Assessment of ultrasound modulation of near infrared light on the quantification of scattering coefficient

Purpose: To assess the effect of ultrasound modulation of near infrared (NIR) light on the quantification of scattering coefficient in tissue-mimicking biological phantoms.Methods: A unique method to estimate the phase of the modulated NIR light making use of only time averaged intensity measurements using a charge coupled device camera is used in this investigation. These experimental measurements from tissue-mimicking biological phantoms are used to estimate the differential pathlength, in turn leading to estimation of optical scattering coefficient. A Monte-Carlo model base numerical estimation of phase in lieu of ultrasound modulation is performed to verify the experimental results. Results: The results indicate that the ultrasound modulation of NIR light enhances the effective scattering coefficient. The observed effective scattering coefficient enhancement in tissue-mimicking viscoelastic phantoms increases with increasing ultrasound drive voltage. The same trend is noticed as the ultrasound modulation frequency approaches the natural vibration frequency of the phantom material. The contrast enhancement is less for the stiffer (larger storage modulus) tissue, mimicking tumor necrotic core, compared to the normal tissue. Conclusions: The ultrasound modulation of the insonified region leads to an increase in the effective number of scattering events experienced by NIR light, increasing the measured phase, causing the enhancement in the effective scattering coefficient. The ultrasound modulation of NIR light could provide better estimation of scattering coefficient. The observed local enhancement of the effective scattering coefficient, in the ultrasound focal region, is validated using both experimental measurements and Monte-Carlo simulations. (C) 2010 American Association of Physicists in Medicine. [DOI: 10.1118/1.3456441]

A pulsed field gradient spin echo NMR spectrometer for diffusion coefficient measurements

A pulsed field gradient spin echo NMR spectrometer has been assembled by interfacing a programmable pulse generator and a data acquisition system designed and fabricated in our laboratory with other imported units. Calibration results of the magnetic field gradients are presented.

Varistors based on mixed‐phase ceramics containing ZnO and negative temperature coefficient spinels

High nonlinearity coefficients of 60–150 are observed in the current‐voltage (I‐V) curves of the mixed phase ceramics formed by cosintering ZnO with spinel phases having large negative temperature coefficients (NTCs) in resistivity. The region of negative slope in the I‐V curves of the NTC ceramics is progressively made positive with ZnO phase content, wherein ZnO grains function as a built‐in resistor in series to the resistance of the NTC phase. High α depends on the optimum phase content of ZnO as much as its intrinsic conductivity. The studies indicate that the predominent contribution to power dissipation is by way of joule heating from the resistive component of the current.

On some results of A. E. Livingston and coefficient problems for concave univalent functions

We consider functions that map the open unit disc conformally onto the complement of a bounded convex set. We call these functions concave univalent functions. In 1994, Livingston presented a characterization for these functions. In this paper, we observe that there is a minor flaw with this characterization. We obtain certain sharp estimates and the exact set of variability involving Laurent and Taylor coefficients for concave functions. We also present the exact set of variability of the linear combination of certain successive Taylor coefficients of concave functions.

A Novel Method for the Uniform Incorporation of Grain-Boundary Layer Modifiers in Positive Temperature Coefficient of Resistivity Barium Titanate

The presently developed two-stage process involves diping the prefired porous disks of n-BaTiO3 in nonaqueous solutions containing Al-buty rate, Ti-isopropoxide, and tetraethyl silicate and subsequent sintering. This leads to uniform distribution of the grain-boundary layer (GBL) modifiers (Al2O3+ TiO2+ SiO2) and better control of the grain size as well as the positive temperature coefficient of resistivity characteristics. The technique is particularly suited for GBL modifiers in low concentrations (< 1%).

Hybridization of carbon-glass epoxy composites: An approach to achieve low coefficient of thermal expansion at cryogenic temperatures

The paper is based on a study to develop carbon-glass epoxy hybrid composites with desirable thermal properties for applications at cryogenic temperatures. It analyzes the coefficient of thermal expansion of carbon-epoxy and glass-epoxy composite materials and compares it with the properties of carbon-glass epoxy hybrid composites in the temperature range 300 K to 125K. Urethane modified epoxy matrix system is used to make the composite specimens suitable for use even for temperatures as low as 20K. It is noted that the lay-up with 80% of carbon fibers in the total volume fraction of fibers oriented at 30 degrees and 20% of glass fibers oriented at 0 degrees yields near to zero coefficient of thermal expansion as the temperature is lowered from ambient to 125 K. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improved velocity method for the determination of coefficient of consolidation

Parkin (1978) suggested the velocity method based on the observation that the theoretical rate of consolidation and time factor plot on a log-log scale yields an initial slope of 1:2 up to 50% consolidation. A new method is proposed that is an improvement over Parkin's velocity method because it minimizes the problems encountered in using that method. The results obtained agree with the other methods in use.

