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The energy resolution of a LaBr3(Ce) scintillation counter can reach 2.7% (662 keV) at room temperature. As a radiation measuring device, it has remarkably good characteristics. However, the LaBr3(Ce) crystal has its own intrinsic radioactivity background, which mainly comes from 138La and from 227Ac and its daughters. 138La can emit β, γ and X-rays through β and γ decay; 227Ac and its daughters can emit α, β and γ-rays through a, β and γ decay. α, β and X-ray energy are characteristic while β-ray energy is continuous. The energy of α, β and X-rays is mainly deposited in the crystal unless the α, β and X-rays at the edge of the crystal can escape from the crystal. Therefore, the α, β, γ and X-rays generated by the intrinsic radioactivity of the crystal are superimposed on the instrument spectrum, which makes the instrument spectrum more complicated and produces the coincidence summing effects of γ + X, γ + β and γ + α.In this research, the GEANT4.9.5 software package was used to simulate the spectra of α, β, γ and X-rays. On the basis of a combination of fitting decomposition and reconstruction, the simulation spectrum of the LaBr3(Ce) self-radioactive background was obtained accurately and was verified by using physical experiments.

In this study, the high-speed impact behavior and microstructure evolution of an extruded Mg-7Sn-5Zn-3Al alloy were investigated under different strain rates (1626-4126 s−1) using a Split Hopkinson pressure bar. The experimental results indicated that the number of twins and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) increased, while the average grain size of the extruded alloy continuously decreased with the increase in the strain rates. In addition, the texture type of the extruded alloy transformed from (0001) to (11-20) during impacts. The high-speed impact behavior of the extruded alloy was found to strongly depend on the strain rate at room temperature. The strain rate sensitivity (SRS) changed from positive to negative with the increase in the strain rate. The negative SRS was mainly attributed to the DRX and the formation of micro-cracks at high strain rates (3712 s−1< $$\dot{\varepsilon }$$

In order to study the energy spectrum response of a CdZnTe detector, we firstly measured the temperature dependence and the bias dependence of the main characteristic parameters for both a quasi-hemispherical detector and a CAPture™ plus detector. Secondly, we designed a low-noise readout circuit for the CdZnTe detector and measured the noise. Finally, we evaluated the energy spectrum response of the detector to different radioactive sources at different temperatures by connecting the detector to the readout circuit. The research showed that both detectors had low leakage current and junction capacitance, as well as good stability in temperature and bias; the quasi-hemispheric detector had a smaller leakage current and junction capacitance compared to the CAPture™ plus detector; under zero input capacitor, the noise of the readout circuit was 612e, with the noise slope being 5.44e/pF; at room temperature(20 °C), the energy resolutions of the detector reached 3.84% and 1.36% for X-rays from 241Am (59.5 keV) and gamma-rays from 137Cs (662 keV), respectively; the signal-noise ratio of the output signal reached 31:1 with the rise time being 90 ns; at low temperature, the energy resolution reached 3.41% for the X-rays from 241Am (59.5 keV); the detector achieved an excellent spectrum response and was able to distinguish clearly the energy peaks of 152Eu and 226Ra.

In the present work, 7075 aluminum alloy (Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) was produced by both conventional casting (CC) and controlled diffusion solidification (CDS) methods. Each sample was subjected to different heat-treatment conditions: as-cast, T4, and T6; and their microstructural and mechanical properties were investigated by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD). It was found that CDS promoted the formation of non-dendritic primary α-Al phase and reduced shrinkage porosity, thus resulting in improved mechanical properties. In addition, the eutectic phase of the CDS samples mainly consisted of T(Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) phase, which manifested a well-developed lamellar eutectic structure. However, in the CC samples, the T(Al-Zn-Mg-Cu) phase was composed of rod-like eutectics. Moreover, the θ(Al2Cu) eutectic contents in the CC samples were greater than those in the CDS samples. Each element in the CC samples had an obvious change in the grain boundary, whereas the change in element content in the CDS samples was gradual. Therefore, the non-dendritic morphology of the primary phase and the presence of rod-like eutectics in the matrix of the CDS samples led to enhanced tensile strength and elongation under different heat treatment conditions.

The microstructure and mechanical properties of an extruded Mg-12Dy-1.1Ni alloy have been investigated in this paper. The microstructure of the as-extruded alloy consisted of α-Mg matrix, Mg2Dy phase and a lamellar long-period stacking order (LPSO) phase distributed along the extrusion direction. Ageing the extruded alloy at 250 °C showed double peaks at 54 h and 108 h during ageing. The first ageing peak was due to a high number density of blocky 18R LPSO phases in conjunction with the precipitation of underaged 14H LPSO phase. The second ageing peak mainly arose from the precipitation of high volume fraction of 14H LPSO phases in the grain interior. Tensile testing indicated that the extruded alloy aged for 108 h exhibited the highest yield and ultimate tensile strengths from room temperature to 300 °C. The high tensile strengths of the alloy are mainly attributed to grain refinement and precipitation strengthening of 14H LPSO phase and dispersion strengthening of blocky 18R LPSO phase.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of extruded Mg-7Sn-5Zn-xAl (x = 0, 1, 2 and 3 wt.%) alloy were investigated. The as-cast Mg-7Sn-5Zn alloy mainly comprised α-Mg dendrites, Mg2Sn and nanosized Mg-Zn phases in a Mg matrix, whereas the quasicrystal (icosahedral (I)) phase precipitated with the addition of Al. After extrusion, the grain size decreased due to dynamic recrystallization and the resulting particles were crushed and distributed along the extrusion direction. The highest tensile strength was exhibited by the extruded Mg-7Sn-5Zn-2Al alloy, which had a yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation to failure of 198, 343 MPa and 18.7%, respectively. The high tensile strength was mainly attributed to grain refinement and precipitation strengthening of the Mg2Sn and icosahedral phases.

