Glass Plate Research Articles

Modeling and implementation of a position-sensitive fiber optic spark sensor with spectral radiation converter

Through numerical modeling of the optical part of the developed position-sensitive fiber-optic spark sensor with a spectral radiation converter, it was demonstrated that the sensor’s angular resolution in the range of ±18° is 3°. The spectral characteristics of the fluorescent glass plate with silver molecular clusters, which was used as the radiation converter in both numerical modeling and the experimental prototype, were investigated. Based on the developed optical sensor design, an experimental prototype was assembled. Testing of the prototype showed that it is capable of etecting sparks at a distance of 1000mm within an angular range of ±18° with an angular resolution of 3°. The results obtained from modeling and prototype testing are consistent and can be utilized in the development of sensors and emergency systems.

Comparison of Film Thickness of Restorative Composites Considered for Thermo-Modified Cementation.

This study proposes an updated method for the film thickness of 21 resin composites used as cements. A load of 30 N was subjected to two glass plates stacked on a heated base to simulate clinically relevant pressure and temperature during the seating of inlays/onlays/veneers. The axial position of the actuator was recorded before and after placing 22.15 mm3 of resin composite between the glass slides. The difference between the two measurements was calculated for each specimen. A total of 18 condensable restoratives, 1 injectable restorative, and 2 resin cements were tested, 5 specimens each (n = 5, N = 105). One-way ANOVA was performed for both variables and Games-Howell post hoc test was used for pairwise comparisons. The film thickness range was 6-200 μm, with the lowest values for restorative composites (AP-X, Z250, and Herculite XRV Incisal LT with 6-8 μm), followed by Gradia Direct (25 μm) and flowable/injectable composite resins, including designated cements (15-27 μm). Inspiro, Ultradent Transcend Universal, and ENA Hri dentin stood below 50 μm (range 28-49 μm). The other materials (range 81-200 μm) cannot be recommended for thermo-modified cementation. The initial viscosity of restorative composites is not an indication of the film thickness when used for thermo-modified cementation. There is a wide choice of appropriate materials available on the market. Some restorative composites are able to generate very thin films and can be used as cement with numerous advantages when compared to designated flowable or dual-cure cements.

Orthogonally polarized dual-wavelength Nd:LiYF4 laser at 1777 and 1789 nm with 1:1 output power ratio

Abstract A diode-pumped continuous-wave orthogonally polarized dual-wavelength Nd:LiYF4 (Nd:YLF) laser on 4F3/2 → 4I15/2 transition is studied. The output power ratio can be adjusted using two intracavity uncoated glass plates. At an incident pump power of 20 W, a dual-wavelength laser operating at 1777 nm in π-polarization and 1789 nm in σ-polarization was realized. The total output power of the dual-wavelength laser was more than 1.16 W with a 1:1 output power ratio. The total slope efficiency and total optical conversion efficiency with respect to the incident pump power were 4.6% and 2.9%, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first work realizing mid-infrared wavelength operation in Nd:YLF lasers on 4F3/2 → 4I15/2 transition.

Evaluation of the Safety Rate in the Diagnostic Radiology Departments in Alkhoms City, Libya

Diagnostic radiation such as X-rays and CT scans play a central role in the diagnosis of diseases. Excessive radiation exposure poses a high risk for healthcare providers as well as patients, which may cause serious diseases such as cancer. Providing protection requirements in the radiation departments and continuous inspection to prevent radiation leakage is the right way to provide human protection. The current study aimed to evaluate the safety rate in the diagnostic radiology departments in Alkhoms City. The questionnaire designed for the study in Arabic language, presented to experts for verification and review, then distributed to eleven medical centres in the Alkhoms region containing many relevant questions regarding the radiology department such as the name and address of a medical centre, in-formation about users and safety. Lead plates are present in 91% of health centres 36% of health centres installed lead plates for 1-5 years, 27% for 6-10 years, and 36% for 21 years or more. Lead plates are inspected once in 27%, three times in 9%, and four times or more in 9% of medical centres, on the other hand, 56% of medical centres didn’t inspect lead plates since installed. The lead plates last examined in 27% of medical centres a year ago, in 9% examined less than five years ago, and in 9% examined less than twenty years ago. On the other hand, 56% of medical centres have not performed any check-ups since installation. Protection glass and lead plates are present in 82% of medical centres, a radiation protection gown is present in 36%, and a dosimeter is present in 9% of medical centres only. Only 18% of health centres have organised a training programme for their radiology department staff. The safety rate in radiology departments in Alkhoms City- Libya is low because most medical centres lack protective equipment, and if they do, there is no regular inspection or testing of this equipment.

