Increase in the superconducting transition temperature in Zr-Hf alloys due to <Emphasis Type="Italic">s-d</Emphasis> electron transfer under pressure

Correlation between the roughness of neighboring interfaces (roughness cross correlation) in a Ni/C X-ray multilayer mirror (XMM) prepared by laser ablation was studied by measuring X-ray diffuse scattering (XDS). The XDS intensities in the vicinity of the first Bragg reflection were measured at different photon energies: slightly below (8.325 keV) and slightly above (8.350 keV) the nickel photoabsorption K edge. The effective screening of the contribution from the deep layers to the XDS cross section due to the strong damping of the wave field at a photon energy higher than the photoabsorption edge allowed information on the character of the in-depth roughness cross correlation in the sample to be obtained. In particular, the characteristic lateral correlation length of the roughness was 0.35 µm at a photon energy of 8.325 keV (the contribution to the XDS cross section of the entire XMM volume), and it increased to 0.4 µm at a photon energy of 8.350 keV (predominantly the contribution from the upper layers). These data give direct evidence for the mechanism of smoothing of the interfacial roughness in the process of Ni/C XMM growth on anomalously large (up to micron) spatial scales. It was found that only rough large-scale defects with sizes of ≥10 µm are reproduced reasonably well from layer to layer. The processes of viscous flow and (or) reevaporation of high-energy target ions during deposition, which is characteristic of the laser method of XMM preparation, may serve as a possible explanation of the observed phenomenon.     

Constraints on the interaction between dark matter and Baryons from cooling flow clusters

Other nongravitational heating processes are needed to resolve the disagreement between the absence of cool gas components in the centers of galaxy clusters revealed recently by Chandra and XMM observations and the expectations of conventional radiative cooling models. We propose that the interaction between dark matter and baryonic matter may act as an alternative for the reheating of intracluster medium (ICM) in the inner regions of clusters, in which kinetic energy of dark matter is transported to ICM to balance radiative cooling. Using the Chandra and XMM data, we set a useful constraint on the dark-matter-baryon cross section: sigma(xp)/m(x) approximately 1x10(-25) cm(2) GeV-1, where m(x) is the mass of dark matter particles.     

Science with GRASP

Summary The GRASP mission has been studied by ESA as a candidate mission in Gamma-Ray Astronomy with Spectroscopy and Positioning. The key feature of the mission will be a high-resolution, Ge-based spectrometer, allowing for a resolution of the keV order ∼1 MeV, and a CsI imager, permitting source location accuracies approaching the arcminute over a wide field of view. GRASP, although not yet finally selected, has been placed as the first priority in the ESA astronomy ?medium? class missions, and is currently further studied as a candidate for use on a common bus with the ESA cornerstone XMM. To speed up publication, the proofs were not sent to the authors and were supervised by the Scientific Committee.     

Development of a pinhole gamma camera for environmental monitoring

The collimator design for a nuclear monitoring system should be considered differently from the collimator design for medical environments because it has to be used in high-energy radiation environments. The purpose of this study was to determine the optimum pinhole design and to evaluate its performance for acquiring good-quality image in a high-energy radiation field. Simulations using the Geant4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE) were performed to model the pinhole gamma camera system. The gamma camera consists of a pyramid-shaped lead collimator with a tungsten pinhole insert, and a CsI(Tl) scintillation crystal with thickness of 6.0 mm and area of 50.0 mm × 50.0 mm. The acceptance angle of the pinhole collimator and the distance from pinhole to scintillator crystal were set to 45° and 60 mm, respectively. The intrinsic spatial resolution and sensitivity were simulated by changing the pinhole diameter and channel height. The point source was located 60 mm above the center of the pinhole, and the transmitted image was estimated for pinhole diameter values from 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm, while the channel heights were fixed between 2.0 mm and 6.0 mm. The optimal ranges of channel height and pinhole diameter were determined by evaluating the intrinsic resolution and sensitivity tradeoff curves. The pinhole parameters were selected based on these analyses, and we verified the simulation results through experimental tests of three types of collimators (general purpose, high sensitivity, and high resolution). The simulated and experimental results agreed, with discrepancies of 4.5% and 6.4% in the sensitivity and spatial resolution, respectively. The results demonstrate that the pinhole collimator designed in this study could be utilized to perform radiation monitoring.     