The Multi-Transmitting Formula (MTF) proposed by Liao et al. is a local artificial boundary condition widely used in numerical simulations of wave propagation in an infinite medium, while the drift instability is usually caused in its numerical implementation. In view of a physical interpretation of the Gustafsson, Kreiss and Sundström criterion on numerical solutions of initial-boundary value problems in the hyperbolic partial differential equations, the mechanism of the drift instability of MTF was discussed, and a simple measure for eliminating the drift instability was proposed by introducing a modified operator into the MTF. Based on the theory of spherical wave propagation and damping effect of medium, the physical implication on modified operator was interpreted. And the effect of the modified operator on the reflection coefficient of MTF was discussed. Finally, the validity of the proposed stable implementation measure was verified by numerical tests of wave source problem and scattering problem.

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) has been extensively applied due to the capabilities of real-time, multi- phase and multi-element analysis. With the advantages, portable LIBS is in rapid development with great potential of field measurements. In this work, a portable LIBS was developed by a 50 μJ level laser for excitation and an objective lens for focusing or imaging. Element detection was successfully achieved by this setup, and also the microscopic observation could be obtained with the magnification of 350×. A preliminary investigation was carried out for mineral recognition by the developed portable LIBS. The obtained results indicate that the element detection combined with micro observation was an effective way for recognizing minerals, especially for similar mineral identification or discrimination. It is suggested that the micro-joule laser could be alternative for the commercial portable LIBS, and the on-site mineral or rock recognition is a promising field for the application.

Microstructural evolution and compressive properties of an extruded Mg-2Dy-0.5Zn (at.%) alloy sheet at 350°C were investigated. As the compressive strain increased, the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallization increased, the fine lamellar 14H long period stacking ordered phase precipitated in the dynamic recrystallization grain, and the Mg12ZnDy phase with an 18R long period stacking ordered structure gradually bent. These secondary phases not only acted as nucleation sites to promote dynamic recrystallization but also restrained grain growth by inhibiting dislocation movement and grain boundary sliding. The compressive yield strength, ultimate compressive strength, and compressive strain of the alloy sheet were 161 MPa, 212 MPa, and 12.4% at 350°C, respectively. The high compressive strengths were mainly attributed to grain refinement, kink band strengthening of the 18R long period stacking ordered phase and precipitation strengthening of the fine lamellar 14H long period stacking ordered phase in the dynamic recrystallization grain.

Background In vivo imaging of the complex cascade of events known to be pivotal elements in the healing of cutaneous wounds is a difficult but essential task. Current techniques are highly invasive, or lack the level of vascular and structural detail required for accurate evaluation, monitoring and treatment. We aimed to use an advanced optical coherence tomography (OCT)-based angiography (OCTA) technique for the non-invasive, high resolution imaging of cutaneous wound healing. Methods We used a clinical prototype OCTA to image, identify and track key vascular and structural adaptations known to occur throughout the healing process. Specific vascular parameters, such as diameter and density, were measured to aid our interpretations under a spatiotemporal framework. Results We identified multiple distinct, yet overlapping stages, hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation, and remodeling, and demonstrated the detailed vascularization and anatomical attributes underlying the multifactorial processes of dermatologic wound healing. Conclusions OCTA provides an opportunity to both qualitatively and quantitatively assess the vascular response to acute cutaneous damage and in the future, may help to ascertain wound severity and possible healing outcomes; thus, enabling more effective treatment options.

Elaborate modeling study suggests an important role of capillary transit time heterogeneity (CTTH) reduction in brain oxygenation during functional hyperemia. Here, we use optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) capillary velocimetry to probe blood flow dynamics in cerebral capillary beds and validate the change in CTTH during functional activation in an in vivo rodent model. Through evaluating flow dynamics and consequent transit time parameters from thousands of capillary vessels within three-dimensional (3-D) tissue volume upon hindpaw electrical stimulation, we observe reductions in both capillary mean transit time (MTT) (9.8% ± 2.2) and CTTH (5.9% ± 1.4) in the hindlimb somatosensory cortex (HLS1). Additionally, capillary flow pattern modification is observed with a significant difference (p in vivo using animal models, enabling a more comprehensive understanding as to hemodynamic-metabolic coupling.

