Redox-Switching in a Viologen-type Adlayer: An Electrochemical Shell-Isolated Nanoparticle Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Study on Au(111)-(1 x 1) Single Crystal Electrodes

We reported the first application of in situ shell-isolated nanoparticle enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) to an interfacial redox reaction under electrochemical conditions. We construct gap-mode sandwich structures composed of a thiol-terminated HS-6V6H viologen adlayer immobilized on a single crystal Au(111)-(1x1) electrode and covered by Au(60 nm)@SlO(2) core shell nanoparticles acting as plasmonic antennas. We observed high-quality, potential-dependent Raman spectra of the three viologen species V(2+),V(+center dot) and V(0) on a well-defined Au(111) substrate surface and could map their potential-dependent evolution. Comparison with experiments on powder samples revealed an enhancement factor of the nonresonant Raman modes of similar to 3 x 10(5), and up to 9 x 10(7) for the resonance modes. The study illustrates the unique capability of SHINERS and its potential in the entire field of electrochemical surface science to explore structures and reaction pathways on well-defined substrate surfaces, such as single crystals, for molecular, (electro-)- catalytic, bioelectrochemical systems up to fundamental double layer studies at electrified solid/liquid interfaces.

A twin spiral planar antenna for UWB medical radars

A planar-spiral antenna to be used in an ultrawideband (UWB) radar system for heart activity monitoring is presented. The antenna, named “twin,” is constituted by two spiral dipoles in a compact structure. The reflection coefficient at the feed point of the dipoles is lower than −8 dB over the 3–12 GHz band, while the two-dipoles coupling is about −20 dB. The radiated beam is perpendicular to the plane of the spiral, so the antenna is wearable and it may be an optimal radiator for a medical UWB radar for heart rate detection. The designed antenna has been also used to check some hypotheses about the UWB radar heart activity detection mechanism. The radiation impedance variation, caused by the thorax vibrations associated with heart activity, seems to be the most likely explanation of the UWB radar operation.

Antenna Simulations and Measurements of Focal Plane Array Facet Reflectors

We present a conceptual prototype model of a focal plane array unit for the STEAMR instrument, highlighting the challenges presented by the required high relative beam proximity of the instrument and focus on how edge-diffraction effects contribute to the array's performance. The analysis was carried out as a comparative process using both PO & PTD and MoM techniques. We first highlight general differences between these computational techniques, with the discussion focusing on diffractive edge effects for near-field imaging reflectors with high truncation. We then present the results of in-depth modeling analyses of the STEAMR focal plane array followed by near-field antenna measurements of a breadboard model of the array. The results of these near-field measurements agree well with both simulation techniques although MoM shows slightly higher complex beam coupling to the measurements than PO & PTD.

Low Mass Calibration Target for MM-Wave Remote Sensing Instruments

The reliability of millimeter and sub-millimeter wave radiometer measurements is dependent on the accuracy of the loads they employ as calibration targets. In the recent past on-board calibration loads have been developed for a variety of satellite remote sensing instruments. Unfortunately some of these have suffered from calibration inaccuracies which had poor thermal performance of the calibration target as the root cause. Stringent performance parameters of the calibration target such as low reflectivity, high temperature uniformity, low mass and low power consumption combined with low volumetric requirements remain a challenge for the space instrument developer. In this paper we present a novel multi-layer absorber concept for a calibration load which offers an excellent compromise between very good radiometric performance and temperature uniformity and the mass and volumetric constraints required by space-borne calibration targets.

Use of outdoor ranges by laying hens in different sized flocks.

In studies assessing outdoor range use of laying hens, the number of hens seen on outdoor ranges is inversely correlated to flock size. The aim of this study was to assess individual ranging behavior on a covered (veranda) and an uncovered outdoor run (free-range) in laying hen flocks varying in size. Five to ten percent of hens (aged 9–15 months) within 4 small (2–2500 hens), 4 medium (5–6000), and 4 large (≥9000) commercial flocks were fitted with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Antennas were placed at both sides of all popholes between the house and the veranda and the veranda and the free-range. Ranging behavior was directly monitored for approximately three weeks in combination with hourly photographs of the free-range for the distribution of hens and 6h long video recordings on two parts of the free-range during two days. Between 79 and 99% of the tagged hens were registered on the veranda at least once and between 47 and 90% were registered on the free-range at least once. There was no association between the percentage of hens registered outside the house (veranda or free-range) and flock size. However, individual hens in small and medium sized flocks visited the areas outside the house more frequently and spent more time there than hens from large flocks. Foraging behavior on the free-range was shown more frequently and for a longer duration by hens from small and medium sized flocks than by hens from large flocks. This difference in ranging behavior could account for the negative relationship between flock size and the number of hens seen outside at one point of time. In conclusion, our work describes individual birds’ use of areas outside the house within large scale commercial egg production.

Real-Time Localization Using Software Defined Radio

Service providers make use of cost-effective wireless solutions to identify, localize, and possibly track users using their carried MDs to support added services, such as geo-advertisement, security, and management. Indoor and outdoor hotspot areas play a significant role for such services. However, GPS does not work in many of these areas. To solve this problem, service providers leverage available indoor radio technologies, such as WiFi, GSM, and LTE, to identify and localize users. We focus our research on passive services provided by third parties, which are responsible for (i) data acquisition and (ii) processing, and network-based services, where (i) and (ii) are done inside the serving network. For better understanding of parameters that affect indoor localization, we investigate several factors that affect indoor signal propagation for both Bluetooth and WiFi technologies. For GSM-based passive services, we developed first a data acquisition module: a GSM receiver that can overhear GSM uplink messages transmitted by MDs while being invisible. A set of optimizations were made for the receiver components to support wideband capturing of the GSM spectrum while operating in real-time. Processing the wide-spectrum of the GSM is possible using a proposed distributed processing approach over an IP network. Then, to overcome the lack of information about tracked devices’ radio settings, we developed two novel localization algorithms that rely on proximity-based solutions to estimate in real environments devices’ locations. Given the challenging indoor environment on radio signals, such as NLOS reception and multipath propagation, we developed an original algorithm to detect and remove contaminated radio signals before being fed to the localization algorithm. To improve the localization algorithm, we extended our work with a hybrid based approach that uses both WiFi and GSM interfaces to localize users. For network-based services, we used a software implementation of a LTE base station to develop our algorithms, which characterize the indoor environment before applying the localization algorithm. Experiments were conducted without any special hardware, any prior knowledge of the indoor layout or any offline calibration of the system.