Determining particle size distribution and refractive index in a two-layer tissue phantom by linearly polarized light

We report a new method for measuring particle size distribution (PSD) and refractive index of the top layer in a two-layer tissue phantom simulated epithelium tissue by varying the azimuth angle of incident linearly polarized light. The polarization gating technique is used to decouple the single and multiple scattering components in the returned signal. The theoretical model based on Mie theory is presented and a nonlinear inversion method - floating genetic algorithm - is applied to inverting the azimuth dependence of component of polarization light backscattered. The experiment results demonstrate that the size distribution and refractive index of the scatters of the top layer can be determined by measuring and analyzing the differential signal of the parallel and perpendicular components from a two-layer tissue phantom. The method implies to detect precancerous changes in human epithelial tissue.     

Effect of Silane Flow Rate on Structure and Corrosion Resistance of Ti-Si-N Thin Films Deposited by a Hybrid Cathodic Arc and Chemical Vapour Process

Ti-Si-N thin flms with different silicon contents are deposited by a cathodic arc technique in an Ar＋N2＋SiH4 mixture atmosphere. With the increase of silane flow rate, the content of silicon in the Ti-Si-N films varies from 2.0 at. % to 12.2 at. %. Meanwhile, the cross-sectional morphology of these films changes from an apparent columnar microstructure to a dense fine-grained structure. The x-ray diffractometer （XRD） and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） results show that the Ti-Si-N film consists of TiN crystallites and SiNx amorphous phase. The corrosion resistance is improved with the increase of silane flow rate. Growth defects in the films produced play a key role in the corrosion process, especially for the local corrosion. The porosity of the films decreases from 0.13%to 0.00032% by introducing silane at the flow rate of 14sccm.     

Measurements of total absolute collision cross section of ultracold Rb atom using magneto-optic and pure magnetic traps

The implementation of a technique to measure total collision cross sections using laser-cooled rubidium atoms along with the introduction of room-temperature background gases, confined in both magnetooptic and magnetic traps, is proposed. Atom loss from the trap and total collision cross section can be inferred from the knowledge of the density of background gases. The measured cross sections from the magneto-optic and magnetic traps are represented, compared, and found to be significantly different. The measurements using this technique have a very small error in the range of approximately 2%-7%.     

The Influence of Au-Doping on Morphology and Visible-Light Reflectivity of TiN Thin Films Deposited by Direct-Current Reactive Magnetron Sputtering

Ti, TiN and Au-TiN （Au content： from 0.5%to 7.7%） thin films were deposited on stainless steel substrates by dc reactive magnetron sputtering with a metal Ti target. The crystal structure, surface morphology and visiblelight reflectivity of the films for different film compositions are studied in detail. Distinctly different surface morphologies appear for the Ti, TiN and Au-TiN thin films. It can be observed that the surface morphology of the TiN film is affected by the Au-doping, when the Au content increases from 0% to 7.7%, surface roughness enlarges from 62.4 to 82.8 nm. Moreover, visible-light reflectivity varies significantly with increasing A u contents in the TiN films. However, the rettectivity of the TiN thin film at 550-800 nm is higher than that of the Au-TiN thin film. The present work illustrates the dependence of metal elements on the surface morphology and on the reflectivity of Au-TiN thin films. It is speculated that the addition of Au can suppress the formation and growth of TiN grains so that it changes the surface morphology and the Au-TiN thin film has potential applications in spectral selective coating.     

A study on strain affecting electronic structures and optical properties of wurtzite Mg0.25 Zn0.75O by first-principles

We have made a first principles study to investigate density of states, band structure, the dielectric function and absorption spectra of wurtzite Mg 0.25 Zn 0.75 O. The calculation is carried out in a-axis and c-axis strain changing in the range from 0.3 to -0.2 in intervals of 0.1. The results calculated from density of states show that the bottom of conduction band is always dominated by Zn 4s and the top of valence band is always dominated by O 2p in a-axis and c-axis strain. Zn 4s will shift to higher energy range when a-axis strain changes in the range from 0.3 to 0, and then shift to lower energy range when a-axis strain changes in the range from 0 to -0.2. But Zn 4s will always shift to higher energy range when c-axis strain changes in the range from 0.3 to -0.2. The variations of band gap calculated from band structure and absorption spectra are also investigated, which are consistent with the results obtained from density of states. In addition, we analyse and discuss the imaginary part of the dielectric function ε 2 .     

