圣巴巴拉火山火山灰颗粒的图像. Helens volcanic eruption of 1980 collected almost 400 miles away in Montana. The particle's shape and size provides important information on how clouds of volcanic ash travel, 但由于重建的复杂性, 单独成像不能捕获整个粒子. (Ash sample courtesy of Adam Durant, University of Oslo; image captured by Mark Townley, UNH大学仪器中心.)
联合国大学的一项新研究受到1980年圣保罗火山喷发的启发. 海伦号将帮助科学家测量, 从而预测的运动, 像火山喷发的火山灰一样的微小颗粒.
“Tiny volcanic ash particles enter the atmosphere and can be transported long distances causing all kinds of problems, from becoming an aviation hazard to affecting respiratory health for both humans and animals,” says Gopala Mulukutla, 一位研究科学家 地球、海洋和空间研究所 at UNH. He is the lead author of a study, 最近发表在《永利app新版本官网地址》杂志上, 这描述了一种创造性的估算方法, mathematically, 在三维模型中捕获的物体的范围, and to use the information to more accurately measure the entire object.
“通过使用这种数学方法, 我们可以更好地了解粒子的样子, which will allow scientists to implement models that better predict movement of volcanic ash clouds of future eruptions,” Mulukutla adds.
Due to their tiny size, 形状不规则，视角有限, particles the size of a grain of sand or smaller can’t be fully captured by commonly used microscopic imaging techniques, which often leave out valuable information that can be important in numerous areas of science, engineering and medicine.
“Micro-scale 3-D models are an important tool for many areas of science, 但对于大多数微型或纳米级物体来说, 在视野中只能看到物体的一部分,” says Mulukutla. He and his co-authors developed a mathematical technique that reasonably computes what those models can’t see to allow for a more accurate assessment of properties such as surface area and volume of the entire particle.
The research was inspired by a National Science Foundation-funded study to understand the properties of volcanic ash collected from the eruption of the Mount St. 华盛顿州的海伦火山. Ash from deadly eruptions like this one can spread far and wide and cause issues related to health, 空运甚至是农作物歉收.
申请的临时专利的一部分 UNHInnovation在美国，这项技术还有其他实际应用. Mulukutla的研究领域是 水文和水质, says it could be useful in developing models that simulate how sediment moves through rivers and streams. 这项技术可能在医学上也有帮助, where, for example, new and innovative blood tests being developed require assessing the shape and properties of elongated blood droplets that can be challenging to capture.
This work was supported by US National Science Foundation (NSF) grants (EAR-0838292 and MRI-1337897).
For more information on licensing this patent-pending technology, contact unh.innovation@femdomcenter.com.
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Written By:
Beth Potier | UNH Marketing | beth.potier@femdomcenter.com | 2-1566