Effects of annealing on TL sensitivity of granitic quartz

A TL sensitivity change can usually be observed after the quartz sample is heated to a high temperature. The change of 110°C TL peak or PTTL was reported to be an increase in many studies. The change of TL sensitivity of other TL peaks, mainly 150 and 375°C, with annealing treatments was demonstrated in this study. Two types of TL sensitivities in granitic quartz were found. One type is the low temperature TL sensitivity (<250°C) which increases with annealing time and temperature. Another type is the high temperature TL sensitivity (>250°C) which usually decreases after annealing. If the TL sensitivity is a measure of the population of associated TL traps, the trap population is a potential geochronometer to date a cooling age of a granite host.     

基于超长周期光纤光栅的高灵敏度扭曲传感器

利用高频CO₂激光脉冲写入的周期达数毫米的超长周期光纤光栅(ULPFG)，实验研究了这种新型ULPFG的扭曲特性，发现它的某些高阶谐振波长漂移与扭曲率之间具有良好的线性关系和方向相关性，其灵敏度可达0.2244nm/(rad/m)，是高频CO₂激光脉冲写入法写入的普通LPFG扭曲灵敏度的4倍.初步的理论分析表明，新型ULPFG横截面折变的非对称性以及导模与高阶包层模之间发生的耦合使得扭曲具有方向相关性和很高的灵敏度.基于这种ULPFG独特的扭曲特性，设计了一种可 关键词： 光纤传感 光纤光栅 2激光')" href="#">CO₂激光 扭曲测量 双折射     

Comparison of optical detection system ,PVDF detection system, and PVDF needle hydrophone for optoacoustic tomography

Optoacoustic tomography (PAT) is a two-dimensional medical imaging method that has the advantage of optical contrast and resolution of ultrasonic waves. The detection systems with a high sensitivity can be used for detecting small tumors, located deeply in human tissues, such as the breast. In this study, the sensitivity of existing ultrasonic detection systems has been compared experimentally with that by using thermoelastic waves as a broadband ultrasonic source. For the comparison, an optical stress transducer(OST), a polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) sheet and a calibrated PVDF needle hydrophone were used.To ensure all of the detection systems interrogated by the same ultrasonic field, a small optical instrument that fixed the generating laser head was constructed. The sensitivity was evaluated by measuring signalto-noise ratios (SNRs) and noise equivalent pressures (NEPs). The PVDF system, with a 4-kPa NEP has a 22 dB better performance than the OST. The OST showed nearly the same sensitivity as the hydrophone for detecting ultrasound waves at a 1-cm distance in water. PVDF detection system provides a useful tool for imaging of soft tissues because of its high sensitivity and broad detection range.     

Highly Sensitive Temperature Fiber Sensor Based on Mach-Zehnder Interferometer

We propose a highly sensitive temperature fiber sensor based on a Mach-Zehnder Interferometer (MZI). The MZI is composed of a piece of no-core fiber (NCF), a single-mode fiber (SMF), and a fiber taper (FT) structure. To accomplish high sensitivity, the component was immersed in a material with high thermo-optic coefficient (TOC). The experimental results showed that a high temperature sensitivity of 1.56 nm/°C was achieved for surrounding material with a refractive index (RI) of 1.45. The presented sensor has numerous advantages, for instance, extremely high sensitivity, easy fabrication, simple structure, compact size, and in-line applications.     

