Holographic tracking and sizing of optically trapped microprobes in diamond anvil cells

We demonstrate that Digital Holographic Microscopy can be used for accurate 3D tracking and sizing of a colloidal probe trapped in a diamond anvil cell (DAC). Polystyrene beads were optically trapped in water up to Gigapascal pressures while simultaneously recording in-line holograms at 1 KHz frame rate. Using Lorenz-Mie scattering theory to fit interference patterns, we detected a 10% shrinking in the bead’s radius due to the high applied pressure. Accurate bead sizing is crucial for obtaining reliable viscosity measurements and provides a convenient optical tool for the determination of the bulk modulus of probe material. Our technique may provide a new method for pressure measurements inside a DAC

An optically actuated surface scanning probe

We demonstrate the use of an extended, optically trapped probe that is capable of imaging surface topography with nanometre precision, whilst applying ultra-low, femto-Newton sized forces. This degree of precision and sensitivity is acquired through three distinct strategies. First, the probe itself is shaped in such a way as to soften the trap along the sensing axis and stiffen it in transverse directions. Next, these characteristics are enhanced by selectively position clamping independent motions of the probe. Finally, force clamping is used to refine the surface contact response. Detailed analyses are presented for each of these mechanisms. To test our sensor, we scan it laterally over a calibration sample consisting of a series of graduated steps, and demonstrate a height resolution of ∼ 11 nm. Using equipartition theory, we estimate that an average force of only ∼ 140 fN is exerted on the sample during the scan, making this technique ideal for the investigation of delicate biological samples

Optical trapping at gigapascal pressures

Diamond anvil cells allow the behavior of materials to be studied at pressures up to hundreds of gigapascals in a small and convenient instrument. However, physical access to the sample is impossible once it is pressurized. We show that optical tweezers can be used to hold and manipulate particles in such a cell, confining micron-sized transparent beads in the focus of a laser beam. Here, we use a modified optical tweezers geometry, allowing us to trap through an objective lens with a higher working distance, overcoming the constraints imposed by the limited angular acceptance of the anvil cell. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the technique by measuring water’s viscosity at pressures of up to 1.3 GPa. In contrast to previous viscosity measurements in anvil cells, our technique measures absolute viscosity and does not require scaling to the accepted value at atmospheric pressure. This method could also measure the frequency dependence of viscosity as well as being sensitive to anisotropy in the medium’s viscosity

Expanding the scope of N → S acyl transfer in native peptide sequences

Understanding the factors that influence N → S acyl transfer in native peptide sequences, and discovery of new reagents that facilitate it, will be key to expanding its scope and applicability. Here, through a study of short model peptides in thioester formation and cyclisation reactions, we demonstrate that a wider variety of Xaa-Cys motifs than originally envisaged are capable of undergoing efficient N → S acyl transfer. We present data for the relative rates of thioester formation and cyclisation for a representative set of amino acids, and show how this expanded scope can be applied to the production of the natural protease inhibitor Sunflower Trypsin Inhibitor-1 (SFTI-1)

