Sensitivity Of Instrument Research Articles

Nanoscale Magnets Embedded in a Microstrip.

Nanoscale magnetic resonance imaging (NanoMRI) is an active area of applied research with potential applications in structural biology and quantum engineering. The success of this technological vision hinges on improving the instrument's sensitivity and functionality. A particular challenge is the optimization of the magnetic field gradient required for spatial encoding and of the radio frequency field used for spin control, in analogy to the components used in clinical MRI. In this work, we present the fabrication and characterization of a magnet-in-microstrip device that yields a compact form factor for both elements. We find that our design leads to a number of advantages, among them a 4-fold increase of the magnetic field gradient compared to those achieved with traditional fabrication methods. Our results can be useful for boosting the efficiency of a variety of different experimental arrangements and detection principles in the field of NanoMRI.

Evaluation of Extractants for Determination of Micronutrients in Soils of South Gujarat, India

An experiment was conducted at Department of Soil Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Navsari Agricultural University during the year 2018-19. The methods of micronutrients determination were (i) extracted through diethylene triamine penta acetic acid (DTPA) (ii) extracted through ammonium bicarbonate- diethylene triamine penta acetic acid (AB-DTPA) (iii) extracted through Neubauer. The methods of micronutrients were evaluated through method validation parameters like linearity, sensitivity of instruments, precision and predictability. The available micronutrients determined from the sample soils were correlated with soil physico-chemical properties to know the relationship of these properties with available micronutrients. The linearity study of the series of micronutrients standard were measured through different methods of micronutrient determination. These measured values showed linear relationship with reference values. The coefficient of determination (R2) for all the methods was > 0.90. The precision was determined by relative standard deviation (RSD) (%) of different micronutrient methods which were in the range of 1.834 to 19.11 %. All the studied methods of copper, iron, zinc and manganese determination, AB-DTPA extractant method has highly significant and positive correlation with nutrient uptake by wheat on Microwave Plasma Atomic Emission Spectroscopy (MP-AES) instrument. Organic C and sand content of soil have positive correlation with micronutrients availability. While pH, EC, CEC, CaCO3, silt and clay content of soil have negative correlation with available micronutrients.

Long-lived particles and the quiet Sun

The nuclear reaction network within the interior of the Sun is an efficient MeV physics factory and can produce long-lived particles generic to dark sector models. In this work we consider the sensitivity of satellite instruments, primarily the RHESSI spectrometer, that observe the quiet Sun in the MeV regime where backgrounds are low. We find that quiet Sun observations offer a powerful and complementary probe in regions of parameter space, where the long-lived particle decay length is longer than the radius of the Sun and shorter than the distance between the Sun and Earth. We comment on connections to recent model-building work on heavy neutral leptons coupled to neutrinos and high-quality axions from mirror symmetries. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

The Validity of the EuroQol Health and Wellbeing Short Version (EQ-HWB-S) Instrument in Parents of Children With and Without Health Conditions.

The EuroQol Health and Wellbeing Short Version (EQ-HWB-S) instrument has been developed to measure the health and wellbeing of care-recipients and their caregivers for use in economic evaluation.The EQ-HWB-S has nine items, and pilot UK preference weights have now been developed. We aimed to investigate the validity of the instrument in parents of children with and without health conditions. EQ-HWB-S data were sourced from an Australian paediatric multi-instrument comparison study. We analysed the baseline characteristics and response distribution of the EQ-HWB-S items. Assessment of known-group validity was conducted for EQ-HWB-S items, level sum-scores and preference-weighted scores, including partial effects. Known-group analyses included three child health variables and where caregivers reported coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) had impacted their wellbeing. We included analyses across gender, controlled for child and parent demographic variables, and compared scores across child health conditions. Item responses were distributed as expected, with higher skew for mobility and activities. Parents experienced high levels of exhaustion. We detected significant differences between groups for level sum-scores and preference-weighted scores, as hypothesised; all tests were significant (p < 0.001), with moderate effect sizes (effect sizes were slightly higher for female than male parents). The regression analysis identified significantly different EQ-HWB-S scores for child health samples compared with the general population after controlling for demographic variables. Differences were observed between child health conditions. The EQ-HWB-S is a useful instrument to measure parent quality of life for economic evaluation in this population. Data were limited to one time point; further research should investigate the instrument's sensitivity to change and test-retest reliability in this population.

Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) polarization characteristics and correction algorithm

Abstract. The Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) is the first geostationary earth orbit (GEO) environmental instrument, onboard the Geostationary Korea Multi-Purpose Satellite–2B (GEO-KOMPSAT-2B) launched on 19 February 2020, and is measuring reflected radiance from the earth's surface and atmosphere system in the range of 300–500 nm in the ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) region. The radiometric response of a satellite sensor that measures the UV–Vis wavelength region can depend on the polarization states of the incoming light. To reduce the sensitivity due to polarization, many current low earth orbit (LEO) satellites are equipped with a scrambler to depolarize the signals or a polarization measurement device (PMD) that simultaneously measures the polarization state of the atmosphere, then utilizes it for a polarization correction. However, a novel polarization correction algorithm is required since GEMS does not have a scrambler or a PMD. Therefore, this study aims to improve the radiometric accuracy of GEMS by developing a polarization correction algorithm optimized for GEMS that simultaneously considers the atmosphere's polarization state and the instrument's polarization sensitivity characteristics. The polarization factor and axis were derived by the preflight test on the ground as a function of wavelengths, showing a polarization sensitivity of more than 2 % at some specific wavelengths. The polarization states of the atmosphere are configured as a look-up table (LUT) using the Vector Linearized Discrete Ordinate Radiative-Transfer model (VLIDORT). Depending on the observation geometry and atmospheric conditions, the observed radiance spectrum can include a polarization error of 2 %. The performance of the proposed GEMS polarization algorithm was assessed using synthetic data, and the errors due to polarization were found to be larger in clear regions than in cloudy regions. After the polarization correction, polarization errors were reduced close to zero for almost all wavelengths, including the wavelength regions with high peaks and curvatures in the GEMS polarization factor, which sufficiently demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed polarization correction algorithm. From the actual observation data after the launch of GEMS, the diurnal variation for the spatial distribution of polarization error was confirmed to be minimum at noon and maximum at sunrise/sunset. This can be used to improve the quality of GEMS measurements, the first geostationary environmental satellite, and then contribute to the retrieved accuracy of various Level-2 products, such as trace gases and aerosols in the atmosphere.

Multi-season mobile monitoring campaign of on-road air pollution in Bengaluru, India: High-resolution mapping and estimation of quasi-emission factors

Mobile monitoring can supplement regulatory measurements, particularly in low-income countries where stationary monitoring is sparse. Here, we report results from a ~ year-long mobile monitoring campaign of on-road concentrations of black carbon (BC), ultrafine particles (UFP), and carbon dioxide (CO2) in Bengaluru, India. The study route included 150 unique kms (average: ~22 repeat measurements per monitored road segment). After cleaning the data for known instrument artifacts and sensitivities, we generated 30 m high-resolution stable ‘data only’ spatial maps of BC, UFP, and CO2 for the study route. For the urban residential areas, the mean BC levels for residential roads, arterials, and highways were ~ 10, 22, and 56 μg m−3, respectively. A similar pattern (highways being characterized by highest pollution levels) was also observed for UFP and CO2. Using the data from repeat measurements, we carried out a Monte Carlo subsampling analysis to understand the minimum number of repeat measures to generate stable maps of pollution in the city. Leveraging the simultaneous nature of the measurements, we also mapped the quasi-emission factors (QEF) of the pollutants under investigation. The current study is the first multi-season mobile monitoring exercise conducted in a low or middle -income country (LMIC) urban setting that oversampled the study route and investigated the optimum number of repeat rides required to achieve representative pollution spatial patterns characterized with high precision and low bias. Finally, the results are discussed in the context of technical aspects of the campaign, limitations, and their policy relevance for our study location and for other locations. Given the day-to-day variability in the pollution levels, the presence of dynamic and unorganized sources, and active government pollution mitigation policies, multi-year mobile measurement campaigns would help test the long-term representativeness of the current results.

Feasibility of using 3D CZT drift strip detectors for small Compton camera space missions

This feasibility study explores the possibility of using 3D CZT drift strip detectors developed by DTU Space in a small Compton camera payload, with the primary objective of technology demonstration. We have defined a scalable mass model for the payload, comprising eight 3D CZT drift strip detectors surrounded by CsI scintillator detectors for active shielding. The payload's angular resolution, effective area, and efficiency are evaluated through simulations of far-field monochromatic point sources. The instrument's sensitivity is assessed in a low Earth orbit background environment fornuclear line and continuum emission sources.With a 3σ point source sensitivity in the order of 10-4 [ph/cm2/s], it is evident that such an instrument only allows for limited scientific goals. In-orbit simulations of bright sources are conducted, resulting in reasonable observation times for the Crab Nebula at a 5σ significance level. Furthermore, in-orbit simulations of a selection of bright gamma-ray bursts indicate the potential for observing bright transient events. The study underscores the potential of using 3D CZT drift strip detectors in Compton camera configurations but also highlights the need for a larger effective area to improve sensitivity. However, for a technology demonstration aimed at increasing the Technology Readiness Level of the 3D CZT drift strip detector, a small Compton camera configuration like the one presented in this study could be a viable solution.

