Mechanism for optimization of signal-to-noise ratio of dopamine release based on short-term bidirectional plasticity.

PubMed

Da Cunha, Claudio; McKimm, Eric; Da Cunha, Rafael M; Boschen, Suelen L; Redgrave, Peter; Blaha, Charles D

2017-07-15

Repeated electrical stimulation of dopamine (dopamine) fibers can cause variable effects on further dopamine release; sometimes there are short-term decreases while in other cases short-term increases have been reported. Previous studies have failed to discover what factors determine in which way dopamine neurons will respond to repeated stimulation. The aim of the present study was therefore to investigate what determines the direction and magnitude of this particular form of short-term plasticity. Fixed potential amperometry was used to measure dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens in response to two trains of electrical pulses administered to the ventral tegmental area of anesthetized mice. When the pulse trains were of equal magnitude we found that low magnitude stimulation was associated with short-term suppression and high magnitude stimulation with short-term facilitation of dopamine release. Secondly, we found that the magnitude of the second pulse train was critical for determining the sign of the plasticity (suppression or facilitation), while the magnitude of the first pulse train determined the extent to which the response to the second train was suppressed or facilitated. This form of bidirectional plasticity might provide a mechanism to enhance signal-to-noise ratio of dopamine neurotransmission. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The relation between auditory-nerve temporal responses and perceptual rate integration in cochlear implants

PubMed Central

Hughes, Michelle L.; Baudhuin, Jacquelyn L.; Goehring, Jenny L.

2014-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine auditory-nerve temporal response properties and their relation to psychophysical threshold for electrical pulse trains of varying rates (“rate integration”). The primary hypothesis was that better rate integration (steeper slope) would be correlated with smaller decrements in ECAP amplitude as a function of stimulation rate (shallower slope of the amplitude-rate function), reflecting a larger percentage of the neural population contributing more synchronously to each pulse in the train. Data were obtained for 26 ears in 23 cochlear-implant recipients. Electrically evoked compound action potential (ECAP) amplitudes were measured in response to each of 21 pulses in a pulse train for the following rates: 900, 1200, 1800, 2400, and 3500 pps. Psychophysical thresholds were obtained using a 3-interval, forced-choice adaptive procedure for 300-ms pulse trains of the same rates as used for the ECAP measures, which formed the rate-integration function. For each electrode, the slope of the psychophysical rate-integration function was compared to the following ECAP measures: (1) slope of the function comparing average normalized ECAP amplitude across pulses versus stimulation rate (“adaptation”), (2) the rate that produced the maximum alternation depth across the pulse train, and (3) rate at which the alternating pattern ceased (stochastic rate). Results showed no significant relations between the slope of the rate-integration function and any of the ECAP measures when data were collapsed across subjects. However, group data showed that both threshold and average ECAP amplitude decreased with increased stimulus rate, and within-subject analyses showed significant positive correlations between psychophysical thresholds and mean ECAP response amplitudes across the pulse train. These data suggest that ECAP temporal response patterns are complex and further study is required to better understand the relative contributions of adaptation, desynchronization, and firing probabilities of individual neurons that contribute to the aggregate ECAP response. PMID:25093283

Effects of interaural time differences in fine structure and envelope on lateral discrimination in electric hearing.

PubMed

Majdak, Piotr; Laback, Bernhard; Baumgartner, Wolf-Dieter

2006-10-01

Bilateral cochlear implant (CI) listeners currently use stimulation strategies which encode interaural time differences (ITD) in the temporal envelope but which do not transmit ITD in the fine structure, due to the constant phase in the electric pulse train. To determine the utility of encoding ITD in the fine structure, ITD-based lateralization was investigated with four CI listeners and four normal hearing (NH) subjects listening to a simulation of electric stimulation. Lateralization discrimination was tested at different pulse rates for various combinations of independently controlled fine structure ITD and envelope ITD. Results for electric hearing show that the fine structure ITD had the strongest impact on lateralization at lower pulse rates, with significant effects for pulse rates up to 800 pulses per second. At higher pulse rates, lateralization discrimination depended solely on the envelope ITD. The data suggest that bilateral CI listeners benefit from transmitting fine structure ITD at lower pulse rates. However, there were strong interindividual differences: the better performing CI listeners performed comparably to the NH listeners.

Background-free millimeter-wave ultra-wideband signal generation based on a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator.

PubMed

Zhang, Fangzheng; Pan, Shilong

2013-11-04

A novel scheme for photonic generation of a millimeter-wave ultra-wideband (MMW-UWB) signal is proposed and experimentally demonstrated based on a dual-parallel Mach-Zehnder modulator (DPMZM). In the proposed scheme, a single-frequency radio frequency (RF) signal is applied to one sub-MZM of the DPMZM to achieve optical suppressed-carrier modulation, and an electrical control pulse train is applied to the other sub-MZM biased at the minimum transmission point, to get an on/off switchable optical carrier. By filtering out the optical carrier with one of the first-order sidebands, and properly setting the amplitude of the control pulse, an MMW-UWB pulse train without the residual local oscillation is generated after photo-detection. The generated MMW-UWB signal is background-free, because the low-frequency components in the electrical spectrum are effectively suppressed. In the experiment, an MMW-UWB pulse train centered at 25 GHz with a 10-dB bandwidth of 5.5 GHz is successfully generated. The low frequency components are suppressed by 22 dB.

Self-stimulation in the rat: quantitative characteristics of the reward pathway.

PubMed

Gallistel, C R

1978-12-01

Quantitative characteristics of the neural pathway that carries the reinforcing signal in electrical self-stimulation of the brain were established by finding which combinations of stimulation parameters give the same performance in a runway. The reward for each run was a train of evenly spaced monophasic cathodal pulses from a monopolar electrode. With train duration and pulse frequency held constant, the required current was a hyperbolic function of pulse duration, with chronaxie c approximately 1.5 msec. With pulse duration held constant, the required strength of the train (the charge delivered per second) was a hyperbolic function of train duration, with chronaxie C approximately 500 msec. To a first approximation, the values of c and C were independent of the choice either of train duration and pulse frequency or of pulse duration, respectively. Hence, the current intensity required by any choice of train duration, pulse frequency, and pulse duration dependent on only two basic parameters, c and C, and one quantity, Qi, the required impulse charge. These may reflect, respectively, current integration by directly excited neurons; temporal integration of neural activity by synaptic processes in a neural network; and the peak of the impulse response of the network, assuming that the network has linear dynamics and that the reward depends on the peak of the output of the network.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulator with controllable pulse parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peterchev, Angel V.; Murphy, David L.; Lisanby, Sarah H.

2011-06-01

The characteristics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses influence the physiological effect of TMS. However, available TMS devices allow very limited adjustment of the pulse parameters. We describe a novel TMS device that uses a circuit topology incorporating two energy storage capacitors and two insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules to generate near-rectangular electric field pulses with adjustable number, polarity, duration, and amplitude of the pulse phases. This controllable pulse parameter TMS (cTMS) device can induce electric field pulses with phase widths of 10-310 µs and positive/negative phase amplitude ratio of 1-56. Compared to conventional monophasic and biphasic TMS, cTMS reduces energy dissipation up to 82% and 57% and decreases coil heating up to 33% and 41%, respectively. We demonstrate repetitive TMS trains of 3000 pulses at frequencies up to 50 Hz with electric field pulse amplitude and width variability less than the measurement resolution (1.7% and 1%, respectively). Offering flexible pulse parameter adjustment and reduced power consumption and coil heating, cTMS enhances existing TMS paradigms, enables novel research applications and could lead to clinical applications with potentially enhanced potency.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulator with controllable pulse parameters.

PubMed

Peterchev, Angel V; Murphy, David L; Lisanby, Sarah H

2011-06-01

The characteristics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses influence the physiological effect of TMS. However, available TMS devices allow very limited adjustment of the pulse parameters. We describe a novel TMS device that uses a circuit topology incorporating two energy storage capacitors and two insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules to generate near-rectangular electric field pulses with adjustable number, polarity, duration, and amplitude of the pulse phases. This controllable pulse parameter TMS (cTMS) device can induce electric field pulses with phase widths of 10-310 µs and positive/negative phase amplitude ratio of 1-56. Compared to conventional monophasic and biphasic TMS, cTMS reduces energy dissipation up to 82% and 57% and decreases coil heating up to 33% and 41%, respectively. We demonstrate repetitive TMS trains of 3000 pulses at frequencies up to 50 Hz with electric field pulse amplitude and width variability less than the measurement resolution (1.7% and 1%, respectively). Offering flexible pulse parameter adjustment and reduced power consumption and coil heating, cTMS enhances existing TMS paradigms, enables novel research applications and could lead to clinical applications with potentially enhanced potency.

Predictions of psychophysical measurements for sinusoidal amplitude modulated (SAM) pulse-train stimuli from a stochastic model.

PubMed

Xu, Yifang; Collins, Leslie M

2007-08-01

Two approaches have been proposed to reduce the synchrony of the neural response to electrical stimuli in cochlear implants. One approach involves adding noise to the pulse-train stimulus, and the other is based on using a high-rate pulse-train carrier. Hypotheses regarding the efficacy of the two approaches can be tested using computational models of neural responsiveness prior to time-intensive psychophysical studies. In our previous work, we have used such models to examine the effects of noise on several psychophysical measures important to speech recognition. However, to date there has been no parallel analytic solution investigating the neural response to the high-rate pulse-train stimuli and their effect on psychophysical measures. This work investigates the properties of the neural response to high-rate pulse-train stimuli with amplitude modulated envelopes using a stochastic auditory nerve model. The statistics governing the neural response to each pulse are derived using a recursive method. The agreement between the theoretical predictions and model simulations is demonstrated for sinusoidal amplitude modulated (SAM) high rate pulse-train stimuli. With our approach, predicting the neural response in modern implant devices becomes tractable. Psychophysical measurements are also predicted using the stochastic auditory nerve model for SAM high-rate pulse-train stimuli. Changes in dynamic range (DR) and intensity discrimination are compared with that observed for noise-modulated pulse-train stimuli. Modulation frequency discrimination is also studied as a function of stimulus level and pulse rate. Results suggest that high rate carriers may positively impact such psychophysical measures.

Tooth pulp stimulation as an unconditioned stimulus in defensive instrumental conditioning.

PubMed

Jastreboff, P J; Keller, O; Zieliński, K

1977-01-01

In an experiment performed on five cats, stable escape and avoidance reflexes in a bar-pressing situation were established using tooth pulp electric stimulation as the unconditioned stimulus. The influence of changes in parameters of the unconditioned stimulus (current intensity, single pulse and train durations, frequency of pulses and rate of train presentations) on unconditioned and instrumental responses was analysed in three additional subjects. Among other relationships the dependence of the threshold of bar press responses on the amount of charge in a single pulse was determined.

High-speed pulse-shape generator, pulse multiplexer

DOEpatents

Burkhart, Scott C.

2002-01-01

The invention combines arbitrary amplitude high-speed pulses for precision pulse shaping for the National Ignition Facility (NIF). The circuitry combines arbitrary height pulses which are generated by replicating scaled versions of a trigger pulse and summing them delayed in time on a pulse line. The combined electrical pulses are connected to an electro-optic modulator which modulates a laser beam. The circuit can also be adapted to combine multiple channels of high speed data into a single train of electrical pulses which generates the optical pulses for very high speed optical communication. The invention has application in laser pulse shaping for inertial confinement fusion, in optical data links for computers, telecommunications, and in laser pulse shaping for atomic excitation studies. The invention can be used to effect at least a 10.times. increase in all fiber communication lines. It allows a greatly increased data transfer rate between high-performance computers. The invention is inexpensive enough to bring high-speed video and data services to homes through a super modem.

Cell Electrosensitization Exists Only in Certain Electroporation Buffers.

PubMed

Dermol, Janja; Pakhomova, Olga N; Pakhomov, Andrei G; Miklavčič, Damijan

2016-01-01

Electroporation-induced cell sensitization was described as the occurrence of a delayed hypersensitivity to electric pulses caused by pretreating cells with electric pulses. It was achieved by increasing the duration of the electroporation treatment at the same cumulative energy input. It could be exploited in electroporation-based treatments such as electrochemotherapy and tissue ablation with irreversible electroporation. The mechanisms responsible for cell sensitization, however, have not yet been identified. We investigated cell sensitization dynamics in five different electroporation buffers. We split a pulse train into two trains varying the delay between them and measured the propidium uptake by fluorescence microscopy. By fitting the first-order model to the experimental results, we determined the uptake due to each train (i.e. the first and the second) and the corresponding resealing constant. Cell sensitization was observed in the growth medium but not in other tested buffers. The effect of pulse repetition frequency, cell size change, cytoskeleton disruption and calcium influx do not adequately explain cell sensitization. Based on our results, we can conclude that cell sensitization is a sum of several processes and is buffer dependent. Further research is needed to determine its generality and to identify underlying mechanisms.

Cell Electrosensitization Exists Only in Certain Electroporation Buffers

PubMed Central

Dermol, Janja; Pakhomova, Olga N.; Pakhomov, Andrei G.; Miklavčič, Damijan

2016-01-01

Electroporation-induced cell sensitization was described as the occurrence of a delayed hypersensitivity to electric pulses caused by pretreating cells with electric pulses. It was achieved by increasing the duration of the electroporation treatment at the same cumulative energy input. It could be exploited in electroporation-based treatments such as electrochemotherapy and tissue ablation with irreversible electroporation. The mechanisms responsible for cell sensitization, however, have not yet been identified. We investigated cell sensitization dynamics in five different electroporation buffers. We split a pulse train into two trains varying the delay between them and measured the propidium uptake by fluorescence microscopy. By fitting the first-order model to the experimental results, we determined the uptake due to each train (i.e. the first and the second) and the corresponding resealing constant. Cell sensitization was observed in the growth medium but not in other tested buffers. The effect of pulse repetition frequency, cell size change, cytoskeleton disruption and calcium influx do not adequately explain cell sensitization. Based on our results, we can conclude that cell sensitization is a sum of several processes and is buffer dependent. Further research is needed to determine its generality and to identify underlying mechanisms. PMID:27454174

Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulator with Controllable Pulse Parameters

PubMed Central

Peterchev, Angel V; Murphy, David L; Lisanby, Sarah H

2013-01-01

The characteristics of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) pulses influence the physiological effect of TMS. However, available TMS devices allow very limited adjustment of the pulse parameters. We describe a novel TMS device that uses a circuit topology incorporating two energy storage capacitors and two insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules to generate near-rectangular electric field pulses with adjustable number, polarity, duration, and amplitude of the pulse phases. This controllable pulse parameter TMS (cTMS) device can induce electric field pulses with phase widths of 10–310 μs and positive/negative phase amplitude ratio of 1–56. Compared to conventional monophasic and biphasic TMS, cTMS reduces energy dissipation by up to 82% and 57%, and decreases coil heating by up to 33% and 41%, respectively. We demonstrate repetitive TMS trains of 3,000 pulses at frequencies up to 50 Hz with electric field pulse amplitude and width variability less than the measurement resolution (1.7% and 1%, respectively). Offering flexible pulse parameter adjustment and reduced power consumption and coil heating, cTMS enhances existing TMS paradigms, enables novel research applications, and could lead to clinical applications with potentially enhanced potency. PMID:21540487

Predicting non-isometric fatigue induced by electrical stimulation pulse trains as a function of pulse duration

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Our previous model of the non-isometric muscle fatigue that occurs during repetitive functional electrical stimulation included models of force, motion, and fatigue and accounted for applied load but not stimulation pulse duration. Our objectives were to: 1) further develop, 2) validate, and 3) present outcome measures for a non-isometric fatigue model that can predict the effect of a range of pulse durations on muscle fatigue. Methods A computer-controlled stimulator sent electrical pulses to electrodes on the thighs of 25 able-bodied human subjects. Isometric and non-isometric non-fatiguing and fatiguing knee torques and/or angles were measured. Pulse duration (170–600 μs) was the independent variable. Measurements were divided into parameter identification and model validation subsets. Results The fatigue model was simplified by removing two of three non-isometric parameters. The third remained a function of other model parameters. Between 66% and 77% of the variability in the angle measurements was explained by the new model. Conclusion Muscle fatigue in response to different stimulation pulse durations can be predicted during non-isometric repetitive contractions. PMID:23374142

Effect of tendon vibration during wide-pulse neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) on muscle force production in people with spinal cord injury (SCI).

PubMed

Bochkezanian, Vanesa; Newton, Robert U; Trajano, Gabriel S; Vieira, Amilton; Pulverenti, Timothy S; Blazevich, Anthony J

2018-02-13

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is commonly used in skeletal muscles in people with spinal cord injury (SCI) with the aim of increasing muscle recruitment and thus muscle force production. NMES has been conventionally used in clinical practice as functional electrical stimulation (FES), using low levels of evoked force that cannot optimally stimulate muscular strength and mass improvements, and thus trigger musculoskeletal changes in paralysed muscles. The use of high intensity intermittent NMES training using wide-pulse width and moderate-intensity as a strength training tool could be a promising method to increase muscle force production in people with SCI. However, this type of protocol has not been clinically adopted because it may generate rapid muscle fatigue and thus prevent the performance of repeated high-intensity muscular contractions in paralysed muscles. Moreover, superimposing patellar tendon vibration onto the wide-pulse width NMES has been shown to elicit further increases in impulse or, at least, reduce the rate of fatigue in repeated contractions in able-bodied populations, but there is a lack of evidence to support this argument in people with SCI. Nine people with SCI received two NMES protocols with and without superimposing patellar tendon vibration on different days (i.e. STIM and STIM+vib), which consisted of repeated 30 Hz trains of 58 wide-pulse width (1000 μs) symmetric biphasic pulses (0.033-s inter-pulse interval; 2 s stimulation train; 2-s inter-train interval) being delivered to the dominant quadriceps femoris. Starting torque was 20% of maximal doublet-twitch torque and stimulations continued until torque declined to 50% of the starting torque. Total knee extensor impulse was calculated as the primary outcome variable. Total knee extensor impulse increased in four subjects when patellar tendon vibration was imposed (59.2 ± 15.8%) but decreased in five subjects (- 31.3 ± 25.7%). However, there were no statistically significant differences between these sub-groups or between conditions when the data were pooled. Based on the present results there is insufficient evidence to conclude that patellar tendon vibration provides a clear benefit to muscle force production or delays muscle fatigue during wide-pulse width, moderate-intensity NMES in people with SCI. ACTRN12618000022268 . Date: 11/01/2018. Retrospectively registered.

Higher-order power harmonics of pulsed electrical stimulation modulates corticospinal contribution of peripheral nerve stimulation.

PubMed

Chen, Chiun-Fan; Bikson, Marom; Chou, Li-Wei; Shan, Chunlei; Khadka, Niranjan; Chen, Wen-Shiang; Fregni, Felipe

2017-03-03

It is well established that electrical-stimulation frequency is crucial to determining the scale of induced neuromodulation, particularly when attempting to modulate corticospinal excitability. However, the modulatory effects of stimulation frequency are not only determined by its absolute value but also by other parameters such as power at harmonics. The stimulus pulse shape further influences parameters such as excitation threshold and fiber selectivity. The explicit role of the power in these harmonics in determining the outcome of stimulation has not previously been analyzed. In this study, we adopted an animal model of peripheral electrical stimulation that includes an amplitude-adapted pulse train which induces force enhancements with a corticospinal contribution. We report that the electrical-stimulation-induced force enhancements were correlated with the amplitude of stimulation power harmonics during the amplitude-adapted pulse train. In an exploratory analysis, different levels of correlation were observed between force enhancement and power harmonics of 20-80 Hz (r = 0.4247, p = 0.0243), 100-180 Hz (r = 0.5894, p = 0.0001), 200-280 Hz (r = 0.7002, p < 0.0001), 300-380 Hz (r = 0.7449, p < 0.0001), 400-480 Hz (r = 0.7906, p < 0.0001), 500-600 Hz (r = 0.7717, p < 0.0001), indicating a trend of increasing correlation, specifically at higher order frequency power harmonics. This is a pilot, but important first demonstration that power at high order harmonics in the frequency spectrum of electrical stimulation pulses may contribute to neuromodulation, thus warrant explicit attention in therapy design and analysis.

Antiemesis effect and brain fMRI response of gastric electrical stimulation with different parameters in dogs.

PubMed

Yu, X; Tu, L; Lei, P; Song, J; Xu, H; Hou, X

2014-07-01

The aims of this study were to investigate the effect of gastric electrical stimulation (GES) with different parameters on emesis induced by apomorphine, and possible center mechanisms by brain functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Six dogs implanted with electrodes on gastric serosa were used in this study. Part 1: Apomorphine was injected in the control session and GES sessions. GESs with different parameters were applied in GES session. Gastric slow waves and emesis and behaviors suggestive of nausea were recorded in each session. Part 2: Each dog was anesthetized and given GESs with different parameters or sham stimulation for 15 min after baseline (5 min), respectively. The location of cerebral activation induced by GES was investigated by fMRI. Apomorphine induced emesis and behaviors suggestive of nausea, and gastric dysrhythmia. The emesis frequency in control session was 5.5 ± 0.99, and symptoms score was 22.17 ± 1.01. GES with short pulse and long pulse could not improve emesis and symptoms induced by apomorphine. The emesis frequency (4.5 ± 0.76 in short pulse and 6.33 ± 1.05 in long pulse) and symptoms scores had no significant difference compared to control session (each p > 0.05). GES with trains of short pulse reduced emesis time frequency (3.83 ± 0.7, p = 0.042 vs control) and symptoms score (p = 0.037 vs control) obviously. Brain fMRI showed that GES with short pulse and long pulse activated brain stem region, and trains of short pulse made amygdala and occipital lobe activation. Apomorphine induced emesis and gastric dysrhythmia. GES with trains of short pulses relieves emetic responses through activation of amygdala region. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Auditory Temporal Acuity Probed With Cochlear Implant Stimulation and Cortical Recording

PubMed Central

Kirby, Alana E.

2010-01-01

Cochlear implants stimulate the auditory nerve with amplitude-modulated (AM) electric pulse trains. Pulse rates >2,000 pulses per second (pps) have been hypothesized to enhance transmission of temporal information. Recent studies, however, have shown that higher pulse rates impair phase locking to sinusoidal AM in the auditory cortex and impair perceptual modulation detection. Here, we investigated the effects of high pulse rates on the temporal acuity of transmission of pulse trains to the auditory cortex. In anesthetized guinea pigs, signal-detection analysis was used to measure the thresholds for detection of gaps in pulse trains at rates of 254, 1,017, and 4,069 pps and in acoustic noise. Gap-detection thresholds decreased by an order of magnitude with increases in pulse rate from 254 to 4,069 pps. Such a pulse-rate dependence would likely influence speech reception through clinical speech processors. To elucidate the neural mechanisms of gap detection, we measured recovery from forward masking after a 196.6-ms pulse train. Recovery from masking was faster at higher carrier pulse rates and masking increased linearly with current level. We fit the data with a dual-exponential recovery function, consistent with a peripheral and a more central process. High-rate pulse trains evoked less central masking, possibly due to adaptation of the response in the auditory nerve. Neither gap detection nor forward masking varied with cortical depth, indicating that these processes are likely subcortical. These results indicate that gap detection and modulation detection are mediated by two separate neural mechanisms. PMID:19923242

Modulation of molecular hybridization and charge screening in a carbon nanotube network channel using the electrical pulse method.

PubMed

Woo, Jun-Myung; Kim, Seok Hyang; Chun, Honnggu; Kim, Sung Jae; Ahn, Jinhong; Park, Young June

2013-09-21

In this paper, we investigate the effect of electrical pulse bias on DNA hybridization events in a biosensor platform, using a Carbon Nanotube Network (CNN) and Gold Nano Particles (GNP) as an electrical channel. The scheme provides both hybridization rate enhancement of bio molecules, and electrical measurement in a transient state to avoid the charge screening effect, thereby significantly improving the sensitivity. As an example, the probe DNA molecules oscillate with pulse trains, resulting in the enhancement of DNA hybridization efficiency, and accordingly of the sensor performances in Tris-EDTA (TE) buffer solution, by as much as over three times, compared to the non-biasing conditions. More importantly, a wide dynamic range of 10(6) (target-DNA concentration from 5 pM to 5 μM) is achieved in human serum. In addition, the pulse biasing method enables one to obtain the conductance change, before the ions within the Electrical Double Layer (EDL) are redistributed, to avoid the charge screening effect, leading to an additional sensitivity enhancement.

Transcranial electric stimulation for intraoperative motor evoked potential monitoring: dependence of required stimulation current on interstimulus interval value.

PubMed

Joksimovic, Boban; Szelenyi, Andrea; Seifert, Volker; Damjanovic, Aleksandar; Damjanovic, Aleksandra; Rasulic, Lukas

2015-05-01

To evaluate the relationship between stimulus intensity by constant current transcranial electric stimulation and interstimulus interval (ISI) for eliciting muscle motor evoked potentials (MEPs) in three different hand muscles and the tibialis anterior muscles. We tested intraoperatively different monophasic constant current pulses and ISIs in 22 patients with clinically normal motor function. Motor thresholds of contralateral muscle MEPs were determined at 0.5 milliseconds (ms) pulse duration and ISIs of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 10 ms using a train of 2, 3, and 5 monophasic constant current pulses of 62 to 104 mA before craniotomy and after closure of the dura mater. The lowest stimulation threshold to elicit MEPs in the examined muscles was achieved with a train of 5 pulses (ISI: 3 ms) before craniotomy, which was statistically significant compared with 2 pulses (ISI: 3 ms) as well as 3 pulses (ISIs: 3 and 10 ms). An ISI of 3 ms gave the lowest motor thresholds with statistical significance compared with the ISIs of 4 ms (2 pulses) and of 1 ms (3 pulses). All current intensity (mA) and ISI (ms) relationship graphs had a trend of the exponential function as y = a + bx + c ρ (x), where y is intensity (mA) and x is ISI (ms). The minimum of the function was determined for each patient and each muscle. The difference was statistically significant between 3 and 5 pulses before craniotomy and between 3 and 5 pulses and 2 and 5 pulses after closure of the dura mater. In adult neurosurgical patients with a normal motor status, a train of 5 pulses and an ISI of 3 ms provide the lowest motor thresholds. We provided evidence of the dependence of required stimulation current on ISI. Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Effects of Pulse Current on Endurance Exercise and Its Anti-Fatigue Properties in the Hepatic Tissue of Trained Rats

PubMed Central

Ju, Xiaowei; Zhu, Lvgang; Huang, Changlin; Huang, Tao; Zuo, Xincheng; Gao, Chunfang

2013-01-01

Fatigue is synonymous with a wide spectrum of familiar physiological conditions, from pathology and general health, to sport and physical exercise. Strenuous, prolonged exercise training causes fatigue. Although several studies have investigated the effects of electrical stimulation frequency on muscle fatigue, the effects of percutaneous pulse current stimulation on fatigue in the hepatic tissue of trained rats is still unclear. In order to find an effective strategy to prevent fatigue or enhance recovery, the effects of pulse current on endurance exercise and its anti-fatigue properties in exercised rats were studied. Rats were subjected to one, three or five weeks of swimming exercise training. After exercise training, rats in the treated group received daily applications of pulse current. All rats were sacrificed after one, three or five weeks of swimming exercise, and the major biochemical indexes were measured in serum and liver. The results demonstrate that pulse current could prolong the exhaustion swimming time, as well as decrease serum ALT, AST and LD levels and liver MDA content. It also elevated serum LDH activity, liver SOD activity and glycogen content. Furthermore, pulse current increased the expression of Bcl-2 and decreased the expression of Bax. Taken together, these results show that pulse current can elevate endurance capacity and facilitate recovery from fatigue. PMID:24116026

All solid-state high power microwave source with high repetition frequency.

PubMed

Bragg, J-W B; Sullivan, W W; Mauch, D; Neuber, A A; Dickens, J C

2013-05-01

An all solid-state, megawatt-class high power microwave system featuring a silicon carbide (SiC) photoconductive semiconductor switch (PCSS) and a ferrimagnetic-based, coaxial nonlinear transmission line (NLTL) is presented. A 1.62 cm(2), 50 kV 4H-SiC PCSS is hard-switched to produce electrical pulses with 7 ns full width-half max (FWHM) pulse widths at 2 ns risetimes in single shot and burst-mode operation. The PCSS resistance drops to sub-ohm when illuminated with approximately 3 mJ of laser energy at 355 nm (tripled Nd:YAG) in a single pulse. Utilizing a fiber optic based optical delivery system, a laser pulse train of four 7 ns (FWHM) signals was generated at 65 MHz repetition frequency. The resulting electrical pulse train from the PCSS closely follows the optical input and is utilized to feed the NLTL generating microwave pulses with a base microwave-frequency of about 2.1 GHz at 65 MHz pulse repetition frequency (prf). Under typical experimental conditions, the NLTL produces sharpened output risetimes of 120 ps and microwave oscillations at 2-4 GHz that are generated due to damped gyromagnetic precession of the ferrimagnetic material's axially pre-biased magnetic moments. The complete system is discussed in detail with its output matched into 50 Ω, and results covering MHz-prf in burst-mode operation as well as frequency agility in single shot operation are discussed.

Binaural electric-acoustic interactions recorded from the inferior colliculus of Guinea pigs: the effect of masking observed in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus.

PubMed

Noh, Heil; Lee, Dong-Hee

2012-09-01

To investigate the electric-acoustic interactions within the inferior colliculus of guinea pigs and to observe how central masking appears in invasive neural recordings of the inferior colliculus (IC). A platinum-iridium wire was inserted to scala tympani through cochleostomy with a depth no greater than 1 mm for intracochlear stimulation of electric pulse train. A 5 mm 100 µm, single-shank, thin-film, penetrating recording probe was inserted perpendicularly to the surface of the IC in the coronal plane at an angle of 30-40° off the parasagittal plane with a depth of 2.0-2.5 mm. The peripheral and central masking effects were compared using electric pulse trains to the left ear and acoustic noise to the left ear (ipsilateral) and to the right ear (contralateral). Binaural acoustic stimuli were presented with different time delays and compared with combined electric and acoustic stimuli. The averaged evoked potentials and total spike numbers were measured using thin-film electrodes inserted into the central nucleus of the IC. Ipsilateral noise had more obvious effects on the electric response than did contralateral noise. Contralateral noise decreased slightly the response amplitude to the electric pulse train stimuli. Immediately after the onset of acoustic noise, the response pattern changed transiently with shorter response intervals. The effects of contralateral noise were evident at the beginning of the continuous noise. The total spike number decreased when the binaural stimuli reached the IC most simultaneously. These results suggest that central masking is quite different from peripheral masking and occurs within the binaural auditory system, and this study showed that the effect of masking could be observed in the IC recording. These effects are more evident and consistent with the psychophysical data from spike number analyses than with the previously reported gross potential data.

Properties of the unusually short pulse sequences occurring prior to the first strokes of negative cloud-to-ground lightning flashes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolmasova, Ivana; Santolik, Ondrej; Farges, Thomas; Rison, William; Lan, Radek; Uhlir, Ludek

2014-05-01

We analyze pulse sequences occurring prior to first return strokes of negative cloud-to-ground lightning flashes. The magnetic-field waveforms are measured close to the thunderstorm using a broad-band analyzer with a sampling interval of 12.5 ns. The electric-field waveforms are measured at the distance of ~ 400 km using an analyzer with a sampling interval of 80 ns. The sequence is usually composed of three parts. It begins with a larger pulse train which is believed to be connected with initial breakdown processes. The train of preliminary breakdown pulses ("B" part) is followed by a relatively low and irregular pulse activity ("I" part), which is sometimes missing. The sequence ends with a pulse train attributed to the stepped leader ("L" part). We recognize two different patterns ("B-I-L" and "B-L" types) in recorded waveforms. For the first time, we analyze the time evolution of the pulse amplitudes in the "B" part of "B-I-L" type sequences. The pulse amplitude is decreasing on average by 34% of the maximum value within a given train. We observe an unusually short duration of sequences. This is probably linked to a low height of the thundercloud. Another possible explanation may be based on an untypical precipitation mix resulting in faster steeped leaders.

Auditory steady-state responses in cochlear implant users: Effect of modulation frequency and stimulation artifacts.

PubMed

Gransier, Robin; Deprez, Hanne; Hofmann, Michael; Moonen, Marc; van Wieringen, Astrid; Wouters, Jan

2016-05-01

Previous studies have shown that objective measures based on stimulation with low-rate pulse trains fail to predict the threshold levels of cochlear implant (CI) users for high-rate pulse trains, as used in clinical devices. Electrically evoked auditory steady-state responses (EASSRs) can be elicited by modulated high-rate pulse trains, and can potentially be used to objectively determine threshold levels of CI users. The responsiveness of the auditory pathway of profoundly hearing-impaired CI users to modulation frequencies is, however, not known. In the present study we investigated the responsiveness of the auditory pathway of CI users to a monopolar 500 pulses per second (pps) pulse train modulated between 1 and 100 Hz. EASSRs to forty-three modulation frequencies, elicited at the subject's maximum comfort level, were recorded by means of electroencephalography. Stimulation artifacts were removed by a linear interpolation between a pre- and post-stimulus sample (i.e., blanking). The phase delay across modulation frequencies was used to differentiate between the neural response and a possible residual stimulation artifact after blanking. Stimulation artifacts were longer than the inter-pulse interval of the 500pps pulse train for recording electrodes ipsilateral to the CI. As a result the stimulation artifacts could not be removed by artifact removal on the bases of linear interpolation for recording electrodes ipsilateral to the CI. However, artifact-free responses could be obtained in all subjects from recording electrodes contralateral to the CI, when subject specific reference electrodes (Cz or Fpz) were used. EASSRs to modulation frequencies within the 30-50 Hz range resulted in significant responses in all subjects. Only a small number of significant responses could be obtained, during a measurement period of 5 min, that originate from the brain stem (i.e., modulation frequencies in the 80-100 Hz range). This reduced synchronized activity of brain stem responses in long-term severely-hearing impaired CI users could be an attribute of processes associated with long-term hearing impairment and/or electrical stimulation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subfemtosecond directional control of chemical processes in molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alnaser, Ali S.; Litvinyuk, Igor V.

2017-02-01

Laser pulses with a waveform-controlled electric field and broken inversion symmetry establish the opportunity to achieve directional control of molecular processes on a subfemtosecond timescale. Several techniques could be used to break the inversion symmetry of an electric field. The most common ones include combining a fundamental laser frequency with its second harmonic or with higher -frequency pulses (or pulse trains) as well as using few-cycle pulses with known carrier-envelope phase (CEP). In the case of CEP, control over chemical transformations, typically occurring on a timescale of many femtoseconds, is driven by much faster sub-cycle processes of subfemtosecond to few-femtosecond duration. This is possible because electrons are much lighter than nuclei and fast electron motion is coupled to the much slower nuclear motion. The control originates from populating coherent superpositions of different electronic or vibrational states with relative phases that are dependent on the CEP or phase offset between components of a two-color pulse. In this paper, we review the recent progress made in the directional control over chemical processes, driven by intense few-cycle laser pulses a of waveform-tailored electric field, in different molecules.

Broadband noise limit in the photodetection of ultralow jitter optical pulses.

PubMed

Sun, Wenlu; Quinlan, Franklyn; Fortier, Tara M; Deschenes, Jean-Daniel; Fu, Yang; Diddams, Scott A; Campbell, Joe C

2014-11-14

Applications with optical atomic clocks and precision timing often require the transfer of optical frequency references to the electrical domain with extremely high fidelity. Here we examine the impact of photocarrier scattering and distributed absorption on the photocurrent noise of high-speed photodiodes when detecting ultralow jitter optical pulses. Despite its small contribution to the total photocurrent, this excess noise can determine the phase noise and timing jitter of microwave signals generated by detecting ultrashort optical pulses. A Monte Carlo simulation of the photodetection process is used to quantitatively estimate the excess noise. Simulated phase noise on the 10 GHz harmonic of a photodetected pulse train shows good agreement with previous experimental data, leading to the conclusion that the lowest phase noise photonically generated microwave signals are limited by photocarrier scattering well above the quantum limit of the optical pulse train.

Ultrafocused Electromagnetic Field Pulses with a Hollow Cylindrical Waveguide

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maurer, P.; Prat-Camps, J.; Cirac, J. I.; Hänsch, T. W.; Romero-Isart, O.

2017-07-01

We theoretically show that a dipole externally driven by a pulse with a lower-bounded temporal width, and placed inside a cylindrical hollow waveguide, can generate a train of arbitrarily short and focused electromagnetic pulses. The waveguide encloses vacuum with perfect electric conducting walls. A dipole driven by a single short pulse, which is properly engineered to exploit the linear spectral filtering of the cylindrical hollow waveguide, excites longitudinal waveguide modes that are coherently refocused at some particular instances of time, thereby producing arbitrarily short and focused electromagnetic pulses. We numerically show that such ultrafocused pulses persist outside the cylindrical waveguide at distances comparable to its radius.

Precision measurement of electric organ discharge timing from freely moving weakly electric fish.

PubMed

Jun, James J; Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2012-04-01

Physiological measurements from an unrestrained, untethered, and freely moving animal permit analyses of neural states correlated to naturalistic behaviors of interest. Precise and reliable remote measurements remain technically challenging due to animal movement, which perturbs the relative geometries between the animal and sensors. Pulse-type electric fish generate a train of discrete and stereotyped electric organ discharges (EOD) to sense their surroundings actively, and rapid modulation of the discharge rate occurs while free swimming in Gymnotus sp. The modulation of EOD rates is a useful indicator of the fish's central state such as resting, alertness, and learning associated with exploration. However, the EOD pulse waveforms remotely observed at a pair of dipole electrodes continuously vary as the fish swims relative to the electrodes, which biases the judgment of the actual pulse timing. To measure the EOD pulse timing more accurately, reliably, and noninvasively from a free-swimming fish, we propose a novel method based on the principles of waveform reshaping and spatial averaging. Our method is implemented using envelope extraction and multichannel summation, which is more precise and reliable compared with other widely used threshold- or peak-based methods according to the tests performed under various source-detector geometries. Using the same method, we constructed a real-time electronic pulse detector performing an additional online pulse discrimination routine to enhance further the detection reliability. Our stand-alone pulse detector performed with high temporal precision (<10 μs) and reliability (error <1 per 10(6) pulses) and permits longer recording duration by storing only event time stamps (4 bytes/pulse).

Prediction and control of neural responses to pulsatile electrical stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, Luke J.; Sly, David James; O'Leary, Stephen John

2012-04-01

This paper aims to predict and control the probability of firing of a neuron in response to pulsatile electrical stimulation of the type delivered by neural prostheses such as the cochlear implant, bionic eye or in deep brain stimulation. Using the cochlear implant as a model, we developed an efficient computational model that predicts the responses of auditory nerve fibers to electrical stimulation and evaluated the model's accuracy by comparing the model output with pooled responses from a group of guinea pig auditory nerve fibers. It was found that the model accurately predicted the changes in neural firing probability over time to constant and variable amplitude electrical pulse trains, including speech-derived signals, delivered at rates up to 889 pulses s-1. A simplified version of the model that did not incorporate adaptation was used to adaptively predict, within its limitations, the pulsatile electrical stimulus required to cause a desired response from neurons up to 250 pulses s-1. Future stimulation strategies for cochlear implants and other neural prostheses may be enhanced using similar models that account for the way that neural responses are altered by previous stimulation.

Method for generating a plasma wave to accelerate electrons

DOEpatents

Umstadter, D.; Esarey, E.; Kim, J.K.

1997-06-10

The invention provides a method and apparatus for generating large amplitude nonlinear plasma waves, driven by an optimized train of independently adjustable, intense laser pulses. In the method, optimal pulse widths, interpulse spacing, and intensity profiles of each pulse are determined for each pulse in a series of pulses. A resonant region of the plasma wave phase space is found where the plasma wave is driven most efficiently by the laser pulses. The accelerator system of the invention comprises several parts: the laser system, with its pulse-shaping subsystem; the electron gun system, also called beam source, which preferably comprises photo cathode electron source and RF-LINAC accelerator; electron photo-cathode triggering system; the electron diagnostics; and the feedback system between the electron diagnostics and the laser system. The system also includes plasma source including vacuum chamber, magnetic lens, and magnetic field means. The laser system produces a train of pulses that has been optimized to maximize the axial electric field amplitude of the plasma wave, and thus the electron acceleration, using the method of the invention. 21 figs.

Method for generating a plasma wave to accelerate electrons

DOEpatents

Umstadter, Donald; Esarey, Eric; Kim, Joon K.

1997-01-01

The invention provides a method and apparatus for generating large amplitude nonlinear plasma waves, driven by an optimized train of independently adjustable, intense laser pulses. In the method, optimal pulse widths, interpulse spacing, and intensity profiles of each pulse are determined for each pulse in a series of pulses. A resonant region of the plasma wave phase space is found where the plasma wave is driven most efficiently by the laser pulses. The accelerator system of the invention comprises several parts: the laser system, with its pulse-shaping subsystem; the electron gun system, also called beam source, which preferably comprises photo cathode electron source and RF-LINAC accelerator; electron photo-cathode triggering system; the electron diagnostics; and the feedback system between the electron diagnostics and the laser system. The system also includes plasma source including vacuum chamber, magnetic lens, and magnetic field means. The laser system produces a train of pulses that has been optimized to maximize the axial electric field amplitude of the plasma wave, and thus the electron acceleration, using the method of the invention.

An experimental vestibular neural prosthesis: design and preliminary results with rhesus monkeys stimulated with modulated pulses.

PubMed

Nie, Kaibao; Ling, Leo; Bierer, Steven M; Kaneko, Chris R S; Fuchs, Albert F; Oxford, Trey; Rubinstein, Jay T; Phillips, James O

2013-06-01

A vestibular neural prosthesis was designed on the basis of a cochlear implant for treatment of Meniere's disease and other vestibular disorders. Computer control software was developed to generate patterned pulse stimuli for exploring optimal parameters to activate the vestibular nerve. Two rhesus monkeys were implanted with the prototype vestibular prosthesis and they were behaviorally evaluated post implantation surgery. Horizontal and vertical eye movement responses to patterned electrical pulse stimulations were collected on both monkeys. Pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) and pulse rate modulated (PRM) trains were applied to the lateral canal of each implanted animal. Robust slow-phase nystagmus responses following the PAM or PRM modulation pattern were observed in both implanted monkeys in the direction consistent with the activation of the implanted canal. Both PAM and PRM pulse trains can elicit a significant amount of in-phase modulated eye velocity changes and they could potentially be used for efficiently coding head rotational signals in future vestibular neural prostheses.

How transient alterations of organelles in mammalian cells submitted to electric field may explain some aspects of gene electrotransfer process.

PubMed

Phez, Emilie; Gibot, Laure; Rols, Marie-Pierre

2016-12-01

Electric pulses can be used to transiently permeabilize the cell plasma membrane. This method is nowadays employed as a safe and efficient means to deliver therapeutic molecules into target cells and tissues. Despite the large bulk of literature on this topic, there is a lack of knowledge about the mechanism(s) of molecule delivery. The behavior of the cells both while the field is on and after its application is indeed not well described. Questions about cell organelle alterations remain unanswered. We report here evidence for a number of ultrastructural alterations in mammalian cells exposed to electric pulses. Specifically, CHO cells were subjected to trains of 10 pulses lasting 5ms using an electric field of 800V/cm, i.e. under conditions leading both to membrane permeabilization, gene transfer and expression. Cells were observed to undergo morphological alterations of the mitochondria and nucleus. These modifications, detected in the minutes following pulse delivery, were transient. They may have direct consequences on molecule delivery and therefore may explain various aspects of the mechanisms of DNA electrotransfer. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adjustable repetition-rate multiplication of optical pulses using fractional temporal Talbot effect with preceded binary intensity modulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, Qijie; Zheng, Bofang; Shu, Chester

2017-05-01

We demonstrate a simple approach for adjustable multiplication of optical pulses in a fiber using the temporal Talbot effect. Binary electrical patterns are used to control the multiplication factor in our approach. The input 10 GHz picosecond pulses are pedestal-free and are shaped directly from a CW laser. The pulses are then intensity modulated by different sets of binary patterns prior to entering a fiber of fixed dispersion. Tunable repetition-rate multiplication by different factors of 2, 4, and 8 have been achieved and up to 80 GHz pulse train has been experimentally generated. We also evaluate numerically the influence of the extinction ratio of the intensity modulator on the performance of the multiplied pulse train. In addition, the impact of the modulator bias on the uniformity of the output pulses has also been analyzed through simulation and experiment and a good agreement is reached. Last, we perform numerical simulation on the RF spectral characteristics of the output pulses. The insensitivity of the signal-to-subharmonic noise ratio (SSNR) to the laser linewidth shows that our multiplication scheme is highly tolerant to the incoherence of the input optical pulses.

A computational model that predicts behavioral sensitivity to intracortical microstimulation

PubMed Central

Kim, Sungshin; Callier, Thierri; Bensmaia, Sliman J.

2016-01-01

Objective Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is a powerful tool to investigate the neural mechanisms of perception and can be used to restore sensation for patients who have lost it. While sensitivity to ICMS has previously been characterized, no systematic framework has been developed to summarize the detectability of individual ICMS pulse trains or the discriminability of pairs of pulse trains. Approach We develop a simple simulation that describes the responses of a population of neurons to a train of electrical pulses delivered through a microelectrode. We then perform an ideal observer analysis on the simulated population responses to predict the behavioral performance of non-human primates in ICMS detection and discrimination tasks. Main results Our computational model can predict behavioral performance across a wide range of stimulation conditions with high accuracy (R2 = 0.97) and generalizes to novel ICMS pulse trains that were not used to fit its parameters. Furthermore, the model provides a theoretical basis for the finding that amplitude discrimination based on ICMS violates Weber's law. Significance The model can be used to characterize the sensitivity to ICMS across the range of perceptible and safe stimulation regimes. As such, it will be a useful tool for both neuroscience and neuroprosthetics. PMID:27977419

A computational model that predicts behavioral sensitivity to intracortical microstimulation.

PubMed

Kim, Sungshin; Callier, Thierri; Bensmaia, Sliman J

2017-02-01

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is a powerful tool to investigate the neural mechanisms of perception and can be used to restore sensation for patients who have lost it. While sensitivity to ICMS has previously been characterized, no systematic framework has been developed to summarize the detectability of individual ICMS pulse trains or the discriminability of pairs of pulse trains. We develop a simple simulation that describes the responses of a population of neurons to a train of electrical pulses delivered through a microelectrode. We then perform an ideal observer analysis on the simulated population responses to predict the behavioral performance of non-human primates in ICMS detection and discrimination tasks. Our computational model can predict behavioral performance across a wide range of stimulation conditions with high accuracy (R 2  = 0.97) and generalizes to novel ICMS pulse trains that were not used to fit its parameters. Furthermore, the model provides a theoretical basis for the finding that amplitude discrimination based on ICMS violates Weber's law. The model can be used to characterize the sensitivity to ICMS across the range of perceptible and safe stimulation regimes. As such, it will be a useful tool for both neuroscience and neuroprosthetics.

A computational model that predicts behavioral sensitivity to intracortical microstimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sungshin; Callier, Thierri; Bensmaia, Sliman J.

2017-02-01

Objective. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) is a powerful tool to investigate the neural mechanisms of perception and can be used to restore sensation for patients who have lost it. While sensitivity to ICMS has previously been characterized, no systematic framework has been developed to summarize the detectability of individual ICMS pulse trains or the discriminability of pairs of pulse trains. Approach. We develop a simple simulation that describes the responses of a population of neurons to a train of electrical pulses delivered through a microelectrode. We then perform an ideal observer analysis on the simulated population responses to predict the behavioral performance of non-human primates in ICMS detection and discrimination tasks. Main results. Our computational model can predict behavioral performance across a wide range of stimulation conditions with high accuracy (R 2 = 0.97) and generalizes to novel ICMS pulse trains that were not used to fit its parameters. Furthermore, the model provides a theoretical basis for the finding that amplitude discrimination based on ICMS violates Weber’s law. Significance. The model can be used to characterize the sensitivity to ICMS across the range of perceptible and safe stimulation regimes. As such, it will be a useful tool for both neuroscience and neuroprosthetics.

Circuit for monitoring temperature of high-voltage equipment

DOEpatents

Jacobs, Martin E.

1976-01-01

This invention relates to an improved circuit for measuring temperature in a region at high electric potential and generating a read-out of the same in a region at lower potential. The circuit is specially designed to combine high sensitivity, stability, and accuracy. A major portion of the circuit situated in the high-potential region can take the form of an integrated circuit. The preferred form of the circuit includes an input section which is situated in the high-potential region and comprises a temperature-compensated thermocouple circuit for sensing temperature, an oscillator circuit for generating a train of ramp voltages whose rise time varies inversely with the thermocouple output, a comparator and switching circuit for converting the oscillator output to pulses whose frequency is proportional to the thermocouple output, and a light-emitting diode which is energized by these pulses. An optical coupling transmits the light pulses generated by the diode to an output section of the circuit, situated in a region at ground. The output section comprises means for converting the transmitted pulses to electrical pulses of corresponding frequency, means for amplifying the electrical pulses, and means for displaying the frequency of the same. The preferred embodiment of the overall circuit is designed so that the frequency of the output signal in hertz and tenths of hertz is equal to the sensed temperature in degrees and tenths of degrees.

Extended plasma channels created by UV laser in air and their application to control electric discharges

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zvorykin, V. D., E-mail: zvorykin@sci.lebedev.ru; Ionin, A. A.; Levchenko, A. O.

2015-02-15

Results are presented from a series of experimental and theoretical studies on creating weakly ionized extended plasma channels in atmospheric air by 248-nm UV laser radiation and their application to control long high-voltage discharges. The main mechanisms of air ionization by UV laser pulses with durations from 100 fs to 25 ns and intensities in the ranges of 3×10{sup 11}–1.5×10{sup 13} and 3×10{sup 6}–3×10{sup 11} W/cm{sup 2}, respectively, which are below the threshold for optical gas breakdown, as well as the main relaxation processes in plasma with a density of 10{sup 9}–10{sup 17} cm{sup −3}, are considered. It is shownmore » that plasma channels in air can be efficiently created by amplitude-modulated UV pulses consisting of a train of subpicosecond pulses producing primary photoelectrons and a long UV pulse suppressing electron attachment and sustaining the density of free electrons in plasma. Different modes of the generation and amplification of trains of subterawatt subpicosecond pulses and amplitude-modulated UV pulses with an energy of several tens of joules were implemented on the GARPUN-MTW hybrid Ti:sapphire-KrF laser facility. The filamentation of such UV laser beams during their propagation in air over distances of up to 100 m and the parameters of the corresponding plasma channels were studied experimentally and theoretically. Laser initiation of high-voltage electric discharges and control of their trajectories by means of amplitude-modulated UV pulses, as well as the spatiotemporal structure of breakdowns in air gaps with length of up to 80 cm, were studied.« less

Effects of cochlear-implant pulse rate and inter-channel timing on channel interactions and thresholds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Middlebrooks, John C.

2004-07-01

Interactions among the multiple channels of a cochlear prosthesis limit the number of channels of information that can be transmitted to the brain. This study explored the influence on channel interactions of electrical pulse rates and temporal offsets between channels. Anesthetized guinea pigs were implanted with 2-channel scala-tympani electrode arrays, and spike activity was recorded from the auditory cortex. Channel interactions were quantified as the reduction of the threshold for pulse-train stimulation of the apical channel by sub-threshold stimulation of the basal channel. Pulse rates were 254 or 4069 pulses per second (pps) per channel. Maximum threshold reductions averaged 9.6 dB when channels were stimulated simultaneously. Among nonsimultaneous conditions, threshold reductions at the 254-pps rate were entirely eliminated by a 1966-μs inter-channel offset. When offsets were only 41 to 123 μs, however, maximum threshold shifts averaged 3.1 dB, which was comparable to the dynamic ranges of cortical neurons in this experimental preparation. Threshold reductions at 4069 pps averaged up to 1.3 dB greater than at 254 pps, which raises some concern in regard to high-pulse-rate speech processors. Thresholds for various paired-pulse stimuli, pulse rates, and pulse-train durations were measured to test possible mechanisms of temporal integration.

Training Effects of Alternated and Pulsed Currents on the Quadriceps Muscles of Athletes.

PubMed

Oliveira, Pedro; Modesto, Karenina Arrais Guida; Bottaro, Martim; Babault, Nicolas; Durigan, João Luiz Quagliotti

2018-05-22

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of 6 weeks training with different neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) currents (medium alternated and low-frequency pulsed current) on muscle architecture and neuromuscular performance of competitive athletes. A double-blind controlled and randomized experimental study was carried out with 33 athletes (22.2±2.6 yrs, 74.7±9.8 kg, 176.8±6.0 cm), divided into 3 groups: mid-frequency current (MF, n=12), pulsed current (PC, n=11) and the control group (CG, n=10). Quadriceps maximal voluntary peak torque (PT) and corresponding vastus lateralis electromyographic activity, evoked torque (PT-NMES), vastus lateralis muscle thickness, fascicle length, pennation angle, and level of discomfort were assessed before and after the interventions. NMES training was performed 3 times per week and consisted of 18 sessions, 15 min/session, 6 s duration in each contraction interspersed with 18 s rest. After the training period, muscle thickness increased in the MF and PC groups (p<0.05). PT-NMES increased only in the PC group (p<0.05). All currents produced similar levels of discomfort (p>0.05). Quadriceps NMES training applied through alternated or pulsed currents produced similar effects in architecture and neuromuscular performance in competitive athletes. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Two-color ionization injection using a plasma beatwave accelerator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schroeder, C. B.; Benedetti, C.; Esarey, E.

Two-color laser ionization injection is a method to generate ultra-low emittance (sub-100 nm transverse normalized emittance) beams in a laser-driven plasma accelerator. A plasma beatwave accelerator is proposed to drive the plasma wave for ionization injection, where the beating of the lasers effectively produces a train of long-wavelength pulses. The plasma beatwave accelerator excites a large amplitude plasma wave with low peak laser electric fields, leaving atomically-bound electrons with low ionization potential. A short-wavelength, low-amplitude ionization injection laser pulse (with a small ponderomotive force and large peak electric field) is used to ionize the remaining bound electrons at a wakemore » phase suitable for trapping, generating an ultra-low emittance electron beam that is accelerated in the plasma wave. Using a plasma beatwave accelerator for wakefield excitation, compared to short-pulse wakefield excitation, allows for a lower amplitude injection laser pulse and, hence, a lower emittance beam may be generated.« less

Two-color ionization injection using a plasma beatwave accelerator

DOE PAGES

Schroeder, C. B.; Benedetti, C.; Esarey, E.; ...

2018-01-10

Two-color laser ionization injection is a method to generate ultra-low emittance (sub-100 nm transverse normalized emittance) beams in a laser-driven plasma accelerator. A plasma beatwave accelerator is proposed to drive the plasma wave for ionization injection, where the beating of the lasers effectively produces a train of long-wavelength pulses. The plasma beatwave accelerator excites a large amplitude plasma wave with low peak laser electric fields, leaving atomically-bound electrons with low ionization potential. A short-wavelength, low-amplitude ionization injection laser pulse (with a small ponderomotive force and large peak electric field) is used to ionize the remaining bound electrons at a wakemore » phase suitable for trapping, generating an ultra-low emittance electron beam that is accelerated in the plasma wave. Using a plasma beatwave accelerator for wakefield excitation, compared to short-pulse wakefield excitation, allows for a lower amplitude injection laser pulse and, hence, a lower emittance beam may be generated.« less

Controlling Plasma Channels through Ultrashort Laser Pulse Filamentation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionin, Andrey; Seleznev, Leonid; Sunchugasheva, Elena

2013-09-01

A review of studies fulfilled at the Lebedev Institute in collaboration with the Moscow State University and Institute of Atmospheric Optics in Tomsk on influence of various characteristics of ultrashort laser pulse on plasma channels formed under its filamentation is presented. Filamentation of high-power laser pulses with wavefront controlled by a deformable mirror, with cross-sections spatially formed by various diaphragms and with different wavelengths was experimentally and numerically studied. An application of plasma channels formed due to filamentation of ultrashort laser pulse including a train of such pulses for triggering and guiding long electric discharges is discussed. The research was supported by RFBR Grants 11-02-12061-ofi-m and 11-02-01100, and EOARD Grant 097007 through ISTC Project 4073 P

Chronic lithium treatment rectifies maladaptive dopamine release in the nucleus accumbens.

PubMed

Can, Adem; Frost, Douglas O; Cachope, Roger; Cheer, Joseph F; Gould, Todd D

2016-11-01

Chronic lithium treatment effectively reduces behavioral phenotypes of mania in humans and rodents. The mechanisms by which lithium exerts these actions are poorly understood. Pre-clinical and clinical evidence have implicated increased mesolimbic dopamine (DA) neurotransmission with mania. We used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to characterize changes in extracellular DA concentrations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core evoked by 20 and 60 Hz electrical stimulation of the ventral tegmental area (VTA) in C57BL6/J mice treated either acutely or chronically with lithium. The effects of chronic lithium treatment on the availability of DA for release were assessed by depleting readily releasable DA using short inter-train intervals, or administering d-amphetamine acutely to mobilize readily releasable DA. Chronic, but not acute, lithium treatment decreased the amplitude of DA responses in the NAc following 60 Hz pulse train stimulation. Neither lithium treatment altered the kinetics of DA release or reuptake. Chronic treatment did not impact the progressive reduction in the amplitude of DA responses when, using 20 or 60 Hz pulse trains, the VTA was stimulated every 6 s to deplete DA. Specifically, the amplitude of DA responses to 60 Hz pulse trains was initially reduced compared to control mice, but by the fifth pulse train, there was no longer a treatment effect. However, chronic lithium treatment attenuated d-amphetamine-induced increases in DA responses to 20 Hz pulse trains stimulation. Our data suggest that long-term administration of lithium may ameliorate mania phenotypes by normalizing the readily releasable DA pool in VTA axon terminals in the NAc. Read the Editorial Highlight for this article on Page 520. © 2016 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Hypothesis on the Origin of Chaotic Pulse Train in Dart Leader

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pu, Y.; Qie, X.; Sun, Z.; Jiang, R.; Liu, M.; Zhang, H.

2017-12-01

The origin of chaotic pulse train (CPT) during the dart leader propagation remains debatable. Based on previous observations, the `chaotic' dart leader is featured by chaotic electric fields, large charge transfer and high energetic radiation. In some cases, the cause of CPT was attributed to the concurrent branches or upward connecting leader. In this presentation, after carefully examining the simultaneous optical, electrical and VHF location data of triggered lightning in SHATLE and some results in other literature, we found the close relationship between the upper luminous leader segment and CPT. It is hypothesized that the CPT originates from the luminous corona zone around the upper leader channel beyond the leader tip. The fast, sufficient supply of negative charge from the cloud can result in a net negative charge layer around the ionized channel surface. Then new diffuse discharge can make a corona zone outside the channel and radiates in a chaotic way. The cloud charge reservoir and the speed of charge transfer, which can be indicated by the speed of the leader, are determinative to the generation of CPT. Using VHF location technique, we also estimated the speed evolution of the leader and link it with electric field change.

Generating coherent broadband continuum soft-x-ray radiation by attosecond ionization gating.

PubMed

Pfeifer, Thomas; Jullien, Aurélie; Abel, Mark J; Nagel, Phillip M; Gallmann, Lukas; Neumark, Daniel M; Leone, Stephen R

2007-12-10

The current paradigm of isolated attosecond pulse production requires a few-cycle pulse as the driver for high-harmonic generation that has a cosine-like electric field stabilized with respect to the peak of the pulse envelope. Here, we present simulations and experimental evidence that the production of high-harmonic light can be restricted to one or a few cycles on the leading edge of a laser pulse by a gating mechanism that employs time-dependent ionization of the conversion medium. This scheme enables the generation of broadband and tunable attosecond pulses. Instead of fixing the carrier-envelope phase to produce a cosine driver pulse, the phase becomes a control parameter for the center frequency of the attosecond pulse. A method to assess the multiplicity of attosecond pulses in the pulse train is also presented. The results of our study suggest an avenue towards relaxing the requirement of few-cycle pulses for isolated attosecond pulse generation.

A direct temporal domain approach for ultrafast optical signal processing and its implementation using planar lightwave circuits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xia, Bing

Ultrafast optical signal processing, which shares the same fundamental principles of electrical signal processing, can realize numerous important functionalities required in both academic research and industry. Due to the extremely fast processing speed, all-optical signal processing and pulse shaping have been widely used in ultrafast telecommunication networks, photonically-assisted RFlmicro-meter waveform generation, microscopy, biophotonics, and studies on transient and nonlinear properties of atoms and molecules. In this thesis, we investigate two types of optical spectrally-periodic (SP) filters that can be fabricated on planar lightwave circuits (PLC) to perform pulse repetition rate multiplication (PRRM) and arbitrary optical waveform generation (AOWG). First, we present a direct temporal domain approach for PRRM using SP filters. We show that the repetition rate of an input pulse train can be multiplied by a factor N using an optical filter with a free spectral range that does not need to be constrained to an integer multiple of N. Furthermore, the amplitude of each individual output pulse can be manipulated separately to form an arbitrary envelope at the output by optimizing the impulse response of the filter. Next, we use lattice-form Mach-Zehnder interferometers (LF-MZI) to implement the temporal domain approach for PRRM. The simulation results show that PRRM with uniform profiles, binary-code profiles and triangular profiles can be achieved. Three silica based LF-MZIs are designed and fabricated, which incorporate multi-mode interference (MMI) couplers and phase shifters. The experimental results show that 40 GHz pulse trains with a uniform envelope pattern, a binary code pattern "1011" and a binary code pattern "1101" are generated from a 10 GHz input pulse train. Finally, we investigate 2D ring resonator arrays (RRA) for ultraf ast optical signal processing. We design 2D RRAs to generate a pair of pulse trains with different binary-code patterns simultaneously from a single pulse train at a low repetition rate. We also design 2D RRAs for AOWG using the modified direct temporal domain approach. To demonstrate the approach, we provide numerical examples to illustrate the generation of two very different waveforms (square waveform and triangular waveform) from the same hyperbolic secant input pulse train. This powerful technique based on SP filters can be very useful for ultrafast optical signal processing and pulse shaping.

Electrical pelvic floor stimulation in the management of urinary incontinence due to neuropathic overactive bladder.

PubMed

Ishigooka, M; Hashimoto, T; Izumiya, K; Katoh, T; Yaguchi, H; Nakada, T; Handa, Y; Hoshimiya, N

1993-01-01

Electrical pelvic floor stimulation employing a portable functional electrical stimulation system with percutaneously indwelling electrodes was carried out to improve detrusor urinary incontinence. Cyclic stimulation using negative going pulse trains of 20 Hz was applied 3 to 6 times daily to the bilateral pudendal nerves distributing to the pelvic floor muscles for the purpose of strengthening these muscles, including the urethral sphincter, and simultaneously, suppressing detrusor overactivity and increasing cystometric capacity. Electrical training for 4-8 weeks resulted in an improvement of urinary incontinence in five of six patients. In two of six cases incontinence had subjectively disappeared. Urodynamic investigations demonstrated an increase in detrusor reflex threshold and less tendency for abortive detrusor contraction. No apparent complications were encountered during these periods. This procedure appears to be efficient for the management of patients with detrusor incontinence who respond poorly to conservative therapies.

Simultaneous masking between electric and acoustic stimulation in cochlear implant users with residual low-frequency hearing.

PubMed

Krüger, Benjamin; Büchner, Andreas; Nogueira, Waldo

2017-09-01

Ipsilateral electric-acoustic stimulation (EAS) is becoming increasingly important in cochlear implant (CI) treatment. Improvements in electrode designs and surgical techniques have contributed to improved hearing preservation during implantation. Consequently, CI implantation criteria have been expanded toward people with significant residual low-frequency hearing, who may benefit from the combined use of both the electric and acoustic stimulation in the same ear. However, only few studies have investigated the mutual interaction between electric and acoustic stimulation modalities. This work characterizes the interaction between both stimulation modalities using psychophysical masking experiments and cone beam computer tomography (CBCT). Two psychophysical experiments for electric and acoustic masking were performed to measure the hearing threshold elevation of a probe stimulus in the presence of a masker stimulus. For electric masking, the probe stimulus was an acoustic tone while the masker stimulus was an electric pulse train. For acoustic masking, the probe stimulus was an electric pulse train and the masker stimulus was an acoustic tone. Five EAS users, implanted with a CI and ipsilateral residual low-frequency hearing, participated in the study. Masking was determined at different electrodes and different acoustic frequencies. CBCT scans were used to determine the individual place-pitch frequencies of the intracochlear electrode contacts by using the Stakhovskaya place-to-frequency transformation. This allows the characterization of masking as a function of the difference between electric and acoustic stimulation sites, which we term the electric-acoustic frequency difference (EAFD). The results demonstrate a significant elevation of detection thresholds for both experiments. In electric masking, acoustic-tone thresholds increased exponentially with decreasing EAFD. In contrast, for the acoustic masking experiment, threshold elevations were present regardless of the tested EAFDs. Based on the present findings, we conclude that there is an asymmetry between the electric and the acoustic masker modalities. These observations have implications for the design and fitting of EAS sound-coding strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In vitro analysis of various cell lines responses to electroporative electric pulses by means of electrical impedance spectroscopy.

PubMed

García-Sánchez, Tomás; Bragós, Ramon; Mir, Lluis M

2018-06-07

This paper reports the comparative analysis, by means of electric impedance spectroscopy measurements, of three different cell lines subjected to electroporative pulses. The multifrequency information is recorded simultaneously at 21 frequency values in the range between 5 kHz and 1.3 MHz using a multisine based measuring approach. The analysis of the pre-electroporation impedance spectra shows how the system is able to detect differences and similarities between the cell lines under analysis. Particularly, a good agreement is found between the average cell diameter and the characteristic frequency (the frequency corresponding to a maximum in the imaginary part of the impedance). The measurements performed during electroporation at three different electric field intensities show how the impedance spectra changes dynamically between the consecutive pulses of a train of 8,100 µs pulses delivered at 1 Hz repetition rate. There are clear differences between the changes in the impedance measured at low and high frequency. The multifrequency information has been fitted to an electrical equivalent model in order to understand the different contributions in the observed impedance changes (mainly separate between membrane permeabilization and the conductivity changes in the extracellular medium). Finally, a ratio of the low and high frequency impedance information is used to estimate the accumulated impedance decay and to compare it to the internalization of a fluorescent permeabilization reporter. The comparison between both techniques at the three electroporation electric field intensities assayed confirms the ability of impedance measurements to detect in a precise way the level of membrane permeabilization. Additionally, this study demonstrates how the real time information obtained thanks to impedance measurements can provide a more precise quantification of the membrane permeabilization extent. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Optogenetic versus electrical stimulation of dopamine terminals in the nucleus accumbens reveals local modulation of presynaptic release

PubMed Central

Melchior, James R.; Ferris, Mark J.; Stuber, Garret D.; Riddle, David R.; Jones, Sara R.

