Search results for "Instrumentation"
showing 10 items of 4914 documents
A new method for morphometric analysis of opal phytoliths from plants.
2014
Micro-morphometry has substantially gained ground in the field of phytolith analysis, but the comparability of results is limited due to the use of different methods. This paper presents a new, user-friendly method based on open-source software (FIJI) that is proposed as a step towards the introduction of a standard method. After obtaining a mask of a phytolith by making a digital drawing, 27 commonly used variables of size and shape are measured automatically. This method is not only useful for phytolith analysis, but may also be used for other fields of morphometric research. Users can furthermore customize the software tool when additional variables are required.
A Robust Generic Method for Grid Detection in White Light Microscopy Malassez Blade Images in the Context of Cell Counting
2015
AbstractIn biology, cell counting is a primary measurement and it is usually performed manually using hemocytometers such as Malassez blades. This work is tedious and can be automated using image processing. An algorithm based on Fourier transform filtering and the Hough transform was developed for Malassez blade grid extraction. This facilitates cell segmentation and counting within the grid. For the present work, a set of 137 images with high variability was processed. Grids were accurately detected in 98% of these images.
Crystalline microstructure of boehmites studied by multi-peak analysis of powder X-ray diffraction patterns
2017
Nanocrystalline boehmite (gamma-aluminium-oxyhydroxide) is a material of industrial importance, the functionality of which follows from its crystalline microstructure. A procedure for preparing boehmite nanoparticles, comprising the formation of a precipitate by the alkalization of an aqueous solution of aluminium nitrate and subsequent hydrothermal aging, was previously elaborated. The application of an additive (maltitol or tartaric acid) to control the sizes and shapes of crystallites in the produced polycrystalline powder of boehmite was developed. The aim of this work is a study of the effect of the hydrothermal treatment time on nanocrystalline characteristics of boehmite, both in abs…
Position-sensitive neutron detector
2002
Abstract A position-sensitive neutron detector has been developed for use in nuclear physics research. The detector consists of a ∅5.5 cm×100 cm long quartz tube filled with liquid scintillator viewed from both ends by photomultipliers and enclosed in a light-tight titanium container. The properties of the detector were determined both experimentally and by Monte Carlo simulations (EFEN code). A time resolution of 0.4 ns was reached resulting in the position resolution of less than 4 cm. The neutron registration efficiency varies from 36% to 20% within neutron energy range 1–10 MeV and is practically independent of the position along the detector length. Good n–γ separation is achieved for …
Neutron fluence spectrometry using disk activation
2009
Abstract A simple and robust detector for spectrometry of environmental neutrons has been developed. The technique is based on neutron activation of a series of different metal disks followed by low-level gamma-ray spectrometry of the activated disks and subsequent neutron spectrum unfolding. The technique is similar to foil activation but here the applied neutron fluence rates are much lower than usually in the case of foil activation. The detector has been tested in quasi mono-energetic neutron fields with fluence rates in the order of 1000–10000 cm −2 s −1 , where the obtained spectra showed good agreement with spectra measured using a Bonner sphere spectrometer. The detector has also b…
Brain Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Carriers of Disease Markers: Molecular Chaperones and MicroRNAs
2020
Primary and metastatic brain tumors are usually serious conditions with poor prognosis, which reveal the urgent need of developing rapid diagnostic tools and efficacious treatments. To achieve these objectives, progress must be made in the understanding of brain tumor biology, for example, how they resist natural defenses and therapeutic intervention. One resistance mechanism involves extracellular vesicles that are released by tumors to meet target cells nearby or distant via circulation and reprogram them by introducing their cargo. This consists of different molecules among which are microRNAs (miRNAs) and molecular chaperones, the focus of this article. miRNAs modify target cells in the…
Reshaping Field of View and Resolution with Segmented Reflectors: Bridging the Gap between Rotating and Solid-State LiDARs
2020
This paper describes the first simulations and experimental results of a novel segmented Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) reflector. Large portions of the rotating LiDAR data are typically discarded due to occlusion or a misplaced field of view (FOV). The proposed reflector solves this problem by reflecting the entire FOV of the rotating LiDAR towards a target. Optical simulation results, using Zemax OpticStudio, suggest that adding a reflector reduces the range of the embedded LiDAR with only 3 . 9 . Furthermore, pattern simulation results show that a radially reshaped FOV can be configured to maximize point cloud density, maximize coverage, or a combination. Here, the maximum density i…
First M87 Event Horizon Telescope Results. IV. Imaging the Central Supermassive Black Hole
2019
We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) images of M87, using observations from April 2017 at 1.3 mm wavelength. These images show a prominent ring with a diameter of ~40 μas, consistent with the size and shape of the lensed photon orbit encircling the "shadow" of a supermassive black hole. The ring is persistent across four observing nights and shows enhanced brightness in the south. To assess the reliability of these results, we implemented a two-stage imaging procedure. In the first stage, four teams, each blind to the others' work, produced images of M87 using both an established method (CLEAN) and a newer technique (regularized maximum likelihood). This stage allowed us to av…
Determination of particle number and brightness using a laser scanning confocal microscope operating in the analog mode
2008
We describe a method to obtain the brightness and number of molecules at each pixel of an image stack obtained with a laser scanning microscope. The method is based on intensity fluctuations due to the diffusion of molecules in a pixel. For a detector operating in the analog mode, the variance must be proportional to the intensity. Once this constant has been calibrated, we use the ratio between the variance and the intensity to derive the particle brightness. Then, from the ratio of the intensity to the brightness we obtain the average number of particles in the pixel. We show that the method works with molecules in solution and that the results are comparable to those obtained with fluctu…
Direct determination of halogens in powdered geological and environmental samples using isotope dilution laser ablation ICP-MS
2005
Abstract Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma isotope dilution mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-IDMS) with a special laser ablation system for bulk analyses (LINA-Spark™-Atomiser) was applied for direct determinations of chlorine, bromine, and iodine in rock and sediment samples. Special attention was focused on possible inter-halogen fractionations and analyte/spike isotope fractionations by using LA-ICP-MS and LA-ICP-IDMS, respectively. A variation of Br/Cl and I/Cl element intensity ratios by a factor of 1.3–3 was observed when changing the nebulizer gas flow rate in the range of 0.84–1.0 L min−1 and the laser power density in the range of 2–10 GW cm−2, respectively. When using an internal…