Describing Function Inversion: Theory and Computational Techniques

In the last few years the study of nonlinear mechanics has received the attention of numerous investigators, either under the scope of pure mathematics or from the engineering point of view. Many of the recent developments are based on the early works of H. Poincare [1] and A. Liapunov [2] As examples can be cited the perturbation method, harmonic balance, the second method of Liapunov, etc. An approximate technique developed almost simultaneously by C. Goldfarb [3] in the USSR, A. Tustin [4] in England, R. Kochenburger [5] in the USA, W, Oppelt [6] in Germany and J. Dutilh [7] and C. Ecary [8] in France, known as the describing function technique, can be considered as the graphical solution of the first approximation of the method of the harmonic balance. The describing function technique has reached great popularity, principally because of the relative ease of computation involved and the general usefulness of the method in engineering problems. However, in the past, the describing function technique has been useful only in analysis. More exactly, it is a powerful tool for the investigation of the possible existence of limit cycles and their approximate amplitudes and frequencies. Several extensions have been developed from the original describing function technique. Among these can be cited the dual-input describing function, J. C. Douce et al. [9]; the Gaussian-input describing function, R. C, Booton [10]; and the root-mean-square describing function, J. E. Gibson and K. S. Prasanna-Kumar [11]. In a recent work which employs the describing function, C. M„ Shen [12] gives one example of stabilization of a nonlinear system by introducing a saturable feedback. However, Shen’s work cannot be qualified as a synthesis method since he fixes a priori the nonlinearity to be introduced in the feedback loop. A refinement of the same principle used by Shen has been proposed by R. Haussler [13] The goal of this new method of synthesis is to find the describing function of the element being synthesized. Therefore, for Haussler’s method to be useful, a way must be found to reconstruct the nonlinearity from its describing function. This is called the inverse-describing-function-problem and is essentially a synthesis problem. This is not the only ease in which the inverse-describing-function-problem can be useful. Sometimes, in order to find the input-output characteristic of a physical nonlinear element, a harmonic test can be easier to perform rather than a static one (which also may be insufficient). The purpose of this report is to present the results of research on a question which may then be concisely stated as; If the describing function of a nonlinear element is known, what is the nonlinearity? The question may be divided into two parts, the first part being the determination of the restrictions on the nonlinearity (or its describing function) necessary to insure that the question has an answer, and the second part the practical determination of that answer when it exists. Accordingly, the material in this report is presented in two parts. Part I is concerned with determining what types of nonlinearities are (and what types are not) uniquely determined by their conventional (fundamental) describing function. This is done by first showing the non-uniqueness in general of the describing function, and then constructing a class of null functions with respect to the describing function integral, i.e., a class of nonlinearities not identically zero whose describing functions are identically zero. The defining equations of the describing function are transformed in such a manner as to reduce the inverse describing function problem to the problem of solving a Volterra integral equation, an approach similar to that used by Zadeh [18]. The remainder of Part I presents the solution of the integral equations and studies the effect of including higher order harmonics in the description of the output ware shape. The point of interest here is that inclusion of the second harmonic may cause the describing function to become uniquely invertible in some cases. Part II presents practical numerical techniques for effecting the inversion of types of describing functions resulting from various engineering assumptions as to the probable form of the nonlinearities from which said describing functions were determined. The most general method is numerical evaluation of the solution to the Volterra integral equations developed in Part I, A second method, which is perhaps the easiest to apply, requires a least squares curve fit to the given describing function data. Then use is made of the fact that the describing function of a polynomial nonlinearity is itself a polynomial to calculate the coefficients in a polynomial approximation to the nonlinearity. This approach is indicated when one expects that the nonlinearity is a smooth curve, such as a cubic characteristic. The third method presented assumes that the nonlinearity can be approximated by a piecewise linear discontinuous function, and the slopes and y-axis intercepts of each linear segment are computed. This approach is indicated when one expects a nonlinearity with relatively sharp corners. It may toe remarked that the polynomial approximation and the piecewise linear approximation are derived independently of the material in Part I. All three methods presented in Part II are suited for use with experimental data as well as with analytic expressions for the describing functions involved. Indeed, an analytical expression must toe reduced to discrete data for the machine methods to the of use. To the best of the authors® knowledge, research in the area of describing function inversion has been nonexistent with the exception of Zadeh’s paper [18] in 1956. It seems that a larger effort in this area would toe desirable in the light of recent extensions of the describing function itself to signal stabilization of nonlinear control systems by Oldentourger and Sridhar [19] and Boyer [20] and the less restrictive study of dual-input describing functions for nonautonomous systems by Gibson and Sridhar [21]. There presently exist techniques for determining a desired describing function for use in avoiding limit cycle oscillations in an already nonlinear system (Haussler [13]), and the methods presented in this report now allow the exact synthesis of the nonlinear element from the describing function data

