Experimental assessment of periodic piezoelectric composite arrays incorporating an anisotropic passive phase

This paper discusses the experimental assessment of a number of piezoelectric composite array structures incorporating a novel passive phase exhibiting anisotropic elastic properties. The passive polymer phase has been designed to limit inter-element crosstalk by attenuating lateral propagation across the array aperture. A selection of water coupled linear array coupons, operating with a nominal 400 kHz fundamental thickness mode frequency, has been prepared comprising the novel anisotropic passive phase. As a control, comparisons are made to similarly configured devices employing isotropic filler materials. Scanning laser vibrometry and measurements of electrical impedance characteristic on the array substrate demonstrate that the fundamental thickness mode of the devices configured with anisotropic polymer fillers is not contaminated by parasitic modes of vibration. The reasons for this are explained by considering the dispersion characteristics of the substrate. Water coupled hydrophone measurements of array element directivity; transmit voltage response and subsequently efficiency calculations illustrate that the observed reduction in mechanical cross talk has not been achieved at the expense of element sensitivity. Finally, comparisons between the experimental data and the PZFlex derived array responses are made, with good corroboration demonstrate

Performance of periodic piezoelectric composite arrays incorporating a passive phase exhibiting anisotropic properties

This paper explores the minimisation of interelement cross talk in 1-D and 2-D periodic composite array structures through the incorporation of a passive phase exhibiting anisotropic elastic properties. Initially the PZFlex finite element code was used to monitor array aperture response as a function of material properties. It is shown that in array structures comprising passive polymer materials possessing low longitudinal loss and high shear loss, inter-element mechanical cross talk is reduced, without a concomitant reduction in element sensitivity. A number of polymer materials with the desired properties were synthesised and their elastic character confirmed through a program of materials characterisation. Finally, a range of experimental devices exhibiting improved directional response, as a result of a significant reduction in interelement cross talk, are presented and the predicted array characteristics are shown to compare favourably in each case

Theoretical modelling of frequency dependent elastic loss in composite piezoelectric transducers

The large number of degrees of freedom in the design of piezoelectric transducers requires a theoretical model that is computationally efficient so that a large number of iterations can be performed in the design optimisation. The materials used are often lossy, and indeed loss can be used to enhance the operational characteristics of these designs. Motivated by these needs, this paper extends the one-dimensional linear systems model to incorporate frequency dependent elastic loss. The reception sensitivity, electrical impedance and electromechanical coupling coefficient of a 1-3 composite transducer, with frequency dependent loss in the polymer filler, are investigated. By plotting these operating characteristics as a function of the volume fraction of piezoelectric ceramic an optimum design is obtained. A device with a non-standard, high shear attenuation polymer is also simulated and this leads to an increase in the electromechanical coupling coefficient. A comparison with finite element simulations is then performed. This shows that the two methods are in reasonable agreement in their electrical impedance profiles in all the cases considered. The plots are almost identical away from the main resonant peak where the frequency location of the peaks are comparable but there is in some cases a 20% discrepancy in the magnitude of the peak value and in its bandwidth. The finite element model also shows that the use of a high shear attenuation polymer filler damps out the unwanted, low frequency modes whilst maintaining a reasonable impedance magnitude

A theoretical analysis of a piezoelectric ultrasound device with an active matching layer

This paper investigates the use of magnetically active materials in the matching layer of a piezoelectric transducer. This then allows the performance of the device to be dynamically altered by applying an external field. The effect that this new matching layer has on the performance of a typical device is theoretically investigated here. It transpires that the additional flexibility of an active matching layer can be used to maintain the efficiency of the device as the external load is varied

Dangerous work: The gendered nature of bullying in the context of higher education

