Introducing speckle noise maps for Laser Vibrometry

When coherent light scatters from a surface, which is rough on the scale of the wavelength of the light, a speckle pattern is produced. The Laser Vibrometer measures target vibration velocity in the direction of the incident laser beam and typically samples a region of a speckle pattern on its photodetector. Target motions can cause the speckle pattern to change on the photodetector surface, particularly when target motions are non-normal to the direction of the laser beam. This speckle motion modulates the Doppler signal and adds noise to the demodulated output signal. Periodic target motions can cause the speckle noise to become pseudo-random and produce harmonic peaks, with the same fundamental frequency as the genuine target vibrations, which can be indistinguishable from the genuine target vibrations. Typical speckle noise levels are generally considered to be low-level, but they have not so far been adequately quantified. This paper reports preliminary results quantifying speckle noise levels using controlled experimental configurations incorporating periodic in-plane and tilt target motions. Working with commercial Laser Vibrometers, various target surface finishes and treatments are considered and speckle noise maps are produced for each configuration. For a tilting surface, speckle noise has been quantified at approximately 1 μm s^?1/deg s^?1 while, for surfaces with in-plane motion, the sensitivity to speckle noise has been estimated pessimistically at 0.1% of the in-plane velocity. Ultimately, these speckle noise maps will form a valuable practical resource for the Laser Vibrometer user.     

Measuring radon flux across active faults: Relevance of excavating and possibility of satellite discharges

Searching for gas exhalation around major tectonic contacts raises important methodological issues such as the role of the superficial soil and the possible long distance transport. These effects have been studied on the Xidatan segment of the Kunlun Fault, Qinghai Province, China, using measurement of the radon-222 and carbon dioxide exhalation flux. A significant radon flux, reaching up to 538 ± 33 mBq m^?2 s^?1 was observed in a 2–3 m deep trench excavated across the fault. On the soil surface, the radon flux varied from 7 to 38 mBq m^?2 s^?1, including on the fault trace, with an average value of 14.1 ± 1.0 mBq m^?2 s^?1, similar to the world average. The carbon dioxide flux on the soil surface, with an average value of 12.9 ± 3.3 g m^?2 day^?1, also remained similar to regular background values. It showed no systematic spatial variation up to a distance of 1 km from the fault, and no clear enhancement in the trench. However, a high carbon dioxide flux of 421 ± 130 g m^?2 day^?1 was observed near subvertical fractured phyllite outcrops on a hill located about 3 km north of the fault, at the boundary of the large-scale pull-apart basin associated with the fault. This high carbon dioxide flux was associated with a high radon flux of 607 ± 35 mBq m^?2 s^?1. These preliminary results indicate that, at the fault trace, it can be important to measure gas flux at the bottom of a trench to remove superficial soil layers. In addition, gas discharges need to be investigated also at some distance from the main fault, in zones where morphotectonics features support associated secondary fractures.     

Lipase catalyzed ultrasonic synthesis of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate-co-6-hydroxyhexanoate

Four different lipases were compared for ultrasound-mediated synthesis of the biodegradable copolymer poly-4-hydroxybutyrate-co-6-hydroxyhexanoate. The copolymerization was carried out in chloroform. Of the enzymes tested, Novozym 435 exhibited the highest copolymerization rate, in fact the reaction rate was observed to increase with about 26-fold from 30 to 50 °C (7.9 × 10^?3 M s^?1), sonic power intensity of 2.6 × 10³ W m^?2 and dissipated energy of 130.4 J ml^?1. Copolymerization rates with the Candida antarctica lipase A, Candida rugosa lipase, and Lecitase Ultra? were lower at 2.4 × 10^?4, 1.3 × 10^?4 and 3.5 × 10^?4 M s^?1, respectively. The catalytic efficiency depended on the enzyme. The efficiency ranged from 4.15 × 10^?3 s^?1 M^?1 for Novozym 435–1.48 × 10^?3 s^?1 M^?1 for C. rugosa lipase. Depending on the enzyme and sonication intensity, the monomer conversion ranged from 8.2% to 48.5%. The sonication power, time and temperature were found to affect the rate of copolymerization. Increasing sonication power intensity from 1.9 × 10³ to 4.5 × 10³ W m^?2 resulted in an increased in acoustic pressure (P_a) from 3.7 × 10⁸ to 5.7 × 10⁸ N m^?2 almost 2.4–3.7 times greater than the acoustic pressure (1.5 × 10⁸ N m^?2) that is required to cause cavitation in water. A corresponding acoustic particle acceleration (a) of 9.6 × 10³–1.5 × 10⁴ m s^?2 was calculated i.e. approximately 984–1500 times greater than under the action of gravity.     