全光纤M-Z干涉仪的高灵敏度与大动态范围多普勒激光雷达风场探测技术

多普勒测风激光雷达是大气风场探测的重要手段之一。通过检测风速导致的大气后向散射谱的多普勒频移从而实现风速的探测。由于受鉴频器本身特性的影响,高灵敏度与大动态范围的探测一直是大气风场探测的难点。提出采用双光纤Mach-Zehnder干涉仪(FMZI)作为多普勒激光雷达的鉴频器件,设计两路不同动态范围及风速探测灵敏度的FMZI鉴频器同时对大气回波信号进行鉴频。采用小光程差(13.7 cm)、大动态范围(±100 m·s-1)鉴频光路FMZI-2对风速区间进行定位,大光程差(74.8 cm)、高探测灵敏度(2.62%/(m·s-1))的鉴频光路FMZI-1进行风速精细探测,从而实现大动态范围高灵敏度的风场探测。利用标准大气模型对不同参数条件下的系统灵敏度、系统探测的信噪比及风速误差进行仿真分析。结果表明,该系统可以实现±100 m·s-1大动态范围内风速误差小于1 m·s-1的大气风场探测,为大动态范围高灵敏度测风激光雷达的发展进行了有益的探索。     

不同Cs、O电流比激活对GaAs光阴极灵敏度和稳定性的影响

鉴于不同的铯氧电流激活GaAs光阴极时会对激活过程和结果产生不同的影响,从而影响GaAs光阴极的灵敏度和稳定性.以固定铯源电流,改变氧源电流的方式获取不同铯、氧电流比,激活同类GaAs光阴极,得到了3组实验数据.对数据进行分析,结果表明:同类光阴极在相同条件下激活时,光电流出现的时间几乎一致,并且首个光电流峰值也非常接近;激活时ICs/IO=1.07是目前获得高灵敏度、高稳定性GaAs光阴极的最佳电流比,而ICs/IO=1.10时光阴极灵敏度低但稳定性好,ICs/IO=1.03时光阴极灵敏度高但稳定性差.双偶极层模型认为Cs、O激活后GaAs表面形成了稳定均匀的GaAs-O-Cs:Cs-O-Cs双偶极层,并达到了负电子亲和势,这一点与实验数据的分析结果相一致.该方法可用于提高GaAs光阴极灵敏度和稳定性.     

Dependence of NO2 sensitivity on thickness of oxide-sensing electrodes for mixed-potential-type sensor using stabilized zirconia

The effect of thickness of oxide-sensing electrode (SE) on NO₂ sensitivity of the planar sensor based on yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) was examined at high temperatures. The sensitivity of the sensor increased with decreasing thickness of SE, and the highest sensitivity was obtained by using the thinnest layer of Cr₂O₃–SE (2.7 μm) at 700 °C. In the case of NiO–SE, the highest sensitivity was observed for the sensor using the 4-μm-thick SE even at a high temperature of 850 °C. Based on the results of the measurements for the complex impedances, the polarization curves, and the gas-phase NO₂ decomposition catalysis, it was confirmed that the catalytic activity to the gas-phase NO₂ decomposition on the oxide–SE matrix played an important role in determining the NO₂ sensitivity of the present sensors.     

Transparent ZnO/glass surface acoustic wave based high performance ultraviolet light sensors

Surface acoustic wave(SAW) resonators are a type of ultraviolet(UV) light sensors with high sensitivity, and they have been extensively studied. Transparent SAW devices are very useful and can be developed into various sensors and microfluidics for sensing/monitoring and lab-on-chip applications. We report the fabrication of high sensitivity SAW UV sensors based on piezoelectric(PE) ZnO thin films deposited on glass substrates. The sensors were fabricated and their performances against the post-deposition annealing condition were investigated. It was found that the UV-light sensitivity is improved by more than one order of magnitude after annealing. The frequency response increases significantly and the response becomes much faster. The optimized devices also show a small temperature coefficient of frequency and excellent repeatability and stability, demonstrating its potential for UV-light sensing application.     

