The research in this thesis aims to characterize the signal-production processes of single particles in the ICP using time-resolved ICP-AES. Signal-production processes, including desolvation, vaporization, atomization, ionization, and diffusion, determine the temporal emission intensity of a single particle. Bimetallic nanoparticles of BaTiO3 (average diameter = 115 nm) were used as test particles. The particles were introduced into the ICP by nebulization of the suspension of the particles in water. As the ion plume of a particle moves up in central channel of the ICP, a temporal emission peak of the analyte atoms in the plume is produced. The emission intensity at any point of time in the temporal profile is related to the degree of vaporization and excitation of the particle at the corresponding vertical position of the ICP. The signal-production processes can, in principle, be studied by measuring the temporal emission profiles. However, the emission intensity of single particles is typically low. Continuous integration of the entire ICP central channel further reduces the signal-to-background ratio (SBR). A novel double-slit method has been developed to measure the temporal emission intensity of a single particle at two pre-defined ICP vertical positions. Two horizontal slits of slit height of 1 mm were placed in front of the monochromator. As the ion plume passes through the double-slit, two peaks in the temporal emission profile are produced. The configuration of the double-slit (slit height and distance between the two slits) was optimized for maximum signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and temporal resolution of the double-peaks. Fast data sampling rate (50,000 Hz) was used in proper sampling of the temporal emission peaks. Large data sets were obtained. Custom programs were developed to extract the relatively weak double-peaks from the temporal emission profiles. The data treatment strategy includes smoothing of the temporal profile to increase SNR and automated peak extraction based on the characteristics of the double-peaks (peak height, peak width, time-difference of the peak pair, and SNR). Four smoothing methods, including Moving Average Filtering, Savitzky-Golay Filtering, Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Wavelet Transform, were tested. FFT was adopted because the method requires only one parameter (the cutoff frequency) and is relatively easy to optimize. Hundreds of double-peaks were obtained in a typical temporal profile of time duration of approximately 120 s. The emission intensity and peak width of the peak pair are correlated to determine the degree of vaporization of the analyte atoms, the extent of diffusion of the analyte atoms and the plume size, and the velocity of the plume in the ICP. Two types of double-peaks are identified. The relative peak height and peak width of the double-peaks in each type are related to the degree of vaporization of the single particles. Simulation of the evaporation rate of water droplets that enclose the single BaTiO3 particles shows that the time required for complete evaporation of water is a major factor that determines the degree of vaporization of BaTiO3 particles at the double-slit. Aggregation of BaTiO3 particles in the suspension was also investigated. / published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a unique organ in existence in mammals. It can induce non-shivering thermogenesis to control body temperature and energy balance through the expression of uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1). In our study, we aimed to evaluate the prevalence of BAT, as detected by fluorine 18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography combined computer tomography (PET/CT), in a Hong Kong Chinese population. We also assessed the influence of age and sex to BAT in Hong Kong Chinese population. We also determined the factors associated with it, in particular, its relationship with overweight and other metabolic disorders such as diabetes mellitus. We analyzed 1765 consecutive 18F-FDG PET-CT scans of 1442 Chinese for the presence of BAT. Comparison of the variables between positive and negative BAT scans was performed using Student’s t-test. The association between maximum value of standardized uptake value (SUVmax) and variables were explored by Spearman correlation. The predictors of observed BAT were analyzed by multiple logistic regression to determine the significant predictors of positive BAT. The relationship between the monthly numbers of subjects with BAT and the respective mean monthly outdoor temperature was evaluated by Pearson’s correlation co-efficient. P < 0.05 was considered to be statistically significant. Brown adipose tissue was detected in 66 out of 1442 subjects (4.6%). BAT was significantly more commonly found in younger (43.7±13.5 years old vs. 61.4±14.2 years old, P<0.001) and female (59% vs. 46%, P<0.05) subjects. BAT also existed more frequently in subjects with lower body mass index (BMI) (21.2±3.1 kg/m2 vs. 22.4±3.7 kg/m2, P<0.01) and lower blood glucose level (5.9±0.9 mmol/L vs. 6.4±1.6 mmol/L, P<0.01). Also, BAT was detected only in subjects with no history of diabetes meallitus (DM) (0 vs. 10%, P<0.01). Moreover, lower outdoor temperature (21.6±4.6。C vs. 23.4±4.7。C, P<0.005) resulted in higher prevalence of detected BAT. In the multiple logistic regression test, age and mean monthly temperatures were the significant independent predictors of the presence of BAT (P< 0.001 and P=0.001). Age was also significantly correlated to SUVmax (P< 0.001). The monthly prevalence of positive BAT correlated negatively with mean monthly temperature by Pearson’s correlation (r = -0.79; P<0.01). To summarize, BAT was more commonly found in young, female subjects with lower BMI and blood glucose levels, and non-diabetes subjects. Age was the most important factor associated with the prevalence of BAT in humans. Lower outdoor temperature in winter can increase the prevalence of BAT even in Hong Kong’s sub-tropical climates. Also, there was an association of BAT with normal BMI (<=23) and lower blood sugar levels supporting the notion that BAT may potentially be a therapeutic target for obesity and diabetes. / published_or_final_version / Diagnostic Radiology / Master / Master of Philosophy

