Next-generation optical microscopy

A new breed of microscopy techniques is coming to the forefront of optical imaging. They enhance the attainable 3D resolution of imaging in live and ``fixed'' cells' (with minimal structural perturbation) by greater than tenfold, bringing subcellular structures in sharp focus Along with long-term imaging, deep tissue and high throughput capablities, new insights in various fields of biology are being generated. The main set of these next-generation optical microscopy techniques along with select applications is described in this article.

Optical microscopy methods for understanding learning and memory

Structural dynamics of dendritic spines is one of the key correlative measures of synaptic plasticity for encoding short-term and long-term memory. Optical studies of structural changes in brain tissue using confocal microscopy face difficulties of scattering. This results in low signal-to-noise ratio and thus limiting the imaging depth to few tens of microns. Multiphoton microscopy (MpM) overcomes this limitation by using low-energy photons to cause localized excitation and achieve high resolution in all three dimensions. Multiple low-energy photons with longer wavelengths minimize scattering and allow access to deeper brain regions at several hundred microns. In this article, we provide a basic understanding of the physical phenomena that give MpM an edge over conventional microscopy. Further, we highlight a few of the key studies in the field of learning and memory which would not have been possible without the advent of MpM.

Lamb wave based detection of damage in a stiffener bonded to a plate

Stiffener is one of the major components of aircraft structures to increase the load carrying capacity. Damage in the stiffener, mostly in the form of crack is an unavoidable problem in aerospace structures. Stiffener is bonded to the inner side of the aircraft panel which is not accessible for immediate inspection. A sensor-actuator network can be placed on the outer side of the panel that is accessible. Ultrasonic lamb waves are transmitted through stiffener using the sensoractuator network for detecting the presence of damages. The sensor-actuator network is placed on both halves of the stiffened section on the accessible surface of the plate. Detecting damage in stiffener by using this technique has significant potential for SHM technology. One of the major objectives of the present work is to determine the smallest detectable crack on the stiffener using the proposed technique. Wavelet based damage parameter correlation studies are carried out. In the proposed scheme, with increase in the damage size along the stiffener, it is found that the amplitude of the received signal decreases monotonically. The advantage of this technique is that the stiffened panels need not be disassembled in a realistic deployment of SHM system.

Sparse Recovery Methods Hold Promise for Diffuse Optical Tomographic Image Reconstruction

The sparse recovery methods utilize the l(p)-normbased regularization in the estimation problem with 0 <= p <= 1. These methods have a better utility when the number of independent measurements are limited in nature, which is a typical case for diffuse optical tomographic image reconstruction problem. These sparse recovery methods, along with an approximation to utilize the l(0)-norm, have been deployed for the reconstruction of diffuse optical images. Their performancewas compared systematically using both numerical and gelatin phantom cases to show that these methods hold promise in improving the reconstructed image quality.

Nanostructured CexZn1-xO thin films: Influence of Ce doping on the structural, optical and electrical properties

Thin films of CexZn1-xO thin films were deposited on glass substrates at 400 degrees C by nebulizer spray pyrolysis technique. Ce doping concentration (x) was varied from 0 to 10%, in steps of 2.5%. X-ray diffraction reveals that all the films have polycrystalline nature with hexagonal crystal structure and high preferential orientation along (002) plane. Optical parameters such as; transmittance, band gap energy, refractive index (n), extinction coefficient (k), complex dielectric constants (epsilon(r), epsilon(i)) and optical conductivity (sigma(r), sigma(i)) have been determined and discussed with respect to Ce concentration. All the films exhibit transmittance above 80% in the wavelength range from 330 to 2500 nm. Optical transmission measurements indicate the decrease of direct band gap energy from 3.26 to 3.12 eV with the increase of Ce concentration. Photoluminescence spectra show strong near band edge emission centered similar to 398 nm and green emission centered similar to 528 nm with excitation wavelength similar to 350 nm. High resolution scanning electron micrographs indicate the formation of vertical nano-rod like structures on the film surface with average diameter similar to 41 nm. Electrical properties of the Ce doped ZnO film have been studied using ac impedance spectroscopy in the frequency range from 100 Hz-1 MHz at different temperatures. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transonic flutter, shocks, and parameter effects

There is a drop in the flutter boundary of an aeroelastic system placed in a transonic flow due to compressibility effects and is known as the transonic dip. Viscous effects can shift the lo-cation of the shock and depending on the shock strength the boundary layer may separate leading to changes in the flutter speed. An unsteady Euler flow solver coupled with the structural dynamic equations is used to understand the effect of shock on the transonic dip. The effect of various system parameters such as mass ratio, location of the center of mass, position of the elastic axis, ratio of uncoupled natural frequencies in heave and pitch are also studied. Steady turbulent flow results are presented to demonstrate the effect of viscosity on the location and strength of the shock.

