Determination of sulfa antibiotic residues in river and particulate matter by field-amplified sample injection-capillary zone electrophoresis

In the present research, field-amplified sample injection–CZE (FASI–CZE) coupled with a diode array detector was established to determine trace level sulfa antibiotic. Sulfathiazole, sulfadiazine, sulfamethazine, sulfadimethoxine, sulfamethoxazole, and sulfisoxazole were selected as analytes for the experiments. The background electrolyte solution consisted of 70.0 mmol/L borax and 60.0 mmol/L boric acid (including 10% methanol, pH 9.1). The plug was 2.5 mmol/L borax, which was injected into the capillary at a pressure of 0.5 psi for 5 s. Then the sample was injected into the capillary at an injection voltage of –10 kV for 20 s. The electrophoretic separation was carried out under a voltage of +19 kV. The capillary temperature was maintained at 20˚C throughout the analysis, and six sulfonamides were completely separated within 35 min. Compared with pressure injection-CZE, the sensitivity of FASI-CZE was increased by 6.25–10.0 times, and the LODs were reduced from 0.2–0.5 to 0.02–0.05 μg/mL. The method was applied to the determination of sulfonamides in river water and particulate matter samples. The recoveries were 78.59–106.59%. The intraday and interday precisions were 2.89–7.35% and 2.77–7.09%, respectively. This provides a simpler and faster method for the analysis of sulfa antibiotic residues in environmental samples.     

Concurrent multiresponse non-linear screening: Robust profiling of webpage performance

Profiling engineered data with robust mining methods continues attracting attention in knowledge engineering systems. The purpose of this article is to propose a simple technique that deals with non-linear multi-factorial multi-characteristic screening suitable for knowledge discovery studies. The method is designed to proactively seek and quantify significant information content in engineered mini-datasets. This is achieved by deploying replicated fractional-factorial sampling schemes. Compiled multi-response data are converted to a single master-response effectuated by a series of distribution-free transformations and multi-compressed data fusions. The resulting amalgamated master response is deciphered by non-linear multi-factorial stealth stochastics intended for saturated schemes. The stealth properties of our method target processing datasets which might be overwhelmed by a lack of knowledge about the nature of reference distributions at play. Stealth features are triggered to overcome restrictions regarding the data normality conformance, the effect sparsity assumption and the inherent collapse of the ‘unexplainable error’ connotation in saturated arrays. The technique is showcased by profiling four ordinary controlling factors that influence webpage content performance by collecting data from a commercial browser monitoring service on a large scale web host. The examined effects are: (1) the number of Cascading Style Sheets files, (2) the number of JavaScript files, (3) the number of Image files, and (4) the Domain Name System Aliasing. The webpage performance level was screened against three popular characteristics: (1) the time to first visual, (2) the total loading time, and (3) the customer satisfaction. Our robust multi-response data mining technique is elucidated for a ten-replicate run study dictated by an L₉(3⁴) orthogonal array scheme where any uncontrolled noise embedded contribution has not been necessarily excluded.     

Products of mixed covering arrays of strength two

A covering array CA(N;t,k, v is an N × k array such that every N × t subarray contains all t‐tuples from v symbols at least once, where t is the strength of the array. Covering arrays are used to generate software test suites to cover all t‐sets of component interactions. The particular case when t = 2 (pairwise coverage) has been extensively studied, both to develop combinatorial constructions and to provide effective algorithmic search techniques. In this paper, a simple “cut‐and‐paste” construction is extended to covering arrays in which different columns (factors) admit different numbers of symbols (values); in the process an improved recursive construction for covering arrays with t = 2 is derived. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 14: 124–138, 2006     

Analysis on Shack–Hartmann wave-front sensor with Fourier optics

In Shack–Hartmann wavefront sensor (SHWS), the behavior of the irradiance pattern produced by the micro-lens array is important for an accurate centroid estimation. In this paper, the behavior of a micro-lens array in SHWS is analyzed using Fourier optics, and reveals that in addition to the main, expected spots, secondary spots with smaller intensities also appeared as a result of diffraction by the small dimensions of the micro-lens and interference from the different micro-lenses. This result is confirmed by comparing with a irradiance pattern taken from an actual SHWS. The additional error in centroid estimation caused by these secondary spots is discussed and relationship to the parameters of the micro-lens of SHWS is analyzed.     

