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At least 1,585 records · Page 88

Nonlinear photoacoustic spectroscopy of hemoglobin

As light intensity increases in photoacoustic imaging, the saturation of optical absorption and the temperature dependence of the thermal expansion coefficient result in a measurable nonlinear dependence of the photoacoustic (PA) signal on the excitation pulse fluence. Here, under controlled conditions, we investigate the intensity-dependent photoacoustic signals from oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin at varied optical wavelengths and molecular concentrations. The wavelength and concentration dependencies of the nonlinear PA spectrum are found to be significantly greater in oxygenated hemoglobin than in deoxygenated hemoglobin. These effects are further influenced by the hemoglobin concentration. These nonlinear phenomena provide insights into applications of photoacoustics, such as measurements of average inter-molecular distances on a nm scale or with a tuned selection of wavelengths, a more accurate quantitative PA tomography.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Hygrothermal Aging and Thermomechanical Characterization of As-Manufactured Tidal Turbine Blade Composites

This study investigates the hygrothermal aging behavior and thermomechanical properties of as-manufactured glass fiber-reinforced epoxy and thermoplastic composite tidal turbine blades. The blades were previously deployed in a marine environment and subsequently analyzed through a comprehensive suite of material characterization techniques, including hygrothermal aging, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), tensile testing and X-ray computed tomography (XCT). Hygrothermal aging experiments revealed that while thermoplastic composites exhibited lower overall water absorption (0.78% vs. 0.47%), they had significantly higher diffusion coefficients than epoxy (2.1 vs. 12.1 × 10 −13 m 2 s −1 ), suggesting faster saturation in operational environments. DMA results demonstrated that water ingress caused plasticization in epoxy matrices, reducing the glass transition temperature and increasing damping (112 °C to 104 °C), while thermoplastic composites showed more stable thermal behavior (87 °C glass transition temperature). Tensile testing revealed substantial reductions in ultimate strength (>40%) for both materials after prolonged water exposure, with minimal change in elastic modulus, highlighting the role of matrix degradation over fiber reinforcement. XCT image analysis showed that both composites were manufactured with high quality: no large voids or cracks were present, and the degree of misalignment was low. These findings inform future marine renewable energy composite designs by emphasizing the critical influence of moisture on long-term structural integrity and the need for optimized material systems in harsh marine environments. This work provides a rare real-world comparison of epoxy and recyclable thermoplastic tidal turbine blades, showing how laboratory aging tests and advanced imaging reveal the influence of material and manufacturing choices on long-term marine durability.

16 TIDAL AND WAVE POWER↗

Comparison of electron and electronic temperatures in recombining nozzle flow of ionized nitrogen-hydrogen mixture. I, II.

Relaxation of the population distribution of electronic states is studied theoretically for a highly ionized nitrogen-hydrogen mixture expanding through a nozzle wherein the hydrogen content is less than 0.1%. The analysis incorporates quantum-mechanical rate coefficients, and considers the effects of wall cooling and absorption of radiation. Calculations are carried out for a condition produced experimentally. Visible and infrared line radiations from nitrogen and hydrogen were measured with a spectrograph. The geometry and stagnation conditions were those calculated theoretically. The experiment confirms quantitatively the predictions that the electronic excitation temperatures of hydrogen and (3P) core states of nitrogen are higher than the electron temperature, and that (3P) excitation temperatures exhibit maxima within the nozzle.

Park, C.↗

Stimulated Raman amplification, oscillation, and linewidth in barium nitrate

Measurements of Raman gain in a Ba(NO3)2 crystal are reported at 532 nm using a Raman oscillator/amplifier arrangement for differential absorption lidar measurements of ozone. The experimentally determined gain coefficient will be compared with theoretical results. The effect of single and multi-longitudinal mode pumping upon the amplification process will be discussed. Measurement of the Raman linewidth for 1st 2nd and 3d stokes shifts arc presented.