The effects of fiber inclusion on pet food sensory characteristics and palatability

Citation: Koppel, K., Monti, M., Gibson, M., Alavi, S., Di Donfrancesco, B., & Carciofi, A. C. (2015). The effects of fiber inclusion on pet food sensory characteristics and palatability. Animals, 5(1), 110-125. doi:10.3390/ani5010110The objectives of this study were to determine (a) the influence of fiber on the sensory characteristics of dry dog foods; (b) differences of coated and uncoated kibbles for aroma and flavor characteristics; (c) palatability of these dry dog foods; and (d) potential associations between palatability and sensory attributes. A total of eight fiber treatments were manufactured: a control (no fiber addition), guava fiber (3%, 6%, and 12%), sugar cane fiber (9%; large and small particle size), and wheat bran fiber (32%; large and small particle size). The results indicated significant effects of fibers on both flavor and texture properties of the samples. Bitter taste and iron and stale aftertaste were examples of flavor attributes that differed with treatment, with highest intensity observed for 12% guava fiber and small particle size sugar cane fiber treatments. Fracturability and initial crispness attributes were lowest for the sugar cane fiber treatments. Flavor of all treatments changed after coating with a palatant, increasing in toasted, brothy, and grainy attributes. The coating also had a masking effect on aroma attributes such as stale, flavor attributes such as iron and bitter taste, and appearance attributes such as porosity. Palatability testing results indicated that the control treatment was preferred over the sugar cane or the wheat bran treatment. The treatment with large sugarcane fiber particles was preferred over the treatment with small particles, while both of the wheat bran treatments were eaten at a similar level. Descriptive sensory analysis data, especially textural attributes, were useful in pinpointing the underlying characteristics and were considered to be reasons that may influence palatability of dog foods manufactured with inclusion of different fibers. © 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Development of a 'millimanipulation' device to study the removal of soft solid fouling layers from solid substrates and its application to cooked lard deposits

A mm-scale scraping device was developed to study the removal behaviour of soft solid fouling layers (thickness 0.5 to 10 mm) from solid substrates. A blade is dragged through the circular or rectangular samples at controlled speed and the resistance forces measured. Tests with a viscous liquid (honey) and viscoplastic material (a Vaseline-carbon black paste) indicated that cohesive deformation dominated the measured force. Two model food soils were: (i) unbaked lard, and (ii) lard baked for different times with and without added ovalbumin. The cohesive strength of the baked lard, and its removal behaviour, changed noticeably following autoxidative polymerisation. Ovalbumin delayed the onset of polymerisation.An EPSRC studentship for AA is gratefully acknowledged, as it project support and a summer studentship for JP from Proctor & Gamble.This is the final version. It was first published by Elsevier at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960308514000972