Measurement of Fe and Mn concentrations using image processing techniques based on color intensity approach

Water quality monitoring is an important activity to create a good environment quality with clean and healthy water sources. Various monitoring methods that are generally used such as spectrometry-based instruments certainly have various limitations, such as expensive, requiring a lot of reagents, sensitive instruments, and takes quite a long to get measurement results. Due to the development of population growth and the increasing of water pollutant, water quality monitoring technology that cheap, practical, quick and accurate is important to be made. The main subject in this work was to develop a water quality monitoring method based on multiparameter image processing techniques. This method utilizes the approach of color intensity, light, and number/size/shape of particles. This work will be focus on iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) concentration measurement by color intensity approach performed using ColorSlurp and Microsoft Excel in its RGB (Red, Green, Blue) matrices. The correlation between the parameter concentration and color intensity was obtained by transforming the RGB into greyscale intensity (GI) value. A linear response was observed in the Fe concentration range 0 to 2.4 mg L−1 with the highest R2 = 0.971, and in the Mn concentration range between 0 to 1.6 mg L−1 with the highest R2 = 0.9432. This work demonstrates that image processing techniques provide a great promise as water quality monitoring method.

Enhanced detection of aromatic oxidation products using NO3 - chemical ionization mass spectrometry with limited nitric acid.

Nitrate ion-based chemical ionization mass spectrometry (NO3 --CIMS) is widely used for detection of highly oxygenated organic molecules (HOMs). HOMs are known to participate in molecular clustering and new particle formation and growth, and hence understanding the formation pathways and amounts of these compounds in the atmosphere is essential. However, the absence of analytical standards prevents robust quantification of HOM concentrations. In addition, nitrate-based ionization is usually very selective towards the most oxygenated molecules and blind to less oxygenated compounds hindering the investigation of molecular formation pathways. Here, we explore varying concentrations of nitric acid reagent gas in the sheath flow of a chemical ionization inlet as a method for detecting a wider range of oxidation products in laboratory-simulated oxidation of benzene and naphthalene. When the concentration of reagent nitric acid is reduced, we observe an increase in signals of many oxidation products for both precursors suggesting that they are not detected at the collision limit. The sensitivity of naphthalene oxidation products is enhanced to a larger extent than that of benzene products. This enhancement in sensitivity has a negative relationship with molecular oxygen content, the oxygen-to-carbon ratio, the oxidation state of carbon, and lowered volatility. In addition, the sensitivity enhancement is lower for species that contain more exchangeable H-atoms, particularly for accretion products. While more experimental investigations are needed for providing the relationship between enhancement ratios and instrumental sensitivities, we suggest this method as a tool for routine check of collision-limited sensitivities and enhanced detection of lower-oxygenated species.

The Ligo-Virgo-KAGRA Computing Infrastructure for Gravitational-wave Research

The LIGO, VIRGO and KAGRA Gravitational-wave (GW) observatories are getting ready for their fourth observational period, O4, scheduled to begin in March 2023, with improved sensitivities and thus higher event rates. GW-related computing has both large commonalities with HEP computing, particularly in the domain of offline data processing and analysis, and important differences, for example in the fact that the amount of raw data doesn’t grow much with the instrument sensitivity, or the need to timely generate and distribute “event candidate alerts” to EM and neutrino observatories, thus making gravitational multi-messenger astronomy possible. Data from the interferometers are exchanged between collaborations both for low-latency and offline processing; in recent years, the three collaborations designed and built a common distributed computing infrastructure to prepare for a growing computing demand, and to reduce the maintenance burden of legacy custom-made tools, by increasingly adopting tools and architectures originally developed in the context of HEP computing. So, for example, HTCondor is used for workflow management, Rucio for many data management needs, CVMFS for code and data distribution, and more. We will present GW computing use cases and report about the architecture of the computing infrastructure as will be used during O4, as well as some planned upgrades for the subsequent observing run O5.

