ABSTRACT
In the present contribution we investigate the images of CW diffusely reflected light for a point-like source, registered by a CCD camera imaging a turbid medium containing an absorbing lesion. We show that detection of µa variations (absorption anomalies) is achieved if images are normalized to background intensity. A theoretical analysis based on the diffusion approximation is presented to investigate the sensitivity and the limitations of our proposal and a novel procedure to find the location of the inclusions in 3D is given and tested. An analysis of the noise and its influence on the detection capabilities of our proposal is provided. Experimental results on phantoms are also given, supporting the proposed approach.
ABSTRACT
In the present paper we analyze the behavior of H line intensity ratios with electron density and electron temperature in intermediate-density plasmas. We analyze the influence on the line intensity ratios of (1) the departures from local thermodynamic equilibrium (LTE) of the level population ratios, (2) the plasma opacity, and (3) the lowering of the ionization potential. We look, particularly, at the lines H(alpha), H(beta), H(gamma), and H(delta) and the energy levels involved in the corresponding atomic transitions for their use as diagnostics in laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) experiments. One important conclusion is that, for typical values of the plasma dimension and the electron temperature taking place in LIBS, i.e., L = 1 mm and T(e) = 10 000 K, respectively, the intensity ratios H(beta)/H(alpha), H(gamma)/H(alpha), and H(delta)/H(alpha) depart from the ideal values by less than 10% in the interval 0.65 x 10(14) part/cm(3)
ABSTRACT
The work reported here describes the application of the optical technique known as dynamic speckle interferometry to evaluate the motility of nematode parasites exposed to different anthelmintic drugs. This technique, a well proven tool for assessing the time evolution of different phenomena, is here successfully used to quantify parasite motility in pharmacodynamic assays. The characterization of the pharmacological properties of anthelmintic drugs is critical to optimize their use in parasite control. Besides, the evaluation of nematode motility is a relevant indicator of the pharmacodynamic effect of anthelmintic drugs. The application of this approach to study the motility of Haemonchus contortus (used as a model of nematode parasites) larvae exposed to different drugs is presented, showing its usefulness.
