, the analytical time per fexofenadine sample was approximately 2 min according to the UHPLC system. The method exhibited the linear dynamic ranges of 5-5000 pg/mL for fexofenadine in rat plasma. The intra-day precisions were from 3.2 to 8.7% and the accuracy range was 95.2-99.3%. The inter-day precisions and accuracies ranged from 3.5 to 8.4% and from 98.6 to 102.6%, respectively. The validated MIM was successfully applied to a microdose study in the rats that received oral administration of 100 µg/kg fexofenadine. We suggest that this method might be beneficial for the quantification of fexofenadine concentrations in a microdose clinical study.

  5. Ultra Low Energy Binary Decision Diagram Circuits Using Few Electron Transistors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saripalli, Vinay; Narayanan, Vijay; Datta, Suman

    Novel medical applications involving embedded sensors, require ultra low energy dissipation with low-to-moderate performance (10kHz-100MHz) driving the conventional MOSFETs into sub-threshold operation regime. In this paper, we present an alternate ultra-low power computing architecture using Binary Decision Diagram based logic circuits implemented using Single Electron Transistors (SETs) operating in the Coulomb blockade regime with very low supply voltages. We evaluate the energy - performance tradeoff metrics of such BDD circuits using time domain Monte Carlo simulations and compare them with the energy-optimized CMOS logic circuits. Simulation results show that the proposed approach achieves better energy-delay characteristics than CMOS realizations.

  6. Ultra-flexible lithium ion batteries fabricated by electrodeposition and solvothermal synthesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Jian; Zhang, Lei; Zhou, Qingwen; Wu, Wenlu; Zhu, Chao; Liu, Ziqiang; Chang, Shaozhong; Pu, Jun; Zhang, Huigang

    2017-01-01

    Cathodes have been one of the major challenges of flexible batteries. The traditional slurry-based technologies lead to loose interparticle connection, which is vulnerable upon bending. The direct fabrication of cathode materials requires high temperatures, which may destroy flexible substrates. Here we developed an electrodepostion and solvothermal route to conformally coat cathode material on a flexible scaffold. The monolithic electrode enables an ultra-flexible lithium ion battery because of the close attachment of active materials to flexible scaffolds and the interlock effect between the hard shell and soft core. This ultra-flexible battery retains 58.8% of initial capacity even after bending 4000 cycles.

  7. New solid laser: Ceramic laser. From ultra stable laser to ultra high output laser

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ueda, Kenichi

    2006-01-01

    An epoch-making solid laser is developed. It is ceramic laser, polycrystal, which is produced as same as glass and shows ultra high output. Ti 3+ :Al 2 O 3 laser crystal and the CPA (chirped pulse amplification) technique realized new ultra high output lasers. Japan has developed various kinds of ceramic lasers, from 10 -2 to 67 x 10 3 w average output, since 1995. These ceramic lasers were studied by gravitational radiation astronomy. The scattering coefficient of ceramic laser is smaller than single crystals. The new fast ignition method is proposed by Institute of Laser Engineering of Osaka University, Japan. Ultra-intense short pulse laser can inject the required energy to the high-density imploded core plasma within the core disassembling time. Ti 3+ :Al 2 O 3 crystal for laser, ceramic YAG of large caliber for 100 kW, transparent laser ceramic from nano-crystals, crystal grain and boundary layer between grains, the scattering coefficient of single crystal and ceramic, and the derived release cross section of Yb:YAG ceramic are described. (S.Y.)

  8. Ultra-low-power and ultra-low-cost short-range wireless receivers in nanoscale CMOS

    CERN Document Server

    Lin, Zhicheng; Martins, Rui Paulo

    2016-01-01

    This book provides readers with a description of state-of-the-art techniques to be used for ultra-low-power (ULP) and ultra-low-cost (ULC), short-range wireless receivers. Readers will learn what is required to deploy these receivers in short-range wireless sensor networks, which are proliferating widely to serve the internet of things (IoT) for “smart cities.” The authors address key challenges involved with the technology and the typical tradeoffs between ULP and ULC. Three design examples with advanced circuit techniques are described in order to address these trade-offs, which specially focus on cost minimization. These three techniques enable respectively, cascading of radio frequency (RF) and baseband (BB) circuits under an ultra-low-voltage (ULV) supply, cascoding of RF and BB circuits in current domain for current reuse, and a novel function-reuse receiver architecture, suitable for ULV and multi-band ULP applications such as the sub-GHz ZigBee. ·         Summarizes the state-of-the-art i...

