Stroboscopic image capture: reducing the dose per frame by a factor of 30 does not prevent beam-induced specimen movement in paraffin

Beam-induced specimen movement may be the major factor that limits the quality of high-resolution images of organic specimens. One of the possible measures to improve the situation that was proposed by Henderson and Glaeser [Ultramicroscopy 16 (1985) 139-150], which we refer to here as "stroboscopic image capture", is to divide the normal exposure into many successive frames, thus reducing the amount of electron exposure--and possibly the amount of beam-induced movement--per frame. The frames would then be aligned and summed. We have performed preliminary experiments on stroboscopic imaging using a 200-kV electron microscope that was equipped with a high dynamic range Charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for image recording and a liquid N2-cooled cryoholder. Single-layer paraffin crystals on carbon film were used as a test specimen. The ratio F(g)/F(0) of paraffin reflections, calculated from the images, serves as our criterion for the image quality. In the series that were evaluated, no significant improvement of the F(image)(g)/F(image)(0) ratio was found, even though the electron exposure per frame was reduced by a factor of 30. A frame-to-frame analysis of image distortions showed that considerable beam-induced movement had still occurred during each frame. In addition, the paraffin crystal lattice was observed to move relative to the supporting carbon film, a fact that cannot be explained as being an electron-optical effect caused by specimen charging. We conclude that a significant further reduction of the dose per frame (than was possible with this CCD detector) will be needed in order to test whether the frame-to-frame changes ultimately become small enough for stroboscopic image capture to show its potential.     

Sampling from binomial and poisson distributions: A method with bounded computation times

An accurate acceptance-rejection algorithm is devised and tested. The procedure requires an average of less than 3 uniform deviates whenever the standard deviation of the distribution is at least 4, and this number decreases monotonically to 2.63 as . Variable parameters are permitted, and no subroutines for sampling from other statistical distributions are needed.This research was supported by the Austrian Research Council (Fonds zur Förderung der wissenschaftlichen Forschung).     

Information systems for enhancing social experience in a conference context: A sensor based approach

We combine Auto Identification and Web technologies in an extensible on-site event support system for enhancing experience of conference organizers as well as participants. Our system enables users to authenticate themselves using RFID badges and to access interactive, Web-based services via a touchscreen PC. The developed services aim at supporting social interactions of participants, and thus validate the promising usage directions of the combination of offline social networks and the online social Web. The main hypothesis of our work is that: ??A sensor based information system can truly enhance social conference experience.?? Technically, we have investigated employment of Web 2.0 technologies in social, sensor and mobile technologies enabled systems at conferences and events. This article gives an overview of the overall system and its evaluation via a user survey and usage log data collected during the Extended Semantic Web Conference (ESWC) 2010 and similar international conferences, altogether with several hundred participants.     

Phase diagram for the helical texture in 3He-A

The stability region of the helical textures in³He-A in thev _s-H phase diagram is theoretically determined. Herev _sis the superflow velocity andH (v _s) is the external magnetic field. The pitch of the helixk ^–1 that minimizes the Gibbs free energy and the corresponding inclination angles ofl andd are determined numerically as functions ofv _sandH. The NMR frequencies (two longitudinal and four transverse frequencies) associated with the helical texture are obtained.Work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. DMR 76-21032.     

Thermochemische Kennwerte für die Reaktion,Mo + O2 ⇌ MoO2 sowie in Eisenschmelzen

Zusammenstellung von Schrifttumsangaben für die Änderung der freien Standardenthalpien der Reaktionen , Mo + O₂ ? MoO₂ und in Eisenschmelzen. Neubestimmung der Temperaturabhängigkeiten der Größen ΔG^oCr₂O₃, ΔG^oMoO₂ und ΔG^o_O im Eisen bei Temperaturen zwischen 1460 bzw. 1530 und 1725 °C. Nachweis der Anwendbarkeit der neu ermittelten thermodynamischen Funktionen durch EMK-Parallelmessungen an ThO₂ (Y₂O₃)- und ZrO₂ (MgO)-Festelektrolytzellen mit Cr-Cr₂O₃- und Mo-MoO₂-Referenzelektroden in Reineisenschmelzen bei 1600 °C. Ermittlung des Parameters p_e′ der Elektronenteilleitfähigkeit für einen teilstabilisierten ZrO₂-Festelektrolyten mit einem Stoffmengengehalt von 5% MgO.     

Micromechanics of solvent crazes in polystyrene

Double exposure holographic interferometry (DEHI) is used to determine the strain energy release rate, craze opening displacement profile, and craze stress profile ofn-heptane and methanol crazes growing from cracks in polystyrene.n-heptane crazes have strain energy release rates (SERRs) close to those of cracks and their stress profile is almost crack-like in that the tensile stress across the craze falls almost to zero. On the other hand, the SERRs of methanol crazes are only 30 to 55% the SERR of a crack depending on stress intensity factorK _I of the precrack from which they are grown. The stress profile of the methanol craze shows it to be strongly load-bearing away from the craze tip, apparently as a result of the strain hardening of the craze fibrils. The stress concentration in front of the methanol craze tip is only 40% of that in front of then-heptane craze tip. The opening displacements of the methanol craze are almost as large as those of a crack very near its tip but are much less than those of a crack at large distances behind the tip. The Dugdale model of a strip yielding zone provides a poor representation of the craze opening displacements of the growing methanol craze. Dry (static) methanol crazes have larger opening displacements in response to an incremental tensile strain at moderate prestrains than at either low or high prestrains, suggesting that the craze fibrils undergo a yielding/strain-hardening process as the strain is increased similar to that observed in polycarbonate crazes by Kopp and Kambour. Dryn-heptane crazes do not show this response but rather open linearly with increasing prestrain. The opening displacement for long (dry)n-heptane crazes is almost crack-like whereas the largest opening of a dry methanol craze is only 20% of that of a crack. Dry methanol crazes break at aK _IC that is 40% of theK _IC of precracked but uncrazed specimens. The strongest (shortest) dryn-heptane crazes fail at only 7% ofK _IC of uncrazed specimens and theK _IC of the dryn-heptane crazes decreases markedly with increasing craze length.     

A Study on the Buckling Behaviour of Strips and Plates with Residual Stresses

During and after rolling or flattening of metal strips and plates the permissible deviations from flatness are described by the permissible absolute wave height and the flatness index. Both values can be determined on a measuring table while the material is not subjected to global tension. Because this procedure is expensive, time‐consuming and allows measurement only at discrete positions along the strip length, on‐line flatness measuring systems are used which can detect the distribution of longitudinal tensile stresses distributed across the strip width allowing for the calculation of the flatness index. This value does not always agree with the value obtained directly by measuring on the table even when the measurement of the longitudinal tensile stress distribution operates perfectly. It can be shown that the measurement of the tensile stress distribution does not give a direct indication on the wave height in the tension‐free state determined on the measuring table. To explain the relationship between tensile stress distribution in the strip and the flatness measurement on the measuring table, the buckling behavior is analysed both with and without dead load for simple symmetrical residual stress distributions resulting, e.g., from the rolling process. Based on the knowledge of the distribution of the longitudinal residual stresses across the strip width, the flatness index and the wave height can be determined by using a specialized finite element model. If the direct measurement is performed under action of dead load, large differences between the directly and indirectly obtained flatness index are observed. Below a certain limit of the intensity of the residual stress distribution the strips and plates lie flat on the measuring table. Above this limit the strip lying on the table exhibits post‐bucking deformations. In the latter case, the wave height increases with strip thickness and intensity of residual stresses.