Search

Acoustic emission (AE) methods have been proposed for on-line size measurement of pneumatically conveyed particles in recent years. However, there is limited research on the fundamental mechanism of the AE-based particle sizing technique. In order to achieve more accurate measurement of particle size, the impact between particles and a waveguide should be described in a more realistic way. In this paper, an improved model based on the Stronge impact theory is presented to establish the relationship between the resulting AE signal and the particle size being measured. The improved model is validated with experiments on a single-particle test rig. A total five sets of glass beads with a mean diameter of 0.4, 0.6, 0.8, 1.0 and 1.2 mm, respectively, are used as the test particles with an impact velocity ranging from 22 m/s to 37 m/s. It is proven that the Stronge impact theory is more accurate to describe the collision process than the Hertzian impact theory and is thus more suitable for the particle size inversion, which is validated by comparing the inversion results using these two impact theories. Meanwhile, a good agreement is observed between the measured and reference particle sizes under different experimental conditions. The mean relative error between the measured and reference diameters is mostly within 12%.

Bubble segmentation is the most popular method for bubble size measurement. However, due to the complexity of the froth image, the present image segmentation methods cannot get a satisfactory result. In this paper, a watershed segmentation algorithm with an optimal marker is proposed. The marker extraction method is based on the sub-images, and thus an improved sub-image classification model is built. To reduce the under-segmentation, a lumped together marker checking method is also developed based on the skeletons. Then, the optimal marker is obtained by the data fusions with the three marker regions, the light reflection character of the bubble and the class information of sub-images. The industrial experiments show the effectiveness of the proposed method, in which the accuracy is improved by 11.44% and 9.10%, and the robustness is improved by 41.48% and 57.95%, respectively, compared with the two other present methods.

Accurate measurement of droplet size, temperature and concentration in sprays is of great importance but still challenging in applications. The secondary rainbow refractometry is investigated in this work to measure refractive index and size of transparent spherical droplets, with better sensitivity than the first rainbow. Inversion algorithm of the secondary rainbow is used and validated through processing the secondary rainbow signals simulated by the Lorenz-Mie theory. The secondary rainbow refractometry is applied to measure monodispersed spherical droplets of ethanol and N-heptane with different diameters in the isothermal conditions. Measured refractive indices of both liquids are 1.3621 and 1.3950 with diameter of about 145 µm and uncertainty of size measurement is down to 1 μ m with RMS error of 0.3 μ m . Compared with results from the microscopic imaging, the maximum of deviation as well as the relative error are within several microns and 4 % . This work confirms the feasibility and high accuracy of the secondary rainbow refractometry in spherical droplet size and refractive index measurement at room temperature of about 300 K .

It is a pervasive problem to automatically obtain the size of a human body without contacting for applications like virtual try-on. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to calculate human body size, such as width of shoulder, girths of bust, hips and waist. First, a depth camera as the 3D model acquisition device is used to get the 3D human body model. Then an automatic extraction method of focal features on 3D human body via random forest regression analysis of geodesic distances is used to extract the predefined feature points and lines. Finally, the individual human body size is calculated according to these feature points and lines. The scale-invariant heat kernel signature is exploited to serve as feature proximity. So our method is insensitive to postures and different shapes of 3D human body. These main advantages of our method lead to robust and accurate feature extraction and size measurement for 3D human bodies in various postures and shapes. The experiment results show that the average error of feature points extraction is 0.0617cm, the average errors of shoulder width and girth are 1.332 cm and 0.7635 cm, respectively. Overall, our algorithm has a better detection effect for 3D human body size, and it is stable with better robustness than existing methods.

A dual-tip optical fiber probe has been attempted to make measurement of bubble size in breaking waves, especially for the violent and aerated bubble plumes presented immediately after breaking in laboratory and field. However, the performance of field measurement based on such probe is not satisfactory due to the measurement error produced by the large numbers of escaped and missing bubbles. The objective of the present study and its companion are to evaluate the errors of bubble size measurement in breaking waves using a dual-tip optical fiber probe, and the errors were grouped as oncoming bubble errors, receding bubble errors and missing bubble errors in terms of the bubble motion relative to the probe. The study on errors shows that the incomplete velocity vector of bubble and missing pierced position vector where the tips contact the bubble are the major reasons for errors. In order to make error correction, this paper proposes a four-tip optical fiber probe to obtain these two vectors and other required parameters. The mathematical model of the recommended probe is derived, which enables the bubble velocity components in the x, y and z directions and the pierced position vector is the unique functions of several time intervals and probe's spatial distribution relationship. The optimized algorithm is suggested to calculate the velocity vector, the pierced position vector and other required parameters from time intervals taken from the output signals of the proposed probe. The model and algorithm claim that the velocity vector of bubbles and pierced position vector can be obtained as long as the time intervals can be captured by four-tip optical fiber probe. Verification and validation of the model is presented in the accompanying paper.

