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At least 235 records · Page 13

High dynamic range measurement of spectral responsivity and linearity of a radiation thermometer using a super-continuum laser and LEDs

To realize the temperature scale above the freezing point of silver according to the definition of ITS-90, the dynamic range of the spectral responsivity is one of the most important factors which limit its uncertainty. When the residual spectral response at both side bands of a spectral band is not negligible, a significant uncertainty can be caused by a low dynamic range of the spectral responsivity measurement. In general, incandescent lamps are used to measure the spectral responsivity and the linearity. The dynamic range of the spectral responsivity measurement is often limited by a trade-off with the desired spectral resolution, which is less than 6 decades. Nonlinearity is another limiting fact of uncertainties of the temperature scale. Tungsten lamps have disadvantage in the nonlinearity measurements in terms of adjustability of radiance level and spectral selectivity. We report spectral responsivity measurements of which the measurable dynamic range is enhanced 50 times after replacing a QTH lamp with a super continuum laser. We also present a spectrally selected linearity measurement over a wide dynamic range using high-brightness light emitting diode arrays to observe a slight saturation of linearity.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Measuring Topological Constraint Relaxation in Ring-Linear Polymer Blends

Polymers are an effective test bed for studying topological constraints in condensed matter due to a wide array of synthetically available chain topologies. When linear and ring polymers are blended together, emergent rheological properties are observed as the blend can be more viscous than either of the individual components. This emergent behavior arises since ring-linear blends can form long-lived topological constraints as the linear polymers thread the ring polymers. Here, in this work, we demonstrate how the Gauss linking integral can be used to efficiently evaluate the relaxation of topological constraints in ring-linear polymer blends. For majority-linear blends, the relaxation rate of topological constraints depends primarily on reptation of the linear polymers, resulting in the diffusive time τ d,R for rings of length N R blended with linear chains of length N l to scale as τ d,R ~ N$^2_R$N$^{3.4}_L$.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Toward Fully Soft and Multifunctional Shape Sensing via Optical Waveguide Arrays

For soft bodies, surface deformation and pressure provide proprioceptive and exteroceptive information, including body configuration, body compliance, and external forces. We develop a sheet sensor with a fully soft sensing surface that provides surface shape reconstruction using optical waveguide arrays. The waveguides are fabricated to achieve a tunable linear response to bi‐directional bending curvature, and the waveguide arrays are configured to differentiate between ambiguous shapes. We characterize the waveguide performance, relating curvature sensitivity to the core's surface roughness. Synergy of waveguide responses reduces the number of sensing elements required and achieves damage resilience. Using waveguide sensitivity to pressure, we also demonstrate feasibility for exteroception. We demonstrate the multifunctional sensing capability by wrapping the sheet around an upper arm, showcasing joint motion and external force sensing. Integrated into or applied onto surfaces of robotic or living systems, this design can be implemented in applications such as virtual reality, teleoperation, physical therapy, and soft robotics.

Yu, Qifan [Department of Mechanical Engineering Ma↗

X-ray topography using the forward transmitted beam under multiple-beam diffraction conditions

X-ray topographs are taken for a sapphire wafer with the [0001] surface normal, as an example, by forward transmitted synchrotron x-ray beams combined with two-dimensional electronic arrays in the x-ray detector having a spatial resolution of 1 μm. They exhibit no shape deformation and no position shift of the dislocation lines on the topographs. Since the topography is performed under multiple-beam diffraction conditions, the topographic images of a single diffraction (two-wave approximation condition) or plural diffractions (six-wave approximation condition) can be recorded without large specimen position changes. As usual Lang topographs, it is possible to determine the Burgers vector of each dislocation line. Because of high parallelism of the incoming x-rays and linear sensitivity of the electronic arrays to the incident x-rays, the present technique can be used to visualize individual dislocations in single crystals of the dislocation density as high as 1 × 10{sup 5} cm{sup −2}.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

The Long Neglected Cycloidal Mass Analyzer

Cycloid mass spectrometers offer powerful advantages for isotope ratio measurements, including double focusing (mass and energy), linear mass dispersion over a large spatial area, and a small footprint. However, the linear cycloid has not been adopted as widely as other mass analyzer designs, in part because of challenges with utilizing common ion detectors such as electron multipliers and Faraday cups. Integration of a linear cycloid with a capacitive transimpedance amplifier detector arrays can overcome these challenges, resulting in a compact powerful mass spectrometer for precision isotope ratio measurements.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Regression of exchangeable relational arrays