  9. Ultra-high wear resistance of ultra-nanocrystalline diamond film: Correlation with microstructure and morphology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rani, R.; Kumar, N.; Lin, I.-Nan

    2016-05-01

    Nanostructured diamond films are having numerous unique properties including superior tribological behavior which is promising for enhancing energy efficiency and life time of the sliding devices. High wear resistance is the principal criterion for the smooth functioning of any sliding device. Such properties are achievable by tailoring the grain size and grain boundary volume fraction in nanodiamond film. Ultra-nanocrystalline diamond (UNCD) film was attainable using optimized gas plasma condition in a microwave plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MPECVD) system. Crystalline phase of ultra-nanodiamond grains with matrix phase of amorphous carbon and short range ordered graphite are encapsulated in nanowire shaped morphology. Film showed ultra-high wear resistance and frictional stability in micro-tribological contact conditions. The negligible wear of film at the beginning of the tribological contact was later transformed into the wearless regime for prolonged sliding cycles. Both surface roughness and high contact stress were the main reasons of wear at the beginning of sliding cycles. However, the interface gets smoothened due to continuous sliding, finally leaded to the wearless regime.

  10. Enhancing sensitivity of SERRS nanoprobes by modifying heptamethine cyanine-based reporter molecules

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yunfei Zhang

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Surface enhanced resonance Raman scattering (SERRS is a physical phenomenon that occurs when the energy of incident light is close to that of electronic excitation of reporter molecules (RMs attached on substrates. SERRS has showed great promise in healthcare applications such as tumor diagnosis, image-guided tumor surgery and real-time evaluation of therapeutic response due to its ultra-sensitivity, manipulating convenience and easy accessibility. As the most widely used organic near-infrared (NIR fluorophore, heptamethine cyanines possess the electronic excitation energy that is close to the plasmon absorption energy of the gold nano-scaffolds, which results in the extraordinary enhancement of the SERRS signal. However, the effect of heptamethine cyanine structure and the gold nanoparticle morphology to the SERRS intensity are barely investigated. This work developed a series of SERRS nanoprobes in which two heptamethine cyanine derivatives (IR783 and IR780 were used as the RM and three gold nanoparticles (nanorod, nanosphere and nanostar were used as the substrates. Interestingly, even though IR780 and IR783 possess very similar chemical structure, SERRS signal produced by IR780 was determined as 14 times higher than that of IR783 when the RM concentration was 6.5 × 10−6M. In contrast, less than 4.0 fold SERRS signal intensity increase was measured by changing the substrate morphologies. Above experimental results indicate that finely tuning the chemical structure of the heptamethine cyanine could be a feasible way to develop robust SERRS probes to visualize tumor or guide tumor resection with high sensitivity and target to background ratio.

  11. Modeling Bloch oscillations in ultra-small Josephson junctions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vora, Heli; Kautz, Richard; Nam, Sae Woo; Aumentado, Jose

    In a seminal paper, Likharev et al. developed a theory for ultra-small Josephson junctions with Josephson coupling energy (Ej) less than the charging energy (Ec) and showed that such junctions demonstrate Bloch oscillations which could be used to make a fundamental current standard that is a dual of the Josephson volt standard. Here, based on the model of Geigenmüller and Schön, we numerically calculate the current-voltage relationship of such an ultra-small junction which includes various error processes present in a nanoscale Josephson junction such as random quasiparticle tunneling events and Zener tunneling between bands. This model allows us to explore the parameter space to see the effect of each process on the width and height of the Bloch step and serves as a guide to determine whether it is possible to build a quantum current standard of a metrological precision using Bloch oscillations.

