A fast data acquisition system for the study of transient events by high repetition rate time-of-flight mass spectrometry

Recent advances in commercially available data acquisition electronics embodying high speed A/D conversion coupled to increased memory storage have now made practical (at least within time intervals of a third of a millisecond or more) the capturing of all of the data generated by a high repetition rate time-of-flight mass spectrometer producing complete spectra every 25 to 35 microseconds. Such a system was assembled and interfaced with a personal computer for control and management of data. The applications are described for recording time-resolved spectra of individual vapor plumes induced from the pulsed-laser heating of material. Each laser pulse triggers the system to generate automatically a 3-dimensional (3-D) presentation of the time-resolved spectra with m/z labeling of the major mass peaks, plus an intensity versus time display of both the laser pulse and the resulting vapor pulse. The software also permits storing of data and its presentation in various additional forms

Synopsis of a computer program designed to interface a personal computer with the fast data acquisition system of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer

Briefly described are the essential features of a computer program designed to interface a personal computer with the fast, digital data acquisition system of a time-of-flight mass spectrometer. The instrumentation was developed to provide a time-resolved analysis of individual vapor pulses produced by the incidence of a pulsed laser beam on an ablative material. The high repetition rate spectrometer coupled to a fast transient recorder captures complete mass spectra every 20 to 35 microsecs, thereby providing the time resolution needed for the study of this sort of transient event. The program enables the computer to record the large amount of data generated by the system in short time intervals, and it provides the operator the immediate option of presenting the spectral data in several different formats. Furthermore, the system does this with a high degree of automation, including the tasks of mass labeling the spectra and logging pertinent instrumental parameters

Strapdown inertial measurement unit computer, volume 1 Final report

Strapdown inertial measurement unit design, calculations, and operating instruction

Investigation of new concepts of adaptive devices Quarterly technical report, 15 Jun. - 14 Sep. 1967

Insulated gate field effect transistor with adaptive and memory characteristic

Should I stay or should I go? Exploring the job preferences of allied health professionals working with people with disability in rural Australia

Introduction: The uneven distribution of allied health professionals (AHPs) in rural and remote Australia and other countries is well documented. In Australia, like elsewhere, service delivery to rural and remote communities is complicated because relatively small numbers of clients are dispersed over large geographic areas. This uneven distribution of AHPs impacts significantly on the provision of services particularly in areas of special need such as mental health, aged care and disability services. Objective: This study aimed to determine the relative importance that AHPs (physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech pathologists and psychologists – “therapists”) living in a rural area of Australia and working with people with disability, place on different job characteristics and how these may affect their retention. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted using an online questionnaire distributed to AHPs working with people with disability in a rural area of Australia over a 3-month period. Information was sought about various aspects of the AHPs’ current job, and their workforce preferences were explored using a best–worst scaling discrete choice experiment (BWSDCE). Conditional logistic and latent class regression models were used to determine AHPs’ relative preferences for six different job attributes. Results: One hundred ninety-nine AHPs completed the survey; response rate was 51 %. Of those, 165 completed the BWSDCE task. For this group of AHPs, “high autonomy of practice” is the most valued attribute level, followed by “travel BWSDCE arrangements: one or less nights away per month”, “travel arrangements: two or three nights away per month” and “adequate access to professional development”. On the other hand, the least valued attribute levels were “travel arrangements: four or more nights per month”, “limited autonomy of practice” and “minimal access to professional development”. Except for “some job flexibility”, all other attributes had a statistical influence on AHPs’ job preference. Preferences differed according to age, marital status and having dependent children. Conclusions: This study allowed the identification of factors that contribute to AHPs’ employment decisions about staying and working in a rural area. This information can improve job designs in rural areas to increase retention

Primordia initiation of mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) strains on axenic casing materials

The mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) has a requirement for a ‘‘casing layer’’ that has specific physical, chemical and microbiological properties which stimulate and promote the initiation of primordia. Some of these primordia then may develop further into sporophores, involving differentiation of tissue. Wild and commercial strains of A. bisporus were cultured in axenic and nonaxenic microcosms, using a rye grain substrate covered by a range of organic and inorganic casing materials. In axenic culture, A. bisporus (commercial strain A15) was capable of producing primordia and mature sporophores on charcoal (wood and activated), anthracite coal, lignite and zeolite, but not on bark, coir, peat, rockwool, silica or vermiculite. Of six strains tested, only the developmental variant mutant, B430, produced rudimentary primordia on axenic peat-based casing material. However, none of these rudimentary primordia developed differentiated tissues or beyond 4 mm diameter, either on axenic casing material in the microcosms or in larger-scale culture. In larger-scale, nonaxenic culture, strain B430 produced severely malformed but mature sporophores in similar numbers to those of other strains. Typically, 3–6% of primordia developed into mature sporophores, but significant differences in this proportion, as well as in the numbers of primordia produced, were recorded between 12 A. bisporus strains

Electrochemistry and application of a novel monosubstituted squarate electron-transfer mediator in a glucose oxidase-doped poly(phenol) sensor

Electrosynthetic poly(phenol) nanofilms were deposited in situ on platinum electrodes in the presence and absence of glucose oxidase. The synthesis charges and currents of the nonconducting polymer films were recorded at various applied potentials for films grown from 25–100 mM phenol concentrations. Film parameters such as the standard rate constant for film deposition, film thickness, and surface concentration of the poly(phenol) films were evaluated from the cyclic and step voltammograms of the polymerization process. A novel electron-transfer mediator consisting of monosubstituted 4-hydroxycyclobut-3-ene-1,2-dione (squarate) was used as a mediator for Pt/poly(phenol) nano-film/GOx amperometric glucose biosensors. Amperometric responses for 3-diphenylamino-4-hydroxycyclobut-3-ene-1,2- dione (diphenylaminosquarate: E°′ = of +328 mV/Ag-AgCl at pH 7.0)-mediated systems were measured by both steady-state amperometric and cyclic voltammetry. The sensor sensitivity was calculated to be 558 nA cm –2 (µM) –1

Observables in the Decays of B to Two Vector Mesons

In general there are nine observables in the decay of a B meson to two vector mesons defined in terms of polarization correlations of these mesons. Only six of these can be detected via the subsequent decay angular distributions because of parity conservation in those decays. The remaining three require the measurement of the spin polarization of one of the decay products.Comment: 12 pages, no figur