Experimental Investigation on Selective Excitation of Two-Pulse Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering

Selective excitation of coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering from the benzene solution is achieved by adaptive pulse shaping based on genetic algorithm, and second harmonic generation frequency-resolved optical gating （SHG-FROG） technique is adopted to characterize the original and optimal laser pulses. The mechanism for two-pulse coherent mode-selective excitation of Raman scattering is experimentally investigated by modulating the pump pulse in the frequency domain, and it is indicated that two-pulse coherent mode-selective excitation of Raman scattering mainly depends on the effective frequency components of the pump pulse related to specific vibrational mode. The experimental results suggest that two-pulse CARS has good signal-to-background ratio and high sensitivity, and it has attractive potential applications in the complicated molecular system.     

The distinctive features for standard Chinese （Putonghua）

The distinctive features, which axe one of the important research subjects in Phonetics and Phonology and in speech technology also, are the ultimate units of speech. Firstly a phoneme system of the standard Chinese-Putonghua was determined based on the results of cluster analysis of perceptual confusion of speech sounds of Putonghua. Then according to the principle of choice between the two opposites proposed by Jakobson, Fant and Halle, considering the characteristics of Putonghua the distinctive feature values for Initials, Finals and Tones were determined in this paper. And the features have been formulated at both acoustic level and genetic level. The distinctive feature trees of Chinese initials and finals were drawn in addition to the feature tables, in order to understand the distinctive features for individual phoneme easily.     

A novel trilayer antireflection coating using dip-coating technique

We report a new structure for broadband antireflection coating by dip-coating technique, which has minimal cost and is compatible with large-scale manufacturing. The coatings are prepared by depositing SiO 2 sol-gel film on a glass substrate, subsequently depositing SiO 2 single-layer particle coating through electrostatic attraction, and depositing a final very thin SiO 2 sol-gel film to improve the mechanical strength of the whole coating structure. The refractive index of the structure changes gradually from the top to the substrate. The transmittance of a glass substrate has been experimentally found to be improved in the spectral range of 400 1 400 nm and in the incidence angle range from 0 to at least 45 . The mechanical strength is immensely improved because of the additional thin SiO 2 sol-gel layer. The surface texture can be applied to the substrates of different materials and shapes as an add-on coating.     

Holography and speckle in phase-shifting digital holography（Invited Paper）

The correlation properties of the optical field diffusely reflected from a rough surface under coherent illumination are analyzed numerically. The cross-correlations of the complex amplitudes and the intensities before and after translation and/or tilt of the surface are calculated at an arbitrary observation plane in three-dimensional （3D） space. The results provide us with the 3D distributions of phase changes and speckle displacement that lead to the distributions measured by holographic interferometry and speckle relationships and physical interpretation of them are and signal-to-noise ratio of the displacement to be correlation technique. Comparisons with analytical also discussed.     

Liquid water structure from X-ray absorption and emission,NMR shielding and X-ray diffraction

Here we investigate to what extent X-ray absorption(XAS) and emission(XES) spectroscopy, the oxygen-oxygen radial distribution function and σ(~1H) and σ(~(17)O) NMR shielding can be represented by a common set of model structures of liquid water. This is done by using a Monte Carlo-based fitting technique which fits the spectra based on a library of ～1400 precomputed spectra and assigns weights to contributions from different model structures. These are then used to reweight the contributions from the structures in the library to reveal classes of structures that are over-or under-represented in the library. The goal is to include different experimental data sets which are sensitive to different aspects of liquid water structure and thus narrow down which types of structures must exist in the real liquid.     

EFFECT OF MUSCLE TENSION ON NON-LINEARITIES IN THE APPARENT MASSES OF SEATED SUBJECTS EXPOSED TO VERTICAL WHOLE-BODY VIBRATION

In subjects exposed to whole-body vibration, the cause of non-linear dynamic characteristics with changes in vibration magnitude is not understood. The effect of muscle tension on the non-linearity in apparent mass has been investigated in this study. Eight seated male subjects were exposed to random and sinusoidal vertical vibration at five magnitudes (0·35-1·4 m/s² r.m.s.). The random vibration was presented for 60 s over the frequency range 2·0-20 Hz; the sinusoidal vibration was presented for 10 s at five frequencies (3·15, 4·0, 5·0, 6·3 and 8·0 Hz). Three sitting conditions were adopted such that, in two conditions, muscle tension in the buttocks and the abdomen was controlled. It was assumed that, in these two conditions, involuntary changes in muscle tension would be minimized. The force and acceleration at the seat surface were used to obtain apparent masses of subjects. With both sinusoidal and random vibration, there was statistical support for the hypothesis that non-linear characteristics were less clear when muscle tension in the buttocks and the abdomen was controlled. With increases in the magnitude of random vibration from 0·35 to 1·4 m/s² r.m.s., the apparent mass resonance frequency decreased from 5·25 to 4·25 Hz with normal muscle tension, from 5·0 to 4·38 Hz with the buttocks muscles tensed, and from 5·13 to 4·5 Hz with the abdominal muscles tensed. Involuntary changes in muscle tension during whole-body vibration may be partly responsible for non-linear biodynamic responses.     

