Two-dimensional ultrasound receive array using an angle-tuned Fabry-Perot polymer film sensor for transducer field characterization and transmission ultrasound imaging

A 2-D optical ultrasound receive array has been investigated. The transduction mechanism is based upon the detection of acoustically induced changes in the optical thickness of a thin polymer film acting as a Fabry-Perot sensing interferometer (FPI). By illuminating the sensor with a large-area laser beam and mechanically scanning a photodiode across the reflected output beam, while using a novel angle-tuned phase bias control system to optimally set the FPI working point, a notional 2-D ultrasound array was synthesized. To demonstrate the concept, 1-D and 2-D ultrasound field distributions produced by planar 3.5-MHz and focused 5-MHz PZT ultrasound transducers were mapped. The system was also evaluated by performing transmission ultrasound imaging of a spatially calibrated target. The "array" aperture, defined by the dimensions of the incident optical field, was elliptical, of dimensions 16 /spl times/ 12 mm and spatially sampled in steps of 0.1 mm or 0.2 mm. Element sizes, defined by the photodiode aperture, of 0.8, 0.4, and 0.2 mm were variously used for these experiments. Two types of sensor were evaluated. One was a discrete 75-/spl mu/m-thick polyethylene terephthalate FPI bonded to a polymer backing stub which had a wideband peak noise-equivalent pressure of 6.5 kPa and an acoustic bandwidth 12 MHz. The other was a 40-/spl mu/m Parylene film FPI which was directly vacuum-deposited onto a glass backing stub and had an NEP of 8 kPa and an acoustic bandwidth of 17.5 MHz. It is considered that this approach offers an alternative to piezoelectric ultrasound arrays for transducer field characterization, transmission medical and industrial ultrasound imaging, biomedical photoacoustic imaging, and ultrasonic nondestructive testing

Systems Theory in Special Education

In this review I looked at 22 articles that explored two of the primary interventional perspectives used when addressing the needs of exceptional students. A number of the articles elucidate the present prevalence of student based practices in U.S. schools, administration, and legislation. The body of the literature surveys how family centered interventions can be, and are used, to better serve students by integrating the needs and concerns of the family, as well as those of the student. The review was concluded with a discussion of the importance of finding a balance between the current legislative trend which emphasizes a student's needs based on an annual standards driven success model, versus a model which emphasizes the development of the whole child at home, and in the school, during all educational and developmental stages

Not the Whole Story of the National Literacy Strategy: A Response to Dominic Wyse

There is evidence that the National Literacy Strategy has led to a sustained increase in literacy attainment, especially in reading, although recent international comparisons also suggest some additional issues regarding pupil performance in England. The relative success of the NLS may at least partly lie in the policy application of several complementary areas of educational research, a suggestion disputed by Dominic Wyse (2003). However, his critical commentary is marred by important omissions, particularly of reference to debates about the teaching of reading and to the statutory status of the National Curriculum for English. His alternative suggestions on the use of ‘child development’ evidence lack methodological detail and are only partly formulated

Integrated electronic prescribing and robotic dispensing: a case study

INTRODUCTION: To quantify the benefits of electronic prescribing directly linked to a robotic dispensing machine. CASE DESCRIPTION: Quantitative case study analysis is used on a single case. Hospital A (1,000 beds) has used an integrated electronic prescribing system for 10 years, and in 2009 linked two robotic dispensing machines to the system. The impact on dispensing error rates (quality) and efficiency (costs) were assessed. EVALUATION AND DISCUSSION: The implementation delivered staff efficiencies above expectation. For the out-patient department, this was 16% more than the business case had suggested. For the in-patients dispensary, four staff were released for re-deployment. Additionally, £500,000 in stockholding efficiency above that suggested by the business case was identified. Overall dispensing error rates were not adversely affected and products dispensed by the electronic prescribing - robot system produced zero dispensing errors. The speed of dispensing increased also, as the electronic prescribing - robot combination permitted almost instantaneous dispensing from the point of a doctor entering a prescription. CONCLUSION: It was significant that the combination of electronic prescribing and a robot eliminated dispensing errors. Any errors that did occur were not as a result of the electronic prescribing - robotic system (i.e. the product was not stocked within the robot). The direct linking of electronic prescribing and robots as a dispensing system together produces efficiencies and improves the quality of the dispensing process

A Critical Analysis of the Effects of Colello v. SEC on International Securities Law Enforcement Agreements