McCray, Christopher J.↗

C/NOFS Remote Sensing of Ionospheric Reflectance

Alfvn waves play critical roles in the electrodynamic coupling of plasmas at magnetically conjugate regions in near-Earth space. Associated electric (E*) and magnetic (dec B*) field perturbations sampled by sensors on satellites in low-Earth orbits are generally super positions of incident and reflected waves. However, lack of knowledge about ionospheric reflection coefficients (alpha) hinders understanding of generator outputs and load absorption of Alfvn wave energies. Here we demonstrate a new method for estimating using satellite measurements of ambient E* and dec B* then apply it to a case in which the Communication Navigation Outage Forecasting System (CNOFS) satellite flew conjugate to the field of view of a 630.0 nm all-sky imager at El Leoncito, Argentina, while medium-scale traveling ionosphere disturbances were detected in its field of view. In regions of relatively large amplitudes of E* and B*,calculated values ranged between 0.67 and 0.88. This implies that due to impedance mismatches, the generator ionosphere puts out significantly more electromagnetic energy than the load can absorb. Our analysis also uncovered caveats concerning the methods range of applicability in regions of low E* and B*. The method can be validated in future satellite-based auroral studies where energetic particle precipitation fluxes can be used to make independent estimates of alpha.

Burke, W. J.↗

Using Machine Learning for Timely Estimates of Ocean Color Information From Hyperspectral Satellite Measurements in the Presence of Clouds, Aerosols, and Sunglint

Retrievals of ocean color from space are important for better understanding of the ocean ecosystem but can be limited under conditions such as clouds, aerosols, and sunglint. Many ocean color algorithms use a few selected spectral bands to perform an atmospheric correction and then derive the upwelling radiance from the ocean. The limitations in the atmospheric correction under certain conditions lead to many gaps in daily spatial coverage of ocean color retrievals. To address these limitations, we introduce a new approach that uses machine learning to estimate ocean color from top of atmosphere radiances or reflectance measurements. In this approach, a principal component analysis is used to decompose the hyperspectral measurements into spectral features that describe the scattering and absorption of the atmosphere and the underlying surface. The coefficients of the principal components are then used to train a neural network to predict ocean color properties derived from the MODIS atmospheric correction algorithm. This machine learning approach is independent of a priori information and does not rely on any radiative transfer modeling. We apply the approach to two hyperspectral UV/VIS instruments, the ozone monitoring instrument (OMI) and the TROPOspheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI), using measurements from 320–500 nm to show that it can be used to reproduce ocean color properties in less-than-ideal conditions. This machine learning approach complements the current atmospheric correction ocean color retrievals by filling in the gaps resulting from cloud, aerosol, and sunglint contamination. This method can be applied to the future hyperspectral Ocean Color Instrument (OCI), which will be onboard NASA’s Plankton, Aerosol Cloud, ocean Ecosystem (PACE) ocean color satellite set to launch in 2024.

Ocean color↗

Gold nanoparticles in reverse micellar solutions: preparation, optical properties, and dimensional characteristics

Gold nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized via chemical (Chem) and radiation-chemical (RadChem) methods for the reduction of ions in reverse micellar solutions (RMS). The gold NP have for the first time been obtained by self-organization (Self-assembly), and their optical properties were evaluated. The formation of Au NP (Chem, RadChem, and Self) was confirmed by the transmission electron microscopy. The spectral characteristics of optical absorption of gold NP in the RMS depend on the solubilization coefficient ω, the salt concentration, and the methods for initiating the primary steps of reduction reactions responsible for the formation of nanoscale structures.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗

Large Exciton Diffusion Coefficients in Two Dimensional Covalent Organic Frameworks with Different Domain Sizes Revealed by Ultrafast Exciton Dynamics

Large singlet exciton diffusion lengths are a hallmark of high performance in organic-based devices such as photovoltaics, chemical sensors, and photodetectors. In this study, exciton dynamics of a two-dimensional covalent organic framework, 2D COF-S, is investigated using ultrafast spectroscopic techniques. After photoexcitation, the COF-S exciton decays via three pathways: (1) excimer formation (4 +/- 2 ps), (2) excimer relaxation (160 +/- 40 ps), and (3) excimer decay (>3 ns). Excitation fluence-dependent transient absorption studies suggest that COF-5 has a relatively large diffusion coefficient (0.08 cm(2)/s). Furthermore, exciton-exciton annihilation processes are characterized as a function of COF-S crystallite domain size in four different samples, which reveal domain-size-dependent exciton diffusion kinetics. These results reveal that exciton diffusion in COF-S is constrained by its crystalline domain size. These insights indicate the outstanding promise of delocalized excitonic processes available in 2D COFs, which motivate their continued design and implementation into optoelectronic devices.

Flanders, Nathan C.↗

Atmospheric aerosols: Their Optical Properties and Effects (supplement)

A digest of technical papers is presented. Topics include aerosol size distribution from spectral attenuation with scattering measurements; comparison of extinction and backscattering coefficients for measured and analytic stratospheric aerosol size distributions; using hybrid methods to solve problems in radiative transfer and in multiple scattering; blue moon phenomena; absorption refractive index of aerosols in the Denver pollution cloud; a two dimensional stratospheric model of the dispersion of aerosols from the Fuego volcanic eruption; the variation of the aerosol volume to light scattering coefficient; spectrophone in situ measurements of the absorption of visible light by aerosols; a reassessment of the Krakatoa volcanic turbidity, and multiple scattering in the sky radiance.

