Microlocal analysis of seismic inverse scattering in anisotropic elastic media

Seismic data is modeled in the high‐frequency approximation, using the techniques of microlocal analysis. We consider general, anisotropic elastic media. Our methods are designed to allow for the formation of caustics. The data is modeled in two ways. First, we give a microlocal treatment of the Kirchhoff approximation, where the medium is assumed to be piecewise smooth, and reflection and transmission occur at interfaces. Second, we give a refined view on the Born approximation based upon a linearization of the scattering process in the medium parameters around a smooth background medium. The joint formulation of Born and Kirchhoff scattering allows us to take into account general scatterers as well as the nonlinear dependence of reflection coefficients on the medium parameters. The latter allows the treatment of scattering up to grazing angles. The outcome of the analysis is a characterization of the singular part of seismic data. We obtain a set of pseudodifferential operators that annihilate the data. In the process we construct a Fourier integral operator and a reflectivity function such that the data can be represented by this operator acting on the reflectivity function. In our construction this Fourier integral operator becomes invertible. We give the conditions for invertibility for general acquisition geometry. The result is also of interest for inverse scattering in acoustic media. © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

An improved sweeping domain decomposition preconditioner for the Helmholtz equation

In this paper we generalize and improve a recently developed domain decomposition preconditioner for the iterative solution of discretized Helmholtz equations. We introduce an improved method for transmission at the internal boundaries using perfectly matched layers. Simultaneous forward and backward sweeps are introduced, thereby improving the possibilities for parallellization. Finally, the method is combined with an outer two-grid iteration. The method is studied theoretically and with numerical examples. It is shown that the modifications lead to substantial decreases in computation time and memory use, so that computation times become comparable to that of the fastests methods currently in the literature for problems with up to 10⁸ degrees of freedom.     

Defects in ion-implanted crystalline silicon probed by femtosecond laser spectroscopy

Summary Radiation damage is generated in a controlled manner by MeV ion implantation of Si⁺ and He⁺ ions in c-Si and studied by ultrafast laser pulses on a subpicosecond time scale. In Si⁺-implanted samples the amorphization of the sample is achieved at sufficiently high doses, while He implants only produce a very low level of damage. Defects are investigated after implantation by measuringex situ the change of reflectivity caused by a high density of electron-hole plasma generated by femtosecond laser pulses. The plasma decay time decreases as a function of the implantation dose in both Si- and He-implanted samples, reaching a minimum value of ≈1 ps. It is observed that the saturation of the decay time is not related to the amorphization of the sample, but rather to the formation of simple defects produced during ion implantation.     

Progress in the methodological strategies for the detection in real samples of desmosine and isodesmosine, two biological markers of elastin degradation

Desmosines are crosslinking amino acids unique to mature elastin in humans. Owing to this unicity, they have been discussed as potentially attractive indicators of connective tissue disorders whose clinical manifestations are mostly the result of elastin degradation. This review covers advances in immunochemical, chromatographic, and electrophoretic procedures applied in the last 25 years to detect and quantitate these crosslinksin a variety of biological samples. Recent applications of CE with LIF detection (CE-LIF) for investigating the content of desmosines in different fluids will also be discussed.     

On the development of single and multijunction solar cells with hot-wire CVD deposited active layers

We present an overview of the scientific challenges and achievements during the development of thin film silicon based single and multijunction solar cells with hot-wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) of the active silicon layers. The highlights discussed include the development of Ag/ZnO coatings with a proper roughness and morphology for optimal light trapping in single and multijunction thin film silicon solar cells, studies of the structural defects created by a rough substrate surface and their influence on the performance of nc-Si:H n–i–p single junction solar cells, and studies of the phase change during the growth of nc-Si:H by HWCVD and the use of a ‘reverse’ H₂ profiling technique to achieve nc-Si:H single junction n–i–p cells with high performance. Thus far, the best AM1.5 efficiency reached for n–i–p cells on stainless-steel with HWCVD i-layers is 8.6% for single junction nc-Si:H solar cells and 10.9% for triple junction solar cells. The opportunities for further improvement of cell efficiency are also discussed. We conclude that the uniqueness of HWCVD and of the i-layers deposited with this technique require some adjustments in the strategy for optimization of single or multijunction solar cells, such as using a reverse H₂ profiling technique for the deposition of nc-Si:H i-layers. However, the output performance of solar cells with HWCVD deposited i-layers is close to those with i-layers deposited by other techniques. The difference between the best nc-Si:H n–i–p cells obtained so far in our lab and the reported best n–i–p cells with PECVD i-layers can be mainly attributed to the differences in the rough substrates and to the use of rather thin i-layers.     

Calculations of elastic n-d scattering for the Reid potential

A perturbational scheme is used to study neutron-deuteron elastic scattering with the Faddeev equations in momentum space. The pure s-wave parts of the two-nucleon T-matrix are treated in an exact way, while the higher partial-wave components are retained in first order. This is done for the full Reid soft-core potential. The lab energies considered in this study are between 5 and 50 MeV. It is found that the perturbation method can give insight in the sensitivity to details of the potential, and at higher energies can give quantitatively reliable results, for most of the observables.     

An experimental investigation of fracture by cavitation of model elastomeric networks

A new methodology to investigate the failure of elastomers in a confined geometry has been developed and applied to model end-linked polyurethane elastomers. The experimental in situ observations show that the elastomers fail by the growth of a single cavity nucleated in the region of maximum hydrostatic stress. Tests carried out at different temperatures for the same elastomer show that the critical stress at which this crack grows is not proportional to the Young's modulus E but depends mainly on the ratio between the mode I fracture energy G_IC and E. A reasonable fit of the data can be obtained with a model of cavity expansion by irreversible fracture calculating the energy release rate by finite elements with a strain hardening constitutive equation. Comparison between different elastomers shows that the material containing both entanglements and crosslinks is both tougher in mode I and more resistant to cavitation relative to its elastic modulus. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48:1409–1422, 2010     

Validation of an analytical method using HPLC–MS/MS to quantify osimertinib in human plasma and supplementary stability results

A new method for quantification of osimertinib (OSIM) in human plasma using a high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry method was developed and validated. Methanol was used for protein precipitation and pazopanib as internal standard. Separation was performed on a HyPURITY®C₁₈ analytical column (50 × 2.1 mm; 3 μm) using a gradient elution of ammonium acetate in water and ammonium acetate in methanol, both acidified with formic acid 0.1%. Detection and quantification of OSIM and pazopanib was performed using a triple quadruple mass spectrometer after electrospray ionization. This method led to robust results, as the selectivity, carryover, precision and accuracy all met pre-specified requirements. OSIM was stable in human serum when stored at −80°C. Reduced stability was found when stored at 2–4°C or room temperature. Degradation of OSIM slowed down in EDTA–plasma and acidified human serum. The limited stability of OSIM at room temperature should be considered for transport and sample preparation. Plasma samples should be frozen as soon as possible and sample preparation should be performed on dry-ice. In the future, EDTA–plasma and sample acidification may be used to improve OSIM stability at room temperature. However, more research and validation of such an approach are required.