How to best assess shedder status: a comparison of popular shedder tests.

"Shedder status" describes the inherent variation between individuals to leave touch DNA on a surface through direct contact. Depending on the amount and quality of DNA or cellular deposition, individuals are typically deemed high, intermediate, or low shedders. Although many shedder tests have been described, variability in study design and categorisation criteria has limited the ability of researchers to accurately compare results, as well as accrue the necessary population data. As activity level reporting becomes more common, the need for reliable and standardised testing increases. To assess reproducibility, this study compared shedder status data generated by six participants using three different shedder tests, as modified from the literature. This involved DNA quantification and profiling of a handprint made on a glass plate, DNA quantification and profiling of a grip mark made on a plastic conical tube, and cell scoring of a Diamond™ Dye-stained fingermark. All participants washed and dried their hands fifteen minutes before each deposit. To assess the impact of behaviour on shedder designation, participants either refrained from activity or went about their daily tasks during this wait. The shedder status of participants changed between tests, as DNA-based testing often generated lower shedder statuses than cell scores. Further, when different categorisation methods were applied to a single test, intra-person variability increased as the number of shedder designations increased from two (low/high) to five (low/low-intermediate/intermediate/intermediate-high/high). Moving forward, the utilisation of a single shedder test and standardised categorisation criteria is needed to employ shedder testing in forensic casework.

A high-performance thin-layer chromatography densitometric method for the separation of isomeric ceftriaxone in powder for injection formulation

The aim of this study was to develop and validate a High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatographic (HPTLC) method for simultaneous determination of ceftriaxone and ceftriaxone e-isomer in powder for injection formulation. Ceftriaxone sodium injection is an antibiotic that used globally. It has Z/E geometrical conformation, in which ceftriaxone sodium and 3 ene-isomer have Z- conformation while (E)-isomer has E- conformation and the potential toxicity of ceftriaxone (E)-isomer has been reported. Thus, to safeguard the public health, a simple and easy to use, rapid and reliable method was developed for qualitative and quantitative determination of ceftriaxone sodium and its (E)–isomer. Samples were applied on HPTLC glass plates precoated with silica gel 60F254 by using Linomat semi-auto sampler. Separation was carried out using acetone, triethyl amine, water, chloroform and ethyl acetate as a mobile phase in different ratios. The Rf values of separated compounds were 0.51 ± 0.01 and 0.62 ± 0.01 for ceftriaxone sodium and ceftriaxone (E)-isomer respectively. The method was validated by studying Specificity, Linearity, Accuracy, Precision, Robustness, Limit of Detection (LOD) and Limit of Quantification (LOQ) and Solution stability. The developed method was successfully, sensitive, simple, precise, accurate, robust and applicable for the simultaneous determination of ceftriaxone sodium and ceftriaxone (E)-isomer in powder for injection formulation.

