Two-component gas sensing with MIR dual comb spectroscopy

A dual comb spectrometer is used as gas sensor for the parallel detection of nitrous oxide (N2O) and carbon monoxide (CO). These gases have overlapping absorption features in the mid-infrared (MIR) at a wavelength of 4.6 µm. With a spectra acquisition rate of 10 Hz, concentrations of 50 ppm N2O and 30 ppm CO are monitored with a relative precision of 6 × 10 − 3 6\times {10^{-3}} and 3 × 10 − 3 3\times {10^{-3}} respectively. The limit of detections are 91 ppb for N2O and 50 ppb for CO for an integration time of 25 s. The system exhibits a linear sensitivity from 2 ppm to 100 ppm with coefficients of determination of 0.99998 for N2O and 0.99996 for CO.

Acquisition and long-term memory of object names in a sample of Gifted Word Learner dogs

Dogs with a vocabulary of object names are rare and are considered uniquely gifted. In a few cases, these Gifted Word Learner (GWL) dogs have presented cognitive skills that are functionally similar to those of human infants. However, the acquisition rate of new object names and the ability of GWL dogs to form long-term memories of those is unknown. In this study, we examine the ability of six GWL dogs to acquire the names of new objects in a short period and to retain those in their long-term memory without post-acquisition exposures. In Experiments 1 and 2, the dogs were tested on their ability to learn, during social interactions with their owners, the names of 6 and 12 new toys respectively, in one week. In Experiments 3 and 4, the dogs' memory of these objects was tested after one and two months. GWL dogs typically learned the names of the new objects and remembered those. We suggest that dogs with knowledge of object names could be a powerful model for studying mental mechanisms related to word acquisition in a non-human species.

Extending the Frequency Limits of "Postage-Stamp PIV" to MHz Rates

The effective frequency limits of postage-stamp PIV, in which a pulse-burst laser and very small fields of view combine to achieve high repetition rates, have been extended by increasing the PIV acquisition rate to very nearly MHz rates (990 kHz) by using a faster camera. Charge leaked through the camera shift register at these framing rates but this was shown not to bias the measurements. The increased framing rate provided oversampled data and enabled use of multi-frame correlation algorithms for a lower noise floor, increasing the effective frequency response to 240 kHz where the interrogation window size begins to spatially filter the data. The velocity spectra suggest turbulence power-law scaling in the inertial subrange steeper than the theoretical -5/3 scaling, attributed to an absence of isotropy.

Surface characterization of paper products via a stylus-type contact method

Surface properties include both surface roughness and friction. With a stylus-type contact method, it is necessary to obtain either a surface roughness profile or a friction profile that is affected by stylus shape and size, its contact force on the sample, the scan speed, and the data acquisition rate. As a new surface parameter, the mean absolute deviation (MAD) from an average property has been introduced. It represents the deviation from either the roughness average (Ra) and the average coefficient of friction (COF), respectively. While Ra or average COF depends on the instrument and its operating conditions, the MAD should not depend on them because it represents the variations within the sample.

Physical contact transmission of Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus by Myzus persicae

Cucumber green mottle mosaic virus (CGMMV), a critical plant virus, has caused significant economic losses in cucurbit crops worldwide. It has not been proved that CGMMV can be transmitted by an insect vector. In this study, the physical contact transmission of CGMMV by Myzus persicae in Nicotiana benthamiana plants was confirmed under laboratory conditions. The acquisition rate increased with time, and most aphids acquired CGMMV at 72 h of the acquisition access period (AAP). Besides, the acquired CGMMV was retained in the aphids for about 12 h, which was efficiently transmitted back to the healthy N. benthamiana plants. More importantly, further experiments suggested that the transmission was mediated by physical contact rather than the specific interaction between insect vector and plant virus. The results obtained in our study contribute to the development of new control strategies for CGMMV in the field.

A Comparison of Beat Frequency Estimation Methods for Large Ring Laser

Autoregressive (AR2) technique has always been used to estimate frequency of the output signal from Large ring laser. However, the acquisition rate is not at near real time which is the requirement and noise level still challenge the process resulting to errors in the final estimation. A research was done to compare the Autoregressive (AR2) with the counterparts such as Pisarenko, Quinn, Hilbert and Phase looking for a better technique that will estimate the frequency at near real time to minimize errors. Secondary data from G and C – II ring laser were used during the comparison between the techniques and Autoregressive (AR2). Results shows that, the output characteristics from the counterpart does not depict the oscillations of the Earth rotation as expected contrast to that of Autoregressive (AR2) which does. Moreover, there were much deviation from the expected true value for the techniques contrast to that of AR2 which is very minimum. On the other hand, when the C – II data were used, it was observed that both techniques resemble on their output characteristics though AR2 was still better in the acquisition rate expect for Hilbert transform which does not resemble with others. Following the scope of this paper, Autoregressive (AR2) technique still emerge as a favorite frequency estimation technique contrast to the four counterparts due to its robustness, high acquisition rate as well as low noise level.

High speed rotary system for catheter based 3-D imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an addition to the other tomographic imaging techniques of x-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging. OCT uses optical reflections of biological tissues as opposed to x-rays, RF fields, and sound waves to obtain images. A rotary and pullback system has been developed for use with OCT. The system was developed to facilitate the three dimensional imaging of various lumens in humans and animals. The system is capable of rotating at a rate of 200 Hz. At this rate the rotary system will allow for a frame acquisition rate of 200 fps which is significantly higher than the highest published acquisition rate to date of 108 fps. The probes used with the system were modeled after the Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) miniature torque cable design. The probes can be sealed and sterilized between subjects without being damaged; unlike the single use IVUS probes. The rotary system was used to image the outer ear of a mouse in vivo. A lateral slice from the resulting three dimensional image was compared to the general histology of a mouse ear. The image compared well to the general anatomy as found on the histology.

High speed rotary system for catheter based 3-D imaging with optical coherence tomography (OCT)

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is an addition to the other tomographic imaging techniques of x-ray computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and ultrasound imaging. OCT uses optical reflections of biological tissues as opposed to x-rays, RF fields, and sound waves to obtain images. A rotary and pullback system has been developed for use with OCT. The system was developed to facilitate the three dimensional imaging of various lumens in humans and animals. The system is capable of rotating at a rate of 200 Hz. At this rate the rotary system will allow for a frame acquisition rate of 200 fps which is significantly higher than the highest published acquisition rate to date of 108 fps. The probes used with the system were modeled after the Intravascular Ultrasound (IVUS) miniature torque cable design. The probes can be sealed and sterilized between subjects without being damaged; unlike the single use IVUS probes. The rotary system was used to image the outer ear of a mouse in vivo. A lateral slice from the resulting three dimensional image was compared to the general histology of a mouse ear. The image compared well to the general anatomy as found on the histology.