Background In clinical dermatology, the identification of subsurface vascular and structural features known to be associated with numerous cutaneous pathologies remains challenging without the use of invasive diagnostic tools. Objective To present an advanced optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) method to directly visualize capillary-level vascular and structural features within skin in vivo. Methods An advanced OCTA system with a 1310 nm wavelength was used to image the microvascular and structural features of various skin conditions. Subjects were enrolled and OCTA imaging was performed with a field of view of approximately 10 × 10 mm. Skin blood flow was identified using an optical microangiography (OMAG) algorithm. Depth-resolved microvascular networks and structural features were derived from segmented volume scans, representing tissue slabs of 0-132, 132-330, and 330-924 μm, measured from the surface of the skin. Results Subjects with both healthy and pathological conditions, such as benign skin lesions, psoriasis, chronic graft-versus-host-disease (cGvHD), and scleroderma, were OCTA scanned. Our OCTA results detailed variations in vascularization and local anatomical characteristics, for example, depth-dependent vascular, and structural alterations in psoriatic skin, alongside their resolve over time; vascular density changes and distribution irregularities, together with corresponding structural depositions in the skin of cGvHD patients; and vascular abnormalities in the nail folds of a patient with scleroderma. Conclusion OCTA can image capillary blood flow and structural features within skin in vivo, which has the potential to provide new insights into the pathophysiology, as well as dynamic changes of skin diseases, valuable for diagnoses, and non-invasive monitoring of disease progression and treatment. Lasers Surg. Med. 50:183-193, 2018. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Developing flexible shape changing actuators by means of 3D printing has become an exciting research area and has been widely used in our daily life and they are expected to play more important roles in soft robotics, biomedical devices and other high-tech areas. However, the development of such 3D printed shape changing actuators is limited due to the lack of 3D printing functional materials and insufficient response sensitivity of the actuators. This study demonstrates the 3D printing of photo-responsive shape changing composites based on polylactic acid (PLA) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on paper substrates with fused deposition modeling (FDM) printing technology for the construction of flexible photothermal-responsive shape changing actuators. Introducing MWCNTs to a PLA matrix results in the enhancement of processabilities of the MWCNT–PLA composite during the FDM printing process compared to pure PLA. In the MWCNT–PLA composite filaments prepared in this work, MWCNTs are dispersed homogeneously in the PLA matrix. Furthermore, the MWCNT–PLA composite exhibits excellent photothermal effects and sensitivity under near-infrared irradiation (NIR), with the temperature of the composite increasing up to the Tg of PLA after 1 s irradiation and also being close to the Tm of PLA after irradiation for 15 s. Paper-based bilayer semicircular actuators that possess phototriggered shape changing properties are fabricated via 3D printing of the MWCNT–PLA composite on paper, which deform under near infrared irradiation and recover their original shape once the light source is switched off. This facile 3D printing strategy for flexible paper-based actuators would provide tremendous opportunities for the design and fabrication of biomimetic photothermal actuators and soft robotics.

The microstructure and mechanical properties of extruded Mg-2Y–1Zn (MYZ), Mg-2Y-0.5Zn-0.5Ni (MYZN) and Mg-2Y–1Ni (MYN) (at%) alloys were systematically investigated. Apart from α-Mg, Mg2Y, Mg24Y5, along with Y-riched phases, there was precipitation of 18R LPSO phase with coarse-lamellar morphology at the dendritic grain boundary of α-Mg within the above three as-cast alloys. Parts of 18R LPSO phases transformed into 14H LPSO phases in homogenization. After extrusion, the grain size had obviously refined and the LPSO phase with three types of morphologies existed in three extruded alloys, distribution of lamellar 18R LPSO phase might be detected down the extrusion direction (ED), the blocky 18R LPSO phase as well as the fine strip 14H LPSO phase with some stacking faults in the grain interior. The extruded MYZN alloy exhibited the higher basal texture intensity than extruded MYZ and MYN alloys. Furthermore, we discussed the strengthening mechanisms of the LPSO phase with different morphologies. Tensile test results indicated that the as-extruded MYZN alloy exhibited the highest σUTS of 389 MPa, σTYS of 336 MPa and ef of 12.6% at room temperature. As for the extruded MYZN alloy, its improved comprehensive mechanical properties were mainly related to the LPSO phase strengthening, texture strengthening, stacking faults strengthening together with grain refinement.

The application of Mg-Zn binary alloys is restricted due to their developed dendritic microstructure and poor mechanical properties. In this study, an alloying method was used to improve the mechanical properties of Mg-Zn alloy. The Mg-6Zn magnesium alloys microalloyed with varying Cu content (0, 0.8, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.5wt.%) were fabricated by permanent mould casting, and the effects of Cu content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-6Zn alloys were studied using OM, SEM, XRD and tensile tests at room temperature. The obtained results show that the addition of Cu not only can refine the grains effectively, but also can modify the eutectic morphology and improve the mechanical properties of the alloys. The main phases of the studied alloys include α-Mg, MgZn2, Mg2Cu and CuMgZn. When the content of Cu exceeds 0.8wt.%, Mg2Cu phase appears. Meanwhile, the eutectic morphology is modified into dendritic shape or lamellar structure, which has an adverse effect on the tensile properties. Furthermore, among the investigated alloys, the alloy containing 0.8% Cu shows an optimal ultimate tensile strength of 196 MPa, while the alloy with 1.5wt.% Cu obtains an excellent elongation of 7.22%. The experimental alloys under different Cu contents show distinguishing fracture behaviors: the fracture of the alloy with 0.8wt.% Cu reveals a mixed mode of inter-granular and quasi-cleavage, while in other investigated alloys, the fracture behaviors are dominated by cleavage fracture.

In this paper we propose a possible process simplification for pseudosquare 15.6×15.6 cm 2 Interdigitated Back Contact (IBC) CZ-Si solar cells. By using laser doping to create a selective BSF, one out of three diffusions and a wet etching step can be avoided, compared to a completely diffusion-based process flow. We show numerical optimization of this simplified cell structure in terms of: i) rear optics with additional SiN x capping layer, ii) contact fraction of the selective BSF. The results feature a top cell efficiency of 21.7% measured over the area of 239 cm 2 . Further characterization implies that cells were limited mainly by: i) FF losses attributed to lateral majority carrier transport in the BSF region and increased J 02 losses, ii) current loss which can be related to the BSF region.