Projection Error Propagation-based Regularization (PEPR) method for resistivity reconstruction in Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT)

A novel Projection Error Propagation-based Regularization (PEPR) method is proposed to improve the image quality in Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT). PEPR method defines the regularization parameter as a function of the projection error developed by difference between experimental measurements and calculated data. The regularization parameter in the reconstruction algorithm gets modified automatically according to the noise level in measured data and ill-posedness of the Hessian matrix. Resistivity imaging of practical phantoms in a Model Based Iterative Image Reconstruction (MoBIIR) algorithm as well as with Electrical Impedance Diffuse Optical Reconstruction Software (EIDORS) with PEPR. The effect of PEPR method is also studied with phantoms with different configurations and with different current injection methods. All the resistivity images reconstructed with PEPR method are compared with the single step regularization (STR) and Modified Levenberg Regularization (LMR) techniques. The results show that, the PEPR technique reduces the projection error and solution error in each iterations both for simulated and experimental data in both the algorithms and improves the reconstructed images with better contrast to noise ratio (CNR), percentage of contrast recovery (PCR), coefficient of contrast (COC) and diametric resistivity profile (DRP). (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of substituent position on optical properties of boron-dipyrromethane isomers

Three isomeric meso-SiMe3C6H4 substituted BODIPYs have been synthesized and their optical properties studied. The constitutional isomers show similar absorption properties but vastly different emissive properties as a result of their different conformational flexibility. Fluorine-19 NMR study is used to unravel the conformational state of the BODIPY isomers at a molecular level. (C) 2013 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.

Trends in aerosol optical depth over Indian region: Potential causes and impact indicators

The first regional synthesis of long-term (back to similar to 25 years at some stations) primary data (from direct measurement) on aerosol optical depth from the ARFINET (network of aerosol observatories established under the Aerosol Radiative Forcing over India (ARFI) project of Indian Space Research Organization over Indian subcontinent) have revealed a statistically significant increasing trend with a significant seasonal variability. Examining the current values of turbidity coefficients with those reported similar to 50 years ago reveals the phenomenal nature of the increase in aerosol loading. Seasonally, the rate of increase is consistently high during the dry months (December to March) over the entire region whereas the trends are rather inconsistent and weak during the premonsoon (April to May) and summer monsoon period (June to September). The trends in the spectral variation of aerosol optical depth (AOD) reveal the significance of anthropogenic activities on the increasing trend in AOD. Examining these with climate variables such as seasonal and regional rainfall, it is seen that the dry season depicts a decreasing trend in the total number of rainy days over the Indian region. The insignificant trend in AOD observed over the Indo-Gangetic Plain, a regional hot spot of aerosols, during the premonsoon and summer monsoon season is mainly attributed to the competing effects of dust transport and wet removal of aerosols by the monsoon rain. Contributions of different aerosol chemical species to the total dust, simulated using Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport model over the ARFINET stations, showed an increasing trend for all the anthropogenic components and a decreasing trend for dust, consistent with the inference deduced from trend in Angstrom exponent.

Study on ride comfort assessment of multiple occupants using lumped parameter analysis

Growing consumer expectations continue to fuel further advancements in vehicle ride comfort analysis including development of a comprehensive tool capable of aiding the understanding of ride comfort. To date, most of the work on biodynamic responses of human body in the context of ride comfort mainly concentrates on driver or a designated occupant and therefore leaves the scope for further work on ride comfort analysis covering a larger number of occupants with detailed modeling of their body segments. In the present study, governing equations of a 13-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) lumped parameter model (LPM) of a full car with seats (7-DOF without seats) and a 7-DOF occupant model, a linear version of an earlier non-linear occupant model, are presented. One or more occupant models can be coupled with the vehicle model resulting into a maximum of 48-DOF LPM for a car with five occupants. These multi-occupant models can be formulated in a modular manner and solved efficiently using MATLAB/SIMULINK for a given transient road input. The vehicle model and the occupant model are independently verified by favorably comparing computed dynamic responses with published data. A number of cases with different dispositions of occupants in a small car are analyzed using the current modular approach thereby underscoring its potential for efficient ride quality assessment and design of suspension systems.

