High-speed and high-SNR photoacoustic microscopy based on a galvanometer mirror in non-conducting liquid

Optical-resolution photoacoustic microscopy (OR-PAM), a promising microscopic imaging technique with high ultrasound resolution and superior optical sensitivity, can provide anatomical, functional, and molecular information at scales ranging from the microvasculature to single red blood cells. In particular, real-time OR-PAM imaging with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a prerequisite for widespread use in preclinical and clinical applications. Although several technical approaches have been pursued to simultaneously improve the imaging speed and SNR of OR-PAM, they are bulky, complex, not sensitive, and/or not actually real-time. In this paper, we demonstrate a simple and novel OR-PAM technique which is based on a typical galvanometer immersed in non-conducting liquid. Using an opto-ultrasound combiner, this OR-PAM system achieves a high SNR and fast imaging speed. It takes only 2 seconds to acquire a volumetric image with a wide field of view (FOV) of 4 x 8 mm(2) along the X and Y axes, respectively. The measured lateral and axial resolutions are 6.0 and 37.7 mu m, respectively. Finally, as a demonstration of the system's capability, we successfully imaged the microvasculature in a mouse ear in vivo. Our new method will contribute substantially to the popularization and commercialization of OR-PAM in various preclinical and clinical applications.11Ysciescopu

Effect of Rainfall and pH on Musty Odor Produced in the Sanbe Reservoir

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms are continuously formed in water systems such as reservoirs and lakes around the world. Geosmin and 2-methylisoborneol (2-MIB) produced by some species of cyanobacteria have caused odor problems in the drinking water of the Sanbe Reservoir in Japan. Field observations were conducted for four years (2015–2019) to investigate the cause of this musty odor. It was found that geosmin was produced by Dolichospermum crassum and Dolichospermum planctonicum (cyanobacteria), and 2-MIB was due to Pseudanabaena sp. and Aphanizomenon cf. flos-aquae (cyanobacteria). Changes in water temperature and pH caused by rainfall were correlated with changes in the concentration of geosmin and 2-MIB. In particular, geosmin and 2-MIB tended to occur under low rainfall conditions. When there was low rainfall, the reservoir changed to an alkaline state because the phytoplankton consumed CO2 for photosynthesis. In an alkaline reservoir, dissolved inorganic carbon mainly existed in the form of bicarbonate (HCO3−). Thus, the results suggest that under such conditions in reservoirs, cyanobacteria grew easily because they could use both CO2 and HCO3− for photosynthesis. Specifically, our study suggests that in order for the musty odor problem in the reservoir to be solved, it is important that the pH of the reservoir be controlled

Design of Sub-10-μW Sub-0.1% THD Sinusoidal Current Generator IC for Bio-Impedance Sensing

This article presents a low-power, low-distortion, and compact mixed-signal sinusoidal current generator (CG) IC for bio-impedance (Bio-Z) sensing applications. By utilizing the digital ΔΣ modulation to bridge the digitally synthesized sinewave data and the analog-domain voltage output, implementation of a low-distortion sinewave lookup table (LUT) is significantly simplified. Not only does this approach lead to the reduced number of routing wires, pin allocation, and output registers after logic synthesis but also, it allows the use of dynamic element matching (DEM) with a low-cost, before interfacing with the digital-to-analog converter (DAC). In addition, 0.5 V of low-supply voltage exploits a highly power-efficient operation for both synthesized digital logic and its subsequent analog circuit chain. To suppress the noise-floor increase that is induced from the reset signal of capacitor-DAC, a half-period reset scheme is introduced. The prototype chip is fabricated in 65-nm CMOS technology and it outputs 2 μAPP of amplitude with 20 kHz of sinusoidal frequency. It records the first sinusoidal CG IC that achieves sub- 10 μW ( 6.2 μW ) of power consumption and sub-0.1% (0.088%) of total harmonic distortion (THD) at the same time which has not been demonstrated ever in the prior arts. Furthermore, 0.059 mm 2 of its compact area facilitates the low-cost production of Bio-Z sensor systems

Oxidation Behavior of MoSi2-Coated TZM Alloys during Isothermal Exposure at High Temperatures

Coating properties and oxidation behaviors of Si pack cementation-coated TZM (Mo-0.5Ti-0.1Zr-0.02C) alloys were investigated in order to understand the stability of the coating layer at high temperatures up to 1350 °C in an ambient atmosphere. After the pack cementation coatings, MoSi2 and Mo5Si3 layers were formed. When MoSi2-coated TZM alloys were oxidized in air at high temperatures, the Si in the outer MoSi2 layer diffused and formed SiO2. Also, due to the diffusion of Si, the MoSi2 layer was transformed into a columnar shaped Mo5Si3 phase. During isothermal oxidation, the Mo5Si3 phase was formed both within the coated MoSi2 layer and between the MoSi2 and the substrate. The coating properties and the oxidation behavior of the Si pack-coated TZM alloys were discussed along with the identification of growth kinetics