Semisolid slurry of A356 aluminum alloy was prepared by self-inoculation method, and the microstructure and solidification behavior during rheo-diecasting process were investigated. The results indicate that the semisolid slurry of A356 aluminum alloy can be prepared by self-inoculation method at 600 °C. Primary α-Al particles with fine and spherical morphologies are uniformly distributed when the isothermal holding time of slurry is 3 min. Liquid phase segregation occurs during rheo-diecasting process of semisolid slurry and the primary particles (α1) show obvious plastic deformation in the area of high stress and low cooling rate. A small amount of dendrites resulting from the relatively low temperature of the shot chamber at the initial stage of secondary solidification are fragmented as they pass through the in-gate during the mould filling process. The amount of dendrite fragments decreases with the increase of filling distance. During the solidification process of the remaining liquid, the nucleation rate of secondary particles (α2) increases with the increase of cooling rate, and the content of Si in secondary particles (α2) are larger than primary particles (α1). With the increase of cooling rate, the content of Si in secondary particles (α2) gradually increases. The morphologies of eutectic Si in different parts of die casting are noticeably different. The low cooling rate in the first filling positions leads to coarse eutectic structures, while the high cooling rate in the post filling positions promotes small and compact eutectic structures.

We describe a method to measure tissue dynamics in mouse barrel cortex during functional activation via phase-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PhS-OCT). The method measures the phase changes in OCT signals, which are induced by the tissue volume change, upon which to localize the activated tissue region. Phase unwrapping, compensation and normalization are applied to increase the dynamic range of the OCT phase detection. To guide the OCT scanning, intrinsic optical signal imaging (IOSI) system equipped with a green light laser source (532 nm) is integrated with the PhS-OCT system to provide a full field time-lapsed images of the reflectance that is used to identify the transversal 2D localized tissue response in the mouse brain. The OCT results show a localized decrease in the OCT phase signal in the activated region of the mouse brain tissue. The decrease in the phase signal may be originated from the brain tissue compression caused by the vasodilatation in the activated region. The activated region revealed in the cross-sectional OCT image is consistent with that identified by the IOSI imaging, indicating the phase change in the OCT signals may associate with the changes in the corresponding hemodynamics. In vivo localized tissue dynamics in the barrel cortex at depth during whisker stimulation is observed and monitored in this study.

In this paper, a single bandpass microwave photonic filter (MPF) based on a gain-switched distributed feedback (DFB) laser is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Self-phase modulation (SPM) effect is explored in the optical domain to enhance the performance of the proposed MPF. A single passband is achieved for the proposed MPF, which can be tuned from 1 GHz to 39 GHz. A theoretical model describing the principle of the proposed MPF is derived, which is confirmed by experimental results.

The dynamic properties of subcellular organism are important biomarkers of the health. Imaging subcellular level dynamics provides effective solutions for evaluating cell metabolism and testing the responses of cells to pathogens and drugs in pharmaceutical engineering. In this paper, we demonstrate an innovative approach to contrast the subcellular motion by using eigen decomposition (ED)-based variance analysis of time-dependent complex optical coherence tomography signals. This method reveals a superior advantage of contrast to noise ratio when compared with the approach that employs intensity decorrelation. Furthermore, the eigen values derived from ED processing are calculated and applied to assess the power ratios of complex signal invariance that decreases exponentially along time dimension. The validation experiments are performed on the patterned samples of yeast powder mixed with gelatin/TiO2 water solution. Additionally, the proposed method is used to image mouse cerebral cortex in normal and pathological conditions, suggesting the practicality of variance power mapping in analyzing cortical neural activities. The technique promises efficient measurement of subcellular motions with high sensitivity and high throughput for in vivo and in situ applications.

© 2019 Elsevier B.V. In this work we investigated the optical and electrical performance of p-type epitaxial layers as the rear emitter of bifacial n-type PERT solar cells. In the first part of this paper, the surface morphology of epitaxial layers grown on textured surfaces is studied. Because of the epitaxial growth, a pyramids-rounding effect is observed as a result of {311} and {911} facet propagation. The growth pattern was quantified and modelled. In the second part of this paper, the optical performance of semi-device test structures is evaluated. The trend of the optical results in bifacial solar cell structures indicates that a final pyramid angle at the rear side around 20° gives the maximum light absorption in the wafer substrate. In this work we demonstrate that the epitaxial growth of the emitter on the textured rear side of these devices can already give a pyramid angle of 25° without having to introduce any additional polishing steps to modify the morphology of the textured surface. In the last part of this paper, we present the electrical results for semi-device structures created to quantify the recombination losses in the passivated and metallized regions of those p-type epitaxial emitters. These results indicate that by introducing a rear epitaxial emitter in the bifacial n-type PERT cell structure, we can increase the implied V oc up to 17 mV compared to a diffused emitter with the same sheet resistance. ispartof: SOLAR ENERGY MATERIALS AND SOLAR CELLS vol:195 pages:43-48 status: published

A novel approach to realizing an optoelectronic oscillator (OEO) based on an integrated multi-section (IMS) distributed feedback (DFB) laser is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. Our scheme adopts the method of direct modulation and a built-in microwave photonic filter (MPF), making the structure simpler and more flexible than an external modulator and electrical bandpass filter (EBPF). The IMS-DFB laser, which can overcome the drawbacks of using discrete lasers, is the key device in the scheme. Further, the two DFB sections, which are fabricated by Reconstruction Equivalent Chirp (REC) technique, are injected mutually. The SSB phase noise of the generated signal at the frequency of 20.3 GHz is −115.3 dBc/Hz@10kHz and −92.9 dBc/Hz@1kHz. The sidemode suppression ratio (SMSR) is 60.94 dB, which is a 40 dB improvement over a single loop. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the phase noise improves about 8 dB at the frequency offset of 1 kHz, when employing 13 km and 5.4 km fibers as the dual loop. The simple and compact structure, which consists of an IMS-DFB laser with high wavelength controlling accuracy and low process requirement, is a promising development for OEO integration.