Transient emission of a particle in inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) depends on the fundamental processes of aerosol desolvation, particle vaporization and atomization, ionization, excitation and diffusion of the analyte. Ideally, the rate of the above processes can be determined from the evolution of the transient emission as the ion plume moves along the central channel of the ICP. However, the dimension of the ion plume is significantly smaller than the central channel. The signal-to-background and signal-to-noise ratios suffer when the entire channel is imaged. Deconvolution of the temporal profile is required to determine the emission intensity of the ion plume versus observation height. Small aperture can be used to locate the vertical emission position accurately, but the evolution of the plume emission is lost. In this study, a double-slit method has been developed to pin-point two vertical positions of an ion plume. An ion plume travelling along the ICP central channel produces two peaks in the temporal emission profile. The temporal evolution of emission intensity can be correlated to delineate the degree of particle vaporization at the two positions. The relative widths and separation of the two peaks in a double-peak can be used to determine the analyte diffusion rate and particle velocity in the ICP, respectively. An unicellular green algae, chlorella vulgaris, was used as the test particles. The average Mg content of the algae is equivalent to MgO particles of diameter of 265nm. The strong ionic emission at wavelength of 279.55nm was monitored using a ¼ -m monochromator equipped with a PMT detector. Method of curve fitting was used to filter out the noise with minimum distortion of the peak shape for accurate determination of peak height and peak width. The merits of curve fitting versus methods of smoothing such as moving average and Savitzky-Golay filtering will be discussed. All transient emissions from the algal cells were detected with sufficient signal-to-noise ratio using a single-slit setup with slit height of 1mm at observation height of 18 mm above the load coil and ICP forward power of 1400 W. However, using the double-slit setup, less than half of the expected double-peaks were observed. One of the peaks in the double-peak can be below the detection limit and the double-peak is lost. An innovative development of this study is that the relative sensitivity corresponding to the 2 slits can be varied to enhance the intensity of the weaker emission peak. The peak with insufficient signal-to-noise ratio for detection can be enhanced to a level above the limit of detection. The number of observed double-peaks in increased and the observed particles are more representative of the population. Two types of double-peaks are categorized according to the relative intensity of the first peak to the second peak. A computer model was used to estimate the intensity ratio of the two emission peaks at different observation position of the ICP. The experimental and theoretical ratios agree generally. The theoretical ratio also shows the bias in the population sampled by the double-slit setup. / published_or_final_version / Chemistry / Master / Master of Philosophy

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published_or_final_version / Medicine / Master / Doctor of Medicine

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No description available.