The load carrying capacity of interbre joints are one of the key entities for build-up of strength inpaper materials. In order to gain insight in how to tailor the macroscopic properties of such materialsby chemical and/or mechanical treatments at a microscopic level, direct measurement of individualbre{bre crosses are typically performed. However, the state of loading in the interbre joint, intesting of individual bre{bre crosses, is in general very complex and an increased understandingfor how to evaluate the mechanical properties of interbre joints is desirable. In Paper A, amethod for manufacturing and measuring the strength of isolated interbre joints is presented. Themethod is applied to investigate the strength of bre{bre crosses at two dierent modes of loading.Also, an investigation on the manufacturing conditions is presented. The strength distribution ofindividually prepared bre{bre crosses is characterized and it was found that the median strengthin a peeling type of loading was about 20% compared to samples tested in the conventional shearingtype of loading. In Paper B, a procedure for evaluating interbre joint strength measurementsin terms of resultant forces and moments in the interbre joint region is presented. The methodis applied to investigate the state of loading in bre{bre crosses tested in peeling and shearing,respectively. It is shown that for a typical interbre joint strength test, the load components otherthan shear, cannot in general be neglected and is strongly dependent on the structural geometry ofthe bre{bre crosses. In Paper C, four distinctly dierent load cases; peeling, shearing, tearingand a biaxial type of loading was tested mechanically and evaluated numerically in order to gainmore information on how interbre joints behave in dierent modes of loading. In Paper D, thein uence of a chemical additive on the interbre joint strength is investigated on the microscopic(joint) scale and correlated to the eect previously observed on the macroscopic (sheet) scale. Xraymicrotomography and image analysis was used to understand structural changes in the brousnetwork in terms of the number of interbre joints as well as the average interbre joint contact area.The results showed that the median interbre joint strength increased by 18% upon adsorption, andthat the polyelectrolyte increased the number of contacts between the bres as well as an increasedarea of contact. In Paper E, the damage behaviour of individual interbre joints is analyzed. Froman extensive number of mechanical tests, the typical damage behaviour is identied and a failurecriterion is used to study the in uence of failure properties to give indications on how to tailor thematerial to optimize the joint strength.En av de viktigaste mekanismerna for den lastbarande formagan hos pappersmaterial ar brottegenskapernahos berfogarna. For att eektivt skraddarsy sadana materials egenskaper genom kemiskoch/eller mekanisk behandling samt for att forsta hur sadana modieringar paverkar egenskapernapa en mikroskopisk niva ar provning av individuella ber-ber-kors en allmant anvand metod. Belastningeni en berfog vid sadan provning ar dock generellt komplicerad och ytterligare kunskapom hur berfogars mekaniska egenskaper skall utvarderas ar onskvard. I Artikel A, presenterasen metod for tillverkning samt mekanisk provning av isolerade ber-kors vid tva olika typer avbelastning. Vidare undersoks hur torktrycket, torkmetoden samt graden av malning inverkar pafogstyrkan. Resultaten visar att brottlasten for en globalt akande belastning var omkring 20 % avbrottlasten for prov utforda med den konventionella skjuvande belastningen samt att styrkan hosindividuellt tillverkade berkors ar fordelade enligt en Weibull fordelning. I Artikel B, presenterasen numerisk metod for utvardering av fogstyrke-matningar med avseende pa kraft- och momentresultanternai gransytan mellan brerna. Metoden anvands for att studera belastningsmoden hosber-kors i tva principiellt olika lastfall. Resultaten visar att for ett typiskt berfogsprov, kan intelastkomponenterna, vid sidan av skjuvning, generellt forsummas da de ar starkt beroende avber-korsets geometri. I Artikel C, jamfors fogstyrkematningar under fyra principiellt olika lastfall; akande, skjuvande, rivande samt biaxiellt. De experimentella last-forskjutningskurvorna, samtde beraknade lastmoderna anvands for att undersoka vilket tillskott pa information de foreslagnalastfallen kan ge i hansyn till fogstyrkan hos massabrer. I Artikel D, undersoks en polymers (somabsorberats pa berytorna) inverkan pa saval berniva som pa natverksniva. Fiberfogstyrkan matsexperimentellt och eekten av den kemiska tillsatsen jamfors pa mikroskopisk niva (ber-kors) medtidigare uppmatt eekt pa makroskopisk niva (ark). Rontgentomogra och bildanalys anvands foratt undersoka de strukturella skillnaderna som uppstar i de brosa natverken vid absorption av enpolyamin och resultaten visar att antalet berfogar per berlangdenhet samt att medelkontaktareanokade. Resultaten visar ocksa att medianen av berfogsstyrkan okade med 18 %. Dessa eekter sammantagetar anledningen till varfor polyaminer, sasom PAH, ar sa eektiva for att oka torrstyrkanhos pappersmaterial. I Artikel E, karakteriseras skadebeteendet hos individuella berfogar franett omfattande antal matningar. Ett brottkriterium infors i den numeriska utvarderingsmetoden foratt studera skadebeteendet. Kanslighetsanalys och inverkan av brottparametrarna studeras ocksafor att ge indikationer pa hur egenskaperna kan skraddarsys for att optimera berfogstyrkan.QC 20140527BiMaC Innovatio

A calculation of neutron-deuteron scattering using the su(3) basis

The Faddeev equations for three particles are given a basis of representation according to the group Su(3). The usefulness of this representation is investigated by application to neutron-deuteron scattering

Are you Buying a Washing Machine?

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