2015-01-01

The nucleus accumbens is highly heterogeneous, integrating regionally distinct afferent projections and accumbal interneurons, resulting in diverse local microenvironments. Dopamine (DA) neuron terminals similarly express a heterogeneous collection of terminal receptors that modulate DA signaling. Cyclic voltammetry is often used to probe DA terminal dynamics in brain slice preparations; however, this method traditionally requires electrical stimulation to induce DA release. Electrical stimulation excites all of the neuronal processes in the stimulation field, potentially introducing simultaneous, multi-synaptic modulation of DA terminal release. We used optogenetics to selectively stimulate DA terminals and used voltammetry to compare DA responses from electrical and optical stimulation of the same area of tissue around a recording electrode. We found that with multiple pulse stimulation trains, optically stimulated DA release increasingly exceeded that of electrical stimulation. Furthermore, electrical stimulation produced inhibition of DA release across longer duration stimulations. The GABAB antagonist, CGP 55845, increased electrically stimulated DA release significantly more than light stimulated release. The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, dihydro-β-erythroidine hydrobromide, inhibited single pulse electrically stimulated DA release while having no effect on optically stimulated DA release. Our results demonstrate that electrical stimulation introduces local multi-synaptic modulation of DA release that is absent with optogenetically targeted stimulation. PMID:26011081

Partial tripolar cochlear implant stimulation: Spread of excitation and forward masking in the inferior colliculus.

PubMed

Bierer, Julie Arenberg; Bierer, Steven M; Middlebrooks, John C

2010-12-01

This study examines patterns of neural activity in response to single biphasic electrical pulses, presented alone or following a forward masking pulse train, delivered by a cochlear implant. Recordings were made along the tonotopic axis of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) in ketamine/xylazine anesthetized guinea pigs. The partial tripolar electrode configuration was used, which provided a systematic way to vary the tonotopic extent of ICC activation between monopolar (broad) and tripolar (narrow) extremes while maintaining the same peak of activation. The forward masking paradigm consisted of a 200 ms masker pulse train (1017 pulses per second) followed 10 ms later by a single-pulse probe stimulus; the current fraction of the probe was set to 0 (monopolar), 1 (tripolar), or 0.5 (hybrid), and the fraction of the masker was fixed at 0.5. Forward masking tuning profiles were derived from the amount of masking current required to just suppress the activity produced by a fixed-level probe. These profiles were sharper for more focused probe configurations, approximating the pattern of neural activity elicited by single (non-masked) pulses. The result helps to bridge the gap between previous findings in animals and recent psychophysical data. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Partial tripolar cochlear implant stimulation: Spread of excitation and forward masking in the inferior colliculus

PubMed Central

Bierer, Julie Arenberg; Bierer, Steven M.; Middlebrooks, John C.

2010-01-01

This study examines patterns of neural activity in response to single biphasic electrical pulses, presented alone or following a forward masking pulse train, delivered by a cochlear implant. Recordings were made along the tonotopic axis of the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) in ketamine/xylazine anesthetized guinea pigs. The partial tripolar electrode configuration was used, which provided a systematic way to vary the tonotopic extent of ICC activation between monopolar (broad) and tripolar (narrow) extremes while maintaining the same peak of activation. The forward masking paradigm consisted of a 200-ms masker pulse train (1017 pulses per second) followed 10 ms later by a single-pulse probe stimulus; the current fraction of the probe was set to 0 (monopolar), 1 (tripolar), or 0.5 (hybrid), and the fraction of the masker was fixed at 0.5. Forward masking tuning profiles were derived from the amount of masking current required to just suppress the activity produced by a fixed-level probe. These profiles were sharper for more focused probe configurations, approximating the pattern of neural activity elicited by single (non-masked) pulses. The result helps to bridge the gap between previous findings in animals and recent psychophysical data. PMID:20727397

Implantable Heart Aid

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Medrad utilized NASA's Apollo technology to develop a new device called the AID implantable automatic pulse generator which monitors the heart continuously, recognizes the onset of ventricular fibrillation and delivers a corrective electrical shock. AID pulse generator is, in effect, a miniaturized version of the defibrillator used by emergency squads and hospitals to restore rhythmic heartbeat after fibrillation, but has the unique advantage of being permanently available to the patient at risk. Once implanted, it needs no specially trained personnel or additional equipment. AID system consists of a microcomputer, a power source and two electrodes which sense heart activity.

Social interactions between live and artificial weakly electric fish: Electrocommunication and locomotor behavior of Mormyrus rume proboscirostris towards a mobile dummy fish

PubMed Central

Kirschbaum, Frank; von der Emde, Gerhard

2017-01-01

Mormyrid weakly electric fish produce short, pulse-type electric organ discharges for actively probing their environment and to communicate with conspecifics. Animals emit sequences of pulse-trains that vary in overall frequency and temporal patterning and can lead to time-locked interactions with the discharge activity of other individuals. Both active electrolocation and electrocommunication are additionally accompanied by stereotypical locomotor patterns. However, the concrete roles of electrical and locomotor patterns during social interactions in mormyrids are not well understood. Here we used a mobile fish dummy that was emitting different types of electrical playback sequences to study following behavior and interaction patterns (electrical and locomotor) between individuals of weakly electric fish. We confronted single individuals of Mormyrus rume proboscirostris with a mobile dummy fish designed to attract fish from a shelter and recruit them into an open area by emitting electrical playbacks of natural discharge sequences. We found that fish were reliably recruited by the mobile dummy if it emitted electrical signals and followed it largely independently of the presented playback patterns. While following the dummy, fish interacted with it spatially by displaying stereotypical motor patterns, as well as electrically, e.g. through discharge regularizations and by synchronizing their own discharge activity to the playback. However, the overall emission frequencies of the dummy were not adopted by the following fish. Instead, social signals based on different temporal patterns were emitted depending on the type of playback. In particular, double pulses were displayed in response to electrical signaling of the dummy and their expression was positively correlated with an animals' rank in the dominance hierarchy. Based on additional analysis of swimming trajectories and stereotypical locomotor behavior patterns, we conclude that the reception and emission of electrical communication signals play a crucial role in mediating social interactions in mormyrid weakly electric fish. PMID:28902915

Is high-frequency neuromuscular electrical stimulation a suitable tool for muscle performance improvement in both healthy humans and athletes?

PubMed

Gondin, Julien; Cozzone, Patrick J; Bendahan, David

2011-10-01

We aimed at providing an overview of the currently acknowledged benefits and limitations of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) training programs in both healthy individuals and in recreational and competitive athletes regarding muscle performance. Typical NMES resistance exercises are performed under isometric conditions and involve the application of electrical stimuli delivered as intermittent high frequencies trains (>40-50 Hz) through surface electrodes. NMES has been acknowledged as an efficient modality leading to significant improvements in isometric maximal voluntary strength. However, the resulting changes in dynamic strength, motor performance skills and explosive movements (i.e., jump performance, sprint ability) are still ambiguous and could only be obtained when NMES is combined with voluntary dynamic exercise such as plyometrics. Additionally, the effects of NMES on muscle fatigability are still poorly understood and required further investigations. While NMES effectiveness could be partially related to several external adjustable factors such as training intensity, current characteristics (e.g., intensity, pulse duration…) or the design of training protocols (number of contractions per session, number of sessions per week…), anatomical specificities (e.g., morphological organization of the axonal branches within the muscle) appear as the main factor accounting for the differences in NMES response. Overall, NMES cannot be considered as a surrogate training method, but rather as an adjunct to voluntary resistance training. The combination of these two training modalities should optimally improve muscle function.

Fundamentals of Transcranial Electric and Magnetic Stimulation Dose: Definition, Selection, and Reporting Practices

PubMed Central

Peterchev, Angel V.; Wagner, Timothy A.; Miranda, Pedro C.; Nitsche, Michael A.; Paulus, Walter; Lisanby, Sarah H.; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Bikson, Marom

2011-01-01

The growing use of transcranial electric and magnetic (EM) brain stimulation in basic research and in clinical applications necessitates a clear understanding of what constitutes the dose of EM stimulation and how it should be reported. The biological effects of EM stimulation are mediated through an electromagnetic field injected (via electric stimulation) or induced (via magnetic stimulation) in the body. Therefore, transcranial EM stimulation dose ought to be defined by all parameters of the stimulation device that affect the electromagnetic field generated in the body, including the stimulation electrode or coil configuration parameters: shape, size, position, and electrical properties, as well as the electrode or coil current (or voltage) waveform parameters: pulse shape, amplitude, width, polarity, and repetition frequency; duration of and interval between bursts or trains of pulses; total number of pulses; and interval between stimulation sessions and total number of sessions. Knowledge of the electromagnetic field generated in the body may not be sufficient but is necessary to understand the biological effects of EM stimulation. We believe that reporting of EM stimulation dose should be guided by the principle of reproducibility: sufficient information about the stimulation parameters should be provided so that the dose can be replicated. This paper provides fundamental definition and principles for reporting of dose that encompass any transcranial EM brain stimulation protocol. PMID:22305345

Fundamentals of transcranial electric and magnetic stimulation dose: definition, selection, and reporting practices.

PubMed

Peterchev, Angel V; Wagner, Timothy A; Miranda, Pedro C; Nitsche, Michael A; Paulus, Walter; Lisanby, Sarah H; Pascual-Leone, Alvaro; Bikson, Marom

2012-10-01

The growing use of transcranial electric and magnetic (EM) brain stimulation in basic research and in clinical applications necessitates a clear understanding of what constitutes the dose of EM stimulation and how it should be reported. This paper provides fundamental definitions and principles for reporting of dose that encompass any transcranial EM brain stimulation protocol. The biologic effects of EM stimulation are mediated through an electromagnetic field injected (via electric stimulation) or induced (via magnetic stimulation) in the body. Therefore, transcranial EM stimulation dose ought to be defined by all parameters of the stimulation device that affect the electromagnetic field generated in the body, including the stimulation electrode or coil configuration parameters: shape, size, position, and electrical properties, as well as the electrode or coil current (or voltage) waveform parameters: pulse shape, amplitude, width, polarity, and repetition frequency; duration of and interval between bursts or trains of pulses; total number of pulses; and interval between stimulation sessions and total number of sessions. Knowledge of the electromagnetic field generated in the body may not be sufficient but is necessary to understand the biologic effects of EM stimulation. We believe that reporting of EM stimulation dose should be guided by the principle of reproducibility: sufficient information about the stimulation parameters should be provided so that the dose can be replicated. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of pulsed electric fields on carotenoids bioaccessibility: The role of tomato matrix.

PubMed

Bot, Francesca; Verkerk, Ruud; Mastwijk, Hennie; Anese, Monica; Fogliano, Vincenzo; Capuano, Edoardo

2018-02-01

Tomato fractions were subjected to pulsed electric fields treatment combined or not with heating. Results showed that pulsed electric fields and heating applied in combination or individually induced permeabilization of cell membranes in the tomato fractions. However, no changes in β-carotene and lycopene bioaccessibility were found upon combined and individual pulsed electric fields and heating, except in the following cases: (i) in tissue, a significant decrease in lycopene bioaccessibility upon combined pulsed electric fields and heating and heating only was observed; (ii) in chromoplasts, both β-carotene and lycopene bioaccessibility significantly decreased upon combined pulsed electric fields and heating and pulsed electric fields only. The reduction in carotenoids bioaccessibility was attributed to modification in chromoplasts membrane and carotenoids-protein complexes. Differences in the effects of pulsed electric fields on bioaccessibility among different tomato fractions were related to tomato structure complexity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Production of extended plasma channels in atmospheric air by amplitude-modulated UV radiation of GARPUN-MTW Ti : sapphire—KrF laser. Part 2. Accumulation of plasma electrons and electric discharge control

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zvorykin, V. D.; Ionin, Andrei A.; Levchenko, A. O.; Mesyats, Gennadii A.; Seleznev, L. V.; Sinitsyn, D. V.; Smetanin, Igor V.; Sunchugasheva, E. S.; Ustinovskii, N. N.; Shutov, A. V.

2013-04-01

The problem of the production of extended (~1 m) plasma channels is studied in atmospheric air by amplitude-modulated laser pulses of UV radiation, which are a superposition of a subpicosecond USP train amplified in a regenerative KrF amplifier with an unstable confocal resonator and a quasi-stationary lasing pulse. The USPs possess a high (0.2-0.3 TW) peak power and efficiently ionise oxygen molecules due to multiphoton ionisation, and the quasi-stationary lasing pulse, which has a relatively long duration (~100 ns), maintains the electron density at a level ne = (3-5) × 1014 cm—3 by suppressing electron attachment to oxygen. Experiments in laser triggering of high-voltage electric discharges suggest that the use of combined pulses results in a significant lowering of the breakdown threshold and enables controlling the discharge trajectory with a higher efficiency in comparison with smooth pulses. It was shown that controlled breakdowns may develop with a delay of tens of microseconds relative to the laser pulse, which is many orders of magnitude greater than the lifetime of free electrons in the laser-induced plasma. We propose a mechanism for this breakdown, which involves speeding-up of the avalanche ionisation of the air by negative molecular oxygen ions with a low electron binding energy (~0.5 eV) and a long lifetime (~1 ms), which are produced upon cessation of the laser pulse.

High-speed optical phase-shifting apparatus

DOEpatents

Zortman, William A.

2016-11-08

An optical phase shifter includes an optical waveguide, a plurality of partial phase shifting elements arranged sequentially, and control circuitry electrically coupled to the partial phase shifting elements. The control circuitry is adapted to provide an activating signal to each of the N partial phase shifting elements such that the signal is delayed by a clock cycle between adjacent partial phase shifting elements in the sequence. The transit time for a guided optical pulse train between the input edges of consecutive partial phase shifting elements in the sequence is arranged to be equal to a clock cycle, thereby enabling pipelined processing of the optical pulses.

Monolithic carrier-envelope phase-stabilization scheme.

PubMed

Fuji, Takao; Rauschenberger, Jens; Apolonski, Alexander; Yakovlev, Vladislav S; Tempea, Gabriel; Udem, Thomas; Gohle, Christoph; Hänsch, Theodor W; Lehnert, Walter; Scherer, Michael; Krausz, Ferenc

2005-02-01

A new scheme for stabilizing the carrier-envelope (CE) phase of a few-cycle laser pulse train is demonstrated. Self-phase modulation and difference-frequency generation in a single periodically poled lithium niobate crystal that transmits the main laser beam allows CE phase locking directly in the usable output. The monolithic scheme obviates the need for splitting off a fraction of the laser output for CE phase control, coupling into microstructured fiber, and separation and recombination of spectral components. As a consequence, the output yields 6-fs, 800-nm pulses with an unprecedented degree of short- and long-term reproducibility of the electric field waveform.

Multiharmonic Frequency-Chirped Transducers for Surface-Acoustic-Wave Optomechanics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weiß, Matthias; Hörner, Andreas L.; Zallo, Eugenio; Atkinson, Paola; Rastelli, Armando; Schmidt, Oliver G.; Wixforth, Achim; Krenner, Hubert J.

2018-01-01

Wide-passband interdigital transducers are employed to establish a stable phase lock between a train of laser pulses emitted by a mode-locked laser and a surface acoustic wave generated electrically by the transducer. The transducer design is based on a multiharmonic split-finger architecture for the excitation of a fundamental surface acoustic wave and a discrete number of its overtones. Simply by introducing a variation of the transducer's periodicity p , a frequency chirp is added. This combination results in wide frequency bands for each harmonic. The transducer's conversion efficiency from the electrical to the acoustic domain is characterized optomechanically using single quantum dots acting as nanoscale pressure sensors. The ability to generate surface acoustic waves over a wide band of frequencies enables advanced acousto-optic spectroscopy using mode-locked lasers with fixed repetition rate. Stable phase locking between the electrically generated acoustic wave and the train of laser pulses is confirmed by performing stroboscopic spectroscopy on a single quantum dot at a frequency of 320 MHz. Finally, the dynamic spectral modulation of the quantum dot is directly monitored in the time domain combining stable phase-locked optical excitation and time-correlated single-photon counting. The demonstrated scheme will be particularly useful for the experimental implementation of surface-acoustic-wave-driven quantum gates of optically addressable qubits or collective quantum states or for multicomponent Fourier synthesis of tailored nanomechanical waveforms.

Optimization of multiply acquired magnetic flux density B(z) using ICNE-Multiecho train in MREIT.

PubMed

Nam, Hyun Soo; Kwon, Oh In

2010-05-07

The aim of magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) is to visualize the electrical properties, conductivity or current density of an object by injection of current. Recently, the prolonged data acquisition time when using the injected current nonlinear encoding (ICNE) method has been advantageous for measurement of magnetic flux density data, Bz, for MREIT in the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). However, the ICNE method results in undesirable side artifacts, such as blurring, chemical shift and phase artifacts, due to the long data acquisition under an inhomogeneous static field. In this paper, we apply the ICNE method to a gradient and spin echo (GRASE) multi-echo train pulse sequence in order to provide the multiple k-space lines during a single RF pulse period. We analyze the SNR of the measured multiple B(z) data using the proposed ICNE-Multiecho MR pulse sequence. By determining a weighting factor for B(z) data in each of the echoes, an optimized inversion formula for the magnetic flux density data is proposed for the ICNE-Multiecho MR sequence. Using the ICNE-Multiecho method, the quality of the measured magnetic flux density is considerably increased by the injection of a long current through the echo train length and by optimization of the voxel-by-voxel noise level of the B(z) value. Agarose-gel phantom experiments have demonstrated fewer artifacts and a better SNR using the ICNE-Multiecho method. Experimenting with the brain of an anesthetized dog, we collected valuable echoes by taking into account the noise level of each of the echoes and determined B(z) data by determining optimized weighting factors for the multiply acquired magnetic flux density data.

A CMOS active pixel sensor for retinal stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prydderch, Mark L.; French, Marcus J.; Mathieson, Keith; Adams, Christopher; Gunning, Deborah; Laudanski, Jonathan; Morrison, James D.; Moodie, Alan R.; Sinclair, James

2006-02-01

Degenerative photoreceptor diseases, such as age-related macular degeneration and retinitis pigmentosa, are the most common causes of blindness in the western world. A potential cure is to use a microelectronic retinal prosthesis to provide electrical stimulation to the remaining healthy retinal cells. We describe a prototype CMOS Active Pixel Sensor capable of detecting a visual scene and translating it into a train of electrical pulses for stimulation of the retina. The sensor consists of a 10 x 10 array of 100 micron square pixels fabricated on a 0.35 micron CMOS process. Light incident upon each pixel is converted into output current pulse trains with a frequency related to the light intensity. These outputs are connected to a biocompatible microelectrode array for contact to the retinal cells. The flexible design allows experimentation with signal amplitudes and frequencies in order to determine the most appropriate stimulus for the retina. Neural processing in the retina can be studied by using the sensor in conjunction with a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) programmed to behave as a neural network. The sensor has been integrated into a test system designed for studying retinal response. We present the most recent results obtained from this sensor.

Electrical stimulation during skill training with a therapeutic glove enhances the induction of cortical plasticity and has a positive effect on motor memory.

PubMed

Christova, Monica; Rafolt, Dietmar; Golaszewski, Stefan; Nardone, Raffaele; Gallasch, Eugen

2014-08-15

To examine whether afferent stimulation of hand muscles has a facilitating effect on motor performance, learning and cortical excitability, healthy subjects were trained on the grooved pegboard test (GTP) while wearing a mesh glove (MG) with incorporated electrical stimulation. Three study groups (n=12) were compared in a between subjects design, the bare handed (BH), gloved (MG) and gloved with electrical stimulation (MGS) groups. Motor performance was assessed by the GPT completion time across 4 training blocks, and further one block was retested 7 days later to determine the off-line effects. On-line learning was obtained by normalizing the completion time values to the first training block, and off-line learning was obtained by normalizing the retest values to the last training block. Cortical excitability was assessed via single and paired-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) at pre-training, post-training and 30 min post-training. Motor evoked potential recruitment curve, short-latency intracortical inhibition and intracortical facilitation were estimated from the TMS assessments. Motor performance across all 4 training blocks was poor in the MG and MGS groups, while on-line learning was not affected by wearing the glove or by afferent stimulation. However, off-line learning, tested 7 days after training, was improved in the MGS group compared to the MG group. In addition, post-training corticospinal excitability was increased in the MGS group. It can be concluded that afferent stimulation improves off-line learning and thus has a positive effect on motor memory, likely due to LTP-like cortical plasticity in the consolidation phase. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[Research advances of anti-tumor immune response induced by pulse electric field ablation].

PubMed

Cui, Guang-ying; Diao, Hong-yan

2015-11-01

As a novel tumor therapy, pulse electric field has shown a clinical perspective. This paper reviews the characteristics of tumor ablation by microsecond pulse and nanosecond pulse electric field, and the research advances of anti-tumor immune response induced by pulse electric field ablation. Recent researches indicate that the pulse electric field not only leads to a complete ablation of local tumor, but also stimulates a protective immune response, thereby inhibiting tumor recurrence and metastasis. These unique advantages will show an extensive clinical application in the future. However, the mechanism of anti-tumor immune response and the development of related tumor vaccine need further studies.

Muscular urinary sphincter: electrically stimulated myoplasty for functional sphincter reconstruction.

PubMed

Palacio, M M; Van Aalst, V C; Perez Abadia, G A; Stremel, R W; Werker, P M; Ren, X; Petty, G D; Heilman, S J; Van Savage, J G; Garcia Fernandez, A; Kon, M; Tobin, G R; Barker, J H

1998-11-01

To reconstruct an electrically stimulated muscular urinary sphincter (MUS) using a tailored gracilis muscle free flap with intact nerve. Unilateral surgically tailored gracilis muscle free flaps were transferred into the pelvis in eight dogs, leaving the obturator nerve intact. The muscle's pedicle vessels were anastomosed to the inferior epigastric artery and vein in the pelvis and the muscle was wrapped around the bladder neck. Electrodes were inserted into the MUS and connected to a programmable pulse generator. After 8 weeks of training the MUS, the pulse generator was programmed to be "on" for 4 hours and "off' for 15 minutes in a continuous cycle. Urodynamic studies were performed periodically, and at the end of the experiment the MUS and proximal urethra were harvested for histology. Three control dogs had sham operations. All MUS's functioned well following the procedure. Histology of the MUS/urethra complex showed no evidence of stricture. Except for one dog, all urethras were easily catheterized. This electrically stimulated innervated free-flap MUS technique effectively increases bladder outlet resistance without producing urethral obstruction.

Experimental and Numerical Study on the Deformation Mechanism in AZ31B Mg Alloy Sheets Under Pulsed Electric-Assisted Tensile and Compressive Tests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jinwoo; Kim, Se-Jong; Lee, Myoung-Gyu; Song, Jung Han; Choi, Seogou; Han, Heung Nam; Kim, Daeyong

2016-06-01

The uniaxial tensile and compressive stress-strain responses of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet under pulsed electric current are reported. Tension and compression tests with pulsed electric current showed that flow stresses dropped instantaneously when the electric pulses were applied. Thermo-mechanical-electrical finite element analyses were also performed to investigate the effects of Joule heating and electro-plasticity on the flow responses of AZ31B sheets under electric-pulsed tension and compression tests. The proposed finite element simulations could reproduce the measured uniaxial tensile and compressive stress-strain curves under pulsed electric currents, when the temperature-dependent flow stress hardening model and thermal properties of AZ31B sheet were properly described in the simulations. In particular, the simulation results that fit best with experimental results showed that almost 100 pct of the electric current was subject to transform into Joule heating during electrically assisted tensile and compressive tests.

Encoding of the amplitude modulation of pulsatile electrical stimulation in the feline cochlear nucleus by neurons in the inferior colliculus; effects of stimulus pulse rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCreery, Douglas; Han, Martin; Pikov, Victor; Yadav, Kamal; Pannu, Satinderpall

2013-10-01

Objectives. Persons without a functional auditory nerve cannot benefit from cochlear implants, but some hearing can be restored by an auditory brainstem implant (ABI) with stimulating electrodes implanted on the surface of the cochlear nucleus (CN). Most users benefit from their ABI, but speech recognition tends to be poorer than for users of cochlear implants. Psychophysical studies suggest that poor modulation detection may contribute to the limited performance of ABI users. In a cat model, we determined how the pulse rate of the electrical stimulus applied within or on the CN affects temporal and rate encoding of amplitude modulation (AM) by neurons in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC). Approach. Stimulating microelectrodes were implanted chronically in and on the cats' CN, and multi-site recording microelectrodes were implanted chronically into the ICC. Encoding of AM pulse trains by neurons in the ICC was characterized as vector strength (VS), the synchrony of neural activity with the AM, and as the mean rate of neuronal action potentials (neuronal spike rate (NSR)). Main results. For intranuclear microstimulation, encoding of AM as VS was up to 3 dB greater when stimulus pulse rate was increased from 250 to 500 pps, but only for neuronal units with low best acoustic frequencies, and when the electrical stimulation was modulated at low frequencies (10-20 Hz). For stimulation on the surface of the CN, VS was similar at 250 and 500 pps, and the dynamic range of the VS was reduced for pulse rates greater than 250 pps. Modulation depth was encoded strongly as VS when the maximum stimulus amplitude was held constant across a range of modulation depth. This ‘constant maximum’ protocol allows enhancement of modulation depth while preserving overall dynamic range. However, modulation depth was not encoded as strongly as NSR. Significance. The findings have implications for improved sound processors for present and future ABIs. The performance of ABIs may benefit from using pulse rates greater than those presently used in most ABIs, and by sound processing strategies that enhance the modulation depth of the electrical stimulus while preserving dynamic range.

1030-nm diode-laser-based light source delivering pulses with nanojoule energies and picosecond duration adjustable by mode locking or pulse gating operation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klehr, A.; Liero, A.; Wenzel, H.; Bugge, F.; Brox, O.; Fricke, J.; Ressel, P.; Knigge, A.; Heinrich, W.; Tränkle, G.

2017-02-01

A new compact 1030 nm picosecond light source which can be switched between pulse gating and mode locking operation is presented. It consists of a multi-section distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) laser, an ultrafast multisection optical gate and a flared power amplifier (PA), mounted together with high frequency electronics and optical elements on a 5×4 cm micro bench. The master oscillator (MO) is a 10 mm long ridge wave-guide (RW) laser consisting of 200 μm long saturable absorber, 1500 μm long gain, 8000 μm long cavity, 200 μm long DBR and 100 μm long monitor sections. The 2 mm long optical gate consisting of several RW sections is monolithically integrated with the 4 mm long gain-guided tapered amplifier on a single chip. The light source can be switched between pulse gating and passive mode locking operation. For pulse gating all sections of the MO (except of the DBR and monitor sections) are forward biased and driven by a constant current. By injecting electrical pulses into one section of the optical gate the CW beam emitted by the MO is converted into a train of optical pulses with adjustable widths between 250 ps and 1000 ps. Peak powers of 20 W and spectral linewidths in the MHz range are achieved. Shorter pulses with widths between 4 ps and 15 ps and peak powers up to 50 W but larger spectral widths of about 300 pm are generated by mode locking where the saturable absorber section of the MO is reversed biased. The repetition rate of 4.2 GHz of the pulse train emitted by the MO can be reduced to values between 1 kHz and 100 MHz by utilizing the optical gate as pulse picker. The pulse-to-pulse distance can be controlled by an external trigger source.

Dielectric Barrier Discharges: Pulsed Breakdown, Electrical Characterization and Chemistry

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

DIELECTRIC BARRIER DISCHARGES : PULSED BREAKDOWN, ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATION AND CHEMISTRY  R. Brandenburg, H. Höft, T. Hoder, A. Pipa, R...for pulsed driven Dielectric Barrier Discharges (DBDs) in particular. Fast electrical, optical and spectroscopic methods enable the study of...2. REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Dielectric Barrier Discharges : Pulsed Breakdown, Electrical Characterization

The effect of scopolamine on matching behavior and the estimation of relative reward magnitude.

PubMed

Leon, Matthew I; Rodriguez-Barrera, Vanessa; Amaya, Aldo

2017-10-01

We investigated the behavioral effects of scopolamine on rats that bar pressed for trains of electrically stimulating pulses under concurrent variable interval schedules of reward. For the first half of the session (30 min) a 1:4 ratio in the programmed number of stimulation trains delivered at each option was in effect. At the start of the second half of the session, an unsignaled reversal in the relative train number (4:1) occurred. We tracked the relative magnitude of reward estimated for each contiguous pair of reinforced visits to competing options. Scopolamine hydrobromide led to a reduction in the relative magnitude of reward. A similar result was obtained in a follow-up test in which relative magnitude was manipulated by varying the pulse frequency of stimulation, while equating the train number at each option. The effect of scopolamine hydrobromide could not be attributed to undermatching, side bias, nor to an effect of scopolamine on the reward integration process. When the same rats were treated with scopolamine methylbromide, no effects on matching behavior were observed. Our results suggest a cholinergic basis for the computation of choice variables related to matching behavior. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Pulse-rate discrimination by cochlear-implant and normal-hearing listeners with and without binaural cues

PubMed Central

Carlyon, Robert P.; Long, Christopher J.; Deeks, John M.

2008-01-01

Experiment 1 measured rate discrimination of electric pulse trains by bilateral cochlear implant (CI) users, for standard rates of 100, 200, and 300 pps. In the diotic condition the pulses were presented simultaneously to the two ears. Consistent with previous results with unilateral stimulation, performance deteriorated at higher standard rates. In the signal interval of each trial in the dichotic condition, the standard rate was presented to the left ear and the (higher) signal rate was presented to the right ear; the non-signal intervals were the same as in the diotic condition. Performance in the dichotic condition was better for some listeners than in the diotic condition for standard rates of 100 and 200 pps, but not at 300 pps. It is concluded that the deterioration in rate discrimination observed for CI users at high rates cannot be alleviated by the introduction of a binaural cue, and is unlikely to be limited solely by central pitch processes. Experiment 2 performed an analogous experiment in which 300-pps acoustic pulse trains were bandpass filtered (3900-5400 Hz) and presented in a noise background to normal-hearing listeners. Unlike the results of experiment 1, performance was superior in the dichotic than in the diotic condition. PMID:18397032

Effects of pulsed electrical field processing on microbial survival, quality change and nutritional characteristics of blueberries

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Whole fresh blueberries were treated using a parallel pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment chamber and a sanitizer solution (60 ppm peracetic acid [PAA]) as PEF treatment medium with square wave bipolar pulses at 2 kV/cm electric field strength, 1us pulse width, and 100 pulses per second for 2, 4, ...

Prefire identification for pulse-power systems

DOEpatents

Longmire, J.L.; Thuot, M.E.; Warren, D.S.

1982-08-23

Prefires in a high-power, high-frequency, multi-stage pulse generator are detected by a system having an EMI shielded pulse timing transmitter associated with and tailored to each stage of the pulse generator. Each pulse timing transmitter upon detection of a pulse triggers a laser diode to send an optical signal through a high frequency fiber optic cable to a pulse timing receiver which converts the optical signal to an electrical pulse. The electrical pulses from all pulse timing receivers are fed through an OR circuit to start a time interval measuring device and each electrical pulse is used to stop an individual channel in the measuring device thereby recording the firing sequence of the multi-stage pulse generator.

Prefire identification for pulse power systems

DOEpatents

Longmire, Jerry L.; Thuot, Michael E.; Warren, David S.

1985-01-01

Prefires in a high-power, high-frequency, multi-stage pulse generator are detected by a system having an EMI shielded pulse timing transmitter associated with and tailored to each stage of the pulse generator. Each pulse timing transmitter upon detection of a pulse triggers a laser diode to send an optical signal through a high frequency fiber optic cable to a pulse timing receiver which converts the optical signal to an electrical pulse. The electrical pulses from all pulse timing receivers are fed through an OR circuit to start a time interval measuring device and each electrical pulse is used to stop an individual channel in the measuring device thereby recording the firing sequence of the multi-stage pulse generator.

Individualized Low-Amplitude Seizure Therapy: Minimizing Current for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Magnetic Seizure Therapy.

PubMed

Peterchev, Angel V; Krystal, Andrew D; Rosa, Moacyr A; Lisanby, Sarah H

2015-08-01

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at conventional current amplitudes (800-900 mA) is highly effective but carries the risk of cognitive side effects. Lowering and individualizing the current amplitude may reduce side effects by virtue of a less intense and more focal electric field exposure in the brain, but this aspect of ECT dosing is largely unexplored. Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) induces a weaker and more focal electric field than ECT; however, the pulse amplitude is not individualized and the minimum amplitude required to induce a seizure is unknown. We titrated the amplitude of long stimulus trains (500 pulses) as a means of determining the minimum current amplitude required to induce a seizure with ECT (bilateral, right unilateral, bifrontal, and frontomedial electrode placements) and MST (round coil on vertex) in nonhuman primates. Furthermore, we investigated a novel method of predicting this amplitude-titrated seizure threshold (ST) by a non-convulsive measurement of motor threshold (MT) using single pulses delivered through the ECT electrodes or MST coil. Average STs were substantially lower than conventional pulse amplitudes (112-174 mA for ECT and 37.4% of maximum device amplitude for MST). ST was more variable in ECT than in MST. MT explained 63% of the ST variance and is hence the strongest known predictor of ST. These results indicate that seizures can be induced with less intense electric fields than conventional ECT that may be safer; efficacy and side effects should be evaluated in clinical studies. MT measurement could be a faster and safer alternative to empirical ST titration for ECT and MST.

Temporal and spectral properties of the songs of the southern green stink bug Nezara viridula (L.) from Slovenia.

PubMed

Cokl, A; Virant-Doberlet, M; Stritih, N

2000-01-01

Substrate born songs of the southern green stinkbug Nezara viridula (L.) from Slovenia were recorded and analysed. The male calling song is composed of narrow-band regularly repeated single pulses and of broad-band frequency modulated pulses grouped into pulse trains. The female calling song is characterised by broad-band pulsed and narrow-band non-pulsed pulse trains. A frequency modulated pre-pulse precedes the narrow-band pulse train. A frequency-modulated post-pulse usually follows the pulse train of the male courtship song. The male calling song triggers broad-band pulse trains of the female courtship song. The female also produces a repelling low-frequency vibration that inhibits male calling and courtship. The male rival song is characterised by prolonged pulses with a typical frequency modulation.

Logic circuit detects both present and missing negative pulses in superimposed wave trains

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rice, R. E.

1967-01-01

Pulse divide and determination network provides a logical determination of pulse presence within a data train. The network uses digital logic circuitry to divide positive and negative pulses, to shape the separated pulses, and to determine, by means of coincidence logic, if negative pulses are missing from the pulse train.

Effect of Pulse Polarity on Thresholds and on Non-monotonic Loudness Growth in Cochlear Implant Users.

PubMed

Macherey, Olivier; Carlyon, Robert P; Chatron, Jacques; Roman, Stéphane

2017-06-01

Most cochlear implants (CIs) activate their electrodes non-simultaneously in order to eliminate electrical field interactions. However, the membrane of auditory nerve fibers needs time to return to its resting state, causing the probability of firing to a pulse to be affected by previous pulses. Here, we provide new evidence on the effect of pulse polarity and current level on these interactions. In experiment 1, detection thresholds and most comfortable levels (MCLs) were measured in CI users for 100-Hz pulse trains consisting of two consecutive biphasic pulses of the same or of opposite polarity. All combinations of polarities were studied: anodic-cathodic-anodic-cathodic (ACAC), CACA, ACCA, and CAAC. Thresholds were lower when the adjacent phases of the two pulses had the same polarity (ACCA and CAAC) than when they were different (ACAC and CACA). Some subjects showed a lower threshold for ACCA than for CAAC while others showed the opposite trend demonstrating that polarity sensitivity at threshold is genuine and subject- or electrode-dependent. In contrast, anodic (CAAC) pulses always showed a lower MCL than cathodic (ACCA) pulses, confirming previous reports. In experiments 2 and 3, the subjects compared the loudness of several pulse trains differing in current level separately for ACCA and CAAC. For 40 % of the electrodes tested, loudness grew non-monotonically as a function of current level for ACCA but never for CAAC. This finding may relate to a conduction block of the action potentials along the fibers induced by a strong hyperpolarization of their central processes. Further analysis showed that the electrodes showing a lower threshold for ACCA than for CAAC were more likely to yield a non-monotonic loudness growth. It is proposed that polarity sensitivity at threshold reflects the local neural health and that anodic asymmetric pulses should preferably be used to convey sound information while avoiding abnormal loudness percepts.

First-principles electron dynamics control simulation of diamond under femtosecond laser pulse train irradiation.

PubMed

Wang, Cong; Jiang, Lan; Wang, Feng; Li, Xin; Yuan, Yanping; Xiao, Hai; Tsai, Hai-Lung; Lu, Yongfeng

2012-07-11

A real-time and real-space time-dependent density functional is applied to simulate the nonlinear electron-photon interactions during shaped femtosecond laser pulse train ablation of diamond. Effects of the key pulse train parameters such as the pulse separation, spatial/temporal pulse energy distribution and pulse number per train on the electron excitation and energy absorption are discussed. The calculations show that photon-electron interactions and transient localized electron dynamics can be controlled including photon absorption, electron excitation, electron density, and free electron distribution by the ultrafast laser pulse train.

Behavioral training enhances cortical temporal processing in neonatally deafened juvenile cats

PubMed Central

Vollmer, Maike; Raggio, Marcia W.; Schreiner, Christoph E.

2011-01-01

Deaf humans implanted with a cochlear prosthesis depend largely on temporal cues for speech recognition because spectral information processing is severely impaired. Training with a cochlear prosthesis is typically required before speech perception shows improvement, suggesting that relevant experience modifies temporal processing in the central auditory system. We tested this hypothesis in neonatally deafened cats by comparing temporal processing in the primary auditory cortex (AI) of cats that received only chronic passive intracochlear electric stimulation (ICES) with cats that were also trained with ICES to detect temporally challenging trains of electric pulses. After months of chronic passive stimulation and several weeks of detection training in behaviorally trained cats, multineuronal AI responses evoked by temporally modulated ICES were recorded in anesthetized animals. The stimulus repetition rates that produced the maximum number of phase-locked spikes (best repetition rate) and 50% cutoff rate were significantly higher in behaviorally trained cats than the corresponding rates in cats that received only chronic passive ICES. Behavioral training restored neuronal temporal following ability to levels comparable with those recorded in naïve prior normal-hearing adult deafened animals. Importantly, best repetitition rates and cutoff rates were highest for neuronal clusters activated by the electrode configuration used in behavioral training. These results suggest that neuroplasticity in the AI is induced by behavioral training and perceptual learning in animals deprived of ordinary auditory experience during development and indicate that behavioral training can ameliorate or restore temporal processing in the AI of profoundly deaf animals. PMID:21543753

Optically activated switches for the generation of complex electrical waveforms with multigigahertz bandwidth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skeldon, Mark D.; Okishev, Andrey V.; Letzring, Samuel A.; Donaldson, William R.; Green, Kenton; Seka, Wolf D.; Fuller, Lynn F.

1995-01-01

An electrical pulse-generation system using two optically activated Si photoconductive switches can generate shaped electrical pulses with multigigahertz bandwidth. The Si switches are activated by an optical pulse whose leading edge is steepened by stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in CCl4. With the bandwidth generated by the SBS process, a laser having a 1- to 3-ns pulse width is used to generate electrical pulses with approximately 80-ps rise times (approximately 4-GHz bandwidth). Variable impedance microstrip lines are used to generate complex electrical waveforms that can be transferred to a matched load with minimal loss of bandwidth.

Spatial hearing benefits demonstrated with presentation of acoustic temporal fine structure cues in bilateral cochlear implant listeners.

PubMed

Churchill, Tyler H; Kan, Alan; Goupell, Matthew J; Litovsky, Ruth Y

2014-09-01

Most contemporary cochlear implant (CI) processing strategies discard acoustic temporal fine structure (TFS) information, and this may contribute to the observed deficits in bilateral CI listeners' ability to localize sounds when compared to normal hearing listeners. Additionally, for best speech envelope representation, most contemporary speech processing strategies use high-rate carriers (≥900 Hz) that exceed the limit for interaural pulse timing to provide useful binaural information. Many bilateral CI listeners are sensitive to interaural time differences (ITDs) in low-rate (<300 Hz) constant-amplitude pulse trains. This study explored the trade-off between superior speech temporal envelope representation with high-rate carriers and binaural pulse timing sensitivity with low-rate carriers. The effects of carrier pulse rate and pulse timing on ITD discrimination, ITD lateralization, and speech recognition in quiet were examined in eight bilateral CI listeners. Stimuli consisted of speech tokens processed at different electrical stimulation rates, and pulse timings that either preserved or did not preserve acoustic TFS cues. Results showed that CI listeners were able to use low-rate pulse timing cues derived from acoustic TFS when presented redundantly on multiple electrodes for ITD discrimination and lateralization of speech stimuli.

Assessment of the electrochemical effects of pulsed electric fields in a biological cell suspension.

PubMed

Chafai, Djamel Eddine; Mehle, Andraž; Tilmatine, Amar; Maouche, Bachir; Miklavčič, Damijan

2015-12-01

Electroporation of cells is successfully used in biology, biotechnology and medicine. Practical problems still arise in the electroporation of cells in suspension. For example, the determination of cell electroporation is still a demanding and time-consuming task. Electric pulses also cause contamination of the solution by the metal released from the electrodes and create local enhancements of the electric field, leading to the occurrence of electrochemical reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface. In our study, we investigated the possibility of assessing modifications to the cell environment caused by pulsed electric fields using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. We designed an experimental protocol to elucidate the mechanism by which a pulsed electric field affects the electrode state in relation to different electrolyte conductivities at the interface. The results show that a pulsed electric field affects electrodes and its degree depends on the electrolyte conductivity. Evolution of the electrochemical reaction rate depends on the initial free charges and those generated by the pulsed electric field. In the presence of biological cells, the initial free charges in the medium are reduced. The electrical current path at low frequency is longer, i.e., conductivity is decreased, even in the presence of increased permeability of the cell membrane created by the pulsed electric field. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Active sensing associated with spatial learning reveals memory-based attention in an electric fish

PubMed Central

Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2016-01-01

Active sensing behaviors reveal what an animal is attending to and how it changes with learning. Gymnotus sp., a gymnotiform weakly electric fish, generates an electric organ discharge (EOD) as discrete pulses to actively sense its surroundings. We monitored freely behaving gymnotid fish in a large dark “maze” and extracted their trajectories and EOD pulse pattern and rate while they learned to find food with electrically detectable landmarks as cues. After training, they more rapidly found food using shorter, more stereotyped trajectories and spent more time near the food location. We observed three forms of active sensing: sustained high EOD rates per unit distance (sampling density), transient large increases in EOD rate (E-scans) and stereotyped scanning movements (B-scans) were initially strong at landmarks and food, but, after learning, intensified only at the food location. During probe (no food) trials, after learning, the fish's search area and intense active sampling was still centered on the missing food location, but now also increased near landmarks. We hypothesize that active sensing is a behavioral manifestation of attention and essential for spatial learning; the fish use spatial memory of landmarks and path integration to reach the expected food location and confine their attention to this region. PMID:26961107

Active sensing associated with spatial learning reveals memory-based attention in an electric fish.

PubMed

Jun, James J; Longtin, André; Maler, Leonard

2016-05-01

Active sensing behaviors reveal what an animal is attending to and how it changes with learning. Gymnotus sp, a gymnotiform weakly electric fish, generates an electric organ discharge (EOD) as discrete pulses to actively sense its surroundings. We monitored freely behaving gymnotid fish in a large dark "maze" and extracted their trajectories and EOD pulse pattern and rate while they learned to find food with electrically detectable landmarks as cues. After training, they more rapidly found food using shorter, more stereotyped trajectories and spent more time near the food location. We observed three forms of active sensing: sustained high EOD rates per unit distance (sampling density), transient large increases in EOD rate (E-scans) and stereotyped scanning movements (B-scans) were initially strong at landmarks and food, but, after learning, intensified only at the food location. During probe (no food) trials, after learning, the fish's search area and intense active sampling was still centered on the missing food location, but now also increased near landmarks. We hypothesize that active sensing is a behavioral manifestation of attention and essential for spatial learning; the fish use spatial memory of landmarks and path integration to reach the expected food location and confine their attention to this region. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Using electric pulse and laser to trigger a sharp and nonvolatile change of lateral photovoltage in nano-carbon film

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gan, Zhikai; Zhou, Peiqi; Huang, Xu

A greatly enhanced lateral photovoltage (LPV) triggered by electric pulse has been observed in nano-carbon oxide semiconductor (COS) structures. The original maximal output signal of lateral photovoltage achieved in these structures is 9.8 mV. However, by combining the application of a 60 V voltage pulse with laser illumination, the LPV can reach a very high value of 183 mV and the change ratio after 60 V pulse is nearly 1800%. In addition, the states of these light and electric-pulse triggered COSs are permanently changed, showing a non-volatile characteristic. We attribute this phenomenon to the trapping effect of stimulated electrons in COSs. The work suggestsmore » an approach for tailoring LPV-based devices by electric pulse and will be useful for the development of electric pulse modulated photodetectors.« less

Method and apparatus for electrical cable testing by pulse-arrested spark discharge

DOEpatents

Barnum, John R.; Warne, Larry K.; Jorgenson, Roy E.; Schneider, Larry X.

2005-02-08

A method for electrical cable testing by Pulse-Arrested Spark Discharge (PASD) uses the cable response to a short-duration high-voltage incident pulse to determine the location of an electrical breakdown that occurs at a defect site in the cable. The apparatus for cable testing by PASD includes a pulser for generating the short-duration high-voltage incident pulse, at least one diagnostic sensor to detect the incident pulse and the breakdown-induced reflected and/or transmitted pulses propagating from the electrical breakdown at the defect site, and a transient recorder to record the cable response. The method and apparatus are particularly useful to determine the location of defect sites in critical but inaccessible electrical cabling systems in aging aircraft, ships, nuclear power plants, and industrial complexes.

A bright attosecond x-ray pulse train generation in a double-laser-driven cone target

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hu, Li-Xiang; Yu, Tong-Pu, E-mail: tongpu@nudt.edu.cn; Shao, Fu-Qiu

By using full three-dimensional particle-in-cell and Monte Carlo simulations, we investigate the generation of a high-brightness attosecond x-ray pulse train in a double-laser-driven cone target. The scheme makes use of two lasers: the first high-intensity laser with a laser peak intensity 1.37 × 10{sup 20 }W/cm{sup 2} irradiates the cone and produces overdense attosecond electron bunches; the second counterpropagating weakly relativistic laser with a laser peak intensity 4.932 × 10{sup 17 }W/cm{sup 2} interacts with the produced electron bunches and a bright x-ray pulse train is generated by Thomson backscattering of the second laser off the attosecond electron bunches. It is shown that the photon fluxmore » rises by 5 times using the cone target as compared with a normal channel. Meanwhile, the x-ray peak brightness increases significantly from 1.4 × 10{sup 21}/(s mm{sup 2} mrad{sup 2} 0.1 keV) to 6.0 × 10{sup 21}/(s mm{sup 2} mrad{sup 2} 0.1 keV), which is much higher than that of the Thomson x-ray source generated from traditional accelerators. We also discuss the influence of the laser and target parameters on the x-ray pulse properties. This compact bright x-ray source may have diverse applications, e.g., the study of electric dynamics and harmonics emission in the atomic scale.« less

Current density imaging sequence for monitoring current distribution during delivery of electric pulses in irreversible electroporation.

PubMed

Serša, Igor; Kranjc, Matej; Miklavčič, Damijan

2015-01-01

Electroporation is gaining its importance in everyday clinical practice of cancer treatment. For its success it is extremely important that coverage of the target tissue, i.e. treated tumor, with electric field is within the specified range. Therefore, an efficient tool for the electric field monitoring in the tumor during delivery of electroporation pulses is needed. The electric field can be reconstructed by the magnetic resonance electric impedance tomography method from current density distribution data. In this study, the use of current density imaging with MRI for monitoring current density distribution during delivery of irreversible electroporation pulses was demonstrated. Using a modified single-shot RARE sequence, where four 3000 V and 100 μs long pulses were included at the start, current distribution between a pair of electrodes inserted in a liver tissue sample was imaged. Two repetitions of the sequence with phases of refocusing radiofrequency pulses 90° apart were needed to acquire one current density image. For each sample in total 45 current density images were acquired to follow a standard protocol for irreversible electroporation where 90 electric pulses are delivered at 1 Hz. Acquired current density images showed that the current density in the middle of the sample increased from first to last electric pulses by 60%, i.e. from 8 kA/m2 to 13 kA/m2 and that direction of the current path did not change with repeated electric pulses significantly. The presented single-shot RARE-based current density imaging sequence was used successfully to image current distribution during delivery of short high-voltage electric pulses. The method has a potential to enable monitoring of tumor coverage by electric field during irreversible electroporation tissue ablation.

Comparison of pulsed corona plasma and pulsed electric fields for the decontamination of water containing Legionella pneumophila as model organism.

PubMed

Banaschik, Robert; Burchhardt, Gerhard; Zocher, Katja; Hammerschmidt, Sven; Kolb, Juergen F; Weltmann, Klaus-Dieter

2016-12-01

Pulsed corona plasma and pulsed electric fields were assessed for their capacity to kill Legionella pneumophila in water. Electrical parameters such as in particular dissipated energy were equal for both treatments. This was accomplished by changing the polarity of the applied high voltage pulses in a coaxial electrode geometry resulting in the generation of corona plasma or an electric field. For corona plasma, generated by high voltage pulses with peak voltages of +80kV, Legionella were completely killed, corresponding to a log-reduction of 5.4 (CFU/ml) after a treatment time of 12.5min. For the application of pulsed electric fields from peak voltages of -80kV a survival of log 2.54 (CFU/ml) was still detectable after this treatment time. Scanning electron microscopy images of L. pneumophila showed rupture of cells after plasma treatment. In contrast, the morphology of bacteria seems to be intact after application of pulsed electric fields. The more efficient killing for the same energy input observed for pulsed corona plasma is likely due to induced chemical processes and the generation of reactive species as indicated by the evolution of hydrogen peroxide. This suggests that the higher efficacy and efficiency of pulsed corona plasma is primarily associated with the combined effect of the applied electric fields and the promoted reaction chemistry. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An investigation of fatigue phenomenon in the upper limb muscle due to short duration pulses in an FES system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Naeem, Jannatul; Wong Azman, Amelia; Khan, Sheroz; Mohd Mustafah, Yasir

2013-12-01

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) is a method of artificially stimulating muscles or nerves in order to result in contraction or relaxation of muscles. Many studies have shown that FES system has helped patients to live a better lives especially those who are suffering from physical mobility. Unfortunately, one of the main limitations of an FES system besides of its high cost is largely due to muscle fatigue. Muscle fatigue will affect the training duration which could delay patients' recovery rate. In this paper, we analyzed the occurrence of this fatigue phenomenon in terms of stimulator parameters such as amplitude, frequency, pulse width and pulse shape. The objective of this investigation is to identify other key features of the FES system parameters in order to prolong the training duration among patients. The experiment has been done on a healthy person for the duration of one minute and later the muscles response will be observed. Resultant muscle response is recorded as force using force resistive sensor. The experimental results show muscles will get fatigue at a different rate as the frequency increases. The experiment also shows that the duty cycle is reciprocal to the resultant force.

Optically-synchronized encoder and multiplexer scheme for interleaved photonics analog-to-digital conversion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villa, Carlos; Kumavor, Patrick; Donkor, Eric

2008-04-01

Photonics Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) utilize a train of optical pulses to sample an electrical input waveform applied to an electrooptic modulator or a reverse biased photodiode. In the former, the resulting train of amplitude-modulated optical pulses is detected (converter to electrical) and quantized using a conversional electronics ADC- as at present there are no practical, cost-effective optical quantizers available with performance that rival electronic quantizers. In the latter, the electrical samples are directly quantized by the electronics ADC. In both cases however, the sampling rate is limited by the speed with which the electronics ADC can quantize the electrical samples. One way to increase the sampling rate by a factor N is by using the time-interleaved technique which consists of a parallel array of N electrical ADC converters, which have the same sampling rate but different sampling phase. Each operating at a quantization rate of fs/N where fs is the aggregated sampling rate. In a system with no real-time operation, the N channels digital outputs are stored in memory, and then aggregated (multiplexed) to obtain the digital representation of the analog input waveform. Alternatively, for real-time operation systems the reduction of storing time in the multiplexing process is desired to improve the time response of the ADC. The complete elimination of memories come expenses of concurrent timing and synchronization in the aggregation of the digital signal that became critical for a good digital representation of the analog signal waveform. In this paper we propose and demonstrate a novel optically synchronized encoder and multiplexer scheme for interleaved photonics ADCs that utilize the N optical signals used to sample different phases of an analog input signal to synchronize the multiplexing of the resulting N digital output channels in a single digital output port. As a proof of concept, four 320 Megasamples/sec 12-bit of resolution digital signals were multiplexed to form an aggregated 1.28 Gigasamples/sec single digital output signal.

Interleaved neuromuscular electrical stimulation: Motor unit recruitment overlap.

PubMed

Wiest, Matheus J; Bergquist, Austin J; Schimidt, Helen L; Jones, Kelvin E; Collins, David F

2017-04-01

In this study, we quantified the "overlap" between motor units recruited by single pulses of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) delivered over the tibialis anterior muscle (mNMES) and the common peroneal nerve (nNMES). We then quantified the torque produced when pulses were alternated between the mNMES and nNMES sites at 40 Hz ("interleaved" NMES; iNMES). Overlap was assessed by comparing torque produced by twitches evoked by mNMES, nNMES, and both delivered together, over a range of stimulus intensities. Trains of iNMES were delivered at the intensity that produced the lowest overlap. Overlap was lowest (5%) when twitches evoked by both mNMES and nNMES produced 10% peak twitch torque. iNMES delivered at this intensity generated 25% of maximal voluntary dorsiflexion torque (11 Nm). Low intensity iNMES leads to low overlap and produces torque that is functionally relevant to evoke dorsiflexion during walking. Muscle Nerve 55: 490-499, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Electric vehicle power train instrumentation: Some constraints and considerations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Triner, J. E.; Hansen, I. G.

1977-01-01

The application of pulse modulation control (choppers) to dc motors creates unique instrumentation problems. In particular, the high harmonic components contained in the current waveforms require frequency response accommodations not normally considered in dc instrumentation. In addition to current sensing, accurate power measurement requires not only adequate frequency response but must also address phase errors caused by the finite bandwidths and component characteristics involved. The implications of these problems are assessed.

Digital intelligent booster for DCC miniature train networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ursu, M. P.; Condruz, D. A.

2017-08-01

Modern miniature trains are now driven by means of the DCC (Digital Command and Control) system, which allows the human operator or a personal computer to launch commands to each individual train or even to control different features of the same train. The digital command station encodes these commands and sends them to the trains by means of electrical pulses via the rails of the railway network. Due to the development of the miniature railway network, it may happen that the power requirement of the increasing number of digital locomotives, carriages and accessories exceeds the nominal output power of the digital command station. This digital intelligent booster relieves the digital command station from powering the entire railway network all by itself, and it automatically handles the multiple powered sections of the network. This electronic device is also able to detect and process short-circuits and overload conditions, without the intervention of the digital command station.

The Study for Shortening the Process Time at Soy Food Production by using the Pulsed Electric Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saito, Tsukasa; Jinushi, Makoto; Minamitani, Yasushi

We investigated method to osmose water and seasoner to dried soybeans fast by pulsed electric field, in order to make soybeans a processed food fast. By applying the pulsed electric field to the dried soybeans in water, osmosis time of water to the soybean became approximately half. Then the emission of the discharge was observed on dried soybean. The color of coffee permeated more into the soybean treated than no-treated by the pulsed electric field.

Spectral Effects for an Ultrashort Pulse Train Propagating in a Two-Level Atom Medium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Bing-Xin; Gong, Shang-Qing; Song, Xiao-Hong; Li, Ru-Xin; Xu, Zhi-Zhan

2005-06-01

We investigate the spectra of a femtosecond pulse train propagating in a resonant two-level atom (TLA) medium. It is found that higher spectral components can be produced even for a 2π femtosecond pulse train. Furthermore, the spectral effects depend crucially on both the relative shift Φ and the delay time τ between the successive pulses of the femtosecond pulse train.

Electromagnetic pulse propagation in dispersive planar dielectrics.

PubMed

Moten, K; Durney, C H; Stockham, T G

1989-01-01

The responses of a plane-wave pulse train irradiating a lossy dispersive dielectric half-space are investigated. The incident pulse train is expressed as a Fourier series with summing done by the inverse fast Fourier transform. The Fourier series technique is adopted to avoid the many difficulties often encountered in finding the inverse Fourier transform when transform analyses are used. Calculations are made for propagation in pure water, and typical waveforms inside the dielectric half-space are presented. Higher harmonics are strongly attenuated, resulting in a single continuous sinusoidal waveform at the frequency of the fundamental depth in the material. The time-averaged specific absorption rate (SAR) for pulse-train propagation is shown to be the sum of the time-averaged SARs of the individual harmonic components of the pulse train. For the same average power, calculated SARs reveal that pulse trains generally penetrate deeper than carrier-frequency continuous waves but not deeper than continuous waves at frequencies approaching the fundamental of the pulse train. The effects of rise time on the propagating pulse train in the dielectrics are shown and explained. Since most practical pulsed systems are very limited in bandwidth, no pronounced differences between their response and continuous wave (CW) response would be expected. Typical results for pulse-train propagation in arrays of dispersive planar dielectric slabs are presented. Expressing the pulse train as a Fourier series provides a practical way of interpreting the dispersion characteristics from the spectral point of view.

Critical Infrastructure Protection: EMP Impacts on the U.S. Electric Grid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boston, Edwin J., Jr.

The purpose of this research is to identify the United States electric grid infrastructure systems vulnerabilities to electromagnetic pulse attacks and the cyber-based impacts of those vulnerabilities to the electric grid. Additionally, the research identifies multiple defensive strategies designed to harden the electric grid against electromagnetic pulse attack that include prevention, mitigation and recovery postures. Research results confirm the importance of the electric grid to the United States critical infrastructures system and that an electromagnetic pulse attack against the electric grid could result in electric grid degradation, critical infrastructure(s) damage and the potential for societal collapse. The conclusions of this research indicate that while an electromagnetic pulse attack against the United States electric grid could have catastrophic impacts on American society, there are currently many defensive strategies under consideration designed to prevent, mitigate and or recover from an electromagnetic pulse attack. However, additional research is essential to further identify future target hardening opportunities, efficient implementation strategies and funding resources.

Termination of atrial fibrillation using pulsed low-energy far-field stimulation

PubMed Central

Fenton, Flavio H.; Luther, Stefan; Cherry, Elizabeth M.; Otani, Niels F.; Krinsky, Valentin; Pumir, Alain; Bodenschatz, Eberhard; Gilmour, Robert F.

2010-01-01

Background Electrically-based therapies for terminating atrial fibrillation (AF) currently fall into two categories: anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) and cardioversion. ATP utilizes low-intensity pacing stimuli delivered via a single electrode and is effective for terminating slower tachycardias, but is less effective for treating AF. In contrast, cardioversion uses a single high-voltage shock to terminate AF reliably, but the voltages required produce undesirable side effects, including tissue damage and pain. We propose a new method to terminate AF called far-field anti-fibrillation pacing (FF-AFP), which delivers a short train of low-intensity electrical pulses at the frequency of ATP, but from field electrodes. Prior theoretical work has suggested that this approach can create a large number of activation sites (“virtual” electrodes) that emit propagating waves within the tissue without implanting physical electrodes and thereby may be more effective than point-source stimulation. Methods and Results Using optical mapping in isolated perfused canine atrial preparations, we show that a series of pulses at low field strength (0.9-1.4 V/cm) is sufficient to entrain and subsequently extinguish AF with a success rate of 93 percent (69/74 trials in 8 preparations). We further demonstrate that the mechanism behind FFAFP success is the generation of wave emission sites within the tissue by the applied electric field, which entrains the tissue as the field is pulsed. Conclusions AF in our model can be terminated by FF-AFP using only 13% of the energy required for cardioversion. Further studies are needed to determine whether this marked reduction in energy can increase the effectiveness and safety of terminating atrial tachyarrhythmias clinically. PMID:19635972

Individualized Low-Amplitude Seizure Therapy: Minimizing Current for Electroconvulsive Therapy and Magnetic Seizure Therapy

PubMed Central

Peterchev, Angel V; Krystal, Andrew D; Rosa, Moacyr A; Lisanby, Sarah H

2015-01-01

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) at conventional current amplitudes (800–900 mA) is highly effective but carries the risk of cognitive side effects. Lowering and individualizing the current amplitude may reduce side effects by virtue of a less intense and more focal electric field exposure in the brain, but this aspect of ECT dosing is largely unexplored. Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) induces a weaker and more focal electric field than ECT; however, the pulse amplitude is not individualized and the minimum amplitude required to induce a seizure is unknown. We titrated the amplitude of long stimulus trains (500 pulses) as a means of determining the minimum current amplitude required to induce a seizure with ECT (bilateral, right unilateral, bifrontal, and frontomedial electrode placements) and MST (round coil on vertex) in nonhuman primates. Furthermore, we investigated a novel method of predicting this amplitude-titrated seizure threshold (ST) by a non-convulsive measurement of motor threshold (MT) using single pulses delivered through the ECT electrodes or MST coil. Average STs were substantially lower than conventional pulse amplitudes (112–174 mA for ECT and 37.4% of maximum device amplitude for MST). ST was more variable in ECT than in MST. MT explained 63% of the ST variance and is hence the strongest known predictor of ST. These results indicate that seizures can be induced with less intense electric fields than conventional ECT that may be safer; efficacy and side effects should be evaluated in clinical studies. MT measurement could be a faster and safer alternative to empirical ST titration for ECT and MST. PMID:25920013

Experimental characterization and numerical modeling of tissue electrical conductivity during pulsed electric fields for irreversible electroporation treatment planning.

PubMed

Neal, Robert E; Garcia, Paulo A; Robertson, John L; Davalos, Rafael V

2012-04-01

Irreversible electroporation is a new technique to kill cells in targeted tissue, such as tumors, through a nonthermal mechanism using electric pulses to irrecoverably disrupt the cell membrane. Treatment effects relate to the tissue electric field distribution, which can be predicted with numerical modeling for therapy planning. Pulse effects will change the cell and tissue properties through thermal and electroporation (EP)-based processes. This investigation characterizes these changes by measuring the electrical conductivity and temperature of ex vivo renal porcine tissue within a single pulse and for a 200 pulse protocol. These changes are incorporated into an equivalent circuit model for cells and tissue with a variable EP-based resistance, providing a potential method to estimate conductivity as a function of electric field and pulse length for other tissues. Finally, a numerical model using a human kidney volumetric mesh evaluated how treatment predictions vary when EP- and temperature-based electrical conductivity changes are incorporated. We conclude that significant changes in predicted outcomes will occur when the experimental results are applied to the numerical model, where the direction and degree of change varies with the electric field considered.

Effect of Shock Waves Generated by Pulsed Electric Discharges in Water on Yeast Cells and Virus Particles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girdyuk, A. E.; Gorshkov, A. N.; Egorov, V. V.; Kolikov, V. A.; Snetov, V. N.; Shneerson, G. A.

2018-02-01

The aim of this study is to determine the optimal parameters of the electric pulses and shock waves generated by them for the soft destruction of the virus and yeast envelopes with no changes in the structure of antigenic surface albumin and in the cell morphology in order to use them to produce antivirus vaccines and in biotechnology. The pulse electric discharges in water have been studied for different values of amplitude, pulse duration and the rate of the rise in the current. A mathematical model has been developed to estimate the optimal parameters of pulsed electric charges and shock waves for the complete destruction of the yeast cell envelopes and virus particles at a minimum of pulses.

Cell Fragmentation and Permeabilization by a 1 ns Pulse Driven Triple-Point Electrode

PubMed Central

Li, Joy; Cho, Michael

2018-01-01

Ultrashort electric pulses (ns-ps) are useful in gaining understanding as to how pulsed electric fields act upon biological cells, but the electric field intensity to induce biological responses is typically higher than longer pulses and therefore a high voltage ultrashort pulse generator is required. To deliver 1 ns pulses with sufficient electric field but at a relatively low voltage, we used a glass-encapsulated tungsten wire triple-point electrode (TPE) at the interface among glass, tungsten wire, and water when it is immersed in water. A high electric field (2 MV/cm) can be created when pulses are applied. However, such a high electric field was found to cause bubble emission and temperature rise in the water near the electrode. They can be attributed to Joule heating near the electrode. Adherent cells on a cover slip treated by the combination of these stimuli showed two major effects: (1) cells in a crater (<100 μm from electrode) were fragmented and the debris was blown away. The principal mechanism for the damage is presumed to be shear forces due to bubble collapse; and (2) cells in the periphery of the crater were permeabilized, which was due to the combination of bubble movement and microstreaming as well as pulsed electric fields. These results show that ultrashort electric fields assisted by microbubbles can cause significant cell response and therefore a triple-point electrode is a useful ablation tool for applications that require submillimeter precision. PMID:29744357

Improved performances of CIBER-X: a new tabletop laser-driven electron and x-ray source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Girardeau-Montaut, Jean-Pierre; Kiraly, Bela; Girardeau-Montaut, Claire

2000-11-01

We present the most recent data concerning the performances of the table-top laser driven electron and x-ray source developed in our laboratory. X-ray pulses are produced by a three-step process which consists of the photoelectron emission from a thin metallic photocathode illuminated by 16 ps duration laser pulse at 213 nm. The e-gun is a standard pierce diode electrode type, in which electrons are accelerated by a cw electric fields of 12 MV/m. The photoinjector produced a train of 90 - 100 keV electron pulses of approximately 1 nC and 40 A peak current at a repetition rate of 10 Hz. The electrons, transported outside the diode, are focused onto a target of thulium by magnetic fields produced by two electromagnetic coils to produce x-rays. Applications to low dose imagery of inert and living materials are also presented.