Metabolomic analysis of biological material using LC-MS in the quest for urinary system cancer biomarkers – review

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) and bladder cancer (BC) are among the most frequently diagnosed urinary system cancers worldwide. They are characterized by high mortality and recurrence rates. In response to the rising incidence and mortality rates, scientists are exploring innovative diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Metabolomics, which analyzes metabolite levels, may enable early diagnosis and monitoring of therapy progress. Compared to other omics technologies, it focuses on the outcomes of metabolite activity, providing a unique perspective on processes occurring in cancer cells. Metabolomic analyses utilize techniques such as mass spectrometry. These methods allow the identification of biomarkers and precise determination of the chemical composition of biological samples. However, the most commonly used method is liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), which enables the most comprehensive screening of cancer metabolomes. Recent studies show significant progress in recognizing characteristic metabolites associated with urological cancers, although this area remains partially unexplored. Research on circulating metabolites, especially those present in easily accessible samples like blood or urine, demonstrates promising potential in clinical practice. Study results reveal differences in metabolic profiles between various stages of cancer development, which may have clinical significance. The future of this field involves an increasing number of clinical cohorts, standardization of sample preparation, and further improvements in instrument sensitivity and speed. LC-MS-based metabolomics has the potential to contribute to the improvement of diagnostics, therapy, and the quality of life of patients with some urological cancers. However, challenges, such as the lack of uniform methodologies and understanding of metabolite determinants, require further research and innovation.

Optimisation of the performance of a prototype instrument for measuring solar irradiation using artificial neural network

Accurate measurement of solar radiation is essential for understanding climate patterns, assessing solar energy potential, and predicting weather conditions. Over the years, solar radiation measuring instruments such as pyranometers and solarimeters have been used to achieve this objective. However, the high cost of these standard instruments makes the technology less accessible, especially to students and academic researchers in low-to-middle-income countries. A low-cost prototype solarimeter has been developed that operates using a mini solar PV panel and a microcontroller. During testing, it was found that as temperature increased the instrument had significant accuracy deviations. As such, this study seeks to optimise the performance of the prototype solarimeter using Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), a powerful data-driven machine learning tool for optimisation. Solar radiation data was simultaneously collected using the prototype solarimeter and a standard solarimeter. Corresponding ambient temperature was also recorded for each solar radiation measurement. The data was used to train the ANN model to learn data patterns and to predict accurate solar radiation in spite of the ambient temperature. Results of the study revealed that temperature has a negative correlation (–0.7381) with accuracy, such that an increase in temperature reduces the accuracy of the prototype solarimeter. Increased temperature caused an accuracy deviation of about 27.16 %. The ANN model successfully predicts accurate solar radiation measurement with an R-squared of 0.974, RMSE of 49.24 W/m2, and an accuracy of 86.32 % which represents a 13.39 % improvement in the performance of the prototype solarimeter. This study's novelty stands in its attempt to use machine learning to address the temperature sensitivity of a PV-based solar irradiance instrument. The results revealed here exposes the potency of deep learning models for optimising engineering systems.

Research on feeding and eating disorders in India: A narrative review.

Despite growing evidence of their prevalence, research on feeding and eating disorders (FEDs) in India has been sporadic. This narrative review aimed to summarize the research on FED in India and set priorities for future research and translation of evidence. An electronic search was conducted in the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases to identify relevant English peer-reviewed articles from April 1967 to July 2023. The extracted data from these studies included author names, publication year, research location, type of intervention (for interventional studies), nature of comparator treatments, and main outcomes or findings. We found a rising trend in the prevalence of EDs in India. Adolescent age group, female sex, higher socioeconomic status, family history of mental illness or disordered eating, and borderline personality pattern were risk factors for EDs. For feeding disorders (FDs), childhood age group, malnutrition, pregnancy, psychosis, intellectual disability (ID), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were putative risk factors. Both physical and psychiatric comorbidities were common in FEDs. Culture appears to exert a pathoplastic effect on symptom presentation in FEDs; an illustrative example is the documented nonfat phobic variant of anorexia nervosa (AN) in India. Research on management has focused on using assessment tools, investigations to rule out medical comorbidities, psychosocial and family-based psychotherapies, nutritional rehabilitation, pharmacotherapy, and neuromodulation approaches. Whereas the publication output on FEDs in India has increased over the last decade, it remains an under-researched area, with a striking paucity of original research. Future research priorities in FEDs include conducting country-wide registry-based studies to offer real-world insights, longitudinal research to identify culturally relevant risk factors, and developing brief, culturally sensitive diagnostic instruments for FEDs in the Indian context. This will help generate locally relevant epidemiological data on FEDs and inform treatment and prevention strategies.

