Full theory of speckle displacement and decorrelation in the image field by wave and geometrical descriptions and its application in mechanics

Abstract

The paper describes the possibility of using the speckle pattern decorrelation for determination of small deformation tensor components of an elementary object surface area in an optical image field. The relationship between the small-deformation tensor and the speckle field displacement is analysed in detail. The studied problem is presented from the approximation viewpoint of both wave and geometrical optics.     

From Molecular Clusters to Metal Nanoparticles

Different methods to prepare supported metal nanoparticles of uniform size are discussed. (i) Supported ruthenium particles were generated from Ru and Ru-Fe bimetallic molecular metal carbonyl cluster precursors (MCC). (ii) Gold nanoparticle formation in the supercage of Y zeolite was studied on Au/NaY, Au/HY and Au-Fe/HY system. (iii) Palladium nanoparticles were grown in liquid phase then deposited on an SiO₂ support or they were grown on the support surface in a solid-liquid interfacial layer. The particle size control was more efficient in the latter two cases than in the preparation starting from MCC.     

Major antioxidant constituents from Satureja hortensis L. extracts obtained with different solvents

Analysis of different extracts of Satureja hortensis L. obtained with various solvents (by supercritical CO₂ and by traditional extraction techniques) is presented in this study to identify and to determine the major constituents responsible for the antioxidant activity. The total polyphenol and total flavonoid contents of the extracts were determined by spectrophotometric method and no correlation was found with the antioxidant activites. HPLC was also used to measure two diterpenes as carnosol and carnosic acid in the extracts. Neither carnosol nor carnosic acid were identified. Individual antioxidants as rosmarinic and caffeic acids were identified and quantified with TLC‐densitometry method. Rosmarinic acid was found in higher amount than caffeic acid. The content of rosmarinic acid was also determined with HPLC. A good correlation coefficient of 0.85 was found between the antioxidant activity and amount of rosmarinic acid, which leads to the conclusion that rosmarinic acid is among the main antioxidant compounds of S. hortensis L. plant.     

Determination of the nitrogen compound balance between the atmosphere and a Norway spruce forest ecosystem

Wet, throughfall and stemflow deposition measurements of nitrogen compounds (NH₄ ⁺- and NO₃ ^–-ions) were carried out in a Norway spruce forest in Hungary, together with direct dry deposition and emission estimates (NH₃, NO, NO₂, HNO₃, N₂O gases, NH₄ ⁺ and NO₃ ^– particles). The total deposition of nitrogen compounds from the atmosphere to the forest ecosystem, estimated as the sum of the wet deposition and the measured dry flux, was 1.9 g N m^–2 yr^–1 for the examined period (1996–1998). The net deposition (difference of the deposition and the emission) was 1.8 g N m^–2 yr^–1. About 61% of the deposition is due to dry deposition processes. Ammonia gas dominates in the dry deposition (48%). Soil emission of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) constitutes only 5% of the total (wet and dry) deposition. From the comparison of directly measured dry deposition figures and the dry deposition calculated as the difference of the throughfall plus stemflow and wet deposition, it is probable that around 60% of the dry deposited nitrogen compounds (36% of the total, dry and wet deposition) are taken up by stomata, mostly in gaseous form. The remaining part (64%) of the deposited nitrogen compounds is leached to the ground where it is partly taken up by the root system, takes part in the soil mineralisation processes, or leaves the ecosystem by ground or surface water run-off.     

Detecting at‐Most‐m Changes in Linear Regression Models

In this article, we provide a new procedure to test for at‐most‐ changes in the time‐dependent regression model , that is, β ₁ =  β ₂ = ? =  β _T under the no‐change null hypothesis against the alternative if and β ^(j) ≠  β ^(?) for some with . Our procedure is based on weighted sums of the residuals, incorporating the possibility of changes. The weak limit of the proposed test statistic is the sum of two double‐exponential random variables. A small Monte Carlo simulation illustrates the applicability of the limit results in case of small and moderate sample sizes. We compare the new method to the cumulative sum control chart (CUSUM) and standardized (weighted) CUSUM procedures and obtain the power curves of the test statistics under the alternative. We apply our method to find changes in the unconditional four‐factor capital asset pricing model.     