Microfluidic technology is a versatile approach to improve the production of various fine chemicals and materials, where precise and fast size measurement of microdroplets in microscopic images is of pivotal significance for microfluidic device design. With recent developments in convolutional neural networks, we herein proposed a state-of-the-art deep learning-based method to cope with microdroplet size measurement and largely ease manual workload. The proposed method instance-wisely segments microdroplets with deep learning, and then fits their boundaries to obtain precise size distribution curves. Even overlapped droplets and small-sized satellite droplets can be detected and measured, which is not achievable in previous computer methods. Incredibly, diameter measurement error is as small as 0.75 μm, and the measurement efficiency is increased ~ 1000 times compared to manual measuring. This work not only sheds light on intellectual size measurement of microdroplets, but also points out a new way to promote microfluidic technology through deep learning methods.

Rationale and Objectives This study aimed to compare long-axis diameter to average computed tomography (CT) diameter measurements of lung adenocarcinomas manifesting as solid lung nodules ≤30 mm on CT, as referenced to pathologic measurements, and to determine the impact of the two CT measurement approaches on tumor (T)-staging of nodules. Materials and Methods This institutional review board-approved study included all 274 radiologic solid adenocarcinomas resected at our institution over 10 years. Two observers measured long- and short-axis diameters on pre-resection chest CT in lung and mediastinal windows. T-stages were determined. CT measurements and T-stages were compared to pathology measurements and T-stages using Wilcoxon signed rank test and McNemar test. Inter- and intraobserver variability was determined with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots. Results For lung and mediastinal windows, nodule size was significantly larger using long-axis diameter rather than average diameter (16.93 vs. 14.92 mm, P .001; and 14.02 vs. 12.17 mm, P .001, respectively). The correlation of CT with pathologic measurements was stronger with long-axis than with average diameter (ICC 0.808 vs. 0.730; and 0.731 vs. 0.621, respectively). Lung window measurements correlated stronger with pathology than mediastinal window measurements. CT T-stages differed from pathology T-stages in more than 20% of nodules ( P .001). Inter- and intraobserver variability was small with long-axis and average diameter (ICC range 0.96–0.991, and 0.970–0.993, respectively), but long-axis diameter showed wider scatter on Bland-Altman plots. Conclusions Long-axis CT diameter is preferable for T-staging because it better reflects the pathology T-stage. Average CT diameter might be used for longitudinal nodule follow-up because it shows less measurement variability and is more conservative in size assessment.

We propose a method for dielectric microparticles size measurement based on the temporal evolution of speckle pattern. We conducted experiments using aqueous suspension of different standard spherical latex particles that span a size range between 5 µm and 100 µm. To analyze the speckle pattern data, we use different and independent qualitative and quantitative algorithms. We built calibration curves between the actual size of the particles provided by the manufacturer and the corresponding descriptors derived from each quantitative algorithm of the speckle measurement technique. We show that this technique provides a useful, non-invasive and low-cost tool for determining the diameter of dielectric microparticles.

The effect of pulp chemistry and the presence of solids on a froth bubble size measurement method developed by Bhondayi and Moys (2014) was tested. Three conditions representing different pulp chemistries and two solids loading conditions were investigated. Bubble size measurements were performed in both a laboratory mini-flotation column and a mechanical cell. Results established that estimates for bubble sizes from the new method termed intra-bubble impact distances (IID) can be measured irrespective of the pulp chemistry and also that the presence of solids does not affect the method. The IIDs were on average higher than the Sauter-mean diameter which agrees with results reported by Bhondayi and Moys (2014). Although the presence of solids precluded comparison with the photographic method in the mechanical cell, at low solids content (mini-flotation column) a linear correlation existed between average IIDs and Sauter-mean diameter obtained from photographs. The presence of significant amount of solids (mechanical cell tests) changed coalescence dynamics as shown by a deviation from a linear correlation observed with low %solids and two-phase systems.