Relational arrays represent measures of association between pairs of actors, often in varied contexts or over time. Trade flows between countries, financial transactions between individuals, contact frequencies between school children in classrooms and dynamic protein-protein interactions are all examples of relational arrays. Elements of a relational array are often modelled as a linear function of observable covariates. Uncertainty estimates for regression coefficient estimators, and ideally the coefficient estimators themselves, must account for dependence between elements of the array, e.g., relations involving the same actor. Existing estimators of standard errors that recognize such relational dependence rely on estimating extremely complex, heterogeneous structure across actors. This paper develops a new class of parsimonious coefficient and standard error estimators for regressions of relational arrays. Here we leverage an exchangeability assumption to derive standard error estimators that pool information across actors, and are substantially more accurate than existing estimators in a variety of settings. This exchangeability assumption is pervasive in network and array models in the statistics literature, but not previously considered when adjusting for dependence in a regression setting with relational data. We demonstrate improvements in inference theoretically, via a simulation study, and by analysis of a dataset involving international trade.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Multisource Rotating Shield Brachytherapy Apparatus for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: Our purpose is to present a novel multisource rotating shield brachytherapy (RSBT) apparatus for the simultaneous precise angular and linear positioning of partially shielded {sup 153}Gd brachytherapy sources in interstitial needles for the treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer. It is designed to lower the dose to nearby healthy tissues, the urethra in particular, relative to conventional high-dose-rate brachytherapy techniques. Methods and Materials: Following needle implantation through the patient template, an angular drive mechanism is docked to the patient template. Each needle is coupled to a multisource afterloader catheter by a connector passing through a shaft. The shafts are rotated about their axes by translating a moving template between 2 stationary templates. The shafts' surfaces and moving template holes are helically threaded with the same pattern such that translation of the moving template causes simultaneous rotation of the shafts. The rotation of each shaft is mechanically transmitted to the catheter-source-shield combination, inside the needles, via several key-keyway pairs. The catheter angles are simultaneously incremented throughout treatment, and only a single 360° rotation of all catheters is needed for a full treatment. For each rotation angle, source depth in each needle is controlled by a multisource afterloader, which is proposed as an array of belt-driven linear actuators, each of which drives a wire that controls catheter depth in a needle. Results: Treatment plans demonstrated that RSBT with the proposed apparatus reduced urethral D{sub 0.1cm{sup 3}} (the minimum dose delivered to the hottest 0.1cm{sup 3} of the urethra) below that of conventional high-dose-rate brachytherapy by 31% for urethral dose gradient volume within 3 mm of the urethra surface. Treatment time to deliver 20 Gy with the proposed multisource RSBT apparatus by use of nineteen 62.4-GBq {sup 153}Gd sources was 122 minutes. Conclusions: The proposed RSBT delivery apparatus enables a mechanically feasible urethra-sparing treatment technique for prostate cancer in a clinically reasonable time frame.

62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE↗

WE-DE-201-08: Multi-Source Rotating Shield Brachytherapy Apparatus for Prostate Cancer

Purpose: To introduce a novel multi-source rotating shield brachytherapy (RSBT) apparatus for the precise simultaneous angular and linear positioning of all partially-shielded 153Gd radiation sources in interstitial needles for treating prostate cancer. The mechanism is designed to lower the detrimental dose to healthy tissues, the urethra in particular, relative to conventional high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) techniques. Methods: Following needle implantation, the delivery system is docked to the patient template. Each needle is coupled to a multi-source afterloader catheter by a connector passing through a shaft. The shafts are rotated by translating a moving template between two stationary templates. Shaft walls as well as moving template holes are threaded such that the resistive friction produced between the two parts exerts enough force on the shafts to bring about the rotation. Rotation of the shaft is then transmitted to the shielded source via several keys. Thus, shaft angular position is fully correlated with the position of the moving template. The catheter angles are simultaneously incremented throughout treatment as needed, and only a single 360° rotation of all catheters is needed for a full treatment. For each rotation angle, source depth in each needle is controlled by a multi-source afterloader, which is proposed as an array of belt-driven linear actuators, each of which drives a source wire. Results: Optimized treatment plans based on Monte Carlo dose calculations demonstrated RSBT with the proposed apparatus reduced urethral D{sub 1cc} below that of conventional HDR-BT by 35% for urethral dose gradient volume within 3 mm of the urethra surface. Treatment time to deliver 20 Gy with multi-source RSBT apparatus using nineteen 62.4 GBq {sup 153}Gd sources is 117 min. Conclusions: The proposed RSBT delivery apparatus in conjunction with multiple nitinol catheter-mounted platinum-shielded {sup 153}Gd sources enables a mechanically feasible urethra-sparing treatment technique for prostate cancer in a clinically reasonable timeframe.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Pixel multiplexing technique for real-time three-dimensional-imaging laser detection and ranging system using four linear-mode avalanche photodiodes