Development of high resolution 3D hyperpolarized carbon-13 MR molecular imaging techniques

The goal of this project was to develop and apply techniques for T₂ mapping and 3D high resolution (1.5 mm isotropic; 0.003 cm³) ¹³C imaging of hyperpolarized (HP) probes [1-¹³C]lactate, [1-¹³C]pyruvate, [2-¹³C]pyruvate, and [¹³C,¹⁵N₂]urea in vivo. A specialized 2D bSSFP sequence was implemented on a clinical 3T scanner and used to obtain the first high resolution T₂ maps of these different hyperpolarized compounds in both rats and tumor-bearing mice. These maps were first used to optimize timings for highest SNR for single time-point 3D bSSFP acquisitions with a 1.5 mm isotropic spatial resolution of normal rats. This 3D acquisition approach was extended to serial dynamic imaging with 2-fold compressed sensing acceleration without changing spatial resolution. The T₂ mapping experiments yielded measurements of T₂ values of > 1 s for all compounds within rat kidneys/vasculature and TRAMP tumors, except for [2-¹³C]pyruvate which was ~ 730 ms and ~ 320 ms, respectively. The high resolution 3D imaging enabled visualization the biodistribution of [1-¹³C]lactate, [1-¹³C]pyruvate, and [2-¹³C]pyruvate within different kidney compartments as well as in the vasculature. While the mouse anatomy is smaller, the resolution was also sufficient to image the distribution of all compounds within kidney, vasculature, and tumor. The development of the specialized 3D sequence with compressed sensing provided improved structural and functional assessments at a high (0.003 cm³) spatial and 2 s temporal resolution in vivo utilizing HP ¹³C substrates by exploiting their long T₂ values. This 1.5 mm isotropic resolution is comparable to ¹H imaging and application of this approach could be extended to future studies of uptake, metabolism, and perfusion in cancer and other disease models and may ultimately be of value for clinical imaging.     

Estimation of effective doses to cavers based on radon measurements carried out in seven caves of the Bakony Mountains in Hungary

Nowadays, as the practice of extreme sports is spreading, potholing is becoming more and more popular. As a result, both the number of cavers and the time spent in the caves have been on the rise. There are some cavers known to have spent some 5000 h in caves over a span of 10 years. In poorly ventilated caves, radon exhalated from cave rocks and deposits may accumulate and cause significant doses to cavers.In this study, the radon concentration in seven caves in the Bakony Mountains, Hungary, was measured by continuous and integrated measurement devices. Measured values for the different caves were rather different, and varied between 50 and 24,000 Bq m^?3. The average radon concentration over the measurement period was approximately 10,000 Bq m^?3 in five of the seven caves inspected.By assuming an average of 470 h year^?1 spent in caves, effective doses to cavers were estimated. The expected annual effective dose, in case of an equilibrium factor of 0.6, was 19.7 mSv.     