Spatiotemporal distribution, trend, forecast, and influencing factors of transboundary and local air pollutants in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan

Abstract The study of PM2.5 and NO2 has been emphasized in recent years due to their adverse effects on public health. To better understand these pollutants, many studies have researched the spatiotemporal distribution, trend, forecast, or influencing factors of these pollutants. However, rarely studies have combined these to generate a more holistic understanding that can be used to assess air pollution and implement more effective strategies. In this study, we analyze the spatiotemporal distribution, trend, forecast, and factors influencing PM2.5 and NO2 in Nagasaki Prefecture by using ordinary kriging, pearson's correlation, random forest, mann–kendall, auto-regressive integrated moving average and error trend and seasonal models. The results indicated that PM2.5, due to its long-range transport properties, has a more substantial spatiotemporal variation and affects larger areas in comparison to NO2, which is a local pollutant. Despite tri-national efforts, local regulations and legislation have been effective in reducing NO2 concentration but less effective in reducing PM2.5. This multi-method approach provides a holistic understanding of PM2.5 and NO2 pollution in Nagasaki prefecture, which can aid in implementing more effective pollution management strategies. It can also be implemented in other regions where studies have only focused on one of the aspects of air pollution and where a holistic understanding of air pollution is lacking

Fast Industrial Inspection of Optical Thin Film Using Optical Coherence Tomography

An application of spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) was demonstrated for a fast industrial inspection of an optical thin film panel. An optical thin film sample similar to a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel was examined. Two identical SD-OCT systems were utilized for parallel scanning of a complete sample in half time. Dual OCT inspection heads were utilized for transverse (fast) scanning, while a stable linear motorized translational stage was used for lateral (slow) scanning. The cross-sectional and volumetric images of an optical thin film sample were acquired to detect the defects in glass and other layers that are difficult to observe using visual inspection methods. The rapid inspection enabled by this setup led to the early detection of product defects on the manufacturing line, resulting in a significant improvement in the quality assurance of industrial products

Numerical-Sampling-Functionalized Real-Time Index Regulation for Direct k-Domain Calibration in Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography

An index-regulation technique functionalized by numerical sampling for direct calibration of the non-linear wavenumber (k)-domain to a linear domain in spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) is proposed. The objective of the developed method is to facilitate high-resolution identification of microstructures in biomedical imaging. Subjective optical alignments caused by nonlinear sampling of interferograms in the k-domain tend to hinder depth-dependent signal-to-noise ratios (SNR) and axial resolution in SD-OCT. Moreover, the optical-laser-dependent k-domain requires constant recalibrated in accordance with each laser transition, thereby necessitating either hardware or heavy software compensations. As the key feature of the proposed method, a relatively simple software-based k-domain mask calibration technique was developed to enable real-time linear sampling of k-domain interpolations whilst facilitating image observation through use of an index-regulation technique. Moreover, it has been confirmed that dispersion can be simultaneously compensated with noise residuals generated using the proposed technique, and that use of complex numerical or hardware techniques are no longer required. Observed results, such as fall-off, SNR, and axial resolution clearly exhibit the direct impact of the proposed technique, which could help investigators rapidly achieve optical-laser-independent high-quality SD-OCT images

Statistical analysis on the fluence factor of surveillance test data of Korean nuclear power plants

The transition temperature shift (TTS) of the reactor pressure vessel materials is an important factor that determines the lifetime of a nuclear power plant. The prediction of the TTS at the end of a plant’s lifespan is calculated based on the equation of Regulatory Guide 1.99 revision 2 (RG1.99/2) from the US. The fluence factor in the equation was expressed as a power function, and the exponent value was determined by the early surveillance data in the US. Recently, an advanced approach to estimate the TTS was proposed in various countries for nuclear power plants, and Korea is considering the development of a new TTS model. In this study, the TTS trend of the Korean surveillance test results was analyzed using a nonlinear regression model and a mixed-effect model based on the power function. The nonlinear regression model yielded a similar exponent as the power function in the fluence compared with RG1.99/2. The mixed-effect model had a higher value of the exponent and showed superior goodness of fit compared with the nonlinear regression model. Compared with RG1.99/2 and RG1.99/3, the mixed-effect model provided a more accurate prediction of the TTS

Investigation of Interference in a Mobile Phone from a DC-to-DC Converter

Turning on the LCD screen of a mobile phone causes desensitization of its receiver in the GSM lower frequency band (900 MHz). In this paper, the measurement techniques used for the investigation of intra-system interference in a mobile phone caused due to the DC-DC converters present on-chip the LCD driver IC are presented. An equivalent noise source model is created by modelling the flexible printed circuit board traces and obtaining a Thevenin equivalent noise by changing the load conditions