The salt removal from ancient sandstone using CaCO3 oligomer- and POSS siloxane-enhanced zwitterionic polymer

The weathering of outdoor sandstone cultural relics was dominantly induced by the circulating crystallization of soluble salt Na2SO4. This work proposed to weaken the salt-induced deterioration by a protective material that could reinforce the fragile sandstone and simultaneously remove the salt via continuously transporting the salt towards the air-sandstone interface without damage to the sandstone. Therefore, a new protective material bearing poly(methacryloyloxylethyl phosphorylcholine) (PMPC)-based zwitterionic polymer segment (PMH), hydrophobic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) segment (APTES-POSS) and small-size CaCO3 oligomer was prepared and denoted as POSS-PMH/CaCO3 composite. The presence of phosphorylcholine zwitterionic groups with water/salt affinity contributed greatly to the salt crystallization resistance of POSS-PMH/CaCO3 coating. Specifically, Na2SO4 crystallization pressure in the (POSS-PMH/CaCO3)-coated confined medium decreased by 88.1 % and 59.6 % as compared with that in the glass plate confined medium and that in the (APTES-POSS)-coated confined medium, respectively. In addition, the salt in (POSS-PMH/CaCO3)-treated sandstone could be ingeniously removed by zwitterion-induced outward transport. As a functional additive to traditional paper pulp poultice, POSS-PMH/CaCO3 could also achieve a high-efficiency extraction of salt from sandstone. More critically, the hydrophobicity and strong interfacial bonding ability of APTES-POSS segment, as well as the small size effect and crosslinking property of CaCO3 oligomer highly facilitated the interfacial adhesion of POSS-PMH/CaCO3 towards sandstone, improving the service life of POSS-PMH/CaCO3 and meanwhile avoiding the potential damage to sandstone during the removal of salt.

Influence of isochronal heat treatment on spray-deposited mixed phase tin based thin films for ammonia gas sensor applications

The current work applied the spray pyrolysis (SP) approach to coat mixed-phase SnS thin films at 3500C, and then air annealed at 400,450,5000C for use in sensor and solar cells applications. A variety of methods were employed to evaluate the structural, morphological, compositional, optical, and electrical characteristics of synthesized mixed-phase films. Films annealed at 5000C are reported to have bigger crystal sizes, and all deposited SnS films exhibit the orthorhombic phase in addition to tetragonal phase of SnO2, with other visible secondary phases like SnS2,Sn2S3. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Raman analyses verified the molecular structure and vibrational mode of SnS films. The Scanning electron microscopy tests reveal a consistent, size-varying two-dimensional flake like grain structure, while the optical studies show a variation in optical direct band-gap from 1.79-2.75eV. The Hall-effect shows that films subsequently annealed at 4000C have improved electrical properties. An efficient metal oxide semiconductor gas sensor was developed by applying mixed-SnS film on the conducting side of an indium tin oxide coated glass plate. To examine the sensor selectivity at room temperature, a variety of test gases, such as NO2, H2S, C2H5OH, NH3, were purged at different concentrations. The optimum working temperature and concentration for NH3 selective gas have been determined to be 3500C and 5ppm. The sensor sensitivity is found to be maximum at operating temperature of 2000C towards NH3 gas. An inexpensive, fabricated MOS-gas sensor based on mixed-phase SnS can be easily mass produced and may find potential applications in industrial and environmental monitoring.

Literature review and evaluation of methods relating to the surface friction of soft contact lenses

Purpose. Numerous reports have hypothesised that there is a strong correlation between the contact lens (CL) comfort and its on-eye friction. Hence many methods had been developed, to measure coefficients of friction (CoF) of soft CL. The aim of this work is the review, evaluation and discussion of these methods. Material and Methods. From the relevant literature, 15 methods published between 1995 and 2021 have been chosen based on their frequency of citation or because of their new or unusual approach. The evaluation focuses on the requirement that the method should closely mimic the CL on-eye situation. Moreover, it has been examined if these methods produce comparable results. Results. None of the methods meet the requirements in every aspect and many show large differences in the used techniques. That includes the often used tribometer, a rheometer, a pendulum, an inclined glass plate and fingers. Moreover, it has been shown that the methods create a wide range of CoFs. For example, the material nelfilcon A, measured by five different methods, show values between 0.013 and 0.474. That is a difference of 0.461. On the other side, for narafilcon A the difference between CoFs is only 0.143. Conclusion. To ensure that results from CoF measurements are valid and comparable between and within studies, a standardised method needs to be defined or developed. Choosing methods and parameters that simulate on-eye conditions would be beneficial in predicting wearing comfort and the effect of lubricating eyedrops. Thus, a more suitable method must be developed in the future.