Exposure to indoor radon and natural gamma radiation in public workplaces in north-western Greece

Measurements of indoor radon levels and gamma dose rates were performed in 42 workplaces in Ioannina, north-western Greece. Radon concentrations followed a log-normal distribution with an arithmetic mean of 95 ± 51 Bq m^?3. In all cases, radon levels were below 400 Bq m^?3, which is the action level implemented by the Greek Regulation for Radiation Protection, in accordance with the European Commission recommendation. Comparing summer and winter measurements, no statistically significant seasonal variation was established. However, radon concentrations measured in basement and ground floor workplaces were significantly higher (p < 0.01) than those measured in the first and upper floors. Annual effective dose rates from inhalation of radon and its decay products were estimated to be in the range from 0.13 to 1.36 mSv y^?1 with a mean value of 0.62 mSv y^?1. Indoor exposure to natural gamma radiation entailed an average effective dose rate of 0.13 mSv y^?1, of which approximately 62% was due to terrestrial and the rest due to cosmic sources. The reported data contribute to the assessment of radon distribution and dose estimate at the national level.     

Ultrasonic pretreatment of corn slurry for saccharification: A comparison of batch and continuous systems

The effects of ultrasound on corn slurry saccharification yield and particle size distribution was studied in both batch and continuous-flow ultrasonic systems operating at a frequency of 20 kHz. Ground corn slurry (28% w/v) was prepared and sonicated in batches at various amplitudes (192–320 μm_{peak-to-peak (p–p)}) for 20 or 40 s using a catenoidal horn. Continuous flow experiments were conducted by pumping corn slurry at various flow rates (10–28 l/min) through an ultrasonic reactor at constant amplitude of 12 μm_p–p. The reactor was equipped with a donut shaped horn. After ultrasonic treatment, commercial alpha- and gluco-amylases (STARGEN^TM 001) were added to the samples, and liquefaction and saccharification proceeded for 3 h. The sonicated samples were found to yield 2–3 times more reducing sugars than unsonicated controls. Although the continuous flow treatments released less reducing sugar compared to the batch systems, the continuous flow process was more energy efficient. The reduction of particle size due to sonication was approximately proportional to the dissipated ultrasonic energy regardless of the type of system used. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were also used to observe the disruption of corn particles after sonication. Overall, the study suggests that both batch and continuous ultrasonication enhanced saccharification yields and reduced the particle size of corn slurry. However, due to the large volume involve in full scale processes, an ultrasonic continuous system is recommended.     

Fiber curvature sensor based on spherical-shape structures and long-period grating

A novel curvature sensor based on optical fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer (MZI) is demonstrated. It consists of two spherical-shape structures and a long-period grating (LPG) in between. The experimental results show that the shift of the dip wavelength is almost linearly proportional to the change of curvature, and the curvature sensitivity are −22.144 nm/m⁻¹ in the measurement range of 5.33–6.93 m⁻¹, −28.225 nm/m⁻¹ in the range of 6.93–8.43 m⁻ and −15.68 nm/m⁻¹ in the range of 8.43–9.43 m⁻¹, respectively. And the maximum curvature error caused by temperature is only −0.003 m⁻¹/°C. The sensor exhibits the advantages of all-fiber structure, high mechanical strength, high curvature sensitivity and large measurement scales.     

Microanatomy and ultrastructure of outer mantle epidermis of the cuttlefish,Sepia esculenta (Cephalopoda: Sepiidae)

