Multi-dimensional data management by virtual sample library written in object-oriented script language Ruby

Virtual sample library (VSL) is developed for accessing
multi-dimensional data acquired from several measurements on a single
combinatorial sample library. Management of such data is generally very
hard because each data is stored independently in various format. The
data is structuralized and standardized by VSL, which has a hierarchy
structure whose top layer has the same geometry of the combinatorial
sample library. Each data is stored into the VSL systematically
according to their coordinates in the library, the name of the
measurements, and the dimension of the data. Thus, VSL can provide any
data for analysis and visualization by specifying their identifying
information.

An actual example is demonstrated for the case of one-dimensional
combinatorial glass sample library. Some tellurite glass libraries
containing Er and F are annealed in a temperature-gradient furnace and
the decay curves of 1.5 um-fluorescence of Er3+ are recorded
along the libraries in order to find annealing conditions for
precipitation of Er-containing fluoride crystals. Their fluorescence
spectra, fluorescence lifetime, state of precipitates as a function of
annealing conditions (7-dimensional data) are plotted in two figures
through VSL.