An Integrated Circuit-Based Optical Sensor for In Vivo Measurement of Blood Oxygenation

The theory, design, and initial evaluation of an optkal sensor for the measurement of blood oxygen saturation (SO2) and hematocrit (Hct) are presented. A model based on the diffusion of light in an anisotropically scattering medium is developed and used to predict the effects of physiological parameters and the source/detector configuration on the diffuse reflectance of blood measured by the sensor. From model results, a ratiometric method is developed by which SO2 and Hct can be determined using a sensor comprised of three light sources and a detector. An implantable integrated circuit-based sensor was built to perform the blood reflectance measurements. The design of the monolithic signal processor is discussed, along with techniques for combining the chip with hybrid optoelectronics on the same glasscapped silicon substrate. Finally, preliminary results of an in vitro evaluation of prototype sensors are presented.     

Fade rates at 13 GHz on Earth-space paths

Fade rate distributions for 13 GHz signals on Earth-space paths have been compiled from the equivalent of 15 station-years of radiometer data that were recorded in Canada. Fade rates of up to 0.42 dB per second were found with the high fade rates tending to occur when the attenuation was also high. As with attenuation statistics, fade rate statistics for Earth-space paths are determined mainly by the climate that is local to the ground station.     

Length scales and size distributions in dynamic fragmentation

The shatter of a cherished wine glass on impact with the kitchen tile, the spallation in the high-energy collision of atomic nuclei, the fragmentation of the Shoemaker-Levi comet on passage of the Roche limit of the Jovian gravitational field, collectively span vast length scales, yet are each examples of dynamic fragmentation with a number of commonalities. In the above examples, as well as many other dynamic fragmentation events, the consequence is the breakage of the body into some number of fragments that are distributed over size. At the heart of a satisfactory theory is the prediction of the number of fragments and the statistical distribution of these fragments over size. A theory based on energy principles is found to provide length scales that govern both the characteristic fragment size and the distribution spread. Fundamental failure and fracture properties of the material are central in determining the nature of the fragment size distribution. Fragment size distributions can range from relatively tight exponential functions to power-law relations spanning a number of decades in fragment size. The fragment distribution and the dynamic fracture processes leading to power-law distributions bear striking similarities to hydrodynamic turbulence. Onset of fracture asymptotes to a range of length scales in which destruction is self-similar and fractal, requiring that consequences, including the fragment size distributions, exhibit a power-law dependence on the length scale. The theory is described and supporting experimental evidence is provided.     

Flow Rate Limitation of Steady Convective Dominated Open Capillary Channel Flows Through a Groove

An open capillary channel is a structure that establishes a liquid flow path when the capillary pressure caused by surface tension forces dominates in comparison to the hydrostatic pressure induced by gravitational or residual accelerations. To maintain a steady flow through the channel the capillary pressure of the free surface has to balance the pressure difference between the liquid and the surrounding constant pressure gas phase. Due to convective and viscous momentum transport the pressure along the flow path of the liquid decreases and causes the free surface to bend inwards. The maximum flow rate through the channel is reached when the free surface collapses and gas ingestion occurs near the outlet. This stability limit depends on the geometry of the channel and the properties of the liquid. In this paper we present an experimental setup which is used in the low-gravity environment of the Bremen Drop Tower. Experiments with convective dominated systems have been performed where the flow rate was increased up to the maximum value. In comparison to this we present a one-dimensional theoretical model to determine important characteristics of the flow, such as the free surface shape and the limiting flow rate. Furthermore we present an explanation for the mechanism of flow rate limitation for these flow conditions which is similar to the choking problem for compressible gas flows.     

Modeling lateral control in driving studies

In driving studies based on simulators and instrumented vehicles, specific models are needed to capture key aspects of driving data such as lateral control. We propose a model that uses weighted polynomial projections to predict each data point from the previous three time points, and accommodates the attempts of the drivers to re-center the vehicle before crossing the borders of the traffic lane. Our model also allows the possibility that average position within the lane may vary from driver to driver. We demonstrate how to fit the model using standard statistical procedures available in software packages such as SAS. We used a fixed-base driving simulator to obtain data from 67 drivers with Alzheimer's disease and 128 elderly drivers without dementia. Using these data, we estimated the subject-specific parameters of our model, and we compared the two groups with respect to these parameters. We found that the parameters based on our model were able to distinguish between the groups in an interpretable manner. Hence, this model may be a useful tool to define outcome measures for observational and interventional driving studies.     