5 Cs do Funcionamento Familiar e sua Relação com os Estilos Parentais

Abstract It is intended to study the quality of the Family Functioning Scale (Portuguese version) and to understand/characterize the relationship between Family Functioning and Parenting Styles. The samples include 1757 Portuguese parents, 77.3% being female (N=1359), aged between 20 and 80 years old (M=41.61; SD=5.71). The results confirm a relationship between the dimensions of family functioning and parenting styles, especially with the emotional support dimension. Parents between 36 and 45 years old have a more positive family functioning and a parenting style associated with higher levels of emotional support, lower levels of rejection, and moderate levels of control/supervision. It is concluded that it is a valid, sensitive, and robust instrument, and the results are a contribution to psychosocial research and intervention.

Neisseria Gonorrhoeae Based on Recombinase Polymerase Amplification Technology Establishment of Detection Method.

Recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) is a novel nucleic acid isothermal amplification technique that can achieve rapid detection of the target, under 37 to 42°C conditions, within 30 minutes. It has the advantage of extreme sensitivity, strong specificity, and low instrument dependency and is particularly suitable for real-time detection in the field. It can be widely used in fields such as in vitro diagnostics, biosafety, and agriculture. This study was based on RPA technology, targeting the gyrA gene of Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae), to establish a quick, accurate, and easy to operate method for detecting N. gonorrhoeae and to evaluate its specificity, sensitivity, and clinical, practical value. Specific primers and probes suitable for RPA and qPCR methods based on the specific conserved region of the gyrA gene of N. gonorrhoeae on GenBank (no. U08817.1) were designed An RPA method was developed and N. gonorrhoeae ATCC49226 and a number of clinical isolates were used as study subjects to validate the specificity and sensitivity of the RPA method for the detection of N. gonorrhoeae. A real-time fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method, with N. gonorrhoeae ATCC49226 as the research object, was established to verify the sensitivity of qPCR method for detecting N. gonorrhoeae. Finally, clinical samples were tested by using RPA and qPCR methods as performance validation experiments to determine the clinical utility of the RPA technique in detecting N. gonorrhoeae. The established RPA detection method showed excellent specificity, with a specific amplification curve for N. gonorrhoeae alone, no cross-reactivity with other bacteria, and excellent reproducibility. The detection results could be obtained within 30 minutes, under the condition of 39°C, which was significantly lower than the detection time of traditional methods. The sensitivity of the RPA method for detecting pathogenic bacteria samples was 4 × 102 CFU/mL, which is consistent with the detection limit of qPCR methods. RPA and qPCR methods were used to detect 121 clinical isolates, out of which 30 strains of N. gonorrhoeae showed a specific amplification curve, while the remaining 91 strains of non-N. gonorrhoeae did not. Both methods had 100% accuracy and specificity in detecting N. gonorrhoeae. The RPA method developed in this study has the characteristics of being quick, accurate, and easy to operate, which was of great value for the rapid detection of N. gonorrhoeae in clinical samples.

Development of chemiluminescent systems and devices for analytical applications.

Chemiluminescence (CL) refers to the light-emitting phenomenon resulting from chemical reactions. Due to its simplicity in terms of instrumentation and high sensitivity, CL plays a critical role in analytical chemistry and has developed rapidly in recent years. In this review, we discuss the efforts made by our group in the field of CL. This includes exploring new luminophores that function under neutral pH conditions, developing oxidant- and reactive oxygen species-based coreactants (e.g. artemisinin and thiourea dioxide) for luminol and lucigenin CL, utilizing nanomaterial-based CL signal amplification and employing innovative ultrasound devices for CL and their analytical applications. We discussed the CL amplification mechanisms of these systems in detail. Finally, we summarize the challenges and prospects for the future development of CL.

