Measurement of Out-of-plane Dynamic Deformations by Digital Speckle Pattern Interferometry

In this paper, measurement of dynamic deformations in a rectangular plate fixed at one end, using digital speckle pattem interferometry (DSPI), has been prese,nted. To improve the measurement accuracy,a new filtering scheme has been developed. This scheme is based on the combination of average/ median filtering and Symlet wavelet filtering which enhances the signal-to-noise ratio in the speckleinterferogram obtained from the DSPI. Experimental results show that this filtering scheme is quite effective in improving signal-to-noise ratio of the speckle .interferogram. The measurements by DSPIand accelerometer are in good agreement. The DSPI technique can be implemented for measuring the large deformations as well

Update on the management of diabetic polyneuropathies

The prevalence of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN) can approach 50% in subjects with longer-duration diabetes. The most common neuropathies are generalized symmetrical chronic sensorimotor polyneuropathy and autonomic neuropathy. It is important to recognize that 50% of subjects with DPN may have no symptoms and only careful clinical examination may reveal the diagnosis. DPN, especially painful diabetic peripheral neuropathy, is associated with poor quality of life. Although there is a better understanding of the pathophysiology of DPN and the mechanisms of pain, treatment remains challenging and is limited by variable efficacy and side effects of therapies. Intensification of glycemic control remains the cornerstone for the prevention or delay of DPN but optimization of other traditional cardiovascular risk factors may also be of benefit. The management of DPN relies on its early recognition and needs to be individually based on comorbidities and tolerability to medications. To date, most pharmacological strategies focus upon symptom control. In the management of pain, tricyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors, and anticonvulsants alone or in combination are current first-line therapies followed by use of opiates. Topical agents may offer symptomatic relief in some patients. Disease-modifying agents are still in development and to date, antioxidant α-lipoic acid has shown the most promising effect. Further development and testing of therapies based upon improved understanding of the complex pathophysiology of this common and disabling complication is urgently required

Application of Atomic Force Microscopy in Organic and Perovskite Photovoltaics

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has become widely used technique in air, liquids, or vacuum to generate high-resolution topographic images of a surface having a nanometer-scale resolution. AFM gives the information about the morphology, phase composition etc. Photovoltaic materials have been attracting intense interest due to their performance and the morphology as well as quality of these materials affects their performance. AFM is now a day widely used technique for morphology and other electronic properties measurements at nanoscale for photovoltaic materials to understand their relation with device performance. This chapter describe the brief introduction of Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM) and conducting atomic force microscopy (CAFM) and their application in electrical characterization at nanoscale of organic and perovskite photovoltaic materials

Pattern of calcification on CT and FDG-PET of a rare perineural mantle cell lymphoma: a potential of non-histological imaging marker

The presence of calcification in a particular FDG-avid soft tissue lesion may at times present uncertainty regarding the clinical course of the disease pathology. Calcific deposits are not specific for either benign or malignant aetiologies (Brant et al., 2010). Altered glucose metabolism with associated calcification may underpin underlying aggressive pathophysiology with necrosis as sequelae. Mantle Cell Lymphoma (MCL) is a subtype of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. It is a rare B-cell NHL that is prevalent in men over the age of 60. The disease may be aggressive but it can also behave in a more indolent fashion in some patients. MCL comprises about 5% of all NHLs. The disease is called Mantle Cell Lymphoma because the tumour cells originally come from the ‘mantle zone’ of the lymph node (Zhou et al., 2004). Pretreatment Hodgkin’s lymphoma with calcification may masquerade as other second primary pathologies, e.g. extraosseous osteosarcoma or myositis ossificans (Apter et al., 2002; Korek-Amorosa et al., 1974). A calcified perineural lymphoma prior to treatment is exceedingly rare and calcification usually occurs one to five years after chemotherapy or radiation therapy with an incidence of 2% (Apter et al., 2002). This case documents how the manifestation of a rare malignant perineural mantle cell lymphoma may be indistinguishable from other pathological entities based on its pattern of distribution in a combined FDG-PET-CT study

Applications of Digital Holographic Interferometry in Heat Transfer Measurements from Heated Industrial Objects

Digital holographic interferometry (DHI) is used worldwide for many scientific and industrial applications. In DHI, two digital holograms; one in the reference/ambient state of the object and another in changed state of object are recorded by electronic imaging sensors (such as CCD/CMOS) as reference holograms and object holograms, respectively. Phase of object wavefronts in different states of the object is numerically reconstructed from digital holograms. The interference phase is reconstructed by subtracting the phase of reference hologram from the phase of object hologram, without performing any phase-shifting interferometry. Thus, no extra effort is needed in DHI for calculating the interference phase. Apart from direct reconstruction of interference phase from two digital holograms, the recent development, availability of recording devices at video rate, and high-performance computers make the measurements faster, reliable, robust, and even real-time. In this chapter, DHI is presented for the investigation of temperature distribution and heat transfer parameters such as natural convective heat transfer coefficient and local heat flux around the surface of industrial heated objects such as cylindrical wires and heat sinks

The value of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose PET (18F-FDG PET) and MRI spectroscopy in underpinning suspicious breast cancer

The aim of this study was to evaluate the value of MRI spectroscopy and association with the altered glucose metabolism on 18-FDG PET/CT in patients with suspicious breast cancer. Eight selected breast cancer patients with BIRADS 4 or 5 on mammogram were recruited and patients underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT MRI (spectroscopy). The standardise uptake value (SUVmax) was analysed to determine the degree of the altered glucose metabolism on the PET. The metabolites of tumor lesions were measured using in vivo proton MR spectroscopy (MRS) of the breast. There were eight females with a mean age of 55.3±12.2 years with a biopsy result of invasive ductal carcinoma (2), lobular carcinoma (1) and benign lesion (5). There was a significant difference between the mean of the malignant tumour (SUVmax 4.28±3.74 g/ml) and the mean of the benign tumour (SUVmax: 2.33±0.9 g/ml). On the per-lesional basis of the MRS correlate with SUVmax, the suspicious breast tissue exhibited raised creatinine metabolites (mean: 3.39±0.54u) with significant correlation SUVmax mean 3.06±2.34 as compared to N-acetyl Aspartate (NAA), (mean: 2.84±0.99u) and choline (mean: 2.46± 0.70 u). This study showed that high SUVmax was associated with malignant cancer and the high creatinine metabolite that correlated with the SUVmax could potentially be utilised as a surrogate marker in detecting breast cancer

OPTIMIZATION OF THE MICROELECTROMECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF HEAT EXCHANGE SYSTEMS THROUGH MICROCHANNEL TECHNOLOGY

  Abstract: Performance of microchannel heat exchangers is highly dependent on their geometry and shape. Hence, the structural design is as equally important as the material components. This paper expounds the development and applications of microchannel technology thereby proposing an optimal applicability on the microelectromechanical properties of heat exchange systems

Validation of digital holographic tomography in flow measurement

This paper reports on measurements by digital holographic tomography in flow measurement. It is demonstrated capability of the method by measurement of general temperature field consisting of system of three orifices. Results obtained by digital holographic tomography are compared to results obtained by hot wire anemometry CTA