Nondestructive Electromagnetic Characterization of Uniaxial Sheet Media Using a Two-Flanged Rectangular Waveguide Probe

Excerpt: Recent advancements in fabrication capabilities have renewed interest in the electromagnetic characterization of complex media, as many metamaterials are anisotropic and/or inhomogeneous. Additionally, for composite materials, anisotropy can be introduced by load, strain, misalignment, or damage through the manufacturing process [1], [2]. Methods for obtaining the constitutive parameters for isotropic materials are well understood and widely employed [3]–[8]. Therefore, it is crucial to develop a practical method for the electromagnetic characterization of anisotropic materials

Optimizing Switching of Non-linear Properties with Hyperbolic Metamaterials

Hyperbolic metamaterials have been demonstrated to have special potential in their linear response, but the extent of their non-linear response has not been extensively modeled or measured. In this work, novel non-linear behavior of an ITO/SiO2 layered hyperbolic metamaterial is modeled and experimentally confirmed, specifically a change in the sign of the non-linear absorption with intensity. This behavior is tunable and can be achieved with a simple one-dimensional layered design. Fabrication was performed with physical vapor deposition, and measurements were conducted using the Z-scan technique. Potential applications include tunable optical switches, optical limiters, and tunable components of laser sources

Nanodroplet quantification: pushing the detection limits of micro x-ray fluorescence

In this study, detection limits for a variety of elements were determined on an EDAX Eagle I1 MXRF system equipped with a polycapillary and a Rh X-ray source. Both mass, volume, and spot diameter detection limits were established using dried spot technology, where various volumes and/or masses of different elements were deposited on different substrates, dried, and quantitatively analyzed by MXRF. Preliminary results have shown that sub-nanogram levels of material can be detected in less than 200 pm diameter spot sizes deposited on thin polymer films. Specifically, detection limits were found for a given element as a function of mass deposited for a given spot volume, and volume deposited for a given mass. The effect of the presence of multiple elements in a droplet on the detection limit was also investigated. For example, the detection limit for copper was determined when it was deposited as a single Cu solution and in various multielement mixtures containing from 2 up to 10 different elements. To determine how the substrate affects the detection limit of different species, elemental dried spots were analyzed on different polymer films, including polypropylene and AP 1 . Comparisons were also made to elements deposited on different spherical, resin substrates such as polystyrene beads

Model calibration and validation of an impact test simulation

This paper illustrates the methodology being developed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the validation of numerical simulations for engineering structural dynamics. The application involves the transmission of a shock wave through an assembly that consists of a steel cylinder and a layer of elastomeric (hyper-foam) material. The assembly is mounted on an impact table to generate the shock wave. The input acceleration and three output accelerations are measured. The main objective of the experiment is to develop a finite element representation of the system capable of reproducing the test data with acceptable accuracy. Foam layers of various thicknesses and several drop heights are considered during impact testing. Each experiment is replicated several times to estimate the experimental variability. Instead of focusing on the calibration of input parameters for a single configuration, the numerical model is validated for its ability to predict the response of three different configurations (various combinations of foam thickness and drop height). Design of Experiments is implemented to perform parametric and statistical variance studies. Surrogate models are developed to replace the computationally expensive numerical simulation. Variables of the finite element model are separated into calibration variables and control variables, The models are calibrated to provide numerical simulations that correctly reproduce the statistical variation of the test configurations. The calibration step also provides inference for the parameters of a high strain-rate dependent material model of the hyper-foam. After calibration, the validity of the numerical simulation is assessed through its ability to predict the response of a fourth test setup

Global application of an unoccupied aerial vehicle photogrammetry protocol for predicting aboveground biomass in non‐forest ecosystems

P. 1-15Non-forest ecosystems, dominated by shrubs, grasses and herbaceous plants, provide ecosystem services including carbon sequestration and forage for grazing, and are highly sensitive to climatic changes. Yet these ecosystems are poorly represented in remotely sensed biomass products and are undersampled by in situ monitoring. Current global change threats emphasize the need for new tools to capture biomass change in non-forest ecosystems at appropriate scales. Here we developed and deployed a new protocol for photogrammetric height using unoccupied aerial vehicle (UAV) images to test its capability for delivering standardized measurements of biomass across a globally distributed field experiment. We assessed whether canopy height inferred from UAV photogrammetry allows the prediction of aboveground biomass (AGB) across low-stature plant species by conducting 38 photogrammetric surveys over 741 harvested plots to sample 50 species. We found mean canopy height was strongly predictive of AGB across species, with a median adjusted R2 of 0.87 (ranging from 0.46 to 0.99) and median prediction error from leave-one-out cross-validation of 3.9%. Biomass per-unit-of-height was similar within but different among, plant functional types. We found that photogrammetric reconstructions of canopy height were sensitive to wind speed but not sun elevation during surveys. We demonstrated that our photogrammetric approach produced generalizable measurements across growth forms and environmental settings and yielded accuracies as good as those obtained from in situ approaches. We demonstrate that using a standardized approach for UAV photogrammetry can deliver accurate AGB estimates across a wide range of dynamic and heterogeneous ecosystems. Many academic and land management institutions have the technical capacity to deploy these approaches over extents of 1–10 ha−1. Photogrammetric approaches could provide much-needed information required to calibrate and validate the vegetation models and satellite-derived biomass products that are essential to understand vulnerable and understudied non-forested ecosystems around the globe.S

