Brad Feld, venture capitalist at Mobius Venture Capital and perhaps well-known locally here in Dallas because of the EDS acquisition of the The Feld Group, has a great perspective on measurements. I'm blue in the face from my recent, numerous discussions on the subject. My immediately prior two posts (here and here) are very closely related to the same core subject on reporting and measurements.

A couple of key things in Brad's post that I resonate with are focusing on synthesis, reacting, and not getting lost in the numbers. Sometimes I get nauseous when I recommend to clients that there be more measurements as part of core business foundation, yet I can see that their faces read, "you want me to provide more numbers????".

Steve Shu Managing Director S4 Management Group Email: sshu@s4management.com Web: http://www.s4management.com

Rotations of small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering samples during acquisition are shown to give a drastic improvement in the reliability of the characterization of anisotropic precipitates in metallic alloys.

The performance of a high-Z photon-counting detector for powder diffraction measurements at high (>50 keV) energies is characterized, and the appropriate corrections are described in order to obtain data of higher quality than have previously been obtained from 2D detectors in these energy ranges.

We explain analysis of RIXS, HERFD and XR-HERFD data to discover new physical processes in manganese and manganese-containing materials, by applying our new technique XR-HERFD, developed from high resolution RIXS and HERFD.

Nanometric precipitates in metallic alloys often have highly anisotropic shapes. Given the large grain size and non-random texture typical of these alloys, performing small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) measurements on such samples for determining their characteristics (typically size and volume fraction) results in highly anisotropic and irreproducible data. Rotations of flat samples during SAXS/WAXS acquisitions are presented here as a solution to these anisotropy issues. Two aluminium alloys containing anisotropic precipitates are used as examples to validate the approach with a −45°/45° angular range. Clear improvements can be seen on the SAXS I(q) fitting and the consistency between the different SAXS/WAXS measurements. This methodology results in more reliable measurements of the precipitate's characteristics, and thus allows for time- and space-resolved measurements with higher accuracy.

During X-ray diffraction experiments on single crystals, the diffracted beam intensities may be affected by multiple-beam X-ray diffraction (MBD). This effect is particularly frequent at higher X-ray energies and for larger unit cells. The appearance of this so-called Renninger effect often impairs the interpretation of diffracted intensities. This applies in particular to energy spectra analysed in resonant experiments, since during scans of the incident photon energy these conditions are necessarily met for specific X-ray energies. This effect can be addressed by carefully avoiding multiple-beam reflection conditions at a given X-ray energy and a given position in reciprocal space. However, areas which are (nearly) free of MBD are not always available. This article presents a universal concept of data acquisition and post-processing for resonant X-ray diffraction experiments. Our concept facilitates the reliable determination of kinematic (MBD-free) resonant diffraction intensities even at relatively high energies which, in turn, enables the study of higher absorption edges. This way, the applicability of resonant diffraction, e.g. to reveal the local atomic and electronic structure or chemical environment, is extended for a vast majority of crystalline materials. The potential of this approach compared with conventional data reduction is demonstrated by the measurements of the Ta L3 edge of well studied lithium tantalate LiTaO3.

The diagnostics of X-ray beam properties has a critical importance at the European X-ray Free-Electron Laser facility. Besides existing diagnostic components, utilization of a diamond sensor was proposed to achieve radiation-hard, non-invasive beam position and pulse energy measurements for hard X-rays. In particular, with very hard X-rays, diamond-based sensors become a useful complement to gas-based devices which lose sensitivity due to significantly reduced gas cross-sections. The measurements presented in this work were performed with diamond sensors consisting of an electronic-grade single-crystal chemical-vapor-deposition diamond with position-sensitive resistive electrodes in a duo-lateral configuration. The results show that the diamond sensor delivers pulse-resolved X-ray beam position data at 2.25 MHz with an uncertainty of less than 1% of the beam size. To our knowledge this is the first demonstration of pulse-resolved position measurements at the MHz rate using a transmissive diamond sensor at a free-electron laser facility. It can therefore be a valuable tool for X-ray free-electron lasers, especially for high-repetition-rate machines, enabling applications such as beam-based alignment and intra-pulse-train position feedback.