Considering the deterioration of civil infrastructures, the evaluation of structural safety by detecting cracks is becoming increasingly essential. In this paper, the advanced technologies of deep learning and structured light composed of vision and two laser sensors have been applied to detect and quantify cracks on surfaces of concrete structures. The YOLO (You Only Look Once) algorithm has been used for real-time detection, and the sizes of the detected cracks have been calculated based on the positions of the projected laser beams on the structural surface. Since laser beams may not be projected in parallel due to installation or manufacturing errors, the laser alignment correction algorithm with a specially designed jig module and a distance sensor is applied to increase the accuracy of the size measurement. The performance of the algorithm has been verified through simulations and experimental tests, and the results show that the cracks on the structural surfaces can be detected and quantified with high accuracy in real-time.

FPA (Function Point Analysis) is a standardized method aimed at establishing a software size measurement from its functional requirements, considering the features to be implemented in it. It was designed to be applied regardless of the programming language and implementation technology. The paper focuses on the requirements of the modification in the FPA. As from its origin to date there has been drastic changes occurred in the software development paradigm, but FPA exist in its previous form, so there is a need of examine the FPA with the current scenario.

This data describes about the measurement technique of Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite materials that successfully synthesized via Horizontal Vapor Phase Growth (HVPG) technique. The data are obtained after specimens were placed in the Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) chamber to be analyzed. The present data were captured from SEM with different magnification. There are total 27 variable data to be analyzed from three different parameters; growth temperature, baking time and zones. In total, 9 different quartz tubes that contains of Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite material are evaluated. Data are described in average value where the different calculations are presented. Raw data are also embedded in the Appendix for further analysis purposes. These data can be useful as the information of size measurement of Ag/TiO2 nanocomposite materials in different temperature and time during synthesis process.

Graphical abstract, A method for measurement of dimensions of platy particles of exfoliating, or delaminating, materials, such as clays, in aqueous suspensions in situ is proposed. Equivalent spherical diameter (esd), measured by many common methods, depends more on the major (lateral) dimension of a particle, while it is less sensitive to changes of the particle thickness. Addition of the second method, results of which are a function of the particle diameter and thickness too, would provide more accurate determination of the particle dimensions. Previously, a combination of low-temperature nitrogen adsorption (BET) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) methods for determination of specific surface area of dry powder of platy particles and their esd in suspension was suggested. While such combination was suitable for measurement of particle size for non-exfoliating materials, it gave incorrect results for exfoliating materials, which dramatically change their surface area when dispersed in liquid. We modify this method by substituting BET method with NMR relaxometry, which allows to measure wetted surface area of the dispersed material directly in suspension. The advantages of this method are:•More accurate determination of diameter and thickness of platy, particularly exfoliating, materials directly in suspension.•Possibility of routine monitoring of particle size changes during the dispersing process.

A recent publication in this journal reported the effect of bubble size on foam fractionation performance. Whilst the bubble size is indeed an important parameter, bubble size measurement in the said article is likely affected by a well-known source of error, namely bubble distortion by the column wall which leads to an erroneous interpretation of the experimental phenomenon. Consequently, the authors resorted to empirical equations with little physical basis to correlate their experimental data, while established two-phase flow theories have been largely overlooked. This letter attempts to clarify such issues.

A commenting letter on a recent publication challenges the measurement technique developed for optically determining bubble size distributions in foams of continuous foam fractionation in stripping mode. The author assumes an effect of bubble distortion at the glass wall leading to a misinterpretation of the experimental results. In this reply letter it will be shown that bubble distortion is of less relevance in the measurement technique considered confirming validity and reliability of the bubble size measurement method developed. Thus, the correlations between the bubble size and the liquid fraction in the foam and the operating conditions as well as the separation performance in the original publication are seen to be valid.

