Integrated diffractive andrefractive elements for spectrum shaping

Diffractive elements can be designed for spectrum shaping in the Fourier or Fresnel plane by iterative methods. It is necessary to use a Fourier lens and the wavelength for which the diffractive elements were designed to get the required spectrum shaping at the Fourier plane. Using a different wavelength will cause chromatic aberration. We deal with the combination of refractive and diffractive elements and two or more different diffractive elements on the same element to get appropriate beam shaping of light sources with a multiple spectral output. Simulations are preformed that transform the profile of a He-Ne laser with a Nd:YAG laser source, and shape the trapezoidal beam profile of an excimer laser into a Gaussian beam is also considered.     

Spectral transmittance of organic dye-doped glass films obtained by the solgel method

The spectral transmittance of colored glass films synthesized by the solgel method is presented. The film was formed on a glass slide by dipping it into an organic dye-doped solution and, thereafter, by putting it into a furnace for solidification. Three dyes, Methylene Blue, Eosin, and Uranine, were used that exhibit transparent blue, pink, and yellow colors, respectively, when they are dissolved in the starting solution. We clarify how the spectral transmittance of the films varies with the solidification temperature. The films doped with two of the three dyes that exhibit violet, orange, and green colors are also synthesized, and their transmittance is measured. Moreover, the chemical durability of the films and the transmittance change caused by aging and illumination are examined.     

Perpendicular-incidence photometric ellipsometry of biaxial anisotropic thin films

A new measurement technique for the characterization of uniaxial as well as biaxial anisotropic surfaces and thin films is introduced. This technique is based on perpendicular-incidence photometric ellipsometry, in which a spectral-photometric dynamic ellipsometer with a rotating polarizer is used. This method is sensitive, contactless, nondestructive, and efficient for the estimation of anisotropic behavior. Furthermore, the spectroscopic measurement directly provides the anisotropy dispersion down to the UV wavelength range. Results on structurally anisotropic HfO(2) coatings are presented.     

Granularity in ion-beam-sputtered TiO(2) films

TiO(2)-SiO(2) multilayer dielectric stacks that were deposited by ion-beam sputtering were found to have a granular structure. The grains were in the TiO(2) layers rather than in the SiO(2) layers. Their formation was due to the heating of the film during deposition. When the apparatus was modified to reduce the substrate temperature, the granularity was eliminated.     

Approximate dynamic programming solutions with a single network adaptive critic for a class of nonlinear systems

Approximate dynamic programming (ADP) formulation implemented with an adaptive critic (AC)-based neural network (NN) structure has evolved as a powerful technique for solving the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equations. As interest in ADP and the AC solutions are escalating with time, there is a dire need to consider possible enabling factors for their implementations. A typical AC structure consists of two interacting NNs, which is computationally expensive. In this paper, a new architecture, called the ‘cost-function-based single network adaptive critic (J-SNAC)’ is presented, which eliminates one of the networks in a typical AC structure. This approach is applicable to a wide class of nonlinear systems in engineering. In order to demonstrate the benefits and the control synthesis with the J-SNAC, two problems have been solved with the AC and the J-SNAC approaches. Results are presented, which show savings of about 50% of the computational costs by J-SNAC while having the same accuracy levels of the dual network structure in solving for optimal control. Furthermore, convergence of the J-SNAC iterations, which reduces to a least-squares problem, is discussed; for linear systems, the iterative process is shown to reduce to solving the familiar algebraic Ricatti equation.     

Automated extraction of DNA from blood and PCR setup using a Tecan Freedom EVO liquid handler for forensic genetic STR typing of reference samples

We have implemented and validated automated protocols for DNA extraction and PCR setup using a Tecan Freedom EVO liquid handler mounted with the Te-MagS magnetic separation device (Tecan, M?nnedorf, Switzerland). The protocols were validated for accredited forensic genetic work according to ISO 17025 using the Qiagen MagAttract DNA Mini M48 kit (Qiagen GmbH, Hilden, Germany) from fresh whole blood and blood from deceased individuals. The workflow was simplified by returning the DNA extracts to the original tubes minimizing the risk of misplacing samples. The tubes that originally contained the samples were washed with MilliQ water before the return of the DNA extracts. The PCR was setup in 96-well microtiter plates. The methods were validated for the kits: AmpF?STR Identifiler, SGM Plus and Yfiler (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA), GenePrint FFFL and PowerPlex Y (Promega, Madison, WI). The automated protocols allowed for extraction and addition of PCR master mix of 96 samples within 3.5h. In conclusion, we demonstrated that (1) DNA extraction with magnetic beads and (2) PCR setup for accredited, forensic genetic short tandem repeat typing can be implemented on a simple automated liquid handler leading to the reduction of manual work, and increased quality and throughput.     

Picbreeder: a case study in collaborative evolutionary exploration of design space

For domains in which fitness is subjective or difficult to express formally, interactive evolutionary computation (IEC) is a natural choice. It is possible that a collaborative process combining feedback from multiple users can improve the quality and quantity of generated artifacts. Picbreeder, a large-scale online experiment in collaborative interactive evolution (CIE), explores this potential. Picbreeder is an online community in which users can evolve and share images, and most importantly, continue evolving others' images. Through this process of branching from other images, and through continually increasing image complexity made possible by the underlying neuroevolution of augmenting topologies (NEAT) algorithm, evolved images proliferate unlike in any other current IEC system. This paper discusses not only the strengths of the Picbreeder approach, but its challenges and shortcomings as well, in the hope that lessons learned will inform the design of future CIE systems.