The avalanche-photodiode-array (APD-array) laser detection and ranging (LADAR) system has been continually developed owing to its superiority of nonscanning, large field of view, high sensitivity, and high precision. However, how to achieve higher-efficient detection and better integration of the LADAR system for real-time three-dimensional (3D) imaging continues to be a problem. In this study, a novel LADAR system using four linear mode APDs (LmAPDs) is developed for high-efficient detection by adopting a modulation and multiplexing technique. Furthermore, an automatic control system for the array LADAR system is proposed and designed by applying the virtual instrumentation technique. The control system aims to achieve four functions: synchronization of laser emission and rotating platform, multi-channel synchronous data acquisition, real-time Ethernet upper monitoring, and real-time signal processing and 3D visualization. The structure and principle of the complete system are described in the paper. The experimental results demonstrate that the LADAR system is capable of achieving real-time 3D imaging on an omnidirectional rotating platform under the control of the virtual instrumentation system. The automatic imaging LADAR system utilized only 4 LmAPDs to achieve 256-pixel-per-frame detection with by employing 64-bit demodulator. Moreover, the lateral resolution is ∼15 cm and range accuracy is ∼4 cm root-mean-square error at a distance of ∼40 m.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Photoinitiated Electron Transfer in Zinc Porphyrin-Perylenediimide Cruciforms and Their Self-Assembled Oligomers

Two X-shaped, cruciform electron donor 2 –acceptor–acceptor' 2 (D 2 -A-A' 2 ) molecules, 1 and 2, in which D = zinc 5-phenyl-10,15,20-tripentylporphyrin (ZnTPnP) or zinc 5,10,15,20-tetraphenylporphyrin (ZnTPP), respectively, A = pyromellitimide (PI), and A' = perylene-3,4:9,10-bis(dicarboximide) (PDI), were prepared to study self-assembly motifs that promote photoinitiated charge separation followed by electron and hole transport through π-stacked donors and acceptors. PDI secondary electron acceptors were chosen because of their propensity to form self-ordered, π-stacked assemblies in solution, while the ZnTPnP and ZnTPP donors were selected to test the effect of peripheral substituent steric interactions on the π-stacking characteristics of the cruciforms. Small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering measurements in toluene solution reveal that 1 assembles into a π-stacked structure having an average of 5 ± 1 molecules, when [1] ≅ 10 –5 M, while 2 remains monomeric. Photoexcitation of the π-stacked structure of 1 results in formation of ZnTPnP •+ -PI-PDI •– in τ CS1 = 0.3 ps, which is nearly 100-fold faster than the formation of ZnTPnP •+ -PI •– in a model system lacking the PDI acceptor. The data are consistent with a self-assembled structure for 1 in which the majority of the intermolecular interactions have the ZnTPnP donor of one monomer cofacially π-stacked with the PDI acceptor of a neighboring monomer in a crisscrossed fashion. In contrast, 2 remains monomeric in toluene, so that photoexcitation of ZnTPP results in the charge separation reaction sequence: 1* ZnTPP-PI-PDI → ZnTPP •+ -PI •– -PDI → ZnTPP •+ -PI-PDI •– , where τ CS1 = 33 ps and τ CS2 = 239 ps. The perpendicular orientation of ZnTPnP and ZnTPP relative to PDI in 1 and 2 is designed to decrease the porphyrin–PDI distance without greatly decreasing the overall number of bonds linking them. This serves to decrease the Coulomb energy penalty required to produce D •+ -PI-PDI •– relative to the corresponding linear D-PI-PDI array, while retaining the weak electronic coupling necessary to achieve long-lived charge separation, as evidenced by τ CR = 24 ns for ZnTPP •+ -PI-PDI •– .