A proposal for a semiquantitative scoring system for lymphedema using Non-contrast Magnetic Resonance Lymphography (NMRL): Reproducibility among readers and correlation with clinical grading

PurposeTo assess the ability and reproducibility of Non-contrast Magnetic Resonance Lymphography (NMRL) in detecting and quantify lymphedema, using a semiquantitative scoring system.Methods and materialThis is a monocentric retrospective study of 134 consecutive patients with a clinical diagnosis of limb lymphedema who performed a Non-contrast Magnetic Resonance Lymphography (NMRL) at our Institution between November 2014 and February 2017. Lymphedema was classified based both on clinical and radiologic evaluation. An NMRL total score was obtained for each limb's segment and compared to the clinical grade, used as reference standard. NMRL intra-observer, inter-observer variability and intraclass correlation were calculated. NMRL sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy in identifying lymphedema were provided. Based on score distribution an NMRL four-stage system was developed.ResultsNMRL showed 92% sensitivity, 77% specificity and 82% accuracy in identifying lymphedema. An almost perfect agreement was obtained by expert operators, while substantial agreement was obtained by non-expert operators. Substantial agreement resulted also for the inter-observer variability (Cohen's Kappa K = 0.73, CI 95% [0.69–0.78]). The intra-class correlation showed an almost perfect relationship both by expert and non-expert operators. Excellent correlation between clinical grade and NMRL score and between clinical grade and NMRL stage were found for each segment.ConclusionsNMRL is a confident and reproducible exam with high sensitivity, good specificity and high accuracy in lymphedema detection; the semiquantitative NMRL score resulted a reliable and reproducible tool able to quantify lymphedema severity.     

Two Highly Sensitive and Selective Colorimetric “Off-On” Rhodamine-Based Fluorescent Chemosensor for Hg(II) in Aqueous Media

Two novel rhodamine derivatives were designed and synthesized. They were successfully characterized by HR-MS, ¹H NMR and ¹³C NMR. They were found to exhibit a reversible colorimetric response and exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity for Hg(II) ion over other commonly coexistent metal ions. Their selectivity is excellent, and the detection of Hg(II) at ppb level is possible. The colorimetric and fluorescent response to Hg(II) can be conveniently detected even by the naked eye, which provides a facile method for visual detection of Hg(II).     

DIP angle dependence on track formation sensitivity in antioxidant doped CR-39 plates

Recently, space radiation dosimetry measurements were made by passive and active detectors inside the Spacelab [STS-47 (FMPT): 300km, 57°, STS-65 (IML-2 mission): 300km, 28.5°]. The LET distributions obtained by antioxidant doped CR-39 inside the Spacelab were compared with those measured by the tissue equivalent proportional counter (TEPC) and the real time radiation monitoring device (RRMD) consisting of eight silicon detectors. While both distributions by CR-39 are in good agreement with those obtained by active detectors over the region of LET of several tens to 200 keV/μm, a significant difference in the LET region of smaller than several tens keV/μm is seen. It is considered to be caused by the dip angle dependence of track formation sensitivity in CR-39. The track formation sensitivity for different dip angle were measured for several high heavy energy ions. Using these results, the correction for the dip angle was made for the LET distribution. The corrected result is consistent with the results obtained by active detectors.     

Spatial field shifts in ocean acoustic environmental sensitivity analysis

This article examines the effects of spatial field shifts in ocean acoustic environmental sensitivity analysis. Acoustic sensitivity studies are typically based on comparing acoustic fields computed for a reference environmental model and for a perturbed model in which one or more parameters have been changed. The perturbation to the acoustic field due to the perturbed environment generally includes a component representing a spatial shift of the field (i.e., local field structure remains coherent, but shifts in range and/or depth) and a component representing a change to the shifted field. Standard sensitivity measures based on acoustic perturbations at a fixed point can indicate high sensitivity in cases where the field structure changes very little, but is simply shifted by a small spatial offset; this can conflict with an intuitive understanding of sensitivity. This article defines and compares fixed-point and field-shift corrected sensitivity measures. The approaches are illustrated with examples of deterministic sensitivity (i.e., sensitivity to a specific environmental change) and stochastic sensitivity (sensitivity to environmental uncertainty) in range-independent and range-dependent environments.     