  12. A molecularly imprinted electrochemiluminescence sensor based on the mimetic enzyme catalytic effect for ultra-trace Ni2+ determination.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Bin; Li, Jianping; Zhang, Lianming; Xu, Guobao

    2016-10-21

    A novel molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) electrochemiluminescence (MIP-ECL) sensor was developed for the highly sensitive and selective determination of ultra-trace levels of Ni 2+ . The complex Ni 2+ -dimethylglyoxime (Ni-DMG) was chosen as the template molecule to construct the MIP and then acted as a mimetic enzyme to catalyse the oxidisation of luminol to enhance the ECL signal. When the imprinted cavities were occupied by Ni-DMG in the rebinding process, the ECL intensities produced by the luminol-H 2 O 2 ECL system on the MIP-modified electrode surface increased with increased concentration of the Ni-DMG complex. The highly sensitive determination of Ni 2+ was achieved through a catalytic reaction. This technique could be used for the quantitative analysis of Ni 2+ with concentrations from 3.0 × 10 -12 mol L -1 to 6.0 × 10 -9 mol L -1 . The detection limit was 1.01 × 10 -12 mol L -1 , which is much lower than that reported previously. In addition, the allowable amounts of interference ions in the MIP-ECL sensor were higher than that in other common molecularly imprinted sensors because of its excellent recognition of 3D cavity-to-complex molecules and ligand-to-metal ions. This method was successfully used to determine Ni 2+ in real samples, such as apples, carrots and grapes, and has been proven feasible for practical applications.

  13. Imaging Frontostriatal Function in Ultra-High-Risk, Early, and Chronic Schizophrenia During Executive Processing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morey, Rajendra A.; Inan, Seniha; Mitchell, Teresa V.; Perkins, Diana O.; Lieberman, Jeffrey A.; Belger, Aysenil

    2009-01-01

    Context Individuals experiencing prodromal symptoms of schizophrenia (ultra-high-risk group) demonstrate impaired performance on tasks of executive function, attention, and working memory. The neurobiological underpinnings of such executive deficits in ultra-high-risk individuals remains unclear. Objective We assessed frontal and striatal functions during a visual oddball continuous performance task, in ultra-high-risk, early, and chronic schizophrenic patients with the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging. Design Cross-sectional case-control design. Setting Community; outpatient clinic. Patients Fifty-two individuals (control, n = 16; ultra-high risk, n = 10; early, n = 15; chronic, n = 11) from a referred clinical sample and age- and sex-matched control volunteers underwent scanning. Main Outcome Measures Percentage of active voxels and percentage signal change calculated for the anterior cingulate gyrus (ACG), middle frontal gyrus (MFG), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), basal ganglia, and thalamus. Performance on the visual oddball task was measured with percentage of hits and d′ (a measure based on the hit rate and the false-alarm rate). Results The ultra-high-risk group showed significantly smaller differential activation between task-relevant and task-irrelevant stimuli in the frontal regions (ACG, IFG, MFG) than the control group. Frontostriatal activation associated with target stimuli in the early and chronic groups was significantly lower than the control group, while the ultra-high-risk group showed a trend toward the early group. Conclusions Our findings suggest that prefrontal function begins to decline before the onset of syndromally defined illness and hence may represent a vulnerability marker in assessing the risk of developing psychotic disorders among ultra-high-risk individuals. PMID:15753238

  14. Further demonstration of the VRLA-type UltraBattery under medium-HEV duty and development of the flooded-type UltraBattery for micro-HEV applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Furukawa, J.; Takada, T.; Monma, D. [The Furukawa Battery Co., Ltd., R and D Division, 23-6 Kuidesaku, Shimofunao-machi, Joban, Iwaki-city, 972-8501 (Japan); Lam, L.T. [CSIRO Energy Technology, Bayview Avenue, Clayton South, Vic. 3169 (Australia)

    2010-02-15

    The UltraBattery has been invented by the CSIRO Energy Technology in Australia and has been developed and produced by the Furukawa Battery Co., Ltd., Japan. This battery is a hybrid energy storage device which combines a super capacitor and a lead-acid battery in single unit cells, taking the best from both technologies without the need of extra, expensive electronic controls. The capacitor enhances the power and lifespan of the lead-acid battery as it acts as a buffer during high-rate discharging and charging, thus enabling it to provide and absorb charge rapidly during vehicle acceleration and braking. The laboratory results of the prototype valve-regulated UltraBatteries show that the capacity, power, available energy, cold cranking and self-discharge of these batteries have met, or exceeded, all the respective performance targets set for both minimum and maximum power-assist HEVs. The cycling performance of the UltraBatteries under micro-, mild- and full-HEV duties is at least four times longer than that of the state-of-the-art lead-acid batteries. Importantly, the cycling performance of UltraBatteries is proven to be comparable or even better than that of the Ni-MH cells. On the other hand, the field trial of UltraBatteries in the Honda Insight HEV shows that the vehicle has surpassed 170,000 km and the batteries are still in a healthy condition. Furthermore, the UltraBatteries demonstrate very good acceptance of the charge from regenerative braking even at high state-of-charge, e.g., 70% during driving. Therefore, no equalization charge is required for the UltraBatteries during field trial. The HEV powered by UltraBatteries gives slightly higher fuel consumption (cf., 4.16 with 4.05 L/100 km) and CO{sub 2} emissions (cf., 98.8 with 96 g km{sup -1}) compared with that by Ni-MH cells. There are no differences in driving experience between the Honda Insight powered by UltraBatteries and by Ni-MH cells. Given such comparable performance, the UltraBattery pack