This paper discusses results from a research project which set out to investigate gender differences in the nature and experience of bullying within the higher education sector. Gender differences emerged in the form and perception of bullying as well as in target response. Results also indicate that, irrespective of gender, bullies can capture and subvert organizational structures and procedures (official hierarchies, mentoring systems, probationary reviews) to further their abuse of the target and to conceal aggressive intent. These outcomes are discussed in relation to gendered assumptions behind management practices and in relation to the masculinist ethic that underpins many higher education management initiatives. Overall, results indicate that bullying cannot be divorced from gender and that such behaviour needs to be seen in a gendered context

Predicting oral anticoagulant response using a pharmacodynamic model

We developed a pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model of warfarin absorption, metabolism, and anticoagulant action appropriate for guiding anticoagulant therapy. The model requires only two independently adjustable parameters to describe warfarin's effect on individual patients. For any given individual, these parameters are rapidly and inexpensively identified using a computer program based on the model. Test data were generated by superimposing Gaussian noise on dose-response curves calculated with the model. Then the computer program was applied to the test data. Future prothrombin complex activities (PCA's) and maintenance doses were predicted accurately early in the course of drug administration. In addition, the program accurately predicted PCA response in two groups of normal volunteers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44006/1/10439_2006_Article_BF02363455.pd

Competing T = 0 and T = 1 structures in the N = Z nucleus 3162Ga

The low-lying levels in the odd-odd N = Z nucleus 62Ga have been identified for the first time. These data reveal a cascade of stretched-E2 transitions based on a T = 0, 1+ bandhead which decays directly to the T = 1, 0+ ground state. The observed levels are interpreted in the context of theshell model, using as a basis, the pf5/2g9/2 orbits with a 56Ni core

Neuroimaging-based classification of PTSD using data-driven computational approaches: a multisite big data study from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD consortium

Background: Recent advances in data-driven computational approaches have been helpful in devising tools to objectively diagnose psychiatric disorders. However, current machine learning studies limited to small homogeneous samples, different methodologies, and different imaging collection protocols, limit the ability to directly compare and generalize their results. Here we aimed to classify individuals with PTSD versus controls and assess the generalizability using a large heterogeneous brain datasets from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD Working group. Methods: We analyzed brain MRI data from 3,477 structural-MRI; 2,495 resting state-fMRI; and 1,952 diffusion-MRI. First, we identified the brain features that best distinguish individuals with PTSD from controls using traditional machine learning methods. Second, we assessed the utility of the denoising variational autoencoder (DVAE) and evaluated its classification performance. Third, we assessed the generalizability and reproducibility of both models using leave-one-site-out cross-validation procedure for each modality. Results: We found lower performance in classifying PTSD vs. controls with data from over 20 sites (60 % test AUC for s-MRI, 59 % for rs-fMRI and 56 % for D-MRI), as compared to other studies run on single-site data. The performance increased when classifying PTSD from HC without trauma history in each modality (75 % AUC). The classification performance remained intact when applying the DVAE framework, which reduced the number of features. Finally, we found that the DVAE framework achieved better generalization to unseen datasets compared with the traditional machine learning frameworks, albeit performance was slightly above chance. Conclusion: These results have the potential to provide a baseline classification performance for PTSD when using large scale neuroimaging datasets. Our findings show that the control group used can heavily affect classification performance. The DVAE framework provided better generalizability for the multi-site data. This may be more significant in clinical practice since the neuroimaging-based diagnostic DVAE classification models are much less site-specific, rendering them more generalizable.Stress-related psychiatric disorders across the life spa

A wideband annular piezoelectric composite transducer configuration with a graded active layer profile

Ultrasound technology is routinely used in many application areas including underwater sonar, biomedicine, non destructive evaluation (NDE), materials characterisation and process control - all with direct routes into the vital economic sectors of energy, transportation, healthcare and food and drink. As technology demands have increased, device manufacturers are faced with a constant need to extend bandwidth and/or frequency response, while at the same time improve sensitivity, all combined with minimisation of size, complexity and cost. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the current transducer technology, with its emphasis on multi-element array systems, is nearing saturation and new approaches to ultrasonic system design and operation are needed to satisfy many future demands. This paper presents wideband annular piezoelectric configuration with graded composite active layer