Aquatic products are popular among consumers and their visual quality used to be detected manually for sorting, grading, species classification and freshness assessment. Machine vision, as a non-destructive method, has been used in external quality detection of aquatic products for its efficiency, objectiveness, consistency and reliability. Quite a number of researches have highlighted its potential for visual quality detection of fishes, fish filets and some other aquatic products (i.e. shrimp, oyster, and scallop). This review introduced detecting methods based on measurement of size, shape, and color using machine vision systems. Size measurement (i.e. length and area) was usually taken for sorting and grading, while shape was measured for species classification with the integration of size information. Color information was studied for analysis of fish filets, fish muscle, fish skin and shrimp, and for color changes of specially treated fish. Machine vision systems used for measuring size, shape, and color was described, including improvements of cameras, illumination settings, image processing and analysis methods, and experimental results as well. With the development in these areas, machine vision technique may achieve higher accuracy and efficiency, and wider application in visual quality detection of aquatic products. Besides, advantages and limitations of these machine vision systems were discussed, with recommendation on future developments.

Purpose This study investigated common paediatric radiography examinations in Ireland and analysed any potential for improvement by considering compliance with requirements for justification, the range of doses delivered and potential Diagnostic Reference Levels, and technique approaches that enhance optimisation. Method Referral information, Dose Area Product (DAP) dose, technique details and patient data were gathered from 568 paediatric examinations performed across several hospitals. The examinations were mobile infant chest ( n = 66), chest ( n = 266), abdomen ( n = 96), lumbar spine ( n = 14), full spine ( n = 5), pelvis ( n = 151) and skull ( n = 28). Data were analysed to allow comment on the adequacy of justification, the range of doses being delivered and possible Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs), and the potential for optimisation of radiographic technique. Results/conclusions Results indicate that the principle of justification is generally applied well in paediatric practice. Dose results indicate that age-related doses are generally comparable to published data, although dose variations exist within and between hospitals. Although differences between minimum and maximum DAP values were substantial, differences between the first and third quartile values were rarely greater than a factor of three. With regard to DRLs, age-related, 75th centile DAP values are presented for five paediatric X-ray examinations. While DAP DRLs stated as a function of age are a pragmatic approach to preliminary DRL values, size related DRLs are acknowledged as a better approach and the necessity of objective paediatric patient size measurement is emphasised. With regard to potential for optimisation, small samples limited analysis of factorial influences on DAP. However, trends indicate that objective consideration of kVp and mAs, careful collimation, and matching of exposure to baby weight in neonates and to measured patient depth in children could all contribute to better optimisation. These factors are all within the radiographer's control, thus highlighting the pivotal role of the radiographer in ensuring that the principle of optimisation is attained.

A novel stereoscopic image acquisition setup and a procedure for measuring multidimensional particle size distributions (nD PSDs) during crystallization based on image analysis are presented. Images of crystals in suspension passing a flow through cell are generated by two cameras which are arranged in an orthogonal manner. Particles are conveyed to the flow through cell using a sampling loop, thus allowing for online monitoring. Automated image analysis provides contour data which can be used to classify crystals into different generic particle model classes. For each type of particle size data is calculated and stored. Finally, time resolved nD PSD data can be calculated. The accuracy of this novel size measurement was confirmed by comparison to measurements obtained with a Coulter Multisizer. The non-invasive nature and repeatability of experiments are shown by monitoring populations of sodium chloride and of the beta polymorph of L-glutamic acid under different conditions. Finally, crystal growth of acetaminophen during cooling crystallization is shown. In addition, a virtual test bench is used to study the measurement method in silico. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

This paper presents the development of a small-scale (1 in.) laboratory flotation column with online measurement of bubble size. In contrast to the systems that use sampling-for-image techniques and have the viewing chamber located at the top of the flotation device, the system employed here measures the bubble size via image analysis using a bubble size analyzer located at the bottom of the column using a well-referenced sloped viewing chamber. The main advantage of this configuration is that it allowed the measurement and monitoring of the bubble size during flotation experiments (three-phase system). This was possible because the sizes of the bubbles were determined before they entered the column; moreover, the “cloudy effect” caused by fine particles in the bubble viewing chamber was minimized owing to the use of an expansion chamber (named the bubble injection chamber). The image capture, processing, and analysis were automated, which rendered it possible to determine the bubble size distribution and mean bubble size (D32) of consecutive images every 5 s using a simple image analysis procedure. Two-phase experiments conducted to evaluate the system showed that the mean bubble size (D32) and gas holdup were within the ranges found in the literature. As expected, the holdup was dependent on the bubble size, which was strongly dependent on the frother concentration. Finally, some exploratory experiments were conducted to test the apparatus in a three-phase system. Recovery-particle size curves for different bubble sizes showed that mass recovery increases as the mean bubble size decreases, and the coarser the particles, the greater is the effect of the bubble size on the recovery.