Control of myotube orientation using ultrasonication

This study investigated a technique for controlling the orientation of C2C12-derived myotube cells using ultrasonication for future clinical applications of cultured skeletal muscle tissues. An ultrasonicating cell culture dish, comprising a plastic-bottomed culture dish and a circular glass plate (diameter, 35 mm; thickness, 1.1 mm) attached to an annular piezoelectric ultrasonic transducer (inner diameter, 10 mm; outer diameter, 20 mm; thickness, 1 mm), was constructed. A concentric resonant vibrational mode at 89 kHz was generated on the bottom of the dish, and the orientations of myotube cells were quantitatively evaluated using two-dimensional Fourier transform analysis of phase contrast microscopy images captured over a 14 × 10 mm2 area at the center of the dish. Unsonicated myotube cells grew in random directions, but ultrasonication aligned them circumferentially in the culture dish. The timing of treatment was important, with ultrasonication for 48 h before differentiation having a greater impact on myotube orientation than ultrasonication after differentiation. A larger ultrasonic vibration, with an amplitude of over 20 Vpp, resulted in significantly smaller angles of deviation in the circumferential direction than the control. Ultrasonication enhanced the expression of differentiation-related genes and the formation of aligned myotubes, suggesting that it promotes differentiation of C2C12 cells into myotubes.

Effect of surface roughness on the liquid bridge between two rigid spheres

We aimed to investigate the impact of surface roughness on liquid bridges between spherical particles. Sandblasting was used to control the particle size and produce glass beads and plates with different surface roughness. First, by measuring the advancing and receding contact angles of droplets on different rough surfaces, we analyzed the effects of surface roughness on wettability and hysteresis. Next, we used a custom-made liquid-bridge stretching device to measure the capillary forces of the liquid bridges between spherical particles with different surface roughness values. A charge-coupled device camera acquisition system was set up to capture the morphological changes of the liquid bridge during stretching, and Image View software was used to extract the morphological parameters of the liquid bridge. Theoretically, we reasonably simplified and solved the differential equations for the liquid bridge morphology and used the Young–Laplace equation to calculate the theoretical capillary force of the liquid bridge, providing an in-depth analysis of the influence of surface roughness on the capillary force. Finally, we studied the impact of surface roughness on the volume ratio of the liquid bridge during static stretching and the residual liquid remaining after the liquid bridge breaks. Experimental results indicated that, as the surface roughness increased, the hydrophobicity and wettability hysteresis of the solid surface also increased. The increased hydrophobicity of the surface reduces the solid-liquid contact area of the liquid bridges between the particles, making it easier to form “columnar” or “convex” liquid bridges. Additionally, the enhanced wettability hysteresis causes the solid-liquid contact boundary to lag during the stretching of the liquid bridge, resulting in a decrease in the solid-liquid contact angle. These factors directly alter the geometric shape of liquid bridges during static stretching, thereby affecting capillary forces. Meanwhile, the increase in surface roughness weakens the effect of gravity on the morphology of the liquid bridge, resulting in less liquid mass remaining on the lower sphere after the liquid bridge breaks as the surface becomes rougher.

Begonia neisti sp. nov. (Sect. Platycentrum, Begoniaceae), a new species from Arunachal Pradesh, India

Begonia neisti sp. nov., a new species of B. sect. Platycentrum, from Dibang valley of Arunachal Pradesh, India is described and illustrated. A detailed taxonomic description, along with a photographic plate, illustration, distribution map and conservation status are provided. The conservation status of the new species is preliminarily assessed as data deficient (DD) according to the IUCN red list criteria. Molecular data (ITS2) underwent phylogenetic analysis (maximum parsimony (MP) and Bayesian inference (BI)) to elucidate the relationships of the studied species within the genus.

Lensless super-resolved quantitative phase imaging with cm-level lateral translations of two glass plates.