Source record↗

Mineral identification and mapping of hydrothermal alteration zones using high-spectral resolution images (AVIRIS)

High-spectral resolution images (AVIRIS) of the cuprite mining area were used to evaluate atmospheric calibration algorithms and test several mineral mapping techniques. Four scene normalization techniques were used: (1) the flat-field method, (2) the internal average reflectance method, (3) the empirical line method, and (4) the atmospheric absorption removal method (ATREM). The algorithms were evaluated in terms of their spectral interpret- ability and their ability to remove both solar irradiance and atmospheric absorption features, noise, and artifacts. Noise was quantified by calculating the coefficient of variation of the spectra, and spectral interpretability was quantified by calcu- lating a difference spectrum (eg, laboratory spectrum minus pixel spectrum) for areas with known occurrences of clay minerals. These difference spectra were useful in evaluating the degree of removal of atmospheric features. The empirical line method produced the best calibration results. Mineral mapping as done using (1) color-composites of bands on the shoulders and centers of expected absorption features, (2) color-coded spectra, and (3) spectral angle mapping.

Van Der Meer, Freek D.↗

Quantitative spectroscopy for the analysis of GOME data

Accurate analysis of the global ozone monitoring experiment (GOME) data to obtain atmospheric constituents requires reliable, traceable spectroscopic parameters for atmospheric absorption and scattering. Results are summarized for research that includes: the re-determination of Rayleigh scattering cross sections and phase functions for the 200 nm to 1000 nm range; the analysis of solar spectra to obtain a high-resolution reference spectrum with excellent absolute vacuum wavelength calibration; Ring effect cross sections and phase functions determined directly from accurate molecular parameters of N2 and O2; O2 A band line intensities and pressure broadening coefficients; and the analysis of absolute accuracies for ultraviolet and visible absorption cross sections of O3 and other trace species measurable by GOME.

Chance, K.↗

Electromagnetic wave extinction within a forested canopy

A forested canopy is modeled by a collection of randomly oriented finite-length cylinders shaded by randomly oriented and distributed disk- or needle-shaped leaves. For a plane wave exciting the forested canopy, the extinction coefficient is formulated in terms of the extinction cross sections (ECSs) in the local frame of each forest component and the Eulerian angles of orientation (used to describe the orientation of each component). The ECSs in the local frame for the finite-length cylinders used to model the branches are obtained by using the forward-scattering theorem. ECSs in the local frame for the disk- and needle-shaped leaves are obtained by the summation of the absorption and scattering cross-sections. The behavior of the extinction coefficients with the incidence angle is investigated numerically for both deciduous and coniferous forest. The dependencies of the extinction coefficients on the orientation of the leaves are illustrated numerically.

Karam, M. A.↗

Hierarchical calibration and validation framework of bench-scale computational fluid dynamics simulations for solvent-based carbon capture. Part 2: Chemical absorption across a wetted wall column: Original Research Article: Hierarchical calibration and validation framework of bench-scale computational fluid dynamics simulations

Part 1 of this paper presents a numerical model for non-reactive physical mass transfer across a wetted wall column (WWC). In Part 2, we improved the existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to simulate chemical absorption occurring in a WWC as a bench-scale study of solvent-based carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) capture. In this study, to generate data for WWC model validation, CO 2 mass transfer across a monoethanolamine (MEA) solvent was first measured on a WWC experimental apparatus. The numerical model developed in this work can account for both chemical absorption and desorption of CO 2 in MEA. In addition, the overall mass transfer coefficient predicted using traditional/empirical correlations is conducted and compared with CFD prediction results for both steady and wavy falling films. A Bayesian statistical calibration algorithm is adopted to calibrate the reaction rate constants in chemical absorption/desorption of CO 2 across a falling film of MEA. The posterior distributions of the two transport properties, i.e., Henry's constant and gas diffusivity in the non-reacting nitrous oxide (N 2 O)/MEA system obtained from Part 1 of this study, serves as priors for the calibration of CO 2 reaction rate constants after using the N 2 O/CO 2 analogy method. Finally, the calibrated model can be used to predict the CO 2 mass transfer in a WWC for a wider range of operating conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DIFFUSE MOLECULAR CLOUD DENSITIES FROM UV MEASUREMENTS OF CO ABSORPTION