This study describes the ultrastructural characteristics of external epidermis of mantle of Sepia esculenta using light and electron microscopy. The epidermis was thicker on the ventral surface than on the dorsal surface, with a higher secretory cell distribution on the ventral surface than on the dorsal surface. The epidermis was a single layer composed of epithelial cells, secretory cells, ciliated cells and neuroglial cells. Epithelial cells were columnar with well-developed microvilli on the free surface, and the microvilli were covered with glycocalyx. The epithelial cells were connected to the neighboring cells by tight junctions and membrane interdigitations of the apico-frontal surface. Well-developed microfilaments were arranged in a vertical direction in the cortical cytoplasm. The secretory cells were categorized into three types (A, B and C) in accordance with the light microscopical characteristics and ultrastructures of the secretory granules. The distribution of these cells was in the following order: Type A > Type B > Type C. SEM observation revealed that the secretory pore size of the Type A secretory cells was approximately 8.6 μm × 12.2 μm. Cytoplasm displayed a red color as the result of Masson's trichrome stain and H–E stain, and contained polygonal granules of approximately 1.2 μm² with a high electron density. The secretory pore size of the Type B secretory cells was approximately 10.1 μm × 12.1 μm. As the results of AB–PAS (pH 2.5) and AF–AB (pH 2.5) reactions, the cytoplasm displayed a red color. The cells contained membrane bounded secretory granules with very low electron density. The secretory pore of the Type C secretory cells was circular shape, and approximately 5.5 μm × 5.5 μm. Cytoplasm was found to be homogeneous under H–E stain and Masson's trichrome stain, and displayed a red color. As the result of AB–PAS (pH 2.5) reaction, the cytoplasm displayed a red color. The electron density of the secretory substance was the highest among the three types of secretory cells. The ciliated cells had a ciliary tuft on the free surface and were distributed throughout the mantle with the exception of the adhesive organs. Neuroglial cells were connected to the basal membrane, epithelial cells, secretory cells and nerve fibers through cytoplasmic process, and contained neurosecretory granules with high electron density within the cytoplasm.     

Fast T1 mapping of the brain at high field using Look-Locker and fast imaging

This study aims to develop and evaluate a new method for fast high resolution T1 mapping of the brain based on the Look-Locker technique. Single-shot turboflash sequence with high temporal acceleration is used to sample the recovery of inverted magnetization. Multi-slice interleaved acquisition within one inversion slab is used to reduce the number of inversion pulses and hence SAR. Accuracy of the proposed method was studied using simulation and validated in phantoms. It was then evaluated in healthy volunteers and stroke patients. In-vivo results were compared to values obtained by inversion recovery fast spin echo (IR-FSE) and literatures. With the new method, T₁ values in phantom experiments agreed with reference values with median error < 3%. For in-vivo experiments, a T1 map was acquired in 3.35 s and the T1 maps of the whole brain were acquired in 2 min with two-slice interleaving, with a spatial resolution of 1.1 × 1.1 × 4 mm³. The T₁ values obtained were comparable to those measured with IR-FSE and those reported in literatures. These results demonstrated the feasibility of the proposed method for fast T1 mapping of the brain in both healthy volunteers and stroke patients at 3T.     

Evaluation of natural recharge of Chingshui geothermal reservoir using tritium as a tracer

Naturally existing tritium in groundwater was applied as a tracer to evaluate the natural recharge of the Chingshui geothermal reservoir. The residence time (or, age) of Chingshui geothermal water was first determined with tritium data at 15.2 and 11.3 year using the plug flow and dispersive model, respectively. The annual natural recharge was then estimated by combining the use of the residence time and the fluid-in-place of the Chingshui geothermal reservoir. The natural recharge for Chingshui geothermal reservoir was estimated at 5.0 × 10⁵ and 6.7 × 10⁵ m³ year^?1 using the plug flow and dispersive model, respectively. Chingshui geothermal water is largely from a fractured zone in the Jentse Member of the Miocene Lushan Formation. The dispersive model more adequately represents the fracture flow system than the simple plug flow model.     

Radon concentrations in schools of the Neapolitan area

A radon survey was carried out in 30 schools located in the metropolitan area around Naples, Italy. Radon concentration was measured using the SSNTD (Solid State Nuclear Track Detectors) method with LR115 detectors. Time integrated measurements covered two consecutive 6-month periods at different locations inside the school buildings: classrooms, laboratories and offices. Data distribution is well fitted by a log-normal curve. The arithmetic mean annual radon concentration is 144 Bq m⁻³, the geometric mean is 86 Bq m⁻³; the standard deviations are respectively 7 Bq m⁻³ and 3. The fractions of rooms where radon concentrations exceed the reference levels of 200, 400 and 500 Bq m⁻³ are 21.3%, 7.6% and 4.5% respectively.The results show that radon concentration in scientific laboratories and in offices is higher than in classrooms.     