Achieving diffraction-limited performance in fourth-generation synchrotron radiation sources demands monochromator crystals that can preserve the wavefront across an unprecedented extensive range. There is an urgent need for techniques of absolute crystal diffraction wavefront measurement. At the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF), a novel edge scan wavefront metrology technique has been developed. This technique employs a double-edge tracking method, making diffraction-limited level absolute crystal diffraction wavefront measurement a reality. The results demonstrate an equivalent diffraction surface slope error below 70 nrad (corresponding to a wavefront phase error of 4.57% λ) r.m.s. within a nearly 6 mm range for a flat crystal in the crystal surface coordinate. The double-edge structure contributes to exceptional measurement precision for slope error reproducibility, achieving levels below 15 nrad (phase error reproducibility < λ/100) even at a first-generation synchrotron radiation source. Currently, the measurement termed double-edge scan (DES) has already been regarded as a critical feedback mechanism in the fabrication of next-generation crystals.

Appreciating that the role of the solute–solvent and other outer-sphere interactions is essential for understanding chemistry and chemical dynamics in solution, experimental approaches are needed to address the structural consequences of these interactions, complementing condensed-matter simulations and coarse-grained theories. High-energy X-ray scattering (HEXS) combined with pair distribution function analysis presents the opportunity to probe these structures directly and to develop quantitative, atomistic models of molecular systems in situ in the solution phase. However, at concentrations relevant to solution-phase chemistry, the total scattering signal is dominated by the bulk solvent, prompting researchers to adopt a differential approach to eliminate this unwanted background. Though similar approaches are well established in quantitative structural studies of macromolecules in solution by small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS), analogous studies in the HEXS regime—where sub-ångström spatial resolution is achieved—remain underdeveloped, in part due to the lack of a rigorous theoretical description of the experiment. To address this, herein we develop a framework for differential solution scattering experiments conducted at high energies, which includes concepts of the solvent-excluded volume introduced to describe SAXS/WAXS data, as well as concepts from the time-resolved X-ray scattering community. Our theory is supported by numerical simulations and experiment and paves the way for establishing quantitative methods to determine the atomic structures of small molecules in solution with resolution approaching that of crystallography.

In crystallographic texture analysis, ensuring that sample directions are preserved from experiment to the resulting orientation distribution is crucial to obtain physical meaning from diffraction data. This work details a procedure to ensure instrument and sample coordinates are consistent when analyzing diffraction data with a Rietveld refinement using the texture analysis software MAUD. A quartz crystal is measured on the HIPPO diffractometer at Los Alamos National Laboratory for this purpose. The methods described here can be applied to any diffraction instrument measuring orientation distributions in polycrystalline materials.

In contrast to delayed sampling, optical flow cells create 'virtual window' into processes

Machine vision can measure with greater precision and accuracy than human vision. This series starts by exploring techniques for high-precision measurements in vision systems. The next installments will examine challenges and solutions for maintaining this precision and accuracy. First, we'll clarify key terms related to measurement accuracy.

The first part of this three-part series covered the principles that allow machine vision to make high-accuracy measurements. This second part examines challenges that the measurement environment imposes on machine vision and gives approaches to mitigate the effects and retain much of the high-accuracy capability.

The first part of this series covered the basic principles that make high-accuracy measurements possible for machine vision. The second part of the series looked at challenges to accurate measurements due to the application conditions. This third part looks at characteristics and components of the vision system that can limit the achievable accuracy.

The latest generation of scanCONTROL 30xx laser scanners is extremely powerful, precise and individually adaptable.  

The push for smaller, more complex device components has spiked the need for precise, non-damaging metrology, with 3D X-ray microscopy (XRM) leading the way. This technology offers high-resolution measurements critical for quality control in the electronics and manufacturing industries.

Is it time for our industry to consider using pascals for static pressure measurements? What would the transition from inches of water column to pascals look like and how hard would it be?

Capacitive voltage transformers (CVTs) are used on higher voltage levels, starting from 66 kV and upwards. The type of the CVT is always a single-pole one, thus the connection is between phase and earth. The higher the voltage level is,... Read more

The post Capacitive Voltage Transformers (CVT) For HV Measurements appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

The accurate measurement of the voltage, current or other parameter of a power system is a prerequisite to any form of control, ranging from automatic closed-loop control to the recording of data for statistical purposes. Measurement of these parameters can... Read more

The post How to make the right selection of a digital transducer for power system measurements appeared first on EEP - Electrical Engineering Portal.