Early high-resolution millimeter-wave maps from ToITEC

TolTEC is a polarization-sensitive camera at millimeter wavelengths with unprecedented sensitivity and 5-10 arcsecond resolution in three photometric bands. TolTEC achieved first light on the 50-meter Large Millimeter Telescope in July 2022, just prior to a planned summer telescope maintenance shutdown, and began commissioning observations when the telescope resumed observations in December 2022. The commissioning program consisted of observations of targeted nebulae, molecular clouds, polarized quasars, galaxies, and clusters of galaxies. The goals of these observations include demonstrating the science capabilities of the camera and characterizing the performance and instrumental properties, including noise, beams, and polarization sensitivity in its three bands centered at 1.1, 1.4, and 2.0 mm |with angular resolutions of 5, 6, and 10 arcseconds, respectively. We present early results from the commissioning observations of the Crab Nebula. Upcoming observations will include selected proposals from the broader astronomy community in Mexico and the United States, as well as legacy surveys focused on mapping galactic molecular clouds, cold dust emission in local galaxies, polarized dust emission in filaments around star-forming regions, massive galaxy clusters, and distant obscured star-forming galaxies.

Optoelectronic Digital Dust Meter in Cotton Gining Manufactory

The paper discusses the problems of environmental pollution and requirements for instruments and systems for measuring dust levels. It is demonstrated that among the problems of environmental protection, the most crucial one is the protection of the air basin. Dust is one of the most common types of industrial waste. Human health is affected not only by the type of dust, particle size and mineralogical composition, but also by the duration of exposure. Therefore, high sensitivity of instruments and systems for monitoring atmospheric pollution is required. The problem of environmental pollution can only be solved with the help of automatic, continuously operating analysers. It is advisable to develop and implement portable threshold alarms that have a significantly lower cost than the cost of automatic control and measurement equipment. The operating principle of an optoelectronic device for monitoring the degree of dust in cotton ginning rooms has been developed and presented, which allows simultaneous measurement of the attenuation (extinction) and light scattering of the same passing mass of aerosol. The calculation of specific absorption and dispersion coefficients in the ginning shops of cotton gin plants has been carried out. Experimental curves of the ratio of absorption and attenuation coefficients depending on the presence of the aerosol in the optoelectronic device are presented. Methods to reduce measurement error are revealed.

First upper limits on the 21 cm signal power spectrum from cosmic dawn from one night of observations with NenuFAR

The redshifted 21 cm signal from neutral hydrogen is a direct probe of the physics of the early universe and has been an important science driver of many present and upcoming radio interferometers. In this study we use a single night of observations with the New Extension in Nançay Upgrading LOFAR (NenuFAR) to place upper limits on the 21 cm power spectrum from cosmic dawn at a redshift of z = 20.3. NenuFAR is a new low-frequency radio interferometer, operating in the 10–85 MHz frequency range, currently under construction at the Nançay Radio Observatory in France. It is a phased array instrument with a very dense uv coverage at short baselines, making it one of the most sensitive instruments for 21 cm cosmology analyses at these frequencies. Our analysis adopts the foreground subtraction approach, in which sky sources are modeled and subtracted through calibration and residual foregrounds are subsequently removed using Gaussian process regression. The final power spectra are constructed from the gridded residual data cubes in the uv plane. Signal injection tests are performed at each step of the analysis pipeline, the relevant pipeline settings are optimized to ensure minimal signal loss, and any signal suppression is accounted for through a bias correction on our final upper limits. We obtain a best 2σ upper limit of 2.4 × 107 mK2 at z = 20.3 and k = 0.041 h cMpc−1. We see a strong excess power in the data, making our upper limits two orders of magnitude higher than the thermal noise limit. We investigate the origin and nature of this excess power and discuss further improvements to the analysis pipeline that can potentially mitigate it and consequently allow us to reach thermal noise sensitivity when multiple nights of observations are processed in the future.

Tehnika smanjenja opterećenja na unutrašnjim aerovagama tokom supersoničnih prelaznih pojava

Design of slender supersonic missiles requires a comprehensive experimental support in the form of wind tunnel data for a wide range of flight parameters (angle of attack and Mach number). However, in supersonic wind tunnel testing, the problem exists of transient loads at the times of the starting and stopping of the supersonic flow. In the environments of pronounced transient loads, characteristic of blowdowin wind tunnels like the T-38 of the Military technical Institute in Belgrade, it is necessary to provide control of the use of internal wind tunnel balances in the permitted design load ranges. The presented technique is related to the definition and implementation of a methodology for reducing the transient loads on wind tunnel balances in supersonic wind tunnel tests. By limiting the clearance between the model and its tail support (sting) to a magnitude which permits normal tests, but results in model-support contact during the excessive loads, part of the loads is transferred to the support sting, relieving the balance. The technique improves control over the wind tunnel test process, improves measurement accuracy and prevents damage to sensitive instrumentation (wind tunnel balances).