发光材料BaSrMg(PO_4)_2∶Eu~(3+)的水热法制备及发光性能研究

采用水热法制备了可用于白光LED的红色发光材料BaSrMg(PO_4)_2∶Eu~(3+)。通过X射线衍射(XRD)和场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)对其结构和形貌进行测试表征,研究了不同pH值(5,6,7和8)和不同反应温度(120,140,160,180和200℃)对荧光粉的晶体结构和形貌的影响。从XRD的结果可以看到,当pH6时合成的样品的衍射峰为较高强度的锐锋,FESEM扫描图像也显示该制备条件下获得了立方体形状的规则晶体。在pH值分别为5,7,8时所制备的样品XRD图谱中大多是强度很弱的宽峰叠加了极少的锐锋,表明样品为固熔体或者含有混合相,这与FESEM扫描图像所显示的无定形态颗粒的结果相一致。荧光光谱测试结果表明,该荧光粉在394nm波长光的激发下产生的发射谱包含了以下6组发射峰536nm(~5 D1→~7 F_1),578nm(~5 D_0→~7 F_0),590nm(~5 D_0→~7 F_1),613nm(~5 D_0→~7 F_2),646nm(~5 D_0→~7 F_3)和696nm(~5 D_0→~7 F_4)。荧光粉的激发光谱分别由361nm(~7 F_0→~5 D_4),380nm(~7 F_0→~5 L_8),394nm(~7 F_0→~5 L_6)和464nm(~7 F_0→~5 D_2)四组激发峰组成。经过条件优化后制备的荧光粉的主要激发峰在394nm(~7 F_0→~5 L_6),该荧光粉在394nm波长光激发下产生的发射峰主峰在613nm(~5 D_0→~7 F_2)。发射峰的劈裂随着pH值和温度的变化而改变,这一现象说明了荧光粉的发光性质与它的晶体结构和颗粒形貌存在着密切的联系。     

Ytterbium-doped Y2O3 nanoparticle silica optical fibers for high power fiber lasers with suppressed photodarkening

We report efficient laser demonstration and spectroscopic characteristics of a Yb-doped Y₂O₃ (or Y₃Al₅O₁₂) nanoparticle silica fiber developed by conventional fiber fabrication technique. The spectroscopy study evidences modification in the environment of Yb ions by the Y₂O₃ nanoparticles. As a result, photodarkening induced loss is reduced by 20 times relative to Yb-doped aluminosilicate fibers. The fiber is suitable for power scaling with good laser slope efficiency of 79%.     

NMR研究新呋喃二萜类化合物的结构

从中药黄独Dioscorea bulbifera L.中通过柱层析色谱分离得到3个化合物，其中1 个为新骨架的呋喃二萜类化合物命名为neodiosbulbin, 采用核磁共振（¹H, ¹³C, DEPT, ¹H-¹H COSY, HMQC, HMBC, NOESY and TOCSY ）的波谱方法确定了它 的结构和相对构型，其余的2个化合物分别为Diosbulbin B, 5-ureidohydautotion.     

From beads-to-wires-to-fibers of tungsten oxide: electrochromic response

Suitable host lattice and morphology for easy intercalation and deintercalation process are crucial requirements for electrochromic device. In this investigation, the evolution of structural and morphological changes and their effect on electrochromic (EC) properties of spray-deposited WO₃ thin films are studied. Films of different morphologies were deposited from an ammonium tungstate precursor solution using a novel pulsed spray pyrolysis technique (PSPT) on tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates by varying quantity of spraying solution. Interesting morphological transition from beads-to-wires-to-fibers as a function of quantity of sprayed solution has been demonstrated. The porosity, crystallinity and “open” structures in the films consisting of beads, wires, and fiber-like morphology enabled us to correlate these aspects to their EC performance. WO₃ films comprising wire-like morphology (20 cc spraying quantity) exhibited better EC properties both in terms of coloration efficiency (42.7 cm²/C) and electrochemical stability (10³ colored/bleached cycles) owing to their adequate open structure, porosity, and amorphicity, compared with the films having bead/fiber-like morphology.     

Application of an acoustoelectronic technique to study ordered microstructured disperse systems with biological objects in a hydrogel

Using acoustoelectronic sensors not containing sensitive coatings, we studied a series of microbiological preparations: yeast cells and bacteria, as well as virus particles, immobilized in hydrogels of different concentration. The obtained measurement data on the acoustic characteristics make it possible to (1) reveal the presence of biological objects in both fluid media and agarose-based hydrogels of various concentration; (2) establish the physical mechanism that results in acoustoelectronic detection; (3) evaluate changes in the concentration of biological objects and their electric conductivity. The data confirm the possibility of applying the acoustoelectronic technique to detect microbiological objects and observe their growth in hydrogel media. We discus the limitations and drawbacks of the acoustoelectronic technique.     