Recent advances in monolithically integrated multi-section semiconductor lasers (MI-MSSLs) have propelled microwave photonic (MWP) technologies to new potentials with a compact, reliable, and green implementation. Much research has examined that MI-MSSLs can realize the same or even better MWP functions compared to discrete lasers by taking advantages of enhanced light–matter interactions. Here, we review these recent advances in this emerging field and discuss the corresponding photonic microwave applications. Three main kinds of MI-MSSL structures are demonstrated in general including passive feedback laser, active/amplified feedback laser, as well as monolithically integrated mutually injected semiconductor laser. The focus of this paper is on the MWP techniques based on the nonlinear dynamics of MI-MSSLs. The primary MWP applications considered in this paper cover from electro-optic conversion characteristics enhancement, photonic microwave generation, microwave photonic filter, to multi-wavelength laser array for wavelength division multiplexing radio-over-fiber (WDM-RoF) networks. Especially, the four special dynamic states of free-running oscillation, mode-beating self-pulsations (MB-SPs), period-one (P1) oscillation, and sideband injection locking are considered and demonstrated in detail for photonic microwave generation. We also take a look at the future prospects of the research directions and challenges in this area.

Tail artifact removed enface OCT angiogram of deeper layer in vivo mouse cortex. Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is a surging non-invasive, label-free, in vivo volumetric imaging method, currently being translated to clinical ophthalmology and becoming popular in neuroscience. Despite its attractiveness, there is an inherent issue of using OCT angiograms for quantitative cerebrovascular studies: The dynamic scattering of moving erythrocytes within pial vasculature creates tail-like artifacts that shadow the capillary vessels in the deeper layers of cortex. This false flow effect is relatively benign for qualitative visualization purposes, but it might have a significant impact on quantitative interpretation of angiographic results. In this work, we propose a simple image processing method to remove these tail artifacts in depth-resolved OCTA images using an adaptive enface mask generated with OCT structural images. We demonstrate the effectiveness of our method by comparing vessel densities and vessel similarities of depth-resolved OCT angiograms in a stroke study in a rodent model, in vivo. Thanks to the ability of seeing through the tails of pial vessels, capillary vessels beneath these vessels could be recovered to some extend in the deeper layers of mouse cerebral cortex, leading to a more accurate quantification.

Objective: Optical microangiography (OMAG)-based optical coherence tomography is a noninvasive technique capable of imaging functional microvasculature innervating scanned tissue volume. In this study, we utilize OMAG to investigate dynamic changes of microcirculation during the healing process of a burn. Approach: A soft-contact superficial burn injury was induced on a mouse ear with 1 μL 70°C hot water. Microangiograms were generated by using OMAG before and after the burn. Results: Vessel recruitment and remodeling were observed in the healing process. Burn injury reached to the worst extent within the first 24 h and had no expansion thereafter. The interrupted microcirculation in the mouse ear was progressively recovered in the consequent postburn days and completely healed on postburn day 7. Innovation: OMAG provides a novel way for noninvasive visualization and quantification of vasculature changes over time after burn injuries. The high resolution achieved by the imaging system reveals microvascula...

The microstructures of A356 alloy parts contained near-round or rosette α-Al grains and eutectics at grain boundaries. Melt processing by vibrating slope could refine grain size and eliminate eutectic phase segregation as well as regional segregation which usually occurred in traditional squeeze casting. Average grain diameter of α-Al grain increased from 44 μm to 64 μm, and grain average roundness decreased firstly from 2.9 to 1.7 then increased to 3.3 with the increase of casting temperature. At casting temperature from 670 °C to 680 °C, crack and cooling shut usually occurred in the products due to poor flow ability of the alloy. When the casting temperature was 690 °C, the alloy had a good filling ability and smooth product with fine near-round or rosette α-Al grains and homogenous eutectics has been obtained. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of semisolid squeeze casting A356 alloy reached 232 MPa and 7%, which were improved by 12% and 21% respectively as comparing with that of traditional squeeze casting.

This paper presents some research information on the effects of Zn, Cu and Ni on the microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-2Dy (at.%) alloys. The Mg-2Dy alloy is composed of α-Mg and Mg24Dy5 phases. With the addition of 0.5at.%Zn, 0.5at.%Cu and 0.5at.%Ni, respectively, besides α-Mg, the long period stacking order (LPSO) phases containing Zn, Cu, and Ni precipitated in the α-Mg interdentritic boundary. The addition of Ni effectively refined the dendrite arm spacing. The as-cast Mg-2Dy-0.5Ni alloy exhibited the best tensile strengths and elongation. The better mechanical properties were mainly attributed to small secondry dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) and high volume fraction of LPSO phases.