On the Performance of the Fluctuation Test for Structural Change

Abstract

We discuss the performance of “closed-end” fluctuation tests, used to detect changes in the structural stability of a model, in the case where the time horizon is large and the observations do not possess high enough moments. It is demonstrated via a simulation study that, in the latter case, the choice of the boundary function should take into account the number of moments existing; otherwise the actual size of the test may exceed the nominal level. We suggest an alternative “open-end” fluctuation procedure and study its asymptotic behavior. It turns out that if an improper boundary function is chosen, then the null hypothesis may be rejected even if it is true. This means that an appropriate choice of the boundary function requires some prior information about the tail heaviness of the observations. This is different from the cumulative sum-based monitoring schemes suggested by Chu et al. (1996 Chu , C. S. J. , Stinchcombe , M. and White , H. ( 1996 ). Monitoring Structural Change , Econometrica 64 : 1045 – 1065 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) and further studied by Horváth et al. (2004 Horváth , L. , Hu?ková , M. , Kokoszka , P. , and Steinebach , J. ( 2004 ). Monitoring Changes in Linear Models , Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference 126 : 225 – 251 .[Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]).     

Pore Propagation Directions in P+ Porous Silicon

A comparative study is presented on the pore propagation directions of porous silicon layers (PSL) formed on p⁺-type substrates of different orientations. PSLs were formed on plain (0 0 1) and (1 1 1) silicon wafers as well as on structured (0 0 1) wafers containing facets of various orientations. During anodization, regular pores follow the 0 0 1 direction on the (0 0 1) planes. While on the (1 1 1) planes fewer regular pores develop and seemingly propagate closely to the 1 1 1 direction. These results indicate that the pores propagate perpendicular to the surface i.e. along the field lines when the surface orientation is either (0 0 1) or (1 1 1).When the silicon surface provided (1 1 0) orientation (Chuang, Collins, and Smith, 1989), or its position is in between the (0 0 1) and (1 1 1) planes then the pores do not propagate perpendicular to the surface but along the 0 0 1 direction.All the phenomena exhibited might be explained by presuming that during formation, the pores propagate along the 1 0 0 directions, and that those 1 0 0 directions are preferred which are closely to the field lines. In PSLs formed on (0 0 1) surfaces the field lines and the 0 0 1 crystallographic direction are coincident. However, in the (1 1 1) oriented wafer where three equally probable 1 0 0 directions exist around the field lines, more irregular structure of PSLs will develop.     

Synthesis and Cell Growth Inhibitory Activity of Six Non-glycosaminoglycan-Type Heparin-Analogue Trisaccharides

The design and synthesis of heparin mimetics with high anticancer activity but no anticoagulant activity is an important task in medicinal chemistry. Herein, we present the efficient synthesis of five Glc-GlcA-Glc-sequenced and one Glc-IdoA-Glc-sequenced non-glycosaminoglycan, heparin-related trisaccharides with various sulfation/sulfonylation and methylation patterns. The cell growth inhibitory effects of the compounds were tested against four cancerous human cell lines and two non-cancerous cell lines. Two d -glucuronate-containing tetra-O-sulfated, partially methylated trisaccharides displayed remarkable and selective inhibitory effects on the growth of ovary carcinoma (A2780) and melanoma (WM35) cells. Methyl substituents on the glucuronide unit proved to be detrimental, whereas acetyl substituents were beneficial to the cytostatic activity of the sulfated derivatives.     

Ground-based full-sky imaging polarimetry of rapidly changing skies and its use for polarimetric cloud detection

For elimination of the shortcomings of imaging polarimeters that take the necessary three pictures sequentially through linear-polarization filters, a three-lens, three-camera, full-sky imaging polarimeter was designed that takes the required pictures simultaneously. With this polarimeter, celestial polarization patterns can be measured even if rapid temporal changes occur in the sky: under cloudy sky conditions, or immediately after sunrise or prior to sunset. One of the possible applications of our polarimeter is the ground-based detection of clouds. With use of the additional information of the degree and the angle of polarization patterns of cloudy skies measured in the red (650 nm), green (550 nm), and blue (450 nm) spectral ranges, improved algorithms of radiometric cloud detection can be offered. We present a combined radiometric and polarimetric algorithm that performs the detection of clouds more efficiently and reliably as compared with an exclusively radiometric cloud-detection algorithm. The advantages and the limits of three-lens, three-camera, full-sky imaging polarimeters as well as the possibilities of improving our polarimetric cloud detection method are discussed briefly.