A generalized quasi-sum relations for oscillator strengths in transition arrays: theoretical study of the opacity of Ge plasmas

We present a simplified relativistic configuration interaction method (SRCI), by which all the energy levels and oscillator strengths in each transition array can be calculated. There exist generalized quasi-sum relations for the calculated oscillator strengths in the relevant transition arrays by the SRCI and by an unresolved transition array model (UTA). Based on UTA and the detailed configuration accounting (DCA), with a fully relativistic treatment incorporated with the quantum defect theory, the X-ray absorption spectra for any middle- and high-Z plasmas or composite plasmas can be calculated with much less computational efforts. The gross features of calculated spectra by DCA-UTA are in agreement with the relevant experimental measurements, except some detailed structures in some narrow spectral ranges. Such detailed structures can be calculated by SRCI incorporated with DCA-UTA. As an illustrative example, the absorption spectra of Ge plasmas are calculated by DCA-UTA-SRCI and are in agreement with the experimental opacity data. Therefore, the theoretical method (DCA-UTA-SRCI) verified by experimental measurements will not only be a basic tool to provide “precision” opacity data for the inertial confinement fusion research (ICF) and studies in stellar physics but also can be used to analyze the relevant diagnostic measurements for ICF plasmas.     

A Note on Geometric Structures of Linear Ordered Orthogonal Arrays and (T,M,S)-Nets of Low Strength

The equivalent geometrical configurations of linear ordered orthogonal arrays are determined when their strengths are 3 and 4. Existence of such geometrical configurations is investigated. They are also useful in the study of (T, M, S)-nets.     

Multimode optical fiber demultiplexer-star coupler using a single gradient-index-rod lens and a multi-facet grating

An optical fiber multi-function device consisting of a single gradient-index-rod lens and a multi-facet blazed reflection grating is proposed to simultaneously realize functions of wavelength demultiplexing and optical signal distribution in a multimode optical fiber transmission system. We analyzed the demultiplexing characteristics and the tolerance of optical components using the ray trace method. This device can realize not only low loss optical signal distribution but also offers improved demultiplexing characteristics in comparison with the previously proposed demultiplexer-multiposition switch. The following characteristics are expected from the design using commercially available optical components: a working band of 0.64–0.88 μm, channel separation of 34–36 nm, 3 dB bandwidth of 27–28 nm, channel cross-talk of less than - 40 dB and minimum excess insertion loss of 0.9–2.1 dB.     

小孔阵列衍射特性与应用

以单色标量波衍射理论为基础,研究了均匀平面波从不同角度入射小孔阵列的衍射特性。运用单孔衍射理论,同时考虑相邻小孔间衍射光强的相互影响,建立了小孔阵列衍射的理论模型和光强分布的数值积分式,小孔为硬边小孔。利用Matlab对500 nm波长的平面波入射微小方孔阵列衍射图样进行了计算机仿真,得到了不同几何参量下平面波从不同角度入射时的衍射图样的一维和二维光强分布图,并将仿真结果用于微型数字式太阳敏感器的光学系统中的结构参量设计和图像处理中的参量确定。太阳敏感器的成像实验结果表明,小孔阵列衍射光强分布图的仿真结果正确、太阳敏感器光学系统参量设计合理。小孔阵列衍射理论为太阳敏感器的光学系统设计和图像处理提供了可靠的理论基础。     

On the excitation of a closely spaced array by a line source

An infinite row of periodically spaced, identical rigid circularcylinders is excited by an acoustic line source which is parallelto the generators of the cylinders. A method for calculatingthe scattered field accurately and efficiently is presented.When the cylinders are sufficiently close together, Rayleigh–Blochsurface waves that propagate energy to infinity along the arrayare excited. An expression is derived which enables the amplitudesof these surface waves to be computed without requiring thesolution to the full scattering problem.     

Curved Ferroelectric Liquid Crystal Matrix Displays Driven by Field-Sequential-Color and Active-Matrix Techniques

This paper describes a curved field-sequential-color matrix display using fast-response ferroelectric liquid crystal. Black matrix and transparent electrode patterns were formed on a thin plastic substrate by a transfer method from a glass substrate. While a composite film of liquid crystal and micro-polymers of walls and fibers was formed between the flexible substrates by printing, laminating and curing processes of a solution of monomers and liquid crystal, the mechanical stability was enhanced by use of multi-functional monomers to form large display panels. The image pixels of the matrix panel were driven by an active matrix scheme using an external switch transistor array at a frequency of 180 Hz for intermittent three-primary-color backlight illumination. The flexible A4-paper-sized color display with 24 × 16 pixels and 60 Hz field frequency was demonstrated by illuminating it with sequential three-primary-color lights from light-emitting diodes of the backlight. Our display system is useful in various information displays because of its freedom of setting and location.