The microstructure of peritectic alloys of important applications determines the final properties of them. The growth of peritectic β phase which greatly influences the structure of peritectic systems is divided into three different types: peritectic reaction at TP: L + α → β, then solid-state peritectic transformation α → β and direct precipitation L → β. In addition to transparent organic systems, peritectic transformation was always analyzed using interrupted directional solidification during which the sample is kept stationary after experiencing a distance of directional growth. Then, the growth of β phase through peritectic transformation is accompanied with the migration of the α/β interface towards α phase below TP. However, it is found in Sn Ni peritectic system (L + Ni3Sn2 → Ni3Sn4) that the migration rate of Ni3Sn2/Ni3Sn4 interface is much larger than that of peritectic transformation. Further examination shows that this interface migration can also be induced by the diffusion-controlled liquid migration initiating at the Ni3Sn2/Ni3Sn4 interface. Based on the model describing the liquid migration process, the migration of the Ni3Sn2/Ni3Sn4 interface through liquid migration is predicted, which matches well with the experimental measurement. This shows that the diffusion-controlled liquid migration is dominant during the growth of β phase. Thus, the application of interrupted directional solidification should be further examined.

This work evaluates the potential of selective epitaxy to mitigate the recombination losses at the p-type contact regions of plated bifacial n-type PERT cells. Following the growth of a 500 nm, 2.5 10(19) cm(-3) boron doped epitaxial layer at the emitter contact regions defined by laser ablation of the passivating dielectrics, both an increase in V-oc (+6 mV) and FF (+ 1% absolute) are measured in the final cells compared to the reference with a homogeneous diffused emitter. These results come with an average efficiency gain of 0.3 and 0.5% absolute for front and rear side illumination, respectively. If the diffused, blanket emitter in the passivated regions is replaced by a thicker, lowly doped epitaxial profile (3 mu m, 5 10(18) cm(-3)) to further reduce recombination, an additional rise in implied V-oc after metallization of 10 mV is estimated. This increase would be the result of a reduction in J(0,pass, emitter) (down to 6 fA/cm(2)) and J(0,plated, emitter) (down to 1967 fA/cm(2)).

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) is a new technique for seashell elemental analysis, and now that application is in rapid development. In this work, LIBS was applied for scallop shell [Chlamys (Azumapecten) farreri] analysis using the element ratio Sr/Ca, and the analytical result was compared under objective lens (OL) focusing and single lens (SL) focusing, respectively. It is interesting to find that, under the two focusing arrangements, the ratio (Sr/Ca) variation on the shell cross section performed completely differently, while in technical aspects, the two focusing arrangements presented almost the same characteristics in a standard sample. Also, the seashell annual growth could be well indicated by high values of Sr/Ca intensity ratio when using OL, but under SL focusing no pattern was found. The difference of shell sampling amount and size might be the reason for inconsistent analysis performance under the two focusing arrangements. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS) scanning results of the shell proved that LIBS analysis under OL focusing was closer to the actual Sr/Ca distribution than that under SL focusing. The obtained results might be useful for the methodology of LIBS in seashell applications.

Photonic generation of linearly chirped microwave waveforms (LCMWs) using a monolithic integrated three-section laser is experimentally demonstrated in this work. All three sections of the laser cavity, including the front DFB section, phase section and rear DFB section, have the same active layer, which can avoid the butt-joint re-growth process. The gratings in both DFB sections are fabricated by the Reconstruction Equivalent Chirp technique, which can significantly decrease the difficulties in realizing precise grating structure. By adjusting the integrated three-section semiconductor laser to work in the period-one (P1) state and applying a sweeping signal to the front DFB section, the beating signal, i.e., an LCMW with a large time bandwidth product (TBWP), can be generated. In the current proof-of-concept experiment, an LCMW with a large TBWP up to 5.159 × 105 is generated, of which the bandwidth and the duration time are 6.7 GHz and 77 us respectively. The compressed pulse width is 150 ps. In addition, by adjusting the bias currents of the rear DFB section and front DFB section as well as the amplitude of the sweeping signals, LCMWs with tunable center frequency and tunable bandwidth can be achieved.

Optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) is increasingly becoming a popular inspection tool for biomedical imaging applications. By exploring amplitude, phase and complex information available in the OCT signals, numerous algorithms are proposed to contrast functional vessel networks with microcirculation tissue beds. However, it is not clear which algorithm delivers optimal imaging performance. Here, we investigate systematically how the amplitude and phase information would have an impact on the OCTA imaging performance, upon which to establish the relationship of amplitude and phase stability with OCT signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), time interval and particle dynamics. With either the repeated A-scan or repeated B-scan imaging protocols, the amplitude noise increases with the increase of OCT SNR, however the phase noise does the opposite, i.e. it increases with the decrease of OCT SNR. Coupled with experimental measurements, we utilize a simple Monte Carlo (MC) model to simulate the performance of amplitude, phase and complex-based algorithms for OCTA imaging, the results of which suggest that the complex-based algorithms deliver the best performance when the phase noise is < ~40 mrad. We also conduct a series of in vivo vascular imaging in animal models and human retina to verify the findings from MC model through assessing the OCTA performance metrics of vessel connectivity, image SNR and contrast to noise ratio. We show that for all the metrics assessed, complex-based algorithm delivers better performance than either the amplitude or phase based algorithms for both the repeated A-scan and B-scan imaging protocols, which agrees well with the conclusion drawn from the MC simulations.

