3,173 research outputs found
Quantitative thermal imaging using single-pixel Si APD and MEMS mirror
Accurate quantitative temperature measurements are difficult to achieve using
focal-plane array sensors. This is due to reflections inside the instrument and the difficulty of
calibrating a matrix of pixels as identical radiation thermometers. Size-of-source effect (SSE),
which is the dependence of an infrared temperature measurement on the area surrounding the
target area, is a major contributor to this problem and cannot be reduced using glare stops.
Measurements are affected by power received from outside the field-of-view (FOV), leading
to increased measurement uncertainty. In this work, we present a micromechanical systems
(MEMS) mirror based scanning thermal imaging camera with reduced measurement
uncertainty compared to focal-plane array based systems. We demonstrate our flexible
imaging approach using a Si avalanche photodiode (APD), which utilises high internal gain to
enable the measurement of lower target temperatures with an effective wavelength of 1 µm
and compare results with a Si photodiode. We compare measurements from our APD thermal
imaging instrument against a commercial bolometer based focal-plane array camera. Our
scanning approach results in a reduction in SSE related temperature error by 66 °C for the
measurement of a spatially uniform 800 °C target when the target aperture diameter is
increased from 10 to 20 mm. We also find that our APD instrument is capable of measuring
target temperatures below 700 °C, over these near infrared wavelengths, with D* related
measurement uncertainty of ± 0.5 °C
The N-terminal intrinsically disordered domain of mgm101p is localized to the mitochondrial nucleoid.
The mitochondrial genome maintenance gene, MGM101, is essential for yeasts that depend on mitochondrial DNA replication. Previously, in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, it has been found that the carboxy-terminal two-thirds of Mgm101p has a functional core. Furthermore, there is a high level of amino acid sequence conservation in this region from widely diverse species. By contrast, the amino-terminal region, that is also essential for function, does not have recognizable conservation. Using a bioinformatic approach we find that the functional core from yeast and a corresponding region of Mgm101p from the coral Acropora millepora have an ordered structure, while the N-terminal domains of sequences from yeast and coral are predicted to be disordered. To examine whether ordered and disordered domains of Mgm101p have specific or general functions we made chimeric proteins from yeast and coral by swapping the two regions. We find, by an in vivo assay in S.cerevisiae, that the ordered domain of A.millepora can functionally replace the yeast core region but the disordered domain of the coral protein cannot substitute for its yeast counterpart. Mgm101p is found in the mitochondrial nucleoid along with enzymes and proteins involved in mtDNA replication. By attaching green fluorescent protein to the N-terminal disordered domain of yeast Mgm101p we find that GFP is still directed to the mitochondrial nucleoid where full-length Mgm101p-GFP is targeted
Ammonia detection using near infrared diode laser based overtone spectroscopy
We describe a portable diode-laser-based sensor for NH3 detection using vibrational overtone absorption spectroscopy at 1.53 mm. Use of fiber-coupled optical elements makes such a trace gas sensor rugged and easy to align. On-line data acquisition and processing requiring ,30 s can be performed with a laptop PC running LabVIEW software. The gas sensor was used primarily for NH3 concentration measurements with a sensitivity of 0.7 parts per million ~signal-to-noise ratio of 3! over a two-week period in a bioreactor being developed at the NASA Johnson Space Center for water treatment technologies to support long-duration space missions. The feasibility of simultaneous, real-time measurements of NH3 and CO2 concentrations is also reported.Ricardo Claps, Florian V. Englich, Darrin P. Leleux, Dirk Richter, Frank K. Tittel, and Robert F. Cur
Fluidic gates simulated with lattice Boltzmann method under different Reynolds numbers
© 2018 Elsevier B.V. Fluidic devices use fluid as a medium for information transfer and computation. Boolean values are represented by the presence of fluid jets in the input and output channels. Velocity of a fluid is one of the parameters determining Reynolds number of the flow. Reynolds number is a parameter that characterizes the behaviour of the flow: laminar, transient or turbulent. Using lattice Boltzmann method we study the behaviour of fluidic gates for various Reynolds numbers. On the designs of AND and OR gates we show the fluidic gates remain functional even for low Reynolds numbers, like 100. The gates designed can be cascaded into functional logical circuits
Awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Vitamin D deficiency is a significant problem for a growing proportion of the UK population. Individuals with dark or covered skin are at particularly high risk due to ethno-cultural, environmental and genetic factors. We assessed the level of awareness of vitamin D deficiency among at-risk patients in order to identify groups most in need of education.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>A cross-sectional survey using a piloted questionnaire was conducted among consecutive at-risk patients without a diagnosis of Vitamin D deficiency arriving at a large inner city general practice in the North West of England over a five day period. The survey was completed by 221 patients. The mean age was 35 years. 28% of them (n = 61) had never heard about vitamin D. Older patients (p = 0.003) were less likely to have heard about vitamin D. 54% of participants were unaware of the commonest symptoms of vitamin D deficiency. 34% did not expose their skin other than their face in the last one year, and 11% did not include vitamin D rich foods in their diet.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The majority of at-risk patients are aware of vitamin D; nevertheless, there is a significant lack of knowledge among older people, who have higher morbidity. A programme of targeted education of the at-risk population is recommended.</p
Limits on WWZ and WW\gamma couplings from p\bar{p}\to e\nu jj X events at \sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV
We present limits on anomalous WWZ and WW-gamma couplings from a search for
WW and WZ production in p-bar p collisions at sqrt(s)=1.8 TeV. We use p-bar p
-> e-nu jjX events recorded with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron
Collider during the 1992-1995 run. The data sample corresponds to an integrated
luminosity of 96.0+-5.1 pb^(-1). Assuming identical WWZ and WW-gamma coupling
parameters, the 95% CL limits on the CP-conserving couplings are
-0.33<lambda<0.36 (Delta-kappa=0) and -0.43<Delta-kappa<0.59 (lambda=0), for a
form factor scale Lambda = 2.0 TeV. Limits based on other assumptions are also
presented.Comment: 11 pages, 2 figures, 2 table
Search for New Physics in e mu X Data at D0 Using Sleuth: A Quasi-Model-Independent Search Strategy for New Physics
We present a quasi-model-independent search for the physics responsible for
electroweak symmetry breaking. We define final states to be studied, and
construct a rule that identifies a set of relevant variables for any particular
final state. A new algorithm ("Sleuth") searches for regions of excess in those
variables and quantifies the significance of any detected excess. After
demonstrating the sensitivity of the method, we apply it to the semi-inclusive
channel e mu X collected in 108 pb^-1 of ppbar collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV
at the D0 experiment during 1992-1996 at the Fermilab Tevatron. We find no
evidence of new high p_T physics in this sample.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figures. Submitted to Physical Review
Search For Heavy Pointlike Dirac Monopoles
We have searched for central production of a pair of photons with high
transverse energies in collisions at TeV using of data collected with the D\O detector at the Fermilab Tevatron in
1994--1996. If they exist, virtual heavy pointlike Dirac monopoles could
rescatter pairs of nearly real photons into this final state via a box diagram.
We observe no excess of events above background, and set lower 95% C.L. limits
of on the mass of a spin 0, 1/2, or 1 Dirac
monopole.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure
- …