Electric converters of electromagnetic strike machine with battery power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Usanov, K. M.; Volgin, A. V.; Kargin, V. A.; Moiseev, A. P.; Chetverikov, E. A.

2018-03-01

At present, the application of pulse linear electromagnetic engines to drive strike machines for immersion of rod elements into the soil, strike drilling of shallow wells, dynamic probing of soils is recognized as quite effective. The pulse linear electromagnetic engine performs discrete consumption and conversion of electrical energy into mechanical work. Pulse dosing of a stream transmitted by the battery source to the pulse linear electromagnetic engine of the energy is provided by the electrical converter. The electric converters with the control of an electromagnetic strike machine as functions of time and armature movement, which form the unipolar supply pulses of voltage and current necessary for the normal operation of a pulse linear electromagnetic engine, are proposed. Electric converters are stable in operation, implement the necessary range of output parameters control determined by the technological process conditions, have noise immunity and automatic disconnection of power supply in emergency modes.

Evaluation of stimulation parameters on aortomyoplasty, using Latissimus Dorsi muscle in a goat model: an acute study.

PubMed

Hakami, A; Santamore, W P; Stremel, R W; Tobin, G; Hjortdal, V E

1999-08-01

Dynamic aortomyoplasty using Latissimus Dorsi muscle (LDM) has been shown to improve myocardial function. However, systematic examination of the effects of stimulation parameters on aortic wrap function has not been done. Thus, the present study measures the direct effect of stimulation voltage, pulse train duration, frequency of the pulses, and the duration of the stimulation delay from R wave on the aortic wrap function. In eight female goats, the left LDM was wrapped around the descending aorta. The muscle was then subjected to electrical stimulation, altering frequency of stimulation pulses (16.6, 20, 25, 33 and 50 Hz), amplitude (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 V), and number of pulses (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 pulses) in a train stimulation. Left ventricular, aortic pressure, and pressure generated by LDM on aorta (wrap pressure) was measured. The changes in hemodynamic parameters mentioned above were calculated and compared for different stimulation parameters during unassisted and assisted cardiac cycles. Aortomyoplasty counterpulsation using LDM provided significant improvement in wrap pressure (78 mmHg +/- 2), aortic diastolic pressure, and changes in aortic diastolic pressure from 2 to 4 V (P < 0.05). Further increase in amplitude did not make any significant improvements of the above mentioned parameters. Significant augmentation of wrap pressure (82 mmHg +/- 2), aortic diastolic pressure (79 mmHg +/- 3) and changes in aortic diastolic pressure (12 mmHg +/- 1) occurred at 6 pulses (P < 0.05). Other changes in number of pulses did not show any significant improvements. Significant improvement of wrap pressure (80 mmHg +/- 2), aortic diastolic pressure (73 mmHg +/- 3) and changes in aortic diastolic pressure (12 mmHg +/- 1) was observed with a frequency of 33 Hz. To examine a wide range of delays from the onset of the QRS complex to LDM stimulation, stimulation was delivered randomly. The exact delay was determined from the ECG signal and superimposed LDM stimulation pulses. In this study we present a new measurement, wrap pressure. We also present that in aortomyoplasty using LDM, the most significant improvement in wrap pressure, aortic diastolic pressure and changes in aortic diastolic pressure occurs when the stimulation consists of an amplitude of 4 V, a frequency of 33 Hz and a train stimulation of 6 pulses.

Interaction of ultrashort laser pulses and silicon solar cells under short circuit conditions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mundus, M., E-mail: markus.mundus@ise.fraunhofer.de; Giesecke, J. A.; Fischer, P.

Ultrashort pulse lasers are promising tools for numerous measurement purposes. Among other benefits their high peak powers allow for efficient generation of wavelengths in broad spectral ranges and at spectral powers that are orders of magnitude higher than in conventional light sources. Very recently this has been exploited for the establishment of sophisticated measurement facilities for electrical characterization of photovoltaic (PV) devices. As the high peak powers of ultrashort pulses promote nonlinear optical effects they might also give rise to nonlinear interactions with the devices under test that possibly manipulate the measurement outcome. In this paper, we present a comprehensivemore » theoretical and experimental study of the nonlinearities affecting short circuit current (I{sub SC}) measurements of silicon (Si) solar cells. We derive a set of coupled differential equations describing the radiation-device interaction and discuss the nonlinearities incorporated in those. By a semi-analytical approach introducing a quasi-steady-state approximation and integrating a Green's function we solve the system of equations and obtain simulated I{sub SC} values. We validate the theoretical model by I{sub SC} ratios obtained from a double ring resonator setup capable for reproducible generation of various ultrashort pulse trains. Finally, we apply the model to conduct the most prominent comparison of I{sub SC} generated by ultrashort pulses versus continuous illumination. We conclude by the important finding that the nonlinearities induced by ultrashort pulses are negligible for the most common I{sub SC} measurements. However, we also find that more specialized measurements (e.g., of concentrating PV or Si-multijunction devices as well as highly localized electrical characterizations) will be biased by two-photon-absorption distorting the I{sub SC} measurement.« less

Transient features in nanosecond pulsed electric fields differentially modulate mitochondria and viability.

PubMed

Beebe, Stephen J; Chen, Yeong-Jer; Sain, Nova M; Schoenbach, Karl H; Xiao, Shu

2012-01-01

It is hypothesized that high frequency components of nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs), determined by transient pulse features, are important for maximizing electric field interactions with intracellular structures. For monopolar square wave pulses, these transient features are determined by the rapid rise and fall of the pulsed electric fields. To determine effects on mitochondria membranes and plasma membranes, N1-S1 hepatocellular carcinoma cells were exposed to single 600 ns pulses with varying electric fields (0-80 kV/cm) and short (15 ns) or long (150 ns) rise and fall times. Plasma membrane effects were evaluated using Fluo-4 to determine calcium influx, the only measurable source of increases in intracellular calcium. Mitochondria membrane effects were evaluated using tetramethylrhodamine ethyl ester (TMRE) to determine mitochondria membrane potentials (ΔΨm). Single pulses with short rise and fall times caused electric field-dependent increases in calcium influx, dissipation of ΔΨm and cell death. Pulses with long rise and fall times exhibited electric field-dependent increases in calcium influx, but diminished effects on dissipation of ΔΨm and viability. Results indicate that high frequency components have significant differential impact on mitochondria membranes, which determines cell death, but lesser variances on plasma membranes, which allows calcium influxes, a primary determinant for dissipation of ΔΨm and cell death.

Chaotic carrier pulse position modulation communication system and method

DOEpatents

Abarbanel, Henry D. I.; Larson, Lawrence E.; Rulkov, Nikolai F.; Sushchik, Mikhail M.; Tsimring, Lev S.; Volkovskii, Alexander R.

2001-01-01

A chaotic carrier pulse position modulation communication system and method is disclosed. The system includes a transmitter and receiver having matched chaotic pulse regenerators. The chaotic pulse regenerator in the receiver produces a synchronized replica of a chaotic pulse train generated by the regenerator in the transmitter. The pulse train from the transmitter can therefore act as a carrier signal. Data is encoded by the transmitter through selectively altering the interpulse timing between pulses in the chaotic pulse train. The altered pulse train is transmitted as a pulse signal. The receiver can detect whether a particular interpulse interval in the pulse signal has been altered by reference to the synchronized replica it generates, and can therefore detect the data transmitted by the receiver. Preferably, the receiver predicts the earliest moment in time it can expect a next pulse after observation of at least two consecutive pulses. It then decodes the pulse signal beginning at a short time before expected arrival of a pulse.

The Role of Additional Pulses in Electropermeabilization Protocols

PubMed Central

Suárez, Cecilia; Soba, Alejandro; Maglietti, Felipe; Olaiz, Nahuel; Marshall, Guillermo

2014-01-01

Electropermeabilization (EP) based protocols such as those applied in medicine, food processing or environmental management, are well established and widely used. The applied voltage, as well as tissue electric conductivity, are of utmost importance for assessing final electropermeabilized area and thus EP effectiveness. Experimental results from literature report that, under certain EP protocols, consecutive pulses increase tissue electric conductivity and even the permeabilization amount. Here we introduce a theoretical model that takes into account this effect in the application of an EP-based protocol, and its validation with experimental measurements. The theoretical model describes the electric field distribution by a nonlinear Laplace equation with a variable conductivity coefficient depending on the electric field, the temperature and the quantity of pulses, and the Penne's Bioheat equation for temperature variations. In the experiments, a vegetable tissue model (potato slice) is used for measuring electric currents and tissue electropermeabilized area in different EP protocols. Experimental measurements show that, during sequential pulses and keeping constant the applied voltage, the electric current density and the blackened (electropermeabilized) area increase. This behavior can only be attributed to a rise in the electric conductivity due to a higher number of pulses. Accordingly, we present a theoretical modeling of an EP protocol that predicts correctly the increment in the electric current density observed experimentally during the addition of pulses. The model also demonstrates that the electric current increase is due to a rise in the electric conductivity, in turn induced by temperature and pulse number, with no significant changes in the electric field distribution. The EP model introduced, based on a novel formulation of the electric conductivity, leads to a more realistic description of the EP phenomenon, hopefully providing more accurate predictions of treatment outcomes. PMID:25437512

The Electrically Evoked Auditory Change Complex Evoked by Temporal Gaps Using Cochlear Implants or Auditory Brainstem Implants in Children With Cochlear Nerve Deficiency.

PubMed

He, Shuman; McFayden, Tyler C; Shahsavarani, Bahar S; Teagle, Holly F B; Ewend, Matthew; Henderson, Lillian; Buchman, Craig A

This study aimed to (1) establish the feasibility of measuring the electrically evoked auditory change complex (eACC) in response to temporal gaps in children with cochlear nerve deficiency (CND) who are using cochlear implants (CIs) and/or auditory brainstem implants (ABIs); and (2) explore the association between neural encoding of, and perceptual sensitivity to, temporal gaps in these patients. Study participants included 5 children (S1 to S5) ranging in age from 3.8 to 8.2 years (mean: 6.3 years) at the time of testing. All subjects were unilaterally implanted with a Nucleus 24M ABI due to CND. For each subject, two or more stimulating electrodes of the ABI were tested. S2, S3, and S5 previously received a CI in the contralateral ear. For these 3 subjects, at least two stimulating electrodes of their CIs were also tested. For electrophysiological measures, the stimulus was an 800-msec biphasic pulse train delivered to individual electrodes at the maximum comfortable level (C level). The electrically evoked responses, including the onset response and the eACC, were measured for two stimulation conditions. In the standard condition, the 800-msec pulse train was delivered uninterrupted to individual stimulating electrodes. In the gapped condition, a temporal gap was inserted into the pulse train after 400 msec of stimulation. Gap durations tested in this study ranged from 2 up to 128 msec. The shortest gap that could reliably evoke the eACC was defined as the objective gap detection threshold (GDT). For behavioral GDT measures, the stimulus was a 500-msec biphasic pulse train presented at the C level. The behavioral GDT was measured for individual stimulating electrodes using a one-interval, two-alternative forced-choice procedure. The eACCs to temporal gaps were recorded successfully in all subjects for at least one stimulating electrode using either the ABI or the CI. Objective GDTs showed intersubject variations, as well as variations across stimulating electrodes of the ABI or the CI within each subject. Behavioral GDTs were measured for one ABI electrode in S2 and for multiple ABI and CI electrodes in S5. All other subjects could not complete the task. S5 showed smaller behavioral GDTs for CI electrodes than those measured for ABI electrodes. One CI and two ABI electrodes in S5 showed comparable objective and behavioral GDTs. In contrast, one CI and two ABI electrodes in S5 and one ABI electrode in S2 showed measurable behavioral GDTs but no identifiable eACCs. The eACCs to temporal gaps were recorded in children with CND using either ABIs or CIs. Both objective and behavioral GDTs showed inter- and intrasubject variations. Consistency between results of eACC recordings and psychophysical measures of GDT was observed for some but not all ABI or CI electrodes in these subjects.

Effect of Fixed Versus Adjusted Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation Amplitude on Chronic Mechanical Low Back Pain.

PubMed

Elserty, Noha; Kattabei, Omaima; Elhafez, Hytham

2016-07-01

This study aimed to investigate the effect of adjusting pulse amplitude of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation versus fixed pulse amplitude in treatment of chronic mechanical low back pain. Randomized clinical trial. El-sahel Teaching Hospital, Egypt. Forty-five patients with chronic low back pain assigned to three equal groups. Their ages ranged from 20 to 50 years. The three groups received the same exercise program. Group A received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation with fixed pulse amplitude for 40 minutes. Group B received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation with adjusted pulse amplitude for 40 minutes, with the pulse amplitude adjusted every 5 minutes. Group C received exercises only. Treatment sessions were applied three times per week for 4 weeks for the three groups. A visual analogue scale was used to assess pain severity, the Oswestry Disability Index was used to assess functional level, and a dual inclinometer was used to measure lumbar range of motion. Evaluations were performed before and after treatment. Visual analogue scale, Oswestry Disability Index, and back range of motion significantly differed between the two groups that received transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and the control group and did not significantly differ between fixed and adjusted pulse amplitude of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation. Adjusting pulse amplitude of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation does not produce a difference in the effect of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation used to treat chronic low back pain.

Electrochemical system and method for electropolishing superconductive radio frequency cavities

DOEpatents

Taylor, E. Jennings; Inman, Maria E.; Hall, Timothy

2015-04-14

An electrochemical finishing system for super conducting radio frequency (SCRF) cavities including a low viscosity electrolyte solution that is free of hydrofluoric acid, an electrode in contact with the electrolyte solution, the SCRF cavity being spaced apart from the electrode and in contact with the electrolyte solution and a power source including a first electrical lead electrically coupled to the electrode and a second electrical lead electrically coupled to the cavity, the power source being configured to pass an electric current between the electrode and the workpiece, wherein the electric current includes anodic pulses and cathodic pulses, and wherein the cathodic pulses are interposed between at least some of the anodic pulses. The SCRF cavity may be vertically oriented during the finishing process.

Energy-Saving Sintering of Electrically Conductive Powders by Modified Pulsed Electric Current Heating Using an Electrically Nonconductive Die

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ito, Mikio; Kawahara, Kenta; Araki, Keita

2014-04-01

Sintering of Cu and thermoelectric Ca3Co4O9 was tried using a modified pulsed electric current sintering (PECS) process, where an electrically nonconductive die was used instead of a conventional graphite die. The pulsed electric current flowed through graphite punches and sample powder, which caused the Joule heating of the powder compact itself, resulting in sintering under smaller power consumption. Especially for the Ca3Co4O9 powder, densification during sintering was also accelerated by this modified PECS process.

Detecting Structural Failures Via Acoustic Impulse Responses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bayard, David S.; Joshi, Sanjay S.

1995-01-01

Advanced method of acoustic pulse reflectivity testing developed for use in determining sizes and locations of failures within structures. Used to detect breaks in electrical transmission lines, detect faults in optical fibers, and determine mechanical properties of materials. In method, structure vibrationally excited with acoustic pulse (a "ping") at one location and acoustic response measured at same or different location. Measured acoustic response digitized, then processed by finite-impulse-response (FIR) filtering algorithm unique to method and based on acoustic-wave-propagation and -reflection properties of structure. Offers several advantages: does not require training, does not require prior knowledge of mathematical model of acoustic response of structure, enables detection and localization of multiple failures, and yields data on extent of damage at each location.

Method and means of transmitting and receiving broad-band unipolar, ultrasonic pulses for ultrasonic inspection

DOEpatents

Thompson, D.O.; Hsu, D.K.

1993-12-14

The invention includes a means and method for transmitting and receiving broadband, unipolar, ultrasonic pulses for ultrasonic inspection. The method comprises generating a generally unipolar ultrasonic stress pulse from a low impedance voltage pulse transmitter along a low impedance electrical pathway to an ultrasonic transducer, and receiving the reflected echo of the pulse by the transducer, converting it to a voltage signal, and passing it through a high impedance electrical pathway to an output. The means utilizes electrical components according to the method. The means and method allow a single transducer to be used in a pulse/echo mode, and facilitates alternatingly transmitting and receiving the broadband, unipolar, ultrasonic pulses. 25 figures.

Method and means of transmitting and receiving broad-band unipolar, ultrasonic pulses for ultrasonic inspection

DOEpatents

Thompson, Donald O.; Hsu, David K.

1993-12-14

The invention includes a means and method for transmitting and receiving broadband, unipolar, ultrasonic pulses for ultrasonic inspection. The method comprises generating a generally unipolar ultrasonic stress pulse from a low impedance voltage pulse transmitter along a low impedance electrical pathway to an ultrasonic transducer, and receiving the reflected echo of the pulse by the transducer, converting it to a voltage signal, and passing it through a high impedance electrical pathway to an output. The means utilizes electrical components according to the method. The means and method allow a single transducer to be used in a pulse/echo mode, and facilitates alternatingly transmitting and receiving the broadband, unipolar, ultrasonic pulses.

Automated pulse discrimination of two freely-swimming weakly electric fish and analysis of their electrical behavior during dominance contest.

PubMed

Guariento, Rafael T; Mosqueiro, Thiago S; Matias, Paulo; Cesarino, Vinicius B; Almeida, Lirio O B; Slaets, Jan F W; Maia, Leonardo P; Pinto, Reynaldo D

2016-10-01

Electric fishes modulate their electric organ discharges with a remarkable variability. Some patterns can be easily identified, such as pulse rate changes, offs and chirps, which are often associated with important behavioral contexts, including aggression, hiding and mating. However, these behaviors are only observed when at least two fish are freely interacting. Although their electrical pulses can be easily recorded by non-invasive techniques, discriminating the emitter of each pulse is challenging when physically similar fish are allowed to freely move and interact. Here we optimized a custom-made software recently designed to identify the emitter of pulses by using automated chirp detection, adaptive threshold for pulse detection and slightly changing how the recorded signals are integrated. With these optimizations, we performed a quantitative analysis of the statistical changes throughout the dominance contest with respect to Inter Pulse Intervals, Chirps and Offs dyads of freely moving Gymnotus carapo. In all dyads, chirps were signatures of subsequent submission, even when they occurred early in the contest. Although offs were observed in both dominant and submissive fish, they were substantially more frequent in submissive individuals, in agreement with the idea from previous studies that offs are electric cues of submission. In general, after the dominance is established the submissive fish significantly changes its average pulse rate, while the pulse rate of the dominant remained unchanged. Additionally, no chirps or offs were observed when two fish were manually kept in direct physical contact, suggesting that these electric behaviors are not automatic responses to physical contact. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Repetitive pulses and laser-induced retinal injury thresholds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lund, David J.

2007-02-01

Experimental studies with repetitively pulsed lasers show that the ED 50, expressed as energy per pulse, varies as the inverse fourth power of the number of pulses in the exposure, relatively independently of the wavelength, pulse duration, or pulse repetition frequency of the laser. Models based on a thermal damage mechanism cannot readily explain this result. Menendez et al. proposed a probability-summation model for predicting the threshold for a train of pulses based on the probit statistics for a single pulse. The model assumed that each pulse is an independent trial, unaffected by any other pulse in the train of pulses and assumes that the probability of damage for a single pulse is adequately described by the logistic curve. The requirement that the effect of each pulse in the pulse train be unaffected by the effects of other pulses in the train is a showstopper when the end effect is viewed as a thermal effect with each pulse in the train contributing to the end temperature of the target tissue. There is evidence that the induction of cell death by microcavitation bubbles around melanin granules heated by incident laser irradiation can satisfy the condition of pulse independence as required by the probability summation model. This paper will summarize the experimental data and discuss the relevance of the probability summation model given microcavitation as a damage mechanism.

Electrical and magnetic repetitive transcranial stimulation of the primary motor cortex in healthy subjects.

PubMed

Gilio, Francesca; Iacovelli, Elisa; Frasca, Vittorio; Gabriele, Maria; Giacomelli, Elena; De Lena, Carlo; Cipriani, Anna Maria; Inghilleri, Maurizio

2009-05-08

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) delivered in short trains at 5Hz frequency and suprathreshold intensity over the primary motor cortex (M1) in healthy subjects facilitates the motor-evoked potential (MEP) amplitude by increasing cortical excitability through mechanisms resembling short-term synaptic plasticity. In this study, to investigate whether rTES acts through similar mechanisms we compared the effects of rTMS and repetitive transcranial electrical stimulation (rTES) (10 stimuli-trains, 5Hz frequency, suprathreshold intensity) delivered over the M1 on the MEP amplitude. Four healthy subjects were studied in two separate sessions in a relaxed condition. rTMS and anodal rTES were delivered in trains to the left M1 over the motor area for evoking a MEP in the right first dorsal interosseous muscle. Changes in MEP size and latency during the course of the rTMS and rTES trains were compared. The possible effects of muscle activation on MEP amplitude were evaluated, and the possible effects of cutaneous trigeminal fibre activation on corticospinal excitability were excluded in a control experiment testing the MEP amplitude before and after supraorbital nerve repetitive electrical stimulation. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that rTES and rTMS trains elicited similar amplitude first MEPs and a similar magnitude MEP amplitude facilitation during the trains. rTES elicited a first MEP with a shorter latency than rTMS, without significant changes during the course of the train of stimuli. The MEP elicited by single-pulse TES delivered during muscle contraction had a smaller amplitude than the last MEP in the rTES trains. Repetitive supraorbital nerve stimulation left the conditioned MEP unchanged. Our results suggest that 5 Hz-rTES delivered in short trains increases cortical excitability and does so by acting on the excitatory interneurones probably through mechanisms similar to those underlying the rTMS-induced MEP facilitation.

Photoconductive circuit element pulse generator

DOEpatents

Rauscher, Christen

1989-01-01

A pulse generator for characterizing semiconductor devices at millimeter wavelength frequencies where a photoconductive circuit element (PCE) is biased by a direct current voltage source and produces short electrical pulses when excited into conductance by short laser light pulses. The electrical pulses are electronically conditioned to improve the frequency related amplitude characteristics of the pulses which thereafter propagate along a transmission line to a device under test.

Developing Si(Li) nuclear radiation detectors by pulsed electric field treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muminov, R. A.; Radzhapov, S. A.; Saimbetov, A. K.

2009-08-01

Fabrication of Si(Li) nuclear radiation detectors using lithium ion drift under the action of a pulsed electric field is considered. Optimum treatment regime parameters are determined, including the pulse amplitude, duration, and repetition rate. Experimental data are presented, which show that the ion drift in a pulsed electric field decreases the semiconductor bulk compensation time by a factor of two to four and significantly increases the efficiency of detectors.

Optimized extraction of polysaccharides from corn silk by pulsed electric field and response surface quadratic design.

PubMed

Zhao, Wenzhu; Yu, Zhipeng; Liu, Jingbo; Yu, Yiding; Yin, Yongguang; Lin, Songyi; Chen, Feng

2011-09-01

Corn silk is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine, which has been widely used for treatment of some diseases. In this study the effects of pulsed electric field on the extraction of polysaccharides from corn silk were investigated. Polysaccharides in corn silk were extracted by pulsed electric field and optimized by response surface methodology (RSM), based on a Box-Behnken design (BBD). Three independent variables, including electric field intensity (kV cm(-1) ), ratio of liquid to raw material and pulse duration (µs), were investigated. The experimental data were fitted to a second-order polynomial equation and also profiled into the corresponding 3-D contour plots. Optimal extraction conditions were as follows: electric field intensity 30 kV cm(-1) , ratio of liquid to raw material 50, and pulse duration 6 µs. Under these condition, the experimental yield of extracted polysaccharides was 7.31% ± 0.15%, matching well with the predicted value. The results showed that a pulsed electric field could be applied to extract value-added products from foods and/or agricultural matrix. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Measurement and Control of Attosecond Pulses

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-04-25

high harmonic train in the medium but each pulse in the train is travelling in a different direction. Therefore, as the beam propagates, it...pulses in the far field. The train of pulses created in this way are shown in the plot of angle of the radiation (vertical axis) as a function of

Electrical control of calcium oscillations in mesenchymal stem cells using microsecond pulsed electric fields.

PubMed

Hanna, Hanna; Andre, Franck M; Mir, Lluis M

2017-04-20

Human mesenchymal stem cells are promising tools for regenerative medicine due to their ability to differentiate into many cellular types such as osteocytes, chondrocytes and adipocytes amongst many other cell types. These cells present spontaneous calcium oscillations implicating calcium channels and pumps of the plasma membrane and the endoplasmic reticulum. These oscillations regulate many basic functions in the cell such as proliferation and differentiation. Therefore, the possibility to mimic or regulate these oscillations might be useful to regulate mesenchymal stem cells biological functions. One or several electric pulses of 100 μs were used to induce Ca 2+ spikes caused by the penetration of Ca 2+ from the extracellular medium, through the transiently electropermeabilized plasma membrane, in human adipose mesenchymal stem cells from several donors. Attached cells were preloaded with Fluo-4 AM and exposed to the electric pulse(s) under the fluorescence microscope. Viability was also checked. According to the pulse(s) electric field amplitude, it is possible to generate a supplementary calcium spike with properties close to those of calcium spontaneous oscillations, or, on the contrary, to inhibit the spontaneous calcium oscillations for a very long time compared to the pulse duration. Through that inhibition of the oscillations, Ca 2+ oscillations of desired amplitude and frequency could then be imposed on the cells using subsequent electric pulses. None of the pulses used here, even those with the highest amplitude, caused a loss of cell viability. An easy way to control Ca 2+ oscillations in mesenchymal stem cells, through their cancellation or the addition of supplementary Ca 2+ spikes, is reported here. Indeed, the direct link between the microsecond electric pulse(s) delivery and the occurrence/cancellation of cytosolic Ca 2+ spikes allowed us to mimic and regulate the Ca 2+ oscillations in these cells. Since microsecond electric pulse delivery constitutes a simple technology available in many laboratories, this new tool might be useful to further investigate the role of Ca 2+ in human mesenchymal stem cells biological processes such as proliferation and differentiation.

Pulse shaping system

DOEpatents

Skeldon, Mark D.; Letzring, Samuel A.

1999-03-23

Temporally shaped electrical waveform generation provides electrical waveforms suitable for driving an electro-optic modulator (EOM) which produces temporally shaped optical laser pulses for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. The temporally shaped electrical waveform generation is carried out with aperture coupled transmission lines having an input transmission line and an aperture coupled output transmission line, along which input and output pulses propagate in opposite directions. The output electrical waveforms are shaped principally due to the selection of coupling aperture width, in a direction transverse to the lines, which varies along the length of the line. Specific electrical waveforms, which may be high voltage (up to kilovolt range), are produced and applied to the EOM to produce specifically shaped optical laser pulses.

Pulse shaping system

DOEpatents

Skeldon, M.D.; Letzring, S.A.

1999-03-23

Temporally shaped electrical waveform generation provides electrical waveforms suitable for driving an electro-optic modulator (EOM) which produces temporally shaped optical laser pulses for inertial confinement fusion (ICF) research. The temporally shaped electrical waveform generation is carried out with aperture coupled transmission lines having an input transmission line and an aperture coupled output transmission line, along which input and output pulses propagate in opposite directions. The output electrical waveforms are shaped principally due to the selection of coupling aperture width, in a direction transverse to the lines, which varies along the length of the line. Specific electrical waveforms, which may be high voltage (up to kilovolt range), are produced and applied to the EOM to produce specifically shaped optical laser pulses. 8 figs.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Assisted in vitro Electroporation: A Pilot Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Novickij, Vitalij; Grainys, Audrius; Lastauskienė, Eglė; Kananavičiūtė, Rūta; Pamedytytė, Dovilė; Kalėdienė, Lilija; Novickij, Jurij; Miklavčič, Damijan

2016-09-01

Electroporation is a phenomenon occurring due to exposure of cells to Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) which leads to increase of membrane permeability. Electroporation is used in medicine, biotechnology, and food processing. Recently, as an alternative to electroporation by PEF, Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Fields (PEMF) application causing similar biological effects was suggested. Since induced electric field in PEMF however is 2-3 magnitudes lower than in PEF electroporation, the membrane permeabilization mechanism remains hypothetical. We have designed pilot experiments where Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida lusitaniae cells were subjected to single 100-250 μs electrical pulse of 800 V with and without concomitant delivery of magnetic pulse (3, 6 and 9 T). As expected, after the PEF pulses only the number of Propidium Iodide (PI) fluorescent cells has increased, indicative of membrane permeabilization. We further show that single sub-millisecond magnetic field pulse did not cause detectable poration of yeast. Concomitant exposure of cells to pulsed electric (PEF) and magnetic field (PMF) however resulted in the increased number PI fluorescent cells and reduced viability. Our results show increased membrane permeability by PEF when combined with magnetic field pulse, which can explain electroporation at considerably lower electric field strengths induced by PEMF compared to classical electroporation.

Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Assisted in vitro Electroporation: A Pilot Study

PubMed Central

Novickij, Vitalij; Grainys, Audrius; Lastauskienė, Eglė; Kananavičiūtė, Rūta; Pamedytytė, Dovilė; Kalėdienė, Lilija; Novickij, Jurij; Miklavčič, Damijan

2016-01-01

Electroporation is a phenomenon occurring due to exposure of cells to Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) which leads to increase of membrane permeability. Electroporation is used in medicine, biotechnology, and food processing. Recently, as an alternative to electroporation by PEF, Pulsed ElectroMagnetic Fields (PEMF) application causing similar biological effects was suggested. Since induced electric field in PEMF however is 2–3 magnitudes lower than in PEF electroporation, the membrane permeabilization mechanism remains hypothetical. We have designed pilot experiments where Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida lusitaniae cells were subjected to single 100–250 μs electrical pulse of 800 V with and without concomitant delivery of magnetic pulse (3, 6 and 9 T). As expected, after the PEF pulses only the number of Propidium Iodide (PI) fluorescent cells has increased, indicative of membrane permeabilization. We further show that single sub-millisecond magnetic field pulse did not cause detectable poration of yeast. Concomitant exposure of cells to pulsed electric (PEF) and magnetic field (PMF) however resulted in the increased number PI fluorescent cells and reduced viability. Our results show increased membrane permeability by PEF when combined with magnetic field pulse, which can explain electroporation at considerably lower electric field strengths induced by PEMF compared to classical electroporation. PMID:27634482

Systems and methods for selective detection and imaging in coherent Raman microscopy by spectral excitation shaping

DOEpatents

Xie, Xiaoliang Sunney; Freudiger, Christian; Min, Wei

2016-03-15

A microscopy imaging system is disclosed that includes a light source system, a spectral shaper, a modulator system, an optics system, an optical detector and a processor. The light source system is for providing a first train of pulses and a second train of pulses. The spectral shaper is for spectrally modifying an optical property of at least some frequency components of the broadband range of frequency components such that the broadband range of frequency components is shaped producing a shaped first train of pulses to specifically probe a spectral feature of interest from a sample, and to reduce information from features that are not of interest from the sample. The modulator system is for modulating a property of at least one of the shaped first train of pulses and the second train of pulses at a modulation frequency. The optical detector is for detecting an integrated intensity of substantially all optical frequency components of a train of pulses of interest transmitted or reflected through the common focal volume. The processor is for detecting a modulation at the modulation frequency of the integrated intensity of substantially all of the optical frequency components of the train of pulses of interest due to the non-linear interaction of the shaped first train of pulses with the second train of pulses as modulated in the common focal volume, and for providing an output signal for a pixel of an image for the microscopy imaging system.

[Mechanism of ablation with nanosecond pulsed electric field].

PubMed

Cen, Chao; Chen, Xin-hua; Zheng, Shu-sen

2015-11-01

Nanosecond pulsed electric field ablation has been widely applied in clinical cancer treatment, while its molecular mechanism is still unclear. Researchers have revealed that nanosecond pulsed electric field generates nanopores in plasma membrane, leading to a rapid influx of Ca²⁺; it has specific effect on intracellular organelle membranes, resulting in endoplasmic reticulum injuries and mitochondrial membrane potential changes. In addition, it may also change cellular morphology through damage of cytoskeleton. This article reviews the recent research advances on the molecular mechanism of cell membrane and organelle changes induced by nanosecond pulsed electric field ablation.

The role of nanosecond electric pulse-induced mechanical stress in cellular nanoporation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Caleb C.

Background: Exposures of cells to very short (less than 1 microsecond) electric pulses in the megavolt/meter range have been shown to cause a multitude of effects, both physical and molecular in nature. Physically, nanosecond electrical pulse exposure can disrupt the plasma membrane, leading to a phenomenon known as nanoporation. Nanoporation is the production of nanometer sized holes (less than 2 nanometers in diameter) that can persist for up to fifteen minutes, allowing the flow of ions into and out of the cell. Nanoporation can lead to secondary physical effects, such as cellular swelling, shrinking and blebbing. Molecularly, nanosecond electrical pulses have been shown to activate signaling pathways, produce oxidative stress, stimulate hormone secretion and induce both apoptotic and necrotic death. The mechanism by which nanosecond electrical pulses cause molecular changes is unknown; however, it is thought the flow of ions, such as calcium, into the cell via nanopores, could be a major cause. The ability of nanosecond electrical pulses to cause membranes to become permeable and to induce apoptosis makes the technology a desirable modality for cancer research; however, the lack of understanding regarding the mechanisms by which nanosecond electrical pulses cause nanoporation impedes further development of this technology. This dissertation documents the genomic and proteomic responses of cells exposed to nanosecond electrical pulses and describes in detail the biophysical effects of these electrical pulses, including the demonstration for the first time of the generation of acoustic pressure transients capable of disrupting plasma membranes and possibly contributing to nanoporation. Methods: Jurkat, clone E6-1 (human lymphocytic cell line), U937 (human lymphocytic cell line), Chinese hamster ovarian cells and adult primary human dermal fibroblasts exposed to nanosecond electrical pulses were subjected to a variety of molecular assays, including flow cytometry, fluorescent confocal microscopy, microarray analysis and or real time polymerase chain reaction. To investigate the physical interaction(s) of the electrical pulse with the aqueous environment, optical techniques such as pump-probe imaging, schlieren imaging, and probe beam deflection were used. Finally, electrochemistry was employed to modify the electrical parameters of the exposures such that different biophysical phenomena could be detected. Results: Approximately 500 genes were selectively up-regulated in each of the assayed cells. Validation of the microarray data indicated genes such as the putative transforming gene of avian sarcoma virus 17, commonly known as jun proto-oncogene, and the Finkel--Biskis--Jinkins murine osteosarcoma viral oncogene homolog were significantly up-regulated in response to the exposure. Many of the genes selectively up-regulated in each cell type are biomarkers of mechanical stress. Proteomic analysis indicated proteins responsible for mitigation of reactive oxygen species were produced in response to nanosecond electrical pulse exposure. Analysis using the Probe Beam Deflection Technique identified the generation of an acoustic pressure transient emanating from the electrodes immediately after the application of the pulse. This acoustic pressure transient traveled at approximately 1500 meters per second, had a frequency bandwidth of 2.5 megahertz and was capable of delivering 13 kilopascals of pressure at 5 millimeters distance from the generating electrodes. Visual confirmation of the acoustic pressure transients was accomplished using pump-probe, schlieren and ultrasonic imaging techniques. Modification of the bathing media in which the cells were exposed indicated that acoustic pressure transient formation was directly dependent on the amount of electrical current induced by the exposure. Confocal microscopy revealed that, in the absence of the acoustic pressure transients, nanoporation, as detected by a green fluorescent carbocyanine nucleic acid stain, was greatly enhanced. Conclusions: We found several genes, some of which are mechanosensitive, were selectively up-regulated due to nanosecond electrical pulse exposure. The source of this apparent mechanical stress was likely the acoustic pressure transients generated by the nanosecond electrical pulse exposure interacting with the plasma membrane of exposed cells. Contrary to our original hypothesis that these acoustic pressure transients enhance nanoporation, it appears that the opposite is true. Acoustic pressure transients generated by nanosecond electrical pulses inhibit nanoporation (or at least are negatively correlated with nanopore formation). This finding is substantiated by other reports in the literature, which indicate shock waves produced by electrical exposures inhibit gene transfection. General Significance: This work provides strong evidence that cells exposed to nanosecond electrical pulses experience a mechanical stress which by some unknown mechanism inhibits nanoporation. The findings in this dissertation are not only poised to cause a paradigm shift in how researchers understand electrical pulses cause electropermeabilization, but also will help fill in a gap in the knowledge concerning this technology, thus enabling its further development as a potential cancer therapy.

Electrical Switching of Perovskite Thin-Film Resistors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, Shangqing; Wu, Juan; Ignatiev, Alex

2010-01-01

Electronic devices that exploit electrical switching of physical properties of thin films of perovskite materials (especially colossal magnetoresistive materials) have been invented. Unlike some related prior devices, these devices function at room temperature and do not depend on externally applied magnetic fields. Devices of this type can be designed to function as sensors (exhibiting varying electrical resistance in response to varying temperature, magnetic field, electric field, and/or mechanical pressure) and as elements of electronic memories. The underlying principle is that the application of one or more short electrical pulse(s) can induce a reversible, irreversible, or partly reversible change in the electrical, thermal, mechanical, and magnetic properties of a thin perovskite film. The energy in the pulse must be large enough to induce the desired change but not so large as to destroy the film. Depending on the requirements of a specific application, the pulse(s) can have any of a large variety of waveforms (e.g., square, triangular, or sine) and be of positive, negative, or alternating polarity. In some applications, it could be necessary to use multiple pulses to induce successive incremental physical changes. In one class of applications, electrical pulses of suitable shapes, sizes, and polarities are applied to vary the detection sensitivities of sensors. Another class of applications arises in electronic circuits in which certain resistance values are required to be variable: Incorporating the affected resistors into devices of the present type makes it possible to control their resistances electrically over wide ranges, and the lifetimes of electrically variable resistors exceed those of conventional mechanically variable resistors. Another and potentially the most important class of applications is that of resistance-based nonvolatile-memory devices, such as a resistance random access memory (RRAM) described in the immediately following article, Electrically Variable Resistive Memory Devices (MFS-32511-1).

Cryosurgery with pulsed electric fields.

PubMed

Daniels, Charlotte S; Rubinsky, Boris

2011-01-01

This study explores the hypothesis that combining the minimally invasive surgical techniques of cryosurgery and pulsed electric fields will eliminate some of the major disadvantages of these techniques while retaining their advantages. Cryosurgery, tissue ablation by freezing, is a well-established minimally invasive surgical technique. One disadvantage of cryosurgery concerns the mechanism of cell death; cells at high subzero temperature on the outer rim of the frozen lesion can survive. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) are another minimally invasive surgical technique in which high strength and very rapid electric pulses are delivered across cells to permeabilize the cell membrane for applications such as gene delivery, electrochemotherapy and irreversible electroporation. The very short time scale of the electric pulses is disadvantageous because it does not facilitate real time control over the procedure. We hypothesize that applying the electric pulses during the cryosurgical procedure in such a way that the electric field vector is parallel to the heat flux vector will have the effect of confining the electric fields to the frozen/cold region of tissue, thereby ablating the cells that survive freezing while facilitating controlled use of the PEF in the cold confined region. A finite element analysis of the electric field and heat conduction equations during simultaneous tissue treatment with cryosurgery and PEF (cryosurgery/PEF) was used to study the effect of tissue freezing on electric fields. The study yielded motivating results. Because of decreased electrical conductivity in the frozen/cooled tissue, it experienced temperature induced magnified electric fields in comparison to PEF delivered to the unfrozen tissue control. This suggests that freezing/cooling confines and magnifies the electric fields to those regions; a targeting capability unattainable in traditional PEF. This analysis shows how temperature induced magnified and focused PEFs could be used to ablate cells in the high subzero freezing region of a cryosurgical lesion.

Time-resolved processes in a pulsed electrical discharge in argon bubbles in water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gershman, S.; Belkind, A.

2010-12-01

A phenomenological picture of a pulsed electrical discharge in gas bubbles in water is produced by combining electrical, spectroscopic, and imaging characterization methods. The discharge is generated by applying 1 μ s pulses of 5 to 20 kV between a needle and a disk electrode submerged in water. An Ar gas bubble surrounds the tip of the needle electrode. Imaging, electrical characteristics, and time-resolved optical emission spectroscopic data suggest a fast streamer propagation mechanism and the formation of a plasma channel in the bubble. Comparing the electrical and imaging data for consecutive pulses applied to the bubble at a frequency of 1 Hz indicates that each discharge proceeds as an entirely new process with no memory of the previous discharge aside from the presence of long-lived chemical species, such as ozone and oxygen. Imaging and electrical data show the presence of two discharge events during each applied voltage pulse, a forward discharge near the beginning of the applied pulse depositing charge on the surface of the bubble and a reverse discharge removing the accumulated charge from the water/gas interface when the applied voltage is turned off. The pd value of ~ 300-500 torr cm, the 1 μs long pulse duration, low repetition rate, and unidirectional character of the applied voltage pulses make the discharge process here unique compared to the traditional corona or dielectric barrier discharges.

Petawatt pulsed-power accelerator

DOEpatents

Stygar, William A.; Cuneo, Michael E.; Headley, Daniel I.; Ives, Harry C.; Ives, legal representative; Berry Cottrell; Leeper, Ramon J.; Mazarakis, Michael G.; Olson, Craig L.; Porter, John L.; Wagoner; Tim C.

2010-03-16

A petawatt pulsed-power accelerator can be driven by various types of electrical-pulse generators, including conventional Marx generators and linear-transformer drivers. The pulsed-power accelerator can be configured to drive an electrical load from one- or two-sides. Various types of loads can be driven; for example, the accelerator can be used to drive a high-current z-pinch load. When driven by slow-pulse generators (e.g., conventional Marx generators), the accelerator comprises an oil section comprising at least one pulse-generator level having a plurality of pulse generators; a water section comprising a pulse-forming circuit for each pulse generator and a level of monolithic triplate radial-transmission-line impedance transformers, that have variable impedance profiles, for each pulse-generator level; and a vacuum section comprising triplate magnetically insulated transmission lines that feed an electrical load. When driven by LTD generators or other fast-pulse generators, the need for the pulse-forming circuits in the water section can be eliminated.

Biphasic pulses enhance bleomycin efficacy in a spontaneous canine genital tumor model of chemoresistance: Sticker sarcoma

PubMed Central

Spugnini , Enrico P; Dotsinsky , Ivan; Mudrov , Nikolay; Citro , Gennaro; D'Avino , Alfredo; Baldi , Alfonso

2008-01-01

Sticker's sarcoma (also known as transmissible venereal tumor) is a horizontally transmitted neoplasm of the dog, that is passed with coitus. It is a locally aggressive tumor with a low tendency to metastatic spread. The most common locations are the genitals, the nose, the perianal area. Standard treatment consists with chemotherapy with vincristine, however other therapies such as, cryotherapy, immunotherapy or, in selected cases, radiation therapy, have been reported. In this article we describe the outcome of a small cohort of canine patients, with chemotherapy resistant transmissible venereal tumor (TVT), treated with bleomycin selectively driven by trains of biphasic pulses (electrochemotherapy). Three canine patients, with refractory TVT, entered the study and received two sessions of ECT under sedation. The pets had local injection of bleomycin at the concentration of 1.5 mg/ml and five minutes after the chemotherapy, trains of 8 biphasic electric pulses lasting 50 + 50 μs each, with 1 ms interpulse intervals, were delivered by means of modified caliper or, for difficult districts, through paired needle electrode. All the patients responded to the treatment and are still in remission at different times. Electrochemotherapy appears as a safe and efficacious modality for the treatment of TVT and warrants further investigations. PMID:18980687

A Unified Model of Cloud-to-Ground Lightning Stroke

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nag, A.; Rakov, V. A.

2014-12-01

The first stroke in a cloud-to-ground lightning discharge is thought to follow (or be initiated by) the preliminary breakdown process which often produces a train of relatively large microsecond-scale electric field pulses. This process is poorly understood and rarely modeled. Each lightning stroke is composed of a downward leader process and an upward return-stroke process, which are usually modeled separately. We present a unified engineering model for computing the electric field produced by a sequence of preliminary breakdown, stepped leader, and return stroke processes, serving to transport negative charge to ground. We assume that a negatively-charged channel extends downward in a stepped fashion through the relatively-high-field region between the main negative and lower positive charge centers and then through the relatively-low-field region below the lower positive charge center. A relatively-high-field region is also assumed to exist near ground. The preliminary breakdown pulse train is assumed to be generated when the negatively-charged channel interacts with the lower positive charge region. At each step, an equivalent current source is activated at the lower extremity of the channel, resulting in a step current wave that propagates upward along the channel. The leader deposits net negative charge onto the channel. Once the stepped leader attaches to ground (upward connecting leader is presently neglected), an upward-propagating return stroke is initiated, which neutralizes the charge deposited by the leader along the channel. We examine the effect of various model parameters, such as step length and current propagation speed, on model-predicted electric fields. We also compare the computed fields with pertinent measurements available in the literature.

Microscopy imaging system and method employing stimulated raman spectroscopy as a contrast mechanism

DOEpatents

Xie, Xiaoliang Sunney [Lexington, MA; Freudiger, Christian [Boston, MA; Min, Wei [Cambridge, MA

2011-09-27

A microscopy imaging system includes a first light source for providing a first train of pulses at a first center optical frequency .omega..sub.1, a second light source for providing a second train of pulses at a second center optical frequency .omega..sub.2, a modulator system, an optical detector, and a processor. The modulator system is for modulating a beam property of the second train of pulses at a modulation frequency f of at least 100 kHz. The optical detector is for detecting an integrated intensity of substantially all optical frequency components of the first train of pulses from the common focal volume by blocking the second train of pulses being modulated. The processor is for detecting, a modulation at the modulation frequency f, of the integrated intensity of the optical frequency components of the first train of pulses to provide a pixel of an image for the microscopy imaging system.

Unitary scintillation detector and system

DOEpatents

McElhaney, Stephanie A.; Chiles, Marion M.

1994-01-01

The invention is a unitary alpha, beta, and gamma scintillation detector and system for sensing the presence of alpha, beta, and gamma radiations selectively or simultaneously. The scintillators are mounted in a light-tight housing provided with an entrance window for admitting alpha, beta, and gamma radiation and excluding ambient light from the housing. Light pulses from each scintillator have different decay constants that are converted by a photosensitive device into corresponding differently shaped electrical pulses. A pulse discrimination system identifies the electrical pulses by their respective pulse shapes which are determined by decay time. The identified electrical pulses are counted in separate channel analyzers to indicate the respective levels of sensed alpha, beta, and gamma radiations.

Unitary scintillation detector and system

DOEpatents

McElhaney, S.A.; Chiles, M.M.

1994-05-31

The invention is a unitary alpha, beta, and gamma scintillation detector and system for sensing the presence of alpha, beta, and gamma radiations selectively or simultaneously. The scintillators are mounted in a light-tight housing provided with an entrance window for admitting alpha, beta, and gamma radiation and excluding ambient light from the housing. Light pulses from each scintillator have different decay constants that are converted by a photosensitive device into corresponding differently shaped electrical pulses. A pulse discrimination system identifies the electrical pulses by their respective pulse shapes which are determined by decay time. The identified electrical pulses are counted in separate channel analyzers to indicate the respective levels of sensed alpha, beta, and gamma radiations. 10 figs.

Ultrafast Electric Field Pulse Control of Giant Temperature Change in Ferroelectrics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Qi, Y.; Liu, S.; Lindenberg, A. M.

There is a surge of interest in developing environmentally friendly solid-state-based cooling technology. Here, we point out that a fast cooling rate (≈ 10 11 K/s) can be achieved by driving solid crystals to a high-temperature phase with a properly designed electric field pulse. Specifically, we predict that an ultrafast electric field pulse can cause a giant temperature decrease up to 32 K in PbTiO 3 occurring on few picosecond time scales. Here, we explain the underlying physics of this giant electric field pulse-induced temperature change with the concept of internal energy redistribution: the electric field does work on amore » ferroelectric crystal and redistributes its internal energy, and the way the kinetic energy is redistributed determines the temperature change and strongly depends on the electric field temporal profile. This concept is supported by our all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of PbTiO 3 and BaTiO 3. Moreover, this internal energy redistribution concept can also be applied to understand electrocaloric effect. We further propose new strategies for inducing giant cooling effect with ultrafast electric field pulse. This Letter offers a general framework to understand electric-field-induced temperature change and highlights the opportunities of electric field engineering for controlled design of fast and efficient cooling technology.« less

Ultrafast Electric Field Pulse Control of Giant Temperature Change in Ferroelectrics

DOE PAGES

Qi, Y.; Liu, S.; Lindenberg, A. M.; ...

2018-01-30

There is a surge of interest in developing environmentally friendly solid-state-based cooling technology. Here, we point out that a fast cooling rate (≈ 10 11 K/s) can be achieved by driving solid crystals to a high-temperature phase with a properly designed electric field pulse. Specifically, we predict that an ultrafast electric field pulse can cause a giant temperature decrease up to 32 K in PbTiO 3 occurring on few picosecond time scales. Here, we explain the underlying physics of this giant electric field pulse-induced temperature change with the concept of internal energy redistribution: the electric field does work on amore » ferroelectric crystal and redistributes its internal energy, and the way the kinetic energy is redistributed determines the temperature change and strongly depends on the electric field temporal profile. This concept is supported by our all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of PbTiO 3 and BaTiO 3. Moreover, this internal energy redistribution concept can also be applied to understand electrocaloric effect. We further propose new strategies for inducing giant cooling effect with ultrafast electric field pulse. This Letter offers a general framework to understand electric-field-induced temperature change and highlights the opportunities of electric field engineering for controlled design of fast and efficient cooling technology.« less

Ultrafast Electric Field Pulse Control of Giant Temperature Change in Ferroelectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Y.; Liu, S.; Lindenberg, A. M.; Rappe, A. M.

2018-01-01

There is a surge of interest in developing environmentally friendly solid-state-based cooling technology. Here, we point out that a fast cooling rate (≈1011 K /s ) can be achieved by driving solid crystals to a high-temperature phase with a properly designed electric field pulse. Specifically, we predict that an ultrafast electric field pulse can cause a giant temperature decrease up to 32 K in PbTiO3 occurring on few picosecond time scales. We explain the underlying physics of this giant electric field pulse-induced temperature change with the concept of internal energy redistribution: the electric field does work on a ferroelectric crystal and redistributes its internal energy, and the way the kinetic energy is redistributed determines the temperature change and strongly depends on the electric field temporal profile. This concept is supported by our all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of PbTiO3 and BaTiO3 . Moreover, this internal energy redistribution concept can also be applied to understand electrocaloric effect. We further propose new strategies for inducing giant cooling effect with ultrafast electric field pulse. This Letter offers a general framework to understand electric-field-induced temperature change and highlights the opportunities of electric field engineering for controlled design of fast and efficient cooling technology.

Gap detection measured with electrically evoked auditory event-related potentials and speech-perception abilities in children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder.

PubMed

He, Shuman; Grose, John H; Teagle, Holly F B; Woodard, Jennifer; Park, Lisa R; Hatch, Debora R; Buchman, Craig A

2013-01-01

This study aimed (1) to investigate the feasibility of recording the electrically evoked auditory event-related potential (eERP), including the onset P1-N1-P2 complex and the electrically evoked auditory change complex (EACC) in response to temporal gaps, in children with auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder (ANSD); and (2) to evaluate the relationship between these measures and speech-perception abilities in these subjects. Fifteen ANSD children who are Cochlear Nucleus device users participated in this study. For each subject, the speech-processor microphone was bypassed and the eERPs were elicited by direct stimulation of one mid-array electrode (electrode 12). The stimulus was a train of biphasic current pulses 800 msec in duration. Two basic stimulation conditions were used to elicit the eERP. In the no-gap condition, the entire pulse train was delivered uninterrupted to electrode 12, and the onset P1-N1-P2 complex was measured relative to the stimulus onset. In the gapped condition, the stimulus consisted of two pulse train bursts, each being 400 msec in duration, presented sequentially on the same electrode and separated by one of five gaps (i.e., 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 msec). Open-set speech-perception ability of these subjects with ANSD was assessed using the phonetically balanced kindergarten (PBK) word lists presented at 60 dB SPL, using monitored live voice in a sound booth. The eERPs were recorded from all subjects with ANSD who participated in this study. There were no significant differences in test-retest reliability, root mean square amplitude or P1 latency for the onset P1-N1-P2 complex between subjects with good (>70% correct on PBK words) and poorer speech-perception performance. In general, the EACC showed less mature morphological characteristics than the onset P1-N1-P2 response recorded from the same subject. There was a robust correlation between the PBK word scores and the EACC thresholds for gap detection. Subjects with poorer speech-perception performance showed larger EACC thresholds in this study. These results demonstrate the feasibility of recording eERPs from implanted children with ANSD, using direct electrical stimulation. Temporal-processing deficits, as demonstrated by large EACC thresholds for gap detection, might account in part for the poor speech-perception performances observed in a subgroup of implanted subjects with ANSD. This finding suggests that the EACC elicited by changes in temporal continuity (i.e., gap) holds promise as a predictor of speech-perception ability among implanted children with ANSD.

The second phase of bipolar, nanosecond-range electric pulses determines the electroporation efficiency.

PubMed

Pakhomov, Andrei G; Grigoryev, Sergey; Semenov, Iurii; Casciola, Maura; Jiang, Chunqi; Xiao, Shu

2018-03-29

Bipolar cancellation refers to a phenomenon when applying a second electric pulse reduces ("cancels") cell membrane damage by a preceding electric pulse of the opposite polarity. Bipolar cancellation is a reason why bipolar nanosecond electric pulses (nsEP) cause weaker electroporation than just a single unipolar phase of the same pulse. This study was undertaken to explore the dependence of bipolar cancellation on nsEP parameters, with emphasis on the amplitude ratio of two opposite polarity phases of a bipolar pulse. Individual cells (CHO, U937, or adult mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes (VCM)) were exposed to either uni- or bipolar trapezoidal nsEP, or to nanosecond electric field oscillations (NEFO). The membrane injury was evaluated by time-lapse confocal imaging of the uptake of propidium (Pr) or YO-PRO-1 (YP) dyes and by phosphatidylserine (PS) externalization. Within studied limits, bipolar cancellation showed little or no dependence on the electric field intensity, pulse repetition rate, chosen endpoint, or cell type. However, cancellation could increase for larger pulse numbers and/or for longer pulses. The sole most critical parameter which determines bipolar cancellation was the phase ratio: maximum cancellation was observed with the 2nd phase of about 50% of the first one, whereas a larger 2nd phase could add a damaging effect of its own. "Swapping" the two phases, i.e., delivering the smaller phase before the larger one, reduced or eliminated cancellation. These findings are discussed in the context of hypothetical mechanisms of bipolar cancellation and electroporation by nsEP. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ozone and dinitrogen monoxide production in atmospheric pressure air dielectric barrier discharge plasma effluent generated by nanosecond pulse superimposed alternating current voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takashima, Keisuke; Kaneko, Toshiro

2017-06-01

The effects of nanosecond pulse superposition to alternating current voltage (NS + AC) on the generation of an air dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) plasma and reactive species are experimentally studied, along with measurements of ozone (O3) and dinitrogen monoxide (N2O) in the exhausted gas through the air DBD plasma (air plasma effluent). The charge-voltage cycle measurement indicates that the role of nanosecond pulse superposition is to induce electrical charge transport and excess charge accumulation on the dielectric surface following the nanosecond pulses. The densities of O3 and N2O in NS + AC DBD are found to be significantly increased in the plasma effluent, compared to the sum of those densities generated in NS DBD and AC DBD operated individually. The production of O3 and N2O is modulated significantly by the phase in which the nanosecond pulse is superimposed. The density increase and modulation effects by the nanosecond pulse are found to correspond with the electrical charge transport and the excess electrical charge accumulation induced by the nanosecond pulse. It is suggested that the electrical charge transport by the nanosecond pulse might result in the enhancement of the nanosecond pulse current, which may lead to more efficient molecular dissociation, and the excess electrical charge accumulation induced by the nanosecond pulse increases the discharge coupling power which would enhance molecular dissociation.

Avoiding the side effects of electric current pulse application to electroporated cells in disposable small volume cuvettes assures good cell survival.

PubMed

Grys, Maciej; Madeja, Zbigniew; Korohoda, Włodzimierz

2017-01-01

The harmful side effects of electroporation to cells due to local changes in pH, the appearance of toxic electrode products, temperature increase, and the heterogeneity of the electric field acting on cells in the cuvettes used for electroporation were observed and discussed in several laboratories. If cells are subjected to weak electric fields for prolonged periods, for example in experiments on cell electrophoresis or galvanotaxis the same effects are seen. In these experiments investigators managed to reduce or eliminate the harmful side effects of electric current application. For the experiments, disposable 20 μl cuvettes with two walls made of dialysis membranes were constructed and placed in a locally focused electric field at a considerable distance from the electrodes. Cuvettes were mounted into an apparatus for horizontal electrophoresis and the cells were subjected to direct current electric field (dcEF) pulses from a commercial pulse generator of exponentially declining pulses and from a custom-made generator of double and single rectangular pulses. More than 80% of the electroporated cells survived the dcEF pulses in both systems. Side effects related to electrodes were eliminated in both the flow through the dcEF and in the disposable cuvettes placed in the focused dcEFs. With a disposable cuvette system, we also confirmed the sensitization of cells to a dcEF using procaine by observing the loading of AT2 cells with calceine and using a square pulse generator, applying 50 ms single rectangular pulses. We suggest that the same methods of avoiding the side effects of electric current pulse application as in cell electrophoresis and galvanotaxis should also be used for electroporation. This conclusion was confirmed in our electroporation experiments performed in conditions assuring survival of over 80% of the electroporated cells. If the amplitude, duration, and shape of the dcEF pulse are known, then electroporation does not depend on the type of pulse generator. This knowledge of the characteristics of the pulse assures reproducibility of electroporation experiments using different equipment.

Effects of Hearing Preservation on Psychophysical Responses to Cochlear Implant Stimulation

PubMed Central

Kang, Stephen Y.; Colesa, Deborah J.; Swiderski, Donald L.; Su, Gina L.; Raphael, Yehoash

2009-01-01

Previous studies have shown that residual acoustic hearing supplements cochlear implant function to improve speech recognition in noise as well as perception of music. The current study had two primary objectives. First, we sought to determine how cochlear implantation and electrical stimulation over a time period of 14 to 21 months influence cochlear structures such as hair cells and spiral ganglion neurons. Second, we sought to investigate whether the structures that provide acoustic hearing also affect the perception of electrical stimulation. We compared psychophysical responses to cochlear implant stimulation in two groups of adult guinea pigs. Group I (11 animals) received a cochlear implant in a previously untreated ear, while group II (ten animals) received a cochlear implant in an ear that had been previously infused with neomycin to destroy hearing. Psychophysical thresholds were measured in response to pulse-train and sinusoidal stimuli. Histological analysis of all group I animals and a subset of group II animals was performed. Nine of the 11 group I animals showed survival of the organ of Corti and spiral ganglion neurons adjacent to the electrode array. All group I animals showed survival of these elements in regions apical to the electrode array. Group II animals that were examined histologically showed complete loss of the organ of Corti in regions adjacent and apical to the electrode array and severe spiral ganglion neuron loss, consistent with previous reports for neomycin-treated ears. Behaviorally, group II animals had significantly lower thresholds than group I animals in response to 100 Hz sinusoidal stimuli. However, group I animals had significantly lower thresholds than group II animals in response to pulse-train stimuli (0.02 ms/phase; 156 to 5,000 pps). Additionally, the two groups showed distinct threshold versus pulse rate functions. We hypothesize that the differences in detection thresholds between groups are caused by the electrical activation of the hair cells in group I animals and/or differences between groups in the condition of the spiral ganglion neurons. PMID:19902297

Effect of applied voltage and inter-pulse delay in spark-assisted LIBS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robledo-Martinez, A.; Sobral, H.; Garcia-Villarreal, A.

2018-06-01

We report the results obtained in an investigation on the effect of the time delay between the laser and electrical pulses in a spark-assisted laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experiment. The electrical discharge is produced by the discharge of a charged coaxial cable. This arrangement produces a fast unipolar current pulse (500 ns) that applies high power ( 600 kW) to the laser ablation plasma. The delay between the laser pulse and the electric pulse can be controlled at will in order to find the optimal time in terms of enhancement of the emitted lines. It was found that the application of the high voltage pulse enhances the ionic lines emitted by up to two orders of magnitude. An additional enhancement by a factor of 2-4 can be obtained delaying the application of the electric pulse by a time of 0.6-20 μs. In the tests it was noticed that the ionic lines were found to be clearly responsive to increments in the applied electric energy while the neutral lines did so marginally. Our results show that the intensification of the lines is mainly due to reheating of the ablation plasma as the application of the electrical pulse increments the temperature of the ablation plasma by about 50%. It is demonstrated that the present technique is an efficient way of intensifying the lines emitted without incurring in additional damage to the sample.

Virtual active touch using randomly patterned intracortical microstimulation.

PubMed

O'Doherty, Joseph E; Lebedev, Mikhail A; Li, Zheng; Nicolelis, Miguel A L

2012-01-01

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) has promise as a means for delivering somatosensory feedback in neuroprosthetic systems. Various tactile sensations could be encoded by temporal, spatial, or spatiotemporal patterns of ICMS. However, the applicability of temporal patterns of ICMS to artificial tactile sensation during active exploration is unknown, as is the minimum discriminable difference between temporally modulated ICMS patterns. We trained rhesus monkeys in an active exploration task in which they discriminated periodic pulse-trains of ICMS (200 Hz bursts at a 10 Hz secondary frequency) from pulse trains with the same average pulse rate, but distorted periodicity (200 Hz bursts at a variable instantaneous secondary frequency). The statistics of the aperiodic pulse trains were drawn from a gamma distribution with mean inter-burst intervals equal to those of the periodic pulse trains. The monkeys distinguished periodic pulse trains from aperiodic pulse trains with coefficients of variation 0.25 or greater. Reconstruction of movement kinematics, extracted from the activity of neuronal populations recorded in the sensorimotor cortex concurrent with the delivery of ICMS feedback, improved when the recording intervals affected by ICMS artifacts were removed from analysis. These results add to the growing evidence that temporally patterned ICMS can be used to simulate a tactile sense for neuroprosthetic devices.

Interaction of an electron with coherent dipole radiation: Role of convergence and anti-dephasing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Robinson, A. P. L.; Arefiev, A. V.

2018-05-01

The impact of longitudinal electric fields that are present in intense focusing and defocusing electromagnetic pulses on electron acceleration is investigated. These fields are typically much weaker than the transverse fields, but it is shown that they can have a profound effect on electron energy gain. It is shown that the longitudinal electric field of a defocusing pulse is directed backward along the trajectory of an accelerated electron, which leads to a continuous net energy gain. At the same time, the effect of the transverse oscillating electric field in a defocusing pulse is to reduce the electron energy over multiple oscillations. In contrast to a well-known interaction with a plane wave, the electron is able to retain a substantial amount of energy following its interaction with a defocusing pulse. The roles of the transverse and longitudinal electric fields are reversed in a focusing pulse, which leads to a reduction in the energy retention. The present analysis underscores the importance of relatively weak oscillating electric fields in focusing and defocusing pulses.

Wind farm electrical system

DOEpatents

Erdman, William L.; Lettenmaier, Terry M.

2006-07-04

An approach to wind farm design using variable speed wind turbines with low pulse number electrical output. The output of multiple wind turbines are aggregated to create a high pulse number electrical output at a point of common coupling with a utility grid network. Power quality at each individual wind turbine falls short of utility standards, but the aggregated output at the point of common coupling is within acceptable tolerances for utility power quality. The approach for aggregating low pulse number electrical output from multiple wind turbines relies upon a pad mounted transformer at each wind turbine that performs phase multiplication on the output of each wind turbine. Phase multiplication converts a modified square wave from the wind turbine into a 6 pulse output. Phase shifting of the 6 pulse output from each wind turbine allows the aggregated output of multiple wind turbines to be a 24 pulse approximation of a sine wave. Additional filtering and VAR control is embedded within the wind farm to take advantage of the wind farm's electrical impedence characteristics to further enhance power quality at the point of common coupling.

Transmembrane molecular transport during versus after extremely large, nanosecond electric pulses.

PubMed

Smith, Kyle C; Weaver, James C

2011-08-19

Recently there has been intense and growing interest in the non-thermal biological effects of nanosecond electric pulses, particularly apoptosis induction. These effects have been hypothesized to result from the widespread creation of small, lipidic pores in the plasma and organelle membranes of cells (supra-electroporation) and, more specifically, ionic and molecular transport through these pores. Here we show that transport occurs overwhelmingly after pulsing. First, we show that the electrical drift distance for typical charged solutes during nanosecond pulses (up to 100 ns), even those with very large magnitudes (up to 10 MV/m), ranges from only a fraction of the membrane thickness (5 nm) to several membrane thicknesses. This is much smaller than the diameter of a typical cell (∼16 μm), which implies that molecular drift transport during nanosecond pulses is necessarily minimal. This implication is not dependent on assumptions about pore density or the molecular flux through pores. Second, we show that molecular transport resulting from post-pulse diffusion through minimum-size pores is orders of magnitude larger than electrical drift-driven transport during nanosecond pulses. While field-assisted charge entry and the magnitude of flux favor transport during nanosecond pulses, these effects are too small to overcome the orders of magnitude more time available for post-pulse transport. Therefore, the basic conclusion that essentially all transmembrane molecular transport occurs post-pulse holds across the plausible range of relevant parameters. Our analysis shows that a primary direct consequence of nanosecond electric pulses is the creation (or maintenance) of large populations of small pores in cell membranes that govern post-pulse transmembrane transport of small ions and molecules. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Transmembrane molecular transport during versus after extremely large, nanosecond electric pulses

PubMed Central

Smith, Kyle C.; Weaver, James C.

2012-01-01

Recently there has been intense and growing interest in the non-thermal biological effects of nanosecond electric pulses, particularly apoptosis induction. These effects have been hypothesized to result from the widespread creation of small, lipidic pores in the plasma and organelle membranes of cells (supra-electroporation) and, more specifically, ionic and molecular transport through these pores. Here we show that transport occurs overwhelmingly after pulsing. First, we show that the electrical drift distance for typical charged solutes during nanosecond pulses (up to 100 ns), even those with very large magnitudes (up to 10 MV/m), ranges from only a fraction of the membrane thickness (5 nm) to several membrane thicknesses. This is much smaller than the diameter of a typical cell (~16 μm), which implies that molecular drift transport during nanosecond pulses is necessarily minimal. This implication is not dependent on assumptions about pore density or the molecular flux through pores. Second, we show that molecular transport resulting from post-pulse diffusion through minimum-size pores is orders of magnitude larger than electrical drift-driven transport during nanosecond pulses. While field-assisted charge entry and the magnitude of flux favor transport during nanosecond pulses, these effects are too small to overcome the orders of magnitude more time available for post-pulse transport. Therefore, the basic conclusion that essentially all transmembrane molecular transport occurs post-pulse holds across the plausible range of relevant parameters. Our analysis shows that a primary direct consequence of nanosecond electric pulses is the creation (or maintenance) of large populations of small pores in cell membranes that govern post-pulse transmembrane transport of small ions and molecules. PMID:21756883

Electric field-mediated transport of plasmid DNA in tumor interstitium in vivo.

PubMed

Henshaw, Joshua W; Zaharoff, David A; Mossop, Brian J; Yuan, Fan

2007-11-01

Local pulsed electric field application is a method for improving non-viral gene delivery. Mechanisms of the improvement include electroporation and electrophoresis. To understand how electrophoresis affects pDNA delivery in vivo, we quantified the magnitude of electric field-induced interstitial transport of pDNA in 4T1 and B16.F10 tumors implanted in mouse dorsal skin-fold chambers. Four different electric pulse sequences were used in this study, each consisted of 10 identical pulses that were 100 or 400 V/cm in strength and 20 or 50 ms in duration. The interval between consecutive pulses was 1 s. The largest distance of transport was obtained with the 400 V/cm and 50 ms pulse, and was 0.23 and 0.22 microm/pulse in 4T1 and B16.F10 tumors, respectively. There were no significant differences in transport distances between 4T1 and B16.F10 tumors. Results from in vivo mapping and numerical simulations revealed an approximately uniform intratumoral electric field that was predominantly in the direction of the applied field. The data in the study suggested that interstitial transport of pDNA induced by a sequence of ten electric pulses was ineffective for macroscopic delivery of genes in tumors. However, the induced transport was more efficient than passive diffusion.

Steering population transfer of the Na2 molecule by an ultrashort pulse train

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niu, Dong-Hua; Wang, Shuo; Zhan, Wei-Shen; Tao, Hong-Cai; Wang, Si-Qi

2018-05-01

We theoretically investigate the complete population transfer among quantum states of the Na2 molecule using ultrashort pulse trains using the time-dependent wave packet method. The population accumulation of the target state can be steered by controlling the laser parameters, such as the variable pulse pairs, the different pulse widths, the time delays and the repetition period between two contiguous pulses; in particular, the pulse pairs and the pulse widths have a great effect on the population transfer. The calculations show that the ultrashort pulse train is a feasible solution, which can steer the population transfer from the initial state to the target state efficiently with lower peak intensities.

Quality stability and sensory attributes of apple juice processed by thermosonication, pulsed electric field and thermal processing.

PubMed

Sulaiman, Alifdalino; Farid, Mohammed; Silva, Filipa Vm

2017-04-01

Worldwide, apple juice is the second most popular juice, after orange juice. It is susceptible to enzymatic browning spoilage by polyphenoloxidase, an endogenous enzyme. In this study, Royal Gala apple juice was treated by thermosonication (TS: 1.3 W/mL, 58 ℃, 10 min), pulsed electric field (PEF: 24.8 kV/cm, 60 pulses, 169 µs treatment time, 53.8 ℃) and heat (75 ℃, 20 min) and stored at 3.0 ℃ and 20.0 ℃ for 30 days. A sensory analysis was carried out after processing. The polyphenoloxidase activity, antioxidant activity and total color difference of the apple juice were determined before and after processing and during storage. The sensory analysis revealed that thermosonication and pulsed electric field juices tasted differently from the thermally treated juice. Apart from the pulsed electric field apple juice stored at room temperature, the processed juice was stable during storage, since the pH and soluble solids remained constant and fermentation was not observed. Polyphenoloxidase did not reactivate during storage. Along storage, the juices' antioxidant activity decreased and total color difference increased (up to 6.8). While the antioxidant activity increased from 86 to 103% with thermosonication and was retained after pulsed electric field, thermal processing reduced it to 67%. The processing increased the total color difference slightly. No differences in the total color difference of the juices processed by the three methods were registered after storage. Thermosonication and pulsed electric field could possibly be a better alternative to thermal preservation of apple juice, but refrigerated storage is recommended for pulsed electric field apple juice.

Automatic Realistic Real Time Stimulation/Recording in Weakly Electric Fish: Long Time Behavior Characterization in Freely Swimming Fish and Stimuli Discrimination

PubMed Central

Forlim, Caroline G.; Pinto, Reynaldo D.

2014-01-01

Weakly electric fish are unique model systems in neuroethology, that allow experimentalists to non-invasively, access, central nervous system generated spatio-temporal electric patterns of pulses with roles in at least 2 complex and incompletely understood abilities: electrocommunication and electrolocation. Pulse-type electric fish alter their inter pulse intervals (IPIs) according to different behavioral contexts as aggression, hiding and mating. Nevertheless, only a few behavioral studies comparing the influence of different stimuli IPIs in the fish electric response have been conducted. We developed an apparatus that allows real time automatic realistic stimulation and simultaneous recording of electric pulses in freely moving Gymnotus carapo for several days. We detected and recorded pulse timestamps independently of the fish’s position for days. A stimulus fish was mimicked by a dipole electrode that reproduced the voltage time series of real conspecific according to previously recorded timestamp sequences. We characterized fish behavior and the eletrocommunication in 2 conditions: stimulated by IPIs pre-recorded from other fish and random IPI ones. All stimuli pulses had the exact Gymontus carapo waveform. All fish presented a surprisingly long transient exploratory behavior (more than 8 h) when exposed to a new environment in the absence of electrical stimuli. Further, we also show that fish are able to discriminate between real and random stimuli distributions by changing several characteristics of their IPI distribution. PMID:24400122

Modified Johnson-Cook model incorporated with electroplasticity for uniaxial tension under a pulsed electric current

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Moon-Jo; Jeong, Hye-Jin; Park, Ju-Won; Hong, Sung-Tae; Han, Heung Nam

2018-01-01

An empirical expression describing the electroplastic deformation behavior is suggested based on the Johnson-Cook (JC) model by adding several functions to consider both thermal and athermal electric current effects. Tensile deformation behaviors are carried out for an AZ31 magnesium alloy and an Al-Mg-Si alloy under pulsed electric current at various current densities with a fixed duration of electric current. To describe the flow curves under electric current, a modified JC model is proposed to take the electric current effect into account. Phenomenological descriptions of the adopted parameters in the equation are made. The modified JC model suggested in the present study is capable of describing the tensile deformation behaviors under pulsed electric current reasonably well.

Energy-resolved attosecond interferometric photoemission from Ag(111) and Au(111) surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambrosio, M. J.; Thumm, U.

2018-04-01

Photoelectron emission from solid surfaces induced by attosecond pulse trains into the electric field of delayed phase-coherent infrared (IR) pulses allows the surface-specific observation of energy-resolved electronic phase accumulations and photoemission delays. We quantum-mechanically modeled interferometric photoemission spectra from the (111) surfaces of Au and Ag, including background contributions from secondary electrons and direct emission by the IR pulse, and adjusted parameters of our model to energy-resolved photoelectron spectra recently measured at a synchrotron light source by Roth et al. [J. Electron Spectrosc. 224, 84 (2018), 10.1016/j.elspec.2017.05.008]. Our calculated spectra and photoelectron phase shifts are in fair agreement with the experimental data of Locher et al. [Optica 2, 405 (2015), 10.1364/OPTICA.2.000405]. Our model's not reproducing the measured energy-dependent oscillations of the Ag(111) photoemission phases may be interpreted as evidence for subtle band-structure effects on the final-state photoelectron-surface interaction not accounted for in our simulation.

Cryosurgery with Pulsed Electric Fields

PubMed Central

Daniels, Charlotte S.; Rubinsky, Boris

2011-01-01

This study explores the hypothesis that combining the minimally invasive surgical techniques of cryosurgery and pulsed electric fields will eliminate some of the major disadvantages of these techniques while retaining their advantages. Cryosurgery, tissue ablation by freezing, is a well-established minimally invasive surgical technique. One disadvantage of cryosurgery concerns the mechanism of cell death; cells at high subzero temperature on the outer rim of the frozen lesion can survive. Pulsed electric fields (PEF) are another minimally invasive surgical technique in which high strength and very rapid electric pulses are delivered across cells to permeabilize the cell membrane for applications such as gene delivery, electrochemotherapy and irreversible electroporation. The very short time scale of the electric pulses is disadvantageous because it does not facilitate real time control over the procedure. We hypothesize that applying the electric pulses during the cryosurgical procedure in such a way that the electric field vector is parallel to the heat flux vector will have the effect of confining the electric fields to the frozen/cold region of tissue, thereby ablating the cells that survive freezing while facilitating controlled use of the PEF in the cold confined region. A finite element analysis of the electric field and heat conduction equations during simultaneous tissue treatment with cryosurgery and PEF (cryosurgery/PEF) was used to study the effect of tissue freezing on electric fields. The study yielded motivating results. Because of decreased electrical conductivity in the frozen/cooled tissue, it experienced temperature induced magnified electric fields in comparison to PEF delivered to the unfrozen tissue control. This suggests that freezing/cooling confines and magnifies the electric fields to those regions; a targeting capability unattainable in traditional PEF. This analysis shows how temperature induced magnified and focused PEFs could be used to ablate cells in the high subzero freezing region of a cryosurgical lesion. PMID:22087224

Rational modulation of neuronal processing with applied electric fields.

PubMed

Bikson, Marom; Radman, Thomas; Datta, Abhishek

2006-01-01

Traditional approaches to electrical stimulation, using trains of supra-threshold pulses to trigger action potentials, may be replaced or augmented by using 'rational' sub-threshold stimulation protocols that incorporate knowledge of single neuron geometry, inhomogeneous tissue properties, and nervous system information coding. Sub-threshold stimulation, at intensities (well) below those sufficient to trigger action potentials, may none-the-less exert a profound effect on brain function through modulation of concomitant neuronal activity. For example, small DC fields may coherently polarize a network of neurons and thus modulate the simultaneous processing of afferent synaptic input as well as resulting changes in synaptic plasticity. Through 'activity-dependent plasticity', sub-threshold fields may allow specific targeting of pathological networks and are thus particularly suitable to overcome the poor anatomical focus of noninvasive (transcranial) electrical stimulation. Additional approaches to improve targeting in transcranial stimulation using novel electrode configurations are also introduced.

An "Off-the-Shelf" System for Intraprocedural Electrical Current Evaluation and Monitoring of Irreversible Electroporation Therapy.

PubMed

Neal, Robert E; Kavnoudias, Helen; Thomson, Kenneth R

2015-06-01

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) ablation uses a series of brief electric pulses to create nanoscale defects in cell membranes, killing the cells. It has shown promise in numerous soft-tissue tumor applications. Larger voltages between electrodes will increase ablation volume, but exceeding electrical limits may risk damage to the patient, cause ineffective therapy delivery, or require generator restart. Monitoring electrical current for these conditions in real-time enables managing these risks. This capacity is not presently available in clinical IRE generators. We describe a system using a Tektronix TCP305 AC/DC Current Probe connected to a TCPA300 AC/DC Current Probe Amplifier, which is read on a computer using a Protek DSO-2090 USB computer-interfacing oscilloscope. Accuracy of the system was tested with a resistor circuit and by comparing measured currents with final outputs from the NanoKnife clinical electroporation pulse generator. Accuracy of measured currents was 1.64 ± 2.4 % relative to calculations for the resistor circuit and averaged 0.371 ± 0.977 % deviation from the NanoKnife. During clinical pulse delivery, the system offers real-time evaluation of IRE procedure progress and enables a number of methods for identifying approaching issues from electrical behavior of therapy delivery, facilitating protocol changes before encountering therapy delivery issues. This system can monitor electrical currents in real-time without altering the electric pulses or modifying the pulse generator. This facilitates delivering electric pulse protocols that remain within the optimal range of electrical currents-sufficient strength for clinically relevant ablation volumes, without the risk of exceeding safe electric currents or causing inadequate ablation.

[Negative air ions generated by plants upon pulsed electric field stimulation applied to soil].

PubMed

Wu, Ren-ye; Deng, Chuan-yuan; Yang, Zhi-jian; Weng, Hai-yong; Zhu, Tie-jun-rong; Zheng, Jin-gui

2015-02-01

This paper investigated the capacity of plants (Schlumbergera truncata, Aloe vera var. chinensis, Chlorophytum comosum, Schlumbergera bridgesii, Gymnocalycium mihanovichii var. friedrichii, Aspidistra elatior, Cymbidium kanran, Echinocactus grusonii, Agave americana var. marginata, Asparagus setaceus) to generate negative air ions (NAI) under pulsed electric field stimulation. The results showed that single plant generated low amounts of NAI in natural condition. The capacity of C. comosum and G. mihanovichii var. friedrichii generated most NAI among the above ten species, with a daily average of 43 ion · cm(-3). The least one was A. americana var. marginata with the value of 19 ion · cm(-3). When proper pulsed electric field stimulation was applied to soil, the NAI of ten plant species were greatly improved. The effect of pulsed electric field u3 (average voltage over the pulse period was 2.0 x 10(4) V, pulse frequency was 1 Hz, and pulse duration was 50 ms) was the greatest. The mean NAI concentration of C. kanran was the highest 1454967 ion · cm(-3), which was 48498.9 times as much as that in natural condition. The lowest one was S. truncata with the value of 34567 ion · cm(-3), which was 843.1 times as much as that in natural condition. The capacity of the same plants to generate negative air ion varied extremely under different intensity pulsed electric fields.

Electrical pulse generator

DOEpatents

Norris, Neil J.

1979-01-01

A technique for generating high-voltage, wide dynamic range, shaped electrical pulses in the nanosecond range. Two transmission lines are coupled together by resistive elements distributed along the length of the lines. The conductance of each coupling resistive element as a function of its position along the line is selected to produce the desired pulse shape in the output line when an easily produced pulse, such as a step function pulse, is applied to the input line.

Recommended E3 HEMP Heave Electric Field Waveform for the Critical Infrastructures. Volume 2

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-07-31

OF THE COMMISSION TO ASSESS THE THREAT TO THE UNITED STATES FROM ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE (EMP) ATTACK The cover photo depicts Fishbowl Starfish...Assess the Threat to the United States from Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) Attack. The Commission was established by Congress in the FY2001 National...Department of Defense E electric field EMP electromagnetic pulse EPRI Electric Power Research Institute FERC Federal Energy Regulatory Commission GMD

Eradication of multidrug-resistant pseudomonas biofilm with pulsed electric fields.

PubMed

Khan, Saiqa I; Blumrosen, Gaddi; Vecchio, Daniela; Golberg, Alexander; McCormack, Michael C; Yarmush, Martin L; Hamblin, Michael R; Austen, William G

2016-03-01

Biofilm formation is a significant problem, accounting for over eighty percent of microbial infections in the body. Biofilm eradication is problematic due to increased resistance to antibiotics and antimicrobials as compared to planktonic cells. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) on biofilm-infected mesh. Prolene mesh was infected with bioluminescent Pseudomonas aeruginosa and treated with PEF using a concentric electrode system to derive, in a single experiment, the critical electric field strength needed to kill bacteria. The effect of the electric field strength and the number of pulses (with a fixed pulse length duration and frequency) on bacterial eradication was investigated. For all experiments, biofilm formation and disruption were confirmed with bioluminescent imaging and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Computation and statistical methods were used to analyze treatment efficiency and to compare it to existing theoretical models. In all experiments 1500 V are applied through a central electrode, with pulse duration of 50 μs, and pulse delivery frequency of 2 Hz. We found that the critical electric field strength (Ecr) needed to eradicate 100-80% of bacteria in the treated area was 121 ± 14 V/mm when 300 pulses were applied, and 235 ± 6.1 V/mm when 150 pulses were applied. The area at which 100-80% of bacteria were eradicated was 50.5 ± 9.9 mm(2) for 300 pulses, and 13.4 ± 0.65 mm(2) for 150 pulses. 80% threshold eradication was not achieved with 100 pulses. The results indicate that increased efficacy of treatment is due to increased number of pulses delivered. In addition, we that showed the bacterial death rate as a function of the electrical field follows the statistical Weibull model for 150 and 300 pulses. We hypothesize that in the clinical setting, combining systemic antibacterial therapy with PEF will yield a synergistic effect leading to improved eradication of mesh infections. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Radiation-induced insulator discharge pulses in the CRRES internal discharge monitor satellite experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frederickson, A. R.; Mullen, E. G.; Brautigam, D. H.; Kerns, K. J.

1992-01-01

The Internal Discharge Monitor (IDM) was designed to observe electrical pulses from common electrical insulators in space service. The sixteen insulator samples included twelve planar printed circuit boards and four cables. The samples were fully enclosed, mutually isolated, and space radiation penetrated 0.02 cm of aluminum before striking the samples. Pulsing began on the seventh orbit, the maximum pulse rate occurred on the seventeenth orbit when 13 pulses occurred, and the pulses slowly diminished to about one per 3 orbits six months later. After 8 months, the radiation belts abruptly increased and the pulse rates attained a new high. These pulse rates were in agreement with laboratory experience on shorter time scales. Several of the samples never pulsed. If the pulses were not confined within IDM, the physical processes could spread to become a full spacecraft anomaly. The IDM results indicate the rate at which small insulator pulses occur. Small pulses are the seeds of larger satellite electrical anomalies. The pulse rates are compared with space radiation intensities, L shell location, and spectral distributions from the radiation spectrometers on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite.

Effects of high voltage nanosecond electric pulses on eukaryotic cells (in vitro): A systematic review.

PubMed

Batista Napotnik, Tina; Reberšek, Matej; Vernier, P Thomas; Mali, Barbara; Miklavčič, Damijan

2016-08-01

For this systematic review, 203 published reports on effects of electroporation using nanosecond high-voltage electric pulses (nsEP) on eukaryotic cells (human, animal, plant) in vitro were analyzed. A field synopsis summarizes current published data in the field with respect to publication year, cell types, exposure configuration, and pulse duration. Published data were analyzed for effects observed in eight main target areas (plasma membrane, intracellular, apoptosis, calcium level and distribution, survival, nucleus, mitochondria, stress) and an additional 107 detailed outcomes. We statistically analyzed effects of nsEP with respect to three pulse duration groups: A: 1-10ns, B: 11-100ns and C: 101-999ns. The analysis confirmed that the plasma membrane is more affected with longer pulses than with short pulses, seen best in uptake of dye molecules after applying single pulses. Additionally, we have reviewed measurements of nsEP and evaluations of the electric fields to which cells were exposed in these reports, and we provide recommendations for assessing nanosecond pulsed electric field effects in electroporation studies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interaction of excitable waves emitted from two defects by pulsed electric fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Jiang-Xing; Zhang, Han; Qiao, Li-Yan; Liang, Hong; Sun, Wei-Gang

2018-01-01

In response to a pulsed electric field, spatial distributed heterogeneities in excitable media can serve as nucleation sites for the generation of intramural electrical waves, a phenomenon called as ;wave emission from heterogeneities; (WEH effect). Heterogeneities in cardiac tissue strongly influence each other in the WEH effect. We study the WEH effect in a medium possessing two defects. The role of two defects and their interaction by pulsed DC electric fields (DEF) and rotating electric fields (REF) are investigated. The direction of the applied electric field plays a major role not only in the minimum electrical field necessary to originate wave propagation, but also in the degree of influences of nearby defects. The distance between two defects, i.e. the density of defects, also play an important role in the WEH effect. Generally, the REF is better than the DEF when pulsed electric fields are applied. These results may contribute to the improved application of WEH, especially in older patients with fibrosis and scarring, which are accompanied by a higher incidence of conductivity discontinuities.

Disassembly of actin structures by nanosecond pulsed electric field is a downstream effect of cell swelling.

PubMed

Pakhomov, Andrei G; Xiao, Shu; Pakhomova, Olga N; Semenov, Iurii; Kuipers, Marjorie A; Ibey, Bennett L

2014-12-01

Disruption of the actin cytoskeleton structures was reported as one of the characteristic effects of nanosecond-duration pulsed electric field (nsPEF) in both mammalian and plant cells. We utilized CHO cells that expressed the monomeric fluorescent protein (mApple) tagged to actin to test if nsPEF modifies the cell actin directly or as a consequence of cell membrane permeabilization. A train of four 600-ns pulses at 19.2 kV/cm (2 Hz) caused immediate cell membrane poration manifested by YO-PRO-1 dye uptake, gradual cell rounding and swelling. Concurrently, bright actin features were replaced by dimmer and uniform fluorescence of diffuse actin. To block the nsPEF-induced swelling, the bath buffer was isoosmotically supplemented with an electropore-impermeable solute (sucrose). A similar addition of a smaller, electropore-permeable solute (adonitol) served as a control. We demonstrated that sucrose efficiently blocked disassembly of actin features by nsPEF, whereas adonitol did not. Sucrose also attenuated bleaching of mApple-tagged actin in nsPEF-treated cells (as integrated over the cell volume), although did not fully prevent it. We conclude that disintegration of the actin cytoskeleton was a result of cell swelling, which, in turn, was caused by cell permeabilization by nsPEF and transmembrane diffusion of solutes which led to the osmotic imbalance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrashort-pulse-train pump and dump excitation of a diatomic molecule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Araujo, Luís E. E.

2010-09-01

An excitation scheme is proposed for transferring population between ground-vibrational levels of a molecule. The transfer is accomplished by pumping and dumping population with a pair of coherent ultrashort-pulse trains via a stationary state. By mismatching the teeth of the frequency combs associated with the pulse trains to the vibrational levels, high selectivity in the excitation, along with high transfer efficiency, is predicted. The pump-dump scheme does not suffer from spontaneous emission losses, it is insensitive to the pump-dump-train delay, and it requires only basic pulse shaping.

Ultrashort-pulse-train pump and dump excitation of a diatomic molecule

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Araujo, Luis E. E. de

An excitation scheme is proposed for transferring population between ground-vibrational levels of a molecule. The transfer is accomplished by pumping and dumping population with a pair of coherent ultrashort-pulse trains via a stationary state. By mismatching the teeth of the frequency combs associated with the pulse trains to the vibrational levels, high selectivity in the excitation, along with high transfer efficiency, is predicted. The pump-dump scheme does not suffer from spontaneous emission losses, it is insensitive to the pump-dump-train delay, and it requires only basic pulse shaping.

Noise tolerance in wavelength-selective switching of optical differential quadrature-phase-shift-keying pulse train by collinear acousto-optic devices.

PubMed

Goto, Nobuo; Miyazaki, Yasumitsu

2014-06-01

Optical switching of high-bit-rate quadrature-phase-shift-keying (QPSK) pulse trains using collinear acousto-optic (AO) devices is theoretically discussed. Since the collinear AO devices have wavelength selectivity, the switched optical pulse trains suffer from distortion when the bandwidth of the pulse train is comparable to the pass bandwidth of the AO device. As the AO device, a sidelobe-suppressed device with a tapered surface-acoustic-wave (SAW) waveguide and a Butterworth-type filter device with a lossy SAW directional coupler are considered. Phase distortion of optical pulse trains at 40 to 100  Gsymbols/s in QPSK format is numerically analyzed. Bit-error-rate performance with additive Gaussian noise is also evaluated by the Monte Carlo method.

Virtual Active Touch Using Randomly Patterned Intracortical Microstimulation

PubMed Central

O’Doherty, Joseph E.; Lebedev, Mikhail A.; Li, Zheng; Nicolelis, Miguel A.L.

2012-01-01

Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) has promise as a means for delivering somatosensory feedback in neuroprosthetic systems. Various tactile sensations could be encoded by temporal, spatial, or spatiotemporal patterns of ICMS. However, the applicability of temporal patterns of ICMS to artificial tactile sensation during active exploration is unknown, as is the minimum discriminable difference between temporally modulated ICMS patterns. We trained rhesus monkeys in an active exploration task in which they discriminated periodic pulse-trains of ICMS (200 Hz bursts at a 10 Hz secondary frequency) from pulse trains with the same average pulse rate, but distorted periodicity (200 Hz bursts at a variable instantaneous secondary frequency). The statistics of the aperiodic pulse trains were drawn from a gamma distribution with mean inter-burst intervals equal to those of the periodic pulse trains. The monkeys distinguished periodic pulse trains from aperiodic pulse trains with coefficients of variation 0.25 or greater. Reconstruction of movement kinematics, extracted from the activity of neuronal populations recorded in the sensorimotor cortex concurrent with the delivery of ICMS feedback, improved when the recording intervals affected by ICMS artifacts were removed from analysis. These results add to the growing evidence that temporally patterned ICMS can be used to simulate a tactile sense for neuroprosthetic devices. PMID:22207642

Real-time method and apparatus for measuring the temperature of a fluorescing phosphor

DOEpatents

Britton, Jr., Charles L.; Beshears, David L.; Simpson, Marc L.; Cates, Michael R.; Allison, Steve W.

1999-01-01

A method for determining the temperature of a fluorescing phosphor is provided, together with an apparatus for performing the method. The apparatus includes a photodetector for detecting light emitted by a phosphor irradiated with an excitation pulse and for converting the detected light into an electrical signal. The apparatus further includes a differentiator for differentiating the electrical signal and a zero-crossing discrimination circuit that outputs a pulse signal having a pulse width corresponding to the time period between the start of the excitation pulse and the time when the differentiated electrical signal reaches zero. The width of the output pulse signal is proportional to the decay-time constant of the phosphor.

Determination of sensation threshold from small pulse trains of 2.01μm laser light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dugan, Daniel C.; Johnson, Thomas E.

2009-02-01

The determination of sensation thresholds has applications ranging from uses in the medical community such as neural pathway mapping and for the diagnosis of diabetic neuropathy, to potential uses in determining safety standards. This study sought to determine the sensation threshold, and the distribution of sensation probabilities, for pulse trains ranging from two 10 ms pulses to nine 10 ms pulses from 2.01 μm laser light incident on a human forearm and chest. Threshold was defined as the energy density that would elicit sensation 50% of the time (ED50). A method of levels approach was used in conjunction with a monovariate binary response model to determine the ED50. We determined the ED50 and also a distribution of threshold probabilities. Threshold was found to be largely dependant on total energy deposited for smaller pulse trains, and thus independent of the number of pulses. Total energy becomes less important as the number of pulses increases however, and a decrease in threshold was measured for a nine pulse train as compared to one through four pulse trains. Thus we have demonstrated that this method is a useful and easy way for determining sensation thresholds from a 2.01 μm laser for possible clinical use. We have also demonstrated that lower power lasers when pulsed can elicit sensation at comparable levels to higher power single pulse lasers.

Simple and robust generation of ultrafast laser pulse trains using polarization-independent parallel-aligned thin films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Andong; Jiang, Lan; Li, Xiaowei; Wang, Zhi; Du, Kun; Lu, Yongfeng

2018-05-01

Ultrafast laser pulse temporal shaping has been widely applied in various important applications such as laser materials processing, coherent control of chemical reactions, and ultrafast imaging. However, temporal pulse shaping has been limited to only-in-lab technique due to the high cost, low damage threshold, and polarization dependence. Herein we propose a novel design of ultrafast laser pulse train generation device, which consists of multiple polarization-independent parallel-aligned thin films. Various pulse trains with controllable temporal profile can be generated flexibly by multi-reflections within the splitting films. Compared with other pulse train generation techniques, this method has advantages of compact structure, low cost, high damage threshold and polarization independence. These advantages endow it with high potential for broad utilization in ultrafast applications.

A frequency and pulse-width co-modulation strategy for transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation based on sEMG time-domain features

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yu-Xuan; Wang, Hai-Peng; Bao, Xue-Liang; Lü, Xiao-Ying; Wang, Zhi-Gong

2016-02-01

Objective. Surface electromyography (sEMG) is often used as a control signal in neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) systems to enhance the voluntary control and proprioceptive sensory feedback of paralyzed patients. Most sEMG-controlled NMES systems use the envelope of the sEMG signal to modulate the stimulation intensity (current amplitude or pulse width) with a constant frequency. The aims of this study were to develop a strategy that co-modulates frequency and pulse width based on features of the sEMG signal and to investigate the torque-reproduction performance and the level of fatigue resistance achieved with our strategy. Approach. We examined the relationships between wrist torque and two stimulation parameters (frequency and pulse width) and between wrist torque and two sEMG time-domain features (mean absolute value (MAV) and number of slope sign changes (NSS)) in eight healthy volunteers. By using wrist torque as an intermediate variable, customized and generalized transfer functions were constructed to convert the two features of the sEMG signal into the two stimulation parameters, thereby establishing a MAV/NSS dual-coding (MNDC) algorithm. Wrist torque reproduction performance was assessed by comparing the torque generated by the algorithms with that originally recorded during voluntary contractions. Muscle fatigue was assessed by measuring the decline percentage of the peak torque and by comparing the torque time integral of the response to test stimulation trains before and after fatigue sessions. Main Results. The MNDC approach could produce a wrist torque that closely matched the voluntary wrist torque. In addition, a smaller decay in the wrist torque was observed after the MNDC-coded fatigue stimulation was applied than after stimulation using pulse-width modulation alone. Significance. Compared with pulse-width modulation stimulation strategies that are based on sEMG detection, the MNDC strategy is more effective for both voluntary muscle force reproduction and muscle fatigue reduction.

Enhancement cavities for zero-offset-frequency pulse trains.

PubMed

Holzberger, S; Lilienfein, N; Trubetskov, M; Carstens, H; Lücking, F; Pervak, V; Krausz, F; Pupeza, I

2015-05-15

The optimal enhancement of broadband optical pulses in a passive resonator requires a seeding pulse train with a specific carrier-envelope-offset frequency. Here, we control the phase of the cavity mirrors to tune the offset frequency for which a given comb is optimally enhanced. This enables the enhancement of a zero-offset-frequency train of sub-30-fs pulses to multi-kW average powers. The combination of pulse duration, power, and zero phase slip constitutes a crucial step toward the generation of attosecond pulses at multi-10-MHz repetition rates. In addition, this control affords the enhancement of pulses generated by difference-frequency mixing, e.g., for mid-infrared spectroscopy.

Saturation pulse design for quantitative myocardial T1 mapping.

PubMed

Chow, Kelvin; Kellman, Peter; Spottiswoode, Bruce S; Nielles-Vallespin, Sonia; Arai, Andrew E; Salerno, Michael; Thompson, Richard B

2015-10-01

Quantitative saturation-recovery based T1 mapping sequences are less sensitive to systematic errors than the Modified Look-Locker Inversion recovery (MOLLI) technique but require high performance saturation pulses. We propose to optimize adiabatic and pulse train saturation pulses for quantitative T1 mapping to have <1 % absolute residual longitudinal magnetization (|MZ/M0|) over ranges of B0 and [Formula: see text] (B1 scale factor) inhomogeneity found at 1.5 T and 3 T. Design parameters for an adiabatic BIR4-90 pulse were optimized for improved performance within 1.5 T B0 (±120 Hz) and [Formula: see text] (0.7-1.0) ranges. Flip angles in hard pulse trains of 3-6 pulses were optimized for 1.5 T and 3 T, with consideration of T1 values, field inhomogeneities (B0 = ±240 Hz and [Formula: see text]=0.4-1.2 at 3 T), and maximum achievable B1 field strength. Residual MZ/M0 was simulated and measured experimentally for current standard and optimized saturation pulses in phantoms and in-vivo human studies. T1 maps were acquired at 3 T in human subjects and a swine using a SAturation recovery single-SHot Acquisition (SASHA) technique with a standard 90°-90°-90° and an optimized 6-pulse train. Measured residual MZ/M0 in phantoms had excellent agreement with simulations over a wide range of B0 and [Formula: see text]. The optimized BIR4-90 reduced the maximum residual |MZ/M0| to <1 %, a 5.8× reduction compared to a reference BIR4-90. An optimized 3-pulse train achieved a maximum residual |MZ/M0| <1 % for the 1.5 T optimization range compared to 11.3 % for a standard 90°-90°-90° pulse train, while a 6-pulse train met this target for the wider 3 T ranges of B0 and [Formula: see text]. The 6-pulse train demonstrated more uniform saturation across both the myocardium and entire field of view than other saturation pulses in human studies. T1 maps were more spatially homogeneous with 6-pulse train SASHA than the reference 90°-90°-90° SASHA in both human and animal studies. Adiabatic and pulse train saturation pulses optimized for different constraints found at 1.5 T and 3 T achieved <1 % residual |MZ/M0| in phantom experiments, enabling greater accuracy in quantitative saturation recovery T1 imaging.

Validation of a pulsed electric field process to pasteurize strawberry puree

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An inexpensive data acquisition method was developed to validate the exact number and shape of the pulses applied during pulsed electric fields (PEF) processing. The novel validation method was evaluated in conjunction with developing a pasteurization PEF process for strawberry puree. Both buffered...

Broadband tunable integrated CMOS pulser with 80-ps minimum pulse width for gain-switched semiconductor lasers.

PubMed

Chen, Shaoqiang; Diao, Shengxi; Li, Pengtao; Nakamura, Takahiro; Yoshita, Masahiro; Weng, Guoen; Hu, Xiaobo; Shi, Yanling; Liu, Yiqing; Akiyama, Hidefumi

2017-07-31

High power pulsed lasers with tunable pulse widths are highly favored in many applications. When combined with power amplification, gain-switched semiconductor lasers driven by broadband tunable electric pulsers can meet such requirements. For this reason, we designed and produced a low-cost integrated CMOS pulse generator with a minimum pulse width of 80 ps and a wide tuning range of up to 270 ns using a 40-nm microelectronic process technique. We used this pulser to drive a 1.3-µm semiconductor laser diode directly, and thereafter investigated the gain-switching properties of the laser system. The optical pulses consist of a spike followed by a steady state region. Tuning the width of the electrical pulse down to approximately 1.5 ns produces optical pulses consisting only of the spike, which has a minimum pulse-width of 100 ps. Moreover, the duration of the steady state can be tuned continuously by tuning the electrical pulse width, with a peak power of approximately 5 mW. The output voltage of the electric pulser has a tuning range of 0.8-1.5 V that can be used to directly drive semiconductor laser diodes with wavelengths in the near-infrared spectrum, which are suitable for power amplification with rare-earth doped fiber amplifiers.

System for adjusting frequency of electrical output pulses derived from an oscillator

DOEpatents

Bartholomew, David B.

2006-11-14

A system for setting and adjusting a frequency of electrical output pulses derived from an oscillator in a network is disclosed. The system comprises an accumulator module configured to receive pulses from an oscillator and to output an accumulated value. An adjustor module is configured to store an adjustor value used to correct local oscillator drift. A digital adder adds values from the accumulator module to values stored in the adjustor module and outputs their sums to the accumulator module, where they are stored. The digital adder also outputs an electrical pulse to a logic module. The logic module is in electrical communication with the adjustor module and the network. The logic module may change the value stored in the adjustor module to compensate for local oscillator drift or change the frequency of output pulses. The logic module may also keep time and calculate drift.

Modeling digital pulse waveforms by solving one-dimensional Navier-stokes equations.

PubMed

Fedotov, Aleksandr A; Akulova, Anna S; Akulov, Sergey A

2016-08-01

Mathematical modeling for composition distal arterial pulse wave in the blood vessels of the upper limbs was considered. Formation of distal arterial pulse wave is represented as a composition of forward and reflected pulse waves propagating along the arterial vessels. The formal analogy between pulse waves propagation along the human arterial system and the propagation of electrical oscillations in electrical transmission lines with distributed parameters was proposed. Dependencies of pulse wave propagation along the human arterial system were obtained by solving the one-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations for a few special cases.

Pulsed source ion implantation apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Leung, Ka-Ngo

1996-01-01

A new pulsed plasma-immersion ion-implantation apparatus that implants ions in large irregularly shaped objects to controllable depth without overheating the target, minimizing voltage breakdown, and using a constant electrical bias applied to the target. Instead of pulsing the voltage applied to the target, the plasma source, for example a tungsten filament or a RF antenna, is pulsed. Both electrically conducting and insulating targets can be implanted.

Electric field measurements in nanosecond pulse discharges in air over liquid water surface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simeni Simeni, Marien; Baratte, Edmond; Zhang, Cheng; Frederickson, Kraig; Adamovich, Igor V.

2018-01-01

Electric field in nanosecond pulse discharges in ambient air is measured by picosecond four-wave mixing, with absolute calibration by a known electrostatic field. The measurements are done in two geometries, (a) the discharge between two parallel cylinder electrodes placed inside quartz tubes, and (b) the discharge between a razor edge electrode and distilled water surface. In the first case, breakdown field exceeds DC breakdown threshold by approximately a factor of four, 140 ± 10 kV cm-1. In the second case, electric field is measured for both positive and negative pulse polarities, with pulse durations of ˜10 ns and ˜100 ns, respectively. In the short duration, positive polarity pulse, breakdown occurs at 85 kV cm-1, after which the electric field decreases over several ns due to charge separation in the plasma, with no field reversal detected when the applied voltage is reduced. In a long duration, negative polarity pulse, breakdown occurs at a lower electric field, 30 kV cm-1, after which the field decays over several tens of ns and reverses direction when the applied voltage is reduced at the end of the pulse. For both pulse polarities, electric field after the pulse decays on a microsecond time scale, due to residual surface charge neutralization by transport of opposite polarity charges from the plasma. Measurements 1 mm away from the discharge center plane, ˜100 μm from the water surface, show that during the voltage rise, horizontal field component (Ex ) lags in time behind the vertical component (Ey ). After breakdown, Ey is reduced to near zero and reverses direction. Further away from the water surface (≈0.9 mm), Ex is much higher compared to Ey during the entire voltage pulse. The results provide insight into air plasma kinetics and charge transport processes near plasma-liquid interface, over a wide range of time scales.

Characterizing the graded structure of false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) vocalizations.

PubMed

Murray, S O; Mercado, E; Roitblat, H L

1998-09-01

The vocalizations from two, captive false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) were analyzed. The structure of the vocalizations was best modeled as lying along a continuum with trains of discrete, exponentially damped sinusoidal pulses at one end and continuous sinusoidal signals at the other end. Pulse trains were graded as a function of the interval between pulses where the minimum interval between pulses could be zero milliseconds. The transition from a pulse train with no inter-pulse interval to a whistle could be modeled by gradations in the degree of damping. There were many examples of vocalizations that were gradually modulated from pulse trains to whistles. There were also vocalizations that showed rapid shifts in signal type--for example, switching immediately from a whistle to a pulse train. These data have implications when considering both the possible function(s) of the vocalizations and the potential sound production mechanism(s). A short-time duty cycle measure was developed to characterize the graded structure of the vocalizations. A random sample of 500 vocalizations was characterized by combining the duty cycle measure with peak frequency measurements. The analysis method proved to be an effective metric for describing the graded structure of false killer whale vocalizations.

AUTOMATIC COUNTING APPARATUS

DOEpatents

Howell, W.D.

1957-08-20

An apparatus for automatically recording the results of counting operations on trains of electrical pulses is described. The disadvantages of prior devices utilizing the two common methods of obtaining the count rate are overcome by this apparatus; in the case of time controlled operation, the disclosed system automatically records amy information stored by the scaler but not transferred to the printer at the end of the predetermined time controlled operations and, in the case of count controlled operation, provision is made to prevent a weak sample from occupying the apparatus for an excessively long period of time.

Extraocular spectral photosensitivity in the tentacles of Hydra vulgaris.

PubMed

Guertin, S; Kass-Simon, G

2015-06-01

Previous electrophysiological studies on the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris have shown that hydra have a highly developed and specific photoresponse despite their lack of any structure recognizable as a traditional photoreceptor. In an effort to identify the site of hydra's photoreceptors, we recorded extracellularly from single excised tentacles and from ablated hypostomes lacking tentacles in absolute darkness and during exposure to light of various wavelengths. During recording, after an initial period of absolute darkness, tentacles or hypostomes were exposed to light from 450nm to 600nm, red, and white light. Exposure to light caused a change in the pattern and frequency of impulses in the tentacles that varied with color. The number of large tentacle pulses (TPs) increased at 550 and 600nm relative to darkness, whereas the number of small tentacle pulses (STPs) tended to decrease in 500nm light. Impulse frequency was significantly different among the different wavelengths. In addition to bursts of tentacle contraction pulses, long trains of pulses were observed. A change in lighting caused a switch from bursting to trains or vice versa. In contrast to excised tentacles, no change in electrical activity was seen in ablated hypostomes at any of the wavelengths relative to each other or relative to darkness. These results indicate that isolated tentacles can distinguish among and respond to various colors across the visible spectrum and suggest that electromagnetic information is transmitted from the tentacles to the hypostome where it may be integrated by the hypostomal nervous system, ultimately contributing to hydra's photoreceptive behavior. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Modulation of H-Reflex Depression with Paired-Pulse Stimulation in Healthy Active Humans.

PubMed

Oza, Preeti D; Dudley-Javoroski, Shauna; Shields, Richard K

2017-01-01

Depression of the Hoffman reflex (H-reflex) is used to examine spinal control mechanisms during exercise, fatigue, and vibration and in response to training. H-reflex depression protocols frequently use trains of stimuli; this is time-consuming and prevents instantaneous assessment of motor neuronal excitability. The purpose of this study was to determine if paired-pulse H-reflex depression is reproducible and whether paired-pulse stimulation adequately estimates the depression induced by the more traditional ten-pulse train. H-reflexes were elicited via ten-pulse trains at 0.1, 0.2, 1, 2, and 5 Hz in ten neurologically intact individuals on two separate days. We measured the depression elicited by the second pulse (H2) and the mean depression elicited by pulses 2-10 (Hmean). H2 was consistent at all frequencies on both days ( r 2 = 0.97, p < 0.05, and ICC (3,1) = 0.81). H2 did not differ from Hmean ( p > 0.05). The results indicate that paired-pulse H-reflex depression has high between-day reliability and yields depression estimates that are comparable to those obtained via ten-pulse trains. Paired-pulse H-reflex depression may be especially useful for studies that require rapid assessment of motor neuronal excitability, such as during exercise, fatigue, and vibration, or to establish recovery curves following inhibition.

[Intracellular free calcium changes of mouse oocytes during activation induced by ethanol or electrical stimulations and parthenogenetic development].

PubMed

Deng, M Q; Fan, B Q

1994-09-01

Oocytes collected 18-19 h after HCG injection were stimulated with 7-8% ethanol or electrical pulses (1.7 KV/cm field strength, 80-100 microseconds duration, 3-4 times, 5-6 min interval). The parthenogenetic embryos derived from the above-mentioned methods developed to blastocyst stage just like those developed from fertilized eggs. Mouse oocytes were rather sensitive to ethanol stimulation. More than 95% of the treated oocytes were activated after stimulation of 7-8% ethanol for 5 min. Multiple electrical stimulations induced higher activation percentages of oocytes than only single electrical stimulation (71.5% vs. 63.6%). Intact oocytes were loaded with fluorescent Ca2+ indicator fura-2 and intracellular free calcium changes during artificial activation were measured by fluorescence detector. The results showed that ethanol could induce repetitive transient Ca2+ concentration increase in activated oocytes. Single electrical stimulation only induced single free calcium concentration elevation in oocyte while multiple electrical pulses could induce repetitive Ca2+ increase (each electrical pulse elicited the corresponding Ca2+ concentration peak). The pronuclei were not observed in the oocytes which had not exhibited calcium concentration rise during activation. Apart from electrical stimulation parameter, sufficient amount of Ca2+ in electric medium was crucial to mouse oocyte activation when stimulated with electrical pulses. The oocytes were hardly activated by electrical stimulations in a medium without Ca2+ even with longer pulse duration and the intracellular free calcium concentration in the oocytes showed no elevation. This indicates that the inflow of extracellular Ca2+ from tiny pores across the oocyte membrane caused by electrical stimulation is the main source of intracellular free calcium increase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

An automatic identification procedure to promote the use of FES-cycling training for hemiparetic patients.

PubMed

Ambrosini, Emilia; Ferrante, Simona; Schauer, Thomas; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Molteni, Franco; Pedrocchi, Alessandra

2014-01-01

Cycling induced by Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) training currently requires a manual setting of different parameters, which is a time-consuming and scarcely repeatable procedure. We proposed an automatic procedure for setting session-specific parameters optimized for hemiparetic patients. This procedure consisted of the identification of the stimulation strategy as the angular ranges during which FES drove the motion, the comparison between the identified strategy and the physiological muscular activation strategy, and the setting of the pulse amplitude and duration of each stimulated muscle. Preliminary trials on 10 healthy volunteers helped define the procedure. Feasibility tests on 8 hemiparetic patients (5 stroke, 3 traumatic brain injury) were performed. The procedure maximized the motor output within the tolerance constraint, identified a biomimetic strategy in 6 patients, and always lasted less than 5 minutes. Its reasonable duration and automatic nature make the procedure usable at the beginning of every training session, potentially enhancing the performance of FES-cycling training.

Nanopore formation in neuroblastoma cells following ultrashort electric pulse exposure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roth, Caleb C.; Payne, Jason A.; Wilmink, Gerald J.; Ibey, Bennett L.

2011-03-01

Ultrashort or nanosecond electrical pulses (USEP) cause repairable damage to the plasma membranes of cells through formation of nanopores. These nanopores are able to pass small ions such as sodium, calcium, and potassium, but remain impermeable to larger molecules like trypan blue and propidium iodide. What remains uncertain is whether generation of nanopores by ultrashort electrical pulses can inhibit action potentials in excitable cells. In this paper, we explored the sensitivity of excitable cells to USEP using Calcium Green AM 1 ester fluorescence to measure calcium uptake indicative of nanopore formation in the plasma membrane. We determined the threshold for nanopore formation in neuroblastoma cells for three pulse parameters (amplitude, pulse width, and pulse number). Measurement of such thresholds will guide future studies to determine if USEP can inhibit action potentials without causing irreversible membrane damage.

Evidence that pulsed electric field treatment enhances the cell wall porosity of yeast cells.

PubMed

Ganeva, Valentina; Galutzov, Bojidar; Teissie, Justin

2014-02-01

The application of rectangular electric pulses, with 0.1-2 ms duration and field intensity of 2.5-4.5 kV/cm, to yeast suspension mediates liberation of cytoplasmic proteins without cell lysis. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pulsed electric field with similar parameters on cell wall porosity of different yeast species. We found that electrically treated cells become more susceptible to lyticase digestion. In dependence on the strain and the electrical conditions, cell lysis was obtained at 2-8 times lower enzyme concentration in comparison with control untreated cells. The increase of the maximal lysis rate was between two and nine times. Furthermore, when applied at low concentration (1 U/ml), the lyticase enhanced the rate of protein liberation from electropermeabilized cells without provoking cell lysis. Significant differences in the cell surface of control and electrically treated cells were revealed by scanning electron microscopy. Data presented in this study allow us to conclude that electric field pulses provoke not only plasma membrane permeabilization, but also changes in the cell wall structure, leading to increased wall porosity.

Real-time method and apparatus for measuring the decay-time constant of a fluorescing phosphor

DOEpatents

Britton, Jr., Charles L.; Beshears, David L.; Simpson, Marc L.; Cates, Michael R.; Allison, Steve W.

1999-01-01

A method for determining the decay-time constant of a fluorescing phosphor is provided, together with an apparatus for performing the method. The apparatus includes a photodetector for detecting light emitted by a phosphor irradiated with an excitation pulse and for converting the detected light into an electrical signal. The apparatus further includes a differentiator for differentiating the electrical signal and a zero-crossing discrimination circuit that outputs a pulse signal having a pulse width corresponding to the time period between the start of the excitation pulse and the time when the differentiated electrical signal reaches zero. The width of the output pulse signal is proportional to the decay-time constant of the phosphor.

Effect of pulsed electric fields on the activity of neutral trehalase from beer yeast and RSM analysis.

PubMed

Ye, Haiqing; Jin, Yan; Lin, Songyi; Liu, Mingyuan; Yang, Yi; Zhang, Meishuo; Zhao, Ping; Jones, Gregory

2012-06-01

The trehalase activity plays an important role in extraction of trehalose from beer yeast. In this study, the effect of pulsed electric field processing on neutral trehalase activity in beer yeast was investigated. In order to develop and optimize a pulsed electric field (PEF) mathematical model for activating the neutral trehalase, we have investigated three variables, including electric field intensity (10-50 kV/cm), pulse duration (2-10 μs) and liquid-solid ratio (20-50 ml/g) and subsequently optimized them by response surface methodology (RSM). The experimental data were fitted to a second-order polynomial equation and profiled into the corresponding contour plots. Optimal condition obtained by RSM is as follows: electric field intensity 42.13 kV/cm, liquid-solid ratio 30.12 ml/g and pulse duration 5.46 μs. Under these conditions, with the trehalose decreased 8.879 mg/L, the PEF treatment had great effect on activating neutral trehalase in beer yeast cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Self-stabilizing optical clock pulse-train generator using SOA and saturable absorber for asynchronous optical packet processing.

PubMed

Nakahara, Tatsushi; Takahashi, Ryo

2013-05-06

We propose a novel, self-stabilizing optical clock pulse-train generator for processing preamble-free, asynchronous optical packets with variable lengths. The generator is based on an optical loop that includes a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) and a high-extinction spin-polarized saturable absorber (SA), with the loop being self-stabilized by balancing out the gain and absorption provided by the SOA and SA, respectively. The optical pulse train is generated by tapping out a small portion of a circulating seed pulse. The convergence of the generated pulse energy is enabled by the loop round-trip gain function that has a negative slope due to gain saturation in the SOA. The amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) of the SOA is effectively suppressed by the SA, and a backward optical pulse launched into the SOA enables overcoming the carrier-recovery speed mismatch between the SOA and SA. Without external control for the loop gain, a stable optical pulse train consisting of more than 50 pulses with low jitter is generated from a single 10-ps seed optical pulse even with a variation of 10 dB in the seed pulse intensity.

Pulsed source ion implantation apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Leung, K.N.

1996-09-24

A new pulsed plasma-immersion ion-implantation apparatus that implants ions in large irregularly shaped objects to controllable depth without overheating the target, minimizing voltage breakdown, and using a constant electrical bias applied to the target. Instead of pulsing the voltage applied to the target, the plasma source, for example a tungsten filament or a RF antenna, is pulsed. Both electrically conducting and insulating targets can be implanted. 16 figs.

Electric field induced needle-pulsed arc discharge carbon nanotube production apparatus: circuitry and mechanical design.

PubMed

Kia, Kaveh Kazemi; Bonabi, Fahimeh

2012-12-01

A simple and low cost apparatus is reported to produce multiwall carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-onions by a low power short pulsed arc discharge reactor. The electric circuitry and the mechanical design details and a micro-filtering assembly are described. The pulsed-plasma is generated and applied between two graphite electrodes. The pulse width is 0.3 μs. A strong dc electric field is established along side the electrodes. The repetitive discharges occur in less than 1 mm distance between a sharp tip graphite rod as anode, and a tubular graphite as cathode. A hydrocarbon vapor, as carbon source, is introduced through the graphite nozzle in the cathode assembly. The pressure of the chamber is controlled by a vacuum pump. A magnetic field, perpendicular to the plasma path, is provided. The results show that the synergetic use of a pulsed-current and a dc power supply enables us to synthesize carbon nanoparticles with short pulsed plasma. The simplicity and inexpensiveness of this plan is noticeable. Pulsed nature of plasma provides some extra degrees of freedom that make the production more controllable. Effects of some design parameters such as electric field, pulse frequency, and cathode shape are discussed. The products are examined using scanning probe microscopy techniques.

Electric field induced needle-pulsed arc discharge carbon nanotube production apparatus: Circuitry and mechanical design

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kia, Kaveh Kazemi; Bonabi, Fahimeh

A simple and low cost apparatus is reported to produce multiwall carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-onions by a low power short pulsed arc discharge reactor. The electric circuitry and the mechanical design details and a micro-filtering assembly are described. The pulsed-plasma is generated and applied between two graphite electrodes. The pulse width is 0.3 {mu}s. A strong dc electric field is established along side the electrodes. The repetitive discharges occur in less than 1 mm distance between a sharp tip graphite rod as anode, and a tubular graphite as cathode. A hydrocarbon vapor, as carbon source, is introduced through themore » graphite nozzle in the cathode assembly. The pressure of the chamber is controlled by a vacuum pump. A magnetic field, perpendicular to the plasma path, is provided. The results show that the synergetic use of a pulsed-current and a dc power supply enables us to synthesize carbon nanoparticles with short pulsed plasma. The simplicity and inexpensiveness of this plan is noticeable. Pulsed nature of plasma provides some extra degrees of freedom that make the production more controllable. Effects of some design parameters such as electric field, pulse frequency, and cathode shape are discussed. The products are examined using scanning probe microscopy techniques.« less

Electric field induced needle-pulsed arc discharge carbon nanotube production apparatus: Circuitry and mechanical design

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kia, Kaveh Kazemi; Bonabi, Fahimeh

2012-12-01

A simple and low cost apparatus is reported to produce multiwall carbon nanotubes and carbon nano-onions by a low power short pulsed arc discharge reactor. The electric circuitry and the mechanical design details and a micro-filtering assembly are described. The pulsed-plasma is generated and applied between two graphite electrodes. The pulse width is 0.3 μs. A strong dc electric field is established along side the electrodes. The repetitive discharges occur in less than 1 mm distance between a sharp tip graphite rod as anode, and a tubular graphite as cathode. A hydrocarbon vapor, as carbon source, is introduced through the graphite nozzle in the cathode assembly. The pressure of the chamber is controlled by a vacuum pump. A magnetic field, perpendicular to the plasma path, is provided. The results show that the synergetic use of a pulsed-current and a dc power supply enables us to synthesize carbon nanoparticles with short pulsed plasma. The simplicity and inexpensiveness of this plan is noticeable. Pulsed nature of plasma provides some extra degrees of freedom that make the production more controllable. Effects of some design parameters such as electric field, pulse frequency, and cathode shape are discussed. The products are examined using scanning probe microscopy techniques.

[Rapid measurement of trace mercury in aqueous solutions with optical-electrical dual pulse LIBS technique].

PubMed

Zhang, Qian; Xiong, Wei; Chen, Yu-Qi; Li, Run-Hua

2011-02-01

A wood slice was used as absorber to transfer liquid sample to solid sample in order to solve the problems existing in directly analyzing aqueous solutions with laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS). An optical-electrical dual pulse LIBS (OEDP-LIBS) technique was first used to enhance atomic emission of mercury in laser-induced plasma. The calibration curves of mercury were obtained by typical single pulse LIBS and OEDP-LIBS techniques. The limit of detection (LOD) of mercury in these two techniques reaches 2.4 and 0.3 mg x L(-1), respectively. Under current experimental conditions, the time-integrated a tomic emission of mercury at 253.65 nm was enhanced 50 times and the LOD of mercury was improved by one order, if comparing OEDP-LIBS to single pulse LIBS. The required time for a whole analysis process is less than 5 minutes. As the atomic emission of mercury decays slowly while increasing the delay time between electrical pulse and laser pulse, increasing the electrical pulse width can further enhance the time integrated intensity of mercury emission and improve the detection sensitivity of mercury by OEDP-LIBS technique.

ELECTRICAL PULSE COUNTER APPARATUS

DOEpatents

Kaufman, W.M.; Jeeves, T.A.

1962-09-01

A progressive electrical pulse counter circuit rs designed for the counting of a chain of input pulses. The circuit employs a series of direct connected bistable counting stages simultaneously pulsed by each input pulse and a delay means connected between each of the stages. Each bistable stage has two d-c operative states, which stage, when in its initial state, prevents the next succeeding stage from changing its condition when the latter stage is pulsed. Since the delay circuits between the stages prevents the immediate decay of the d-c state of each stage when the stages are pulsed, only one stage will change its state for each input pulse, thereby providing progressive stage-by-stage counting. (AEC)

PULSE SORTER

DOEpatents

Wade, E.J.

1958-07-29

An apparatus is described for counting and recording the number of electrical pulses occurring in each of a timed sequence of groups of pulses. The particular feature of the invention resides in a novel timing circuit of the univibrator type which provides very accurately timed pulses for opening each of a series of coincidence channels in sequence. The univibrator is shown incorporated in a pulse analyzing system wherein a series of pulse counting channels are periodically opened in order, one at a time, for a predetermtned open time interval, so that only one channel will be open at the time of occurrence of any of the electrical pulses to be sorted.

Electric pulses used in electrochemotherapy and electrogene therapy do not significantly change the expression profile of genes involved in the development of cancer in malignant melanoma cells.

PubMed

Mlakar, Vid; Todorovic, Vesna; Cemazar, Maja; Glavac, Damjan; Sersa, Gregor

2009-08-26

Electroporation is a versatile method for in vitro or in vivo delivery of different molecules into cells. However, no study so far has analysed the effects of electric pulses used in electrochemotherapy (ECT pulses) or electric pulses used in electrogene therapy (EGT pulses) on malignant cells. We studied the effect of ECT and EGT pulses on human malignant melanoma cells in vitro in order to understand and predict the possible effect of electric pulses on gene expression and their possible effect on cell behaviour. We used microarrays with 2698 different oligonucleotides to obtain the expression profile of genes involved in apoptosis and cancer development in a malignant melanoma cell line (SK-MEL28) exposed to ECT pulses and EGT pulses. Cells exposed to ECT pulses showed a 68.8% average survival rate, while cells exposed to EGT pulses showed a 31.4% average survival rate. Only seven common genes were found differentially expressed in cells 16 h after exposure to ECT and EGT pulses. We found that ECT and EGT pulses induce an HSP70 stress response mechanism, repress histone protein H4, a major protein involved in chromatin assembly, and down-regulate components involved in protein synthesis. Our results show that electroporation does not significantly change the expression profile of major tumour suppressor genes or oncogenes of the cell cycle. Moreover, electroporation also does not changes the expression of genes involved in the stability of DNA, supporting current evidence that electroporation is a safe method that does not promote tumorigenesis. However, in spite of being considered an isothermal method, it does to some extent induce stress, which resulted in the expression of the environmental stress response mechanism, HSP70.

Directly driven source of multi-gigahertz, sub-picosecond optical pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Messerly, Michael J.; Dawson, Jay W.; Barty, Christopher P.J.

2015-10-20

A robust, compact optical pulse train source is described, with the capability of generating sub-picosecond micro-pulse sequences, which can be periodic as well as non-periodic, and at repetition rates tunable over decades of baseline frequencies, from MHz to multi-GHz regimes. The micro-pulses can be precisely controlled and formatted to be in the range of many ps in duration to as short as several fs in duration. The system output can be comprised of a continuous wave train of optical micro-pulses or can be programmed to provide gated bursts of macro-pulses, with each macro-pulse consisting of a specific number of micro-pulsesmore » or a single pulse picked from the higher frequency train at a repetition rate lower than the baseline frequency. These pulses could then be amplified in energy anywhere from the nJ to MJ range.« less

21 CFR 870.3680 - Cardiovascular permanent or temporary pacemaker electrode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... applied to the heart. The device is used to transmit a pacing electrical stimulus from the pulse generator to the heart and/or to transmit the electrical signal of the heart to the pulse generator. (2... end connected to an implantable pacemaker pulse generator and the other end applied to the heart. The...

21 CFR 870.3680 - Cardiovascular permanent or temporary pacemaker electrode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... applied to the heart. The device is used to transmit a pacing electrical stimulus from the pulse generator to the heart and/or to transmit the electrical signal of the heart to the pulse generator. (2... end connected to an implantable pacemaker pulse generator and the other end applied to the heart. The...

21 CFR 870.3680 - Cardiovascular permanent or temporary pacemaker electrode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... applied to the heart. The device is used to transmit a pacing electrical stimulus from the pulse generator to the heart and/or to transmit the electrical signal of the heart to the pulse generator. (2... end connected to an implantable pacemaker pulse generator and the other end applied to the heart. The...

21 CFR 870.3680 - Cardiovascular permanent or temporary pacemaker electrode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... applied to the heart. The device is used to transmit a pacing electrical stimulus from the pulse generator to the heart and/or to transmit the electrical signal of the heart to the pulse generator. (2... end connected to an implantable pacemaker pulse generator and the other end applied to the heart. The...

21 CFR 870.3680 - Cardiovascular permanent or temporary pacemaker electrode.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... applied to the heart. The device is used to transmit a pacing electrical stimulus from the pulse generator to the heart and/or to transmit the electrical signal of the heart to the pulse generator. (2... end connected to an implantable pacemaker pulse generator and the other end applied to the heart. The...

Pasteurization of strawberry puree using a pilot plant pulsed electric fields (PEF) system

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The processing of strawberry puree by pulsed electric fields (PEF) in a pilot plant system has never been evaluated. In addition, a method does not exist to validate the exact number and shape of the pulses applied during PEF processing. Both buffered peptone water (BPW) and fresh strawberry puree (...

Experiments and Computational Theory for Electrical Breakdown in Critical Components: THz Imaging of Electronic Plasmas.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zutavern, Fred J.; Hjalmarson, Harold P.; Bigman, Verle Howard

This report describes the development of ultra-short pulse laser (USPL) induced terahertz (THz) radiation to image electronic plasmas during electrical breakdown. The technique uses three pulses from two USPLs to (1) trigger the breakdown, (2) create a 2 picosecond (ps, 10 -12 s), THz pulse to illuminate the breakdown, and (3) record the THz image of the breakdown. During this three year internal research program, sub-picosecond jitter timing for the lasers, THz generation, high bandwidth (BW) diagnostics, and THz image acquisition was demonstrated. High intensity THz radiation was optically-induced in a pulse-charged gallium arsenide photoconductive switch. The radiation was collected,more » transported, concentrated, and co-propagated through an electro-optic crystal with an 800 nm USPL pulse whose polarization was rotated due to the spatially varying electric field of the THz image. The polarization modulated USPL pulse was then passed through a polarizer and the resulting spatially varying intensity was detected in a high resolution digital camera. Single shot images had a signal to noise of %7E3:1. Signal to noise was improved to %7E30:1 with several experimental techniques and by averaging the THz images from %7E4000 laser pulses internally and externally with the camera and the acquisition system (40 pulses per readout). THz shadows of metallic films and objects were also recorded with this system to demonstrate free-carrier absorption of the THz radiation and improve image contrast and resolution. These 2 ps THz pulses were created and resolved with 100 femtosecond (fs, 10 -15 s) long USPL pulses. Thus this technology has the capability to time-resolve extremely fast repetitive or single shot phenomena, such as those that occur during the initiation of electrical breakdown. The goal of imaging electrical breakdown was not reached during this three year project. However, plans to achieve this goal as part of a follow-on project are described in this document. Further modifications to improve the THz image contrast and resolution are proposed, and after they are made, images of photo-induced carriers in gallium arsenide and silicon will be acquired to evaluate image sensitivity versus carrier density. Finally electrical breakdown will be induced with the first USPL pulse, illuminated with THz radiation produced with the second USPL pulse and recorded with the third USPL pulse.« less

Response of larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) to pulsed DC electrical stimuli in laboratory experiments

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowen, Anjanette K.; Weisser, John W.; Bergstedt, Roger A.; Famoye, Felix

2003-01-01

Four electrical factors that are used in pulsed DC electrofishing for larval sea lampreys (Petromyzon marinus) were evaluated in two laboratory studies to determine the optimal values to induce larval emergence over a range of water temperatures and conductivities. Burrowed larvae were exposed to combinations of pulsed DC electrical factors including five pulse frequencies, three pulse patterns, and two levels of duty cycle over a range of seven voltage gradients in two separate studies conducted at water temperatures of 10, 15, and 20°C and water conductivities of 25, 200, and 900 μS/cm. A four-way analysis of variance was used to determine significant (α = 0.05) influences of each electrical factor on larval emergence. Multiple comparison tests with Bonferroni adjustments were used to determine which values of each factor resulted in significantly higher emergence at each temperature and conductivity. Voltage gradient and pulse frequency significantly affected emergence according to the ANOVA model at each temperature and conductivity tested. Duty cycle and pulse pattern generally did not significantly influence the model. Findings suggest that a setting of 2.0 V/cm, 3 pulses/sec, 10% duty, and 2:2 pulse pattern seems the most promising in waters of medium conductivity and across a variety of temperatures. This information provides a basis for understanding larval response to pulsed DC electrofishing gear factors and identifies electrofisher settings that show promise to increase the efficiency of the gear during assessments for burrowed sea lamprey larvae.

Molecular spinning by a chiral train of short laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Floß, Johannes; Averbukh, Ilya Sh.

2012-12-01

We provide a detailed theoretical analysis of molecular rotational excitation by a chiral pulse train, a sequence of linearly polarized pulses with the polarization direction rotating from pulse to pulse by a controllable angle. Molecular rotation with a preferential rotational sense (clockwise or counterclockwise) can be excited by this scheme. We show that the directionality of the rotation is caused by quantum interference of different excitation pathways. The chiral pulse train is capable of selective excitation of molecular isotopologs and nuclear spin isomers in a mixture. We demonstrate this using 14N2 and 15N2 as examples for isotopologs and para- and ortho-nitrogen as examples for nuclear-spin isomers.

Gigahertz repetition rate, sub-femtosecond timing jitter optical pulse train directly generated from a mode-locked Yb:KYW laser.

PubMed

Yang, Heewon; Kim, Hyoji; Shin, Junho; Kim, Chur; Choi, Sun Young; Kim, Guang-Hoon; Rotermund, Fabian; Kim, Jungwon

2014-01-01

We show that a 1.13 GHz repetition rate optical pulse train with 0.70 fs high-frequency timing jitter (integration bandwidth of 17.5 kHz-10 MHz, where the measurement instrument-limited noise floor contributes 0.41 fs in 10 MHz bandwidth) can be directly generated from a free-running, single-mode diode-pumped Yb:KYW laser mode-locked by single-wall carbon nanotube-coated mirrors. To our knowledge, this is the lowest-timing-jitter optical pulse train with gigahertz repetition rate ever measured. If this pulse train is used for direct sampling of 565 MHz signals (Nyquist frequency of the pulse train), the jitter level demonstrated would correspond to the projected effective-number-of-bit of 17.8, which is much higher than the thermal noise limit of 50 Ω load resistance (~14 bits).

Charged particle mobility refrigerant analyzer

DOEpatents

Allman, S.L.; Chunghsuan Chen; Chen, F.C.

1993-02-02

A method for analyzing a gaseous electronegative species comprises the steps of providing an analysis chamber; providing an electric field of known potential within the analysis chamber; admitting into the analysis chamber a gaseous sample containing the gaseous electronegative species; providing a pulse of free electrons within the electric field so that the pulse of free electrons interacts with the gaseous electronegative species so that a swarm of electrically charged particles is produced within the electric field; and, measuring the mobility of the electrically charged particles within the electric field.

Charged particle mobility refrigerant analyzer

DOEpatents

Allman, Steve L.; Chen, Chung-Hsuan; Chen, Fang C.

1993-01-01

A method for analyzing a gaseous electronegative species comprises the steps of providing an analysis chamber; providing an electric field of known potential within the analysis chamber; admitting into the analysis chamber a gaseous sample containing the gaseous electronegative species; providing a pulse of free electrons within the electric field so that the pulse of free electrons interacts with the gaseous electronegative species so that a swarm of electrically charged particles is produced within the electric field; and, measuring the mobility of the electrically charged particles within the electric field.

A multi-train electrical stimulation protocol facilitates transcranial electrical motor evoked potentials and increases induction rate and reproducibility even in patients with preoperative neurological deficits.

PubMed

Ushio, Shuta; Kawabata, Shigenori; Sumiya, Satoshi; Kato, Tsuyoshi; Yoshii, Toshitaka; Yamada, Tsuyoshi; Enomoto, Mitsuhiro; Okawa, Atsushi

2018-06-01

This study sought to evaluate the facilitation effect of repetitive multi-train transcranial electrical stimulation (mt-TES) at 2 repetition rates on transcranial electrical motor evoked potential (Tc-MEP) monitoring during spinal surgery, and to assess the induction rate in patients with impaired motor function from a compromised spinal cord or spinal nerve. We studied 32 consecutive patients with impaired motor function undergoing cervical or thoracic spinal surgery (470 muscles). A series of 10 TESs with 5 pulse trains were preoperatively delivered at 2 repetition rates (1 and 5 Hz). All peak-topeak amplitudes of the MEPs of the upper and lower extremity muscles elicited by the 10 TESs were measured. The induction rates of the lower extremity muscles were also assessed with muscle and preoperative lower extremity motor function scores. In each of the muscles, MEP amplitudes were augmented by about 2-3 times at 1 Hz and 5-6 times at 5 Hz. Under the 5-Hz condition, all limb muscles showed significant amplification. Also, in all preoperative motor function score groups, the amplitudes and induction rates of the lower extremity muscles were significantly increased. Moreover, the facilitation effects tended to peak in the last half of the series of 10 TESs. In all score groups of patients with preoperative neurological deficits, repetitive mt-TES delivered at a frequency of 5 Hz markedly facilitated the MEPs of all limb muscles and increased the induction rate. We recommend this method to improve the reliability of intraoperative monitoring during spinal surgery.

Producing nitric oxide by pulsed electrical discharge in air for portable inhalation therapy.

PubMed

Yu, Binglan; Muenster, Stefan; Blaesi, Aron H; Bloch, Donald B; Zapol, Warren M

2015-07-01

Inhalation of nitric oxide (NO) produces selective pulmonary vasodilation and is an effective therapy for treating pulmonary hypertension in adults and children. In the United States, the average cost of 5 days of inhaled NO for persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newborn is about $14,000. NO therapy involves gas cylinders and distribution, a complex delivery device, gas monitoring and calibration equipment, and a trained respiratory therapy staff. The objective of this study was to develop a lightweight, portable device to serve as a simple and economical method of producing pure NO from air for bedside or portable use. Two NO generators were designed and tested: an offline NO generator and an inline NO generator placed directly within the inspiratory line. Both generators use pulsed electrical discharges to produce therapeutic range NO (5 to 80 parts per million) at gas flow rates of 0.5 to 5 liters/min. NO was produced from air, as well as gas mixtures containing up to 90% O2 and 10% N2. Potentially toxic gases produced in the plasma, including nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), were removed using a calcium hydroxide scavenger. An iridium spark electrode produced the lowest ratio of NO2/NO. In lambs with acute pulmonary hypertension, breathing electrically generated NO produced pulmonary vasodilation and reduced pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance index. In conclusion, electrical plasma NO generation produces therapeutic levels of NO from air. After scavenging to remove NO2 and O3 and filtration to remove particles, electrically produced NO can provide safe and effective treatment of pulmonary hypertension. Copyright © 2015, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

High resolution time interval counter

DOEpatents

Condreva, Kenneth J.

1994-01-01

A high resolution counter circuit measures the time interval between the occurrence of an initial and a subsequent electrical pulse to two nanoseconds resolution using an eight megahertz clock. The circuit includes a main counter for receiving electrical pulses and generating a binary word--a measure of the number of eight megahertz clock pulses occurring between the signals. A pair of first and second pulse stretchers receive the signal and generate a pair of output signals whose widths are approximately sixty-four times the time between the receipt of the signals by the respective pulse stretchers and the receipt by the respective pulse stretchers of a second subsequent clock pulse. Output signals are thereafter supplied to a pair of start and stop counters operable to generate a pair of binary output words representative of the measure of the width of the pulses to a resolution of two nanoseconds. Errors associated with the pulse stretchers are corrected by providing calibration data to both stretcher circuits, and recording start and stop counter values. Stretched initial and subsequent signals are combined with autocalibration data and supplied to an arithmetic logic unit to determine the time interval in nanoseconds between the pair of electrical pulses being measured.

High resolution time interval counter

DOEpatents

Condreva, K.J.

1994-07-26

A high resolution counter circuit measures the time interval between the occurrence of an initial and a subsequent electrical pulse to two nanoseconds resolution using an eight megahertz clock. The circuit includes a main counter for receiving electrical pulses and generating a binary word--a measure of the number of eight megahertz clock pulses occurring between the signals. A pair of first and second pulse stretchers receive the signal and generate a pair of output signals whose widths are approximately sixty-four times the time between the receipt of the signals by the respective pulse stretchers and the receipt by the respective pulse stretchers of a second subsequent clock pulse. Output signals are thereafter supplied to a pair of start and stop counters operable to generate a pair of binary output words representative of the measure of the width of the pulses to a resolution of two nanoseconds. Errors associated with the pulse stretchers are corrected by providing calibration data to both stretcher circuits, and recording start and stop counter values. Stretched initial and subsequent signals are combined with autocalibration data and supplied to an arithmetic logic unit to determine the time interval in nanoseconds between the pair of electrical pulses being measured. 3 figs.

Modified Blumlein pulse-forming networks for bioelectrical applications.

PubMed

Romeo, Stefania; Sarti, Maurizio; Scarfì, Maria Rosaria; Zeni, Luigi

2010-07-01

Intense nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) have been shown to induce, on intracellular structures, interesting effects dependent on electrical exposure conditions (pulse length and amplitude, repetition frequency and number of pulses), which are known in the literature as "bioelectrical effects" (Schoenbach et al., IEEE Trans Plasma Sci 30:293-300, 2002). In particular, pulses with a shorter width than the plasma membrane charging time constant (about 100 ns for mammalian cells) can penetrate the cell and trigger effects such as permeabilization of intracellular membranes, release of Ca(2+) and apoptosis induction. Moreover, the observed effects have led to exploration of medical applications, like the treatment of melanoma tumors (Nuccitelli et al., Biochem Biophys Res Commun 343:351-360, 2006). Pulsed electric fields allowing such effects usually range from several tens to a few hundred nanoseconds in duration and from a few to several tens of megavolts per meter in amplitude (Schoenbach et al., IEEE Trans Diel Elec Insul 14:1088-1109, 2007); however, the biological effects of subnanosecond pulses have been also investigated (Schoenbach et al., IEEE Trans Plasma Sci 36:414-422, 2008). The use of such a large variety of pulse parameters suggests that highly flexible pulse-generating systems, able to deliver wide ranges of pulse durations and amplitudes, are strongly required in order to explore effects and applications related to different exposure conditions. The Blumlein pulse-forming network is an often-employed circuit topology for the generation of high-voltage electric pulses with fixed pulse duration. An innovative modification to the Blumlein circuit has been recently devised which allows generation of pulses with variable amplitude, duration and polarity. Two different modified Blumlein pulse-generating systems are presented in this article, the first based on a coaxial cable configuration, matching microscopic slides as a pulse-delivery system, and the other based on microstrip transmission lines and designed to match cuvettes for the exposure of cell suspensions.

Lightning Injuries

MedlinePlus

... Prevent Falls (News) A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying (News) Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From 'Slipped' ... Falls News HealthDay A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying News HealthDay Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From ' ...

Internal Bleeding

MedlinePlus

... Prevent Falls (News) A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying (News) Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From 'Slipped' ... Falls News HealthDay A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying News HealthDay Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From ' ...

Lizard Bites

MedlinePlus

... Prevent Falls (News) A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying (News) Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From 'Slipped' ... Falls News HealthDay A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying News HealthDay Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From ' ...

Urethral Injuries

MedlinePlus

... Prevent Falls (News) A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying (News) Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From 'Slipped' ... Falls News HealthDay A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying News HealthDay Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From ' ...

Rib Fractures

MedlinePlus

... Prevent Falls (News) A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying (News) Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From 'Slipped' ... Falls News HealthDay A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying News HealthDay Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From ' ...

Ear Injury

MedlinePlus

... Prevent Falls (News) A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying (News) Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From 'Slipped' ... Falls News HealthDay A Dangerous New Twist on Cyberbullying News HealthDay Electrical Pulses May Ease Pain From ' ...

DC Stark addressing for quantum memory in Tm:YAG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerasimov, Konstantin; Minnegaliev, Mansur; Urmancheev, Ravil; Moiseev, Sergey

2017-10-01

We observed a linear DC Stark effect for 3H6 - 3H4 optical transition of Tm3+ ions in Y3Al5O12. We observed that application of electric field pulse suppresses the two-pulse photon echo signal. If we then apply a second electric pulse of opposite polarity the echo signal is restored again, which indicates the linear nature of the observed effect. The effect is present despite the D2 symmetry of the Tm3+ sites that prohibits a linear Stark effect. Experimental data analysis shows that the observed electric field influence can be attributed to defects that break the local crystal field symmetry near Tm3+ ions. Using this effect we demonstrate selective retrieval of light pulses in two-pulse photon echo.

Nonfreezing Tissue Injuries

MedlinePlus

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Directed Field Ionization: A Genetic Algorithm for Evolving Electric Field Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Xinyue; Rowley, Zoe A.; Carroll, Thomas J.; Noel, Michael W.

2017-04-01

When an ionizing electric field pulse is applied to a Rydberg atom, the electron's amplitude traverses many avoided crossings among the Stark levels as the field increases. The resulting superposition determines the shape of the time resolved field ionization spectrum at a detector. An engineered electric field pulse that sweeps back and forth through avoided crossings can control the phase evolution so as to determine the electron's path through the Stark map. In the region of n = 35 in rubidium there are hundreds of potential avoided crossings; this yields a large space of possible pulses. We use a genetic algorithm to search this space and evolve electric field pulses to direct the ionization of the Rydberg electron in rubidium. We present the algorithm along with a comparison of simulated and experimental results. This work was supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants No. 1607335 and No. 1607377 and used the Extreme Science and Engineering Discovery Environment (XSEDE), which is supported by National Science Foundation Grant Number OCI-1053575.

Measurement of electroosmotic and electrophoretic velocities using pulsed and sinusoidal electric fields

PubMed Central

Sadek, Samir H.; Pimenta, Francisco; Pinho, Fernando T.

2017-01-01

In this work, we explore two methods to simultaneously measure the electroosmotic mobility in microchannels and the electrophoretic mobility of micron‐sized tracer particles. The first method is based on imposing a pulsed electric field, which allows to isolate electrophoresis and electroosmosis at the startup and shutdown of the pulse, respectively. In the second method, a sinusoidal electric field is generated and the mobilities are found by minimizing the difference between the measured velocity of tracer particles and the velocity computed from an analytical expression. Both methods produced consistent results using polydimethylsiloxane microchannels and polystyrene micro‐particles, provided that the temporal resolution of the particle tracking velocimetry technique used to compute the velocity of the tracer particles is fast enough to resolve the diffusion time‐scale based on the characteristic channel length scale. Additionally, we present results with the pulse method for viscoelastic fluids, which show a more complex transient response with significant velocity overshoots and undershoots after the start and the end of the applied electric pulse, respectively. PMID:27990654

Extraction of pulse repetition intervals from sperm whale click trains for ocean acoustic data mining.

PubMed

Zaugg, Serge; van der Schaar, Mike; Houégnigan, Ludwig; André, Michel

2013-02-01

The analysis of acoustic data from the ocean is a valuable tool to study free ranging cetaceans and anthropogenic noise. Due to the typically large volume of acquired data, there is a demand for automated analysis techniques. Many cetaceans produce acoustic pulses (echolocation clicks) with a pulse repetition interval (PRI) remaining nearly constant over several pulses. Analyzing these pulse trains is challenging because they are often interleaved. This article presents an algorithm that estimates a pulse's PRI with respect to neighboring pulses. It includes a deinterleaving step that operates via a spectral dissimilarity metric. The sperm whale (SW) produces trains with PRIs between 0.5 and 2 s. As a validation, the algorithm was used for the PRI-based identification of SW click trains with data from the NEMO-ONDE observatory that contained other pulsed sounds, mainly from ship propellers. Separation of files containing SW clicks with a medium and high signal to noise ratio from files containing other pulsed sounds gave an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve value of 0.96. This study demonstrates that PRI can be used for the automated identification of SW clicks and that deinterleaving via spectral dissimilarity contributes to algorithm performance.

Laser induced periodic surface structuring on Si by temporal shaped femtosecond pulses.

PubMed

Almeida, G F B; Martins, R J; Otuka, A J G; Siqueira, J P; Mendonca, C R

2015-10-19

We investigated the effect of temporal shaped femtosecond pulses on silicon laser micromachining. By using sinusoidal spectral phases, pulse trains composed of sub-pulses with distinct temporal separations were generated and applied to the silicon surface to produce Laser Induced Periodic Surface Structures (LIPSS). The LIPSS obtained with different sub-pulse separation were analyzed by comparing the intensity of the two-dimensional fast Fourier Transform (2D-FFT) of the AFM images of the ripples (LIPSS). It was observed that LIPSS amplitude is more emphasized for the pulse train with sub-pulses separation of 128 fs, even when compared with the Fourier transform limited pulse. By estimating the carrier density achieved at the end of each pulse train, we have been able to interpret our results with the Sipe-Drude model, that predicts that LIPSS efficacy is higher for a specific induced carrier density. Hence, our results indicate that temporal shaping of the excitation pulse, performed by spectral phase modulation, can be explored in fs-laser microstructuring.

Electric fence standards comport with human data and AC limits.

PubMed

Kroll, Mark W; Perkins, Peter E; Panescu, Dorin

2015-08-01

The ubiquitous electric fence is essential to modern agriculture and has saved lives by reducing the number of livestock automobile collisions. Modern safety standards such as IEC 60335-2-76 and UL 69 have played a role in this positive result. However, these standards are essentially based on energy and power (RMS current), which have limited direct relationship to cardiac effects. We compared these standards to bioelectrically more relevant units of charge and average current in view of recent work on VF (ventricular fibrillation) induction and to existing IEC AC current limits. There are 3 limits for normal (low) pulsing rate: IEC energy limit, IEC current limit, and UL current limit. We then calculated the delivered charge allowed for each pulse duration for these limits and then compared them to a charge-based safety model derived from published human ventricular-fibrillation induction data. Both the IEC and UL also allow for rapid pulsing for up to 3 minutes. We calculated maximum outputs for various pulse durations assuming pulsing at 10, 20, and 30 pulses per second. These were then compared to standard utility power safety (AC) limits via the conversion factor of 7.4 to convert average current to RMS current for VF risk. The outputs of TASER electrical weapons (typically < 100 μC and ~100 μs duration) were also compared. The IEC and UL electric fence energizer normal rate standards are conservative in comparison with actual human laboratory experiments. The IEC and UL electric fence energizer rapid-pulsing standards are consistent with accepted IEC AC current limits for commercially used pulse durations.

Encoding and decoding amplitude-modulated cochlear implant stimuli—a point process analysis

PubMed Central

Shea-Brown, Eric; Rubinstein, Jay T.

2010-01-01

Cochlear implant speech processors stimulate the auditory nerve by delivering amplitude-modulated electrical pulse trains to intracochlear electrodes. Studying how auditory nerve cells encode modulation information is of fundamental importance, therefore, to understanding cochlear implant function and improving speech perception in cochlear implant users. In this paper, we analyze simulated responses of the auditory nerve to amplitude-modulated cochlear implant stimuli using a point process model. First, we quantify the information encoded in the spike trains by testing an ideal observer’s ability to detect amplitude modulation in a two-alternative forced-choice task. We vary the amount of information available to the observer to probe how spike timing and averaged firing rate encode modulation. Second, we construct a neural decoding method that predicts several qualitative trends observed in psychophysical tests of amplitude modulation detection in cochlear implant listeners. We find that modulation information is primarily available in the sequence of spike times. The performance of an ideal observer, however, is inconsistent with observed trends in psychophysical data. Using a neural decoding method that jitters spike times to degrade its temporal resolution and then computes a common measure of phase locking from spike trains of a heterogeneous population of model nerve cells, we predict the correct qualitative dependence of modulation detection thresholds on modulation frequency and stimulus level. The decoder does not predict the observed loss of modulation sensitivity at high carrier pulse rates, but this framework can be applied to future models that better represent auditory nerve responses to high carrier pulse rate stimuli. The supplemental material of this article contains the article’s data in an active, re-usable format. PMID:20177761

Ion heating and characteristics of ST plasma used by double-pulsing CHI on HIST

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanao, Takafumi; Hirono, Hidetoshi; Hyobu, Takahiro; Ito, Kengo; Matsumoto, Keisuke; Nakayama, Takashi; Oki, Nobuharu; Kikuchi, Yusuke; Fukumoto, Naoyuki; Nagata, Masayoshi

2013-10-01

Multi-pulsing Coaxial Helicity Injection (M-CHI) is an efficient current drive and sustainment method used in spheromak and spherical torus (ST). We have observed plasma current/flux amplification by double pulsing CHI. Poloidal ion temperature measured by Ion Doppler Spectrometer (IDS) has a peak at plasma core region. In this region, radial electric field has a negative peak. At more inboard side that is called separatrix between closed flux region and inner open flux region, poloidal flow has a large shear and radial electric field changes the polarity. After the second CHI pulse, we observed sharp and rapid ion heating at plasma core region and separatrix. In this region, the poloidal ion temperature is selective heating because electron temperature is almost uniform. At this time, flow shear become larger and radial electric field is amplified at separatorix. These effects produce direct heating of ion through the viscous flow damping. Furthermore, we observed decrease of electron density at separatrix. Decreased density makes Hall dynamo electric field as two-fluid effect. When the ion temperature is increasing, dynamo electric field is observed at separatrix. It may have influence with the ion heating. We will discuss characteristic of double pulsing CHI driven ST plasmas and correlation of direct heating of ion with dynamo electric field and any other parameters.

Heat pulse excitability of vestibular hair cells and afferent neurons

PubMed Central

Brichta, Alan M.; Tabatabaee, Hessam; Boutros, Peter J.; Ahn, JoongHo; Della Santina, Charles C.; Poppi, Lauren A.; Lim, Rebecca

2016-01-01

In the present study we combined electrophysiology with optical heat pulse stimuli to examine thermodynamics of membrane electrical excitability in mammalian vestibular hair cells and afferent neurons. We recorded whole cell currents in mammalian type II vestibular hair cells using an excised preparation (mouse) and action potentials (APs) in afferent neurons in vivo (chinchilla) in response to optical heat pulses applied to the crista (ΔT ≈ 0.25°C per pulse). Afferent spike trains evoked by heat pulse stimuli were diverse and included asynchronous inhibition, asynchronous excitation, and/or phase-locked APs synchronized to each infrared heat pulse. Thermal responses of membrane currents responsible for APs in ganglion neurons were strictly excitatory, with Q10 ≈ 2. In contrast, hair cells responded with a mix of excitatory and inhibitory currents. Excitatory hair cell membrane currents included a thermoelectric capacitive current proportional to the rate of temperature rise (dT/dt) and an inward conduction current driven by ΔT. An iberiotoxin-sensitive inhibitory conduction current was also evoked by ΔT, rising in <3 ms and decaying with a time constant of ∼24 ms. The inhibitory component dominated whole cell currents in 50% of hair cells at −68 mV and in 67% of hair cells at −60 mV. Responses were quantified and described on the basis of first principles of thermodynamics. Results identify key molecular targets underlying heat pulse excitability in vestibular sensory organs and provide quantitative methods for rational application of optical heat pulses to examine protein biophysics and manipulate cellular excitability. PMID:27226448

Application of Microsecond Voltage Pulses for Water Disinfection by Diaphragm Electric Discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kakaurov, S. V.; Suvorov, I. F.; Yudin, A. S.; Solovyova, T. L.; Kuznetsova, N. S.

2015-11-01

The paper presents the dependence of copper and silver ions formation on the duration of voltage pulses of diaphragm electric discharge and on the pH of treated liquid medium. Knowing it allows one to create an automatic control system to control bactericidal agent's parameters obtained in diaphragm electric discharge reactor. The current-voltage characteristic of the reactor with a horizontal to the diaphragm membrane water flow powered from the author's custom pulse voltage source is also presented. The results of studies of the power consumption of diaphragm electric discharge depending on temperature of the treated liquid medium are given.

Overview of Head Injuries

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Cerebral Contusions and Lacerations

MedlinePlus

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A double-pulse approach for electrotransfection.

PubMed

Pasquet, L; Bellard, E; Golzio, M; Rols, M P; Teissie, J

2014-12-01

Gene transfer and expression can be obtained by delivering calibrated electric pulses on cells in the presence of plasmids coding for the activity of interest. The electric treatment affects the plasma membrane and induces the formation of a transient complex between nucleic acids and the plasma membrane. It results in a delivery of the plasmid in the cytoplasm. Expression is only obtained if the plasmid is translocated inside the nucleus. This is a key limit in the process. We previously showed that delivery of a high-field short-duration electric pulse was inducing a structural alteration of the nuclear envelope. This study investigates if the double-pulse approach (first pulse to transfer the plasmid to the cytoplasm, and second pulse to induce the structural alteration of the envelope) was a way to enhance the protein expression using the green fluorescent protein as a reporter. We observed that not only the double-pulse approach induced the transfection of a lower number of cells but moreover, these transfected cells were less fluorescent than the cells treated only with the first pulse.

High precision electric gate for time-of-flight ion mass spectrometers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sittler, Edward C. (Inventor)

2011-01-01

A time-of-flight mass spectrometer having a chamber with electrodes to generate an electric field in the chamber and electric gating for allowing ions with a predetermined mass and velocity into the electric field. The design uses a row of very thin parallel aligned wires that are pulsed in sequence so the ion can pass through the gap of two parallel plates, which are biased to prevent passage of the ion. This design by itself can provide a high mass resolution capability and a very precise start pulse for an ion mass spectrometer. Furthermore, the ion will only pass through the chamber if it is within a wire diameter of the first wire when it is pulsed and has the right speed so it is near all other wires when they are pulsed.

Spark gaps synchronization using electrical trigger pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Agarwal, Ritu; Saroj, P.C.; Sharma, Archana

In pulse power systems, it is required to have synchronized triggering of two or more high voltage spark gaps capable of switching large currents, using electrical trigger pulses. This paper intends to study the synchronization of spark gaps using electrical trigger. The trigger generator consists of dc supply, IGBT switch and driver circuit which generates 8kV, 400ns (FWHM) pulses. The experiment was carried out using two 0.15uF/50kV energy storage capacitors charged to 12kV and discharged through stainless steel spark gaps of diameter 9 mm across 10 ohm non inductive load. The initial experiment shows that synchronization has been achieved withmore » jitter of 50 to 100ns. Further studies carried out to reduce the jitter time by varying various electrical parameters will be presented. (author)« less

Strategies, Protections and Mitigations for Electric Grid from Electromagnetic Pulse Effects

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Foster, Rita Ann; Frickey, Steven Jay

2016-01-01

The mission of DOE’s Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability (OE) is to lead national efforts to modernize the electricity delivery system, enhance the security and reliability of America’s energy infrastructure and facilitate recovery from disruptions to the energy supply. One of the threats OE is concerned about is a high-altitude electro-magnetic pulse (HEMP) from a nuclear explosion and eletro-magnetic pulse (EMP) or E1 pulse can be generated by EMP weapons. DOE-OE provides federal leadership and technical guidance in addressing electric grid issues. The Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was chosen to conduct the EMP study for DOE-OE due tomore » its capabilities and experience in setting up EMP experiments on the electric grid and conducting vulnerability assessments and developing innovative technology to increase infrastructure resiliency. This report identifies known impacts to EMP threats, known mitigations and effectiveness of mitigations, potential cost of mitigation, areas for government and private partnerships in protecting the electric grid to EMP, and identifying gaps in our knowledge and protection strategies.« less

A self-consistent model of ionic wind generation by negative corona discharges in air with experimental validation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, She; Nobelen, J. C. P. Y.; Nijdam, S.

2017-09-01

Ionic wind is produced by a corona discharge when gaseous ions are accelerated in the electric field and transfer their momentum to neutral molecules by collisions. This technique is promising because a gas flow can be generated without the need for moving parts and can be easily miniaturized. The basic theory of ionic wind sounds simple but the details are far from clear. In our experiment, a negative DC voltage is applied to a needle-cylinder electrode geometry. Hot wire anemometry is used to measure the flow velocity at the downstream exit of the cylinder. The flow velocity fluctuates but the average velocity increases with the voltage. The current consists of a regular train of pulses with short rise time, the well-known Trichel pulses. To reveal the ionic wind mechanism in the Trichel pulse stage, a three-species corona model coupled with gas dynamics is built. The drift-diffusion equations of the plasma together with the Navier-Stokes equations of the flow are solved in COMSOL Multiphysics. The electric field, net number density of charged species, electrohydrodynamic (EHD) body force and flow velocity are calculated in detail by a self-consistent model. Multiple time scales are employed: hundreds of microseconds for the plasma characteristics and longer time scales (˜1 s) for the flow behavior. We found that the flow velocity as well as the EHD body force have opposite directions in the ionization region close to the tip and the ion drift region further away from the tip. The calculated mean current, Trichel pulse frequency and flow velocity are very close to our experimental results. Furthermore, in our simulations we were able to reproduce the mushroom-like minijets observed in experiments.

Method and device for measuring single-shot transient signals

DOEpatents

Yin, Yan

2004-05-18

Methods, apparatus, and systems, including computer program products, implementing and using techniques for measuring multi-channel single-shot transient signals. A signal acquisition unit receives one or more single-shot pulses from a multi-channel source. An optical-fiber recirculating loop reproduces the one or more received single-shot optical pulses to form a first multi-channel pulse train for circulation in the recirculating loop, and a second multi-channel pulse train for display on a display device. The optical-fiber recirculating loop also optically amplifies the first circulating pulse train to compensate for signal losses and performs optical multi-channel noise filtration.

Reaction time to changes in the tempo of acoustic pulse trains.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, R. P.; Warm, J. S.; Westendorf, D. H.

1973-01-01

Investigation of the ability of human observers to detect accelerations and decelerations in the rate of presentation of pulsed stimuli, i.e., changes in the tempo of acoustic pulse trains. Response times to accelerations in tempo were faster than to decelerations. Overall speed of response was inversely related to the pulse repetition rate.

Precision electronic speed controller for an alternating-current

DOEpatents

Bolie, Victor W.

1988-01-01

A high precision controller for an alternating-current multi-phase electrical motor that is subject to a large inertial load. The controller was developed for and is particularly suitable for controlling, in a neutron chopper system, a heavy spinning rotor that must be rotated in phase-locked synchronism with a reference pulse train that is representative of an ac power supply signal having a meandering line frequency. The controller includes a shaft revolution sensor which provides a feedback pulse train representative of the actual speed of the motor. An internal digital timing signal generator provides a reference signal which is compared with the feedback signal in a computing unit to provide a motor control signal. In the preferred embodiment, the motor control signal is a weighted linear sum of a speed error voltage, a phase error voltage, and a drift error voltage, each of which is computed anew with each revolution of the motor shaft. The stator windings of the motor are driven by two amplifiers which are provided with input signals having the proper quadrature relationship by an exciter unit consisting of a voltage controlled oscillator, a binary counter, a pair of readonly memories, and a pair of digital-to-analog converters.

Liquid Dielectrics in an Inhomogeneous Pulsed Electric Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shneider, M. N.; Pekker, M.

2016-08-01

This book comprehensively describes the phenomena that occur in liquid dielectrics under the influence of an inhomogeneous pulsed electric field. Written by leading experts in the field, it is the first of its kind to address numerous potential applications such as the technology of high-voltage insulation in pulsed inhomogeneous fields, and applications related to cavitation development in liquid dielectrics, plasma treatment of different materials and plasma medicine dealing with living cells. Liquid Dielectrics in an Inhomogeneous Pulsed Electric Field is intended for a broad audience, from students to engineers and scientists, who are interested in current research questions in electrodynamics and hydrodynamics of liquid dielectrics. Part of the IOP Plasma Physics Series

Fractures of the Jaw and Midface

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Guiding of Long-Distance Electric Discharges by Combined Femtosecond and Nanosecond Pulses Emitted by Hybrid KrF Laser System

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-30

AFRL-AFOSR-UK-TR-2014-0040 Guiding of long-distance electric discharges by combined femtosecond and nanosecond pulses emitted by...To) 27 September 2010 – 31 December 2013 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Guiding of long-distance electric discharges by combined femtosecond and...plasma channels in the atmosphere and laser guiding of high-voltage electric discharges . 15. SUBJECT TERMS EOARD, triggering

All-Optical Two-Dimensional Serial-to-Parallel Pulse Converter Using an Organic Film with Femtosecond Optical Response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tatsuura, Satoshi; Wada, Osamu; Furuki, Makoto; Tian, Minquan; Sato, Yasuhiro; Iwasa, Izumi; Pu, Lyong Sun

2001-04-01

In this study, we introduce a new concept of all-optical two-dimensional serial-to-parallel pulse converters. Femtosecond optical pulses can be understood as thin plates of light traveling in space. When a femtosecond signal-pulse train and a single gate pulse were fed onto a material with a finite incident angle, each signal-pulse plate met the gate-pulse plate at different locations in the material due to the time-of-flight effect. Meeting points can be made two-dimensional by adding a partial time delay to the gate pulse. By placing a nonlinear optical material at an appropriate position, two-dimensional serial-to-parallel conversion of a signal-pulse train can be achieved with a single gate pulse. We demonstrated the detection of parallel outputs from a 1-Tb/s optical-pulse train through the use of a BaB2O4 crystal. We also succeeded in demonstrating 1-Tb/s serial-to-parallel operation through the use of a novel organic nonlinear optical material, squarylium-dye J-aggregate film, which exhibits ultrafast recovery of bleached absorption.

Signal digitizing system and method based on amplitude-to-time optical mapping

DOEpatents

Chou, Jason; Bennett, Corey V; Hernandez, Vince

2015-01-13

A signal digitizing system and method based on analog-to-time optical mapping, optically maps amplitude information of an analog signal of interest first into wavelength information using an amplitude tunable filter (ATF) to impress spectral changes induced by the amplitude of the analog signal onto a carrier signal, i.e. a train of optical pulses, and next from wavelength information to temporal information using a dispersive element so that temporal information representing the amplitude information is encoded in the time domain in the carrier signal. Optical-to-electrical conversion of the optical pulses into voltage waveforms and subsequently digitizing the voltage waveforms into a digital image enables the temporal information to be resolved and quantized in the time domain. The digital image may them be digital signal processed to digitally reconstruct the analog signal based on the temporal information with high fidelity.

Prediction of multi performance characteristics of wire EDM process using grey ANFIS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumanan, Somasundaram; Nair, Anish

2017-09-01

Super alloys are used to fabricate components in ultra-supercritical power plants. These hard to machine materials are processed using non-traditional machining methods like Wire cut electrical discharge machining and needs attention. This paper details about multi performance optimization of wire EDM process using Grey ANFIS. Experiments are designed to establish the performance characteristics of wire EDM such as surface roughness, material removal rate, wire wear rate and geometric tolerances. The control parameters are pulse on time, pulse off time, current, voltage, flushing pressure, wire tension, table feed and wire speed. Grey relational analysis is employed to optimise the multi objectives. Analysis of variance of the grey grades is used to identify the critical parameters. A regression model is developed and used to generate datasets for the training of proposed adaptive neuro fuzzy inference system. The developed prediction model is tested for its prediction ability.

Modelling the isometric force response to multiple pulse stimuli in locust skeletal muscle.

PubMed

Wilson, Emma; Rustighi, Emiliano; Mace, Brian R; Newland, Philip L

2011-02-01

An improved model of locust skeletal muscle will inform on the general behaviour of invertebrate and mammalian muscle with the eventual aim of improving biomedical models of human muscles, embracing prosthetic construction and muscle therapy. In this article, the isometric response of the locust hind leg extensor muscle to input pulse trains is investigated. Experimental data was collected by stimulating the muscle directly and measuring the force at the tibia. The responses to constant frequency stimulus trains of various frequencies and number of pulses were decomposed into the response to each individual stimulus. Each individual pulse response was then fitted to a model, it being assumed that the response to each pulse could be approximated as an impulse response and was linear, no assumption were made about the model order. When the interpulse frequency (IPF) was low and the number of pulses in the train small, a second-order model provided a good fit to each pulse. For moderate IPF or for long pulse trains a linear third-order model provided a better fit to the response to each pulse. The fit using a second-order model deteriorated with increasing IPF. When the input comprised higher IPFs with a large number of pulses the assumptions that the response was linear could not be confirmed. A generalised model is also presented. This model is second-order, and contains two nonlinear terms. The model is able to capture the force response to a range of inputs. This includes cases where the input comprised of higher frequency pulse trains and the assumption of quasi-linear behaviour could not be confirmed.

Nondestructive acoustic electric field probe apparatus and method

DOEpatents

Migliori, Albert

1982-01-01

The disclosure relates to a nondestructive acoustic electric field probe and its method of use. A source of acoustic pulses of arbitrary but selected shape is placed in an oil bath along with material to be tested across which a voltage is disposed and means for receiving acoustic pulses after they have passed through the material. The received pulses are compared with voltage changes across the material occurring while acoustic pulses pass through it and analysis is made thereof to determine preselected characteristics of the material.

Comparison of the efficacy of a custom-made pulse oximeter probe with digital electric pulp tester, cold spray, and rubber cup for assessing pulp vitality.

PubMed

Dastmalchi, Nafiseh; Jafarzadeh, Hamid; Moradi, Saeed

2012-09-01

The ideal technique for the evaluation of pulp vitality should be noninvasive, painless, objective, reliable, and reproducible. To achieve this, the most routine tests are sensitivity tests. However, a major shortcoming with these tests is that they indirectly indicate pulp vitality by measuring a neural response. Pulse oximetry is a well-established oxygen saturation monitoring technique broadly used in medicine. However, its efficacy as the pulp vitality test should be evaluated. The aim of this study was to design and build a custom-made pulse oximeter dental probe and to evaluate its efficacy in comparison with electric pulp tester, cold spray, and a rubber cup in pulp vitality testing. Twenty-four single-canal mandibular premolars needing endodontic treatment were selected. The patients did not have systemic disease and did not consume drugs. Also, they had no clinically relevant signs of necrosis. The selected teeth were pulpally tested with 4 kinds of tests including pulse oximetry, the electric test, cold spray, and the rubber cup. After endodontic treatment of these teeth, which revealed the actual status of the pulp, the results were analyzed by the kappa test to show the efficacy of these tests. When comparing electric, cold, heat, and pulse oximeter tests with the gold standard, the kappa agreement coefficient was 18%, 18%, 14%, and 91%, respectively. The sensitivity of pulse oximetry, a rubber cup, electric test, and cold spray was 0.93, 0.60, 0.60, and 0.53, respectively. The specificity of these tests was 1.00, 0.55, 0.22, and 0.66, respectively. Pulp testing by using pulse oximetry is more reliable than the electric test, rubber cup, and cold spray. The custom-made pulse oximeter dental probe is an effective and objective method for pulp vitality assessment. Copyright © 2012 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characteristic pulse trains of preliminary breakdown in four isolated small thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Dong

2017-03-01

Using a low-frequency six-station local network, preliminary breakdown (PB) pulses not followed or followed by negative return stroke (RS), which are defined as PB-type and PB cloud-to-ground (PBCG)-type flashes, are analyzed based on four isolated small thunderstorms for the first time. On the basis of 22 PB-type flashes out of totally 2155 flashes, it indicates that the number of PB-type flashes is very small. At the early stage, PB-type flashes are observed in all four thunderstorms. At the active stage, PB-type flashes still can occur; meanwhile, there are few or no negative cloud-to-ground (CG) flashes. However, at the final stage no PB-type flashes occur. At the stage of distinct cell merging or splitting, PB-type flashes are also observed. Based on the 123 PBCG-type flashes, we discuss the percentage of PBCG-type flashes and also analyze the relationship between the electric field (E-field) amplitude of the largest pulse in the PB pulse train normalized to 100 km (PBA), the E-field amplitude of the first return stroke normalized to 100 km (RSA), the time interval between PBA and RSA (PB-RS interval), and the ratio between PBA and RSA (PB-RS ratio). We find that the percentage of PBCG-type flashes is not always dependent on PBA or PB-RS ratio; the type of thunderstorms may also have an impact on this percentage. None of the PB-RS intervals is less than 20 ms; we speculate that such long PB-RS interval is the feature of isolated small thunderstorms, but more observations are needed to further investigate this question.

Tantalum pentoxide waveguides and microresonators for VECSEL based frequency combs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen Sverre, T.; Woods, J. R. C.; Shaw, E. A.; Hua, Ping; Apostolopoulos, V.; Wilkinson, J. S.; Tropper, A. C.

2018-02-01

Tantalum pentoxide (Ta2O5) is a promising material for mass-producible, multi-functional, integrated photonics circuits on silicon, exhibiting robust electrical, mechanical and thermal properties, as well as good CMOS compatibility. In addition, Ta2O5 has been reported to demonstrate a non-linear response comparable to that of chalcogenide glass, in the region of 3-6 times larger than that of materials such as silica (SiO2) or silicon nitride (Si3N4). In contrast to Si-based dielectrics, it will accept trivalent ytterbium and erbium dopant ions, opening the possibility of on-chip amplification. The high refractive index of Ta2O5 is consistent with small guided mode cross-section area, and allows the construction of micro-ring resonators. Propagation losses as low as 0.2 dB=cm have been reported. In this paper we describe the design of a planar Ta2O5 waveguides optimised for the generation of coherent continuum with near infrared pulse trains at kW peak powers. The Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF) of the VECSEL can be tuned to a sub-harmonic of the planar micro-ring and the optical pump power applied to the VECSEL can be adjusted so that mode-matching of the VECSEL pulse train with the micro-ring resonator can be achieved. We shall describe the fabrication of Ta2O5 guiding structures, and the characterisation of their nonlinear and other optical properties. Characterisation with conventional lasers will be used to assess the degree of coherent spectral broadening likely to be achievable using these devices when driven by mode-locked VECSELs operating near the current state-of- art for pulse energy and duration.

Skin Rejuvenation with Non-Invasive Pulsed Electric Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golberg, Alexander; Khan, Saiqa; Belov, Vasily; Quinn, Kyle P.; Albadawi, Hassan; Felix Broelsch, G.; Watkins, Michael T.; Georgakoudi, Irene; Papisov, Mikhail; Mihm, Martin C., Jr.; Austen, William G., Jr.; Yarmush, Martin L.

2015-05-01

Degenerative skin diseases affect one third of individuals over the age of sixty. Current therapies use various physical and chemical methods to rejuvenate skin; but since the therapies affect many tissue components including cells and extracellular matrix, they may also induce significant side effects, such as scarring. Here we report on a new, non-invasive, non-thermal technique to rejuvenate skin with pulsed electric fields. The fields destroy cells while simultaneously completely preserving the extracellular matrix architecture and releasing multiple growth factors locally that induce new cells and tissue growth. We have identified the specific pulsed electric field parameters in rats that lead to prominent proliferation of the epidermis, formation of microvasculature, and secretion of new collagen at treated areas without scarring. Our results suggest that pulsed electric fields can improve skin function and thus can potentially serve as a novel non-invasive skin therapy for multiple degenerative skin diseases.

The time resolved measurement of ultrashort terahertz-band electric fields without an ultrashort probe

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Walsh, D. A., E-mail: david.walsh@stfc.ac.uk; Snedden, E. W.; Jamison, S. P.

The time-resolved detection of ultrashort pulsed THz-band electric field temporal profiles without an ultrashort laser probe is demonstrated. A non-linear interaction between a narrow-bandwidth optical probe and the THz pulse transposes the THz spectral intensity and phase information to the optical region, thereby generating an optical pulse whose temporal electric field envelope replicates the temporal profile of the real THz electric field. This optical envelope is characterised via an autocorrelation based FROG (frequency resolved optical gating) measurement, hence revealing the THz temporal profile. The combination of a narrow-bandwidth, long duration, optical probe, and self-referenced FROG makes the technique inherently immunemore » to timing jitter between the optical probe and THz pulse and may find particular application where the THz field is not initially generated via ultrashort laser methods, such as the measurement of longitudinal electron bunch profiles in particle accelerators.« less

A Dielectric Rod Antenna for Picosecond Pulse Stimulation of Neurological Tissue

PubMed Central

Petrella, Ross A.; Schoenbach, Karl H.; Xiao, Shu

2016-01-01

A dielectrically loaded wideband rod antenna has been studied as a pulse delivery system to subcutaneous tissues. Simulation results applying 100 ps electrical pulse show that it allows us to generate critical electric field for biological effects, such as brain stimulation, in the range of several centimeters. In order to reach the critical electric field for biological effects, which is approximately 20 kV/cm, at a depth of 2 cm, the input voltage needs to be 175 kV. The electric field spot size in the brain at this position is approximately 1 cm2. Experimental studies in free space with a conical antenna (part of the antenna system) with aluminum nitride as the dielectric have confirmed the accuracy of the simulation. These results set the foundation for high voltage in situ experiments on the complete antenna system and the delivery of pulses to biological tissue. PMID:27563160

Characterization of carbon fiber polymer matrix composites subjected to simultaneous application of electric current pulse and low velocity impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hart, Robert James

2011-12-01

The use of composite materials in aerospace, electronics, and wind industries has become increasingly common, and these composite components are required to carry mechanical, electrical, and thermal loads simultaneously. A unique property of carbon fiber composites is that when an electric current is applied to the specimen, the mechanical strength of the specimen increases. Previous studies have shown that the higher the electric current, the greater the increase in impact strength. However, as current passes through the composite, heat is generated through Joule heating. This Joule heating can cause degradation of the composite and thus a loss in strength. In order to minimize the negative effects of heating, it is desired to apply a very high current for a very short duration of time. This thesis investigated the material responses of carbon fiber composite plates subjected to electrical current pulse loads of up to 1700 Amps. For 32 ply unidirectional IM7/977-3 specimens, the peak impact load and absorbed energy increased slightly with the addition of a current pulse at the time of an impact event. In 16 ply cross-ply IM7/977-2 specimens, the addition of the current pulse caused detrimental effects due to electrical arcing at the interface between the composite and electrodes. Further refinement of the experimental setup should minimize the risk of electrical arcing and should better elucidate the effects of a current pulse on the impact strength of the specimens.

Digital electronic bone growth stimulator

DOEpatents

Kronberg, J.W.

1993-01-01

The present invention relates to the electrical treatment of biological tissue. In particular, the present invention discloses a device that produces discrete electrical pulse trains for treating osteoporosis and accelerating bone growth. According to its major aspects and broadly stated, the present invention consists of an electrical circuit configuration capable of generating Bassett-type waveforms shown with alternative signals provide for the treatment of either fractured bones or osteoporosis. The signal generator comprises a quartz clock, an oscillator circuit, a binary divider chain, and a plurality of simple, digital logic gates. Signals are delivered efficiently, with little or no distortion, and uniformly distributed throughout the area of injury. Perferably, power is furnished by widely available and inexpensive radio batteries, needing replacement only once in several days. The present invention can be affixed to a medical cast without a great increase in either weight or bulk. Also, the disclosed stimulator can be used to treat osteoporosis or to strengthen a healing bone after the cast has been removed by attaching the device to the patient`s skin or clothing.

100 GHz pulse waveform measurement based on electro-optic sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Zhigang; Zhao, Kejia; Yang, Zhijun; Miao, Jingyuan; Chen, He

2018-05-01

We present an ultrafast pulse waveform measurement system based on an electro-optic sampling technique at 1560 nm and prepare LiTaO3-based electro-optic modulators with a coplanar waveguide structure. The transmission and reflection characteristics of electrical pulses on a coplanar waveguide terminated with an open circuit and a resistor are investigated by analyzing the corresponding time-domain pulse waveforms. We measure the output electrical pulse waveform of a 100 GHz photodiode and the obtained rise times of the impulse and step responses are 2.5 and 3.4 ps, respectively.

Enhanced diffusion weighting generated by selective adiabatic pulse trains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Ziqi; Bartha, Robert

2007-09-01

A theoretical description and experimental validation of the enhanced diffusion weighting generated by selective adiabatic full passage (AFP) pulse trains is provided. Six phantoms (Ph-1-Ph-6) were studied on a 4 T Varian/Siemens whole body MRI system. Phantoms consisted of 2.8 cm diameter plastic tubes containing a mixture of 10 μm ORGASOL polymer beads and 2 mM Gd-DTPA dissolved in 5% agar (Ph-1) or nickel(II) ammonium sulphate hexahydrate doped (56.3-0.8 mM) water solutions (Ph-2-Ph-6). A customized localization by adiabatic selective refocusing (LASER) sequence containing slice selective AFP pulse trains and pulsed diffusion gradients applied in the phase encoding direction was used to measure 1H 2O diffusion. The b-value associated with the LASER sequence was derived using the Bloch-Torrey equation. The apparent diffusion coefficients measured by LASER were comparable to those measured by a conventional pulsed gradient spin-echo (PGSE) sequence for all phantoms. Image signal intensity increased in Ph-1 and decreased in Ph-2-Ph-6 as AFP pulse train length increased while maintaining a constant echo-time. These experimental results suggest that such AFP pulse trains can enhance contrast between regions containing microscopic magnetic susceptibility variations and homogeneous regions in which dynamic dephasing relaxation mechanisms are dominant.

Sub-5-ps optical pulse generation from a 1.55-µm distributed-feedback laser diode with nanosecond electric pulse excitation and spectral filtering.

PubMed

Chen, Shaoqiang; Sato, Aya; Ito, Takashi; Yoshita, Masahiro; Akiyama, Hidefumi; Yokoyama, Hiroyuki

2012-10-22

This paper reports generation of sub-5-ps Fourier-transform limited optical pulses from a 1.55-µm gain-switched single-mode distributed-feedback laser diode via nanosecond electric excitation and a simple spectral-filtering technique. Typical damped oscillations of the whole lasing spectrum were observed in the time-resolved waveform. Through a spectral-filtering technique, the initial relaxation oscillation pulse and the following components in the output pulse can be well separated, and the initial short pulse can be selectively extracted by filtering out the short-wavelength components in the spectrum. Short pulses generated by this simple method are expected to have wide potential applications comparable to mode-locking lasers.

Z-scan study of thermal nonlinearities in silicon naphthalocyanine-toluene solution with the excitations of the picosecond pulse train and nanosecond pulse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Sidney S.; Wei, Tai-Huei; Huang, Tzer-Hsiang; Chang, Yun-Ching

2007-02-01

Using the Z-scan technique, we studied the nonlinear absorption and refraction behaviors of a dilute toluene solution of a silicon naphthalocyanine (Si(OSi(n-hexyl)3)2, SiNc) at 532 nanometer with both a 2.8-nanosecond pulse and a 21-nanosecond (HW1/eM) pulse train containing 11 18-picosecond pulses 7 nanosecond apart. A thermal acoustic model and its steady-state approximation account for the heat generated by the nonradiative relaxations subsequent to the absorption. We found that when the steady-state approximation satisfactorily explained the results obtained with a 21-nanosecond pulse train, only the thermal-acoustic model fit the 2.8-nanosecond experimental results, which supports the approximation criterion established by Kovsh et al.

Predictions of the Contribution of HCN Half-Maximal Activation Potential Heterogeneity to Variability in Intrinsic Adaptation of Spiral Ganglion Neurons.

PubMed

Boulet, Jason; Bruce, Ian C

2017-04-01

Spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) exhibit a wide range in their strength of intrinsic adaptation on a timescale of 10s to 100s of milliseconds in response to electrical stimulation from a cochlear implant (CI). The purpose of this study was to determine how much of that variability could be caused by the heterogeneity in half-maximal activation potentials of hyperpolarization-activated cyclic nucleotide-gated cation (HCN) channels, which are known to produce intrinsic adaptation. In this study, a computational membrane model of cat type I SGN was developed based on the Hodgkin-Huxley model plus HCN and low-threshold potassium (KLT) conductances in which the half-maximal activation potential of the HCN channel was varied and the response of the SGN to pulse train and paired-pulse stimulation was simulated. Physiologically plausible variation of HCN half-maximal activation potentials could indeed determine the range of adaptation on the timescale of 10s to 100s of milliseconds and recovery from adaptation seen in the physiological data while maintaining refractoriness within physiological bounds. This computational model demonstrates that HCN channels may play an important role in regulating the degree of adaptation in response to pulse train stimulation and therefore contribute to variable constraints on acoustic information coding by CIs. This finding has broad implications for CI stimulation paradigms in that cell-to-cell variation of HCN channel properties are likely to significantly alter SGN excitability and therefore auditory perception.

Urgency is a non-monotonic function of pulse rate.

PubMed

Russo, Frank A; Jones, Jeffery A

2007-11-01

Magnitude estimation was used to assess the experience of urgency in pulse-train stimuli (pulsed white noise) ranging from 3.13 to 200 Hz. At low pulse rates, pulses were easily resolved. At high pulse rates, pulses fused together leading to a tonal sensation with a clear pitch level. Urgency ratings followed a nonmonotonic (polynomial) function with local maxima at 17.68 and 200 Hz. The same stimuli were also used in response time and pitch scaling experiments. Response times were negatively correlated with urgency ratings. Pitch scaling results indicated that urgency of pulse trains is mediated by the perceptual constructs of speed and pitch.

Speech analyzer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lokerson, D. C. (Inventor)

1977-01-01

A speech signal is analyzed by applying the signal to formant filters which derive first, second and third signals respectively representing the frequency of the speech waveform in the first, second and third formants. A first pulse train having approximately a pulse rate representing the average frequency of the first formant is derived; second and third pulse trains having pulse rates respectively representing zero crossings of the second and third formants are derived. The first formant pulse train is derived by establishing N signal level bands, where N is an integer at least equal to two. Adjacent ones of the signal bands have common boundaries, each of which is a predetermined percentage of the peak level of a complete cycle of the speech waveform.

Feasibility of Interfacing a Microcomputer with a Multichannel Analyzer to Perform Gamma Ray Spectroscopy.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-03-01

David Hardin. Many members and students of the Electrical Engineering department helped as I was assembling and testing hardware, but I wish to...in a detector and produce electrical pulses with amplitude proportional to the energy of the gamma ray absorbed. The electrical pulses are amplified...accomplished : t ges. First, the electrical outputs available Cron the 6 multichannel analyzer were determined. Then, a microcomputer was selected from those

The evolutionary development of high specific impulse electric thruster technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sovey, James S.; Hamley, John A.; Patterson, Michael J.; Rawlin, Vincent K.; Myers, Roger M.

1992-01-01

Electric propulsion flight and technology demonstrations conducted in the USA, Europe, Japan, China, and USSR are reviewed with reference to the major flight qualified electric propulsion systems. These include resistojets, ion thrusters, ablative pulsed plasma thrusters, stationary plasma thrusters, pulsed magnetoplasmic thrusters, and arcjets. Evolutionary mission applications are presented for high specific impulse electric thruster systems. The current status of arcjet, ion, and magnetoplasmadynamic thrusters and their associated power processor technologies are summarized.

Ponderomotive Generation and Detection of Attosecond Free-Electron Pulse Trains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kozák, M.; Schönenberger, N.; Hommelhoff, P.

2018-03-01

Atomic motion dynamics during structural changes or chemical reactions have been visualized by pico- and femtosecond pulsed electron beams via ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy. Imaging the even faster dynamics of electrons in atoms, molecules, and solids requires electron pulses with subfemtosecond durations. We demonstrate here the all-optical generation of trains of attosecond free-electron pulses. The concept is based on the periodic energy modulation of a pulsed electron beam via an inelastic interaction, with the ponderomotive potential of an optical traveling wave generated by two femtosecond laser pulses at different frequencies in vacuum. The subsequent dispersive propagation leads to a compression of the electrons and the formation of ultrashort pulses. The longitudinal phase space evolution of the electrons after compression is mapped by a second phase-locked interaction. The comparison of measured and calculated spectrograms reveals the attosecond temporal structure of the compressed electron pulse trains with individual pulse durations of less than 300 as. This technique can be utilized for tailoring and initial characterization of suboptical-cycle free-electron pulses at high repetition rates for stroboscopic time-resolved experiments with subfemtosecond time resolution.

Electric pulses used in electrochemotherapy and electrogene therapy do not significantly change the expression profile of genes involved in the development of cancer in malignant melanoma cells

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Background Electroporation is a versatile method for in vitro or in vivo delivery of different molecules into cells. However, no study so far has analysed the effects of electric pulses used in electrochemotherapy (ECT pulses) or electric pulses used in electrogene therapy (EGT pulses) on malignant cells. We studied the effect of ECT and EGT pulses on human malignant melanoma cells in vitro in order to understand and predict the possible effect of electric pulses on gene expression and their possible effect on cell behaviour. Methods We used microarrays with 2698 different oligonucleotides to obtain the expression profile of genes involved in apoptosis and cancer development in a malignant melanoma cell line (SK-MEL28) exposed to ECT pulses and EGT pulses. Results Cells exposed to ECT pulses showed a 68.8% average survival rate, while cells exposed to EGT pulses showed a 31.4% average survival rate. Only seven common genes were found differentially expressed in cells 16 h after exposure to ECT and EGT pulses. We found that ECT and EGT pulses induce an HSP70 stress response mechanism, repress histone protein H4, a major protein involved in chromatin assembly, and down-regulate components involved in protein synthesis. Conclusion Our results show that electroporation does not significantly change the expression profile of major tumour suppressor genes or oncogenes of the cell cycle. Moreover, electroporation also does not changes the expression of genes involved in the stability of DNA, supporting current evidence that electroporation is a safe method that does not promote tumorigenesis. However, in spite of being considered an isothermal method, it does to some extent induce stress, which resulted in the expression of the environmental stress response mechanism, HSP70. PMID:19709437

Preliminary Optical And Electric Field Pulse Statistics From Storm Overflights During The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mach, D. A.; Blakeslee, R. J.; Bailey, J. C.; Farrell, W. M.; Goldberg, R. A.; Desch, M. D.; Houser, J. G.

2003-01-01

The Altus Cumulus Electrification Study (ACES) was conducted during the month of August, 2002 in an area near Key West, Florida. One of the goals of this uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) study was to collect high resolution optical pulse and electric field data from thunderstorms. During the month long campaign, we acquired 5294 lightning generated optical pulses with associated electric field changes. Most of these observations were made while close to the top of the storms. We found filtered mean and median 10-10% optical pulse widths of 875 and 830 microns respectively while the 50-50% mean and median optical pulse widths are 422 and 365 microns respectively. These values are similar to previous results as are the 10-90% mean and median rise times of 327 and 265 microns. The peak electrical to optical pulse delay mean and median were 209 and 145 microns which is longer than one would expect from theoretical results. The results of the pulse analysis will contribute to further validation of the Optical Transient Detector (OTD) and the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) satellites. Pre-launch estimates of the flash detection efficiency were based on a small sample of optical pulse measurements associated with less than 350 lightning discharges collected by NASA U-2 aircraft in the early 1980s. Preliminary analyses of the ACES measurements show that we have greatly increased the number of optical pulses available for validation of the LIS and other orbital lightning optical sensors. Since the Altus was often close to the cloud tops, many of the optical pulses are from low-energy pulses. From these low-energy pulses, we can determine the fraction of optical lightning pulses below the thresholds of LIS, OTD, and any future satellite-based optical sensors such as the geostationary Lightning Mapping Sensor.

A New Concept for Non-Volatile Memory: The Electric-Pulse Induced Resistive Change Effect in Colossal Magnetoresistive Thin Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Liu, S. Q.; Wu, N. J.; Ignatiev, A.

2001-01-01

A novel electric pulse-induced resistive change (EPIR) effect has been found in thin film colossal magnetoresistive (CMR) materials, and has shown promise for the development of resistive, nonvolatile memory. The EPIR effect is induced by the application of low voltage (< 4 V) and short duration (< 20 ns) electrical pulses across a thin film sample of a CMR material at room temperature and under no applied magnetic field. The pulse can directly either increase or decrease the resistance of the thin film sample depending on pulse polarity. The sample resistance change has been shown to be over two orders of magnitude, and is nonvolatile after pulsing. The sample resistance can also be changed through multiple levels - as many as 50 have been shown. Such a device can provide a way for the development of a new kind of nonvolatile multiple-valued memory with high density, fast write/read speed, low power-consumption, and potential high radiation-hardness.

Pulsed electric fields for pasteurization: defining processing conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Application of pulsed electric fields (PEF) technology in food pasteurization has been extensively studied. Optimal PEF treatment conditions for maximum microbial inactivation depend on multiple factors including PEF processing conditions, production parameters and product properties. In order for...

ELECTRIC PULSE GENERATOR

DOEpatents

Buntenbach, R.W.

1959-06-01

S>An electro-optical apparatus is described which produces electric pulses in programmed sequences at times and durations controlled with great accuracy. An oscilloscope CRT is supplied with signals to produce a luminous spot moving in a circle. An opaque mask with slots of variable width transmits light from the spot to a photoelectric transducer. For shorter pulse decay times a CRT screen which emits UV can be used with a UVtransmitting filter and a UV- sensitive photoelectric cell. Pulses are varied by changing masks or by using masks with variable slots. This device may be used in multiple arrangements to produce other pulse aT rangements, or it can be used to trigger an electronic pulse generator. (T.R.H.)

Laser-guided energetic discharges over large air gaps by electric-field enhanced plasma filaments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Théberge, Francis; Daigle, Jean-François; Kieffer, Jean-Claude; Vidal, François; Châteauneuf, Marc

2017-01-01

Recent works on plasma channels produced during the propagation of ultrashort and intense laser pulses in air demonstrated the guiding of electric discharges along the laser path. However, the short plasma lifetime limits the length of the laser-guided discharge. In this paper, the conductivity and lifetime of long plasma channels produced by ultrashort laser pulses is enhanced efficiently over many orders of magnitude by the electric field of a hybrid AC-DC high-voltage source. The AC electric pulse from a Tesla coil allowed to stimulate and maintain the highly conductive channel during few milliseconds in order to guide a subsequent 500 times more energetic discharge from a 30-kV DC source. This DC discharge was laser-guided over an air gap length of two metres, which is more than two orders of magnitude longer than the expected natural discharge length. Long plasma channel induced by laser pulses and stimulated by an external high-voltage source opens the way for wireless and efficient transportation of energetic current pulses over long air gaps and potentially for guiding lightning.

Effects of duration of electric pulse on in vitro development of cloned cat embryos with human artificial chromosome vector.

PubMed

Do, Ltk; Wittayarat, M; Terazono, T; Sato, Y; Taniguchi, M; Tanihara, F; Takemoto, T; Kazuki, Y; Kazuki, K; Oshimura, M; Otoi, T

2016-12-01

The current applications for cat cloning include production of models for the study of human and animal diseases. This study was conducted to investigate the optimal fusion protocol on in vitro development of transgenic cloned cat embryos by comparing duration of electric pulse. Cat fibroblast cells containing a human artificial chromosome (HAC) vector were used as genetically modified nuclear donor cells. Couplets were fused and activated simultaneously with a single DC pulse of 3.0 kV/cm for either 30 or 60 μs. Low rates of fusion and embryo development to the blastocyst stage were observed in the reconstructed HAC-transchromosomic embryos, when the duration of fusion was prolonged to 60 μs. In contrast, the prolongation of electric pulse duration improved the embryo development and quality in the reconstructed control embryos without HAC vector. Our results suggested that the optimal parameters of electric pulses for fusion in cat somatic cell nuclear transfer vary among the types used for donor cells. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Laser-guided energetic discharges over large air gaps by electric-field enhanced plasma filaments

PubMed Central

Théberge, Francis; Daigle, Jean-François; Kieffer, Jean-Claude; Vidal, François; Châteauneuf , Marc

2017-01-01

Recent works on plasma channels produced during the propagation of ultrashort and intense laser pulses in air demonstrated the guiding of electric discharges along the laser path. However, the short plasma lifetime limits the length of the laser-guided discharge. In this paper, the conductivity and lifetime of long plasma channels produced by ultrashort laser pulses is enhanced efficiently over many orders of magnitude by the electric field of a hybrid AC-DC high-voltage source. The AC electric pulse from a Tesla coil allowed to stimulate and maintain the highly conductive channel during few milliseconds in order to guide a subsequent 500 times more energetic discharge from a 30-kV DC source. This DC discharge was laser-guided over an air gap length of two metres, which is more than two orders of magnitude longer than the expected natural discharge length. Long plasma channel induced by laser pulses and stimulated by an external high-voltage source opens the way for wireless and efficient transportation of energetic current pulses over long air gaps and potentially for guiding lightning. PMID:28053312

Overvoltage effect on electrical discharge type in medium-conductivity water in inhomogeneous pulsed electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panov, V. A.; Vasilyak, L. M.; Pecherkin, V. Ya; Vetchinin, S. P.; Son, E. E.

2018-01-01

The transition between thermal and streamer discharges has been observed experimentally in water solution with conductivity 100 μS/cm applying positive voltage pulses to pin-to-rod electrodes. The transition happens at five-fold pulse amplitude. Considering streamer propagation as an ionization wave helped to establish relation between the parameters governing transition from one to another discharge mechanism.

Attosecond electronic recollision as field detector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carpeggiani, P. A.; Reduzzi, M.; Comby, A.; Ahmadi, H.; Kühn, S.; Frassetto, F.; Poletto, L.; Hoff, D.; Ullrich, J.; Schröter, C. D.; Moshammer, R.; Paulus, G. G.; Sansone, G.

2018-05-01

We demonstrate the complete reconstruction of the electric field of visible–infrared pulses with energy as low as a few tens of nanojoules. The technique allows for the reconstruction of the instantaneous electric field vector direction and magnitude, thus giving access to the characterization of pulses with an arbitrary time-dependent polarization state. The technique combines extreme ultraviolet interferometry with the generation of isolated attosecond pulses.

Inactivation of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Lactobacillus brevis in Low-fat Milk by Pulsed Electric Field Treatment: A Pilot-scale Study

PubMed Central

Han, Bok Kung; Choi, Hyuk Joon; Kang, Shin Ho; Baick, Seung Chun

2015-01-01

We investigated the effects of a pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on microbial inactivation and the physical properties of low-fat milk. Milk inoculated with Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or Lactobacillus brevis was supplied to a pilot-scale PEF treatment system at a flow rate of 30 L/h. Pulses with an electric field strength of 10 kV/cm and a pulse width of 30 μs were applied to the milk with total pulse energies of 50-250 kJ/L achieved by varying the pulse frequency. The inactivation curves of the test microorganisms were biphasic with an initial lag phase (or shoulder) followed by a phase of rapid inactivation. PEF treatments with a total pulse energy of 200 kJ/L resulted in a 4.5-log reduction in E. coli, a 4.4-log reduction in L. brevis, and a 6.0-log reduction in S. cerevisiae. Total pulse energies of 200 and 250 kJ/L resulted in greater than 5-log reductions in microbial counts in stored PEF-treated milk, and the growth of surviving microorganisms was slow during storage for 15 d at 4℃. PEF treatment did not change milk physical properties such as pH, color, or particle-size distribution (p<0.05). These results indicate that a relatively low electric-field strength of 10 kV/cm can be used to pasteurize low-fat milk. PMID:26877640

Inactivation of Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and Lactobacillus brevis in Low-fat Milk by Pulsed Electric Field Treatment: A Pilot-scale Study.

PubMed

Lee, Gun Joon; Han, Bok Kung; Choi, Hyuk Joon; Kang, Shin Ho; Baick, Seung Chun; Lee, Dong-Un

2015-01-01

We investigated the effects of a pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment on microbial inactivation and the physical properties of low-fat milk. Milk inoculated with Escherichia coli, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, or Lactobacillus brevis was supplied to a pilot-scale PEF treatment system at a flow rate of 30 L/h. Pulses with an electric field strength of 10 kV/cm and a pulse width of 30 μs were applied to the milk with total pulse energies of 50-250 kJ/L achieved by varying the pulse frequency. The inactivation curves of the test microorganisms were biphasic with an initial lag phase (or shoulder) followed by a phase of rapid inactivation. PEF treatments with a total pulse energy of 200 kJ/L resulted in a 4.5-log reduction in E. coli, a 4.4-log reduction in L. brevis, and a 6.0-log reduction in S. cerevisiae. Total pulse energies of 200 and 250 kJ/L resulted in greater than 5-log reductions in microbial counts in stored PEF-treated milk, and the growth of surviving microorganisms was slow during storage for 15 d at 4℃. PEF treatment did not change milk physical properties such as pH, color, or particle-size distribution (p<0.05). These results indicate that a relatively low electric-field strength of 10 kV/cm can be used to pasteurize low-fat milk.

Microsecond-scale electric field pulses in cloud lightning discharges

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Villanueva, Y.; Rakov, V. A.; Uman, M. A.; Brook, M.

1994-01-01

From wideband electric field records acquired using a 12-bit digitizing system with a 500-ns sampling interval, microsecond-scale pulses in different stages of cloud flashes in Florida and New Mexico are analyzed. Pulse occurrence statistics and waveshape characteristics are presented. The larger pulses tend to occur early in the flash, confirming the results of Bils et al. (1988) and in contrast with the three-stage representation of cloud-discharge electric fields suggested by Kitagawa and Brook (1960). Possible explanations for the discrepancy are discussed. The tendency for the larger pulses to occur early in the cloud flash suggests that they are related to the initial in-cloud channel formation processes and contradicts the common view found in the atmospheric radio-noise literature that the main sources of VLF/LF electromagnetic radiation in cloud flashes are the K processes which occur in the final, or J type, part of the cloud discharge.

Multipulsed dynamic moire interferometer

DOEpatents

Deason, Vance A.

1991-01-01

An improved dynamic moire interferometer comprised of a lasing medium providing a plurality of beams of coherent light, a multiple q-switch producing multiple trains of 100,000 or more pulses per second, a combining means collimating multiple trains of pulses into substantially a single train and directing beams to specimen gratings affixed to a test material, and a controller, triggering and sequencing the emission of the pulses with the occurrence and recording of a dynamic loading event.

Multiple acousto-optic q-switch

DOEpatents

Deason, Vance A.

1993-01-01

An improved dynamic moire interferometer comprised of a lasing medium providing a plurality of beams of coherent light, a multiple q-switch producing multiple trains of 100,000 or more pulses per second, a combining means collimating multiple trains of pulses into substantially a single train and directing beams to specimen gratings affixed to a test material, and a controller, triggering and sequencing the emission of the pulses with the occurrence and recording of a dynamic loading event.

Multiple acousto-optic q-switch

DOEpatents

Deason, Vance A.

1993-12-07

An improved dynamic moire interferometer comprised of a lasing medium providing a plurality of beams of coherent light, a multiple q-switch producing multiple trains of 100,000 or more pulses per second, a combining means collimating multiple trains of pulses into substantially a single train and directing beams to specimen gratings affixed to a test material, and a controller, triggering and sequencing the emission of the pulses with the occurrence and recording of a dynamic loading event.

3D noninvasive ultrasound Joule heat tomography based on acousto-electric effect using unipolar pulses: a simulation study

PubMed Central

Yang, Renhuan; Li, Xu; Song, Aiguo; He, Bin; Yan, Ruqiang

2012-01-01

Electrical properties of biological tissues are highly sensitive to their physiological and pathological status. Thus it is of importance to image electrical properties of biological tissues. However, spatial resolution of conventional electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is generally poor. Recently, hybrid imaging modalities combining electric conductivity contrast and ultrasonic resolution based on acouto-electric effect has attracted considerable attention. In this study, we propose a novel three-dimensional (3D) noninvasive ultrasound Joule heat tomography (UJHT) approach based on acouto-electric effect using unipolar ultrasound pulses. As the Joule heat density distribution is highly dependent on the conductivity distribution, an accurate and high resolution mapping of the Joule heat density distribution is expected to give important information that is closely related to the conductivity contrast. The advantages of the proposed ultrasound Joule heat tomography using unipolar pulses include its simple inverse solution, better performance than UJHT using common bipolar pulses and its independence of any priori knowledge of the conductivity distribution of the imaging object. Computer simulation results show that using the proposed method, it is feasible to perform a high spatial resolution Joule heat imaging in an inhomogeneous conductive media. Application of this technique on tumor scanning is also investigated by a series of computer simulations. PMID:23123757

Endovascular Electrodes for Electrical Stimulation of Blood Vessels for Vasoconstriction - a Finite Element Simulation Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kezurer, Noa; Farah, Nairouz; Mandel, Yossi

2016-08-01

Hemorrhagic shock accounts for 30-40 percent of trauma mortality, as bleeding may sometimes be hard to control. Application of short electrical pulses on blood vessels was recently shown to elicit robust vasoconstriction and reduction of blood loss following vascular injury. In this study we present a novel approach for vasoconstriction based on endovascular application of electrical pulses for situations where access to the vessel is limited. In addition to ease of access, we hypothesize that this novel approach will result in a localized and efficient vasoconstriction. Using computer modeling (COMSOL Multiphysics, Electric Currents Module), we studied the effect of endovascular pulsed electrical treatment on abdominal aorta of pigs, and compared the efficiency of different electrodes configurations on the electric field amplitude, homogeneity and locality when applied on a blood vessel wall. Results reveal that the optimal configuration is the endovascular approach where four electrodes are used, spaced 13 mm apart. Furthermore, computer based temperature investigations (bio-heat model, COMSOL Multiphysics) show that the maximum expected temperature rise is of 1.2 degrees; highlighting the safety of the four endovascular electrodes configuration. These results can aid in planning the application of endovascular pulsed electrical treatment as an efficient and safe vasoconstriction approach.

Endovascular Electrodes for Electrical Stimulation of Blood Vessels for Vasoconstriction – a Finite Element Simulation Study

PubMed Central

Kezurer, Noa; Farah, Nairouz; Mandel, Yossi

2016-01-01

Hemorrhagic shock accounts for 30–40 percent of trauma mortality, as bleeding may sometimes be hard to control. Application of short electrical pulses on blood vessels was recently shown to elicit robust vasoconstriction and reduction of blood loss following vascular injury. In this study we present a novel approach for vasoconstriction based on endovascular application of electrical pulses for situations where access to the vessel is limited. In addition to ease of access, we hypothesize that this novel approach will result in a localized and efficient vasoconstriction. Using computer modeling (COMSOL Multiphysics, Electric Currents Module), we studied the effect of endovascular pulsed electrical treatment on abdominal aorta of pigs, and compared the efficiency of different electrodes configurations on the electric field amplitude, homogeneity and locality when applied on a blood vessel wall. Results reveal that the optimal configuration is the endovascular approach where four electrodes are used, spaced 13 mm apart. Furthermore, computer based temperature investigations (bio-heat model, COMSOL Multiphysics) show that the maximum expected temperature rise is of 1.2 degrees; highlighting the safety of the four endovascular electrodes configuration. These results can aid in planning the application of endovascular pulsed electrical treatment as an efficient and safe vasoconstriction approach. PMID:27534438

Two-dimensional nanosecond electric field mapping based on cell electropermeabilization.

PubMed

Chen, Meng-Tse; Jiang, Chunqi; Vernier, P Thomas; Wu, Yu-Hsuan; Gundersen, Martin A

2009-11-11

Nanosecond, megavolt-per-meter electric pulses cause permeabilization of cells to small molecules, programmed cell death (apoptosis) in tumor cells, and are under evaluation as a treatment for skin cancer. We use nanoelectroporation and fluorescence imaging to construct two-dimensional maps of the electric field associated with delivery of 15 ns, 10 kV pulses to monolayers of the human prostate cancer cell line PC3 from three different electrode configurations: single-needle, five-needle, and flat-cut coaxial cable. Influx of the normally impermeant fluorescent dye YO-PRO-1 serves as a sensitive indicator of membrane permeabilization. The level of fluorescence emission after pulse exposure is proportional to the applied electric field strength. Spatial electric field distributions were compared in a plane normal to the center axis and 15-20 mum from the tip of the center electrode. Measurement results agree well with models for the three electrode arrangements evaluated in this study. This live-cell method for measuring a nanosecond pulsed electric field distribution provides an operationally meaningful calibration of electrode designs for biological applications and permits visualization of the relative sensitivities of different cell types to nanoelectropulse stimulation. PACS Codes: 87.85.M-

Biomedical ultrasonoscope

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, R. D. (Inventor)

1979-01-01

The combination of a "C" mode scan electronics in a portable, battery powered biomedical ultrasonoscope having "A" and "M" mode scan electronics, the latter including a clock generator for generating clock pulses, a cathode ray tube having X, Y and Z axis inputs, a sweep generator connected between the clock generator and the X axis input of the cathode ray tube for generating a cathode ray sweep signal synchronized by the clock pulses, and a receiver adapted to be connected to the Z axis input of the cathode ray tube. The "C" mode scan electronics comprises a plurality of transducer elements arranged in a row and adapted to be positioned on the skin of the patient's body for converting a pulsed electrical signal to a pulsed ultrasonic signal, radiating the ultrasonic signal into the patient's body, picking up the echoes reflected from interfaces in the patient's body and converting the echoes to electrical signals; a plurality of transmitters, each transmitter being coupled to a respective transducer for transmitting a pulsed electrical signal thereto and for transmitting the converted electrical echo signals directly to the receiver, a sequencer connected between the clock generator and the plurality of transmitters and responsive to the clock pulses for firing the transmitters in cyclic order; and a staircase voltage generator connected between the clock generator and the Y axis input of the cathode ray tube for generating a staircase voltage having steps synchronized by the clock pulses.

Acoustic microscope surface inspection system and method

DOEpatents

Khuri-Yakub, Butrus T.; Parent, Philippe; Reinholdtsen, Paul A.

1991-01-01

An acoustic microscope surface inspection system and method in which pulses of high frequency electrical energy are applied to a transducer which forms and focuses acoustic energy onto a selected location on the surface of an object and receives energy from the location and generates electrical pulses. The phase of the high frequency electrical signal pulses are stepped with respected to the phase of a reference signal at said location. An output signal is generated which is indicative of the surface of said selected location. The object is scanned to provide output signals representative of the surface at a plurality of surface locations.

Experimental characterization of intrapulse tissue conductivity changes for electroporation.

PubMed

Neal, Robert E; Garcia, Paulo A; Robertson, John L; Davalos, Rafael V

2011-01-01

Cells exposed to short electric pulses experience a change in their transmembrane potential, which can lead to increased membrane permeability of the cell. When the energy of the pulses surpasses a threshold, the cell dies in a non-thermal manner known as irreversible electroporation (IRE). IRE has shown promise in the focal ablation of pathologic tissues. Its non-thermal mechanism spares sensitive structures and facilitates rapid lesion resolution. IRE effects depend on the electric field distribution, which can be predicted with numerical modeling. When the cells become permeabilized, the bulk tissue properties change, affecting this distribution. For IRE to become a reliable and successful treatment of diseased tissues, robust predictive treatment planning methods must be developed. It is vital to understand the changes in tissue properties undergoing the electric pulses to improve numerical models and predict treatment volumes. We report on the experimental characterization of these changes for kidney tissue. Tissue samples were pulsed between plate electrodes while intrapulse voltage and current data were measured to determine the conductivity of the tissue during the pulse. Conductivity was then established as a function of the electric field to which the tissue is exposed. This conductivity curve was used in a numerical model to demonstrate the impact of accounting for these changes when modeling electric field distributions to develop treatment plans.

Investigations in mechanisms and strategies to enhance hearing with cochlear implants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churchill, Tyler H.

Cochlear implants (CIs) produce hearing sensations by stimulating the auditory nerve (AN) with current pulses whose amplitudes are modulated by filtered acoustic temporal envelopes. While this technology has provided hearing for multitudinous CI recipients, even bilaterally-implanted listeners have more difficulty understanding speech in noise and localizing sounds than normal hearing (NH) listeners. Three studies reported here have explored ways to improve electric hearing abilities. Vocoders are often used to simulate CIs for NH listeners. Study 1 was a psychoacoustic vocoder study examining the effects of harmonic carrier phase dispersion and simulated CI current spread on speech intelligibility in noise. Results showed that simulated current spread was detrimental to speech understanding and that speech vocoded with carriers whose components' starting phases were equal was the least intelligible. Cross-correlogram analyses of AN model simulations confirmed that carrier component phase dispersion resulted in better neural envelope representation. Localization abilities rely on binaural processing mechanisms in the brainstem and mid-brain that are not fully understood. In Study 2, several potential mechanisms were evaluated based on the ability of metrics extracted from stereo AN simulations to predict azimuthal locations. Results suggest that unique across-frequency patterns of binaural cross-correlation may provide a strong cue set for lateralization and that interaural level differences alone cannot explain NH sensitivity to lateral position. While it is known that many bilateral CI users are sensitive to interaural time differences (ITDs) in low-rate pulsatile stimulation, most contemporary CI processing strategies use high-rate, constant-rate pulse trains. In Study 3, we examined the effects of pulse rate and pulse timing on ITD discrimination, ITD lateralization, and speech recognition by bilateral CI listeners. Results showed that listeners were able to use low-rate pulse timing cues presented redundantly on multiple electrodes for ITD discrimination and lateralization of speech stimuli even when mixed with high rates on other electrodes. These results have contributed to a better understanding of those aspects of the auditory system that support speech understanding and binaural hearing, suggested vocoder parameters that may simulate aspects of electric hearing, and shown that redundant, low-rate pulse timing supports improved spatial hearing for bilateral CI listeners.

Simulation of the excitation of quasi-plane wake waves in a plasma by a resonant sequence of laser pulses with a variable envelope

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kalinnikova, E. I.; Levchenko, V. D.

2008-04-15

Results are presented from full-scale numerical simulations of the excitation of wake waves by a sequence of weakly relativistic laser pulses in a subcritical plasma. Computations were carried out with a 2D3V version of the SUR-CA code that is based on the local-recursive nonlocal-asynchronous algorithm of the particle-in-cell method. The parameters of a train of laser pulses were chosen to correspond to the resonant excitation of the wake field. The curvature of the envelope of the pulses was chosen to depend on the number of the pulse in the train. Numerical simulations showed that there are plane waves during themore » first period of the plasma wave behind the pulse train.« less

Circuit for detecting initial systole and dicrotic notch. [for monitoring arterial pressure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gebben, V. D.; Webb, J. A., Jr. (Inventor)

1974-01-01

Circuitry is disclosed for processing an arterial pressure waveform to produce during any one cycle a pulse corresponding to the initial systole and a pulse corresponding to the dicrotic notch. In a first channel, an electrical analog of the arterial pressure waveform is filtered and then compared to the original waveform to produce an initial systole signal. In a second channel, the analog is differentiated, filtered, and fed through a gate controlled by pulses from the first channel to produce an electrical pulse corresponding to the dicrotic notch.

Nanosecond Plasma Enhanced H2/O2/N2 Premixed Flat Flames

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-01-01

Simulations are conducted with a one-dimensional, multi-scale, pulsed -discharge model with detailed plasma-combustion kinetics to develop additional insight... model framework. The reduced electric field, E/N, during each pulse varies inversely with number density. A significant portion of the input energy is...dimensional numerical model [4, 12] capable of resolving electric field transients over nanosecond timescales (during each discharge pulse ) and radical

Rotation Detection Using the Precession of Molecular Electric Dipole Moment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ke, Yi; Deng, Xiao-Bing; Hu, Zhong-Kun

2017-11-01

We present a method to detect the rotation by using the precession of molecular electric dipole moment in a static electric field. The molecular electric dipole moments are polarized under the static electric field and a nonzero electric polarization vector emerges in the molecular gas. A resonant radio-frequency pulse electric field is applied to realize a 90° flip of the electric polarization vector of a particular rotational state. After the pulse electric field, the electric polarization vector precesses under the static electric field. The rotation induces a shift in the precession frequency which is measured to deduce the angular velocity of the rotation. The fundamental sensitivity limit of this method is estimated. This work is only a proposal and does not involve experimental results.

When the Ostrich-Algorithm Fails: Blanking Method Affects Spike Train Statistics.

PubMed

Joseph, Kevin; Mottaghi, Soheil; Christ, Olaf; Feuerstein, Thomas J; Hofmann, Ulrich G

2018-01-01

Modern electroceuticals are bound to employ the usage of electrical high frequency (130-180 Hz) stimulation carried out under closed loop control, most prominent in the case of movement disorders. However, particular challenges are faced when electrical recordings of neuronal tissue are carried out during high frequency electrical stimulation, both in-vivo and in-vitro . This stimulation produces undesired artifacts and can render the recorded signal only partially useful. The extent of these artifacts is often reduced by temporarily grounding the recording input during stimulation pulses. In the following study, we quantify the effects of this method, "blanking," on the spike count and spike train statistics. Starting from a theoretical standpoint, we calculate a loss in the absolute number of action potentials, depending on: width of the blanking window, frequency of stimulation, and intrinsic neuronal activity. These calculations were then corroborated by actual high signal to noise ratio (SNR) single cell recordings. We state that, for clinically relevant frequencies of 130 Hz (used for movement disorders) and realistic blanking windows of 2 ms, up to 27% of actual existing spikes are lost. We strongly advice cautioned use of the blanking method when spike rate quantification is attempted. Blanking (artifact removal by temporarily grounding input), depending on recording parameters, can lead to significant spike loss. Very careful use of blanking circuits is advised.

When the Ostrich-Algorithm Fails: Blanking Method Affects Spike Train Statistics

PubMed Central

Joseph, Kevin; Mottaghi, Soheil; Christ, Olaf; Feuerstein, Thomas J.; Hofmann, Ulrich G.

2018-01-01

Modern electroceuticals are bound to employ the usage of electrical high frequency (130–180 Hz) stimulation carried out under closed loop control, most prominent in the case of movement disorders. However, particular challenges are faced when electrical recordings of neuronal tissue are carried out during high frequency electrical stimulation, both in-vivo and in-vitro. This stimulation produces undesired artifacts and can render the recorded signal only partially useful. The extent of these artifacts is often reduced by temporarily grounding the recording input during stimulation pulses. In the following study, we quantify the effects of this method, “blanking,” on the spike count and spike train statistics. Starting from a theoretical standpoint, we calculate a loss in the absolute number of action potentials, depending on: width of the blanking window, frequency of stimulation, and intrinsic neuronal activity. These calculations were then corroborated by actual high signal to noise ratio (SNR) single cell recordings. We state that, for clinically relevant frequencies of 130 Hz (used for movement disorders) and realistic blanking windows of 2 ms, up to 27% of actual existing spikes are lost. We strongly advice cautioned use of the blanking method when spike rate quantification is attempted. Impact statement Blanking (artifact removal by temporarily grounding input), depending on recording parameters, can lead to significant spike loss. Very careful use of blanking circuits is advised. PMID:29780301

Laser-induced periodic surface structures on 6H-SiC single crystals using temporally delayed femtosecond laser double-pulse trains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, Juan; Tao, Wenjun; Song, Hui; Gong, Min; Ma, Guohong; Dai, Ye; Zhao, Quanzhong; Qiu, Jianrong

2016-04-01

In this paper, a time-delay-adjustable double-pulse train with 800-nm wavelength, 200-fs pulse duration and a repetition rate of 1 kHz, produced by a collinear two-beam optical system like a Mach-Zehnder interferometer, was employed for irradiation of 6H-SiC crystal. The dependence of the induced structures on time delay of double-pulse train for parallel-polarization configuration was studied. The results show that as the time delay of collinear parallel-polarization dual-pulse train increased, the induced near-subwavelength ripples (NSWRs) turn from irregular rippled pattern to regularly periodic pattern and have their grooves much deepened. The characteristics timescale for this transition is about 6.24 ps. Besides, the areas of NSWR were found to decay exponentially for time delay from 0 to 1.24 ps and then slowly increase for time delay from 1.24 to 14.24 ps. Analysis shows that multiphoton ionization effect, grating-assisted surface plasmon coupling effect, and timely intervene of second pulse in a certain physical stage experienced by 6H-SiC excited upon first pulse irradiation may contribute to the transition of morphology details.

Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation for Skeletal Muscle Function

PubMed Central

Doucet, Barbara M.; Lam, Amy; Griffin, Lisa

2012-01-01

Lack of neural innervation due to neurological damage renders muscle unable to produce force. Use of electrical stimulation is a medium in which investigators have tried to find a way to restore movement and the ability to perform activities of daily living. Different methods of applying electrical current to modify neuromuscular activity are electrical stimulation (ES), neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES), transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS), and functional electrical stimulation (FES). This review covers the aspects of electrical stimulation used for rehabilitation and functional purposes. Discussed are the various parameters of electrical stimulation, including frequency, pulse width/duration, duty cycle, intensity/amplitude, ramp time, pulse pattern, program duration, program frequency, and muscle group activated, and how they affect fatigue in the stimulated muscle. PMID:22737049

Stimulation from Cochlear Implant Electrodes Assists with Recovery from Asymmetric Perceptual Tilt: Evidence from the Subjective Visual Vertical Test

PubMed Central

Gnanasegaram, Joshua J.; Parkes, William J.; Cushing, Sharon L.; McKnight, Carmen L.; Papsin, Blake C.; Gordon, Karen A.

2016-01-01

Vestibular end organ impairment is highly prevalent in children who have sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) rehabilitated with cochlear implants (CIs). As a result, spatial perception is likely to be impacted in this population. Of particular interest is the perception of visual vertical because it reflects a perceptual tilt in the roll axis and is sensitive to an imbalance in otolith function. The objectives of the present study were thus to identify abnormalities in perception of the vertical plane in children with SNHL and determine whether such abnormalities could be resolved with stimulation from the CI. Participants included 53 children (15.2 ± 4.0 years of age) with SNHL and vestibular loss, confirmed with vestibular evoked myogenic potential (VEMP) testing. Testing protocol was validated in a sample of nine young adults with normal hearing (28.8 ± 7.7 years). Perception of visual vertical was assessed using the static Subjective Visual Vertical (SVV) test performed with and without stimulation in the participants with cochleovestibular loss. Trains of electrical pulses were delivered by an electrode in the left and/or right ear. Asymmetric spatial orientation deficits were found in nearly half of the participants with CIs (24/53 [45%]). The abnormal perception in this cohort was exacerbated by visual tilts in the direction of their deficit. Electric pulse trains delivered using the CI shifted this abnormal perception towards center (i.e., normal; p = 0.007). Importantly, this benefit was realized regardless of which ear was stimulated. These results suggest a role for CI stimulation beyond the auditory system, in particular, for improving vestibular/balance function. PMID:27679562

Project FOOTPRINT: Substation modeling and simulations for E1 pulses

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nelson, Scott D.; Larson, D. J.; Kirkendall, B. A.

This report includes a presentation with an: Introduction to CW coupling; Introduction to single-pulse coupling; Description of E1 waveforms; Structures in a substation yard --articulated (as part of the substation's defined electrical functionality)--unarticulated (not as part of the substation's defined electrical functionality); Coupling --electrical coupling (capacitive coupling) --magnetic coupling (inductive coupling); Connectivity to long-line transmission lines; Control infrastructure; Summary; and References.

Multiplex electric discharge gas laser system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Laudenslager, James B. (Inventor); Pacala, Thomas J. (Inventor)

1987-01-01

A multiple pulse electric discharge gas laser system is described in which a plurality of pulsed electric discharge gas lasers are supported in a common housing. Each laser is supplied with excitation pulses from a separate power supply. A controller, which may be a microprocessor, is connected to each power supply for controlling the application of excitation pulses to each laser so that the lasers can be fired simultaneously or in any desired sequence. The output light beams from the individual lasers may be combined or utilized independently, depending on the desired application. The individual lasers may include multiple pairs of discharge electrodes with a separate power supply connected across each electrode pair so that multiple light output beams can be generated from a single laser tube and combined or utilized separately.

Generation of bright attosecond x-ray pulse trains via Thomson scattering from laser-plasma accelerators.

PubMed

Luo, W; Yu, T P; Chen, M; Song, Y M; Zhu, Z C; Ma, Y Y; Zhuo, H B

2014-12-29

Generation of attosecond x-ray pulse attracts more and more attention within the advanced light source user community due to its potentially wide applications. Here we propose an all-optical scheme to generate bright, attosecond hard x-ray pulse trains by Thomson backscattering of similarly structured electron beams produced in a vacuum channel by a tightly focused laser pulse. Design parameters for a proof-of-concept experiment are presented and demonstrated by using a particle-in-cell code and a four-dimensional laser-Compton scattering simulation code to model both the laser-based electron acceleration and Thomson scattering processes. Trains of 200 attosecond duration hard x-ray pulses holding stable longitudinal spacing with photon energies approaching 50 keV and maximum achievable peak brightness up to 10²⁰ photons/s/mm²/mrad²/0.1%BW for each micro-bunch are observed. The suggested physical scheme for attosecond x-ray pulse trains generation may directly access the fastest time scales relevant to electron dynamics in atoms, molecules and materials.

Pulsed Artificial Electrojet Generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Papadopoulos, K.

2008-12-01

Traditional techniques for generating low frequency signals in the ULF/ELF range (.1-100 Hz) and rely on ground based Horizontal Electric Dipole (HED) antennas. It is, furthermore, well known that a Vertical Electric Dipole (VED) is by more than 50 dB more efficient than a HED with the same dipole current moment. However, the prohibitively long length of VED antennas in the ELF/ULF range coupled with voltage limitations due to corona discharge in the atmosphere make them totally impracticable. In this paper we discuss a novel concept, inspired by the physics of the equatorial electrojet, that allows for the conversion of a ground based HED to a VED in the E-region of the equatorial ionosphere with current moment comparable to the driving HED. The paper focuses in locations near the dip-equator, where the earth's magnetic is in predominantly in the horizontal direction. The horizontal electric field associated with a pulsed HED drives a large Hall current in the ionospheric E-region, resulting in a vertical current. It is shown that the pulsed vertical current in the altitude range 80-130 km, driven by a horizontal electric field of, approximately, .1 mV/m at 100 km altitude, is of the order of kA. This results in a pulsed VED larger than 106 A-m. Such a pulsed VED will drive ELF/ULF pulses with amplitude in excess of .1 nT at a lateral range larger than few hundred kilometers. This is by three orders of magnitude larger than the one expected by a HED with comparable current moment. The paper will conclude with the description of a sneak-through technique that allows for creating pulsed electric fields in the ionosphere much larger than expected from steady state oscillatory HED antennas.

Method and apparatus for measuring frequency and phase difference

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shores, Paul (Inventor); Lichtenberg, Christopher (Inventor); Kobayashi, Herbert S. (Inventor); Cunningham, Allen R. (Inventor)

1986-01-01

The present invention is a system for deriving direct digital indications of frequency and phase difference between two incoming pulse trains adaptable for collision avoidance systems or the like. A pair of radar beams are directed toward a target and corresponding beams returning therefrom are detected. A digital difference circuit forms a pulse train from the Doppler shift frequencies of each beam pair having a repetition rate functionally related to the difference in magnitude of the shift frequencies. Pulses from the pulse train are counted as a function of time. Visual indications thereof on display are correlative to target position relative to beams.

Application of Filters for High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Protection

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-04-01

The application of filters for the protection of electrical equipment from electrical transient signals induced by high-altitude electromagnetic ... pulse (HEMP) is discussed, and the application of filters to ac and dc power supplies and analog and digital signal inputs is described. The application

OCE NEMP PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA FOR PROTECTION OF NIKE-X POWER PLANT AND FACILITIES ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS AGAINST NUCLEAR ELECTROMAGNETIC PULSE EFFECTS.

DTIC Science & Technology

technical backup material for the OCE NEMP PROGRAM, Development of Criteria for Protection of NIKE-X Power Plant and Facilities Electrical Systems Against Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse Effects, Protective MEASURES. (Author)

Passive stimulation and behavioral training differentially transform temporal processing in the inferior colliculus and primary auditory cortex

PubMed Central

Beitel, Ralph E.; Schreiner, Christoph E.; Leake, Patricia A.

2016-01-01

In profoundly deaf cats, behavioral training with intracochlear electric stimulation (ICES) can improve temporal processing in the primary auditory cortex (AI). To investigate whether similar effects are manifest in the auditory midbrain, ICES was initiated in neonatally deafened cats either during development after short durations of deafness (8 wk of age) or in adulthood after long durations of deafness (≥3.5 yr). All of these animals received behaviorally meaningless, “passive” ICES. Some animals also received behavioral training with ICES. Two long-deaf cats received no ICES prior to acute electrophysiological recording. After several months of passive ICES and behavioral training, animals were anesthetized, and neuronal responses to pulse trains of increasing rates were recorded in the central (ICC) and external (ICX) nuclei of the inferior colliculus. Neuronal temporal response patterns (repetition rate coding, minimum latencies, response precision) were compared with results from recordings made in the AI of the same animals (Beitel RE, Vollmer M, Raggio MW, Schreiner CE. J Neurophysiol 106: 944–959, 2011; Vollmer M, Beitel RE. J Neurophysiol 106: 2423–2436, 2011). Passive ICES in long-deaf cats remediated severely degraded temporal processing in the ICC and had no effects in the ICX. In contrast to observations in the AI, behaviorally relevant ICES had no effects on temporal processing in the ICC or ICX, with the single exception of shorter latencies in the ICC in short-deaf cats. The results suggest that independent of deafness duration passive stimulation and behavioral training differentially transform temporal processing in auditory midbrain and cortex, and primary auditory cortex emerges as a pivotal site for behaviorally driven neuronal temporal plasticity in the deaf cat. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Behaviorally relevant vs. passive electric stimulation of the auditory nerve differentially affects neuronal temporal processing in the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus (ICC) and the primary auditory cortex (AI) in profoundly short-deaf and long-deaf cats. Temporal plasticity in the ICC depends on a critical amount of electric stimulation, independent of its behavioral relevance. In contrast, the AI emerges as a pivotal site for behaviorally driven neuronal temporal plasticity in the deaf auditory system. PMID:27733594

Dual comb generation from a mode-locked fiber laser with orthogonally polarized interlaced pulses.

PubMed

Akosman, Ahmet E; Sander, Michelle Y

2017-08-07

Ultra-high precision dual-comb spectroscopy traditionally requires two mode-locked, fully stabilized lasers with complex feedback electronics. We present a novel mode-locked operation regime in a thulium-holmium co-doped fiber laser, a frequency-halved state with orthogonally polarized interlaced pulses, for dual comb generation from a single source. In a linear fiber laser cavity, an ultrafast pulse train composed of co-generated, equal intensity and orthogonally polarized consecutive pulses at half of the fundamental repetition rate is demonstrated based on vector solitons. Upon optical interference of the orthogonally polarized pulse trains, two stable microwave RF beat combs are formed, effectively down-converting the optical properties into the microwave regime. These co-generated, dual polarization interlaced pulse trains, from one all-fiber laser configuration with common mode suppression, thus provide an attractive compact source for dual-comb spectroscopy, optical metrology and polarization entanglement measurements.

Demonstration of the Protein Involvement in Cell Electropermeabilization using Confocal Raman Microspectroscopy

PubMed Central

Azan, Antoine; Untereiner, Valérie; Gobinet, Cyril; Sockalingum, Ganesh D.; Breton, Marie; Piot, Olivier; Mir, Lluis M.

2017-01-01

Confocal Raman microspectroscopy was used to study the interaction between pulsed electric fields and live cells from a molecular point of view in a non-invasive and label-free manner. Raman signatures of live human adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells exposed or not to pulsed electric fields (8 pulses, 1 000 V/cm, 100 μs, 1 Hz) were acquired at two cellular locations (nucleus and cytoplasm) and two spectral bands (600–1 800 cm−1 and 2 800–3 100 cm−1). Vibrational modes of proteins (phenylalanine and amide I) and lipids were found to be modified by the electropermeabilization process with a statistically significant difference. The relative magnitude of four phenylalanine peaks decreased in the spectra of the pulsed group. On the contrary, the relative magnitude of the amide I band at 1658 cm−1 increased by 40% when comparing pulsed and control group. No difference was found between the control and the pulsed group in the high wavenumber spectral band. Our results reveal the modification of proteins in living cells exposed to pulsed electric fields by means of confocal Raman microspectroscopy. PMID:28102326

Numerical simulation of Trichel pulses of negative DC corona discharge based on a plasma chemical model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xiaoyue; Lan, Lei; Lu, Hailiang; Wang, Yu; Wen, Xishan; Du, Xinyu; He, Wangling

2017-10-01

A numerical simulation method of negative direct current (DC) corona discharge based on a plasma chemical model is presented, and a coaxial cylindrical gap is adopted. There were 15 particle species and 61 kinds of collision reactions electrons involved, and 22 kinds of reactions between ions are considered in plasma chemical reactions. Based on this method, continuous Trichel pulses are calculated on about a 100 us timescale, and microcosmic physicochemical process of negative DC corona discharge in three different periods is discussed. The obtained results show that the amplitude of Trichel pulses is between 1-2 mA, and that pulse interval is in the order of 10-5 s. The positive ions produced by avalanche ionization enhanced the electric field near the cathode at the beginning of the pulse, then disappeared from the surface of cathode. The electric field decreases and the pulse ceases to develop. The negative ions produced by attachment slowly move away from the cathode, and the electric field increases gradually until the next pulse begins to develop. The positive and negative ions with the highest density during the corona discharge process are O4+ and O3- , respectively.

A pulse-compression-ring circuit for high-efficiency electric propulsion.

PubMed

Owens, Thomas L

2008-03-01

A highly efficient, highly reliable pulsed-power system has been developed for use in high power, repetitively pulsed inductive plasma thrusters. The pulsed inductive thruster ejects plasma propellant at a high velocity using a Lorentz force developed through inductive coupling to the plasma. Having greatly increased propellant-utilization efficiency compared to chemical rockets, this type of electric propulsion system may one day propel spacecraft on long-duration deep-space missions. High system reliability and electrical efficiency are extremely important for these extended missions. In the prototype pulsed-power system described here, exceptional reliability is achieved using a pulse-compression circuit driven by both active solid-state switching and passive magnetic switching. High efficiency is achieved using a novel ring architecture that recovers unused energy in a pulse-compression system with minimal circuit loss after each impulse. As an added benefit, voltage reversal is eliminated in the ring topology, resulting in long lifetimes for energy-storage capacitors. System tests were performed using an adjustable inductive load at a voltage level of 3.3 kV, a peak current of 20 kA, and a current switching rate of 15 kA/micros.

Ultrahigh-Repetition Pulse Train with Absolute-Phase Control Produced by AN Adiabatic Raman Process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Katsuragawa, M.; Suzuki, T.; Shiraga, K.; Arakawa, M.; Onose, T.; Yokoyama, K.; Hong, F. L.; Misawa, K.

2010-02-01

We describe the generation of an ultrahigh-repetition-rate train of ultrashort pulses on the basis of an adiabatic Raman process. We also describe recent progress in studies toward the ultimate regime: realization of an ultrahigh-repetition-rate train of monocycle pulses with control of the absolute phase. We comment on the milestones expected in the near future in terms of the study of such novel light sources and the new field of optical science stimulated by their development.

Development of a statistical model for cervical cancer cell death with irreversible electroporation in vitro.

PubMed

Yang, Yongji; Moser, Michael A J; Zhang, Edwin; Zhang, Wenjun; Zhang, Bing

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to develop a statistical model for cell death by irreversible electroporation (IRE) and to show that the statistic model is more accurate than the electric field threshold model in the literature using cervical cancer cells in vitro. HeLa cell line was cultured and treated with different IRE protocols in order to obtain data for modeling the statistical relationship between the cell death and pulse-setting parameters. In total, 340 in vitro experiments were performed with a commercial IRE pulse system, including a pulse generator and an electric cuvette. Trypan blue staining technique was used to evaluate cell death after 4 hours of incubation following IRE treatment. Peleg-Fermi model was used in the study to build the statistical relationship using the cell viability data obtained from the in vitro experiments. A finite element model of IRE for the electric field distribution was also built. Comparison of ablation zones between the statistical model and electric threshold model (drawn from the finite element model) was used to show the accuracy of the proposed statistical model in the description of the ablation zone and its applicability in different pulse-setting parameters. The statistical models describing the relationships between HeLa cell death and pulse length and the number of pulses, respectively, were built. The values of the curve fitting parameters were obtained using the Peleg-Fermi model for the treatment of cervical cancer with IRE. The difference in the ablation zone between the statistical model and the electric threshold model was also illustrated to show the accuracy of the proposed statistical model in the representation of ablation zone in IRE. This study concluded that: (1) the proposed statistical model accurately described the ablation zone of IRE with cervical cancer cells, and was more accurate compared with the electric field model; (2) the proposed statistical model was able to estimate the value of electric field threshold for the computer simulation of IRE in the treatment of cervical cancer; and (3) the proposed statistical model was able to express the change in ablation zone with the change in pulse-setting parameters.

Linear Self-Referencing Techiques for Short-Optical-Pulse Characterization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Dorrer, C.; Kang, I.

2008-04-04

Linear self-referencing techniques for the characterization of the electric field of short optical pulses are presented. The theoretical and practical advantages of these techniques are developed. Experimental implementations are described, and their performance is compared to the performance of their nonlinear counterparts. Linear techniques demonstrate unprecedented sensitivity and are a perfect fit in many domains where the precise, accurate measurement of the electric field of an optical pulse is required.

Design, characterization and experimental validation of a compact, flexible pulsed power architecture for ex vivo platelet activation

PubMed Central

Caiafa, Antonio; Jiang, Yan; Klopman, Steve; Morton, Christine; Torres, Andrew S.; Loveless, Amanda M.; Neculaes, V. Bogdan

2017-01-01

Electric pulses can induce various changes in cell dynamics and properties depending upon pulse parameters; however, pulsed power generators for in vitro and ex vivo applications may have little to no flexibility in changing the pulse duration, rise- and fall-times, or pulse shape. We outline a compact pulsed power architecture that operates from hundreds of nanoseconds (with the potential for modification to tens of nanoseconds) to tens of microseconds by modifying a Marx topology via controlling switch sequences and voltages into each capacitor stage. We demonstrate that this device can deliver pulses to both low conductivity buffers, like standard pulsed power supplies used for electroporation, and higher conductivity solutions, such as blood and platelet rich plasma. We further test the effectiveness of this pulse generator for biomedical applications by successfully activating platelets ex vivo with 400 ns and 600 ns electric pulses. This novel bioelectrics platform may provide researchers with unprecedented flexibility to explore a wide range of pulse parameters that may induce phenomena ranging from intracellular to plasma membrane manipulation. PMID:28746392

Voyager Uranus encounter 0.2lbf T/VA short pulse test report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

The attitude control thrusters on the Voyager spacecraft were tested for operation at electrical pulse widths of less than the current 10-millisecond minimum to reduce impulse bit and, therefore, reduce image smear of pictures taken during the Uranus encounter. Thrusters with the identical configuration of the units on the spacecraft were fired in an altitude chamber to characterize impulse bit and impulse bit variations as a function of electrical pulse widths and to determine if the short pulses decreased thruster life. Pulse widths of 4.0 milliseconds provide approximately 45 percent of the impulse provided by a 10-ms pulse, and thruster-to-thruster and pulse-to-pulse variation is approximately plus or minus 10 percent. Pulse widths shorter than 4 ms showed wide variation, and no pulse was obtained at 3 ms. Three thrusters were each subjected to 75,000 short pulses of 4 ms or less without performance degradation. A fourth thruster exhibited partial flow blockage after 13,000 short pulses, but this was attributed to prevous test history and not short pulse exposure. The Voyager attitude control thrusters should be considered flight qualified for short pulse operation at pulse widths of 4.0 ms or more.

Effect of Pulse Rate on Loudness Discrimination in Cochlear Implant Users.

PubMed

Azadpour, Mahan; McKay, Colette M; Svirsky, Mario A

2018-03-12

Stimulation pulse rate affects current amplitude discrimination by cochlear implant (CI) users, indicated by the evidence that the JND (just noticeable difference) in current amplitude delivered by a CI electrode becomes larger at higher pulse rates. However, it is not clearly understood whether pulse rate would affect discrimination of speech intensities presented acoustically to CI processors, or what the size of this effect might be. Intensity discrimination depends on two factors: the growth of loudness with increasing sound intensity and the loudness JND (or the just noticeable loudness increment). This study evaluated the hypothesis that stimulation pulse rate affects loudness JND. This was done by measuring current amplitude JNDs in an experiment design based on signal detection theory according to which loudness discrimination is related to internal noise (which is manifested by variability in loudness percept in response to repetitions of the same physical stimulus). Current amplitude JNDs were measured for equally loud pulse trains of 500 and 3000 pps (pulses per second) by increasing the current amplitude of the target pulse train until it was perceived just louder than a same-rate or different-rate reference pulse train. The JND measures were obtained at two presentation levels. At the louder level, the current amplitude JNDs were affected by the rate of the reference pulse train in a way that was consistent with greater noise or variability in loudness perception for the higher pulse rate. The results suggest that increasing pulse rate from 500 to 3000 pps can increase loudness JND by 60 % at the upper portion of the dynamic range. This is equivalent to a 38 % reduction in the number of discriminable steps for acoustic and speech intensities.

An analytical model for the calculation of the change in transmembrane potential produced by an ultrawideband electromagnetic pulse.

PubMed

Hart, Francis X; Easterly, Clay E

2004-05-01

The electric field pulse shape and change in transmembrane potential produced at various points within a sphere by an intense, ultrawideband pulse are calculated in a four stage, analytical procedure. Spheres of two sizes are used to represent the head of a human and the head of a rat. In the first stage, the pulse is decomposed into its Fourier components. In the second stage, Mie scattering analysis (MSA) is performed for a particular point in the sphere on each of the Fourier components, and the resulting electric field pulse shape is obtained for that point. In the third stage, the long wavelength approximation (LWA) is used to obtain the change in transmembrane potential in a cell at that point. In the final stage, an energy analysis is performed. These calculations are performed at 45 points within each sphere. Large electric fields and transmembrane potential changes on the order of a millivolt are produced within the brain, but on a time scale on the order of nanoseconds. The pulse shape within the brain differs considerably from that of the incident pulse. Comparison of the results for spheres of different sizes indicates that scaling of such pulses across species is complicated. Published 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Control of wavepacket dynamics in mixed alkali metal clusters by optimally shaped fs pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartelt, A.; Minemoto, S.; Lupulescu, C.; Vajda, Š.; Wöste, L.

We have performed adaptive feedback optimization of phase-shaped femtosecond laser pulses to control the wavepacket dynamics of small mixed alkali-metal clusters. An optimization algorithm based on Evolutionary Strategies was used to maximize the ion intensities. The optimized pulses for NaK and Na2K converged to pulse trains consisting of numerous peaks. The timing of the elements of the pulse trains corresponds to integer and half integer numbers of the vibrational periods of the molecules, reflecting the wavepacket dynamics in their excited states.

Air and water cooled modulator

DOEpatents

Birx, Daniel L.; Arnold, Phillip A.; Ball, Don G.; Cook, Edward G.

1995-01-01

A compact high power magnetic compression apparatus and method for delivering high voltage pulses of short duration at a high repetition rate and high peak power output which does not require the use of environmentally unacceptable fluids such as chlorofluorocarbons either as a dielectric or as a coolant, and which discharges very little waste heat into the surrounding air. A first magnetic switch has cooling channels formed therethrough to facilitate the removal of excess heat. The first magnetic switch is mounted on a printed circuit board. A pulse transformer comprised of a plurality of discrete electrically insulated and magnetically coupled units is also mounted on said printed board and is electrically coupled to the first magnetic switch. The pulse transformer also has cooling means attached thereto for removing heat from the pulse transformer. A second magnetic switch also having cooling means for removing excess heat is electrically coupled to the pulse transformer. Thus, the present invention is able to provide high voltage pulses of short duration at a high repetition rate and high peak power output without the use of environmentally unacceptable fluids and without discharging significant waste heat into the surrounding air.

Mission Assessment of the Faraday Accelerator with Radio-frequency Assisted Discharge (FARAD)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dankanich, John W.; Polzin, Kurt A.

2008-01-01

Pulsed inductive thrusters have typically been considered for future, high-power, missions requiring nuclear electric propulsion. These high-power systems, while promising equivalent or improved performance over state-of-the-art propulsion systems, presently have no planned missions for which they are well suited. The ability to efficiently operate an inductive thruster at lower energy and power levels may provide inductive thrusters near term applicability and mission pull. The Faraday Accelerator with Radio-frequency Assisted Discharge concept demonstrated potential for a high-efficiency, low-energy pulsed inductive thruster. The added benefits of energy recapture and/or pulse compression are shown to enhance the performance of the pulsed inductive propulsion system, yielding a system that con compete with and potentially outperform current state-of-the-art electric propulsion technologies. These enhancements lead to mission-level benefits associated with the use of a pulsed inductive thruster. Analyses of low-power near to mid-term missions and higher power far-term missions are undertaken to compare the performance of pulsed inductive thrusters with that delivered by state-of-the-art and development-level electric propulsion systems.

Digital coincidence counting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Buckman, S. M.; Ius, D.

1996-02-01

This paper reports on the development of a digital coincidence-counting system which comprises a custom-built data acquisition card and associated PC software. The system has been designed to digitise the pulse-trains from two radiation detectors at a rate of 20 MSamples/s with 12-bit resolution. Through hardware compression of the data, the system can continuously record both individual pulse-shapes and the time intervals between pulses. Software-based circuits are used to process the stored pulse trains. These circuits are constructed simply by linking together icons representing various components such as coincidence mixers, time delays, single-channel analysers, deadtimes and scalers. This system enables a pair of pulse trains to be processed repeatedly using any number of different methods. Some preliminary results are presented in order to demonstrate the versatility and efficiency of this new method.

Sub-nanosecond resolution electric field measurements during ns pulse breakdown in ambient air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Simeni Simeni, Marien; Goldberg, Ben; Gulko, Ilya; Frederickson, Kraig; Adamovich, Igor V.

2018-01-01

Electric field during ns pulse discharge breakdown in ambient air has been measured by ps four-wave mixing, with temporal resolution of 0.2 ns. The measurements have been performed in a diffuse plasma generated in a dielectric barrier discharge, in plane-to-plane geometry. Absolute calibration of the electric field in the plasma is provided by the Laplacian field measured before breakdown. Sub-nanosecond time resolution is obtained by using a 150 ps duration laser pulse, as well as by monitoring the timing of individual laser shots relative to the voltage pulse, and post-processing four-wave mixing signal waveforms saved for each laser shot, placing them in the appropriate ‘time bins’. The experimental data are compared with the analytic solution for time-resolved electric field in the plasma during pulse breakdown, showing good agreement on ns time scale. Qualitative interpretation of the data illustrates the effects of charge separation, charge accumulation/neutralization on the dielectric surfaces, electron attachment, and secondary breakdown. Comparison of the present data with more advanced kinetic modeling is expected to provide additional quantitative insight into air plasma kinetics on ~ 0.1-100 ns scales.

Pulse propagation, dispersion, and energy in magnetic materials.

PubMed

Scalora, Michael; D'Aguanno, Giuseppe; Mattiucci, Nadia; Akozbek, Neset; Bloemer, Mark J; Centini, Marco; Sibilia, Concita; Bertolotti, Mario

2005-12-01

We discuss pulse propagation effects in generic, electrically and magnetically dispersive media that may display large material discontinuities, such as a surface boundary. Using the known basic constitutive relations between the fields, and an explicit Taylor expansion to describe the dielectric susceptibility and magnetic permeability, we derive expressions for energy density and energy dissipation rates, and equations of motion for the coupled electric and magnetic fields. We then solve the equations of motion in the presence of a single interface, and find that in addition to the now-established negative refraction process an energy exchange occurs between the electric and magnetic fields as the pulse traverses the boundary.

Acoustic microscope surface inspection system and method

DOEpatents

Khuri-Yakub, B.T.; Parent, P.; Reinholdtsen, P.A.

1991-02-26

An acoustic microscope surface inspection system and method are described in which pulses of high frequency electrical energy are applied to a transducer which forms and focuses acoustic energy onto a selected location on the surface of an object and receives energy from the location and generates electrical pulses. The phase of the high frequency electrical signal pulses are stepped with respect to the phase of a reference signal at said location. An output signal is generated which is indicative of the surface of said selected location. The object is scanned to provide output signals representative of the surface at a plurality of surface locations. 7 figures.

Electrical characterization of a Mapham inverter using pulse testing techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baumann, E. D.; Myers, I. T.; Hammoud, A. N.

1990-01-01

The use of a multiple pulse testing technique to determine the electrical characteristics of large megawatt-level power systems for aerospace missions is proposed. An innovative test method based on the multiple pulse technique is demonstrated on a 2-kW Mapham inverter. The concept of this technique shows that characterization of large power systems under electrical equilibrium at rated power can be accomplished without large costly power supplies. The heat generation that occurs in systems when tested in a continuous mode is eliminated. The results indicate that there is a good agreement between this testing technique and that of steady state testing.

In vivo lactate and beta-hydroxybutyrate editing using a pure-phase refocusing pulse train.

PubMed

Shen, J; Novotny, E J; Rothman, D L

1998-11-01

A refocusing pulse train consisting of a semiselective refocusing pulse and a selective inversion pulse to obtain a pure-phase refocusing at the frequency of maximal excitation of the semiselective refocusing pulse is proposed and applied to in vivo lactate and beta-hydroxybutyrate editing using difference spectroscopy. It is shown, using both rotation matrix theory and phantom experiments, that the soft inversion pulse has to be halved to flank the semiselective pulse to obtain perfect refocusing and cancellation of interfering resonances. The editing method is used to obtain lactate and beta-hydroxybutyrate spectra from the occipital cortex of juvenile epilepsy patients before and after ketogenic diet treatment.

Lifebox pulse oximeter implementation in Malawi: evaluation of educational outcomes and impact on oxygen desaturation episodes during anaesthesia.

PubMed

Albert, V; Mndolo, S; Harrison, E M; O'Sullivan, E; Wilson, I H; Walker, I A

2017-06-01

Pulse oximetry is an essential monitor for safe anaesthesia but is often not available in low-income countries. The aim of this study was to determine whether the introduction of pulse oximetry with training was feasible and could reduce the incidence of oxygen desaturation during anaesthesia in a low-income country. Pulse oximeters were donated, with training, to 83 non-physician anaesthetists in Malawi. Knowledge was tested immediately before and after training and at follow-up. Providers were asked to record the lowest peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO 2 ) for the first 100 cases anaesthetised after training. The primary clinical outcome was the proportion of cases with an oxygen desaturation event (SpO 2 < 90%). Seventy-seven of 83 (93%) participants completed all pre- and post-training tests. Pulse oximetry knowledge improved after training from a median (IQR [range]) score of 39 (37-42 [28-48]) to 44 (42-46 [35-50]) and this knowledge was maintained for 8 months (p < 0.001). Oxygen saturation data and provider responses were recorded for 4772 cases. The proportion of oxygen desaturation episodes decreased from 17.2% to 6.5%, representing a 36% reduction in the odds of an oxygen desaturation event in the second 50 cases compared with the first 50 (OR 0.64, 95%CI 0.50-0.82, p < 0.001). We conclude that donation of pulse oximeters, with training, in Malawi was feasible, improved knowledge and reduced the incidence of oxygen desaturation events. © 2017 The Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland.

Temperature-Dependent Electrical Conductivity of GeTe-Based RF Switches

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-31

Short, high temperature pulses result in a melt -quench cycle, amorphizing the GeTe and leaving the switch in the electrically insulating OFF state...Longer, lower temperature pulses result in the recrystallization of the GeTe, leaving the switch in the electrically conductive ON state. The...shown to vary only weakly with temperature. OFF-state S-parameters also exhibit slight temperature variation, with an inflection point of ~175

Pulsed electric field processing for fruit and vegetables

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This month’s column reviews the theory and current applications of pulsed electric field (PEF) processing for fruits and vegetables to improve their safety and quality. This month’s column coauthor, Stefan Toepfl, is advanced research manager at the German Institute of Food Technologies and professo...

A coaxial-output capacitor-loaded annular pulse forming line.

PubMed

Li, Rui; Li, Yongdong; Su, Jiancang; Yu, Binxiong; Xu, Xiudong; Zhao, Liang; Cheng, Jie; Zeng, Bo

2018-04-01

A coaxial-output capacitor-loaded annular pulse forming line (PFL) is developed in order to reduce the flat top fluctuation amplitude of the forming quasi-square pulse and improve the quality of the pulse waveform produced by a Tesla-pulse forming network (PFN) type pulse generator. A single module composed of three involute dual-plate PFNs is designed, with a characteristic impedance of 2.44 Ω, an electrical length of 15 ns, and a sustaining voltage of 60 kV. The three involute dual-plate PFNs connected in parallel have the same impedance and electrical length. Due to the existed small inductance and capacitance per unit length in each involute dual-plate PFN, the upper cut-off frequency of the PFN is increased. As a result, the entire annular PFL has better high-frequency response capability. Meanwhile, the three dual-plate PFNs discharge in parallel, which is much closer to the coaxial output. The series connecting inductance between adjacent two modules is significantly reduced when the annular PFL modules are connected in series. The pulse waveform distortion is reduced when the pulse transfers along the modules. Finally, the shielding electrode structure is applied on both sides of the module. The electromagnetic field is restricted in the module when a single module discharges, and the electromagnetic coupling between the multi-stage annular PFLs is eliminated. Based on the principle of impedance matching between the multi-stage annular PFL and the coaxial PFL, the structural optimization design of a mixed PFL in a Tesla type pulse generator is completed with the transient field-circuit co-simulation method. The multi-stage annular PFL consists of 18 stage annular PFL modules in series, with the characteristic impedance of 44 Ω, the electrical length of 15 ns, and the sustaining voltage of 1 MV. The mixed PFL can generate quasi-square electrical pulses with a pulse width of 43 ns, and the fluctuation ratio of the pulse flat top is less than 8% when the pulse rise time is about 5 ns.

A coaxial-output capacitor-loaded annular pulse forming line

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Rui; Li, Yongdong; Su, Jiancang; Yu, Binxiong; Xu, Xiudong; Zhao, Liang; Cheng, Jie; Zeng, Bo

2018-04-01

A coaxial-output capacitor-loaded annular pulse forming line (PFL) is developed in order to reduce the flat top fluctuation amplitude of the forming quasi-square pulse and improve the quality of the pulse waveform produced by a Tesla-pulse forming network (PFN) type pulse generator. A single module composed of three involute dual-plate PFNs is designed, with a characteristic impedance of 2.44 Ω, an electrical length of 15 ns, and a sustaining voltage of 60 kV. The three involute dual-plate PFNs connected in parallel have the same impedance and electrical length. Due to the existed small inductance and capacitance per unit length in each involute dual-plate PFN, the upper cut-off frequency of the PFN is increased. As a result, the entire annular PFL has better high-frequency response capability. Meanwhile, the three dual-plate PFNs discharge in parallel, which is much closer to the coaxial output. The series connecting inductance between adjacent two modules is significantly reduced when the annular PFL modules are connected in series. The pulse waveform distortion is reduced when the pulse transfers along the modules. Finally, the shielding electrode structure is applied on both sides of the module. The electromagnetic field is restricted in the module when a single module discharges, and the electromagnetic coupling between the multi-stage annular PFLs is eliminated. Based on the principle of impedance matching between the multi-stage annular PFL and the coaxial PFL, the structural optimization design of a mixed PFL in a Tesla type pulse generator is completed with the transient field-circuit co-simulation method. The multi-stage annular PFL consists of 18 stage annular PFL modules in series, with the characteristic impedance of 44 Ω, the electrical length of 15 ns, and the sustaining voltage of 1 MV. The mixed PFL can generate quasi-square electrical pulses with a pulse width of 43 ns, and the fluctuation ratio of the pulse flat top is less than 8% when the pulse rise time is about 5 ns.

Creating Rydberg electron wave packets using terahertz pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bromage, Jake

1999-10-01

In this thesis I present experiments in which we excited classical-limit states of an atom using terahertz pulses. In a classical-limit state, an atom's outer electron is confined to a wave packet that orbits the core along a classical trajectory. Researchers have excited states with classical traits, but wave packets localized in all three dimensions have proved elusive. Theoretical studies have shown such states can be created using terahertz pulses. Using these techniques, we created a linear-orbit wave packet (LOWP), that is three-dimensionally localized and orbits along a line on one side of the atom's core. Terahertz pulses are sub-picosecond bursts of far- infrared radiation. Unlike ultrashort optical pulses, the electric field of terahertz pulses barely completes a single cycle. Our simulations of the atom-pulse interaction show that this electric field profile is critical in determining the quality of the wave packet. To characterize our terahertz pulses, we invented dithered-edge sampling which time- resolves the electric field using a photoconductive receiver and a triggered attenuator. We also studied how pulses are distorted after propagating through metallic structures, and used our findings to design our atomic experiments. We excited wave packets in atomic sodium using a two-step process. First, we used tunable, nanosecond dye lasers to excite an extreme Stark state. Next, we used a terahertz pump pulse to coherently redistribute population among extreme Stark states in neighboring manifolds. Interference between the final states produces a localized, dynamic LOWP. To analyze the LOWP, we ionized it with a stronger terahertz probe pulse, varying the pump-probe delay to map out its motion. We observed two strong LOWP signatures. Changing the static electric field produced small changes (2%) in the orbital period that agreed with our theoretical predictions. Secondly, because the LOWP scatters off the core, the pump-probe signal depended on the direction of the kick the LOWP received from the robe pulse. These observations, combined with our detailed simulations that used sodium parameters and the actual shape of the terahertz pulse, lead us to conclude that we excited a LOWP.

Excitability and optical pulse generation in semiconductor lasers driven by resonant tunneling diode photo-detectors.

PubMed

Romeira, Bruno; Javaloyes, Julien; Ironside, Charles N; Figueiredo, José M L; Balle, Salvador; Piro, Oreste

2013-09-09

We demonstrate, experimentally and theoretically, excitable nanosecond optical pulses in optoelectronic integrated circuits operating at telecommunication wavelengths (1550 nm) comprising a nanoscale double barrier quantum well resonant tunneling diode (RTD) photo-detector driving a laser diode (LD). When perturbed either electrically or optically by an input signal above a certain threshold, the optoelectronic circuit generates short electrical and optical excitable pulses mimicking the spiking behavior of biological neurons. Interestingly, the asymmetric nonlinear characteristic of the RTD-LD allows for two different regimes where one obtain either single pulses or a burst of multiple pulses. The high-speed excitable response capabilities are promising for neurally inspired information applications in photonics.

High-spatial-frequency periodic surface structures on steel substrate induced by subnanosecond laser pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hikage, Haruki; Nosaka, Nami; Matsuo, Shigeki

2017-11-01

By irradiation with 0.5 ns laser pulses at a wavelength λ = 1.064 µm, laser-induced periodic surface structures (LIPSS) were fabricated on a steel substrate. In addition to low-spatial-frequency LIPSS (LSFL), a high-spatial-frequency LIPSS (HSFL) of period Λ ∼ 0.4λ with two-dimensional expansion was formed, although it is generally recognized that HSFL are formed only by ultrafast laser pulses. The wavevector of the observed HSFL was perpendicular to the electric field of the irradiated laser pulse (each ridge/groove of the HSFL was parallel to the electric field). We discuss the relationship between the formation of HSFL and the pulse duration.

Multiple frequency optical mixer and demultiplexer and apparatus for remote sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Jeffrey R. (Inventor)

2010-01-01

A pulsed laser system includes a modulator module configured to provide pulsed electrical signals and a plurality of solid-state seed sources coupled to the modulator module and configured to operate, responsive to the pulsed electrical signals, in a pulse mode. Each of the plurality of solid-state seed sources is tuned to a different frequency channel separated from any adjacent frequency channel by a frequency offset. The pulsed laser system also includes a combiner that combines outputs from each of the solid state seed sources into a single optical path and an optical doubler and demultiplexer coupled to the single optical path and providing each doubled seed frequency on a separate output path.

Producing High Intense Attosecond Pulse Train by Interaction of Three-Color Pulse and Overdense Plasma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salehi, M.; Mirzanejad, S.

2017-05-01

Amplifying the attosecond pulse by the chirp pulse amplification method is impossible. Furthermore, the intensity of attosecond pulse is low in the interaction of laser pulse and underdense plasma. This motivates us to propose using a multi-color pulse to produce the high intense attosecond pulse. In the present study, the relativistic interaction of a three-color linearly-polarized laser-pulse with highly overdense plasma is studied. We show that the combination of {{ω }}1, {{ω }}2 and {{ω }}3 frequencies decreases the instance full width at half maximum reflected attosecond pulse train from the overdense plasma surface. Moreover, we show that the three-color pulse increases the intensity of generated harmonics, which is explained by the relativistic oscillating mirror model. The obtained results demonstrate that if the three-color laser pulse interacts with overdense plasma, it will enhance two orders of magnitude of intensity of ultra short attosecond pulses in comparison with monochromatic pulse.

Effect of inter-train interval on the induction of repetition suppression of motor-evoked potentials using transcranial magnetic stimulation.

PubMed

Pitkänen, Minna; Kallioniemi, Elisa; Julkunen, Petro

2017-01-01

Repetition suppression (RS) is evident as a weakened response to repeated stimuli after the initial response. RS has been demonstrated in motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) induced with transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). Here, we investigated the effect of inter-train interval (ITI) on the induction of RS of MEPs with the attempt to optimize the investigative protocols. Trains of TMS pulses, targeted to the primary motor cortex by neuronavigation, were applied at a stimulation intensity of 120% of the resting motor threshold. The stimulus trains included either four or twenty pulses with an inter-stimulus interval (ISI) of 1 s. The ITI was here defined as the interval between the last pulse in a train and the first pulse in the next train; the ITIs used here were 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 12, and 17 s. RS was observed with all ITIs except with the ITI of 1 s, in which the ITI was equal to ISI. RS was more pronounced with longer ITIs. Shorter ITIs may not allow sufficient time for a return to baseline. RS may reflect a startle-like response to the first pulse of a train followed by habituation. Longer ITIs may allow more recovery time and in turn demonstrate greater RS. Our results indicate that RS can be studied with confidence at relatively short ITIs of 6 s and above.

Effects of electrostimulation associated with masticatory training in individuals with down syndrome.

PubMed

Pinheiro, Denilma Lígia da Silva Alves; Alves, Giorvan Ânderson Dos Santos; Fausto, Fernanda Magda Montenegro; Pessoa, Luciane Spinelli de Figueiredo; Silva, Lidiane Assis da; Pereira, Suzana Maria de Freitas; Almeida, Larissa Nadjara Alves de

2018-01-01

Purpose Investigate and measure the effects of electrostimulation on the orofacial musculature and on the chewing, breathing and swallowing functions of individuals with Down syndrome. Methods Study participants were 16 individuals with Down syndrome (six males and 10 females) from an institutional extension project aged nine to 25 years. Speech-language pathology assessment was performed using the protocol of Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores (OMES) pre- and post-intervention. This protocol comprised eight weekly electrostimulation sessions. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) current was used at a frequency of 10Hz in warm-up and 30Hz in application, intermittent stimulation (cycling pulses) with ON-time of 5s and OFF-time of 10s common to both stages, and pulse width of 200μs in warm-up and 250μs in application. Results Significant differences were observed between pre- and post-application of FES regarding cheek appearance (flaccidity and arching), tongue mobility (right and left laterality), and musculature behavior during performance of functions of the stomatognathic system: respiration, deglutition (lip behavior), and mastication (bite and trituration). Conclusion Effects of electrostimulation associated with masticatory training of the masseter muscles were statistically identified, with functional gains in chewing, breathing and swallowing performance in individuals with Down syndrome.

High-Precision Distribution of Highly Stable Optical Pulse Trains with 8.8 × 10−19 instability

PubMed Central

Ning, B.; Zhang, S. Y.; Hou, D.; Wu, J. T.; Li, Z. B.; Zhao, J. Y.

2014-01-01

The high-precision distribution of optical pulse trains via fibre links has had a considerable impact in many fields. In most published work, the accuracy is still fundamentally limited by unavoidable noise sources, such as thermal and shot noise from conventional photodiodes and thermal noise from mixers. Here, we demonstrate a new high-precision timing distribution system that uses a highly precise phase detector to obviously reduce the effect of these limitations. Instead of using photodiodes and microwave mixers, we use several fibre Sagnac-loop-based optical-microwave phase detectors (OM-PDs) to achieve optical-electrical conversion and phase measurements, thereby suppressing the sources of noise and achieving ultra-high accuracy. The results of a distribution experiment using a 10-km fibre link indicate that our system exhibits a residual instability of 2.0 × 10−15 at1 s and8.8 × 10−19 at 40,000 s and an integrated timing jitter as low as 3.8 fs in a bandwidth of 1 Hz to 100 kHz. This low instability and timing jitter make it possible for our system to be used in the distribution of optical-clock signals or in applications that require extremely accurate frequency/time synchronisation. PMID:24870442

Subcellular Biological Effects of Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolb, Juergen F.; Stacey, Michael

Membranes of biological cells can be charged by exposure to pulsed electric fields. After the potential difference across the barrier reaches critical values on the order of 1 V, pores will form. For moderate pulse parameters of duration and amplitude, the effect is limited to the outer cell membrane. With the exposure to nanosecond pulses of several tens of kilovolts per centimeter, a similar effect is also expected for subcellular membranes and structures. Cells will respond to the disruption by different biochemical processes. This offers possibilities for the development of novel medical therapies, the manipulation of cells and microbiological decontamination.

Electric field detection of phase-locked near-infrared pulses using photoconductive antenna.

PubMed

Katayama, I; Akai, R; Bito, M; Matsubara, E; Ashida, M

2013-07-15

We have demonstrated that a photoconductive antenna gated with 5-fs ultrashort laser pulses can detect electric field transients of near-infrared pulses at least up to 180 THz. Measured sensitivity spectrum of the antenna shows a good agreement with a simple calculation, demonstrating the promising capability of the antenna to near infrared spectroscopy. Using this setup, near-infrared time-domain spectroscopy and characterization of phase controlled near-infrared pulses are demonstrated. Observed absorption spectrum of a polystyrene film and complex refractive index dispersion of a fused silica plate both agree well with those obtained by the conventional methods.

Temperature dependence of the pulse-duration memory effect in NbSe3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, T. C.; Simpson, C. R., Jr.; Clayhold, J. A.; McCarten, J. P.

2000-04-01

The temperature dependence of the oscillatory response of the 59 K charge-density wave in NbSe3 to a sequence of repetitive current pulses was investigated. For 52 K>T>45 K the learned behavior commonly referred to as the pulse-duration memory effect (PDME) is very evident; after training the voltage oscillation always finishes the pulse at a minimum. At lower temperatures the PDME changes qualitatively. In nonswitching samples the voltage oscillation always finishes the pulse increasing. In switching samples there is a conduction delay which becomes fixed after training, but no learning of the duration of the pulse.

Preliminary Breakdown: Physical Mechanisms and Potential for Energetic Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersen, D.; Beasley, W. H.

2014-12-01

Observations and analysis of the preliminary breakdown phase of virgin negative cloud-to-ground (-CG) lightning strokes will be presented. Of primary interest are the physical processes responsible for the fast electric field "characteristic" pulses that are often observed during this phase. The pulse widths of characteristic pulses are shown to occur as a superposed bimodal distribution, with the short and long modes having characteristic timescales on the order of 1 microsecond and 10 microseconds, respectively. Analysis of these pulses is based on comparison with laboratory observations of long spark discharge processes and with recently acquired high-speed video observations of a single -CG event. It will be argued that the fast electric field bimodal distribution is the result of conventional discharge processes operating in an extensive strong ambient electric field environment. An important related topic will also be discussed, where it will be argued that preliminary breakdown discharges are capable of generating energetic electrons and may therefore seed relativistic electron avalanches that go on to produce pulsed energetic photon emissions.

First-principles simulation for strong and ultra-short laser pulse propagation in dielectrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yabana, K.

2016-05-01

We develop a computational approach for interaction between strong laser pulse and dielectrics based on time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT). In this approach, a key ingredient is a solver to simulate electron dynamics in a unit cell of solids under a time-varying electric field that is a time-dependent extension of the static band calculation. This calculation can be regarded as a constitutive relation, providing macroscopic electric current for a given electric field applied to the medium. Combining the solver with Maxwell equations for electromagnetic fields of the laser pulse, we describe propagation of laser pulses in dielectrics without any empirical parameters. An important output from the coupled Maxwell+TDDFT simulation is the energy transfer from the laser pulse to electrons in the medium. We have found an abrupt increase of the energy transfer at certain laser intensity close to damage threshold. We also estimate damage threshold by comparing the transferred energy with melting and cohesive energies. It shows reasonable agreement with measurements.

Experimental investigation of SDBD plasma actuator driven by AC high voltage with a superimposed positive pulse bias voltage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Xiao-Hua; Yan, Hui-Jie; Yang, Liang; Hua, Yue; Ren, Chun-Sheng

2017-08-01

In this work, a driven voltage consisting of AC high voltage with a superimposed positive pulse bias voltage ("AC+ Positive pulse bias" voltage) is adopted to study the performance of a surface dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuator under atmospheric conditions. To compare the performance of the actuator driven by single-AC voltage and "AC+ Positive pulse bias" voltage, the actuator-induced thrust force and power consumption are measured as a function of the applied AC voltage, and the measured results indicate that the thrust force can be promoted significantly after superimposing the positive pulse bias voltage. The physical mechanism behind the thrust force changes is analyzed by measuring the optical properties, electrical characteristics, and surface potential distribution. Experimental results indicate that the glow-like discharge in the AC voltage half-cycle, next to the cycle where a bias voltage pulse has been applied, is enhanced after applying the positive pulse bias voltage, and this perhaps is the main reason for the thrust force increase. Moreover, surface potential measurement results reveal that the spatial electric field formed by the surface charge accumulation after positive pulse discharge can significantly affect the applied external electric field, and this perhaps can be responsible for the experimental phenomenon that the decrease of thrust force is delayed by pulse bias voltage action after the filament discharge occurs in the glow-like discharge region. The schlieren images further verify that the actuator-induced airflow velocity increases with the positive pulse voltage.

The structure and properties of pulsed dc magnetron sputtered nanocrystalline TiN films for electrodes of alkali metal thermal-to-electric conversion systems.

PubMed

Chun, Sung-Yong

2013-03-01

Titanium nitride films used as an important electrode material for the design of alkali metal thermal-to-electric conversion (AMTEC) system have been prepared using dc (direct current) and asymmetric-bipolar pulsed dc magnetron sputtering. The pulse frequency and the duty cycle were varied from 5 to 50 kHz and 50 to 95%, respectively. The deposition rate, grain size and resistivity of pulsed dc sputtered films were decreased when the pulse frequency increased, while the nano hardness of titanium nitride films increased. We present in detail coatings (e.g., deposition rate, grain size, prefer-orientation, resistivity and hardness). Our studies show that titanium nitride coatings with superior properties can be prepared using asymmetric-bipolar pulsed dc sputtering.

Current-level triggered plasma-opening switch

DOEpatents

Mendel, C.W.

1987-06-29

An opening switch for very high power electrical pulses uses a slow magnetic field to confine a plasma across a gap between two electrodes. The plasma conducts the electric pulse across the gap while the switch is closed. A magnetic field generated by the pulse repels the slow magnetic field from the negative electrode to push the plasma from the electrode, opening the switch. A plurality of radial vanes may be used to enhance the slow magnetic field. 5 figs.

Current-level triggered plasma-opening switch

DOEpatents

Mendel, Clifford W.

1989-01-01

An opening switch for very high power electrical pulses uses a slow magnetic field to confine a plasma across a gap between two electrodes. The plasma conducts the electric pulse across the gap while the switch is closed. A magnetic field generated by the pulse repels the slow magnetic field from the negative electrode to push the plasma from the electrode, opening the switch. A plurality of radial vanes may be used to enhance the slow magnetic field.

Cost analysis of commercial pasteurization of orange juice by pulsed electric fields

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The cost of pulsed electric field (PEF) pasteurization of orange juice was estimated. The cost analysis was based on processing conditions that met the US FDA (5 log reduction) requirement for fruit juice pasteurization and that achieved a 2 month microbial shelf-life. PEF-treated samples processed ...

3-Dimensional Scene Perception during Active Electrolocation in a Weakly Electric Pulse Fish

PubMed Central

von der Emde, Gerhard; Behr, Katharina; Bouton, Béatrice; Engelmann, Jacob; Fetz, Steffen; Folde, Caroline

2010-01-01

Weakly electric fish use active electrolocation for object detection and orientation in their environment even in complete darkness. The African mormyrid Gnathonemus petersii can detect object parameters, such as material, size, shape, and distance. Here, we tested whether individuals of this species can learn to identify 3-dimensional objects independently of the training conditions and independently of the object's position in space (rotation-invariance; size-constancy). Individual G. petersii were trained in a two-alternative forced-choice procedure to electrically discriminate between a 3-dimensional object (S+) and several alternative objects (S−). Fish were then tested whether they could identify the S+ among novel objects and whether single components of S+ were sufficient for recognition. Size-constancy was investigated by presenting the S+ together with a larger version at different distances. Rotation-invariance was tested by rotating S+ and/or S− in 3D. Our results show that electrolocating G. petersii could (1) recognize an object independently of the S− used during training. When only single components of a complex S+ were offered, recognition of S+ was more or less affected depending on which part was used. (2) Object-size was detected independently of object distance, i.e. fish showed size-constancy. (3) The majority of the fishes tested recognized their S+ even if it was rotated in space, i.e. these fishes showed rotation-invariance. (4) Object recognition was restricted to the near field around the fish and failed when objects were moved more than about 4 cm away from the animals. Our results indicate that even in complete darkness our G. petersii were capable of complex 3-dimensional scene perception using active electrolocation. PMID:20577635

Enhancing Food Processing by Pulsed and High Voltage Electric Fields: Principles and Applications.

PubMed

Wang, Qijun; Li, Yifei; Sun, Da-Wen; Zhu, Zhiwei

2018-02-02

Improvements in living standards result in a growing demand for food with high quality attributes including freshness, nutrition and safety. However, current industrial processing methods rely on traditional thermal and chemical methods, such as sterilization and solvent extraction, which could induce negative effects on food quality and safety. The electric fields (EFs) involving pulsed electric fields (PEFs) and high voltage electric fields (HVEFs) have been studied and developed for assisting and enhancing various food processes. In this review, the principles and applications of pulsed and high voltage electric fields are described in details for a range of food processes, including microbial inactivation, component extraction, and winemaking, thawing and drying, freezing and enzymatic inactivation. Moreover, the advantages and limitations of electric field related technologies are discussed to foresee future developments in the food industry. This review demonstrates that electric field technology has a great potential to enhance food processing by supplementing or replacing the conventional methods employed in different food manufacturing processes. Successful industrial applications of electric field treatments have been achieved in some areas such as microbial inactivation and extraction. However, investigations of HVEFs are still in an early stage and translating the technology into industrial applications need further research efforts.

Ultrafast Nonlinear Response of Atomic and Molecular Gases in Near-IR and Mid-IR Regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahedpour Anaraki, Sina

There is a dynamical interaction between an ultrashort laser pulse and the medium it propagates through. At the shortest timescales, the near-instantaneous electronic response of the medium contributes to an induced polarization nonlinearity. On a longer timescale, the vibrational response can contribute, followed on even longer timescales by the rotational response. One of the major consequences of these nonlinearities is that they can induce the collapse and filamentation of the laser pulse, leading to ionization and plasma generation. In this dissertation, measurements and theory are presented for both the fundamental atomic and molecular nonlinearities themselves (electronic, rovibrational, and ionization rates) in the range lambda=400nm-2600nm, and their applications. The media investigated are air constituents (Ar, N 2, O2), H2, D2, and common transparent optical materials. In particular, in one application it is shown that in molecular gases like N2 and O2, the propagating laser electric field can pump a rotational wavepacket, producing molecular ensembles with both transient and long-lived ("permanent") alignment components. This alignment, which generates quantum echoes (rotational revivals), can interact with the pulse that generated it (rotational nonlinearity) and with any pulses that may follow. We show that a properly timed train of ultrashort laser pulses can resonate with the rotational revivals, causing a "permanent" alignment in the gas which thermalizes and then drives a strong hydrodynamic response which can exceed that from the plasma heating by a filament.

Sensitivity to pulse phase duration in cochlear implant listeners: Effects of stimulation mode

PubMed Central

Chatterjee, Monita; Kulkarni, Aditya M.

2014-01-01

The objective of this study was to investigate charge-integration at threshold by cochlear implant listeners using pulse train stimuli in different stimulation modes (monopolar, bipolar, tripolar). The results partially confirmed and extended the findings of previous studies conducted in animal models showing that charge-integration depends on the stimulation mode. The primary overall finding was that threshold vs pulse phase duration functions had steeper slopes in monopolar mode and shallower slopes in more spatially restricted modes. While the result was clear-cut in eight users of the Cochlear CorporationTM device, the findings with the six user of the Advanced BionicsTM device who participated were less consistent. It is likely that different stimulation modes excite different neuronal populations and/or sites of excitation on the same neuron (e.g., peripheral process vs central axon). These differences may influence not only charge integration but possibly also temporal dynamics at suprathreshold levels and with more speech-relevant stimuli. Given the present interest in focused stimulation modes, these results have implications for cochlear implant speech processor design and protocols used to map acoustic amplitude to electric stimulation parameters. PMID:25096116

An explanation for parallel electric field pulses observed over thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kelley, M. C.; Barnum, B. H.

2009-10-01

Every electric field instrument flown on sounding rockets over a thunderstorm has detected pulses of electric fields parallel to the Earth's magnetic field associated with every strike. This paper describes the ionospheric signatures found during a flight from Wallops Island, Virginia, on 2 September 1995. The electric field results in a drifting Maxwellian corresponding to energies up to 1 eV. The distribution function relaxes because of elastic and inelastic collisions, resulting in electron heating up to 4000-5000 K and potentially observable red line emissions and enhanced ISR electron temperatures. The field strength scales with the current in cloud-to-ground strikes and falls off as r -1 with distance. Pulses of both polarities are found, although most electric fields are downward, parallel to the magnetic field. The pulse may be the reaction of ambient plasma to a current pulse carried at the whistler packet's highest group velocity. The charge source required to produce the electric field is very likely electrons of a few keV traveling at the packet velocity. We conjecture that the current source is the divergence of the current flowing at mesospheric heights, the phenomenon called an elve. The whistler packet's effective radiated power is as high as 25 mW at ionospheric heights, comparable to some ionospheric heater transmissions. Comparing the Poynting flux at the base of the ionosphere with flux an equal distance away along the ground, some 30 db are lost in the mesosphere. Another 10 db are lost in the transition from free space to the whistler mode.

Characteristics of Currents and Electric Fields Associated with the Initial Stage of Upward Lightning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, N.; Nag, A.; Diendorfer, G.; Pichler, H.; Schulz, W.

2017-12-01

There is increasing interest in understanding processes associated with the initiation of upward lightning from tall structures. Characterization of such processes is essential for the development of appropriate models. We examine current and electric field waveforms for 15 negative upward flashes occurring in 2007-2009 initiated from the Gaisberg Tower located in Salzburg, Austria. Current was measured at the top of the tower using a 0.25 mΩ shunt. Electric field was measured simultaneously at close (170 m from the tower) and far (79 km from the tower in 2007 and 109 km in 2008-2009) distances. The initial stage (IS) of these flashes comprised of relatively slowly varying "background" current (having durations ranging from 132 to 692 ms), with faster, more impulsive current variations (pulses having durations ranging from 4.7 µs to 22.9 ms) overlaid on this background current. In five of the 15 (33%) flashes, this IS background current was negative while in the other ten (67%) flashes, the current was bipolar (changing between negative and positive values). 150 current pulses occurred during the IS of these 15 flashes, of which 28 (19%) were positive bipolar (positive initial polarity with a negative opposite polarity overshoot), 5 (3.3%) were positive unipolar (positive initial polarity with no opposite polarity overshoot), and 117 (78%) were negative unipolar. No negative bipolar pulses were found. The median peak current and risetime for the 28 bipolar pulses were 0.74 kA and 2.8 µs, respectively, and those for the 122 unipolar pulses were 0.87 kA and 70 µs, respectively. Generally speaking, majority of the pulses occurring at the beginning of the initial stage were lower-amplitude positive bipolar, while higher-amplitude unipolar pulses were more likely to occur at later times. These 150 IS current pulses produced 133 detectable electric field change signatures at the near station and 59 at the far station (all recorded at 79 km in 12 flashes occurring in 2007). We will examine in detail the characteristics of these electric field pulses in order to gain insights into the mechanisms of the underlying processes.

Nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) low cost generator design using power MOSFET and Cockcroft-Walton multiplier circuit as high voltage DC source

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sulaeman, M. Y.; Widita, R.

2014-09-30

Purpose: Non-ionizing radiation therapy for cancer using pulsed electric field with high intensity field has become an interesting field new research topic. A new method using nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) offers a novel means to treat cancer. Not like the conventional electroporation, nsPEFs able to create nanopores in all membranes of the cell, including membrane in cell organelles, like mitochondria and nucleus. NsPEFs will promote cell death in several cell types, including cancer cell by apoptosis mechanism. NsPEFs will use pulse with intensity of electric field higher than conventional electroporation, between 20–100 kV/cm and with shorter duration of pulsemore » than conventional electroporation. NsPEFs requires a generator to produce high voltage pulse and to achieve high intensity electric field with proper pulse width. However, manufacturing cost for creating generator that generates a high voltage with short duration for nsPEFs purposes is highly expensive. Hence, the aim of this research is to obtain the low cost generator design that is able to produce a high voltage pulse with nanosecond width and will be used for nsPEFs purposes. Method: Cockcroft-Walton multiplier circuit will boost the input of 220 volt AC into high voltage DC around 1500 volt and it will be combined by a series of power MOSFET as a fast switch to obtain a high voltage with nanosecond pulse width. The motivation using Cockcroft-Walton multiplier is to acquire a low-cost high voltage DC generator; it will use capacitors and diodes arranged like a step. Power MOSFET connected in series is used as voltage divider to share the high voltage in order not to damage them. Results: This design is expected to acquire a low-cost generator that can achieve the high voltage pulse in amount of −1.5 kV with falltime 3 ns and risetime 15 ns into a 50Ω load that will be used for nsPEFs purposes. Further detailed on the circuit design will be explained at presentation.« less

Target charging in short-pulse-laser-plasma experiments.

PubMed

Dubois, J-L; Lubrano-Lavaderci, F; Raffestin, D; Ribolzi, J; Gazave, J; Compant La Fontaine, A; d'Humières, E; Hulin, S; Nicolaï, Ph; Poyé, A; Tikhonchuk, V T

2014-01-01

Interaction of high-intensity laser pulses with solid targets results in generation of large quantities of energetic electrons that are the origin of various effects such as intense x-ray emission, ion acceleration, and so on. Some of these electrons are escaping the target, leaving behind a significant positive electric charge and creating a strong electromagnetic pulse long after the end of the laser pulse. We propose here a detailed model of the target electric polarization induced by a short and intense laser pulse and an escaping electron bunch. A specially designed experiment provides direct measurements of the target polarization and the discharge current in the function of the laser energy, pulse duration, and target size. Large-scale numerical simulations describe the energetic electron generation and their emission from the target. The model, experiment, and numerical simulations demonstrate that the hot-electron ejection may continue long after the laser pulse ends, enhancing significantly the polarization charge.

Low Voltage Electrolytic Capacitor Pulse Forming Inductive Network for Electric Weapons

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-06-01

reliable high- current, high-energy pulses of many megawatts. Pulsed alternators potentially have the same maintenance issues as other motor ...high-energy pulses of many megawatts. Pulsed alternators potentially have the same maintenance issues as other motor -generator sets, so a solid...Rotating Flywheel) Pulse Forming Network Compensated Pulsed Alternators, or Compulsators as they are called, are essentially large motor -generator

Sub-threshold depolarizing pre-pulses can enhance the efficiency of biphasic stimuli in transcutaneous neuromuscular electrical stimulation.

PubMed

Vargas Luna, Jose Luis; Mayr, Winfried; Cortés-Ramirez, Jorge-Armando

2018-06-09

There is multiple evidence in the literature that a sub-threshold pre-pulse, delivered immediately prior to an electrical stimulation pulse, can alter the activation threshold of nerve fibers and motor unit recruitment characteristics. So far, previously published works combined monophasic stimuli with sub-threshold depolarizing pre-pulses (DPPs) with inconsistent findings-in some studies, the DPPs decreased the activation threshold, while in others it was increased. This work aimed to evaluate the effect of DPPs during biphasic transcutaneous electrical stimulation and to study the possible mechanism underlying those differences. Sub-threshold DPPs between 0.5 and 15 ms immediately followed by biphasic or monophasic pulses were administered to the tibial nerve; the electrophysiological muscular responses (motor-wave, M-wave) were monitored via electromyogram (EMG) recording from the soleus muscle. The data show that, under the specific studied conditions, DPPs tend to lower the threshold for nerve fiber activation rather than elevating it. DPPs with the same polarity as the leading phase of biphasic stimuli are more effective to increase the sensitivity. This work assesses for the first time the effect of DPPs on biphasic pulses, which are required to achieve charge-balanced stimulation, and it provides guidance on the effect of polarity and intensity to take full advantage of this feature. Graphical abstract In this work, the effect of sub-threshold depolarizing pre-pulses (DPP) is investigated in a setup with transcutaneous electrical stimulation. We found that, within the tested 0-15 ms DPP duration range, the DPPs administered immediately before biphasic pulses proportionally increase the nerve excitability as visible in the M-waves recorded from the soleus muscle. Interestingly, these findings oppose published results, where DPPs, administered immediately before monophasic stimuli via implanted electrodes, led to decrease of nerve excitability.

Active/passive mode-locked laser oscillator

DOEpatents

Fountain, William D.; Johnson, Bertram C.

1977-01-01

A Q-switched/mode-locked Nd:YAG laser oscillator employing simultaneous active (electro-optic) and passive (saturable absorber) loss modulation within the optical cavity is described. This "dual modulation" oscillator can produce transform-limited pulses of duration ranging from about 30 psec to about 5 nsec with greatly improved stability compared to other mode-locked systems. The pulses produced by this system lack intrapulse frequency or amplitude modulation, and hence are idealy suited for amplification to high energies and for other applications where well-defined pulses are required. Also, the pulses of this system have excellent interpulse characteristics, wherein the optical noise between the individual pulses of the pulse train has a power level well below the power of the peak pulse of the train.

Separation of large DNA molecules by applying pulsed electric field to size exclusion chromatography-based microchip

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azuma, Naoki; Itoh, Shintaro; Fukuzawa, Kenji; Zhang, Hedong

2018-02-01

Through electrophoresis driven by a pulsed electric field, we succeeded in separating large DNA molecules with an electrophoretic microchip based on size exclusion chromatography (SEC), which was proposed in our previous study. The conditions of the pulsed electric field required to achieve the separation were determined by numerical analyses using our originally proposed separation model. From the numerical results, we succeeded in separating large DNA molecules (λ DNA and T4 DNA) within 1600 s, which was approximately half of that achieved under a direct electric field in our previous study. Our SEC-based electrophoresis microchip will be one of the effective tools to meet the growing demand of faster and more convenient separation of large DNA molecules, especially in the field of epidemiological research of infectious diseases.

Miniature piezo electric vacuum inlet valve

DOEpatents

Keville, Robert F.; Dietrich, Daniel D.

1998-03-24

A miniature piezo electric vacuum inlet valve having a fast pulse rate and is battery operated with variable flow capability. The low power (<1.6 watts), high pulse rate (<2 milliseconds), variable flow inlet valve is utilized for mass spectroscopic applications or other applications where pulsed or continuous flow conditions are needed. The inlet valve also has a very minimal dead volume of less than 0.01 std/cc. The valve can utilize, for example, a 12 Vdc input/750 Vdc, 3 mA output power supply compared to conventional piezo electric valves which require preloading of the crystal drive mechanism and 120 Vac, thus the valve of the present invention is smaller by a factor of three.

Picosecond Electric-Field-Induced Threshold Switching in Phase-Change Materials.

PubMed

Zalden, Peter; Shu, Michael J; Chen, Frank; Wu, Xiaoxi; Zhu, Yi; Wen, Haidan; Johnston, Scott; Shen, Zhi-Xun; Landreman, Patrick; Brongersma, Mark; Fong, Scott W; Wong, H-S Philip; Sher, Meng-Ju; Jost, Peter; Kaes, Matthias; Salinga, Martin; von Hoegen, Alexander; Wuttig, Matthias; Lindenberg, Aaron M

2016-08-05

Many chalcogenide glasses undergo a breakdown in electronic resistance above a critical field strength. Known as threshold switching, this mechanism enables field-induced crystallization in emerging phase-change memory. Purely electronic as well as crystal nucleation assisted models have been employed to explain the electronic breakdown. Here, picosecond electric pulses are used to excite amorphous Ag_{4}In_{3}Sb_{67}Te_{26}. Field-dependent reversible changes in conductivity and pulse-driven crystallization are observed. The present results show that threshold switching can take place within the electric pulse on subpicosecond time scales-faster than crystals can nucleate. This supports purely electronic models of threshold switching and reveals potential applications as an ultrafast electronic switch.

Lock-in detection for pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoehne, Felix; Dreher, Lukas; Behrends, Jan; Fehr, Matthias; Huebl, Hans; Lips, Klaus; Schnegg, Alexander; Suckert, Max; Stutzmann, Martin; Brandt, Martin S.

2012-04-01

We show that in pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance (pEDMR) signal modulation in combination with a lock-in detection scheme can reduce the low-frequency noise level by one order of magnitude and in addition removes the microwave-induced non-resonant background. This is exemplarily demonstrated for spin-echo measurements in phosphorus-doped silicon. The modulation of the signal is achieved by cycling the phase of the projection pulse used in pEDMR for the readout of the spin state.

Peculiarities of the Short-Pulse Dielectric Strength of Vacuum Insulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nefedtsev, E. V.; Onischenko, S. A.; Batrakov, A. V.

2017-12-01

Results of a study of the short-pulse dielectric strength of millimeter plane vacuum gaps with electrodes that have been treated with an electron beam are presented. It is shown that the electric field strength of the first breakdown of vacuum gaps with pure metal electrodes is determined to a significant extent by the crystal structure of the metal. The development of the first short-pulse breakdown is accompanied by a very abrupt growth of the electric current. The short duration of the test pulses rules out the influence of all well-known inertial mechanisms of breakdown with characteristic action times greater than 20 ns. Some general assumptions regarding the nature of the factors stimulating the short-pulse breakdown of vacuum gaps are considered.

Mitochondrial respiration inhibition after exposure to UWB pulses as a possible mechanism of antitumor action

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zharkova, L.; Romanchenko, I.; Bolshakov, M.; Rostov, V.

2017-05-01

The respiration of isolated mice liver mitochondria after exposure to nanosecond UWB pulses (0.15 - 36 kV/cm, 0.6 - 1.0 GHz centre frequency, 3 - 20 ns pulse duration) has been investigated. The respiratory control (RC, the ratio of oxygen consumption) was estimated. The possibility of mitochondrial membrane electroporation was detected as the decrease in the electrical resistance, according to the β-dispersion of the electric current. The monotonous decrease of RC after 1000 UWB pulses from 0.15 kV/cm was observed, the ohmic resistance of mitochondria suspension was reduced. The obtained data indicate the inhibitory effect of UWB pulses on a state of irradiated mitochondria and its membrane.

Precision electronic speed controller for an alternating-current motor

DOEpatents

Bolie, V.W.

A high precision controller for an alternating-current multi-phase electrical motor that is subject to a large inertial load. The controller was developed for controlling, in a neutron chopper system, a heavy spinning rotor that must be rotated in phase-locked synchronism with a reference pulse train that is representative of an ac power supply signal having a meandering line frequency. The controller includes a shaft revolution sensor which provides a feedback pulse train representative of the actual speed of the motor. An internal digital timing signal generator provides a reference signal which is compared with the feedback signal in a computing unit to provide a motor control signal. The motor control signal is a weighted linear sum of a speed error voltage, a phase error voltage, and a drift error voltage, each of which is computed anew with each revolution of the motor shaft. The speed error signal is generated by a novel vernier-logic circuit which is drift-free and highly sensitive to small speed changes. The phase error is also computed by digital logic, with adjustable sensitivity around a 0 mid-scale value. The drift error signal, generated by long-term counting of the phase error, is used to compensate for any slow changes in the average friction drag on the motor. An auxillary drift-byte status sensor prevents any disruptive overflow or underflow of the drift-error counter. An adjustable clocked-delay unit is inserted between the controller and the source of the reference pulse train to permit phase alignment of the rotor to any desired offset angle. The stator windings of the motor are driven by two amplifiers which are provided with input signals having the proper quadrature relationship by an exciter unit consisting of a voltage controlled oscillator, a binary counter, a pair of read-only memories, and a pair of digital-to-analog converters.

Burst stimulation improves hemodynamics during resuscitation after prolonged ventricular fibrillation.

PubMed

Walcott, Gregory; Melnick, Sharon; Killingsworth, Cheryl; Ideker, Raymond

2009-02-01

Although return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is frequently achieved during resuscitation for sudden cardiac arrest, systolic blood pressure can then decrease, requiring additional myocardial support. Previous studies have shown that a series of 1-ms electrical pulses delivered through the defibrillation patches during ventricular fibrillation (VF) can stimulate the autonomic nervous system to increase myocardial function following defibrillation. We hypothesized that a similar series of electrical pulses could increase myocardial function and blood pressure during the early post-resuscitation period. Six swine were studied that underwent 6-7 min. Each animal received 5, 10, 15, or 20 pulse packets consisting of 6 10 A, 1-ms pulses every 3-4 s in random order whenever systolic blood pressure became less than 50 mmHg. All four sets of pulse packets were delivered to each animal. Systolic blood pressure and cardiac function (left ventricular +dP/dt) were increased to pre-stimulation levels or above by all four sets of pulse packets. The increases were significantly greater for the longer than the shorter number of pulse packets. The mean+/-SD duration of the time that the systolic pressure remained above 50 mmHg following pulse delivery was 4.2+/-2.5 min. Electrical stimulation during regular rhythm following prolonged VF and resuscitation can increase blood pressure and cardiac function to above prestimulation levels.

Burst Stimulation Improves Hemodynamics During Resuscitation after Prolonged Ventricular Fibrillation

PubMed Central

Walcott, Gregory; Melnick, Sharon; Killingsworth, Cheryl; Ideker, Raymond

2009-01-01

Background Although return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) is frequently achieved during resuscitation for sudden cardiac arrest, systolic blood pressure can then decrease, requiring additional myocardial support. Previous studies have shown that a series of 1-ms electrical pulses delivered through the defibrillation patches during ventricular fibrillation (VF) can stimulate the autonomic nervous system to increase myocardial function following defibrillation. We hypothesized that a similar series of electrical pulses could increase myocardial function and blood pressure during the early post-resuscitation period. Methods and Results Six swine were studied that underwent 6–7 min. Each animal received 5, 10, 15, or 20 pulse packets consisting of 6 10 A, 1-ms pulses every 3–4 s in random order whenever systolic blood pressure became less than 50 mmHg. All four sets of pulse packets were delivered to each animal. Systolic blood pressure and cardiac function (left ventricular +dP/dt) were increased to pre-stimulation levels or above by all four sets of pulse packets. The increases were significantly greater for the longer than the shorter number of pulse packets. The mean±SD duration of the time that the systolic pressure remained above 50 mmHg following pulse delivery was 4.2±2.5 min. Conclusions Electrical stimulation during regular rhythm following prolonged VF and resuscitation can increase blood pressure and cardiac function to above pre-arrest levels. PMID:19655042

High resolution data acquisition

DOEpatents

Thornton, G.W.; Fuller, K.R.

1993-04-06

A high resolution event interval timing system measures short time intervals such as occur in high energy physics or laser ranging. Timing is provided from a clock, pulse train, and analog circuitry for generating a triangular wave synchronously with the pulse train (as seen in diagram on patent). The triangular wave has an amplitude and slope functionally related to the time elapsed during each clock pulse in the train. A converter forms a first digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the start of the event interval and a second digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the end of the event interval. A counter counts the clock pulse train during the interval to form a gross event interval time. A computer then combines the gross event interval time and the first and second digital values to output a high resolution value for the event interval.

High resolution data acquisition

DOEpatents

Thornton, Glenn W.; Fuller, Kenneth R.

1993-01-01

A high resolution event interval timing system measures short time intervals such as occur in high energy physics or laser ranging. Timing is provided from a clock (38) pulse train (37) and analog circuitry (44) for generating a triangular wave (46) synchronously with the pulse train (37). The triangular wave (46) has an amplitude and slope functionally related to the time elapsed during each clock pulse in the train. A converter (18, 32) forms a first digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the start of the event interval and a second digital value of the amplitude and slope of the triangle wave at the end of the event interval. A counter (26) counts the clock pulse train (37) during the interval to form a gross event interval time. A computer (52) then combines the gross event interval time and the first and second digital values to output a high resolution value for the event interval.

An ultrafast programmable electrical tester for enabling time-resolved, sub-nanosecond switching dynamics and programming of nanoscale memory devices.

PubMed

Shukla, Krishna Dayal; Saxena, Nishant; Manivannan, Anbarasu

2017-12-01

Recent advancements in commercialization of high-speed non-volatile electronic memories including phase change memory (PCM) have shown potential not only for advanced data storage but also for novel computing concepts. However, an in-depth understanding on ultrafast electrical switching dynamics is a key challenge for defining the ultimate speed of nanoscale memory devices that demands for an unconventional electrical setup, specifically capable of handling extremely fast electrical pulses. In the present work, an ultrafast programmable electrical tester (PET) setup has been developed exceptionally for unravelling time-resolved electrical switching dynamics and programming characteristics of nanoscale memory devices at the picosecond (ps) time scale. This setup consists of novel high-frequency contact-boards carefully designed to capture extremely fast switching transient characteristics within 200 ± 25 ps using time-resolved current-voltage measurements. All the instruments in the system are synchronized using LabVIEW, which helps to achieve various programming characteristics such as voltage-dependent transient parameters, read/write operations, and endurance test of memory devices systematically using short voltage pulses having pulse parameters varied from 1 ns rise/fall time and 1.5 ns pulse width (full width half maximum). Furthermore, the setup has successfully demonstrated strikingly one order faster switching characteristics of Ag 5 In 5 Sb 60 Te 30 (AIST) PCM devices within 250 ps. Hence, this novel electrical setup would be immensely helpful for realizing the ultimate speed limits of various high-speed memory technologies for future computing.

An ultrafast programmable electrical tester for enabling time-resolved, sub-nanosecond switching dynamics and programming of nanoscale memory devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shukla, Krishna Dayal; Saxena, Nishant; Manivannan, Anbarasu

2017-12-01

Recent advancements in commercialization of high-speed non-volatile electronic memories including phase change memory (PCM) have shown potential not only for advanced data storage but also for novel computing concepts. However, an in-depth understanding on ultrafast electrical switching dynamics is a key challenge for defining the ultimate speed of nanoscale memory devices that demands for an unconventional electrical setup, specifically capable of handling extremely fast electrical pulses. In the present work, an ultrafast programmable electrical tester (PET) setup has been developed exceptionally for unravelling time-resolved electrical switching dynamics and programming characteristics of nanoscale memory devices at the picosecond (ps) time scale. This setup consists of novel high-frequency contact-boards carefully designed to capture extremely fast switching transient characteristics within 200 ± 25 ps using time-resolved current-voltage measurements. All the instruments in the system are synchronized using LabVIEW, which helps to achieve various programming characteristics such as voltage-dependent transient parameters, read/write operations, and endurance test of memory devices systematically using short voltage pulses having pulse parameters varied from 1 ns rise/fall time and 1.5 ns pulse width (full width half maximum). Furthermore, the setup has successfully demonstrated strikingly one order faster switching characteristics of Ag5In5Sb60Te30 (AIST) PCM devices within 250 ps. Hence, this novel electrical setup would be immensely helpful for realizing the ultimate speed limits of various high-speed memory technologies for future computing.

Kinetics of ultraweak light emission from human erythroleukemia K562 cells upon electroporation.

PubMed

Maccarrone, M; Fantini, C; Agrò, A F; Rosato, N

1998-11-11

Electroporation involves the application of an electric pulse that creates transient aqueous channels (electropores) across the lipid bilayer membranes. Here, we describe an instrument set up suitable to record ultraweak light emission from human erythroleukemia K562 cells during and immediately after delivery of electric pulses. Most of light was emitted in the first seconds after each pulse, following a complex decay which can be fitted by a double exponential equation characterized by two different time constants (T1 and T2), both in the order of seconds. T1 was approximately 10-fold shorter than T2 and both time constants were dependent on field strength of the electric pulse. The effect of various antioxidants on the amount of emitted photons and on T1 and T2 values was investigated, in order to shed some light on the chemical species responsible for cellular luminescence.

Assessment and Calibration of a Crimp Tool Equipped with Ultrasonic Analysis Features

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yost, William T. (Inventor); Perey, Daniel F. (Inventor); Cramer, K. Elliott (Inventor)

2013-01-01

A method is provided for calibrating ultrasonic signals passed through a crimp formed with respect to a deformable body via an ultrasonically-equipped crimp tool (UECT). The UECT verifies a crimp quality using the ultrasonic signals. The method includes forming the crimp, transmitting a first signal, e.g., a pulse, to a first transducer of the UECT, and converting the first signal, using the first transducer, into a second signal which defines an ultrasonic pulse. This pulse is transmitted through the UECT into the crimp. A second transducer converts the second signal into a third signal, which may be further conditioned, and the ultrasonic signals are calibrated using the third signal or its conditioned variant. An apparatus for calibrating the ultrasonic signals includes a pulse module (PM) electrically connected to the first and second transducers, and an oscilloscope or display electrically connected to the PM for analyzing an electrical output signal therefrom.

Runaway breakdown and hydrometeors in lightning initiation.

PubMed

Gurevich, A V; Karashtin, A N

2013-05-03

The particular electric pulse discharges are observed in thunderclouds during the initiation stage of negative cloud-to-ground lightning. The discharges are quite different from conventional streamers or leaders. A detailed analysis reveals that the shape of the pulses is determined by the runaway breakdown of air in the thundercloud electric field initiated by extensive atmospheric showers (RB-EAS). The high amplitude of the pulse electric current is due to the multiple microdischarges at hydrometeors stimulated and synchronized by the low-energy electrons generated in the RB-EAS process. The series of specific pulse discharges leads to charge reset from hydrometeors to the free ions and creates numerous stretched ion clusters, both positive and negative. As a result, a wide region in the thundercloud with a sufficiently high fractal ion conductivity is formed. The charge transport by ions plays a decisive role in the lightning leader preconditioning.

Gastric electrical stimulation with short pulses reduces vomiting but not dysrhythmias in dogs.

PubMed

Chen, Jiande D Z; Qian, Liwei; Ouyang, Hui; Yin, Jieyun

2003-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the acute effects of 3 different methods of electrical stimulation in the prevention of vasopressin-induced emetic response and gastric dysrhythmias. Seven female hound dogs chronically implanted with 4 pairs of electrodes on gastric serosa were used in a 5-session study. Saline and vasopressin were infused in sessions 1 and 2, respectively. In the other 3 sessions with vasopressin infusion, 3 different methods of electrical stimulation (short-pulse stimulation, long-pulse stimulation, and electroacupuncture) were applied. Gastric slow waves and vomiting and behaviors suggestive of nausea were recorded in each session. In a separate study, additional experiments were performed in 5 vagotomized dogs to investigate vagally mediated mechanisms. Vasopressin induced gastric dysrhythmias, uncoupling of slow waves, and vomiting and behaviors suggestive of nausea (P < 0.02, analysis of variance). Long-pulse stimulation, but not short-pulse stimulation or electroacupuncture, was capable of preventing vasopressin-induced gastric dysrhythmias and gastric slow wave uncoupling. Short-pulse stimulation and electroacupuncture, but not long-pulse stimulation, prevented vomiting and significantly reduced the symptom scores, which was not noted in the dogs with truncal vagotomy. Long-pulse stimulation normalizes vasopressin-induced slow wave abnormalities with no improvement in vomiting and behaviors suggestive of nausea. Short-pulse stimulation and electroacupuncture prevent vomiting and behaviors suggestive of nausea induced by vasopressin but have no effects on slow waves, and their effects are vagally mediated.

Microscopic histological characteristics of soft tissue sarcomas: analysis of tissue features and electrical resistance.

PubMed

Tosi, A L; Campana, L G; Dughiero, F; Forzan, M; Rastrelli, M; Sieni, E; Rossi, C R

2017-07-01

Tissue electrical conductivity is correlated with tissue characteristics. In this work, some soft tissue sarcomas (STS) excised from patients have been evaluated in terms of histological characteristics (cell size and density) and electrical resistance. The electrical resistance has been measured using the ex vivo study on soft tissue tumors electrical characteristics (ESTTE) protocol proposed by the authors in order to study electrical resistance of surgical samples excised by patients in a fixed measurement setup. The measurement setup includes a voltage pulse generator (700 V, 100 µs long at 5 kHz, period 200 µs) and an electrode with 7 needles, 20 mm-long, with the same distance arranged in a fixed hexagonal geometry. In the ESTTE protocol, the same voltage pulse sequence is applied to each different tumor mass and the corresponding resistance has been evaluated from voltage and current recorded by the equipment. For each tumor mass, a histological sample of the volume treated by means of voltage pulses has been taken for histological analysis. Each mass has been studied in order to identify the sarcoma type. For each histological sample, an image at 20× or 40× of magnification was acquired. In this work, the electrical resistance measured for each tumor has been correlated with tissue characteristics like the type, size and density of cells. This work presents a preliminary study to explore possible correlations between tissue characteristics and electrical resistance of STS. These results can be helpful to adjust the pulse voltage intensity in order to improve the electrochemotherapy efficacy on some histotype of STS.

Interferometric correction system for a numerically controlled machine

DOEpatents

Burleson, Robert R.

1978-01-01

An interferometric correction system for a numerically controlled machine is provided to improve the positioning accuracy of a machine tool, for example, for a high-precision numerically controlled machine. A laser interferometer feedback system is used to monitor the positioning of the machine tool which is being moved by command pulses to a positioning system to position the tool. The correction system compares the commanded position as indicated by a command pulse train applied to the positioning system with the actual position of the tool as monitored by the laser interferometer. If the tool position lags the commanded position by a preselected error, additional pulses are added to the pulse train applied to the positioning system to advance the tool closer to the commanded position, thereby reducing the lag error. If the actual tool position is leading in comparison to the commanded position, pulses are deleted from the pulse train where the advance error exceeds the preselected error magnitude to correct the position error of the tool relative to the commanded position.

Multi-operational tuneable Q-switched mode-locking Er fibre laser

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qamar, F. Z.

2018-01-01

A wavelength-spacing tuneable, Q-switched mode-locking (QML) erbium-doped fibre laser based on non-linear polarization rotation controlled by four waveplates and a cube polarizer is proposed. A mode-locked pulse train using two quarter-wave plates and a half-wave plate (HWP) is obtained first, and then an extra HWP is inserted into the cavity to produce different operation regimes. The evolutions of temporal and spectral dynamics with different orientation angles of the extra HWP are investigated. A fully modulated stable QML pulse train is observed experimentally. This is, to the author’s best knowledge, the first experimental work reporting QML operation without adding an extra saturable absorber inside the laser cavity. Multi-wavelength pulse laser operation, multi-pulse train continuous-wave mode-locking operation and pulse-splitting operations are also reported at certain HWP angles. The observed operational dynamics are interpreted as a mutual interaction of dispersion, non-linear effect and insertion loss. This work provides a new mechanism for fabricating cheap tuneable multi-wavelength lasers with QML pulses.

Osmotic dehydration of blueberries pretreated with pulsed electric fields: Effects on drying rate, and microbiological and nutritional qualities

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fresh blueberries were treated by pulsed electric fields (PEF) at 2 kV/cm before osmotic dehydration in 70% sugar syrup. The changes in water loss, solids gain, populations of native microorganisms, antioxidant activity, contents of anthocyanins, predominant phenolic acids and flavonols, and total p...

Applications of Pulsed Power in Advanced Oxidation and Reduction Processes for Pollution Control

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-06-01

electrical driver pulse width and rise time, electrical drive circuit coupling to plasma cells, and the role of UV light in the plasma chemistry and...will permit industrial service. Basic understanding of the plasma chemistry has evolved to the point where trends and equipment scaling can be

Five years of full-scale utility demonstration of pulsed energization of electric precipitators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schultz, S.A.; Jacobus, P.L.; Casey, P.J.

1996-11-01

In a conventional electrostatic precipitator (ESP) the applied dc voltage fulfills three functions: (1) generation of negative ions, (2) charging of particles, and (3) transport of the charged particles to the collecting plates. In the case of high resistivity fly-ash (often associated with the burning of low sulfur coal) the dc voltage is limited by repeated electrical discharges and in extreme cases by back-corona. Lowering the applied dc voltage reduces sparking and back-corona, but also reduces the field on the discharge wires and leads to poorly distributed ion generation as well as reduced charging and particle transport forces. Pulsed energization,more » which consists of superimposing high voltage pulses of short duration onto the existing base dc voltage, offers an attractive way to improve the collection efficiency of ESPs suffering from poor energization. The superimposed pulses become responsible for uniform ion generation while the underlying dc field continues to fulfill the function of particle charging and transport. This paper describes the five-year test of the ESP at Madison Gas and Electric`s Blount Station.« less

Effect of pulsed electric field on the rheological and colour properties of soy milk.

PubMed

Xiang, Bob Y; Simpson, Marian V; Ngadi, Michael O; Simpson, Benjamin K

2011-12-01

The effects of pulsed electric field (PEF) treatments on rheological and colour properties of soy milk were evaluated. Flow behaviour, viscosity and rheological parameters of PEF-treated soy milk were monitored using a controlled stress rheometer. For PEF treatments, electric field intensity of 18, 20 and 22 kV cm(-1) and number of pulses of 25, 50, 75 and 100 were used. For the measurements of rheological properties of soy milk shear rates between 0 and 200 s(-1) was used. The rheological behaviour of control and the PEF-treated soy milk were described using a power law model. The PEF treatments affected the rheological properties of soy milk. Apparent viscosity of soy milk increased from 6.62 to 7.46 (10(-3) Pa s) with increase in electric field intensity from 18 to 22 kV cm(-1) and increase in the number of pulses from 0 to 100. The consistency index (K) of soy milk also changed with PEF treatments. Lightness (L*), red/greenness (a*) and yellowness/blueness (b*) of soy milk were affected by PEF treatments.

Calorimetric system and method

DOEpatents

Gschneidner, Jr., Karl A.; Pecharsky, Vitalij K.; Moorman, Jack O.

1998-09-15

Apparatus for measuring heat capacity of a sample where a series of measurements are taken in succession comprises a sample holder in which a sample to be measured is disposed, a temperature sensor and sample heater for providing a heat pulse thermally connected to the sample, and an adiabatic heat shield in which the sample holder is positioned and including an electrical heater. An electrical power supply device provides an electrical power output to the sample heater to generate a heat pulse. The electrical power from a power source to the heat shield heater is adjusted by a control device, if necessary, from one measurement to the next in response to a sample temperature-versus-time change determined before and after a previous heat pulse to provide a subsequent sample temperature-versus-time change that is substantially linear before and after the subsequent heat pulse. A temperature sensor is used and operable over a range of temperatures ranging from approximately 3K to 350K depending upon the refrigerant used. The sample optionally can be subjected to dc magnetic fields such as from 0 to 12 Tesla (0 to 120 kOe).

Enhancing the lycopene in vitro bioaccessibility of tomato juice synergistically applying thermal and non-thermal processing technologies.

PubMed

Jayathunge, K G L R; Stratakos, Alexandros Ch; Cregenzán-Albertia, Oliver; Grant, Irene R; Lyng, James; Koidis, Anastasios

2017-04-15

The influence of moderate intensity pulsed electric field pre-processing on increasing the lycopene bioaccessibility of tomato fruit, and the combined effect of blanching, ultrasonic and high intensity pulsed electric field processing on further enhancement of the lycopene bioaccessibility after juicing were investigated. Maximum total lycopene bioaccessibility (9.6%) of the tomato fruit was achieved by a 4μs pre-processed treatment after 24h holding period and further processing results revealed that all treatments were effective to increase the total lycopene. Most of juice processing treatments decreased the release of lycopene from the tomato matrix during digestion. Only the treatment of blanching followed by high intensity pulsed electric field showed a significant release of trans-(4.01±0.48) and cis-(5.04±0.26μg/g) lycopene, achieving 15.6% total lycopene bioaccessibility. Thus, processing of pre-blanched juice using high intensity pulsed electric field, derived from pre-processed tomato was the best overall process to achieve the highest nutritive value. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Temporal selectivity by single neurons in the torus semicircularis of Batrachyla antartandica (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae).

PubMed

Penna, M; Lin, W Y; Feng, A S

2001-12-01

We investigated the response selectivities of single auditory neurons in the torus semicircularis of Batrachyla antartandica (a leptodactylid from southern Chile) to synthetic stimuli having diverse temporal structures. The advertisement call for this species is characterized by a long sequence of brief sound pulses having a dominant frequency of about 2000 Hz. We constructed five different series of synthetic stimuli in which the following acoustic parameters were systematically modified, one at a time: pulse rate, pulse duration, pulse rise time, pulse fall time, and train duration. The carrier frequency of these stimuli was fixed at the characteristic frequency of the units under study (n=44). Response patterns of TS units to these synthetic call variants revealed different degrees of selectivity for each of the temporal variables. A substantial number of neurons showed preference for pulse rates below 2 pulses s(-1), approximating the values found in natural advertisement calls. Tonic neurons generally showed preferences for long pulse durations, long rise and fall times, and long train durations. In contrast, phasic and phasic-burst neurons preferred stimuli with short duration, short rise and fall times and short train durations.

Effect of electric barrier on passage and physical condition of juvenile and adult rainbow trout

USGS Publications Warehouse

Layhee, Megan J.; Sepulveda, Adam; Shaw, Amy; Smuckall, Matthew; Kapperman, Kevin; Reyes, Alejandro

2016-01-01

Electric barriers can inhibit passage and injure fish. Few data exist on electric barrier parameters that minimize these impacts and on how body size affects susceptibility, especially to nontarget fish species. The goal of this study was to determine electric barrier voltage and pulse-width settings that inhibit passage of larger bodied rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (215–410 mm fork length) while allowing passage of smaller bodied juvenile rainbow trout (52–126 mm) in a static laboratory setting. We exposed rainbow trout to 30-Hz pulsed-direct current voltage gradients (0.00–0.45 V cm−1) and pulse widths (0.0–0.7 ms) and recorded their movement, injury incidence, and mortality. No settings tested allowed all juveniles to pass while impeding all adult passage. Juvenile and adult rainbow trout avoided the barrier at higher pulse widths, and fewer rainbow trout passed the barrier at 0.7-ms pulse width compared to 0.1 ms and when the barrier was turned off. We found no effect of voltage gradient on fish passage. No mortality occurred, and we observed external bruising in 5 (7%) juvenile rainbow trout and 15 (21%) adult rainbow trout. This study may aid managers in selecting barrier settings that allow for increased juvenile passage.

Experimental study of electrical discharge drilling of stainless steel UNS S30400

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanash, E. A. H.; Ali, M. Y.

2018-01-01

In this study, overcut and taper angle were investigated in machining of stainless steel UNS S30400 against three different electrical discharge machining parameters which are electric current (Ip), pulse on-time (Ton) and pulse off-time (Toff). The electrode used was of 1 mm diameter with aspect ratio of 10. Dimensional accuracy was measured by evaluating overcut and taper angle. Those two measurements were performed using optical microscope model (Olympus BX41M, Japan). The experimentation planning, evaluation, analysis and optimization have been carried out using DOE software version 10.0.3 RSM based method with total number of twenty experiments. The research reveals that, discharge current was found to have the most significant effect on overcut and taper angle followed by pulse on-time and pulse off-time. As the discharge current and pulse on-time increase, overcut and taper angle are increased. However, when pulse off-time increases, overcut and taper angle decrease. The outcome result of this study will be very useful in the manufacturing industry to select the appropriate parameters for the selected work material. The model has shown a great accuracy with percentage error of less than 5%.

Air and water cooled modulator

DOEpatents

Birx, D.L.; Arnold, P.A.; Ball, D.G.; Cook, E.G.

1995-09-05

A compact high power magnetic compression apparatus and method are disclosed for delivering high voltage pulses of short duration at a high repetition rate and high peak power output which does not require the use of environmentally unacceptable fluids such as chlorofluorocarbons either as a dielectric or as a coolant, and which discharges very little waste heat into the surrounding air. A first magnetic switch has cooling channels formed therethrough to facilitate the removal of excess heat. The first magnetic switch is mounted on a printed circuit board. A pulse transformer comprised of a plurality of discrete electrically insulated and magnetically coupled units is also mounted on said printed board and is electrically coupled to the first magnetic switch. The pulse transformer also has cooling means attached thereto for removing heat from the pulse transformer. A second magnetic switch also having cooling means for removing excess heat is electrically coupled to the pulse transformer. Thus, the present invention is able to provide high voltage pulses of short duration at a high repetition rate and high peak power output without the use of environmentally unacceptable fluids and without discharging significant waste heat into the surrounding air. 9 figs.

Effect of high-hydrostatic pressure and moderate-intensity pulsed electric field on plum.

PubMed

García-Parra, J; González-Cebrino, F; Delgado-Adámez, J; Cava, R; Martín-Belloso, O; Élez-Martínez, P; Ramírez, R

2018-03-01

Moderate intensity pulse electric fields were applied in plum with the aim to increase bioactive compounds content of the fruit, while high-hydrostatic pressure was applied to preserve the purées. High-hydrostatic pressure treatment was compared with an equivalent thermal treatment. The addition of ascorbic acid during purée manufacture was also evaluated. The main objective of this study was to assess the effects on microorganisms, polyphenoloxidase, color and bioactive compounds of high-hydrostatic pressure, or thermal-processed plum purées made of moderate intensity pulse electric field-treated or no-moderate intensity pulse electric field-treated plums, after processing during storage. The application of moderate intensity pulse electric field to plums slightly increased the levels of anthocyanins and the antioxidant activity of purées. The application of Hydrostatic-high pressure (HHP) increased the levels of bioactive compounds in purées, while the thermal treatment preserved better the color during storage. The addition of ascorbic acid during the manufacture of plum purée was an important factor for the final quality of purées. The color and the bioactive compounds content were better preserved in purées with ascorbic acid. The no inactivation of polyphenoloxidase enzyme with treatments applied in this study affected the stability purées. Probably more intense treatments conditions (high-hydrostatic pressure and thermal treatment) would be necessary to reach better quality and shelf life during storage.

Feasibility of employing model-based optimization of pulse amplitude and electrode distance for effective tumor electropermeabilization.

PubMed

Sel, Davorka; Lebar, Alenka Macek; Miklavcic, Damijan

2007-05-01

In electrochemotherapy (ECT) electropermeabilization, parameters (pulse amplitude, electrode setup) need to be customized in order to expose the whole tumor to electric field intensities above permeabilizing threshold to achieve effective ECT. In this paper, we present a model-based optimization approach toward determination of optimal electropermeabilization parameters for effective ECT. The optimization is carried out by minimizing the difference between the permeabilization threshold and electric field intensities computed by finite element model in selected points of tumor. We examined the feasibility of model-based optimization of electropermeabilization parameters on a model geometry generated from computer tomography images, representing brain tissue with tumor. Continuous parameter subject to optimization was pulse amplitude. The distance between electrode pairs was optimized as a discrete parameter. Optimization also considered the pulse generator constraints on voltage and current. During optimization the two constraints were reached preventing the exposure of the entire volume of the tumor to electric field intensities above permeabilizing threshold. However, despite the fact that with the particular needle array holder and pulse generator the entire volume of the tumor was not permeabilized, the maximal extent of permeabilization for the particular case (electrodes, tissue) was determined with the proposed approach. Model-based optimization approach could also be used for electro-gene transfer, where electric field intensities should be distributed between permeabilizing threshold and irreversible threshold-the latter causing tissue necrosis. This can be obtained by adding constraints on maximum electric field intensity in optimization procedure.

Inverting polar domains via electrical pulsing in metallic germanium telluride

PubMed Central

Nukala, Pavan; Ren, Mingliang; Agarwal, Rahul; Berger, Jacob; Liu, Gerui; Johnson, A. T. Charlie; Agarwal, Ritesh

2017-01-01

Germanium telluride (GeTe) is both polar and metallic, an unusual combination of properties in any material system. The large concentration of free-carriers in GeTe precludes the coupling of external electric field with internal polarization, rendering it ineffective for conventional ferroelectric applications and polarization switching. Here we investigate alternate ways of coupling the polar domains in GeTe to external electrical stimuli through optical second harmonic generation polarimetry and in situ TEM electrical testing on single-crystalline GeTe nanowires. We show that anti-phase boundaries, created from current pulses (heat shocks), invert the polarization of selective domains resulting in reorganization of certain 71o domain boundaries into 109o boundaries. These boundaries subsequently interact and evolve with the partial dislocations, which migrate from domain to domain with the carrier-wind force (electrical current). This work suggests that current pulses and carrier-wind force could be external stimuli for domain engineering in ferroelectrics with significant current leakage. PMID:28401949

Nanosecond electrical and optical pulses and self phase conjugation from photorefractive lithium niobate fibers and crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kukhtarev, N.; Kukhtareva, T.; Curley, M.; Jaenisch, H. M.; Edwards, M. E.; Gu, M.; Zhou, Z.; Guo, R.

2007-09-01

We have observed nanosecond electrical and optical pulsations from photorefractive lithium-niobate optical fibers using CW green and blue low-power lasers. Fourier spectra of the pulsations have a maximum at ~900 MHz with peaks separated by ~30MHz. We consider free-space and fiber supported illumination of the fiber crystal. Strong nonlinear enhanced backscattering with phase conjugation was observed from bulk crystals and crystal fibers along the C-axis. Model of transformation of CW laser irradiation of ferroelectric crystals into periodic nanosecond electrical and optical pulsations is suggested. This model includes combinations of photorefractive, pyroelectric, piezoelectric, and photogalvanic mechanisms of the holographic grating formation and crystal electrical charging. Possible applications of these short photo-induced electrical pulses for modulation of holographic beam coupling, pulsed electrolysis, electrophoresis, focused electron beams, X-ray and neutron generation, and hand-held micro X-ray devices for localized oncology imaging and treatment based on our advanced sensor work are discussed.

Sound spectrum of a pulsating optical discharge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Grachev, G N; Smirnov, A L; Tishchenko, V N

A spectrum of sound of an optical discharge generated by a repetitively pulsed (RP) laser radiation has been investigated. The parameters of laser radiation are determined at which the spectrum of sound may contains either many lines, or the main line at the pulse repetition rate and several weaker overtones, or a single line. The spectrum of sound produced by trains of RP radiation comprises the line (and overtones) at the repetition rate of train sequences and the line at the repetition rate of pulses in trains. A CO{sub 2} laser with the pulse repetition rate of f ≈ 3more » – 180 kHz and the average power of up to 2 W was used in the experiments. (optical discharges)« less

Characterizing the parameters of ultra-short optical dissipative solitary pulses in the actively mode-locked semiconductor laser with an external fiber cavity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shcherbakov, Alexandre S.; Campos Acosta, Joaquin; Moreno Zarate, Pedro; Mansurova, Svetlana; Il'in, Yurij V.; Tarasov, Il'ya S.

2010-06-01

We discuss specifically elaborated approach for characterizing the train-average parameters of low-power picosecond optical pulses with the frequency chirp, arranged in high-repetition-frequency trains, in both time and frequency domains. This approach had been previously applied to rather important case of pulse generation when a single-mode semiconductor heterolaser operates in a multi-pulse regime of the active mode-locking with an external single-mode fiber cavity. In fact, the trains of optical dissipative solitary pulses, which appear under a double balance between mutually compensating actions of dispersion and nonlinearity as well as gain and optical losses, are under characterization. However, in the contrast with the previous studies, now we touch an opportunity of describing two chirped optical pulses together. The main reason of involving just a pair of pulses is caused by the simplest opportunity for simulating the properties of just a sequence of pulses rather then an isolated pulse. However, this step leads to a set of specific difficulty inherent generally in applying joint time-frequency distributions to groups of signals and consisting in manifestation of various false signals or artefacts. This is why the joint Chio-Williams time-frequency distribution and the technique of smoothing are under preliminary consideration here.

Electronic enhancement of tear secretion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brinton, Mark; Lim Chung, Jae; Kossler, Andrea; Kook, Koung Hoon; Loudin, Jim; Franke, Manfred; Palanker, Daniel

2016-02-01

Objective. To study electrical stimulation of the lacrimal gland and afferent nerves for enhanced tear secretion, as a potential treatment for dry eye disease. We investigate the response pathways and electrical parameters to safely maximize tear secretion. Approach. We evaluated the tear response to electrical stimulation of the lacrimal gland and afferent nerves in isofluorane-anesthetized rabbits. In acute studies, electrical stimulation was performed using bipolar platinum foil electrodes, implanted beneath the inferior lacrimal gland, and a monopolar electrode placed near the afferent ethmoid nerve. Wireless microstimulators with bipolar electrodes were implanted beneath the lacrimal gland for chronic studies. To identify the response pathways, we applied various pharmacological inhibitors. To optimize the stimulus, we measured tear secretion rate (Schirmer test) as a function of pulse amplitude (1.5-12 mA), duration (0.1-1 ms) and repetition rate (10-100 Hz). Main results. Stimulation of the lacrimal gland increased tear secretion by engaging efferent parasympathetic nerves. Tearing increased with stimulation amplitude, pulse duration and repetition rate, up to 70 Hz. Stimulation with 3 mA, 500 μs pulses at 70 Hz provided a 4.5 mm (125%) increase in Schirmer score. Modulating duty cycle further increased tearing up to 57%, compared to continuous stimulation in chronically implanted animals (36%). Ethmoid (afferent) nerve stimulation increased tearing similar to gland stimulation (3.6 mm) via a reflex pathway. In animals with chronically implanted stimulators, a nearly 6 mm increase (57%) was achieved with 12-fold less charge density per pulse (0.06-0.3 μC mm-2 with 170-680 μs pulses) than the damage threshold (3.5 μC mm-2 with 1 ms pulses). Significance. Electrical stimulation of the lacrimal gland or afferent nerves may be used as a treatment for dry eye disease. Clinical trials should validate this approach in patients with aqueous tear deficiency, and further optimize electrical parameters for maximum clinical efficacy.

Effect of second harmonic in pulse-width-modulation-based DAC for feedback of digital fluxgate magnetometer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belyayev, Serhiy; Ivchenko, Nickolay

2018-04-01

Digital fluxgate magnetometers employ processing of the measured pickup signal to produce the value of the compensation current. Using pulse-width modulation with filtering for digital to analog conversion is a convenient approach, but it can introduce an intrinsic source of nonlinearity, which we discuss in this design note. A code shift of one least significant bit changes the second harmonic content of the pulse train, which feeds into the pick-up signal chain despite the heavy filtering. This effect produces a code-dependent nonlinearity. This nonlinearity can be overcome by the specific design of the timing of the pulse train signal. The second harmonic is suppressed if the first and third quarters of the excitation period pulse train are repeated in the second and fourth quarters. We demonstrate this principle on a digital magnetometer, achieving a magnetometer noise level corresponding to that of the sensor itself.

Biofeedback-assisted relaxation training to decrease test anxiety in nursing students.

PubMed

Prato, Catherine A; Yucha, Carolyn B

2013-01-01

Nursing students experiencing debilitating test anxiety may be unable to demonstrate their knowledge and have potential for poor academic performance. A biofeedback-assisted relaxation training program was created to reduce test anxiety. Anxiety was measured using Spielberger's Test Anxiety Inventory and monitoring peripheral skin temperature, pulse, and respiration rates during the training. Participants were introduced to diaphragmatic breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and autogenic training. Statistically significant changes occurred in respiratory rates and skin temperatures during the diaphragmatic breathing session; respiratory rates and peripheral skin temperatures during progressive muscle relaxation session; respiratory and pulse rates, and peripheral skin temperatures during the autogenic sessions. No statistically significant difference was noted between the first and second TAI. Subjective test anxiety scores of the students did not decrease by the end of training. Autogenic training session was most effective in showing a statistically significant change in decreased respiratory and pulse rates and increased peripheral skin temperature.

Auditory-nerve single-neuron thresholds to electrical stimulation from scala tympani electrodes.

PubMed

Parkins, C W; Colombo, J

1987-12-31

Single auditory-nerve neuron thresholds were studied in sensory-deafened squirrel monkeys to determine the effects of electrical stimulus shape and frequency on single-neuron thresholds. Frequency was separated into its components, pulse width and pulse rate, which were analyzed separately. Square and sinusoidal pulse shapes were compared. There were no or questionably significant threshold differences in charge per phase between sinusoidal and square pulses of the same pulse width. There was a small (less than 0.5 dB) but significant threshold advantage for 200 microseconds/phase pulses delivered at low pulse rates (156 pps) compared to higher pulse rates (625 pps and 2500 pps). Pulse width was demonstrated to be the prime determinant of single-neuron threshold, resulting in strength-duration curves similar to other mammalian myelinated neurons, but with longer chronaxies. The most efficient electrical stimulus pulse width to use for cochlear implant stimulation was determined to be 100 microseconds/phase. This pulse width delivers the lowest charge/phase at threshold. The single-neuron strength-duration curves were compared to strength-duration curves of a computer model based on the specific anatomy of auditory-nerve neurons. The membrane capacitance and resulting chronaxie of the model can be varied by altering the length of the unmyelinated termination of the neuron, representing the unmyelinated portion of the neuron between the habenula perforata and the hair cell. This unmyelinated segment of the auditory-nerve neuron may be subject to aminoglycoside damage. Simulating a 10 micron unmyelinated termination for this model neuron produces a strength-duration curve that closely fits the single-neuron data obtained from aminoglycoside deafened animals. Both the model and the single-neuron strength-duration curves differ significantly from behavioral threshold data obtained from monkeys and humans with cochlear implants. This discrepancy can best be explained by the involvement of higher level neurologic processes in the behavioral responses. These findings suggest that the basic principles of neural membrane function must be considered in developing or analyzing electrical stimulation strategies for cochlear prostheses if the appropriate stimulation of frequency specific populations of auditory-nerve neurons is the objective.

Pulse generator using transistors and silicon controlled rectifiers produces high current pulses with fast rise and fall times

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Woolfson, M. G.

1966-01-01

Electrical pulse generator uses power transistors and silicon controlled rectifiers for producing a high current pulse having fast rise and fall times. At quiescent conditions, the standby power consumption of the circuit is equal to zero.

Modification of Pulsed Electric Field Conditions Results in Distinct Activation Profiles of Platelet-Rich Plasma.

PubMed

Frelinger, Andrew L; Gerrits, Anja J; Garner, Allen L; Torres, Andrew S; Caiafa, Antonio; Morton, Christine A; Berny-Lang, Michelle A; Carmichael, Sabrina L; Neculaes, V Bogdan; Michelson, Alan D

2016-01-01

Activated autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) used in therapeutic wound healing applications is poorly characterized and standardized. Using pulsed electric fields (PEF) to activate platelets may reduce variability and eliminate complications associated with the use of bovine thrombin. We previously reported that exposing PRP to sub-microsecond duration, high electric field (SMHEF) pulses generates a greater number of platelet-derived microparticles, increased expression of prothrombotic platelet surfaces, and differential release of growth factors compared to thrombin. Moreover, the platelet releasate produced by SMHEF pulses induced greater cell proliferation than plasma. To determine whether sub-microsecond duration, low electric field (SMLEF) bipolar pulses results in differential activation of PRP compared to SMHEF, with respect to profiles of activation markers, growth factor release, and cell proliferation capacity. PRP activation by SMLEF bipolar pulses was compared to SMHEF pulses and bovine thrombin. PRP was prepared using the Harvest SmartPreP2 System from acid citrate dextrose anticoagulated healthy donor blood. PEF activation by either SMHEF or SMLEF pulses was performed using a standard electroporation cuvette preloaded with CaCl2 and a prototype instrument designed to take into account the electrical properties of PRP. Flow cytometry was used to assess platelet surface P-selectin expression, and annexin V binding. Platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial growth factor (EGF) and platelet factor 4 (PF4), and were measured by ELISA. The ability of supernatants to stimulate proliferation of human epithelial cells in culture was also evaluated. Controls included vehicle-treated, unactivated PRP and PRP with 10 mM CaCl2 activated with 1 U/mL bovine thrombin. PRP activated with SMLEF bipolar pulses or thrombin had similar light scatter profiles, consistent with the presence of platelet-derived microparticles, platelets, and platelet aggregates whereas SMHEF pulses primarily resulted in platelet-derived microparticles. Microparticles and platelets in PRP activated with SMLEF bipolar pulses had significantly lower annexin V-positivity than those following SMHEF activation. In contrast, the % P-selectin positivity and surface P-selectin expression (MFI) for platelets and microparticles in SMLEF bipolar pulse activated PRP was significantly higher than that in SMHEF-activated PRP, but not significantly different from that produced by thrombin activation. Higher levels of EGF were observed following either SMLEF bipolar pulses or SMHEF pulses of PRP than after bovine thrombin activation while VEGF, PDGF, and PF4 levels were similar with all three activating conditions. Cell proliferation was significantly increased by releasates of both SMLEF bipolar pulse and SMHEF pulse activated PRP compared to plasma alone. PEF activation of PRP at bipolar low vs. monopolar high field strength results in differential platelet-derived microparticle production and activation of platelet surface procoagulant markers while inducing similar release of growth factors and similar capacity to induce cell proliferation. Stimulation of PRP with SMLEF bipolar pulses is gentler than SMHEF pulses, resulting in less platelet microparticle generation but with overall activation levels similar to that obtained with thrombin. These results suggest that PEF provides the means to alter, in a controlled fashion, PRP properties thereby enabling evaluation of their effects on wound healing and clinical outcomes.

Ultrafast Manipulation of Magnetic Order with Electrical Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yang

During the last 30 years spintronics has been a very rapidly expanding field leading to lots of new interesting physics and applications. As with most technology-oriented fields, spintronics strives to control devices with very low energy consumption and high speed. The combination of spin and electronics inherent to spintronics directly tackles energy efficiency, due to the non-volatility of magnetism. However, speed of operation of spintronic devices is still rather limited ( nanoseconds), due to slow magnetization precessional frequencies. Ultrafast magnetism (or opto-magnetism) is a relatively new field that has been very active in the last 20 years. The main idea is that intense femtosecond laser pulses can be used in order to manipulate the magnetization at very fast time-scales ( 100 femtoseconds). However, the use of femtosecond lasers poses great application challenges such as diffraction limited optical spot sizes which hinders device density, and bulky and expensive integration of femtosecond lasers into devices. In this thesis, our efforts to combine ultrafast magnetism and spintronics are presented. First, we show that the magnetization of ferrimagnetic GdFeCo films can be switched by picosecond electronic heat current pulses. This result shows that a non-thermal distribution of electrons directly excited by laser is not necessary for inducing ultrafast magnetic dynamics. Then, we fabricate photoconductive switch devices on a LT-GaAs substrate, to generate picosecond electrical pulses. Intense electrical pulses with 10ps (FWHM) duration and peak current up to 3A can be generated and delivered into magnetic films. Distinct magnetic dynamics in CoPt films are found between direct optical heating and electrical heating. More importantly, by delivering picosecond electrical pulses into GdFeCo films, we are able to deterministically reverse the magnetization of GdFeCo within 10ps. This is more than one order of magnitude faster than any other electrically controlled magnetic switching. Our results present a fundamentally new switching mechanism electrically, without requirement for any spin polarized current or spin transfer/orbit torques. Our discovery that ultrafast magnetization switching can be achieved with electrical pulses will launch a new frontier of spintronics science and herald a new generation of spintronic devices that operate at high speed with low energy consumption. At last, to push ultrafast spintronics to practical use, ultrafast switching of a ferromagnetic film is desired. By exploiting the exchange interaction between GdFeCo and ferromagnetic Co/Pt layer, we achieved ultrafast (sub 10ps) switching of ferromagnetic film with a single laser pulse. This result will open up the possibility to control ferromagnetic materials at ultrafast time scale, critical for practical applications.

In vivo real-time monitoring system of electroporation mediated control of transdermal and topical drug delivery.

PubMed

Blagus, Tanja; Markelc, Bostjan; Cemazar, Maja; Kosjek, Tina; Preat, Veronique; Miklavcic, Damijan; Sersa, Gregor

2013-12-28

Electroporation (EP) is a physical method for the delivery of molecules into cells and tissues, including the skin. In this study, in order to control the degree of transdermal and topical drug delivery, EP at different amplitudes of electric pulses was evaluated. A new in vivo real-time monitoring system based on fluorescently labeled molecules was developed, for the quantification of transdermal and topical drug delivery. EP of the mouse skin was performed with new non-invasive multi-array electrodes, delivering different amplitudes of electric pulses ranging from 70 to 570 V, between the electrode pin pairs. Patches, soaked with 4 kDa fluorescein-isothiocyanate labeled dextran (FD), doxorubicin (DOX) or fentanyl (FEN), were applied to the skin before and after EP. The new monitoring system was developed based on the delivery of FD to and through the skin. FD relative quantity was determined with fluorescence microscopy imaging, in the treated region of the skin for topical delivery and in a segment of the mouse tail for transdermal delivery. The application of electric pulses for FD delivery resulted in enhanced transdermal delivery. Depending on the amplitude of electric pulses, it increased up to the amplitude of 360 V, and decreased at higher amplitudes (460 and 570 V). Topical delivery steadily enhanced with increasing the amplitude of the delivered electric pulses, being even higher than after tape stripping used as a positive control. The non-invasive monitoring of the delivery of DOX, a fluorescent chemotherapeutic drug, qualitatively and quantitatively confirmed the effects of EP at 360 and 570 V pulse amplitudes on topical and transdermal drug delivery. Delivery of FEN at 360 and 570 V pulse amplitudes verified the observed effects as obtained with FD and DOX, by the measured physiological responses of the mice as well as FEN plasma concentration. This study demonstrates that with the newly developed non-invasive multi-array electrodes and with the varying electric pulse amplitude, the amount of topical and transdermal drug delivery to the skin can be controlled. Furthermore, the newly developed monitoring system provides a tool for rapid real-time determination of both, transdermal and topical delivery, when the delivered molecule is fluorescent. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Experimental study of atmospheric-pressure micro-plasmas for the ambient sampling of conductive materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Zhengchao; He, Feng; Si, Xinlu; Bradley, James W.; Ouyang, Jiting

2018-02-01

Conductive solid material sampling by micro-plasma under ambient atmosphere was studied experimentally. A high-voltage pulse generator was utilized to drive discharge between a tungsten needle and metal samples. The effects of pulse width on discharge, micro-plasma and sampling were investigated. The electrical results show that two discharge current pulses can be formed in one voltage pulse. The duration of the first current pulse is of the order of 100 ns. The duration of the second current pulse depends on the width of the voltage pulse. The electrical results also show that arc micro-plasma was generated during both current pulses. The results of the emission spectra of different sampled materials indicate that the relative emission intensity of elemental metal ions will increase with pulse width. The excitation temperature and electron density of the arc micro-plasmas increase with the voltage pulse width, which contributes to the increase of relative emission intensity of metal ions. The optical images and energy dispersive spectroscopy results of the sampling spots on metal surfaces indicate that discharge with a short voltage pulse can generate a small sputtering crater.

Missile’s Guidance Head Anti-Nuclear Electromagnetic Pulse Reinforcement,

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-11-18

electromagnetic pulse bomb is one of them. This kind of nuclear bomb is mainly used to interfere or damage un-reinforced electric and electronic... electromagnetic pulse , the damaging mechanism of the nuclear electromagnetic pulse to the guidance head, and the response of electronic devices to...the nuclear electromagnetic pulse , at last introduces the guidance heads defense method to the nuclear electromagnetic pulse .

Strategies for stroke rehabilitation.

PubMed

Dobkin, Bruce H

2004-09-01

Rehabilitation after hemiplegic stroke has typically relied on the training of patients in compensatory strategies. The translation of neuroscientific research into care has led to new approaches and renewed promise for better outcomes. Improved motor control can progress with task-specific training incorporating increased use of proximal and distal movements during intensive practice of real-world activities. Functional gains are incorrectly said to plateau by 3-6 months. Many patients retain latent sensorimotor function that can be realised any time after stroke with a pulse of goal-directed therapy. The amount of practice probably best determines gains for a given level of residual movement ability. Clinicians should encourage patients to build greater strength, speed, endurance, and precision of multijoint movements on tasks that increase independence and enrich daily activity. Imaging tools may help clinicians determine the capacity of residual networks to respond to a therapeutic approach and help establish optimal dose-response curves for training. Promising adjunct approaches include practice with robotic devices or in a virtual environment, electrical stimulation to increase cortical excitability during training, and drugs to optimise molecular mechanisms for learning. Biological strategies for neural repair may augment rehabilitation in the next decade.

Strategies for stroke rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Dobkin, Bruce H

2014-01-01

Rehabilitation after hemiplegic stroke has typically relied on the training of patients in compensatory strategies. The translation of neuroscientific research into care has led to new approaches and renewed promise for better outcomes. Improved motor control can progress with task-specific training incorporating increased use of proximal and distal movements during intensive practice of real-world activities. Functional gains are incorrectly said to plateau by 3–6 months. Many patients retain latent sensorimotor function that can be realised any time after stroke with a pulse of goal-directed therapy. The amount of practice probably best determines gains for a given level of residual movement ability. Clinicians should encourage patients to build greater strength, speed, endurance, and precision of multijoint movements on tasks that increase independence and enrich daily activity. Imaging tools may help clinicians determine the capacity of residual networks to respond to a therapeutic approach and help establish optimal dose-response curves for training. Promising adjunct approaches include practice with robotic devices or in a virtual environment, electrical stimulation to increase cortical excitability during training, and drugs to optimise molecular mechanisms for learning. Biological strategies for neural repair may augment rehabilitation in the next decade. PMID:15324721

An 8-GW long-pulse generator based on Tesla transformer and pulse forming network

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Su, Jiancang; Zhang, Xibo; Li, Rui

A long-pulse generator TPG700L based on a Tesla transformer and a series pulse forming network (PFN) is constructed to generate intense electron beams for the purpose of high power microwave (HPM) generation. The TPG700L mainly consists of a 12-stage PFN, a built-in Tesla transformer in a pulse forming line, a three-electrode gas switch, a transmission line with a trigger, and a load. The Tesla transformer and the compact PFN are the key technologies for the development of the TPG700L. This generator can output electrical pulses with a width as long as 200 ns at a level of 8 GW andmore » a repetition rate of 50 Hz. When used to drive a relative backward wave oscillator for HPM generation, the electrical pulse width is about 100 ns on a voltage level of 520 kV. Factors affecting the pulse waveform of the TPG700L are also discussed. At present, the TPG700L performs well for long-pulse HPM generation in our laboratory.« less

An 8-GW long-pulse generator based on Tesla transformer and pulse forming network.

PubMed

Su, Jiancang; Zhang, Xibo; Li, Rui; Zhao, Liang; Sun, Xu; Wang, Limin; Zeng, Bo; Cheng, Jie; Wang, Ying; Peng, Jianchang; Song, Xiaoxin

2014-06-01

A long-pulse generator TPG700L based on a Tesla transformer and a series pulse forming network (PFN) is constructed to generate intense electron beams for the purpose of high power microwave (HPM) generation. The TPG700L mainly consists of a 12-stage PFN, a built-in Tesla transformer in a pulse forming line, a three-electrode gas switch, a transmission line with a trigger, and a load. The Tesla transformer and the compact PFN are the key technologies for the development of the TPG700L. This generator can output electrical pulses with a width as long as 200 ns at a level of 8 GW and a repetition rate of 50 Hz. When used to drive a relative backward wave oscillator for HPM generation, the electrical pulse width is about 100 ns on a voltage level of 520 kV. Factors affecting the pulse waveform of the TPG700L are also discussed. At present, the TPG700L performs well for long-pulse HPM generation in our laboratory.

Transdermal delivery of therapeutic agent

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kwiatkowski, Krzysztof C. (Inventor); Hayes, Ryan T. (Inventor); Magnuson, James W. (Inventor); Giletto, Anthony (Inventor)

2008-01-01

A device for the transdermal delivery of a therapeutic agent to a biological subject that includes a first electrode comprising a first array of electrically conductive microprojections for providing electrical communication through a skin portion of the subject to a second electrode comprising a second array of electrically conductive microprojections. Additionally, a reservoir for holding the therapeutic agent surrounding the first electrode and a pulse generator for providing an exponential decay pulse between the first and second electrodes may be provided. A method includes the steps of piercing a stratum corneum layer of skin with two arrays of conductive microprojections, encapsulating the therapeutic agent into biocompatible charged carriers, surrounding the conductive microprojections with the therapeutic agent, generating an exponential decay pulse between the two arrays of conductive microprojections to create a non-uniform electrical field and electrokinetically driving the therapeutic agent through the stratum corneum layer of skin.

Dynamic optical arbitrary waveform generation with amplitude controlled by interference of two FBG arrays.

PubMed

Zhang, Ailing; Li, Changxiu

2012-10-08

In this paper, a novel structure of dynamic optical arbitrary waveform generation (O-AWG) with amplitude controlled by interference of two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) arrays is proposed. The FBG array consists of several FBGs and fiber stretchers (FSs). The amplitude is controlled by FSs through interference of two FBG arrays. The phase is controlled by FSs simultaneously. As a result, optical pulse trains with various waveforms as well as pulse trains with nonuniform pulse intensity, pulse spacing and pulse width in each period are obtained via FSs adjustment to change the phase shift of signal in each array.

Development of testing and training simulator for CEDMCS in KSNP

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nam, C. H.; Park, C. Y.; Nam, J. I.

2006-07-01

This paper presents a newly developed testing and training simulator (TTS) for automatically diagnosing and tuning the Control Element Drive Mechanism Control System (CEDMCS). TTS includes a new automatic, diagnostic, method for logic control cards and a new tuning method for phase synchronous pulse cards. In Korea Standard Nuclear Power Plants (KSNP). reactor trips occasionally occur due to a damaged logic control card in CEDMCS. However, there is no pre-diagnostic tester available to detect a damaged card in CEDMCS before it causes a reactor trip. Even after the reactor trip occurs, it is difficult to find the damaged card. Tomore » find the damaged card. ICT is usually used. ICT is an automated, computer-controlled testing system with measurement capabilities for testing active and passive components, or clusters of components, on printed circuit boards (PCB) and/or assemblies. However, ICT cannot detect a time dependent fault correctly and requires removal of the waterproof mating to perform the test. Therefore, the additional procedure of re-coating the PCB card is required after the test. TTS for CEDMCS is designed based on real plant conditions, both electrically and mechanically. Therefore, the operator can operate the Control Element Drive Mechanism (CEDM), which is mounted on the closure head of the reactor vessel (RV) using the soft control panel in ITS, which duplicates the Main Control Board (MCB) in the Main Control Room (MCR). However, during the generation of electric power in a nuclear power plant, it is difficult to operate the CEDM so a CEDM and Control Element Assembly (CEA) mock-up facility was developed to simulate a real plant CEDM. ITS was used for diagnosing and tuning control logic cards in CEDMCS in the Ulchin Nuclear Power Plant No. 4 during the plant overhaul period. It exhibited good performance in detecting the damaged cards and tuning the phase synchronous pulse cards. In addition, TTS was useful in training the CEDMCS operator by supplying detail signal information from the logic cards. (authors)« less

Synergistic Combination of Electrolysis and Electroporation for Tissue Ablation.

PubMed

Stehling, Michael K; Guenther, Enric; Mikus, Paul; Klein, Nina; Rubinsky, Liel; Rubinsky, Boris

2016-01-01

Electrolysis, electrochemotherapy with reversible electroporation, nanosecond pulsed electric fields and irreversible electroporation are valuable non-thermal electricity based tissue ablation technologies. This paper reports results from the first large animal study of a new non-thermal tissue ablation technology that employs "Synergistic electrolysis and electroporation" (SEE). The goal of this pre-clinical study is to expand on earlier studies with small animals and use the pig liver to establish SEE treatment parameters of clinical utility. We examined two SEE methods. One of the methods employs multiple electrochemotherapy-type reversible electroporation magnitude pulses, designed in such a way that the charge delivered during the electroporation pulses generates the electrolytic products. The second SEE method combines the delivery of a small number of electrochemotherapy magnitude electroporation pulses with a low voltage electrolysis generating DC current in three different ways. We show that both methods can produce lesion with dimensions of clinical utility, without the need to inject drugs as in electrochemotherapy, faster than with conventional electrolysis and with lower electric fields than irreversible electroporation and nanosecond pulsed ablation.

Synergistic Combination of Electrolysis and Electroporation for Tissue Ablation

PubMed Central

Mikus, Paul; Klein, Nina; Rubinsky, Liel; Rubinsky, Boris

2016-01-01

Electrolysis, electrochemotherapy with reversible electroporation, nanosecond pulsed electric fields and irreversible electroporation are valuable non-thermal electricity based tissue ablation technologies. This paper reports results from the first large animal study of a new non-thermal tissue ablation technology that employs “Synergistic electrolysis and electroporation” (SEE). The goal of this pre-clinical study is to expand on earlier studies with small animals and use the pig liver to establish SEE treatment parameters of clinical utility. We examined two SEE methods. One of the methods employs multiple electrochemotherapy-type reversible electroporation magnitude pulses, designed in such a way that the charge delivered during the electroporation pulses generates the electrolytic products. The second SEE method combines the delivery of a small number of electrochemotherapy magnitude electroporation pulses with a low voltage electrolysis generating DC current in three different ways. We show that both methods can produce lesion with dimensions of clinical utility, without the need to inject drugs as in electrochemotherapy, faster than with conventional electrolysis and with lower electric fields than irreversible electroporation and nanosecond pulsed ablation. PMID:26866693

Electrothermal Action of the Pulse of the Current of a Short Artificial-Lightning Stroke on Test Specimens of Wires and Cables of Electric Power Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, M. I.; Rudakov, S. V.

2018-03-01

The authors have given results of investigations of the electrothermal action of aperiodic pulses of temporal shape 10/350 μs of the current of a short artificial-lightning stroke on test specimens of electric wires and cables with copper and aluminum cores and sheaths with polyvinylchloride and polyethylene insulations of power circuits of industrial electric power objects. It has been shown that the thermal stability of such wires and cables is determined by the action integral of the indicated current pulse. The authors have found the maximum permissible and critical densities of this pulse in copper and aluminum current-carrying parts of the wires and cables. High-current experiments conducted under high-voltage laboratory conditions on a unique generator of 10/350 μs pulses of an artificial-lightning current with amplitude-time parameters normalized according to the existing requirements of international and national standards and with tolerances on them have confirmed the reliability of the proposed calculated estimate for thermal lightning resistance of cabling and wiring products.

Transient luminescence induced by electrical refilling of charge carrier traps of dislocation network at hydrophilically bonded Si wafers interface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bondarenko, Anton; Vyvenko, Oleg

2014-02-21

Dislocation network (DN) at hydrophilically bonded Si wafers interface is placed in space charge region (SCR) of a Schottky diode at a depth of about 150 nm from Schottky electrode for simultaneous investigation of its electrical and luminescent properties. Our recently proposed pulsed traps refilling enhanced luminescence (Pulsed-TREL) technique based on the effect of transient luminescence induced by refilling of charge carrier traps with electrical pulses is further developed and used as a tool to establish DN energy levels responsible for D1 band of dislocation-related luminescence in Si (DRL). In present work we do theoretical analysis and simulation of trapsmore » refilling kinetics dependence on refilling pulse magnitude (Vp) in two levels model: shallow and deep. The influence of initial charge state of deep level on shallow level occupation-Vp dependence is discussed. Characteristic features predicted by simulations are used for Pulsed-TREL experimental results interpretation. We conclude that only shallow (∼0.1 eV from conduction and valence band) energetic levels in the band gap participate in D1 DRL.« less

Electrothermal Action of the Pulse of the Current of a Short Artificial-Lightning Stroke on Test Specimens of Wires and Cables of Electric Power Objects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baranov, M. I.; Rudakov, S. V.

2018-05-01

The authors have given results of investigations of the electrothermal action of aperiodic pulses of temporal shape 10/350 μs of the current of a short artificial-lightning stroke on test specimens of electric wires and cables with copper and aluminum cores and sheaths with polyvinylchloride and polyethylene insulations of power circuits of industrial electric power objects. It has been shown that the thermal stability of such wires and cables is determined by the action integral of the indicated current pulse. The authors have found the maximum permissible and critical densities of this pulse in copper and aluminum current-carrying parts of the wires and cables. High-current experiments conducted under high-voltage laboratory conditions on a unique generator of 10/350 μs pulses of an artificial-lightning current with amplitude-time parameters normalized according to the existing requirements of international and national standards and with tolerances on them have confirmed the reliability of the proposed calculated estimate for thermal lightning resistance of cabling and wiring products.

Electric breakdown during the pulsed current spreading in the sand

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vasilyak, L. M., E-mail: vasilyak@ihed.ras.ru; Vetchinin, S. P.; Panov, V. A.

2016-03-15

Processes of spreading of the pulsed current from spherical electrodes and an electric breakdown in the quartz sand are studied experimentally. When the current density on the electrode exceeds the critical value, a nonlinear reduction occurs in the grounding resistance as a result of sparking in the soil. The critical electric field strengths for ionization and breakdown are determined. The ionization-overheating instability is shown to develop on the electrode, which leads to the current contraction and formation of plasma channels.

Effects of pulsed electric fields pretreatment and drying method on drying characteristics and nutritive quality of blueberries

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fresh blueberries were pretreated with pulsed electric fields (PEF) at 2 kV/cm and then dried at 45, 60 and 75 degrees C by conventional hot air or vacuum drying. Drying characteristics and changes in contents of moisture, anthocyanin, total phenolics, vitamin C, and antioxidant activity in the blu...

Inactivation of E. coli O157:H7 and nonpathogenic E. coli in strawberry juice by pulsed electric field, sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, and citric acid

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Introduction: Current regulations require that juice processors effect a 5 log CFU/ml reduction of a target pathogen prior to distributing products. Whereas thermal pasteurization reduces the sensory characteristics of juice by altering flavor components, pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment may ...

Plasma discharge self-cleaning filtration system

DOEpatents

Cho, Young I.; Fridman, Alexander; Gutsol, Alexander F.; Yang, Yong

2014-07-22

The present invention is directed to a novel method for cleaning a filter surface using a plasma discharge self-cleaning filtration system. The method involves utilizing plasma discharges to induce short electric pulses of nanoseconds duration at high voltages. These electrical pulses generate strong Shockwaves that disintegrate and dislodge particulate matter located on the surface of the filter.

Miniature piezo electric vacuum inlet valve

DOEpatents

Keville, R.F.; Dietrich, D.D.

1998-03-24

A miniature piezo electric vacuum inlet valve having a fast pulse rate and is battery operated with variable flow capability is disclosed. The low power (<1.6 watts), high pulse rate (<2 milliseconds), variable flow inlet valve is utilized for mass spectroscopic applications or other applications where pulsed or continuous flow conditions are needed. The inlet valve also has a very minimal dead volume of less than 0.01 std/cc. The valve can utilize, for example, a 12 Vdc input/750 Vdc, 3 mA output power supply compared to conventional piezo electric valves which require preloading of the crystal drive mechanism and 120 Vac, thus the valve of the present invention is smaller by a factor of three. 6 figs.

Impact of Short-Term Training Camp on Aortic Blood Pressure in Collegiate Endurance Runners

PubMed Central

Tomoto, Tsubasa; Sugawara, Jun; Hirasawa, Ai; Imai, Tomoko; Maeda, Seiji; Ogoh, Shigehiko

2018-01-01

To investigate the influence of short-term vigorous endurance training on aortic blood pressure (BP), pulse wave analysis was performed in 36 highly trained elite collegiate endurance runners before and after a 7-day intense training camp. Subjects participated three training sessions per day, which mainly consisted of long distance running and sprint training to reach the daily target distance of 26 km. After the camp, they were divided into two groups based on whether the target training was achieved. Aortic systolic BP, pulse pressure, and tension-time index (TTI, a surrogate index of the myocardial oxygen demand) were significantly elevated after the camp in the accomplished group but not in the unaccomplished group, whereas the brachial BP remained unchanged in both groups. The average daily training distance was significantly correlated with the changes in aortic systolic BP (r = 0.608, p = 0.0002), pulse pressure (r = 0.415, p = 0.016), and TTI (r = 0.438, p = 0.011). These results suggest that aortic BP is affected by a short-term vigorous training camp even in highly trained elite endurance athletes presumably due to a greater training volume compared to usual. PMID:29643814

Nanosecond pulsed power generator for a voltage amplitude up to 300 kV and a repetition rate up to 16 Hz for fine disintegration of quartz

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Krastelev, E. G., E-mail: ekrastelev@yandex.ru; Sedin, A. A.; Tugushev, V. I.

2015-12-15

A generator of high-power high-voltage nanosecond pulses is intended for electrical discharge disintegration of mineral quartz and other nonconducting minerals. It includes a 320 kV Marx pulsed voltage generator, a high-voltage glycerin-insulated coaxial peaking capacitor, and an output gas spark switch followed by a load, an electric discharge disintegration chamber. The main parameters of the generator are as follows: a voltage pulse amplitude of up to 300 kV, an output impedance of ≈10 Ω, a discharge current amplitude of up to 25 kA for a half-period of 80–90 ns, and a pulse repetition rate of up to 16 Hz.

Photoconductive circuit element reflectometer

DOEpatents

Rauscher, Christen

1990-01-01

A photoconductive reflectometer for characterizing semiconductor devices at millimeter wavelength frequencies where a first photoconductive circuit element (PCE) is biased by a direct current voltage source and produces short electrical pulses when excited into conductance by short first laser light pulses. The electrical pulses are electronically conditioned to improve the frequency related amplitude characteristics of the pulses which thereafter propagate along a transmission line to a device under test. Second PCEs are connected along the transmission line to sample the signals on the transmission line when excited into conductance by short second laser light pulses, spaced apart in time a variable period from the first laser light pulses. Electronic filters connected to each of the second PCEs act as low-pass filters and remove parasitic interference from the sampled signals and output the sampled signals in the form of slowed-motion images of the signals on the transmission line.

Photoconductive circuit element reflectometer

DOEpatents

Rauscher, C.

1987-12-07

A photoconductive reflectometer for characterizing semiconductor devices at millimeter wavelength frequencies where a first photoconductive circuit element (PCE) is biased by a direct current voltage source and produces short electrical pulses when excited into conductance by short first laser light pulses. The electrical pulses are electronically conditioned to improve the frequency related amplitude characteristics of the pulses which thereafter propagate along a transmission line to a device under test. Second PCEs are connected along the transmission line to sample the signals on the transmission line when excited into conductance by short second laser light pulses, spaced apart in time a determinable period from the first laser light pulses. Electronic filters connected to each of the second PCEs act as low-pass filters and remove parasitic interference from the sampled signals and output the sampled signals in the form of slowed-motion images of the signals on the transmission line. 4 figs.

Slow-Frequency Pulsed Transcranial Electrical Stimulation for Modulation of Cortical Plasticity Based on Reciprocity Targeting with Precision Electrical Head Modeling

PubMed Central

Luu, Phan; Essaki Arumugam, Easwara Moorthy; Anderson, Erik; Gunn, Amanda; Rech, Dennis; Turovets, Sergei; Tucker, Don M.

2016-01-01

In pain management as well as other clinical applications of neuromodulation, it is important to consider the timing parameters influencing activity-dependent plasticity, including pulsed versus sustained currents, as well as the spatial action of electrical currents as they polarize the complex convolutions of the cortical mantle. These factors are of course related; studying temporal factors is not possible when the spatial resolution of current delivery to the cortex is so uncertain to make it unclear whether excitability is increased or decreased with anodal vs. cathodal current flow. In the present study we attempted to improve the targeting of specific cortical locations by applying current through flexible source-sink configurations of 256 electrodes in a geodesic array. We constructed a precision electric head model for 12 healthy individuals. Extraction of the individual’s cortical surface allowed computation of the component of the induced current that is normal to the target cortical surface. In an effort to replicate the long-term depression (LTD) induced with pulsed protocols in invasive animal research and transcranial magnetic stimulation studies, we applied 100 ms pulses at 1.9 s intervals either in cortical-surface-anodal or cortical-surface-cathodal directions, with a placebo (sham) control. The results showed significant LTD of the motor evoked potential as a result of the cortical-surface-cathodal pulses in contrast to the placebo control, with a smaller but similar LTD effect for anodal pulses. The cathodal LTD after-effect was sustained over 90 min following current injection. These results support the feasibility of pulsed protocols with low total charge in non-invasive neuromodulation when the precision of targeting is improved with a dense electrode array and accurate head modeling. PMID:27531976

Saturation capability of short phase modulated pulses facilitates the measurement of longitudinal relaxation times of quadrupolar nuclei.

PubMed

Makrinich, Maria; Gupta, Rupal; Polenova, Tatyana; Goldbourt, Amir

The ability of various pulse types, which are commonly applied for distance measurements, to saturate or invert quadrupolar spin polarization has been compared by observing their effect on magnetization recovery curves under magic-angle spinning. A selective central transition inversion pulse yields a bi-exponential recovery for a diamagnetic sample with a spin-3/2, consistent with the existence of two processes: the fluctuations of the electric field gradients with identical single (W 1 ) and double (W 2 ) quantum quadrupolar-driven relaxation rates, and spin exchange between the central transition of one spin and satellite transitions of a dipolar-coupled similar spin. Using a phase modulated pulse, developed for distance measurements in quadrupolar spins (Nimerovsky et al., JMR 244, 2014, 107-113) and suggested for achieving the complete saturation of all quadrupolar spin energy levels, a mono-exponential relaxation model fits the data, compatible with elimination of the spin exchange processes. Other pulses such as an adiabatic pulse lasting one-third of a rotor period, and a two-rotor-period long continuous-wave pulse, both used for distance measurements under special experimental conditions, yield good fits to bi-exponential functions with varying coefficients and time constants due to variations in initial conditions. Those values are a measure of the extent of saturation obtained from these pulses. An empirical fit of the recovery curves to a stretched exponential function can provide general recovery times. A stretching parameter very close to unity, as obtained for a phase modulated pulse but not for other cases, suggests that in this case recovery times and longitudinal relaxation times are similar. The results are experimentally demonstrated for compounds containing 11 B (spin-3/2) and 51 V (spin-7/2). We propose that accurate spin lattice relaxation rates can be measured by a short phase modulated pulse (<1-2ms), similarly to the "true T 1 " measured by saturation with an asynchronous pulse train (Yesinowski, JMR 252, 2015, 135-144). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Co-release of noradrenaline and dopamine in the cerebral cortex elicited by single train and repeated train stimulation of the locus coeruleus

PubMed Central

Devoto, Paola; Flore, Giovanna; Saba, Pierluigi; Fà, Mauro; Gessa, Gian Luigi

2005-01-01

Background Previous studies by our group suggest that extracellular dopamine (DA) and noradrenaline (NA) may be co-released from noradrenergic nerve terminals in the cerebral cortex. We recently demonstrated that the concomitant release of DA and NA could be elicited in the cerebral cortex by electrical stimulation of the locus coeruleus (LC). This study analyses the effect of both single train and repeated electrical stimulation of LC on NA and DA release in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), occipital cortex (Occ), and caudate nucleus. To rule out possible stressful effects of electrical stimulation, experiments were performed on chloral hydrate anaesthetised rats. Results Twenty min electrical stimulation of the LC, with burst type pattern of pulses, increased NA and DA both in the mPFC and in the Occ. NA in both cortices and DA in the mPFC returned to baseline within 20 min after the end of the stimulation period, while DA in the Occ reached a maximum increase during 20 min post-stimulation and remained higher than baseline values at 220 min post-stimulation. Local perfusion with tetrodotoxin (TTX, 10 μM) markedly reduced baseline NA and DA in the mPFC and Occ and totally suppressed the effect of electrical stimulation in both areas. A sequence of five 20 min stimulations at 20 min intervals were delivered to the LC. Each stimulus increased NA to the same extent and duration as the first stimulus, whereas DA remained elevated at the time next stimulus was delivered, so that baseline DA progressively increased in the mPFC and Occ to reach about 130 and 200% the initial level, respectively. In the presence of the NA transport (NAT) blocker desipramine (DMI, 100 μM), multiple LC stimulation still increased extracellular NA and DA levels. Electrical stimulation of the LC increased NA levels in the homolateral caudate nucleus, but failed to modify DA level. Conclusion The results confirm and extend that LC stimulation induces a concomitant release of DA and NA in the mPFC and Occ. The different time-course of LC-induced elevation of DA and NA suggests that their co-release may be differentially controlled. PMID:15865626

Detection of picosecond electrical pulses using the intrinsic Franz{endash}Keldysh effect

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lampin, J. F.; Desplanque, L.; Mollot, F.

2001-06-25

We report time-resolved measurements of ultrafast electrical pulses propagating on a coplanar transmission line using the intrinsic Franz{endash}Keldysh effect. A low-temperature-grown GaAs layer deposited on a GaAs substrate allows generation and also detection of ps pulses via electroabsorption sampling (EAS). This all-optical method does not require any external sampling probe. A typical rise time of 1.1 ps has been measured. EAS is a good candidate for use in THz characterization of ultrafast devices. {copyright} 2001 American Institute of Physics.

Tickling the retina: integration of subthreshold electrical pulses can activate retinal neurons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sekhar, S.; Jalligampala, A.; Zrenner, E.; Rathbun, D. L.

2016-08-01

Objective. The field of retinal prosthetics has made major progress over the last decade, restoring visual percepts to people suffering from retinitis pigmentosa. The stimulation pulses used by present implants are suprathreshold, meaning individual pulses are designed to activate the retina. In this paper we explore subthreshold pulse sequences as an alternate stimulation paradigm. Subthreshold pulses have the potential to address important open problems such as fading of visual percepts when patients are stimulated at moderate pulse repetition rates and the difficulty in preferentially stimulating different retinal pathways. Approach. As a first step in addressing these issues we used Gaussian white noise electrical stimulation combined with spike-triggered averaging to interrogate whether a subthreshold sequence of pulses can be used to activate the mouse retina. Main results. We demonstrate that the retinal network can integrate multiple subthreshold electrical stimuli under an experimental paradigm immediately relevant to retinal prostheses. Furthermore, these characteristic stimulus sequences varied in their shape and integration window length across the population of retinal ganglion cells. Significance. Because the subthreshold sequences activate the retina at stimulation rates that would typically induce strong fading (25 Hz), such retinal ‘tickling’ has the potential to minimize the fading problem. Furthermore, the diversity found across the cell population in characteristic pulse sequences suggests that these sequences could be used to selectively address the different retinal pathways (e.g. ON versus OFF). Both of these outcomes may significantly improve visual perception in retinal implant patients.

Integrating solids and gases for attosecond pulse generation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hammond, T. J.; Monchoce, Sylvain; Zhang, Chunmei

Here, control of the field of few-cycle optical pulses has had an enormous impact on attosecond science. Subcycle pulses open the potential for non-adiabatic phase matching while concentrating the electric field so it can be used most efficiently. However, subcycle field transients have been difficult to generate. We exploit the perturbative response of a sub-100 µm thick monocrystalline quartz plate irradiated by an intense few-cycle 1.8 µm pulse, which creates a phase-controlled supercontinuum spectrum. Within the quartz, the pulse becomes space–time coupled as it generates a parallel second harmonic. Vacuum propagation naturally leads to a subcycle electric-field transient whose envelopemore » is sculpted by the carrier envelope phase of the incident radiation. We show that a second medium (either gas or solid) can generate isolated attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet region. With no optical elements between the components, the process is scalable to very high energy pulses and allows the use of diverse media.« less

Integrating solids and gases for attosecond pulse generation

DOE PAGES

Hammond, T. J.; Monchoce, Sylvain; Zhang, Chunmei; ...

2017-08-21

Here, control of the field of few-cycle optical pulses has had an enormous impact on attosecond science. Subcycle pulses open the potential for non-adiabatic phase matching while concentrating the electric field so it can be used most efficiently. However, subcycle field transients have been difficult to generate. We exploit the perturbative response of a sub-100 µm thick monocrystalline quartz plate irradiated by an intense few-cycle 1.8 µm pulse, which creates a phase-controlled supercontinuum spectrum. Within the quartz, the pulse becomes space–time coupled as it generates a parallel second harmonic. Vacuum propagation naturally leads to a subcycle electric-field transient whose envelopemore » is sculpted by the carrier envelope phase of the incident radiation. We show that a second medium (either gas or solid) can generate isolated attosecond pulses in the extreme ultraviolet region. With no optical elements between the components, the process is scalable to very high energy pulses and allows the use of diverse media.« less

Investigating membrane nanoporation induced by bipolar pulsed electric fields via second harmonic generation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moen, E. K.; Ibey, B. L.; Beier, H. T.; Armani, A. M.

2016-09-01

Electric pulses have become an effective tool for transporting cargo (DNA, drugs, etc.) across cell membranes. This enhanced transport is believed to occur through temporary pores formed in the plasma membrane. Traditionally, millisecond duration, monopolar (MP) pulses are used for electroporation, but bipolar (BP) pulses have proven equally effective as MP pulses with the added advantage of less cytotoxicity. With the goal of further reducing cytotoxic effects and inducing non-thermal, intra-cellular effects, researchers began investigating reduced pulse durations, pushing into the nanosecond regime. Cells exposed to these MP, nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) have shown increased repairable membrane permeability and selective channel activation. However, attempts to improve this further by moving to the BP pulse regime has proven unsuccessful. In the present work, we use second harmonic generation imaging to explore the structural effects of bipolar nsPEFs on the plasma membrane. By varying the temporal spacing between the pulse phases over several orders of magnitude and comparing the response to a single MP case, we systematically examine the disparity in cellular response. Our circuit-based model predicts that, as the temporal spacing increases several orders of magnitude, nanoporation increases and eventually exceeds the MP case. On the whole, our experimental data agree with this assertion; however, a detailed analysis of the data sets demonstrates that biological processes may play a larger role in the observed response than previously thought, dominating the effect for temporal spacing up to 5 μs. These findings could ultimately lead to understanding the biophysical mechanism underlying all electroporation.

Discharge pulse phenomenology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frederickson, A. R.

1985-01-01

A model was developed which places radiation induced discharge pulse results into a unified conceptual framework. Only two phenomena are required to interpret all space and laboratory results: (1) radiation produces large electrostatic fields inside insulators via the trapping of a net space charge density; and (2) the electrostatic fields initiate discharge streamer plasmas similar to those investigated in high voltage electrical insulation materials; these streamer plasmas generate the pulsing phenomena. The apparent variability and diversity of results seen is an inherent feature of the plasma streamer mechanism acting in the electric fields which is created by irradiation of the dielectrics. The implications of the model are extensive and lead to constraints over what can be done about spacecraft pulsing.

High intensity, plasma-induced electron emission from large area carbon nanotube array cathodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liao Qingliang; Yang Ya; Qi Junjie

2010-02-15

The plasma-induced electron emission properties of large area carbon nanotube (CNT) array cathodes under different pulse electric fields were investigated. The formation and expansion of cathode plasmas were proved; in addition, the cathodes have higher emission current in the double-pulse mode than that in the single-pulse mode due to the expansion of plasma. Under the double-pulse electric field of 8.16 V/mum, the plasma's expansion velocity is about 12.33 cm/mus and the highest emission current density reached 107.72 A/cm{sup 2}. The Cerenkov radiation was used to diagnose the distribution of electron beams, and the electron beams' generating process was plasma-induced emission.

Numerical Simulation of Non-Thermal Food Preservation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rauh, C.; Krauss, J.; Ertunc, Ö.; Delgado, a.

2010-09-01

Food preservation is an important process step in food technology regarding product safety and product quality. Novel preservation techniques are currently developed, that aim at improved sensory and nutritional value but comparable safety than in conventional thermal preservation techniques. These novel non-thermal food preservation techniques are based for example on high pressures up to one GPa or pulsed electric fields. in literature studies the high potential of high pressures (HP) and of pulsed electric fields (PEF) is shown due to their high retention of valuable food components as vitamins and flavour and selective inactivation of spoiling enzymes and microorganisms. for the design of preservation processes based on the non-thermal techniques it is crucial to predict the effect of high pressure and pulsed electric fields on the food components and on the spoiling enzymes and microorganisms locally and time-dependent in the treated product. Homogenous process conditions (especially of temperature fields in HP and PEF processing and of electric fields in PEF) are aimed at to avoid the need of over-processing and the connected quality loss and to minimize safety risks due to under-processing. the present contribution presents numerical simulations of thermofluiddynamical phenomena inside of high pressure autoclaves and pulsed electric field treatment chambers. in PEF processing additionally the electric fields are considered. Implementing kinetics of occurring (bio-) chemical reactions in the numerical simulations of the temperature, flow and electric fields enables the evaluation of the process homogeneity and efficiency connected to different process parameters of the preservation techniques. Suggestions to achieve safe and high quality products are concluded out of the numerical results.

Pulsed Electric Propulsion Thrust Stand Calibration Method

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wong, Andrea R.; Polzin, Kurt A.; Pearson, J. Boise

2011-01-01

The evaluation of the performance of any propulsion device requires the accurate measurement of thrust. While chemical rocket thrust is typically measured using a load cell, the low thrust levels associated with electric propulsion (EP) systems necessitate the use of much more sensitive measurement techniques. The design and development of electric propulsion thrust stands that employ a conventional hanging pendulum arm connected to a balance mechanism consisting of a secondary arm and variable linkage have been reported in recent publications by Polzin et al. These works focused on performing steady-state thrust measurements and employed a static analysis of the thrust stand response. In the present work, we present a calibration method and data that will permit pulsed thrust measurements using the Variable Amplitude Hanging Pendulum with Extended Range (VAHPER) thrust stand. Pulsed thrust measurements are challenging in general because the pulsed thrust (impulse bit) occurs over a short timescale (typically 1 micros to 1 millisecond) and cannot be resolved directly. Consequently, the imparted impulse bit must be inferred through observation of the change in thrust stand motion effected by the pulse. Pulsed thrust measurements have typically only consisted of single-shot operation. In the present work, we discuss repetition-rate pulsed thruster operation and describe a method to perform these measurements. The thrust stand response can be modeled as a spring-mass-damper system with a repetitive delta forcing function to represent the impulsive action of the thruster.

Structure of picosecond pulses of a Q-switched and mode-locked diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Donin, V I; Yakovin, D V; Gribanov, A V

2015-12-31

The pulse duration of a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser, in which Q-switching with mode-locking (QML regime) is achieved using a spherical mirror and a travelling-wave acousto-optic modulator, is directly measured with a streak camera. It is found that the picosecond pulses can have a non-single-pulse structure, which is explained by excitation of several competing transverse modes in the Q-switching regime with a pulse repetition rate of 1 kHz. In the case of cw mode-locking (without Q-switching), a new (auto-QML) regime is observed, in which the pulse train repetition rate is determined by the frequency of the relaxation oscillations of the lasermore » field while the train contains single picosecond pulses. (control of laser radiation parameters)« less

Laser lift-off scribing of the CZTSe thin-film solar cells at different pulse durations

DOE PAGES

Markauskas, Edgaras; Gečys, Paulius; Repins, Ingrid; ...

2017-04-27

Here, the transition to fully sized solar modules requires additional three-step laser structuring processes to preserve small-scale cell efficiencies over the large areas. The adjacent cell isolation (the P3 scribe) was found to be the most sensitive process in the case of laser induced damage. The laser induced layer lift-off mechanism seems to be a very attractive process for the P3 patterning, since almost all the laser affected material is removed by mechanical spallation. However, a laser induced layer spallation behavior together with scribe electrical validation under the different laser pulse durations was not investigated extensively in the past. Therefore,more » we report our novel results on the P2 and P3 laser lift-off processing of the Cu 2ZnSn(S, Se 4) (CZTSe) thin-film solar cells covering the pulse duration range from 300 fs to 60 ps. Shorter sub-ps pulses enabled us to process smaller P2 and P3 craters, although the lift-off threshold fluences were higher compared to the longer ps pulses. In the case of the layer lift-off, the laser radiation had to penetrate through the layer stack down to the CZTSe/Mo interface. At shorter sub-ps pulses, the nonlinear effects triggered absorption of the laser radiation in the bulk of the material, resulting in increased damage of the CZTSe layer. The Raman measurements confirmed the CZTSe surface stoichiometry changes for shorter pulses. Furthermore, shorter pulses induced higher electrical conductivity of a scribe, resulting in lower photo-electrical efficiency during the mini-module simulation. In the case of the P3 lift-off scribing, the 10 ps pulses were more favorable than shorter femtosecond pulses.« less

Laser lift-off scribing of the CZTSe thin-film solar cells at different pulse durations

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Markauskas, Edgaras; Gečys, Paulius; Repins, Ingrid

Here, the transition to fully sized solar modules requires additional three-step laser structuring processes to preserve small-scale cell efficiencies over the large areas. The adjacent cell isolation (the P3 scribe) was found to be the most sensitive process in the case of laser induced damage. The laser induced layer lift-off mechanism seems to be a very attractive process for the P3 patterning, since almost all the laser affected material is removed by mechanical spallation. However, a laser induced layer spallation behavior together with scribe electrical validation under the different laser pulse durations was not investigated extensively in the past. Therefore,more » we report our novel results on the P2 and P3 laser lift-off processing of the Cu 2ZnSn(S, Se 4) (CZTSe) thin-film solar cells covering the pulse duration range from 300 fs to 60 ps. Shorter sub-ps pulses enabled us to process smaller P2 and P3 craters, although the lift-off threshold fluences were higher compared to the longer ps pulses. In the case of the layer lift-off, the laser radiation had to penetrate through the layer stack down to the CZTSe/Mo interface. At shorter sub-ps pulses, the nonlinear effects triggered absorption of the laser radiation in the bulk of the material, resulting in increased damage of the CZTSe layer. The Raman measurements confirmed the CZTSe surface stoichiometry changes for shorter pulses. Furthermore, shorter pulses induced higher electrical conductivity of a scribe, resulting in lower photo-electrical efficiency during the mini-module simulation. In the case of the P3 lift-off scribing, the 10 ps pulses were more favorable than shorter femtosecond pulses.« less

An electric scooter simulation program for training the driving skills of stroke patients with mobility problems: a pilot study.

PubMed

Jannink, Michiel J A; Erren-Wolters, C Victorien; de Kort, Alexander C; van der Kooij, Herman

2008-12-01

This paper describes an electric scooter simulation program and a first evaluation study in which we explored if it is possible to train the driving skills of future users of electric mobility scooters by means of an electric scooter simulation program in addition to conventional electric scooter training. Within this explorative study,10 stroke survivors were randomly assigned to either the control (n=5) or the electric scooter simulation intervention group (n=5). Participants were assessed twice on the functional evaluating rating scale. During the followup measurement, subjective experiences regarding both forms of electric scooter training were elicited by a questionnaire. After a training period of 5 weeks, both groups improved on the Functional Evaluation Rating Scale. It can be concluded that the patients with stroke were satisfied with the electric scooter simulation training.

Coherent Manipulation of Phonons at the Nanoscale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Shangjie; Ouyang, Min

Phonons play a key role in almost every physical process, including for example dephasing phenomena of electronic quantum states, electric and heat transports. Therefore, understanding and even manipulating phonons represent a pre-requisite for tailoring phonons-mediated physical processes. In this talk, we will first present how to employ ultrafast optical spectroscopy to probe acoustic phonon modes in colloidal metallic nanoparticles. Furthermore, we have developed various phonon manipulation schemes that can be achieved by a train of optical pulses in time domain to allow selective control of phonon modes. Our theoretical modeling and simulation demonstrates an excellent agreement with experimental results, thus providing a future guideline on more complex phononic control at the nanoscale.

The separated electric and magnetic field responses of luminescent bacteria exposed to pulsed microwave irradiation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Williams, Catrin F., E-mail: williamscf@cardiff.ac.uk; School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Main Building, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3AT Wales; Geroni, Gilles M.

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are ubiquitous in the digital world we inhabit, with microwave and millimetre wave sources of non-ionizing radiation employed extensively in electronics and communications, e.g., in mobile phones and Wi-Fi. Indeed, the advent of 5G systems and the “internet of things” is likely to lead to massive densification of wireless networks. Whilst the thermal effects of EMFs on biological systems are well characterised, their putative non-thermal effects remain a controversial subject. Here, we use the bioluminescent marine bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, to monitor the effects of pulsed microwave electromagnetic fields, of nominal frequency 2.5 GHz, on light emission. Separatedmore » electric and magnetic field effects were investigated using a resonant microwave cavity, within which the maxima of each field are separated. For pulsed electric field exposure, the bacteria gave reproducible responses and recovery in light emission. At the lowest pulsed duty cycle (1.25%) and after short durations (100 ms) of exposure to the electric field at power levels of 4.5 W rms, we observed an initial stimulation of bioluminescence, whereas successive microwave pulses became inhibitory. Much of this behaviour is due to thermal effects, as the bacterial light output is very sensitive to the local temperature. Conversely, magnetic field exposure gave no measurable short-term responses even at the highest power levels of 32 W rms. Thus, we were able to detect, de-convolute, and evaluate independently the effects of separated electric and magnetic fields on exposure of a luminescent biological system to microwave irradiation.« less

The separated electric and magnetic field responses of luminescent bacteria exposed to pulsed microwave irradiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Catrin F.; Geroni, Gilles M.; Pirog, Antoine; Lloyd, David; Lees, Jonathan; Porch, Adrian

2016-08-01

Electromagnetic fields (EMFs) are ubiquitous in the digital world we inhabit, with microwave and millimetre wave sources of non-ionizing radiation employed extensively in electronics and communications, e.g., in mobile phones and Wi-Fi. Indeed, the advent of 5G systems and the "internet of things" is likely to lead to massive densification of wireless networks. Whilst the thermal effects of EMFs on biological systems are well characterised, their putative non-thermal effects remain a controversial subject. Here, we use the bioluminescent marine bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, to monitor the effects of pulsed microwave electromagnetic fields, of nominal frequency 2.5 GHz, on light emission. Separated electric and magnetic field effects were investigated using a resonant microwave cavity, within which the maxima of each field are separated. For pulsed electric field exposure, the bacteria gave reproducible responses and recovery in light emission. At the lowest pulsed duty cycle (1.25%) and after short durations (100 ms) of exposure to the electric field at power levels of 4.5 W rms, we observed an initial stimulation of bioluminescence, whereas successive microwave pulses became inhibitory. Much of this behaviour is due to thermal effects, as the bacterial light output is very sensitive to the local temperature. Conversely, magnetic field exposure gave no measurable short-term responses even at the highest power levels of 32 W rms. Thus, we were able to detect, de-convolute, and evaluate independently the effects of separated electric and magnetic fields on exposure of a luminescent biological system to microwave irradiation.

Pulsed Laser Deposition of High Temperature Protonic Films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dynys, Fred W.; Berger, M. H.; Sayir, Ali

2006-01-01

Pulsed laser deposition has been used to fabricate nanostructured BaCe(0.85)Y(0.15)O3- sigma) films. Protonic conduction of fabricated BaCe(0.85)Y(0.15)O(3-sigma) films was compared to sintered BaCe(0.85)Y(0.15)O(3-sigma). Sintered samples and laser targets were prepared by sintering BaCe(0.85)Y(0.15)O(3-sigma) powders derived by solid state synthesis. Films 1 to 8 micron thick were deposited by KrF excimer laser on porous Al2O3 substrates. Thin films were fabricated at deposition temperatures of 700 to 950 C at O2 pressures up to 200 mTorr using laser pulse energies of 0.45 - 0.95 J. Fabricated films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and electrical impedance spectroscopy. Single phase BaCe(0.85)Y(0.15)O(3-sigma) films with a columnar growth morphology are observed with preferred crystal growth along the [100] or [001] direction. Results indicate [100] growth dependence upon laser pulse energy. Electrical conductivity of bulk samples produced by solid state sintering and thin film samples were measured over a temperature range of 100 C to 900 C. Electrical conduction behavior was dependent upon film deposition temperature. Maximum conductivity occurs at deposition temperature of 900 oC; the electrical conductivity exceeds the sintered specimen. All other deposited films exhibit a lower electrical conductivity than the sintered specimen. Activation energy for electrical conduction showed dependence upon deposition temperature, it varied

Nanosecond electric pulses modulate skeletal muscle calcium dynamics and contraction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valdez, Chris; Jirjis, Michael B.; Roth, Caleb C.; Barnes, Ronald A.; Ibey, Bennett L.

2017-02-01

Irreversible electroporation therapy is utilized to remove cancerous tissues thru the delivery of rapid (250Hz) and high voltage (V) (1,500V/cm) electric pulses across microsecond durations. Clinical research demonstrated that bipolar (BP) high voltage microsecond pulses opposed to monophasic waveforms relieve muscle contraction during electroporation treatment. Our group along with others discovered that nanosecond electric pulses (nsEP) can activate second messenger cascades, induce cytoskeletal rearrangement, and depending on the nsEP duration and frequency, initiate apoptotic pathways. Of high interest across in vivo and in vitro applications, is how nsEP affects muscle physiology, and if nuances exist in comparison to longer duration electroporation applications. To this end, we exposed mature skeletal muscle cells to monopolar (MP) and BP nsEP stimulation across a wide range of electric field amplitudes (1-20 kV/cm). From live confocal microscopy, we simultaneously monitored intracellular calcium dynamics along with nsEP-induced muscle movement on a single cell level. In addition, we also evaluated membrane permeability with Yo-PRO-1 and Propidium Iodide (PI) across various nsEP parameters. The results from our findings suggest that skeletal muscle calcium dynamics, and nsEP-induced contraction exhibit exclusive responses to both MP and BP nsEP exposure. Overall the results suggest in vivo nsEP application may elicit unique physiology and field applications compared to longer pulse duration electroporation.

Pulse-train Stimulation of Primary Somatosensory Cortex Blocks Pain Perception in Tail Clip Test

PubMed Central

Lee, Soohyun; Hwang, Eunjin; Lee, Dongmyeong

2017-01-01

Human studies of brain stimulation have demonstrated modulatory effects on the perception of pain. However, whether the primary somatosensory cortical activity is associated with antinociceptive responses remains unknown. Therefore, we examined the antinociceptive effects of neuronal activity evoked by optogenetic stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex. Optogenetic transgenic mice were subjected to continuous or pulse-train optogenetic stimulation of the primary somatosensory cortex at frequencies of 15, 30, and 40 Hz, during a tail clip test. Reaction time was measured using a digital high-speed video camera. Pulse-train optogenetic stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex showed a delayed pain response with respect to a tail clip, whereas no significant change in reaction time was observed with continuous stimulation. In response to the pulse-train stimulation, video monitoring and local field potential recording revealed associated paw movement and sensorimotor rhythms, respectively. Our results show that optogenetic stimulation of primary somatosensory cortex at beta and gamma frequencies blocks transmission of pain signals in tail clip test. PMID:28442945

Asymmetric noise sensitivity of pulse trains in an excitable microlaser with delayed optical feedback

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terrien, Soizic; Krauskopf, Bernd; Broderick, Neil G. R.; Andréoli, Louis; Selmi, Foued; Braive, Rémy; Beaudoin, Grégoire; Sagnes, Isabelle; Barbay, Sylvain

2017-10-01

A semiconductor micropillar laser with delayed optical feedback is considered. In the excitable regime, we show that a single optical perturbation can trigger a train of pulses that is sustained for a finite duration. The distribution of the pulse train duration exhibits an exponential behavior characteristic of a noise-induced process driven by uncorrelated white noise present in the system. The comparison of experimental observations with theoretical and numerical analysis of a minimal model yields excellent agreement. Importantly, the random switch-off process takes place between two attractors of different nature: an equilibrium and a periodic orbit. Our analysis shows that there is a small time window during which the pulsations are very sensitive to noise, and this explains the observed strong bias toward switch-off. These results raise the possibility of all optical control of the pulse train duration that may have an impact for practical applications in photonics and may also apply to the dynamics of other noise-driven excitable systems with delayed feedback.

Waveform synthesizer

DOEpatents

Franks, Larry A.; Nelson, Melvin A.

1981-01-01

A method of producing optical and electrical pulses of desired shape. An optical pulse of arbitrary but defined shape illuminates one end of an array of optical fiber waveguides of differing lengths to time differentiate the input pulse. The optical outputs at the other end of the array are combined to form a synthesized pulse of desired shape.

[Rehabilitative treatment of patients with ureterolithiasis using pulsed vacuum depression, pulsed low-frequency electric current, and radon therapy].

PubMed

Li, A A; Karpukhin, I V; Korchazhkina, N B; Gusarov, I I; Kotenko, K V; Slepushkina, T G; Dubovskiĭ, A V

2009-01-01

The authors report results of the treatment of 60 patients with ureterolithiasis using a combination of pulsed vacuum depression (local vibrotherapy), low-frequency pulsed (alternating sinusoidal) current, radon water and radon baths. Clinical efficiency of combined therapy is estimated at 93.3%.

Irreversible electroporation ablation area enhanced by synergistic high- and low-voltage pulses.

PubMed

Yao, Chenguo; Lv, Yanpeng; Dong, Shoulong; Zhao, Yajun; Liu, Hongmei

2017-01-01

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) produced by a pulsed electric field can ablate tissue. In this study, we achieved an enhancement in ablation area by using a combination of short high-voltage pulses (HVPs) to create a large electroporated area and long low-voltage pulses (LVPs) to ablate the electroporated area. The experiments were conducted in potato tuber slices. Slices were ablated with an array of four pairs of parallel steel electrodes using one of the following four electric pulse protocols: HVP, LVP, synergistic HVP+LVP (SHLVP) or LVP+HVP. Our results showed that the SHLVPs more effectively necrotized tissue than either the HVPs or LVPs, even when the SHLVP dose was the same as or lower than the HVP or LVP doses. The HVP and LVP order mattered and only HVPs+LVPs (SHLVPs) treatments increased the size of the ablation zone because the HVPs created a large electroporated area that was more susceptible to the subsequent LVPs. Real-time temperature change monitoring confirmed that the tissue was non-thermally ablated by the electric pulses. Theoretical calculations of the synergistic effects of the SHLVPs on tissue ablation were performed. Our proposed SHLVP protocol provides options for tissue ablation and may be applied to optimize the current clinical IRE protocols.

Irreversible electroporation ablation area enhanced by synergistic high- and low-voltage pulses

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) produced by a pulsed electric field can ablate tissue. In this study, we achieved an enhancement in ablation area by using a combination of short high-voltage pulses (HVPs) to create a large electroporated area and long low-voltage pulses (LVPs) to ablate the electroporated area. The experiments were conducted in potato tuber slices. Slices were ablated with an array of four pairs of parallel steel electrodes using one of the following four electric pulse protocols: HVP, LVP, synergistic HVP+LVP (SHLVP) or LVP+HVP. Our results showed that the SHLVPs more effectively necrotized tissue than either the HVPs or LVPs, even when the SHLVP dose was the same as or lower than the HVP or LVP doses. The HVP and LVP order mattered and only HVPs+LVPs (SHLVPs) treatments increased the size of the ablation zone because the HVPs created a large electroporated area that was more susceptible to the subsequent LVPs. Real-time temperature change monitoring confirmed that the tissue was non-thermally ablated by the electric pulses. Theoretical calculations of the synergistic effects of the SHLVPs on tissue ablation were performed. Our proposed SHLVP protocol provides options for tissue ablation and may be applied to optimize the current clinical IRE protocols. PMID:28253331

Giant lipid vesicles under electric field pulses assessed by non invasive imaging.

PubMed

Mauroy, Chloé; Portet, Thomas; Winterhalder, Martin; Bellard, Elisabeth; Blache, Marie-Claire; Teissié, Justin; Zumbusch, Andreas; Rols, Marie-Pierre

2012-10-01

We present experimental results regarding the effects of electric pulses on giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs). We have used phase contrast and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy as relevant optical approaches to gain insight into membrane changes under electropermeabilization. No addition of exogenous molecules (lipid analogue, fluorescent dye) was needed. Therefore, experiments were performed on pure lipid systems avoiding possible artefacts linked to their use. Structural membrane changes were assessed by loss of contrast inside the GUVs due to sucrose and glucose mixing. Our observations, performed at the single vesicle level, indicate these changes are under the control of the number of pulses and field intensity. Larger number of pulses enhances membrane alterations. A threshold value of the field intensity must be applied to allow exchange of molecules between GUVs and the external medium. This threshold depends on the size of the vesicles, the larger GUVs being affected at lower electric field strengths than the smaller ones. Our experimental data are well described by a simple model in which molecule entry is driven by direct exchange. The CARS microscopic study of the effect of pulse duration confirms that pulses, in the ms time range, induce loss of lipids and membrane deformations facing the electrodes. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Calorimetric system and method

DOEpatents

Gschneidner, K.A. Jr.; Pecharsky, V.K.; Moorman, J.O.

1998-09-15

Apparatus is described for measuring heat capacity of a sample where a series of measurements are taken in succession comprises a sample holder in which a sample to be measured is disposed, a temperature sensor and sample heater for providing a heat pulse thermally connected to the sample, and an adiabatic heat shield in which the sample holder is positioned and including an electrical heater. An electrical power supply device provides an electrical power output to the sample heater to generate a heat pulse. The electrical power from a power source to the heat shield heater is adjusted by a control device, if necessary, from one measurement to the next in response to a sample temperature-versus-time change determined before and after a previous heat pulse to provide a subsequent sample temperature-versus-time change that is substantially linear before and after the subsequent heat pulse. A temperature sensor is used and operable over a range of temperatures ranging from approximately 3K to 350K depending upon the refrigerant used. The sample optionally can be subjected to dc magnetic fields such as from 0 to 12 Tesla (0 to 120 kOe). 18 figs.

Slow and fast light via SBS in optical fibers for short pulses and broadband pump

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalosha, V. P.; Chen, Liang; Bao, Xiaoyi

2006-12-01

Slow-light effect via stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) in single-mode optical fibers was considered for short probe pulses of nanosecond duration relevant to Gb/s data streams. Unlike recent estimations of delay versus pump based on steady-state small-signal approximation we have used numerical solution of three-wave equations describing SBS for a realistic fiber length. Both regimes of small signal and pump depletion (gain saturation) were considered. The physical origin of Stokes pulse distortion is revealed which is related to excitation of long-living acoustic field behind the pulse and prevents effective delay control by pump power increase at cw pumping. We have shown different slope of the gain-dependent delay for different pulse durations. Spectrally broadened pumping by multiple cw components, frequency-modulated pump and pulse train were studied for short pulses which allow to obtain large delay and suppress pulse distortion. In the pump-depletion regime of pumping by pulse train, both pulse delay and distortion decrease with increasing pump, and the pulse achieves advancement.

Seasonal migrations of North Atlantic minke whales: novel insights from large-scale passive acoustic monitoring networks.

PubMed

Risch, Denise; Castellote, Manuel; Clark, Christopher W; Davis, Genevieve E; Dugan, Peter J; Hodge, Lynne Ew; Kumar, Anurag; Lucke, Klaus; Mellinger, David K; Nieukirk, Sharon L; Popescu, Cristian Marian; Ramp, Christian; Read, Andrew J; Rice, Aaron N; Silva, Monica A; Siebert, Ursula; Stafford, Kathleen M; Verdaat, Hans; Van Parijs, Sofie M

2014-01-01

Little is known about migration patterns and seasonal distribution away from coastal summer feeding habitats of many pelagic baleen whales. Recently, large-scale passive acoustic monitoring networks have become available to explore migration patterns and identify critical habitats of these species. North Atlantic minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) perform seasonal migrations between high latitude summer feeding and low latitude winter breeding grounds. While the distribution and abundance of the species has been studied across their summer range, data on migration and winter habitat are virtually missing. Acoustic recordings, from 16 different sites from across the North Atlantic, were analyzed to examine the seasonal and geographic variation in minke whale pulse train occurrence, infer information about migration routes and timing, and to identify possible winter habitats. Acoustic detections show that minke whales leave their winter grounds south of 30° N from March through early April. On their southward migration in autumn, minke whales leave waters north of 40° N from mid-October through early November. In the western North Atlantic spring migrants appear to track the warmer waters of the Gulf Stream along the continental shelf, while whales travel farther offshore in autumn. Abundant detections were found off the southeastern US and the Caribbean during winter. Minke whale pulse trains showed evidence of geographic variation, with longer pulse trains recorded south of 40° N. Very few pulse trains were recorded during summer in any of the datasets. This study highlights the feasibility of using acoustic monitoring networks to explore migration patterns of pelagic marine mammals. Results confirm the presence of minke whales off the southeastern US and the Caribbean during winter months. The absence of pulse train detections during summer suggests either that minke whales switch their vocal behaviour at this time of year, are absent from available recording sites or that variation in signal structure influenced automated detection. Alternatively, if pulse trains are produced in a reproductive context by males, these data may indicate their absence from the selected recording sites. Evidence of geographic variation in pulse train duration suggests different behavioural functions or use of these calls at different latitudes.

Room-temperature coupling between electrical current and nuclear spins in OLEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malissa, H.; Kavand, M.; Waters, D. P.; van Schooten, K. J.; Burn, P. L.; Vardeny, Z. V.; Saam, B.; Lupton, J. M.; Boehme, C.

2014-09-01

The effects of external magnetic fields on the electrical conductivity of organic semiconductors have been attributed to hyperfine coupling of the spins of the charge carriers and hydrogen nuclei. We studied this coupling directly by implementation of pulsed electrically detected nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The data revealed a fingerprint of the isotope (protium or deuterium) involved in the coherent spin precession observed in spin-echo envelope modulation. Furthermore, resonant control of the electric current by nuclear spin orientation was achieved with radiofrequency pulses in a double-resonance scheme, implying current control on energy scales one-millionth the magnitude of the thermal energy.

Real time determination of the laser ablated mass by means of electric field-perturbation measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pacheco, P.; Álvarez, J.; Sarmiento, R.; Bredice, F.; Sánchez-Aké, C.; Villagrán-Muniz, M.; Palleschi, V.

2018-04-01

A Nd:YAG ns-pulsed laser was used to ablate Al, Cd and Zn targets, which were placed between the plates of a planar charged capacitor. The plasma generates a transient redistribution of the electrical charges on the plates that can be measured as a voltage drop across a resistor connected to the ground plate. This signal is proportional to the capacitor applied voltage, the distance between the plates and the total number of ions produced in the ablation process which in turn is related to the laser energy and the ablated mass. After a series of pulses, the targets were weighed on a thermogravimetric balance to measure the ablated mass. Our results show that the electrical signal measured on the resistor is univocally related to the ablated mass from the target. Therefore, after a proper calibration depending on the material and the experimental geometry, the electrical signal can be used for real time quantitative measurement of the ablated mass in pulsed laser generated plasma experiments. The experiments were repeated on an aluminum target, with and without the presence of the external electric field in order to determine the possible influence of the applied electric field on the ablated mass.

Autonomous data transmission apparatus

DOEpatents

Kotlyar, Oleg M.

1997-01-01

A autonomous borehole data transmission apparatus for transmitting measurement data from measuring instruments at the downhole end of a drill string by generating pressure pulses utilizing a transducer longitudinally responsive to magnetic field pulses caused by electrical pulses corresponding to the measured downhole parameters.