Although 2-dimensional echocardiographic strain imaging cost-effectively and objectively quantifies ventricular wall motion, only 1 small study has directly compared strain measured with echocardiography against MRI (MRI) in mice. Using a different speckle-tracking algorithm (velocity vector imaging [VVI]), we compared circumferential (CS) and radial strain (RS) to displacement encoding with st...

OBJECTIVES To clarify the prognostic value of strain and strain rate imaging in light-chain (AL) amyloidosis. BACKGROUND Myocardial strain and strain rate Doppler imaging are objective measurements that may detect regional subtle myocardial functional abnormalities in patients with amyloidosis. METHODS We prospectively examined 119 consecutive, untreated patients with biopsy-proven AL amylo...

An active one-dimensional Fibonacci photonic quasi-crystal is realized via spin coating. Luminescence properties of an organic dye embedded in the quasi-crystal are studied experimentally and compared to theoretical simulations. The luminescence occurs via the pseudo-bandedge mode and follows the dispersion properties of the Fibonacci crystal. Time resolved luminescence measurement of the activ...

BACKGROUND Determining the mechanical behaviour of tendon and ligamentous tissue remains challenging, as it is anisotropic, non-linear and inhomogeneous in nature. METHODS In this study, three-dimensional (3D) digital image correlation (DIC) was adopted to examine the strain distribution in the human Achilles tendon. Therefore, 6 fresh frozen human Achilles tendon specimens were mounted in a ...

This paper describes a laterally deflecting micromachined device that offers high sensitivity and wide dynamic range to electronically monitor the thermal expansion coefficient, tensile and compressive residual strain and Young’s modulus of microstructural materials, as well as the temperature dependence of these properties. The device uses sidewall capacitance between interdigitated tines to s...

In static load tests vibrating wire strain gages are generally used. The advantage of vibrating wire sensors over more conventional electrical resistance or semi-conductor types lies mainly in the sensor output, which is a frequency rather than a voltage or resistance. The frequency output is easier to transmit over long cables and is unaffected by voltage drops such as those which can be broug...

Determination of the constitutive properties and failure tolerances has been a principal activity of solid biomechanics for many years. Unlike engineering materials, however, the tissues and cellular structures of the body demonstrate uniquely challenging material behavior making the measurement of constitutive and failure properties difficult. In the face of these challenges a large experiment...

We synthesized the uniform core-shell microstructured compounds with hexagonal phase NaYF₄:Er/Yb microrods as the core and hexagonal phase NaLnF₄ (NaYbF₄, NaLuF₄:Yb/Tm, NaYF₄:Yb/Er, NaYF₄:Eu) as the shell based on the hydrothermal reaction. These microscale core-shell structures provided a platform for the spatially confining optical process while possessing high luminescence efficiency. The th...

In this study, we introduce a wide spectral range (200-2500 nm) imaging system with a 250 μm minimum spatial resolution, which can be freely modified for a wide range of resolutions and measurement geometries. The system has been tested for reflectance and luminescence measurements, but can also be customized for transmittance measurements. This study includes the performance results of the dev...

This paper reports on efforts to enhance the photovoltaic performance of textured silicon solar cells through the application of a layer of Eu-doped silicate phosphor with particles of various dimensions using the spin-on film technique. We examined the surface profile and dimensions of the Eu-doped phosphors in the silicate layer using optical microscopy with J-image software. Optical reflecta...