In this Letter, we propose a new, to the best of our knowledge, lensless on-chip holographic microscopy platform, which can acquire sub-pixel-shifting holograms through centimeter (cm)-level lateral translations. An LED light source is used to illuminate the sample, and two orthogonally tilted step-structure glass plates are inserted into the optical path. By merely displacing the glass plates under cm-level precision, a series of holograms with sub-pixel displacements can be obtained. Combined with our improved pixel super-resolution (PSR) algorithm, high-quality PSR phase imaging can be achieved. Tests on the high-resolution USAF1951 target demonstrate that the system can achieve a half-width resolution of 870 nm by a camera with a pixel size of 1.67 µm. Additionally, imaging experiments were conducted on phase-type sinusoidal gratings, yeasts, red blood cells, and lilium ovary sections, respectively. The results show that the system can achieve large field-of-view, high-resolution phase imaging under low-cost hardware conditions and holds promise for its applications in biology and medicine.

Smeared fixed crack model for quasi-static and dynamic biaxial flexural response analysis of aluminosilicate glass plates

Glass materials are extensively used in load-bearing structures and impact-resistant components because of their distinctive physical and chemical properties. Accurate predictions and assessment of the mechanical responses of glass structures are crucial for structural design and reliability analysis. In this study, quasi-static and dynamic ball-on-ring (BOR) biaxial flexural tests are conducted on aluminosilicate glass. The smeared fixed crack model is calibrated for deformation and failure analyses. First, the model parameters are calibrated carefully, particularly for different failure criteria. Both the deformation field and fracture modes agree well with the experimental observations during the quasi-static tests. For the low-velocity impact biaxial flexural loading condition, three different numerical techniques, namely the initial scaling tensile strength criterion, non-local approach with energy criterion, and rate-dependent failure stress criterion, are implemented in the numerical models for dynamic failure analysis. Finally, the proposed smeared fixed crack model is compared with the widely used Johnson Holmquist Ⅱ (JH-2) model and demonstrates advantages for low-velocity impact response analysis of glass structures.

The effect of non-perpendicular incidence angles on discharge characteristics in an argon atmospheric plasma jet impinging on metal, water and glass substrates

The spatial–temporal discharge behavior of an AC argon plasma jet tilted at non-perpendicular incidence angles (60°, 45°, and 30°) interacting with an ungrounded metal, water, and glass plate placed on the jet propagation track was studied by the fast-imaging technique. The conductivity of surface and incidence angles plays an essential role in the discharge current and dynamic process of the plasma jet. The nearly consistent time delay between subsequent breakdowns occurred four times for metal and two times for glass treatments. The mean luminous intensity of the plasma in one discharge cycle at the discharge area between ground electrode and target surface region for the water and glass case decreased by 39.5% and 20.5% when the incidence angle decreased from 60° to 30°, respectively. In particular, the incidence angle and gas flow rate notably impacted the spatial extension behavior created on the glass surface but had no significant difference in discharge characteristic of plasma jet with metal case. In addition, two equivalent circuit models were developed based on the simulation of the micro-discharges and the geometry of the “plasma jet–substrate” system, respectively. These results will obtain further insight into the underlying mechanisms of plasma-target interaction and facilitate the designing of appropriate jet for environmental and biomedical applications.

Ejection and deposition of mica suspension droplets under electric field

Inkjet printing of ceramic materials is a shaping process of interest for building micrometer-sized components. It consists of depositing droplets of colloidal inks according to a printing pattern designed to obtain a given final part. Improving the printed part properties, e.g., thermal or electrical, requires to tailor the printed material's local structure and orientation. Electric field is an efficient external stimulus to control particle orientation. A major challenge is to efficiently couple the effects of electric field and those of capillary, viscous, and evaporation phenomena occurring during inkjet printing. In this paper, the effect of an external electric field on the structuration of inkjet deposits is investigated. Suspensions of mica platelets dispersed in binary mixtures of chloroform and silicone oil are ejected on demand on a glass plate. An electric potential difference is applied by means of a set of electrodes below the glass substrate, separated by a small gap in order to maximize the electric field on the surface of the plate. A cartography of splat morphology and structuration for different inks as a function of applied field is performed. Promising experimental conditions display particle arrangement and limited splat deformation, whereas others lead to fingering. This paves the way to a novel additive shaping process by adding another smaller scale of structuration to inkjet printed parts.