Parental Factors Associated With the Decision to Participate in a Neonatal Clinical Trial

Importance: It remains poorly understood how parents decide whether to enroll a child in a neonatal clinical trial. This is particularly true for parents from racial or ethnic minority populations. Understanding factors associated with enrollment decisions may improve recruitment processes for families, increase enrollment rates, and decrease disparities in research participation. Objective: To assess differences in parental factors between parents who enrolled their infant and those who declined enrollment for a neonatal randomized clinical trial. Design, setting, and participants: This survey study conducted from July 2017 to October 2019 in 12 US level 3 and 4 neonatal intensive care units included parents of infants who enrolled in the High-dose Erythropoietin for Asphyxia and Encephalopathy (HEAL) trial or who were eligible but declined enrollment. Data were analyzed October 2019 through July 2020. Exposure: Parental choice of enrollment in neonatal clinical trial. Main outcomes and measures: Percentages and odds ratios (ORs) of parent participation as categorized by demographic characteristics, self-assessment of child's medical condition, study comprehension, and trust in medical researchers. Survey questions were based on the hypothesis that parents who enrolled their infant in HEAL differ from those who declined enrollment across 4 categories: (1) infant characteristics and parental demographic characteristics, (2) perception of infant's illness, (3) study comprehension, and (4) trust in clinicians and researchers. Results: Of a total 387 eligible parents, 269 (69.5%) completed the survey and were included in analysis. This included 183 of 242 (75.6%) of HEAL-enrolled and 86 of 145 (59.3%) of HEAL-declined parents. Parents who enrolled their infant had lower rates of Medicaid participation (74 [41.1%] vs 47 [55.3%]; P = .04) and higher rates of annual income greater than $55 000 (94 [52.8%] vs 30 [37.5%]; P = .03) compared with those who declined. Black parents had lower enrollment rates compared with White parents (OR, 0.35; 95% CI, 0.17-0.73). Parents who reported their infant's medical condition as more serious had higher enrollment rates (OR, 5.7; 95% CI, 2.0-16.3). Parents who enrolled their infant reported higher trust in medical researchers compared with parents who declined (mean [SD] difference, 5.3 [0.3-10.3]). There was no association between study comprehension and enrollment. Conclusions and relevance: In this study, the following factors were associated with neonatal clinical trial enrollment: demographic characteristics (ie, race/ethnicity, Medicaid status, and reported income), perception of illness, and trust in medical researchers. Future work to confirm these findings and explore the reasons behind them may lead to strategies for better engaging underrepresented groups in neonatal clinical research to reduce enrollment disparities

ACCURATE QUANTIFICATION OF DRIED RESIDUE THIN FILMS USING X-RAY FLUORESCENCE

An XRF specimen preparation method was developed to quantify the concentration of gallium in plutonium metal while minimizing the risk of contaminating the instrument with radioactive material. To ensure that homogeneous specimens are examined, plutonium is dissolved in dilute HCl and HNO{sub 3} prior to analysis. In the preliminary work here, non-radioactive aqueous gallium standards were prepared, and zinc was added as an internal standard to improve the accuracy and precision. Aliquots from these solutions were cast on Mylar XRF films and air dried prior to analysis. Two methods of casting the solutions were evaluated: (1) casting as a thin layer using a surfactant to wet the support film and (2) casting multiple small spots on the support film. Aqueous gallium standards were prepared and cast as dried residue specimens using each method. These specimens were then analyzed, and calibration curves were prepared. Highly linear calibrations were obtained for each preparation method when zinc was used as the internal standard (RMS values {le}1% of the standards concentration range in both cases). Based on this preliminary work, this dried residue process appears very promising for the accurate quantification of gallium in plutonium