We have developed an efficient procedure and detection method using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography for the simultaneous measurement of uracil and dihydrouracil in human plasma. The procedure, including chromatographic conditions and sample preparation, was optimized and validated. Optimization of the sample preparation included deproteinization, extraction, and cleanup. A new sample preparation method which resulted in an improved extraction yield of analytes and significantly reduced interference at low-wavelength UV detection was developed. The developed method was validated for specificity, linearity, limits of detection and quantitation, precision, and accuracy. All calibration curves showed excellent linear regression (R2 > 0.9990) within the testing range. The limit of detection for uracil and dihydrouracil was 2.5 and 5.0 ng/mL, respectively. The extraction yields were >94% for uracil and 91% for dihydrouracil. Intra- and interassay precision and accuracy for uracil and dihydrouracil were lower than 8% at all tested concentrations. The proposed method was successfully applied to measure plasma concentrations of uracil and dihydrouracil in colorectal cancer patients scheduled to receive fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy.

We report the use of an electrically tunable lens (ETL) in a 1.3 μm spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) system to overcome the depth of focus (DOF) limitation in conventional OCT systems for OCT angiography (OCTA) in a mouse cerebral cortex. The ETL provides fast and dynamic control of the axial focus of the probe beam along the entire range of the mouse cortex, upon which we performed cerebral blood flow imaging of all cortical layers by stitching the OCTA images automatically captured at six focal depths. Capillary vasculature and axial blood flow velocity were revealed in distinctive cortical layers and, for the first time, to the best of our knowledge, in white matter. The results have shown the system capability to conveniently investigate the hemodynamics in deep cortical layers in the mouse brain. More importantly, the compact integration of an ETL will benefit the future design of handheld or intra-cavity OCT probes for a wide range of applications in research and clinical fields.

Optical injection is an effective way to generate a tuned microwave photonic filter (MPF). However, the tuning range of the optical injection-based MPF is limited by the nonlinear dynamics and the nonideal roll-off optical filter. To enlarge the tuning range of the MPF, a polarization modulated optical signal injection distributed feedback semiconductor laser is employed. The method is free from the nonlinear dynamics and the nonideal roll-off optical filter. The experimental result shows that the proposed MPF can be tuned from 0 to 40 GHz by directly tuning the center wavelength of the optical carrier. The tuning range can be increased if polarization modulator and photodetector with larger bandwidth are exploited. To the best of our knowledge, this is the largest frequency tuning range of optical injection-based MPF.

In this paper, heat treatment was carried out on Al/Al–Mg–Si alloy clad wire, and microstructure evolution and properties of Al/Al–Mg–Si alloy clad wire during heat treatment were investigated. During solution, contents of Mg and Si in inner matrix increased due to dissolution of primary Mg2Si, and they also increased in outer matrix because Mg and Si diffused across the interface. Tensile strength of the clad wire increased firstly and then decreased, and elongation continuously increased, while conductivity continuously decreased with the increase in solution time. In aging process, Mg2Si precipitated in both inner core and outer layer, and the content and average diameter of the precipitate increased with the increase in aging time. The content of precipitate was higher, and the average diameter was bigger in inner core. Tensile strength of the clad wire increased firstly and then decreased with the increase in aging time, and the elongation continuously decreased, while the conductivity continuously increased. The peak tensile strength of 202 MPa occurred at 8 h, when the corresponding elongation was 20 % and the conductivity reached 56.07 %IACS. Even tensile strength of the prepared clad wire approximately equaled to that of Al–0.5Mg–0.35Si alloy 203 MPa, the conductivity was obviously improved from 54.2 to 56.07 %IACS.

Tissue injury mapping (TIM) is developed by using a non-invasive in vivo optical coherence tomography to generate optical attenuation coefficient and microvascular map of the injured tissue. Using TIM, the infarct region development in mouse cerebral cortex during stroke is visualized. Moreover, we demonstrate the in vivo human facial skin structure and microvasculature during an acne lesion development. The results indicate that TIM may help in the study and the treatment of various diseases by providing high resolution images of tissue structural and microvascular changes.

Rheo-forming is becoming the choice for production of high quality parts with diminished defects and fine integrity. In this paper, the novel self-inoculation rheo-diecasting (SIRD) process, in which semisolid slurry is produced by mixing two precursory solid and liquid alloys and subsequently pouring them through a multi-stream fluid director, has been proposed. Microstructural characteristics of AM60 alloy slurry and the microstructure and mechanical properties of rheo-diecasting AM60 samples were investigated. Quenching experiments reveal that the slurry microstructure of AM60 was well refined to irregular α-Mg particles with the average size of approximately 20–40 μm after pouring with the self-inoculation process, and these particles were evolved to globular and coarse morphology while continuously keeping in semisolid state. After rheo-diecasting, the microstructure of the sample was dominated by fine primary α-Mg globules accompanied with tiny secondary α-Mg particles while the sample from conventional liquid die casting was characterized by developed dendrite and porosity. Microscopic analysis indicates that there are three stages of remaining liquid solidification in die cavity in SIRD: α-Mg nucleation and growth on primary α-Mg surface, α-Mg nucleated independently in liquid, and, finally, formation of skeleton devoiced eutectic. Due to diminished porosity and hot tearing, tensile strength and elongation of SIRD samples were increased by 12.9% and 35.3%, respectively, compared to a conventional liquid die casting sample.