Low temperature argon plasma sterilization effect on Pseudomonas aeruginosa and its mechanisms

In the present work, low temperature argon plasma was used to sterilize Pseudomonas aeruginosa on PET sheets. The discharge conditions were as follows: power of 30 W and gas flux of 20 cm³/min, and the pressure in the reaction chamber was 6.2 Pa. In a self-designed plasma reaction equipment, active species (electron, ion, radical and UV light, etc.) were separated effectively, and the discharge zone, afterglow zone and remote zone were plotted out in the plasma field. For a treatment time of 60 s, the germicidal effects were 3.94, 3.86 and 2.93 respectively in the three zones. The results show that argon plasma can effectively sterilize P. aeruginosa in a short time. Before and after plasma treatment, cell morphology was studied via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Cell wall or cell membrane cracking was tested to determine the content of nucleic acid in the bacteria suspensions using ultraviolet spectroscopy. To test the content of protein, a coomassie light blue technique was used. The results show that plasma activity cracks the cell wall and cell membrane, resulting in cellular content leakage. In addition, the results from electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy and double Langmuir electron probe show that electrons, ions and argon free radicals play important roles in sterilization in the discharge zone, but only argon free radicals act to sterilize bacteria in the afterglow zone and the remote zone.     

A structural study of premixed hydrogen-air cellular tubular flames

Two dimensionally spatially resolved structural measurements are reported for cellular phenomena in lean laminar premixed hydrogen-air tubular flames. Laser-induced Raman scattering and chemiluminescence imaging are combined to investigate low Lewis number lean hydrogen-air flames. The strong effect of thermal-diffusive imbalance is observed in radial profiles interpolated through the centers of reaction and extinction zones. In the flame cell, the equivalence ratio is ～80% higher than the inlet mixture, resulting in a peak flame temperature of 1600 K that is 550 K above the adiabatic flame temperature of the inlet mixture (1055 K). In the adjacent extinction zone, the temperatures are ～900 K lower than the peak flame temperature and the equivalence ratio is similar to the inlet mixture. Despite doubling the global stretch rate from 200 s^?1 to 400 s^?1, the enhancement of local equivalence ratio and peak temperature in the flame cell remain similar. This enhancement seems dependent on the local cellular flame curvature, that is similar between both cases. With strong preferential diffusion effects, cellular flames offer unique validation data to improve the accuracy of current molecular transport modeling techniques.     

Evaluation of nano-slot antenna for mid-infrared detectors

To improve the response performance of superconducting infrared detectors, we propose using a photonic antenna with a micro-detector in conjunction with a nano-structure. In this paper, we report evaluation results that show the basic characteristics of a photonic antenna in the mid-infrared region. The antenna consists of a nano-slot antenna and a thin-film load resistance placed in the center of the antenna. The antennas were designed for operation at approximately several tens of THz by using an electromagnetic simulator. Through measurements of the spectral reflectance characteristics, clear absorptions caused by the antenna properties were observed at approximately 50 THz, and high polarization dependencies were also observed. The results of the simulation qualitatively agreed with the results of the experiment. The effective area of the antenna was also evaluated and was found to be approximately 3.5 μm² at 54 THz.     

High-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with a mixed layer structure

Improved performance of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as obtained by a mixed layer was investigated. The OLEDs with a mixed layer which were composed of N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(1-napthyl-phenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (NPB), tris-(8-hydroxyquinolato) aluminum (Alq₃) and 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) showed the highest brightness and efficiency, which reached 19048 cd/m² at 17 V and 4.3 cd/A at 10 mA/cm², respectively. The turn-on voltage of the device is 2.6 V. Its Commission Internationale del’Eclairage (CIE) coordinate is (0.497, 0.456) at 17 V, and the CIE coordinates of the device are largely insensitive to the driving voltages, which depicts stabilized yellow color.     