Conron, Sarah M. Mickley↗

Oxidative cyclization of prodigiosin by an alkylglycerol monooxygenase-like enzyme

We present Prodiginines, which are tripyrrole alkaloids displaying a wide array of bioactivities, occur as linear and cyclic congeners. Identification of an unclustered biosynthetic gene led to the discovery of the enzyme responsible for catalyzing the regiospecific C-H activation and cyclization of prodigiosin to cycloprodigiosin in Pseudoalteromonas rubra. This enzyme is related to alkylglycerol monooxygenase and unrelated to RedG, the Rieske oxygenase that produces cyclized prodiginines in Streptomyces, implying convergent evolution.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Alternating current magnetic susceptibility of a molecular magnet submonolayer directly patterned onto a micro superconducting quantum interference device

We report the controlled integration, via dip pen nanolithography, of monolayer dots of ferritin-based CoO nanoparticles (12 μ{sub B}) into the most sensitive areas of a microSQUID sensor. The nearly optimum flux coupling between these nanomagnets and the microSQUID improves the achievable sensitivity by a factor 10{sup 2}, enabling us to measure the linear susceptibility of the molecular array down to very low temperatures (13 mK). This method opens the possibility of applying ac susceptibility experiments to characterize two-dimensional arrays of single molecule magnets within a wide range of temperatures and frequencies.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Self-assembly of multiferroic core-shell particulate nanocomposites through DNA-DNA hybridization and magnetic field directed assembly of superstructures

Multiferroic composites of ferromagnetic and ferroelectric phases are of importance for studies on mechanical strain mediated coupling between the magnetic and electric subsystems. This work is on DNA-assisted self-assembly of superstructures of such composites with nanometer periodicity. The synthesis involved oligomeric DNA-functionalized ferroelectric and ferromagnetic nanoparticles, 600 nm BaTiO{sub 3} (BTO) and 200 nm NiFe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (NFO), respectively. Mixing BTO and NFO particles, possessing complementary DNA sequences, resulted in the formation of ordered core-shell heteronanocomposites held together by DNA hybridization. The composites were imaged by scanning electron microscopy and scanning microwave microscopy. The presence of heteroassemblies along with core-shell architecture is clearly observed. The reversible nature of the DNA hybridization allows for restructuring the composites into mm-long linear chains and 2D-arrays in the presence of a static magnetic field and ring-like structures in a rotating-magnetic field. Strong magneto-electric (ME) coupling in as-assembled composites is evident from static magnetic field H induced polarization and low-frequency magnetoelectric voltage coefficient measurements. Upon annealing the nanocomposites at high temperatures, evidence for the formation of bulk composites with excellent cross-coupling between the electric and magnetic subsystems is obtained by H-induced polarization and low-frequency ME voltage coefficient. The ME coupling strength in the self-assembled composites is measured to be much stronger than in bulk composites with randomly distributed NFO and BTO prepared by direct mixing and sintering.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Temporal compressive sensing systems

Methods and systems for temporal compressive sensing are disclosed, where within each of one or more sensor array data acquisition periods, one or more sensor array measurement datasets comprising distinct linear combinations of time slice data are acquired, and where mathematical reconstruction allows for calculation of accurate representations of the individual time slice datasets.

97 MATHEMATICS AND COMPUTING↗

Temporal compressive sensing systems

Methods and systems for temporal compressive sensing are disclosed, where within each of one or more sensor array data acquisition periods, one or more sensor array measurement datasets comprising distinct linear combinations of time slice data are acquired, and where mathematical reconstruction allows for calculation of accurate representations of the individual time slice datasets.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗

Temporal compressive sensing systems

Methods and systems for temporal compressive sensing are disclosed, where within each of one or more sensor array data acquisition periods, one or more sensor array measurement datasets comprising distinct linear combinations of time slice data are acquired, and where mathematical reconstruction allows for calculation of accurate representations of the individual time slice datasets.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

Shared aperture antenna array

A shared aperture antenna array including an array of antennas is disclosed. Elements of neighboring antennas are shared to create additional antennas. The shared elements include radiating patches and apertures. Each antenna shares an aperture with neighboring antennas. The array of antennas may be linear or two-dimensional. A phase shifting network with single-pole-single-throw reflective switches may be coupled to the antennas.

Tedeschi, Jeffrey R.↗