  15. Angular dependence of the disorder crossover in the vortex lattice of Bi2.15Sr1.85CaCu2O8+δ by muon spin rotation and torque magnetometry

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aegerter, C.M.; Hofer, J.; Savic, I.M.; Keller, H.; Lee, S.L.; Ager, C.; Lloyd, S.H.; Forgan, E.M.

    1998-01-01

    Using the techniques of muon spin rotation and torque magnetometry, we investigate the crossover field B cr in Bi 2.15 Sr 1.85 Ca 1 Cu 2 O 8+δ at which the vortex lattice becomes disordered along the field direction. It is found that B cr scales as the projection of the applied field along the perpendicular to the superconducting planes. This has the implication that a field large enough to give a disordered lattice when applied perpendicular to the planes, can give a well-ordered vortex-line lattice for angles of the field to the c axis greater than a critical value. copyright 1998 The American Physical Society

  16. Ultra-Widefield Steering-Based Spectral-Domain Optical Coherence Tomography Imaging of the Retinal Periphery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Choudhry, Netan; Golding, John; Manry, Matthew W; Rao, Rajesh C

    2016-06-01

    To describe the spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) features of peripheral retinal findings using an ultra-widefield (UWF) steering technique to image the retinal periphery. Observational study. A total of 68 patients (68 eyes) with 19 peripheral retinal features. Spectral-domain OCT-based structural features. Nineteen peripheral retinal features, including vortex vein, congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium, pars plana, ora serrata pearl, typical cystoid degeneration (TCD), cystic retinal tuft, meridional fold, lattice and cobblestone degeneration, retinal hole, retinal tear, rhegmatogenous retinal detachment, typical degenerative senile retinoschisis, peripheral laser coagulation scars, ora tooth, cryopexy scars (retinal tear and treated retinoblastoma scar), bone spicules, white without pressure, and peripheral drusen, were identified by peripheral clinical examination. Near-infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscopy images and SD OCT of these entities were registered to UWF color photographs. Spectral-domain OCT resolved structural features of all peripheral findings. Dilated hyporeflective tubular structures within the choroid were observed in the vortex vein. Loss of retinal lamination, neural retinal attenuation, retinal pigment epithelium loss, or hypertrophy was seen in several entities, including congenital hypertrophy of the retinal pigment epithelium, ora serrata pearl, TCD, cystic retinal tuft, meridional fold, lattice, and cobblestone degenerations. Hyporeflective intraretinal spaces, indicating cystoid or schitic fluid, were seen in ora serrata pearl, ora tooth, TCD, cystic retinal tuft, meridional fold, retinal hole, and typical degenerative senile retinoschisis. The vitreoretinal interface, which often consisted of lamellae-like structures of the condensed cortical vitreous near or adherent to the neural retina, appeared clearly in most peripheral findings, confirming its association with many low-risk and vision

  17. Highly sensitive colorimetric and fluorescent sensor for cyanazine based on the inner filter effect of gold nanoparticles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dong, Liang; Hou, Changjun; Yang, Mei; Fa, Huanbao; Wu, Huixiang; Shen, Caihong; Huo, Danqun