Radon activity measurements around Bakreswar thermal springs

²²²Rn concentrations were measured in the bubble gases, spring waters, soil gases and in ambient air around the thermal springs at Bakreswar in West Bengal, India. This group of springs lies within a geothermal zone having exceptionally high heat flow about 230 mW/m², resembling young oceanic ridges. The spring gas has a high radon activity (～885 kBq/m³) and is rich in helium (～1.4 vol. %) with appreciably large flow rate. The measured radon exhalation rates in the soils of the spring area show extensive variations from 831 to 4550/mBqm² h while ²²²Rn concentrations in the different spring waters vary from 3.18 to 46.9 kBq/m³. Surface air at a radius of 40 m around the springs, within which is situated the Bakreswar temple complex and a group of dwellings, has radon concentration between 450 and 500 Bq/m³. In the present paper we assess the radon activity background in and around the spring area due to the different contributing sources and its possible effect on visiting pilgrims and the people who reside close to the springs.     

Critical conditions of hydrogen-air detonation in partially confined geometry

This work presents the results of the large scale experiments with detonation propagating in hydrogen–air mixtures in partially confined geometries. The main aim of the work was to find the critical conditions for detonation propagation in semi-confined geometries with uniform and non-uniform hydrogen–air mixtures. The experimental facility consisted of rectangular 9 × 3 × 0.6 m channel open from the bottom, acceleration section and test section, safety vessel, gas injection and data acquisition system. Sooted plates technique was used as a witness of the detonation. The rectangular channel was placed in a 100 m³ safety vessel. For uniform hydrogen–air mixtures experiments with four different channel heights h were performed: 8, 5, 3 and 2 cm. The critical hydrogen–air mixture height h* for which the detonation may propagate in a layer is close to the 3 cm which corresponds to approximately three detonation cell sizes. For non-uniform hydrogen–air mixture with hydrogen concentration slope equal approximately ?1.1%H₂/cm the critical hydrogen concentration at the top of the layer is approximately equal 26% and the mean detonation layer height is close to the 8.5 cm corresponding to the hydrogen concentration at the bottom of the layer approximately equal 16–17%.     

Seasonal indoor radon concentration in FYR of Macedonia

This paper presents the results of the seasonal indoor radon concentration measurements in dwellings in all regions of the Former Yugoslav Republic (FYR) of Macedonia. The measurements were made in 437 dwellings using CR-39 track detectors over four successive three-month periods (winter, spring, summer and autumn) throughout 2009. The results of analysis of variance showed statistically significant differences between indoor radon concentrations in different seasons. The geometric mean values and geometric standard deviations of indoor radon concentrations in winter, spring, summer and autumn were obtained to be: 115 Bq m^?3 (2.02), 72 Bq m^?3 (1.97), 46 Bq m^?3 (1.95), 92 Bq m^?3 (2.02), respectively. The geometric mean values of spring, summer and autumn to winter ratios were found to be: 0.63 (1.50), 0.40 (1.81), and 0.80 (1.58), respectively. The results of the analysis of the variance showed statistically significant differences among the indoor radon measurements for the regions in different seasons. The influence of the factors linked to building characteristics in relation to radon measurements in different seasons was examined. The factors which enable a differentiation into subgroups (significance level p < 0.05) are the floor level, basement and building materials.     

Enhanced boron adsorption onto synthesized MgO nanosheets by ultrasonic method

MgO nanosheets with high adsorption performance were fabricated by an ultrasonic method. It was revealed that, nest-like MgO was formed from the magnesium salt solution precipitation and further calcination. Then the nest-like MgO was exfoliated by ultrasonic waves to obtain MgO nanosheets with approximately a lateral of 200–600 nm and a thickness of 10 nm. Adjusting the ultrasonic time and power, the specific surface areas of MgO nanosheets could be tuned in a range of 79–168 m²/g. The synthesized MgO nanosheets were used as adsorbents to remove boron from aqueous solution, and the maximum boron adsorption capacity of these MgO nanosheets reached 87 mg g⁻¹. The high uptake capability of the MgO nanosheets makes it potentially adsorbent for the removal of boron from wastewaters.