We use UV measurements of interstellar CO toward nearby stars to calculate the density in the diffuse molecular clouds containing the molecules responsible for the observed absorption. Chemical models and recent calculations of the excitation rate coefficients indicate that the regions in which CO is found have hydrogen predominantly in molecular form and that collisional excitation is by collisions with H{sub 2} molecules. We carry out statistical equilibrium calculations using CO-H{sub 2} collision rates to solve for the H{sub 2} density in the observed sources without including effects of radiative trapping. We have assumed kinetic temperatures of 50 K and 100 K, finding this choice to make relatively little difference to the lowest transition. For the sources having T{sup ex}{sub 10} only for which we could determine upper and lower density limits, we find (n(H{sub 2})) = 49 cm{sup -3}. While we can find a consistent density range for a good fraction of the sources having either two or three values of the excitation temperature, there is a suggestion that the higher-J transitions are sampling clouds or regions within diffuse molecular cloud material that have higher densities than the material sampled by the J = 1-0 transition. The assumed kinetic temperature and derived H{sub 2} density are anticorrelated when the J = 2-1 transition data, the J = 3-2 transition data, or both are included. For sources with either two or three values of the excitation temperature, we find average values of the midpoint of the density range that is consistent with all of the observations equal to 68 cm{sup -3} for T{sup k} = 100 K and 92 cm{sup -3} for T{sup k} = 50 K. The data for this set of sources imply that diffuse molecular clouds are characterized by an average thermal pressure between 4600 and 6800 K cm{sup -3}.

79 ASTRONOMY AND ASTROPHYSICS↗

Macromolecule Sorption and Diffusion in HEMA/MAA Hydrogels

Transient solute absorption and desorption concentration profiles were measured in a 70 wt % hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)/30 wt % methacrylic acid (MAA) anionic hydrogel using two-photon confocal microscopy. Dilute aqueous solutes included fluorescently labeled dextrans with molecular masses of 4, 10, and 20 kDa, and fluorescently labeled cationic avidin protein. Cross-linking densities with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) varied from 0 to 1 wt % with polymer volume fractions increasing from 0.15 to 0.25. Average gel mesh sizes, determined from zero-frequency oscillatory shear storage moduli, ranged from about 3.6 to 8.4 nm over the cross-link ratios studied. All solutes exhibit Stokes-Einstein hydrodynamic radii obtained from measured free diffusion coefficients, D o , comparable to or larger than the average gel mesh size. In spite of considerable size exclusion, the studied solutes penetrate the gels indicating a range of mesh sizes available for transport. Transient uptake and release concentration profiles for FITC-dextrans follow simple diffusion theory with diffusion coefficients, D , essentially independent of loading or release characteristic of reversible absorption. Although strongly size-excluded, these solutes do not interact specifically with the polymer network. Diffusivities are accordingly predicted from a large-pore effective-medium (LPEM) model developed to account for solute size, hydrodynamic drag, and distribution of mesh sizes available for transport in the polymer network. For this class of solute, anrs of magnitude slower than that of dextran of similar hydrodynamic radius. Desorption of avidin is not cd using no adjustable parameters, diffusivities predicted from the new effective-medium model demonstrate good agreement with experiment. For the specific-interacting cationic protein, avidin, gel loading is 3 ordeomplete even after 2 weeks of extraction. On the basis of size alone, avidin is strongly size-excluded, yet it exhibits a partition coefficient of over 20. For the positively charged protein, we observed specific ion binding on the negatively charged carboxylate groups of MAA-decorated polymer strands in the larger mesh spaces. Finally, simple linear sorption kinetics gives an adsorption time constant of 5 min and a desorption time constant of about 20 days, suggesting nearly irreversible uptake of cationic avidin on the anionic gel matrix.

diffusion↗

Relations among low ionosphere parameters and high frequency radio wave absorption

Charged particle conductivities measured in the very low ionosphere at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, and Wallops Island, Virginia, are compared with atmospheric parameters and high frequency radio wave absorption measurements. Charged particle densities are derived from the conductivity data. Between 33 and 58 km, positive conductivity correlated well with neutral atmospheric temperature, with temperature coefficients as large as 4.6%/deg K. Good correlations were also found between HF radio wave absorption and negative conductivity at altitudes as low as 53 km, indicating that the day-to-day absorption variations were principally due to variations in electron loss rate.

Cipriano, J. P.↗