22,494 research outputs found
Calibration of shielded microwave probes using bulk dielectrics
A stripline-type near-field microwave probe is microfabricated for microwave
impedance microscopy. Unlike the poorly shielded coplanar probe that senses the
sample tens of microns away, the stripline structure removes the stray fields
from the cantilever body and localizes the interaction only around the
focused-ion beam deposited Pt tip. The approaching curve of an oscillating tip
toward bulk dielectrics can be quantitatively simulated and fitted to the
finite-element analysis result. The peak signal of the approaching curve is a
measure of the sample dielectric constant and can be used to study unknown bulk
materials.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure
Human African trypanosomiasis : the current situation in endemic regions and the risks for non-endemic regions from imported cases
Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is caused by Trypanosoma brucei
gambiense and T. b. rhodesiense and caused devastating epidemics during the 20th
century. Due to effective control programs implemented in the last two decades, the
number of reported cases has fallen to a historically low level. Although fewer than
977 cases were reported in 2018 in endemic countries, HAT is still a public health
problem in endemic regions until it is completely eliminated. In addition, almost 150
confirmed HAT cases were reported in non-endemic countries in the last three
decades. The majority of non-endemic HAT cases were reported in Europe, United
States and South Africa, due to historical alliances, economic links or geographic
proximity to disease endemic countries. Furthermore, with the implementation of the
“Belt and Road” project, sporadic imported HAT cases have been reported in China
as a warning sign of tropical diseases prevention. In this paper, we explore and
interpret the data on HAT incidence and find no positive correlation between the
number of HAT cases from endemic and non-endemic countries.This data will
provide useful information for better understanding the imported cases of HAT
globally in the post-elimination phase
Modeling of a Cantilever-Based Near-Field Scanning Microwave Microscope
We present a detailed modeling and characterization of our scalable microwave
nanoprobe, which is a micro-fabricated cantilever-based scanning microwave
probe with separated excitation and sensing electrodes. Using finite-element
analysis, the tip-sample interaction is modeled as small impedance changes
between the tip electrode and the ground at our working frequencies near 1GHz.
The equivalent lumped elements of the cantilever can be determined by
transmission line simulation of the matching network, which routes the
cantilever signals to 50 Ohm feed lines. In the microwave electronics, the
background common-mode signal is cancelled before the amplifier stage so that
high sensitivity (below 1 atto-Farad capacitance changes) is obtained.
Experimental characterization of the microwave probes was performed on
ion-implanted Si wafers and patterned semiconductor samples. Pure electrical or
topographical signals can be realized using different reflection modes of the
probe.Comment: 7 figure
Microwave imaging of mesoscopic percolating network in a manganite thin film
Many unusual behaviors in complex oxides are deeply associated with the
spontaneous emergence of microscopic phase separation. Depending on the
underlying mechanism, the competing phases can form ordered or random patterns
at vastly different length scales. Using a microwave impedance microscope, we
observed an orientation-ordered percolating network in strained Nd0.5Sr0.5MnO3
thin films with a large period of 100 nm. The filamentary metallic domains
align preferentially along certain crystal axes of the substrate, suggesting
the anisotropic elastic strain as the key interaction in this system. The local
impedance maps provide microscopic electrical information of the hysteretic
behavior in strained thin film manganites, suggesting close connection between
the glassy order and the colossal magnetoresistance effects at low
temperatures.Comment: 4 pages,4 figure
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Visual Functions and Interocular Interactions in Anisometropic Children with and without Amblyopia
Purpose.: In uncorrected anisometropia, protracted dichoptic stimulation may result in interocular inhibition, which may be a contributing factor in amblyopia development. This study investigates the relationship between interocular interactions and anisometropic amblyopia.
Methods.: Three visual functions (low-contrast acuity, contrast sensitivity, and alignment sensitivity) were measured in the nondominant eye of 44 children aged 5 to 11 years: 10 with normal vision, 17 with anisometropia without amblyopia, and 17 with anisometropic amblyopia. The dominant eye was either fully or partially occluded. The difference in nondominant eye visual function between the full-and partial-occlusion conditions was termed the interaction index. The index of each visual function was compared between subject groups. A higher index indicates stronger inhibition of nondominant eye function with partial occlusion of the dominant eye. Amblyopic children had 6 months of therapy (refractive correction and occlusion), and the reduction in interocular difference in high-contrast acuity was regarded as the treatment outcome. The relationships of the interaction index with the degree of anisometropia, the severity of amblyopia, and the treatment outcomes were examined.
Results.: The acuity interaction index was significantly higher in anisometropic children with amblyopia than in those without (P = 0.003). It was positively correlated with the degree of anisometropia (r s = 0.35, P = 0.042) and the amblyopic treatment outcomes (r s = 0.54, P = 0.038). No such difference or association was found between the contrast sensitivity or alignment sensitivity interaction index and anisometropic amblyopia.
Conclusions.: Interocular interactions are associated with amblyopia, the degree of anisometropia, and amblyopia treatment outcomes, but these associations are visual function dependent
Multi-jet cross sections in deep inelastic scattering at next-to-leading order
We present the perturbative prediction for three-jet production cross section
in DIS at the NLO accuracy. We study the dependence on the renormalization and
factorization scales of exclusive three-jet cross section. The perturbative
prediction for the three-jet differential distribution as a function of the
momentum transfer is compared to the corresponding data obtained by the H1
collaboration at HERA.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
Natural and laboratory TT-OSL dose response curves:testing the lifetime of the TT-OSL signal in nature
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