Computer vision technology is a sophisticated inspection technology that is in common use in various industries. However, it is not as widely used in aquaculture. Application of computer vision technologies in aquaculture, the scope of the present review, is very challenging. The inspected subjects are sensitive, easily stressed and free to move in an environment in which lighting, visibility and stability are generally not controllable, and the sensors must operate underwater or in a wet environment. The review describes the state of the art and the evolution of computer vision in aquaculture, at all stages of production, from hatcheries to harvest. The review is organized according to inspection tasks that are common to almost all production systems: counting, size measurement and mass estimation, gender detection and quality inspection, species and stock identification, and monitoring of welfare and behavior. The objective of the review is to highlight areas of research and development in the field of computer vision which have made some progress, but have not matured into a useful tool. There are many potential applications for this technology in aquaculture which could be useful for improving product quality or production efficiency. There have been quite a few initiatives in this direction, and a tight collaboration between engineers, fish physiologists and ethologists could contribute to the search for, and development of solutions for the benefit of aquaculture.

In order to confirm the reliability of particle size measurement technique and to prepare standard reference particles for calibrating particle size measurement devices, experimental and theoretical studies have been conducted through particle size measurement of silica particles having a size range of 0.1–1 μm. A new theoretical equation to calculate fundamental uncertainty region in the case that the maximum and/or the minimum particle size is known, is derived based on a log-normal distribution truncated by the maximum and/or the minimum. Fundamental uncertainty regions calculated based on these truncated size distributions are compared with that calculated based on the perfect log-normal distribution. The relationship between the parameter u to determine the reliability of size distribution and the truncate-parameter g is obtained to get 95% reliability of the measurement. Value of the parameter u is fairly reduced as the truncate-parameter g becomes smaller. Numerical simulation of uncertainty region agreed with the results calculated by the new theoretical equation. Calculations on the silica particles having a size range of 0.1–1 μm have been conducted showing that the uncertainty region based on the known maximum size is slightly smaller compared to that given in the previous paper.

Acoustic emission was used to measure particle size properties of steel, cast iron, and alumina powders. Many powder samples with different weight and size distribution were prepared by sieving and their size distribution was measured by means of optical techniques. Acoustic emission measurements were carried out by dropping the powder on a metal plate to which an acoustic emission transducer was fixed, and results were expressed in terms of number of counts of four channels for data acquisition. The measurement set-up and procedure were original and never investigated before. Very good results were obtained for steel and cast iron samples, as measurement curves showed a clear linear trend as a function of the particle mean diameter and were vertically shifted in dependence of the sample weight. Alumina powders showed similar trends only for large particles and high weight differences.

In order to confirm reliable particle size measurement technique and to prepare standard reference particles for calibrating particle size measurement devices, experimental and theoretical studies have been conducted about particle size measurement of 0.1–1 μm silica particles. The microscopic method with sample size greater than 90,000 particles was conducted for the size measurement. Theoretical equation of uncertainty region over all particle diameter range is newly proposed and compared with computer simulation. Previous paper [H. Masuda, K. Iinoya, Theoretical study of the scatter of experimental data due to particle size distribution, J. Chem. Eng. 4(1) (1971) 60–67] reported the uncertainty region only for mass median diameter, but this paper presents the uncertainty region for all particle size range. The uncertainty region increases with the increase in particle diameter and also increases as the sample size decreases. Theoretical uncertainty region agreed with the results of computer simulation.

