A soft actuation system for segmented reflector articulation and isolation

Segmented reflectors have been proposed for space based applications such as optical communication and large diameter telescopes. An actuation system for mirrors in a space based segmented mirror array was developed as part of NASA's Precision Segmented Reflector program. The actuation system, called the Articulated Panel Module (APM), provides 3 degrees of freedom mirror articulation, gives isolation from structural motion, and simplifies space assembly of the mirrors to the reflector backup truss. A breadboard of the APM was built and is described

Modeling of micro- and nano-scale domain recording by high-voltage atomic force microscopy in ferroelectrics-semiconductors

The equilibrium sizes of micro- and nano-domains caused by electric field of atomic force microscope tip in ferroelectric semiconductor crystals have been calculated. The domain was considered as a prolate semi-ellipsoid with rather thin domain walls. For the first time we modified the Landauer model allowing for semiconductor properties of the sample and the surface energy of the domain butt. The free carriers inside the crystal lead to the formation of the screening layer around the domain, which partially shields its interior from the depolarization field. We expressed the radius and length of the domain though the crystal material parameters (screening radius, spontaneous polarization value, dielectric permittivity tensor) and atomic force microscope tip characteristics (charge, radius of curvature). The obtained dependence of domain radius via applied voltage is in a good quantitative agreement with the ones of submicron ferroelectric domains recorded by high-voltage atomic force and scanning probe microscopy in LiNbO3 and LiTaO3 crystals.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure

Performance of [(18)F]flutemetamol amyloid imaging against the neuritic plaque component of CERAD and the current (2012) NIA-AA recommendations for the neuropathologic diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

INTRODUCTION: Performance of the amyloid tracer [(18)F]flutemetamol was evaluated against three pathology standard of truth (SoT) measures including neuritic plaques (CERAD "original" and "modified" and the amyloid component of the 2012 NIA-AA guidelines). METHODS: After [(18)F]flutemetamol imaging, 106 end-of-life patients who died underwent postmortem brain examination for amyloid plaque load. Blinded positron emission tomography scan interpretations by five independent electronically trained readers were compared with pathology measures. RESULTS: By SoT, sensitivity and specificity of majority image interpretations were, respectively, 91.9% and 87.5% with "original CERAD," 90.8% and 90.0% with "modified CERAD," and 85.7% and 100% with the 2012 NIA-AA criteria. DISCUSSION: The high accuracy of either CERAD criteria suggests that [(18)F]flutemetamol predominantly reflects neuritic amyloid plaque density. However, the use of CERAD criteria as the SoT can result in some false-positive results because of the presence of diffuse plaques, which are accounted for when the positron emission tomography read is compared with the 2012 NIA-AA criteria