This dissertation aims to investigate two different applications in optics using maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation. The first application of ML estimation is used in optical metrology. For this application, an innovative iterative search method called the synthetic phase-shifting (SPS) algorithm is proposed. This search algorithm is used for estimation of a wavefront that is described by a finite set of Zernike Fringe (ZF) polynomials. In this work, we estimate the ZF coefficient, or parameter values of the wavefront using a single interferogram obtained from a point-diffraction interferometer (PDI). In order to find the estimates, we first calculate the squared-difference between the measured and simulated interferograms. Under certain assumptions, this squared-difference image can be treated as an interferogram showing the phase difference between the true wavefront deviation and simulated wavefront deviation. The wavefront deviation is defined as the difference between the reference and the test wavefronts. We calculate the phase difference using a traditional phase-shifting technique without physical phase-shifters. We present a detailed forward model for the PDI interferogram, including the effect of the nite size of a detector pixel. The algorithm was validated with computational studies and its performance and constraints are discussed. A prototype PDI was built and the algorithm was also experimentally validated. A large wavefront deviation was successfully estimated without using null optics or physical phase-shifters. The experimental result shows that the proposed algorithm has great potential to provide an accurate tool for non-null testing. The second application of ML estimation is used in nuclear medical imaging. A high-resolution positron tomography scanner called BazookaPET is proposed. We have designed and developed a novel proof-of-concept detector element for a PET system called BazookaPET. In order to complete the PET configuration, at least two detector elements are required to detect positron-electron annihilation events. Each detector element of the BazookaPET has two independent data-acquisition channels. One of the detector channels is a 4 x 4 silicon photomultiplier (SiPM) array referred to as the SiPM-side. The SiPM-side is directly coupled to an optical window of the scintillator with optical grease. The other channel is a CCD-based gamma camera with an imaging intensifier called the Bazooka-side. Instead of coupling by direct contact like the SiPM-side, an F/1.4 lens pair is used for optical coupling. The scintillation light from the opposite optical window to the SiPM-side is imaged by the F/1.4 lens to the Bazooka-side. Using these two separate channels, we can potentially obtain high energy, temporal and spatial resolution data by associating the data outputs via several ML estimation steps. We present the concept of the system and the prototype detector element. In this work, we focus on characterizing individual detector channels, and initial experimental calibration results are shown along with preliminary performance-evaluation results. We also address the limitations and the challenges of associating the outputs of the two detector channels.

No description available.

A protocol was developed to measure ammonia emission concentrations from dairies using an isolation flux chamber. A hybrid dairy in Comanche county, Texas, was measured for one week each during August 2002 and January 2003. Sixty total ammonia samples were taken from the free stall barn, open lot, mixing tank, separated solids, compost, and two lagoons using the developed protocol. The ammonia concentration measurements were made using a chemiluminescence analyzer located inside a mobile laboratory. From the emission concentrations recorded, it was estimated that 9.68 metric tons of ammonia were produced from this dairy per year. An emission factor of 13.34 ± 28.80 kilograms per day per thousand head of cattle (kg/day/1000 head) was estimated for this dairy (±95% confidence intervals) during summer conditions. For winter conditions the emission factor was 12.05 ± 12.89 kg/day/1000 head. The 11% difference of the emission factors from summer to winter conditions was predominantly from the change in ambient and control volume temperatures (a mean difference of approximately 25 degrees Celsius), differences in source temperatures, and seasonal variability in husbandry. The adsorption of ammonia onto different polymer tubing used in pollutant stream conveyance was researched for possible systematic losses. Teflon and low density polyethylene (LDPE) were tested for ammonia losses with treatments of: temperature, length, and inlet concentration. Inlet concentration and temperature were significant factors used to describe ammonia adsorption for Teflon, whereas LDPE was also affected by tubing length. These factors were used to create a model to correct the summer dairy measurements for ammonia losses, resulting in an emission factor increase of 8.3% over the original value obtained from the flux chamber. A nitrogen mass balance was performed to estimate the amount of nitrogen available for ammonia formation as excreted - 177.5 kilograms per year per animal (wet basis). The amount of ammonia excreted per year was also estimated to be 26.63 kilograms per year. The measured ammonia emitted from the dairy was five times less than the ammonia excreted and thirty-six times less than the total nitrogen excreted.