Background & Aims: Clinical management of polyps discovered by computed tomographic (CT) colonography depends on polyp size. However, size measured by CT colonography is an estimate, and its agreement with other measures is not well characterized. We hypothesized that size measurement by CT colonography varies substantially compared with measurement by other methods. Methods: We performed a secondary data analysis of a multicenter study of CT colonography in comparison with colonoscopy. Polyp size was determined by CT colonography, at colonoscopy, and measurement prefixation with a ruler. Agreement was assessed using descriptive statistics and Bland–Altman methodology. Results: Six hundred trial participants completed both tests. Ninety-five percent limits of agreement indicated that estimates of size by CT colonography were between 52% lower to 64% higher than prefixation polyp size estimates. Ninety-five percent limits of agreement stratified by categories of clinical importance indicated that estimates of size by CT colonography were between 44% lower to 84% higher for polyps 0.6 cm or smaller, 44% lower to 44% higher for polyps 0.6 to 0.9 cm, and 48% lower to 22% higher for polyps smaller than 0.6 cm, 44% lower to 44% higher for polyps 0.6 cm to 0.9 cm, and 48% lower to 22% higher for polyps larger than 0.9 cm compared with prefixation estimates. Analysis of participants with 1 identified polyp in the same colon segment showed that categorization based on CT colonography measurement (ie, 0.9 cm) differed from prefixation measurement for 43% of participants. Conclusions: Polyp size estimation by CT colonography varies from prefixation and colonoscopic measures of size. Future studies should clarify whether size estimation by CT colonography is sufficiently reliable as a primary factor to guide clinical management.

A single charged particle is trapped in a simple quadrupole electrode assembly and oscillated by means of a controlled electric field. A laser Doppler velocimeter (LDV) of the fringe mode is used for detecting the amplitude and phase lag of the particle oscillation with respect to the driving ac field. A unique method for the LDV signal processing is presented that takes the advantage of the sinusoidal oscillation of the particle at a known frequency. Superimposed to the ac drive, a dc drive is added for highly accurate measurements of particle size and charge. This enables us also to discriminate the polarity of charge without Bragg cells. In this paper, the basic principle of the method of the size and the charge measurements is explained and the accuracy of the measurements is demonstrated experimentally. The errors in the size and charge measurements, respectively, are less than 1% and 3% with a confidence coefficient of 99%. Since this apparatus repeats the measurements every 0.3 s for a single particle, the errors can be reduced to 0.1% and 0.3% when the measured values over a period of 30 s, or over 100 data are averaged. As some areas of its applications, experimental data are presented on the Rayleigh instability of evaporating charged droplets. It is shown that there are three types of Rayleigh fission. One of the types seemed to show occurrence of air breakdown around a micron sized spherical particle, which has not been reported so far. However experiments in highly insulating gas ( SF 6 ) revealed that it was not the case but a type of Rayleigh fission. Nevertheless the experimental results gave important information on the charge limit of spherical solid particle due to electric breakdown in air at normal room conditions. Some cares to ensure the advantages of the present method are presented, and possible improvements of the apparatus are also suggested for future use.

The use of a wide range of optical illumination settings may generate significant shifts in the photoresist (PR) swing curves. For technologies where critical dimension controls of few nanometers are required, the impact of these shifts on the critical dimension uniformity must be taken into account. In this paper, we have reproduced and quantified the shift of different swing curves (dose-to-clear and critical dimension) with a 248nm positive PR. The impact of such shift on critical dimension uniformity has been determined on Deep UV Scanner.

The aggregating behavior between bubbles and particles induced by high intensity conditioning (HIC) was studied using high speed CCD technique. Bubble size measurement was conducted, and the attachment behavior between bubbles and particles in HIC cell and flotation cell were observed. The results show that in HIC cell, high intensity conditioning creates an advantage environment for the formation of small size bubble due to hydrodynamic cavitations, and these fine bubbles have high probability of bubble-particle collision, which will enhance fine particle flotation. The bubble-particle attachment experiments indicate that in high intensity conditioning cell, a lot of fine bubbles are produced in situ on the surface of fine particles, and most of fine particles are aggregated under the bridging action of fine bubbles. The observation of bubble-particle interaction in flotation cell illustrates that aggregates created by HIC can be loaded more easily by big air bubble in flotation cell than those created by normal conditioning.

Size control has been a topic of interest to cell biologists for over a century, but insights into cell size control mechanisms have until recently been relatively sparse. Determining whether cells have a size measurement mechanism and how it might operate has proven difficult. The nucleocytoplasmic ratio is one of the few conserved features of size control but little is know about how it is measured. Models where growth and division can be uncoupled have been underexploited, but have considerable potential for gaining insights into the contribution of the nucleocytoplasmic ratio to cell size regulation.