Dust-Gas Scaling Relations and OH Abundance in the Galactic ISM

Observations of interstellar dust are often used as a proxy for total gas column density $N_\mathrm{H}$. By comparing $\textit{Planck}$ thermal dust data (Release 1.2) and new dust reddening maps from Pan-STARRS 1 and 2MASS (Green et al. 2018), with accurate (opacity-corrected) HI column densities and newly-published OH data from the Arecibo Millennium survey and 21-SPONGE, we confirm linear correlations between dust optical depth $\tau_{353}$, reddening $E(B{-}V)$ and the total proton column density $N_\mathrm{H}$ in the range (1$-$30)$\times$10$^{20}$cm$^{-2}$, along sightlines with no molecular gas detections in emission. We derive an $N_\mathrm{H}$/$E(B{-}V)$ ratio of (9.4$\pm$1.6)$\times$10$^{21}$cm$^{-2}$mag$^{-1}$ for purely atomic sightlines at $|b|$$>$5$^{\circ}$, which is 60$\%$ higher than the canonical value of Bohlin et al. (1978). We report a $\sim$40$\%$ increase in opacity $\sigma_{353}$=$\tau_{353}$/$N_\mathrm{H}$, when moving from the low column density ($N_\mathrm{H}$$<$5$\times$10$^{20}$cm$^{-2}$) to moderate column density ($N_\mathrm{H}$$>$5$\times$10$^{20}$cm$^{-2}$) regime, and suggest that this rise is due to the evolution of dust grains in the atomic ISM. Failure to account for HI opacity can cause an additional apparent rise in $\sigma_{353}$, of the order of a further $\sim$20$\%$. We estimate molecular hydrogen column densities $N_{\mathrm{H}_{2}}$ from our derived linear relations, and hence derive the OH/H$_2$ abundance ratio of $X_\mathrm{OH}$$\sim$1$\times$10$^{-7}$ for all molecular sightlines. Our results show no evidence of systematic trends in OH abundance with $N_{\mathrm{H}_{2}}$ in the range $N_{\mathrm{H}_{2}}$$\sim$(0.1$-$10)$\times$10$^{21}$cm$^{-2}$. This suggests that OH may be used as a reliable proxy for H$_2$ in this range, which includes sightlines with both CO-dark and CO-bright gas.Comment: The revised manuscript is accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Collaboration between doctors and nurses in children&apos;s cancer care: insights from a European project.

Purpose It has long been recognised that effective cancer care is not possible without multi-professional team working. Collaboration and multi-professional working however are known to be less than straightforward. This project aimed to use a collaborative approach to explore and facilitate professional groups to work together more effectively in the field of children's cancer care. Method Based on an earlier project in Italy, a three-year seminar series was organised involving both a doctor and nurse from 15 paediatric haematology/oncology units across Europe. Participants had to be able to speak English and commit to participate in annual seminars as well as the development and implementation of a local project to enhance doctor–nurse collaboration in their own unit. Appreciative Inquiry was the methodological approach used to address organisational as well as interpersonal change. Results Fifteen doctor–nurse teams were initially selected from a range of different countries, and 10 completed the project. Key outcomes reported include implementation and successful completion of projects, publication of the results achieved, participant satisfaction with improvements in collaboration. Feedback from participants would suggest that change had been implemented and possibly sustained. Conclusions Active involvement and group support were required for success. More formal relationships needed to be activated with participating centres to guarantee support for those involved in implementing lasting change. A web-based resource to allow other programmes and centres to use the resources developed has been made available. The same approach, we believe, could be used to improve multi-professional working in the care of other childhood illnesses

M87, Globular Clusters, and Galactic Winds: Issues in Giant Galaxy Formation

New VRI photometry is presented for the globular clusters in the innermost 140'' of the M87 halo. The results are used to discuss several issues concerning the formation and evolution of globular cluster systems in supergiant ellipticals like M87. (1) we find no significant change in the globular cluster luminosity function (GCLF) with galactocentric radius, for cluster masses M < 10^5 solar masses, indicating that the main effects of dynamical evolution may be only on lower-mass clusters. (2) Within the core radius (1') of the globular cluster system, the metallicity distribution is uniform, but at larger radii the mean metallicity declines steadily as Z ~ r^-0.9. (3) The various options for explaining the existence of high specific frequency galaxies like M87 are evaluated, and scaling laws for the GCSs in these galaxies are given. Interpretations involving secondary evolution (formation of many globular clusters during mergers, intergalactic globular clusters, etc.) are unlikely to be the primary explanation for high-S_N galaxies. (4) We suggest that central-supergiant E galaxies may have formed in an exceptionally turbulent or high-density environment in which an early, powerful galactic wind drove out a high fraction of the protogalactic gas, thus artificially boosting the specificComment: 67 pages, 17 figures. To appear in Astronomical Journal, in press for May 1998. Preprints also available from W.Harris; send e-mail request to [email protected]