Composite material and piezoelectric coefficient uncertainty effects on structural health monitoring using feedback control gains as damage indicators

This article addresses uncertainty effect on the health monitoring of a smart structure using control gain shifts as damage indicators. A finite element model of the smart composite plate with surface-bonded piezoelectric sensors and actuators is formulated using first-order shear deformation theory and a matrix crack model is integrated into the finite element model. A constant gain velocity/position feedback control algorithm is used to provide active damping to the structure. Numerical results show that the response of the structure is changed due to matrix cracks and this change can be compensated by actively tuning the feedback controller. This change in control gain can be used as a damage indicator for structural health monitoring. Monte Carlo simulation is conducted to study the effect of material uncertainty on the damage indicator by considering composite material properties and piezoelectric coefficients as independent random variables. It is found that the change in position feedback control gain is a robust damage indicator.

Linear electro-optic effect and temperature coefficient of birefringence in 4-nitro-4script-methylbenzylidene aniline single crystals

A study of the linear electro?optic effect in single crystals of the organic compound, 4?nitro�4??methylbenzylidene aniline is reported. The reduced half?wave voltages have been found to have values 2.8, 1.3, and 1.1 kV at 632.8, 514.5, and 488.0 nm, respectively and the corresponding values of the largest linear electro?optic coefficient have been calculated. The thermal variation of the birefringence has also been investigated and the temperature variation of the refractive index difference is found to have the value, d?n/dT = 15.8 × 10?5 K?1.

The concentration dependent cooperative friction coefficient of dilute polymer solutions at the theta point

We combine multiple scattering and renormalization group methods to calculate the leading order dimensionless virial coefficient k(s) for the friction coefficient of dilute polymer solutions under conditions where the osmotic second virial coefficient vanishes (i.e., at the theta point T-theta). Our calculations are formulated in terms of coupled kinetic equations for the polymer and solvent, in which the polymers are modeled as continuous chains whose configurations evolve under the action of random forces in, the velocity field of the solvent. To lowest order in epsilon=4-d, we find that k(s) = 1.06. This result compares satisfactorily with existing experimental estimates of k(s), which are in the range 0.7-0.8. It is also in good agreement with other theoretical results on chains and suspensions at T-theta. Our calculated k(s) is also found to be identical to the leading order virial coefficient of the tracer friction coefficient at the theta point. We discuss possible reasons for the difficulties encountered when attempting to evaluate k(s) by extrapolating prior renormalization group calculations from semidilute concentrations to the infinitely dilute limit. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.

Seebeck Coefficient in Bulk and Quantum Wells of Non-Parabolic Kane-Type Materials

We present a simplified and quantitative analysis of the Seebeck coefficient in degenerate bulk and quantum well materials whose conduction band electrons obey Kane's non-parabolic energy dispersion relation. We use k.p formalism to include the effect of the overlap function due to the band non-parabolicity in the Seebeck coefficient. We also address the key issues and the conditions in which the Seebeck coefficient in quantum wells should exhibit oscillatory dependency with the film thickness under the acoustic phonon and ionized impurity scattering. The effect of screening length in degenerate bulk and quantum wells has also been generalized for the determination of ionization scattering. The well-known expressions of the Seebeck coefficient in non-degenerate wide band gap materials for both bulk and quantum wells has been obtained as a special case and this provides an indirect proof of our generalized theoretical analysis.

Multifunctional cryogenic sensors from n-BaTiO3 ceramics having strong negative temperature coefficient of resistance

Donor-doped n-BaTiO3 polycrystalline ceramics show a strong negative temperature coefficient of resistivity below the orthorhombic-rhombohedral phase transition point, from 10(2-3) Omega cm af 190 K to 10(10-13) Omega cm at less than or similar to 50 K, with thermal coefficient of resistance alpha = 20-23% K-1. Stable thermal sensors for low-temperature applications are realized therefrom. The negative temperature coefficient of resistivity region can be modified by substituting isovalent ions in the lattice. Highly nonlinear current-voltage (I-V) curves are observed at low temperatures, with a voltage maximum followed by the negative differential resistance. The I-V curves are sensitive to dissipation so that cryogenic sensors can be fabricated for liquid level control, flow rate monitoring, radiation detection or in-rush voltage limitation.

Photoinduced transparency of effective three-photon absorption coefficient for femtosecond laser pulses in Ge16As29Se55 thin films

We report a dramatic change in effective three-photon absorption coefficient of amorphous Ge16As29Se55 thin films, when its optical band gap decreases by 10 meV with 532 nm light illumination. This large change provides valuable information on the higher excited states, which are otherwise inaccessible via normal optical absorption. The results also indicate that photodarkening in chalcogenide glasses can serve as an effective tool to tune the multiphoton absorption in a rather simple way. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics.