Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physics Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 30 of 32

Full-Text Articles in Physics

Investigation Of Velocity Profiles In Anatomically Realistic Renal Artery Flow Phantoms By Physiological Flow Experimentation, Deepa Chari Dec 2009

Investigation Of Velocity Profiles In Anatomically Realistic Renal Artery Flow Phantoms By Physiological Flow Experimentation, Deepa Chari

Masters

Renal Artery stenosis is one of the major causes of curable renovascular hypertension.An early investigation of renal artery stenosis helps in the management of renovascular hypertension by alternative, less-invasive methods such as drug treatments, thereby reducing the risk involved in the surgery. Therefore an early investigation of renal artery stenosis has been always an attractive goal for the physicians. The renal artery stenosis affects the blood velocity profile in the renal artery. These profiles can be investigated by quantitative Doppler Ultrasound measurements obtained by flow experimentations and can be used as a tool for the identification of renal artery stenosis. …


Photopolymers: Beyond The Standard Approach To Photosensitisation, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal Sep 2009

Photopolymers: Beyond The Standard Approach To Photosensitisation, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

A photopolymerizable material for use in the visible normally consists of a dye sensitizer, a free radical generator, monomer/monomers and, optionally, a binder, and is prepared usually as a dry or liquid film. Upon illumination with light of appropriate wavelength, a photopolymerisation reaction is triggered, leading to a change in the film’s refractive index. Because the presence of the dye is essential, the film is usually made sensitive to light during its preparation. Here we separate the film preparation and the sensitisation processes. In this way the photopolymerisation process can be used to detect dye labelled analytes, providing an alternative …


Metal-Induced Bystander Effects: Mechanism And Implicationis., Nicola Cogan Sep 2009

Metal-Induced Bystander Effects: Mechanism And Implicationis., Nicola Cogan

Doctoral

The radiation-induced bystander effect is a phenomenon known to occur post irradiation, characterised by the induction of biological effects in unirradiated cells as a result of receiving signals from irradiated cells or their culture medium. Chemicalinduced bystander effects are poorly characterised and there are no reports of a bystander effect induced by metals. Heavy metals and in particular chromium (VI) are known to cause persistent genomic instability. For the first time, this study provides evidence that a short, low-dose exposure of human fibroblasts to chromium (VI) causes a bystander effect in human fibroblasts that persists for at least thirty days …


Development Of Renal Phantoms For The Evaluation Of Current And Emerging Ultrasound Technology, Deirdre King Jun 2009

Development Of Renal Phantoms For The Evaluation Of Current And Emerging Ultrasound Technology, Deirdre King

Doctoral

The primary aim of this project was to develop novel anatomically realistic renal phantoms for the evaluation of current and emerging ultrasound techniques capable of diagnosing all grades of renal artery stenosis. Renal artery stenosis is considered the most common cause of potentially curable secondary hypertension which if left untreated can lead to renal failure. Its early detection is very important as it offers the possibility of various drug treatments, which are considerably less invasive and poses less risk to the patient. Computer-aided modelling techniques were used to generate a range of anatomically realistic phantoms of the renal artery from …


Characterisation Of The Humidity And Temperature Responses Of A Reflection Hologram Recorded In Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer, Izabela Naydenova, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Vincent Toal, Suzanne Martin May 2009

Characterisation Of The Humidity And Temperature Responses Of A Reflection Hologram Recorded In Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer, Izabela Naydenova, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Vincent Toal, Suzanne Martin

Articles

The humidity and temperature responses of a reflection hologram recorded in a self-processing photopolymer layer have been characterised by measurement of the position of the maximum intensity in the spectral response of the hologram. It has been demonstrated that such a hologram can be used for indication of the relative humidity (RH) in a specific temperature range. The operational range and reversibility of the holograms have been characterised in a controlled humidity and temperature environment. The humidity studies were carried out in the range from 10 to 80% RH and the temperature range under study was 15 – 50 ºC.


Swcnt Suppress Inflammatory Mediator Responses In Human Lung Epithelium In Vitro, Eva Herzog, Hugh Byrne, Maria Davoren, Anke-Gabriele Lenz, Albert Duschl, Gertie Janneke Oostingh Feb 2009

Swcnt Suppress Inflammatory Mediator Responses In Human Lung Epithelium In Vitro, Eva Herzog, Hugh Byrne, Maria Davoren, Anke-Gabriele Lenz, Albert Duschl, Gertie Janneke Oostingh

Articles

Single walled carbon nanotubes have gained enormous popularity due to a variety of potential applications which will ultimately lead to increased human and environmental exposure to these nanoparticles. This study was carried out in order to evaluate the inflammatory response of immortalised and primary human lung epithelial cells (A549 and NHBE) to single walled carbon nanotube samples (SWCNT). Special focus was placed on the mediating role of lung surfactant on particle toxicity. The toxicity of SWCNT dispersed in cell culture medium was compared to that of nanotubes dispersed in dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC, the main component of lung lining fluid). Exposure was …


Spectroscopic Imaging Of Quantum Dot Cellular Interactions, Lorenzo Salford Feb 2009

Spectroscopic Imaging Of Quantum Dot Cellular Interactions, Lorenzo Salford

Masters

Quantum dots (QDs) are a diverse class of engineered nanomaterials that have great potential for use as agents in imaging, diagnostics and drug-delivery because of their intense and photostable fluorescence. Advances in the field of nanotoxicology, however, have recently identified potential risks and hazards associated with exposure to QDs. The main purpose of this research is to investigate the capabilities of a synergistic range of different techniques, including cytotoxicity assays, confocal microscopy and vibrational spectroscopy, to probe their interaction with Biological systems. With the combination of these techniques it is hoped to understand the mechanisms of the interaction of QDs …


Double-Glazing Interferometry, Vincent Toal, Emilia Mihaylova Jan 2009

Double-Glazing Interferometry, Vincent Toal, Emilia Mihaylova

Articles

This note describes how white light interference fringes can be seen by observing the Moon through a double-glazed window. White light interferometric fringes are normally observed only in a well-aligned interferometer whose optical path difference is less than the coherence length of the light source, which is approximately one micrometer for white light. Obtaining such fringes in a Michelson interferometer is not a trivial task.1 The interferometer is typically illuminated with a monochromatic source and the path length difference adjusted with a wedge angle between the interferometer mirrors so that five or six vertical fringes are visible, indicating nearly equal …


Macular Pigment Levels Increase Following Blue-Light Filtering Intraocular Lens Implantation., James Loughman Jan 2009

Macular Pigment Levels Increase Following Blue-Light Filtering Intraocular Lens Implantation., James Loughman

Other Resources

No abstract provided.


Simple Versatile Shearing Interferometer Suitable For Measurements On A Microscopic Scale, Emilia Mihaylova, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

Simple Versatile Shearing Interferometer Suitable For Measurements On A Microscopic Scale, Emilia Mihaylova, Vincent Toal

Articles

Microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) behave differently from massive samples. Conventional testing and inspection techniques usually fail at the microscale. Recently there has been an increasing interest in the application of optical techniques for microstructure testing, because they are high-resolution, non-contact, full-field, fast and relatively inexpensive. New interferometric systems, which are suitable for microscopic optical metrology, are of interest for engineering and industrial applications. A modified electronic speckle pattern shearing interferometer (ESPSI) with a very simple shearing device has been designed for metrology applications on the microscale. The shearing device consists of two partially reflective glass plates. The reflection coefficients of the …


Optical And Holographic Characteristics Of Photopolymer Layers, Temenujka Yovcheva, Izabela Naydenova, Ivanka Vlaeva, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal, Simeon Sainov Jan 2009

Optical And Holographic Characteristics Of Photopolymer Layers, Temenujka Yovcheva, Izabela Naydenova, Ivanka Vlaeva, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal, Simeon Sainov

Articles

In the present work the optical and holographic characteristics of acrylamide-based photopolymer layers are studied. For the first time the refractive index change of a liquid acrylamide photopolymer due to exposure at 532 nm is obtained using a critical angle laser micro-refractometer. The 30 mm thick solid photopolymer films are prepared by casting on glass substrates. Bragg holographic gratings with spatial frequencies of 710 mm-1, 1050 mm-1 and 1600 mm-1 are recorded using a diode laser operating at 532 nm wavelength. The diffraction efficiency dependence on the exposure energy is investigated. The obtained results are compared with the Stetson holographic …


Spectroscopic Study Of The Dimerisation Process Of Iron Protoporphyrin Ix, K. Dziedzic-Kocurek, Hugh Byrne, A. Swiderski, J. Stanek Jan 2009

Spectroscopic Study Of The Dimerisation Process Of Iron Protoporphyrin Ix, K. Dziedzic-Kocurek, Hugh Byrne, A. Swiderski, J. Stanek

Articles

The commercial protoporphyrin IX, iron-ferriprotoporphyrin IX-chloride and synthesized iron porphyrin μ-oxo-dimers were examined by UV/vis absorption and fluorescence, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy, resonance Raman, X-ray absorption, Mössbauer spectroscopy and SQUID. The evidence of Fe-O-Fe antiferromagnetic coupling concluded from SQUID and Mössbauer in the case of samples containing dimerized forms confirmed the presence of the oxo-bridges. In this paper the results of UV/vis, fluorescence, Fourier transform infrared FTIR and Raman spectroscopies are reported and discussed. The study is based on the comparison of the free-base protoporphyrin IX, Fe-PPIX-Cl and the synthesized dimerized specimen. The vibrational modes in two energy regions i.e. …


Optical Properties Of Photopolymerisable Nanocomposites Containing Zeolite Nanoparticles, Izabela Naydenova, Tzvetanka Babeva, Elsa Leite, Nitesh Pandey, Temenujka Yovcheva, Svetlana Mintova, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

Optical Properties Of Photopolymerisable Nanocomposites Containing Zeolite Nanoparticles, Izabela Naydenova, Tzvetanka Babeva, Elsa Leite, Nitesh Pandey, Temenujka Yovcheva, Svetlana Mintova, Vincent Toal

Conference Papers

Acrylamide-based photopolymerisable nanocomposites containing three different types of nanozeolites – Si-MFI, AlPO and BEA, were studied. The influence of the porous nanoparticles on the average refractive index, optical scattering, holographic recording properties and shrinkage were characterised.


Surface Relief Profile Of Photopolymerisable Systems In A Single Illuminated Spot, Tsvetanka Babeva, Dana Mackey, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

Surface Relief Profile Of Photopolymerisable Systems In A Single Illuminated Spot, Tsvetanka Babeva, Dana Mackey, Izabela Naydenova, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Conference Papers

The formation of surface relief profile in photopolymerisable systems when illuminated with a focused beam of light is simulated numerically using a two-way diffusion model that accounts both for monomer and short polymer chains diffusion. The concentration and spatial distribution dynamics of monomer, short and long polymer chains are calculated. It is assumed that the surface profile is a linear combination of monomer and polymer concentration with appropriate coefficients accounting for polymer shrinkage. A good agreement between the calculated and the experimentally measured profiles is observed thus demonstrating the successful application of the two way diffusion in modeling this system.


Holographic Recording In Charged Photopolymerisable Nanocomposites, Temenujka Yovcheva, Ivanka Vlaeva, Simeon Sainov, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal, Svetlana Mintova Jan 2009

Holographic Recording In Charged Photopolymerisable Nanocomposites, Temenujka Yovcheva, Ivanka Vlaeva, Simeon Sainov, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal, Svetlana Mintova

Conference Papers

Self – processing photopolymers have a large number of different applications due to their versatile properties as holographic recording materials. A significant effort has been directed towards the development of photopolymers for holographic data storage [1, 2], holographic sensors [3], holographic optical elements [4] and display holograms [5]. The Centre for Industrial and Engineering Optics has been developing acrylamide based photopolymers for the last decade [6-8]. The main parameters requiring improvement in these types of photopolymers are their dynamic range and their mechanical stability during the holographic recording. Recently we have successfully used zeolite nanoparticles as dopants in order to …


Optical Properties Of Silica-Mfi Doped Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer, Tzvetanka Babeva, Rosen Todorov, Svetlana Mintova, Temenujka Yovcheva, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

Optical Properties Of Silica-Mfi Doped Acrylamide-Based Photopolymer, Tzvetanka Babeva, Rosen Todorov, Svetlana Mintova, Temenujka Yovcheva, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal

Articles

The optical properties of acrylamide-based photopolymer doped with pure silica MFI-type zeolites are studied by refractometric and spectrophotometric means. Dynamic Light Scattering and Transmission Electron Microscopy are used for zeolite characterization and laser refractometry and White Light Interferometric profilometry are used for surface characterization of the composites. Refractive indices and absorption coefficients of composites are determined from their transmittance and reflectance spectra. The calculated dispersion curves are further used for deriving the zeolites refractive index and porosity and the latter compared to the values of total pore volume obtained from N2-sorption measurements. The impact of the doping level on the …


Imaging Reconstruction For Light Scattering From A Tenuous Random Medium, Jonathan Blackledge Jan 2009

Imaging Reconstruction For Light Scattering From A Tenuous Random Medium, Jonathan Blackledge

Conference papers

We consider the basis for describing strong scattering in terms of diffusive processes based on the diffusion equation. Intermediate strength scattering is then considered in terms of a fractional diffusion equation which is studied using results from fractional calculus. This approach is justified in terms of the generalization of a random walk model with no statistical bias in the phase to a random walk that has a phase bias and is thus, only `partially' or `fractionally' diffusive. A Green's function solution to the fractional diffusion equation is studied and a result derived that provides a model for an incoherent image …


Holographic Liquid Crystal Devices, Kotakonda Pavani Jan 2009

Holographic Liquid Crystal Devices, Kotakonda Pavani

Doctoral

Liquid crystals have become natural candidates for use in electro-optic devices for their ability to change the orientation of the director with the application of an electric field, and exhibiting large range of refractive index. The aim of the work presented in this thesis is to fabricate liquid crystal optoelectronic devices such as electrically switchable liquid crystal diffraction gratings and polarization rotators by exploiting the holographic surface relief effect in photopolymer and by developing novel polymer dispersed liquid crystals (PDLCs). Alignment of liquid crystals is commercially achieved by creating grooves on a conducting layer such as polyimide or indium tin …


Quantitative Analyses Of Dispersion, Doping And Electronic Separation Of Single Wall Hipco Carbon Nanotubes, Priya Baskar Rao Jan 2009

Quantitative Analyses Of Dispersion, Doping And Electronic Separation Of Single Wall Hipco Carbon Nanotubes, Priya Baskar Rao

Doctoral

As prepared SWNTs are obtained in bundles with a mixture of both metallic and semi conducting tubes. For many specific applications, electronically separated single individual tubes are required and in order to reach these application criteria, the tubes should be processed. This thesis reports on a systematic exploration of methods to routinely process, electronically separate and characterise commercially available single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs). Commercially available HiPco SWNTs were dispersed in water with the assistance of 1 % by weight sodium dodecyl benzene sulphate (SDBS). The tubes were dispersed in the water surfactant system through the aid of sonication and …


Toxicity Assessment Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Eva Herzog Jan 2009

Toxicity Assessment Of Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Eva Herzog

Doctoral

The objective of this study was to investigate the potential adverse health effects of occupational exposure to SWCNT dust using various in vitro approaches. Lung epithelium (represented by A549 and NHBE cells) was chosen as target cell model and exposed to minimally processed particle samples under submerse conditions and effects were compared to that of carbon black and crocidolite asbestos exposure. Cytotoxicity studies indicated low acute cytotoxicity of SWCNT. Morphological changes included decreases in microvilli and increased numbers of surfactant storing lamellar bodies and changes in cytoskeleton. Due to interactions of SWCNT and toxicity indicator dyes, the clonogenic assay was …


Development And Evaluation Of A Novel Automated Physchophysical Instrument For The Investigation Of Nyctalopia Using Multiple Stimulus Light Emitting Diode Matrix Display Arrays., David M.C. O'Brien Jan 2009

Development And Evaluation Of A Novel Automated Physchophysical Instrument For The Investigation Of Nyctalopia Using Multiple Stimulus Light Emitting Diode Matrix Display Arrays., David M.C. O'Brien

Doctoral

Vitamin A deficiency primarily affects young children in developing countries, the symptoms of which initially present as nyctalopia, an inability of the eyes of ‘see’ in low luminance levels, specifically at twilight or at night. Vitamin A deficiency is a major cause of blindness in developing countries and is associated with significant increases in child morbidity and mortality. Nyctalopia may be examined using dark adaptometry; however, current methods of dark adaptometry have many practical limitations, including their unsuitability for use with children. This thesis reports on the design, construction, testing and evaluation of a novel automated dark adaptometer for use …


The Use Of Raman Spectroscopy In The Characterization Of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Elizabeth Gregan Jan 2009

The Use Of Raman Spectroscopy In The Characterization Of Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes, Elizabeth Gregan

Doctoral

Carbon nanotubes, long, thin cylinders of carbon are intriguing structures and
have sparked much excitement in recent years. It is clear that understanding the fundamental properties of nanotubes is necessary to get a realisation of the full potential of these materials. Processing and purification on a mass scale will need to be carried out if these materials are to have large scale industrial applications and move beyond the laboratory bench. Highly sensitive, capital intensive equipment such as TEM and AFM, have been used to identify the state and morphology of tube samples as well as their levels of purity, however …


Converging Flow Between Coaxial Cones, O. Hall, A. D. Gilbert, C. P. Hills Jan 2009

Converging Flow Between Coaxial Cones, O. Hall, A. D. Gilbert, C. P. Hills

Articles

Fluid flow governed by the Navier-Stokes equation is considered in a domain bounded by two cones with the same axis. In the first, 'non-parallel' case, the two cones have the same apex and different angles θ = α and β in spherical polar coordinates (r, θ, φ). In the second, 'parallel' case, the two cones have the same opening angle α, parallel walls separated by a gap h and apices separated by a distance h/sinα. Flows are driven by a source Q at the origin, the apex of the lower cone in the parallel case. The Stokes solution for the …


Nonaxisymmetric Stokes Flow Between Concentric Cones, O. Hall, C. P. Hills, A. D. Gilbert Jan 2009

Nonaxisymmetric Stokes Flow Between Concentric Cones, O. Hall, C. P. Hills, A. D. Gilbert

Articles

We study the fully three-dimensional Stokes flow within a geometry consisting of two infinite cones with coincident apices. The Stokes approximation is valid near the apex and we consider the dominant flow features as it is approached. The cones are assumed to be stationary and the flow to be driven by an arbitrary far-field disturbance. We express the flow quantities in terms of eigenfunction expansions and allow for the first time for nonaxisymmetric flow regimes through an azimuthal wave number. The eigenvalue problem is solved numerically for successive wave numbers. Both real and complex sequences of eigenvalues are found, their …


A Phenomenographic Study Of Introductory Physics Students: Approaches To Problem Solving And Conceptualisation Of Knowledge., Laura Walsh Jan 2009

A Phenomenographic Study Of Introductory Physics Students: Approaches To Problem Solving And Conceptualisation Of Knowledge., Laura Walsh

Doctoral

This phenomenographic study presents a description of the approaches to problem solving and conceptualisation of physics knowledge of introductory physics students, specifically in the context of the Irish higher education system. Much research has been carried out that has shown that physics students are not developing the conceptual knowledge necessary to become adept problem-solvers. This may be due to the traditional physics education assumption that students will develop an understanding of the conceptual nature of physics by repetitively solving quantitative problems. However, research has shown that this is not the case and that education and the curriculum needs to explicitly …


Holographic Recording In Acrylamide Photopolymers: Thickness Limitations, Mohammad Mahmud, Izabela Naydenova, Nitesh Pandey, Tzvetanka Babeva, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

Holographic Recording In Acrylamide Photopolymers: Thickness Limitations, Mohammad Mahmud, Izabela Naydenova, Nitesh Pandey, Tzvetanka Babeva, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Suzanne Martin, Vincent Toal

Articles

Holographic recording in thick photopolymer layers is important for application in holographic data storage, volume holographic filters and correlators. Here, the characteristics of acrylamidebased photopolymer layers having thickness from 250 μm to 1-mm were studied. For each layer thickness samples with three different values of absorbance were studied. By measuring both the first order diffraction efficiency growth of holographically recorded gratings and studying the diffraction patterns obtained, the influence of scattering on the diffraction efficiency of thick volume holographic gratings was analyzed. It was observed that above a particular thickness and absorbance, the first order diffraction efficiency significantly decreased because …


A Single Beam Data Writing Process For Holographic Data Storage, Suzanne Martin, Denis Bade, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

A Single Beam Data Writing Process For Holographic Data Storage, Suzanne Martin, Denis Bade, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal

Conference Papers

A concept is described that could allow Holographic Data Storage with angular multiplexing using, uniquely, only one data writing beam; pre-recorded ‘seed’ gratings are illuminated with one writing beam in order to produce a data grating.


Out-Of-Plane Vibration Analysis With A Transmission Holographic Optical Element Based Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometer, Viswanath Bavigadda, Vincent Toal, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Emilia Mihaylova Jan 2009

Out-Of-Plane Vibration Analysis With A Transmission Holographic Optical Element Based Electronic Speckle Pattern Interferometer, Viswanath Bavigadda, Vincent Toal, Raghavendra Jallapuram, Emilia Mihaylova

Conference Papers

A simple electronic speckle pattern interferometer (ESPI) using a transmission holographic optical element (THOE) is presented. The THOE is designed to create a speckled reference beam in the interferometer. It is a transmission hologram of a diffusely transmitting glass plate A specific requirement for the fabrication of the THOEs is for them to be recorded at one wavelength at which the recording material is photosensitive and reconstructed using a near infrared laser diode which can be current modulated for phase shifting purposes. A partially reflective glass plate provides illumination of the object along the normal to its surface, ensuring that …


Ocular Microtremor Laser Speckle Metrology, Mohammed Al-Kalbani, Emilia Mihaylova, Niamh Collins, David Coakley, Gerard Boyle, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

Ocular Microtremor Laser Speckle Metrology, Mohammed Al-Kalbani, Emilia Mihaylova, Niamh Collins, David Coakley, Gerard Boyle, Vincent Toal

Conference Papers

Ocular Microtremor (OMT) is a continual, high frequency physiological tremor of the eye present in all subjects even when the eye is apparently at rest. OMT causes a peak to peak displacement of around 150nm-2500nm with a broadband frequency spectrum between 30Hz to 120Hz; with a peak at about 83Hz. OMT carries useful clinical information on depth of consciousness and on some neurological disorders. Nearly all quantitative clinical investigations have been based on OMT measurements using an eye contacting piezoelectric probe which has low clinical acceptability. Laser speckle metrology is a candidate for a high resolution, non-contacting, compact, portable OMT …


Optical Patterning Of Photopolymerisable Materials, Kevin Trainer, Kevin Wearen, Dimana Nazarova, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal Jan 2009

Optical Patterning Of Photopolymerisable Materials, Kevin Trainer, Kevin Wearen, Dimana Nazarova, Izabela Naydenova, Vincent Toal

Conference Papers

Holographic recording is an effective approach for photopolymer surface patterning. It has been previously utilised in acrylamide-based photopolymers and a spatial frequency limit of 200 l/mm has been observed. We report the successful inscription of submicrometer resolution patterns. The spatial frequency response has been extended to 1550 l/mm by introduction of thermal post recording treatment. Initial results from the optical patterning utilising a spatial light modulation (SLM) reveal that the amplitude of the photoinduced surface relief structures is larger in comparison to the amplitude obtained by holographic recording.