Background The purpose of this study is to prospectively evaluate the performance characteristics of endoscopy and EUS in the diagnosis of GI subepithelial masses. Methods A total of 100 consecutive patients referred for the evaluation of a suspected GI subepithelial lesion were prospectively studied with endoscopy followed by EUS. Size, color, mobility, location (intramural or extramural), consistency (solid, cystic, or vascular), and presumptive diagnosis were recorded at the time of endoscopy. EUS then was performed, and size, echogenicity, location, and presumptive diagnosis were determined. Results A total of 100 subepithelial lesions were evaluated. Endoscopy had 98% sensitivity and 64% specificity in identifying intramural lesions. Size measurement by endoscopy correlated with size measurement by EUS (r=0.88). Histology was obtained in 23 cases, with the presumptive EUS diagnosis correct in only 48% of cases. Most incorrect EUS diagnoses occurred with hypoechoic 3rd and 4th layer masses. Conclusions Endoscopy has high sensitivity but low specificity in identifying the location (intramural or extramural) of subepithelial lesions. In addition, EUS imaging alone is insufficient to accurately diagnose 3rd and 4th layer hypoechoic masses, and histologic confirmation should be obtained whenever possible.

During the past century, the results of spontaneous translocation of radioactivity in air, biological media and groundwater have been reported. Here, we report the first measurements of the size characteristics in air of the particles participating in this translocation phenomenon. For the plutonium material powering radioisotope thermal generators, we find two narrow, well-separated fractions, one corresponding to particles below a nanometer and one at or below 10 nm. These results are interpreted as a gas-phase nucleation phenomenon arising from internal sputtering. They suggest fruitful directions for further research with immediate implications for accounting for the effects of radiological terrorism, for identifying new signatures for nuclear materials of possible use in antiterrorism and other covert nuclear materials operations, for radioactive and mixed materials storage handling, for reactor safety and source term modeling and for other materials processes.

The aim of this study was to investigate the agreement in HIFU-induced lesion sizes between measurements based on gross histological examination and those from images. Experiments were conducted in an experimental arrangement with a three-way multiscan ultrasonic inspection system and imaging was done by B-mode ultrasound (US). Bovine thigh muscle with and without fascia lata was treated with an in situ spatially averaged focal intensity ranging between 750 W cm −2 and 1565 W cm −2 and sonication-time was variable from 8 to 20 s. Assessment of the two measurement methods showed a rather weak correlation in the samples without fascia lata . For clarity and convenience in the discussion, sample muscles with and without fascia lata were labeled F and M, respectively. It was difficult to measure the lesion size from ultrasonographic images of F samples, so there was disagreement in the samples with fascia lata . This investigation showed that the presence of fascia lata in bovine thigh muscle has the likely effect of affecting the ultrasound image and makes it difficult to distinguish coagulated tissue from surrounding healthy tissue. There was no significant correlation between ultrasonography and the gross histological findings in M samples. Data supported that at for an in situ spatially averaged focal intensity ranging between 750 W cm −2 and 1565 W cm −2 and relatively shorter exposures (sonication-time variable from 1 to 8 s) higher correlation between image and gross histology measurement was found in excised bovine muscle specimens.

Group-specific communication signals are found in many group-living species. One example is group variation in the production of codas, which are short stereotyped patterns of clicks produced in social contexts, by sperm whales, Physeter macrocephalus. However, little is known about how codas are used by groups and individuals. We used the multipulse structure of sperm whale clicks to estimate the size of animals producing codas. Recordings of a single social unit containing nine largely unrelated animals made over a 1-month period yielded 879 codas of 32 distinctive types. We used an automatic technique to measure the interpulse interval of the clicks in these codas because the interpulse interval is closely related to the size of the animal. Ninety-four codas had sufficiently accurate measurements to be included in further analysis. Modes in the distribution of these measurements showed that more than one animal was producing codas. Comparing the measurements within coda types revealed that several coda types were produced by more than one animal. Thus, the codas recorded from these animals represent a shared repertoire, whereby coda production is not limited to a single animal and coda types are shared between individuals within the unit.