    2016-06-01

    Cyanazine residue poses a great threat to human health and its derivatives would remain in soils, natural waters, and other environmental domains for a long time. Herein, a simple, rapid, and ultra-sensitive analytical method for the determination of cyanazine (CZ) based on inner filter effect (IFE) of Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) on the fluorescence of CdTe quantum dots (QDs) is first described in this study. With the presence of citrate-stabilized AuNPs, the fluorescence of GSH-capped CdTe QDs was remarkably quenched by AuNPs via IFE. The fluorescence of the AuNP-CdTe QD system was recovered upon addition of CZ. CZ can adsorb on to the surface of AuNPs due to its cyano group that has good affinity with gold, which could induce the aggregation of AuNPs accompanying color change from red to blue. Thus, the IFE of AuNPs on CdTe QDs was weakened, and the fluorescence intensity of CdTe QDs was recovered accordingly. A good linear correlation for detection of CZ was exhibited from 0.05 to 9 μM, and the detection limit reached 0.1568 μM, which was much lower than the safety limit required by the USA, the UK, and China. In order to probe into the selectivity of AuNPs towards CZ over other pesticides, various frequently used pesticides were mixed with AuNPs. AuNP composite solution shows good selectivity towards CZ among other pesticides. This method was successfully carried out for the assessment of CZ in real samples with satisfactory results, which revealed many advantages such as high sensitivity, low cost, and non-time-consuming compared with traditional methods.

  18. Induction-detection electron spin resonance with spin sensitivity of a few tens of spins

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Artzi, Yaron; Twig, Ygal; Blank, Aharon [Schulich Faculty of Chemistry Technion—Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 32000 (Israel)

    2015-02-23

    Electron spin resonance (ESR) is a spectroscopic method that addresses electrons in paramagnetic materials directly through their spin properties. ESR has many applications, ranging from semiconductor characterization to structural biology and even quantum computing. Although it is very powerful and informative, ESR traditionally suffers from low sensitivity, requiring many millions of spins to get a measureable signal with commercial systems using the Faraday induction-detection principle. In view of this disadvantage, significant efforts were made recently to develop alternative detection schemes based, for example, on force, optical, or electrical detection of spins, all of which can reach single electron spin sensitivity. This sensitivity, however, comes at the price of limited applicability and usefulness with regard to real scientific and technological issues facing modern ESR which are currently dealt with conventional induction-detection ESR on a daily basis. Here, we present the most sensitive experimental induction-detection ESR setup and results ever recorded that can detect the signal from just a few tens of spins. They were achieved thanks to the development of an ultra-miniature micrometer-sized microwave resonator that was operated at ∼34 GHz at cryogenic temperatures in conjunction with a unique cryogenically cooled low noise amplifier. The test sample used was isotopically enriched phosphorus-doped silicon, which is of significant relevance to spin-based quantum computing. The sensitivity was experimentally verified with the aid of a unique high-resolution ESR imaging approach. These results represent a paradigm shift with respect to the capabilities and possible applications of induction-detection-based ESR spectroscopy and imaging.

  19. Real-time, single-step bioassay using nanoplasmonic resonator with ultra-high sensitivity

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Xiang; Ellman, Jonathan A; Chen, Fanqing Frank; Su, Kai-Hang; Wei, Qi-Huo; Sun, Cheng

    2014-04-01

    A nanoplasmonic resonator (NPR) comprising a metallic nanodisk with alternating shielding layer(s), having a tagged biomolecule conjugated or tethered to the surface of the nanoplasmonic resonator for highly sensitive measurement of enzymatic activity. NPRs enhance Raman signals in a highly reproducible manner, enabling fast detection of protease and enzyme activity, such as Prostate Specific Antigen (paPSA), in real-time, at picomolar sensitivity levels. Experiments on extracellular fluid (ECF) from paPSA-positive cells demonstrate specific detection in a complex bio-fluid background in real-time single-step detection in very small sample volumes.

  20. Generation of ultra-wide and flat optical frequency comb based on electro absorption modulator

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ujjwal; Thangaraj, Jaisingh

    2018-05-01

    A novel technique is proposed for the generation of ultra-wide and flat optical frequency comb (OFC) based on serially cascading three stages of electro absorption modulators (EAMs) through sinusoidal radio frequency (RF) signals by setting frequencies at f GHz, f/2 GHz and f/4 GHz. Here, the first stage acts as subcarrier generator, the second stage acts as subcarrier doubler, and the third stage acts as subcarrier quadrupler. In addition, a higher number of subcarriers can easily be generated by adjusting the driving sinusoidal RF signal. In this paper, cascading three stages of EAMs driven by 50 GHz, 25 GHz and 12.5 GHz clock sources, we obtain 272 subcarriers with spacing of 2.5 GHz and power deviation within 1 dB. Theoretical analysis of serially cascaded EAMs for subcarrier generation is also investigated. Principal analysis and simulation of this technique are demonstrated.