Measurements to be made before the line-up period that precedes a television transmission

Maintenance measurements to be made on international sound-programme circuits

Measurements to be made by the broadcasting organizations during the preparatory period

Measurements to be made during the line-up period that precedes a sound-programme transmission

Interpreting ITU-T Y.1540 maximum IP-layer capacity measurements

Interpreting ITU-T Y.1540 maximum IP-layer capacity measurements

QSTP-TEST-UE-MS - Guideline for general test procedure and specification for measurements of the LTE, 3G/2G user equipment/mobile stations (UE/MS) for over-the-air performance testing [Withdrawn]
Withdrawn and transferred to ITU-R for further enhancement

Testing methodologies of Internet related performance measurements including e2e bit rate within the fixed and mobile operators' networks

NASA-developed Technology Supports Ocean Wind Speed Measurements from Commercial Satellite  Science@NASA

Location: Engineering Library- TK7871.6.B69 2016

Optical density can be affected by sample conditions, the state of the measuring vessel, and instrument configuration.

Steven A. Carr
Mar 1, 2014; 13:907-917
Technological Innovation and Resources

As the capability of mass spectrometry-based proteomics has matured, tens of thousands of peptides can be measured simultaneously, which has the benefit of offering a systems view of protein expression. However, a major challenge is that with an increase in throughput, protein quantification estimation from the native measured peptides has become a computational task. A limitation to existing computationally-driven protein quantification methods is that most ignore protein variation, such as alternate splicing of the RNA transcript and post-translational modifications or other possible proteoforms, which will affect a significant fraction of the proteome. The consequence of this assumption is that statistical inference at the protein level, and consequently downstream analyses, such as network and pathway modeling, have only limited power for biomarker discovery. Here, we describe a Bayesian model (BP-Quant) that uses statistically derived peptides signatures to identify peptides that are outside the dominant pattern, or the existence of multiple over-expressed patterns to improve relative protein abundance estimates. It is a research-driven approach that utilizes the objectives of the experiment, defined in the context of a standard statistical hypothesis, to identify a set of peptides exhibiting similar statistical behavior relating to a protein. This approach infers that changes in relative protein abundance can be used as a surrogate for changes in function, without necessarily taking into account the effect of differential post-translational modifications, processing, or splicing in altering protein function. We verify the approach using a dilution study from mouse plasma samples and demonstrate that BP-Quant achieves similar accuracy as the current state-of-the-art methods at proteoform identification with significantly better specificity. BP-Quant is available as a MatLab ® and R packages at https://github.com/PNNL-Comp-Mass-Spec/BP-Quant.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE:

Alterations of the basilar artery (BA) anatomy have been suggested as a possible MRA feature of Fabry disease (FD). Nonetheless, no information about their clinical or pathophysiologic correlates is available, limiting our comprehension of the real impact of vessel remodeling in FD.

A research team at the University of California San Diego have developed a smartphone attachment that can provide information on changes in pupil size, which can be used to assess neurological phenomena, such as traumatic brain injury and Alzheimer’s disease. Such changes in pupil size have been difficult to characterize in the past in those […]

Archives, Room Use Only - TK5264.F74 1901

Archives, Room Use Only - TK5262.F74 1901

The X-ray diffraction/X-ray fluorescence instrument CheMin on the Curiosity rover is a shoebox-sized device using transmission geometry and an energy-discriminating CCD detector. The instrument has returned the first X-ray diffraction data for soil and drilled samples from Mars outcrops, revealing a suite of primary basaltic minerals, amorphous components and varied hydrous alteration products including phyllosilicates.

