Finite element modeling and experimental characterization of crosstalk in 1-D CMUT arrays

Crosstalk is the coupling of energy between the elements of an ultrasonic transducer array. This coupling degrades the performance of transducers in applications such as medical imaging and therapeutics. In this paper, we present an experimental demonstration of guided interface waves in capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducers (CMUTs). We compare the experimental results to finite element calculations using a commercial package (LS-DYNA) for a 1-D CMUT array operating in the conventional and collapsed modes. An element in the middle of the array was excited with a unipolar voltage pulse, and the displacements were measured using a laser interferometer along the center line of the array elements immersed in soybean oil. We repeated the measurements for an identical CMUT array covered with a 4.5-microm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer. The main crosstalk mechanism is the dispersive guided modes propagating in the fluid-solid interface. Although the transmitter element had a center frequency of 5.8 MHz with a 130% fractional bandwidth in the conventional operation, the dispersive guided mode was observed with the maximum amplitude at a frequency of 2.1 MHz, and had a cut-off frequency of 4 MHz. In the collapsed operation, the dispersive guided mode was observed with the maximum amplitude at a frequency of 4.0 MHz, and had a cut-off frequency of 10 MHz. Crosstalk level was lower in the collapsed operation (-39 dB) than in the conventional operation (-24.4 dB). The coverage of the PDMS did not significantly affect the crosstalk level, but reduced the phase velocity for both operation modes. Lamb wave modes, A0 and S0, were also observed with crosstalk levels of -40 dB and -65 dB, respectively. We observed excellent agreement between the finite element and the experimental results.     

Defining business model key performance indicators using intentional linguistic summaries

Software and Systems Modeling - To sustain competitiveness in contemporary, fast-paced markets, organizations increasingly focus on innovating their business models to enhance current value...     

Multi-criteria thermoeconomic and thermodynamic assessments of the desalination-integrated two-phase liquid-immersion data center cooling system

The waste heat management of the data center cooling systems has a significant share in the energy-efficient operations of the data centers. In this study, a new hybrid desalination-data center cooling system is proposed to reduce the cost drawback of the waste heat in the data center cooling operations. A two-phase liquid-immersion cooling unit is selected as the data center cooling method with the cooling load range of 0.7 to 1.5 kW. It is a promising solution thanks to the high heat flux removal performance but there is still a lack of research about waste heat management. The waste heat of the immersion cooling system is used to heat up the feed side of the desalination module. A direct contact membrane distillation system as preferred as the desalination module with the membrane area range of 5 to 75 cm². The proposed hybrid system is investigated according to the thermodynamic, economic, and thermoeconomic aspects. The thermoeconomic assessment is done concerning the unique exergy-cost matrix of the original design. The maximum thermal and exergy efficiencies are found as 64.5% and 53.7%, respectively. The daily distilled water rate can reach 6.13 kg at the highest cooling load and membrane area. Compared to the stand-alone data center cooling operation, the hybrid system has higher capital and operation costs. The payback period is found 3.72 years that means the proposed system is economically feasible for real applications. Also, the levelized product cost of the hybrid design is calculated in the range of 2.69 to 5.33 SGD/h. In the multiobjective optimization study, the best trade-off point is decided at the cooling load of 1.1 kW whilst the membrane area varies between 5.12 and 5.19 cm².     

Computational ghost imaging for remote sensing

Computational ghost imaging is a structured-illumination active imager coupled with a single-pixel detector that has potential applications in remote sensing. Here we report on an architecture that acquires the two-dimensional spatial Fourier transform of the target object (which can be inverted to obtain a conventional image). We determine its image signature, resolution, and signal-to-noise ratio in the presence of practical constraints such as atmospheric turbulence, background radiation, and photodetector noise. We consider a bistatic imaging geometry and quantify the resolution impact of nonuniform Kolmogorov-spectrum turbulence along the propagation paths. We show that, in some cases, short-exposure intensity averaging can mitigate atmospheric-turbulence-induced resolution loss. Our analysis reveals some key performance differences between computational ghost imaging and conventional active imaging, and identifies scenarios in which theory predicts that the former will perform better than the latter.     

A comparison of multiple linear regression approaches for fitting clearing functions to empirical data

We examine the problem of estimating clearing functions (CFs) that describe the expected output of a production resource as a function of its expected workload from empirical data. We use a simulation model of a scaled-down wafer fabrication facility to generate the data and evaluate the performance of the resulting CFs. We compare the performance of production plans generated using load based and product based CFs and find that using load based CFs yields better performance.     

All‐Stabilizing Proportional Controllers for First‐Order Bi‐Proper Systems with Time Delay: An Analytical Derivation

In this paper, a simple derivation for an all‐stabilizing proportional controller set for first‐order bi‐proper systems with time delay is proposed. In contrast to proper systems, an extremely limited number of studies are available in the literature for such bi‐proper systems. To fill this gap in the literature, broader aspects of the stabilizing set are taken into consideration. The effect of zero on the stabilizing set is clearly discussed and we also prove that, when their zeros are placed symmetrically to the origin, the stabilizing set of non‐minimum phase plant is always smaller than that of the minimum phase one. Moreover, for an open‐loop unstable plant, maximum allowable time delay (MATD) is explicitly expressed as a function of the locations of the pole and zero. From that function, it is shown that for a minimum phase plant, the supremum of the MATD is two times that of the time constant of the plant and the infimum of the MATD is the time constant of the plant. We also prove that the supremum is the time constant and the infimum is zero for a non‐minimum phase plant.     

Air embolism following removal of hemodialysis catheter

Introduction: Air embolism (AE) is a rare, but serious complication that can occur in the practice of hemodialysis. In contrast to careful techniques and meticulous care during insertions and manipulations of the central catheters, awareness of the risk of AE following catheter removal is less. We aimed to analyze the clinical characteristics of the all case reports with AE after catheter removal and summarize the mechanisms, clinical consequences, treatment and prevention of AE. Methods: In addition to our case, MEDLINE database was searched for all case reports with AE following catheter removal, and the clinical, diagnostic and outcome data were analyzed. Findings: A total of 10 patients (including our case) (M/F 6/4; median age 50.5 years) were found for the analysis. Procedures for prevention of AE were reported in a few patients (Trendelenburg position 2, airtight dressing 1). The time that elapsed between catheter removals and onset of AEs was ranged from seconds to 6 hours. The most common findings were dyspnea (90%), hypoxemia (70%), and cerebral dysfunction (70%). The most common sites where air could be detected were the left ventricle (40%), pulmonary artery (30%) and right ventricle (30%). Mortality was reported in 4 (40%) cases and the remaining 6 patients had complete recovery. Blocking of air portal was not reported in any of the fatal cases. Discussion: AE following catheter removal carries a major risk of mortality. Great awareness and attention to preventive procedures and appropriate care after development of AE seem mandatory.