Study of gas detection based on integrated cavity output spectroscopy

A trace gases detection system based on integrated cavity output spectroscopy (ICOS) was developed, where a NIR tunable diode laser (TDL) was used as light source, an optical cavity composed by two plan-concave mirrors with reflection near 99.7% was used as the absorption cell. Trace water vapour (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), carbon monoxide (CO) and mixture of CO₂ and CO were tested by ICOS based on the characteristics absorption. The wavelength calibration, cavity transmission characteristics, quantitative measurement ability and sensitivity of the TDL-ICOS were also studied, and a evaluated minimum detectable sensitivity of 1.15 × 10^?7 cm^?1 was obtained when the system was used to CH₄ detection. The experiment results show that TDL-ICOS is expected to be a reliable and promising system for the detection of trace gases since it has some advantages such as real-time monitoring, simple device, easy operation, high sensitivity, good stability and quantitative ability.     

基于金属孔阵列的聚酰亚胺薄膜太赫兹探测

优化设计了多种不同孔径和形状的太赫兹波段的亚波长金属孔阵列结构,结合超薄低折射率的聚酰亚胺（PI）薄膜,探索了太赫兹时域光谱技术对超薄低折射率的探测灵敏性。利用飞秒微加工技术制备了一系列亚波长金属孔阵列结构,利用太赫兹时域光谱技术测试了阵列结构的反射波谱,获得了强烈的反射共振现象。然后在亚波长金属孔阵列结构背面叠加PI薄膜,结果表明太赫兹反射峰出现了显著低频移动现象。利用这一现象,实现了低至10 m的PI薄膜的有效探测,说明亚波长金属孔阵列结构在太赫兹传感领域对检测超薄低折射率薄膜材料有极强敏感性。收稿日期:; 修订日期:     

High sensitivity plasmonic temperature sensor based on a side-polished photonic crystal fiber

A high sensitivity plasmonic temperature sensor based on a side-polished photonic crystal fiber is proposed in this work.In order to achieve high sensitivity and high stability,the gold layer is coated on the side-polished photonic crystal fiber to support surface plasmon resonance.The mixture of ethanol and chloroform is used as the thermosensitive liquid.The performances of the proposed temperature sensor were investigated by the finite element method(FEM).Simulation results indicate that the sensitivity of the temperature sensor is as high as 7.82 nm/℃.It has good linearity(R;=0.99803),the resolution of 1.1×10;℃,and the amplitude sensitivity of 0.1008℃;.In addition,the sizes of the small air hole and polishing depth have little influence on the sensitivity.Therefore,the proposed sensor shows a high structure tolerance.The excellent performance and high structure tolerance of the sensor make it an appropriate choice for temperature measurement.     

Yellow stimulated luminescence from potassium feldspar: Observations on its suitability for dating

Yellow stimulated luminescence (Y-OSL) is the light detected from potassium-rich feldspars at 410 nm under stimulation by a yellow light source emitting 590 nm. The investigation of this study aimed at understanding basic luminescence physics of Y-OSL in order to assess the suitability of the technique for dating. The Y-OSL signal properties tested were signal intensity, thermal assistance, thermal stability, sensitivity to daylight and the suitability of a single aliquot regenerative (SAR) protocol to be employed for equivalent dose (D_e) estimation. D_e measurements were conducted on samples of Holocene, last glacial and Tertiary age. The tests were undertaken on sedimentary feldspar separates extracted from aeolian, fluvial and coastal deposits.Results from experiments show that the signal intensity increases by measuring Y-OSL at elevated temperature suggesting thermal assistance characteristics similar to infrared stimulated luminescence (IRSL). The yellow stimulated signal remains unaffected by preheat temperatures up to ～200 °C suggesting higher thermal stability than the IRSL signal. The Y-OSL signal is less light sensitive than the IRSL signal and D_e residuals obtained from modern samples are up to 7 Gy indicating suitability of the technique for ‘older’ and well-bleached sediments. The dose recovery tests successfully recovered the given dose if the specific light sensitivity of Y-OSL is taken into account. For every sample Y-OSL D_e values obtained by a single aliquot regenerative dose protocol (SAR) are higher than those obtained by an IRSL SAR approach. From these results we infer high thermal stability and a minimal anomalous fading of the Y-OSL signal. We conclude that Y-OSL has a high potential to date Quaternary sediments that were sufficiently bleached in nature.