New evidence supporting past dust ejections from active asteroid (4015) Wilson–Harrington

Context. (4015) Wilson-Harrington (hereafter, WH) was discovered as a comet in 1949 but has a dynamical property consistent with that of a near-Earth asteroid. Although there is a report that the 1949 activity is associated with an ion tail, the cause of the activity has not yet been identified. Aims. This work aims to reveal the mysterious comet-like activity of the near-Earth asteroid. Methods. We conducted new polarimetric observations of WH from May 2022 to January 2023, reanalyses of the photographic plate images taken at the time of its discovery in 1949, and dust tail simulation modelings, where the dust terminal velocity and ejection epoch are taken into account. Results. We found that this object shows polarization characteristics similar to those of low-albedo asteroids. We derived the geometric albedo ranging from pV = 0.076 ± 0.010 to pV = 0.094 ± 0.018 from our polarimetry (the values vary depending on the data used for fitting and the slope-albedo relationship coefficients). In addition, the 1949 image showed an increase in brightness around the nucleus. Furthermore, we found that the color of the tail is consistent with sunlight, suggesting that the 1949 activity is associated with dust ejection. From the dust tail analysis, ~9 × 105 kg of material was ejected episodically at a low velocity equivalent to or even slower than the escape velocity. Conclusions. We conclude that WH is most likely an active asteroid of main belt origin and that the activity in 1949 was likely triggered by mass shedding due to fast rotation.

The polyphasic approach reveals ten novel and one known Ascomycota taxa from terrestrial agarwood‐producing trees

AbstractAquilaria (Thymelaeaceae), a tropical and subtropical plant, is one of the main genera that can produce agarwood. Aquilaria sinensis and Aquilaria yunnanensis are native Chinese tree species, and A. sinensis is China's main agarwood source. Agarwood is a nontimber forest product with high economic and medicinal value. First‐grade agarwood is sold as much as $100 000 per kilogram. There has been little research on the saprobic fungi associated with Aquilaria, with only 11 records having been reported. In the present study, 10 terrestrial saprobic fungi associated with A. sinensis and A. yunnanensis were collected in China. Based on morphological and phylogenetic studies, these 10 collections are introduced herein as one new genus (Aquilariomyces), nine new species – Aquilariomyces aquilariae, Corynespora aquilariae, Melomastia maomingensis, Nigrograna aquilariae, Parathyridariella aquilariae, Peroneutypa maomingensis, Phaeoseptum aquilariae, Pseudothyridariella aquilariae, and Triangularia aquilariae, and one known species (Camarographium clematidis). Descriptions, illustrations of morphological characteristics, photo plates, phylogenetic trees, and the results of a pairwise homoplasy index test (PHI) test results are provided.

Exploring FEA Techniques for Bending Rectangular Glass Plates into Parabolic Shapes

Abstract: A structural Finite Element Analysis (FEA) was conducted, incorporating both linear and nonlinear analysis. The investigation considered geometric nonlinearity, material nonlinearity, and boundary nonlinearity, also known as contact analysis. All boundary conditions, loadings, and material properties used in the analysis were based on real-world conditions. Experimental validations were performed to confirm the accuracy of the FEA results, providing strong confidence in the investigation's findings.

Influence of dust deposition on photovoltaic (PV) module performance at the different sites

This research paper has been designed to investigate the effect of small dust pollutants on a solar photovoltaic panel output power capacity under different environmental conditions. The impact of the various dust pollutants on photovoltaic (PV) modules has been assessed and analyzed. The results show how dust accumulation influences the PV module's performance through output power. The panel performance gradually decreases with increasing dust accumulation on PV glass plate. Consequently, A significant amount of power loss (12.52% - 16.29%) has been recorded at the different PV sites. In which, a maximum level of power loss (16.29%) was obtained for the lime-stone site.