Wrought Mg AZ31 alloy was near-net-shaped by semisolid rheo-diecasting. Parts with 42% and 61% solid fraction were produced at different injection velocities. The impact of injection velocity on the microstructure and the tensile strength of samples have been investigated. Results indicated that the shape factor and the particle size of primary &alpha, Mg in the microstructure decreased with the increase of injection velocity, and the morphology of both secondary &alpha, Mg and eutectic &alpha, Mg + Mg17Al12 mixture were refined with the increase of injection velocity. The surface liquid segregation in the sample closely relates to the injection velocity and the solid fraction of slurries, and it decreased with the increase of injection velocity and the decrease of the solid fraction. Cold shut, crack, and gas porosity were the main internal defects that rely on the injection velocity. The tensile strength of the samples decreased with the increase of injection velocity, and the best value of 201 and 192 MPa was obtained at 0.5 m/s and 1 m/s for the sample with the solid fraction of 0.61 and 0.42, respectively. This work demonstrated a predominant effect of internal defects on the property of the rheo-diecasting (RDC) product than the microstructure, thus, defect reduction should be preferentially considered in the optimization of the RDC process.

Gingiva is the soft tissue that surrounds and protects the teeth. Healthy gingiva provides an effective barrier to periodontal insults to deeper tissue, thus is an important indicator to a patient's periodontal health. Current methods in assessing gingival tissue health, including visual observation and physical examination with probing on the gingiva, are qualitative and subjective. They may become cumbersome when more complex cases are involved, such as variations in gingival biotypes where feature and thickness of the gingiva are considered. A noninvasive imaging technique providing depth-resolved structural and vascular information is necessary for an improved assessment of gingival tissue and more accurate diagnosis of periodontal status. We propose a three-dimensional (3D) imaging technique, optical coherence tomography (OCT), to perform in situ imaging on human gingiva. Ten volunteers (five male, five female, age 25-35) were recruited; and the labial gingival tissues of upper incisors were scanned using the combined use of state-of-the-art swept-source OCT and OCT angiography (OCTA). Information was collected describing the 3D tissue microstructure and capillary vasculature of the gingiva within a penetration depth of up to 2 mm. Results indicate significant structural and vascular differences between the two extreme gingival biotypes (ie, thick and thin gingiva), and demonstrate special features of vascular arrangement and characteristics in gingival inflammation. Within the limit of this study, the OCT/OCTA technique is feasible in quantifying different attributes of gingival biotypes and the severity of gingival inflammation.

Challenge persists in the field of optical coherence tomography (OCT) when it is required to quantify capillary blood flow within tissue beds in vivo. We propose a useful approach to statistically estimate the mean capillary flow velocity using a model-based statistical method of eigendecomposition (ED) analysis of the complex OCT signals obtained with the OCT angiography (OCTA) scanning protocol. ED-based analysis is achieved by the covariance matrix of the ensemble complex OCT signals, upon which the eigenvalues and eigenvectors that represent the subsets of the signal makeup are calculated. From this analysis, the signals due to moving particles can be isolated by employing an adaptive regression filter to remove the eigencomponents that represent static tissue signals. The mean frequency (MF) of moving particles can be estimated by the first lag-one autocorrelation of the corresponding eigenvectors. Three important parameters are introduced, including the blood flow signal power representing the presence of blood flow (i.e., OCTA signals), the MF indicating the mean velocity of blood flow, and the frequency bandwidth describing the temporal flow heterogeneity within a scanned tissue volume. The proposed approach is tested using scattering phantoms, in which microfluidic channels are used to simulate the functional capillary vessels that are perfused with the scattering intralipid solution. The results indicate a linear relationship between the MF and mean flow velocity. In vivo animal experiments are also conducted by imaging mouse brain with distal middle cerebral artery ligation to test the capability of the method to image the changes in capillary flows in response to an ischemic insult, demonstrating the practical usefulness of the proposed method for providing important quantifiable information about capillary tissue beds in the investigations of neurological conditions in vivo.

Axial focusing arrangement effects on collinear dual-pulse laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (DP-LIBS) in a bulk solution were investigated by spectra and fast images. By properly defocusing the second laser pulse beyond the first laser formed bubble (LFB), brighter and larger plasmas could be produced due to higher breakdown efficiency and higher expansion efficiency. It is attributed to a distinct mechanism of underwater DP-LIBS that the plasma mostly forms at the bubble-water interface and then expands into the gaseous LFB. The results show that optimization of the axial focusing arrangement in underwater collinear DP-LIBS enables significant emission enhancements with relatively low laser energies.

Diecastings of the A356 aluminum alloy were produced by rheo-diecasting (RDC) and High pressure die casting (HPDC), the microstructures of primary solidification, secondary solidification and eutectic Si of diecastings with different pouring temperature were explored and the mechanical properties of different parameters were tested. The result shows that the primary α-Al grains in RDC with self-inoculation method (SIM) are smaller and rounder than the dendrite structure in HPDC. During the RDC process, the amount of primary α-Al grains, average grain size and the lamellar spacing of the eutectic Si increase with the decrease of the melt treatment temperature. While the average grain size and the shape factor are gradually increasing with the increase of melt treatment temperature. As a result, RDC can significantly improve the mechanical properties of the A356 aluminum alloy compared with HPDC, the mechanical properties are optimal at 600°Cwith the tensile strength and elongation are 268.67MPa and 6.8%, respectively.