The generation process of silver chloride was studied using dynamic speckle methods including speckle size measurement and speckle contrast measurement. The quantity and size changes of the sedimentation particles in the illuminating region were investigated and analyzed.

This paper describes a method for simultaneously measuring the velocities and sizes of falling particles. The measurement method consists of two parts. One is the recognition of the particles from a raw image by an image-processing technique in order to obtain the sizes and positions of the particles, and the other is a measurement technique of Particle Tracking Velocimetry based on fuzzy logic for the falling velocities of particles. The method is examined by a numerical experiment with computer-generated images. The result shows that the present method can be applied on-line for real-time processing of practical measurements.

This paper summarizes part of the research into the study of the full and semi-autogenous grinding mills toward the improvement of productivity and energy consumption. While the feed ore size effect on SAG/FAG mill performance is the main subject of this paper, the 2D imaging vision system for feed ore size analyses is described. The ability of the system to produce on-line reliable results is illustrated. Particular attention is paid to the development and extraction of valuable size indicators with regards to the grinding mill mechanisms and energy consumption aspect. Finally, the investigation of the feed size effects at three grinding mills is discussed while extensive data are intensively processed in order to extract significant correlation between the primary grinding performance and some developed size indicators.

The purpose of this paper is to extend the holographic technique to the optical measurement of a two-medium mixture. Assume there exists a void in medium A and the void contains medium B, an experimental technique and the corresponding theories are proposed in this paper, in order to quantitatively determine the size of void in the two-medium mixture. Then the amount of medium B can be determined. An empty glass container was simulated as a void in the mixture. Two different types of glass containers were used and the corresponding theories were derived. The test results show that the errors were in a reasonable range and support the application of holography in the quantitative optical measurement of a two-medium mixture.

Size is a significant variable in cost/estimation modelling and is widely regarded as one of the most important determinants of effort. The research documented here was carried out in response to problems associated with estimation in project management. This paper discusses some empirical evidence arising from a study of design size estimation. The approach used here is to count the number of lines in the automatically generated CASE report. These are then used in the estimation equations as a measurement unit. Results from this study are shown to support earlier conjectures that design size can be estimated from early system specifications in CASE development environments. The study concludes that accurate size estimations can be made using data from early system specifications.

Particle size analysis results with respect to micronized, mean particle size below 10 microns, furosemide, chloramphenicol palmitate and acetaminophen particles are dealt with in this paper. Special consideration was given to the effect of the agglomeration of particles on data generated by three size measurement techniques. The physicochemical basis for preparing sufficiently well dispersed and stable suspensions for analysis by employing mechanical methods of pretreatment are shown. Furthermore, methods to determine the state of dispersion and methods to assess the individual particle size before size analysis are described. An attempt was also made to establish the statistical confidence that can be assigned to a particular instrument and the confidence level that may be placed on comparative data obtained with the different particle size analysers. Results especially showed the impact of the agglomeration of very small furosemide particles, mean size 3 microns, on particle size analysis and the importance of controlling the cohesive properties of this drug. To overcome the problems associated with agglomeration more attention must be paid to the physical properties of the drug substance. Combining particle size analysis with bulk density, surface area and microscopical studies also helped to identify potential problems.

As device size decreases and operation speed increases, the demands posed to the techniques for calibration and correction for high-frequency characterization of IC-components become more stringent. At the same time the importance of high-frequency characterization increases since device behavior can no longer be sufficiently well predicted using low-frequency measurements only. Small-signal high-frequency measurements then provide extra information for device characterization.

The constituent particles of many ambient and workplace aerosols of health effects concerns are of fibrous and aggregate geometric shapes. Although the deposition sites of particles in the human respiratory system are primarily related to their aerodynamic diameters, for rod-like and branching forms the dominant deposition mechanism may be interception. A theoretical model has been developed which predicts that natural and synthetic fibers may be preferentially deposited at lung airway bifurcations. Therefore, to assess potential exposure hazards it is necessary to have accurate kinetic classifications of airborne particulate matter. Centrifugal spectrometers can give direct and continuously graded measures of the aerodynamic size distributions of sampled aerosols. Herein, a mathematical description of centrifuge operation is refined to permit the characterization of irregularly shaped particles, with specific application to fibers. Aerosol centrifuge performance therefore can be customized to specific applications and be integrated into health effects studies.