The title pull–push chromophores, 2-[4-(di­methyl­amino)­benzyl­idene]-1H-indene-1,3(2H)-dione, C18H15NO2 (ID[1]) and (E)-2-{3-[4-(di­methyl­amino)­phen­yl]allyl­idene}-1H-indene-1,3(2H)-dione, C20H17NO2 (ID[2]), have donor–π-bridge–acceptor structures. The mol­ecule with the short π-bridge, ID[1], is almost planar while for the mol­ecule with a longer bridge, ID[2], is less planar. The benzene ring is inclined to the mean plane of the 2,3-di­hydro-1H-indene unit by 3.19 (4)° in ID[1] and 13.06 (8)° in ID[2]. The structures of three polymorphs of compound ID[1] have been reported: the α-polymorph [space group P21/c; Magomedova & Zvonkova (1978). Kristallografiya, 23, 281–288], the β-polymorph [space group P21/c; Magomedova & Zvonkova (1980). Kristallografiya, 25 1183–1187] and the γ-polymorph [space group Pna21; Magomedova, Neigauz, Zvonkova & Novakovskaya (1980). Kristallografiya, 25, 400–402]. The mol­ecular packing in ID[1] studied here is centrosymmetric (space group P21/c) and corresponds to the β-polymorph structure. The mol­ecular packing in ID[2] is non-centrosymmetric (space group P21), which suggests potential NLO properties for this crystalline material. In both compounds, there is short intra­molecular C—H⋯O contact present, enclosing an S(7) ring motif. In the crystal of ID[1], mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C—H⋯π inter­actions, forming layers parallel to the bc plane. In the crystal of ID[2], mol­ecules are liked by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds to form 21 helices propagating along the b-axis direction. The mol­ecules in the helix are linked by offset π–π inter­actions with, for example, a centroid–centroid distance of 3.9664 (13) Å (= b axis) separating the indene rings, and an offset of 1.869 Å. Spectroscopic and electrochemical measurements show the ability of these compounds to easily transfer electrons through the π-conjugated chain.

Temperature is a ubiquitous environmental variable used to explore materials structure, properties and reactivity. This article reports a new paradigm for variable-temperature measurements that varies the temperature continuously across a sample such that temperature is measured as a function of sample position and not time. The gradient approach offers advantages over conventional variable-temperature studies, in which temperature is scanned during a series measurement, in that it improves the efficiency with which a series of temperatures can be probed and it allows the sample evolution at multiple temperatures to be measured in parallel to resolve kinetic and thermodynamic effects. Applied to treat samples at a continuum of temperatures prior to measurements at ambient temperature, the gradient approach enables parametric studies of recovered systems, eliminating temperature-dependent structural and chemical variations to simplify interpretation of the data. The implementation of spatially resolved variable-temperature measurements presented here is based on a gradient-heater design that uses a 3D-printed ceramic template to guide the variable pitch of the wire in a resistively heated wire-wound heater element. The configuration of the gradient heater was refined on the basis of thermal modelling. Applications of the gradient heater to quantify thermal-expansion behaviour, to map metastable polymorphs recovered to ambient temperature, and to monitor the time- and temperature-dependent phase evolution in a complex solid-state reaction are demonstrated.

Instrumentation for time-resolved small-angle neutron scattering measurements with sub-millisecond time resolution, based on Gähler's TISANE (time-involved small-angle neutron experiments) concept, is in operation at NIST's Center for Neutron Research. This implementation of the technique includes novel electronics for synchronizing the neutron pulses from high-speed counter-rotating choppers with a periodic stimulus applied to a sample. Instrumentation details are described along with measurements demonstrating the utility of the technique for elucidating the reorientation dynamics of anisometric magnetic particles.

Strain tensor measurements are important for understanding elastic and plastic deformation, but full bulk strain tensor measurement techniques are still lacking, in particular for dynamic loading. Here, such a methodology is reported, combining imaging-based strain field mapping and simultaneous X-ray diffraction for four typical loading modes: one-dimensional strain/stress compression/tension. Strain field mapping resolves two in-plane principal strains, and X-ray diffraction analysis yields volumetric strain, and thus the out-of-plane principal strain. This methodology is validated against direct molecular dynamics simulations on nanocrystalline tantalum. This methodology can be implemented with simultaneous X-ray diffraction and digital image correlation in synchrotron radiation or free-electron laser experiments.

Errors in the article by Opara, Martiel, Arnold, Braun, Stahlberg, Makita, David & Padeste [J. Appl. Cryst. (2017), 50, 909–918] are corrected.