High Speed Imaging of Generation and Collapse of Multielectron Bubbles in Liquid Helium

We present experimental results on the generation and collapse of multielectron bubbles in liquid helium. By applying voltage pulses to a tungsten tip above the surface of the liquid, millimetre sized deformations were formed. Using high speed photography, we have imaged the disintegration of these deformations into bubbles of sizes ranging from ten to few hundred microns. At temperatures less than 2 K, the bubbles split into smaller bubbles and then disappeared in a time scale of few milliseconds. Smaller bubbles were formed at temperatures around 3 K, but were visible for more than hundreds of milliseconds. Although we have not been able to measure their charge directly, some of these bubbles responded to electric fields, implying these were indeed multielectron bubbles. With the existing theoretical picture, it is not possible to understand the strong dependence of the lifetime of multielectron bubbles on temperature.     

Diamond as a scaffold for bone growth

Diamond is an attractive material for biomedical implants. In this work, we investigate its capacity as a bone scaffold. It is well established that the bioactivity of a material can be evaluated by examining its capacity to form apatite-like calcium phosphate phases on its surface when exposed to simulated body fluid. Accordingly, polycrystalline diamond (PCD) and ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) deposited by microwave plasma chemical vapour deposition were exposed to simulated body fluid and assessed for apatite growth when compared to the bulk silicon. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that both UNCD and PCD are capable of acting as a bone scaffold. The composition of deposited apatite suggests that UNCD and PCD are suitable for in vivo implantation with UNCD possible favoured in applications where rapid osseointegration is essential.     

Modulation instability scenario in negative index materials

We present an investigation of the critical frequency windows permitting modulation instability in negative index materials. The principal motivation for our analysis stems from the impact of the inevitable presence of the effective dispersive magnetic permeability in addition to the effective dielectric permittivity determining the propagation model for ultrashort pulses in negative index materials. We emphasize the influence of nonlinear dispersion terms, arising out of the combinatorial effect of the dispersive permeability with the nonlinear polarization, over the MI phenomena, the outcome of its development achieved by using linear stability analysis. Gain spectrum investigation has been carried out for both anomalous and normal dispersion regime in the focusing and defocusing cases of nonlinearity and near zero dispersion regime where higher order linear dispersive effects emerge. The results of linear stability analysis have been validated by direct numerical simulation of the governing equation using the split-step Fourier transform method. We show that second-order nonlinear dispersion opens up distinct MI windows with their appropriate conditions and unlike the first-order nonlinear dispersion term, the sign of it has got deep consequences in the modulation instability scenario.     

Low-cost multispectral vegetation imaging system for detecting leaking CO₂ gas

As a component of a multisensor approach to monitoring carbon sequestration sites for possible leaks of the CO? gas from underground reservoirs, a low-cost multispectral imaging system has been developed for indirect detection of gas leaks through observations of the resulting stress in overlying vegetation. The imager employs front-end optics designed to provide a full 50° field of view with a small, low-cost CMOS detector, while still maintaining quasi-collimated light through the angle-dependent interference filters used to define the spectral bands. Red and near-infrared vegetation reflectances are used to compute the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and spatial and temporal patterns are analyzed statistically to identify regions of anomalous stress, which are then flagged for closer inspection with in-situ CO? sensors. The system is entirely self-contained with an onboard compact computer and is housed in a weather-proof housing to enable extended outdoor deployment.     

Effect of simulated gastrointestinal digestion on phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of cooked cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) varieties

Consumption of diets rich in phenolic compounds has been associated with reduced risk of chronic diseases. The effect of cooking and simulated gastrointestinal digestion on phenolic compounds and antioxidant properties of two cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) types was determined. Phenolic acids, flavan‐3‐ols and flavonols were the main groups of phenolic compounds identified. Cooking and simulated enzyme digestion of the cooked cowpea samples rendered some phenolics less extractable (possibly by promoting binding with other food components) or more extractable (possibly by release of bound forms). Total phenolic contents and radical scavenging properties of the cowpeas were reduced upon cooking, but increased upon simulated enzyme digestion. Cowpea extracts inhibited human LDL oxidation at a concentration of 2 mg mL^?1 possibly due to their phenolic content. Phenolic compounds in cowpea can potentially protect against cardiovascular diseases for which LDL oxidation is a risk factor.