Oxygen-mediated suppression of twinning in gas-phase prepared FePt nanoparticles

We report on the influence of oxygen on the morphology and crystal structure of gas-phase prepared FePt nanoparticles. The particles are prepared by DC-sputtering in an Ar/He gas mixture. Without any oxygen, the obtained particles are predominantly icosahedra. The additional supply of oxygen leads to significant changes in both the crystal structure and morphology of the FePt nanoparticles. With increasing oxygen concentration, we observe the onset of particle agglomeration and a drop of the particle size. In addition, the crystal structure changes from icosahedral to fcc. These results are ascribed to oxygen mediated changes of the surface properties of the FePt nanoparticles such as the surface diffusivity and the surface free energy.     

Documenting laryngeal change following prolonged loud reading: A videostroboscopic study

This study investigated the effects of prolonged loud reading on trained and untrained subjects. Subjects were eight young women singers, and eight young women with limited musical experience. Each subject underwent videostroboscopic examination prior to and following 1 h of prolonged loud reading. The pretest and posttest videotaped samples were randomized and presented to three experienced judges, who evaluated various aspects of laryngeal appearance and vibratory characteristics. Analyses of group data revealed that untrained subjects showed a small but significant increase in amplitude of vocal fold excursion following the experimental task. No significant differences were noted in the trained singer group. When individual variation was analyzed, it was found that most subjects did not show many changes from pretest to posttest. It was concluded that a l-h loud-reading task was not sufficient to induce notable laryngeal alterations     

3D ultrasound analysis of carotid plaque volume and surface morphology

Morphological characterization of carotid plaques has been used for risk stratification and evaluation of response to therapy, evaluation of new risk factors, genetic research, and for quantifying effects of new anti-atherosclerotic therapies. We developed a 3D US system that allows detailed studies of carotid plaques in 3D. Our software includes 3D reconstruction, viewing, manual and semi-automated segmentation of carotid plaques, and surface morphology analysis to be used for quantitative tracking of plaque changes. We evaluated our plaque quantification software by examining plaque volume measurement accuracy, variability, and plaque surface morphology. We used vascular test phantoms to study segmentation accuracy, and used 48 3D US carotid plaques of patients ranging in size from 13.2 mm(3) to 544.0 mm(3) to study plaque volume measurement variability. We compared results from the semi-automated plaque measurements to the results obtained from manual measurements, which were used as the "gold" standard. We developed a surface plaque morphology quantification technique based on the segmented plaque surface curvature and used it to analyze plaques. Accuracy of plaque volume measurements for the simulated plaques ranged from 4.2% to 1.5% for volumes ranging from 68.5 mm(3) to 286 mm(3). The variability study showed that coefficients of variation in the measurement of plaque volume decreased with increasing plaque size for both inter- (90.8-3.9%) and intra-observer (70.2-3.1%) measurements over the plaque sizes measured. Surface morphology analysis showed that 1 mm ulceration could be quantified and monitored for changes over time. The automated plaque quantification approach showed a little higher intra-observer variability than the manual technique, and its performance was better for segmenting the wall than the lumen. Our results indicate that our approach is sensitive tool and can be used in studies of plaque progression and regression as it relates to atherosclerosis treatment effects and can be used effectively in longitudinal studies for direct measurement carotid plaque volume.     

Reducing reflected contributions to ear-canal distortion product otoacoustic emissions in humans

Distortion product otoacoustic emission (DPOAE) fine structure has been attributed to the interaction of two cochlear-source mechanisms (distortion and reflection sources). A suppressor presented near the 2f1-f2 frequency reduces the reflection-source contribution and, therefore, DPOAE fine structure. Optimal relationships between stimulus and suppressor conditions, however, have not been described. In this study, the relationship between suppressor level (L3) and stimulus level (L2) was evaluated to determine the L3 that was most effective at reducing fine structure. Subjects were initially screened to find individuals who produced DPOAE fine structure. A difference in the prevalence of fine structure in two frequency intervals was observed. At 2 kHz, 11 of 12 subjects exhibited fine structure, as compared to 5 of 22 subjects at 4 kHz. Only subjects demonstrating fine structure participated in subsequent measurements. DPOAE responses were evaluated in 1/3-octave intervals centered at 2 or 4 kHz, with 4 subjects contributing data at each interval. Multiple L3's were evaluated for each L2, which ranged from 20 to 80 dB SPL. The results indicated that one or more L3's at each L2 were roughly equally effective at reducing DPOAE fine structure. However, no single L3 was effective at all L2's in every subject.