Performance of laser-ultrasonic F-SAFT imaging.

The resolution and signal-to-noise ratio of laser-ultrasonics to detect small and buried defects can be greatly enhanced by using the synthetic aperture focusing technique (SAFT). Originally developed in the time domain, SAFT can also be implemented in the frequency domain (F-SAFT) using the angular spectrum approach for a significant reduction in processing time. In this paper, an F-SAFT based data processing method especially adapted to laser-ultrasonic data is presented. This method allows for further significant improvements towards laser-ultrasonic imaging of small defects. It includes temporal deconvolution of the waveform data, control for an optimal aperture and frequency bandwidth as well as spatial interpolation of the subsurface images. All the above operations are well adapted to the frequency domain calculations and embedded in the F-SAFT data processing. Also, the aperture control and spatial interpolation allow a reduction of sampling requirements to further decrease both inspection and processing times. The above improvements are illustrated using laser-ultrasonic data taken from an aluminum sample with flat-bottom holes.

Improved resolution and signal-to-noise ratio in laser-ultrasonics by SAFT processing.

Laser-ultrasonics is an emerging nondestructive technique using lasers for the generation and detection of ultrasound which presents numerous advantages for industrial inspection. In this paper, the problem of detection by laser-ultrasonics of small defects within a material is addressed. Experimental results obtained with laser-ultrasonics are processed using the Synthetic Aperture Focusing Technique (SAFT), yielding improved flaw detectability and spatial resolution. Experiments have been performed on an aluminum sample with a contoured back surface and two flat-bottom holes. Practical interest of coupling SAFT to laser-ultrasonics is also discussed.

Types of marital intimacy and prevalence of emotional illness.

Epidemiological research has demonstrated that married individuals generally experience better emotional health than the single, divorced and widowed. The married populations in these studies were not evaluated on the basis of the quality of their marital relationships. Research on the interpersonal quality of marital relationships in the general married population has rarely been reported in the psychiatric literature. A sample of the general married population (n = 250 couples) completed a self-report questionnaire which measures the quality and the quantity of intimacy in marriage. Four types of marital patterns were operationally defined by total intimacy score, pattern of scale profile, and social desirability scores. The relative frequencies of these types of marriages are reported. The prevalence of symptoms of non-psychotic emotional illness in one or both spouses in the four categories of marriage is reported. Thirty-one percent (31%) of the couples report marriages with absent and/or deficient intimacy. Couples with "absent and/or deficient" marital intimacy had a significantly higher proportion of spouses with symptoms of non-psychotic emotional illness. This study suggests that previous research may have confounded the variables of marital status and marital quality in the study of psychiatric disorder. These studies may have under-estimated the positive effect of an "optimally" intimate relationship.