Search

The first time astrophysicists detected a planet outside of our Solar System around a Sunlike star was in 1995, and since then, more than 5,000 extrasolar planets (or exoplanets) have [...]

Loop-Mediated Isothermal Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) is a widely used technique for nucleic acid amplification due to its high specificity, sensitivity, and rapid results. Advances in microfluidic lab-on-chip (LOC) technology have enabled the integration of LAMP into miniaturized devices, known as μ -LAMP, which require precise thermal control for optimal DNA amplification. This paper introduces a novel thermal bed design using PCB copper traces and F R − 4 dielectric materials, providing a reliable, modular, and repairable heating platform. The system achieves accurate and stable temperature control, which is critical for μ -LAMP applications, with temperature deviations within ±1.0 °C. The thermal bed's performance is validated through finite element method (FEM) simulations, showing uniform temperature distribution and a rapid thermal response of 2.5 s to reach the target temperature. These results highlight the system's potential for applications such as disease diagnostics, biological safety, and forensic analysis, where precision and reliability are paramount. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously proposed that the optical centroid efficiency (OCE) might be a preferred figure-of-merit to the enclosed energy of a rectangular pixel (EOD) for an instrument subject to unpredictable environmental jitter and alignment conditions. Here we follow the same symbols for the corresponding quantities, particularly the width of the pixel as being equal to 2d. Here we analyze the performance of the OCE vs. the EOD for the three Seidel primary aberrations of an optical component: spherical, coma, and astigmatism, plus defocus. We show that the OCE has an approximate U-shape when graphed against the EOD, for the aberrations ranging from 0 to 1.25λ. We conclude that for pixels larger than 2d = 3λF/#, a small pixel will feature better performance when expecting jitter, misalignment, and other environmental and unpredictable conditions. When evaluating the performance of low-aberration instruments in dynamic and unpredictable environments, the choice of the lager pixel 2d = 7λF/# might be advantageous. Its selection will result in the deterioration of image resolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past few years, one can scarcely open a prestigious national magazine or newsletter without coming across a sordid story about plagiarism at the highest echelons of science. There [...]

Sigma Xi is a multidisciplinary scientific research honor society that champions the principles of ethical scientific research and calls on members to introduce future scientists to the responsibilities incumbent in [...]

In the world of mice, with whom humans share a common ancestor according to one theory of evolution, an interesting experiment was performed more than 15 years ago. In the [...]

Paul was a particularly bright student. On the day of the defense of his doctoral dissertation, just before his committee started deliberations, I opened questions to the public. I am [...]

We describe the degradation states of vegetation using a CMOS camera with NIR narrow band filters. Infrared bands provide vegetation parameters through reflectance, such as the water content and the cell order inside the leaf. Therefore, we can observe cellulose decomposition. We observe these parameters by measuring the differential reflectance between 766 nm and 1064 nm. We conclude that the NIR narrow bands add essential information to distinguish the water content and the decomposition of vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The noise-equivalent power is used to predict performance of infrared (IR) sensors. In a general IR or remote sensing system, the axes of the incoming chief ray of each pixel in the optical system and the center of that detector pixel are slightly misaligned, due to optical tolerances, jitter, and other environmental conditions, leading to error in the sensor performance prediction and estimates. A new figure-of-merit, the optical centroid efficiency (OCE), considers the energy on the rectangular detector pixel, averaged over all positions on the pixel. We calculate the OCE as a function of energy on detector (EOD) for a popular IR imaging system, a three-mirror reflector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optical centroid efficiency (OCE) is the traditional enclosed energy by the square detector pixel (the energy on detector (EOD)) averaged over all misalignments between the optical system and the pixel center. We examine the relationship between the OCE and the EOD for two different pixel sizes, with one larger than the diameter of the Airy disc and the other smaller than three diameters of the Airy disc. We observed that the relationships could, in general, be described as having a U shape, with the OCE being proportional to the EOD for small amounts of aberrations and inversely proportional for large amounts. For the letter cases, the energy is distributed over several pixels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 17th International Workshop on Advanced Infrared Technology and Applications (AITA 2023) was held in Venice, Italy from 10-13 September 2023. The conference, which has been running since 1992, aims to assess the state of the art of infrared technology and present its applications. The event was organized by various institutions and received patronage from two organizations. The technical program included sessions on topics such as non-destructive testing, sensors, image processing, remote sensing, and biomedical applications. A plenary lecture was given on the role of light in infrared astronomy. The conference also featured the sixth Under 35 Best Paper Award, which was given to three authors for their contributions. The event received support from Teledyne FLIR and Telops. The 18th edition of AITA is scheduled to take place in Kobe, Japan in 2025. [Extracted from the article]