On the kinetics of the autoxidation of fats: influence of pro‐oxidants,antioxidants and synergists

The influence of minor amounts of pro‐ and anti‐oxidants on the kinetics of the autoxidation of fat has been evaluated. The reaction rates of oxygen with the substrates were found to follow the same basic equation, hitherto established for pure substrates. There is evidence that the surface of the reaction vessel also acts as a reaction catalyst and its effect is proportional to the area of glass in contact with lipids. Oxidation is enhanced by trace metal ions as well as by surface‐active compounds (e.g. hydroperoxides and sterols). Antioxidants such as α‐tocopherol and butylated hydroxyanisole inhibit the oxidation by delaying the start of oxygen consumption (the induction period) while retarders like amino acids only decrease the rate of oxidation. Thus pro‐ and anti‐ oxidants affect either the start or the rate of oxygen consumption. The empirical formula dx/dt = k [O₂] (1‐x/n) f′(t) was found applicable to the different stages of oxidation.     

Urban growth and environmental degradation: The case of Cairo, Egypt

The immense growth of cities, especially in developing countries, is resulting in the urbanization of both poverty and environmental degradation to a greater degree than ever before. This paper examines the processes of growth and degradation in the Greater Cairo Metropolitan Region (GCMR), currently the world’s tenth largest mega-city. It reviews the region’s growth and selected environmental issues as well as impacts of current efforts on managing the region. The assertion of this paper is that current management policies and bodies lack a comprehensive view of urban governance for the region, which does not bode well for the future environmental and economic sustainability of the region.     

Iterative interference cancellation for high spectral efficiencysatellite communications

The problem of efficient utilization of the frequency spectrum for satellite systems is investigated; one which results as a consequence of highly crowding adjacent channels. An analytical characterization of the resulting interference channel is introduced and then exploited for interference cancellation. Two classes of cancelers are investigated. The first approach does not benefit from the forward error control (FEC) coding information which limits the performance gain. This motivates the second approach where a joint implementation of interference cancellation and decoding is developed using soft-input-soft-output (SISO) modules along with the iterative structure. It is shown that iterative interference cancellation techniques can achieve significant gains compared with the single-user matched filter receiver     

Performance of the decorrelator receiver for DS-CDMA mobile radio system employing RAKE and diversity through Nakagami fading channel

Multiple-access interference (MAI) and multipath fading are two of the most significant factors limiting the capacity and performance of direct-sequence code-division multiple-access (DS-CDMA) systems. In this paper, synchronous multiuser receivers that combine antenna diversity, RAKE reception, and a multipath decorrelator for MAI cancellation are analyzed in a Nakagami faded environment using a maximal ratio combiner or a selection combiner. A coherent binary phase-shift keying employing DS-CDMA is considered. Arbitrary branch correlation is also considered for any diversity order in the case of identical severity fading on the branches.     

Ionoluminescence decay measured with single ions

A new ion beam analysis-based, single ion technique called the time to first photon has been developed to measure the decay of the luminescence signal of phosphors. Such measurements are currently needed to study luminescence decay mechanisms following high-density excitations and to identify strongly luminescent phosphor coatings with short lifetimes for ion photon emission microscopy (IPEM). The samples for this technique consist of thin phosphor layers placed or coated on the surface of PIN diodes. Single ions from an accelerator strike this sample and simultaneously create ion beam induced luminescence (IBIL) from the phosphor that is measured by a single-photon-detector, and an ion beam induced charge collection (IBICC) signal in the PIN diode. In this case, the IBICC signal provides the start pulse and the IBIL signal the stop pulse to a time to amplitude converter. It is straightforward to show that this approach also measures a signal proportional to activity versus time with an accuracy of 5% as long as the number of detected photons per ion is less than 0.1, which usually requires the use of absorbers for the IBIL detector or electronic discrimination for the IBIL signals. Details of the new analysis are given together with examples of luminescence decay measurements of several ceramic phosphors being considered to coat IPEM samples. IPEM is currently being developed at Sandia National Laboratory (SNL), the University of North Texas in Denton, and the Universities and INFN of Padova and Torino.     

Electroplating of nickel-cadmium alloys from alkaline solutions

The electroplating of Ni-Cd alloy coatings was carried out from alkaline baths (pH 10). For comparison, electroplating of the parent metals, Ni and Cd, was performed individually under the same conditions. The cathodic current efficiency for codeposition was high and decreased with increasing current density. The codeposition process is an anomalous type of plating with Cd being the preferentially deposited metal. The Ni content in the deposits increased with increasing current density. This increase in Ni content improves the corrosion resistance and microhardness of the deposits. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the deposits consist of a mixture of Ni, β, γ, γ¹ phases.     

An analytical model for high electron mobility transistors

In this paper we present a new model for HEMT's which is based on a single analytical function that describes the electron concentrations in the two dimensional electron gas and in the AlGaAs layer. Besides accounting for the AlGaAs conduction, the model includes the effect of mobility degradation, channel length modulation in the saturation region and the series resistances R_S and R_D. The model results in closed form expressions for the current, transconductance, output conductance and gate capacitance. Finally, the theoretical predictions of the model are compared with the experimental data and shown to be in good agreement over a wide range of bias conditions     

Electrical properties of tri-n-butyl tin acrylate-methylmethacrylate copolymers

The copolymerization of tri-n-butyl tin acrylate (TBTA) with methylmethacrylate (MMA) has been investigated in dioxane. The composition of these copolymers was determined quantitatively by ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. The tin contents were estimated by gravimetric as well as thermogravimetric techniques (TGA). The reactivity ratio of such copolymers was estimated by application of the Kelen-Tudos method. The dielectric properties of the copolymers have been studied over a frequency range of 100–50 kHz at different temperatures from 20 to 70°C. The electrical conductivity for such copolymers was also measured. The results are interpreted in terms of the tin content of the copolymers.