A review of organic electrochromic fabric devices

Electrochromic fabric devices represent a further extension to the plethora of available literature on conductive fabrics. This article contains a brief overview of electrochromic devices, electrochromic polymers, conductive materials, conductive fabrics, and electrochromic fabric devices. A tabulated list of the perceived colour of a number of electrochromic polymers that is contained herein is designed to serve as an aide to colour mixing studies. The challenges of optimisation and commercialisatiion of electrochromic fabric devices and their mitigating factors are conjectured, along with some future potential applications for electrochromic fabric device technologies.     

Characterization of the pore labyrinth geometry of sea sponges imaged by micro-CT

The internal pore labyrinths of sea sponges were characterized via the analysis of 3D micro-CT images. Methods were developed to isolate and segment the pores and to extract the pore ‘skeleton’, which facilitated the measurement of local pore dimensions and connectivity. These methods were also used to characterize the bulk pore properties such as porosity and structural surface-to-volume ratios, as well as individual pathway analysis in terms of lengths, diameters, and tortuosity. Also, the role that ciliated cells (lining the pores) might play in the transport of fluids throughout the pore labyrinth was explored. It was deduced that cilia may play a larger role in the transport of fluids through smaller diameter pathways and the highly interconnected pathways of the sponge results in a robust network that can maintain nutrient delivery/waste removal in the case of obstruction of some of the pore pathways. Finally, it is discussed how the information gained from this study might be applied to design synthetic porous tissue scaffolds.     

Dose Imaging Detectors for Radiotherapy Based on Gas Electron Multipliers

New techniques in charged particle therapy and widespread use of modern dynamic beam delivery systems demand new beam monitoring devices as well as accurate 2D dosimetry systems to verify the delivered dose distribution. We are developing dose imaging detectors based on gas electron multipliers (GEM) with the goal of improving dose measurement linearity, position and timing resolution, and to ultimately allow pre-treatment verification of dose distributions and dose delivery monitoring employing scanning beam technology. A prototype 10×10 cm(2) double-GEM detector has been tested in the 205 MeV proton beam using electronic and optical readout modes. Preliminary results with electronic cross-strip readout demonstrate fast response and single-pixel (4 mm) position resolution. In optical readout mode, the line spread function of the detector was found to have σ=0.7 mm. In both readout modes, the detector response was linear up to dose rates of 50 Gy/min, with adequate representation of the Bragg peak in depth-dose profile measurements.     

A review of the groupware literature: Theories, methodologies, and a research agenda.

This paper brings the groupware literature to the attention of researchers and practitioners in order to validate it in terms of delivering computer technologies that actively facilitate groups of collaborating users. It reviews the theoretical perspectives and assumptions of group performance that are driving the present research. Also, the extant literature and outcome measures will be reviewed with an emphasis on the type of research conducted. The authors found that the theoretical frameworks used in the groupware research do not reflect recent developments in Industrial-Organizational Psychology (e.g., groupware research does not generally include critical contextual variables). Based on this review, the authors propose a comprehensive and integrated research agenda for future work in this area. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

An Improved Method for Detection of Hemagglutination Using an Automated Microplate Reader

Several new automated microplate readers which can take multiple readings in each well have, been commercially developed. Data gathered from one of these readers have been analyzed to determine a parsimonious algorithm for discriminating positive hemagglutination reactions from negative ones. The resulting classification algorithm provides more accurate classification of weak positive reactions than the one point measurements normally used with only a moderate increase in computational complexity.     

Parameters of teenage alcohol use: A path analytic conceptual model.

Alcohol use and abuse among adolescents is a serious and complex social problem. Previous research in this area has usually consisted of correlational studies that identified individual factors predictive of teenage drinking. Such simple analytic methods, however, did not allow investigation of interrelations among those parameters that may affect adolescent alcohol use. Also, the lack of comprehensive theoretical models of teenage drinking has handicapped the development of effective intervention strategies. In this study, a large sample of high school students was surveyed to evaluate a theoretical model of teenage drinking with latent-variable path analysis. The results suggested may intricate direct and indirect relations among several classes of variables that powerfully predicted teenage drinking. Implications of these results for future research and for treatment and prevention of teenage alcohol abuse are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The age deficit on photopic counterphase flicker: Contrast, spatial frequency, and luminance effects.

Evaluated the contribution of reduced contrast sensitivity and retinal illuminance to the age-related deficit on the temporal resolution of suprathreshold spatial stimuli among an elderly group (55-72 yr olds) and two young groups (18-28 yr olds). The discrimination of counterphase flicker was measured in optimally refracted young and elderly observers for sinusoidal gratings of three spatial frequencies (1, 4, and 8 cycles per degree) at three contrast levels (0.11, 0.33, and 0.66). Age deficits in flicker discrimination at the two higher contrast levels and at the two lower spatial frequencies were unrelated to observer contrast sensitivity. Flicker discrimination of young observers who carried out the task through .5 ND filters to simulate a two-thirds reduction of retinal illuminance in the older eye, was similar to that of the elderly observers. An age-related reduction in retinal luminance appears to be a major determinant of the age-related spatiotemporal deficit at suprathreshold contrast levels, although neural factors may also be involved. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Residual Stress Analysis Using Multiparameter Tomographic Reconstruction

In this work, the potential application of acoustic tomography to determine the distribution of residual stresses is discussed. Multiparameter reconstruction techniques are presented for both 2-D and 3-D residual stress states along with results from synthetic data. The effect of measurement errors on the accuracy of the reconstruction is also presented.     

ACE-Asia intercomparison of a thermal-optical method for the determination of particle-phase organic and elemental carbon

A laboratory intercomparison of organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) measurements of atmospheric particulate matter samples collected on quartz filters was conducted among eight participants of the ACE-Asia field experiment The intercomparison took place in two stages: the first round of the intercomparison was conducted when filter samples collected during the ACE-Asia experiment were being analyzed for OC and EC, and the second round was conducted after the ACE-Asia experiment and included selected samples from the ACE-Asia experiment Each participant operated ECOC analyzers from the same manufacturer and utilized the same analysis protocol for their measurements. The precision of OC measurements of quartz fiber filters was a function of the filter's carbon loading but was found to be in the range of 4-13% for OC loadings of 1.0-25 microg of C cm(-2). For measurements of EC, the precision was found to be in the range of 6-21% for EC loadings in the range of 0.7-8.4 microg of C cm(-2). It was demonstrated for three ambient samples, four source samples, and three complex mixtures of organic compounds that the relative amount of total evolved carbon allocated as OC and EC (i.e., the ECOC split) is sensitive to the temperature program used for analysis, and the magnitude of the sensitivity is dependent on the types of aerosol particles collected. The fraction of elemental carbon measured in wood smoke and an extract of organic compounds from a wood smoke sample were sensitive to the temperature program used for the ECOC analysis. The ECOC split for the three ambient samples and a coal fly ash sample showed moderate sensitivity to temperature program, while a carbon black sample and a sample of secondary organic aerosol were measured to have the same split of OC and EC with all temperature programs that were examined.