Evaluation of the accuracy of an impact load cell using lumped parameter modeling and analysis

The objective of the current study is to evaluate the fidelity of load cell reading during impact testing in a drop-weight impactor using lumped parameter modeling. For the most common configuration of a moving impactor-load cell system in which dynamic load is transferred from the impactor head to the load cell, a quantitative assessment is made of the possible discrepancy that can result in load cell response. A 3-DOF (degrees-of-freedom) LPM (lumped parameter model) is considered to represent a given impact testing set-up. In this model, a test specimen in the form of a steel hat section similar to front rails of cars is represented by a nonlinear spring while the load cell is assumed to behave in a linear manner due to its high stiffness. Assuming a given load-displacement response obtained in an actual test as the true behavior of the specimen, the numerical solution of the governing differential equations following an implicit time integration scheme is shown to yield an excellent reproduction of the mechanical behavior of the specimen thereby confirming the accuracy of the numerical approach. The spring representing the load cell, however,predicts a response that qualitatively matches the assumed load-displacement response of the test specimen with a perceptibly lower magnitude of load.

Optical, Electrochemical, and Structural Properties of Spray Coated Dihexyl Substituted Poly (3,4 propylene dioxythiophene) Film for Optoelectronics Devices

The dihexyl substituted poly (3,4-propylenedioxythiophene) (PProDOT-Hx(2)) thin films uniformly deposited by cost effective spray coating technique on transparent conducting oxide coated substrates. The electro-optical properties of PProDOT-Hx(2) films were studied by UV-Vis spectroscopy that shows the color contrast about 45% with coloration efficiency of approximate to 185cm(2)/C. The electrochemical properties of PProDOT-Hx(2) films were studied by cyclic voltammetry and AC impedance techniques. The cyclic voltammogram shows that redox reaction of films are diffusion controlled and ions transportation will be faster on the polymer film at higher scan rate. Impedance spectra indicate that polymer films are showing interface charge transfer process as well as capacitive behavior between the electrode and electrolyte. The XRD of the PProDOT-Hx(2) thin films revealed that the films are in amorphous nature, which accelerates the transportation of ions during redox process.

Nonlinear optical second harmonic generation in ZnS quantum dots and observation on optical properties of ZnS/PMMA nanocomposites

ZnS quantum dots (QDs) of different sizes are synthesized by a simple chemical co-precipitation method at room temperature, by varying pH value of the reaction mixture. Samples are characterized by an X-ray diffractometer, transmission electron microscope, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, etc. Linear optical properties, including UV-visible absorption and photoluminescence emission characteristics, of as-prepared QDs are measured. Size dependent nonlinear optical property, such as second harmonic generation (SHG) of 1064 nm Nd:YAG laser fundamental radiation in the synthesized ZnS QDs, is reported for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, by using the standard Kurtz-Perry powder method. In not to study the possibility of the synthesized ZnS QDs in different device applications ZnS/PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) nanocomposites are also synthesized. The presence of weak chemical interaction between the polymer matrix and ZnS QDs is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Thermal properties of the nanocomposites are studied by differential scanning calorimetry and thermo-gravimetric analysis techniques, which show that the composites are stable up to similar to 300 degrees C temperature. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Triarylborane conjugated acacH ligands and their BF2 complexes: facile synthesis and intriguing optical properties

A facile synthetic route for a new class of organoborane compounds (Mes)(2)B-arene-acacH and (Mes)(2)Barene-acacBF2 (Mes = mesityl and arene = C6H4 or C6Me4) is reported. The new dyads exhibit intriguing photophysical properties. A small structural change in spacer connecting the two chromophores leads to fine tuning of photophysical properties. The dyad containing 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl phenyl spacer acts as a selective ``turn-on'' chemodosimetric sensor for cyanide ion. Steric crowding around the boron centre significantly alters anion binding events. From NMR titration studies it is established that fluoride and cyanide follow different binding mechanisms which lead to intriguing optical properties in the reported probes.