Optical S-ALOHA/CDMA systems for multirate applications: architecture, performance evaluation, and system stability

In this paper, a new multirate optical network based on a hybrid slotted-ALOHA (S-ALOHA)/overlapped code division multiple access (O-CDMA) system is proposed as an effective way of integrating multiclass traffic. The key issue in this proposal is to exploit the potential of the optical O-CDMA using fiber Bragg gratings when jointly used with the S-ALOHA protocol in a link layer. The newly proposed system is modeled using a general Markov chain from which both the system throughput and the average packet delay are derived. The system stability passing through a general finite user model is also envisaged. The system is then compared to the classical S-ALOHA/variable processing gain (VPG) CDMA system. Numerical results show that the proposed system outperforms the latter one, especially at high transmission rates. In addition, stability measures demonstrate that the overlapped system tends to be more stable than the VPG system.     

Simulation of texture and crystallite microstrain development during compression and tension of an Al alloy and comparison to experimental results

Cold compression textures, tension textures and crystallite microstrains of an AlMg₃ aluminum wrought alloy were simulated using the Taylor–Bishop–Hill theory and an elastic unloading model. The results of the simulations are compared to inverse pole figures determined by X-ray diffraction and _ψ vs sin²ψ-curves determined using synchrotron radiation. It is shown that the texture evolution has a strong influence on the crystallite microstrains and produces non-linear microstrain curves, which can be interpreted and evaluated using the results of the simulations.     

A context-aware cross-layer broadcast model for ad hoc networks

The standard 802.11 medium access control (MAC) performs poorly for heavy broadcast traffic. We present our context-aware cross-layer (CACL) broadcast model as an alternative. The basic CACL model uses only contextual data available to the 802.11 MAC and so is usable by any routing protocol that uses the 802.11 MAC. CACL fits the total broadcasts in any two-hop neighborhood to wireless channel capacity. We compare collision rates for CACL and the 802.11 MAC and conclude that, for a wide range of network conditions, CACL offers superior single-hop transmission rates. We also present a geographically constrained extension to CACL, CACL-G and compare it against CACL in vehicular scenarios of varying node density. Our results show that CACL-G offers increasingly superior performance over the basic CACL model as node density increases.     

Integrated vaccination and non-pharmaceutical interventions based strategies in Ontario,Canada, as a case study: a mathematical modelling study

Recently, two coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine products have been authorized in Canada. It is of crucial importance to model an integrated/combined package of non-pharmaceutical (physical/social distancing) and pharmaceutical (immunization) public health control measures. A modified epidemiological, compartmental SIR model was used and fit to the cumulative COVID-19 case data for the province of Ontario, Canada, from 8 September 2020 to 8 December 2020. Different vaccine roll-out strategies were simulated until 75% of the population was vaccinated, including a no-vaccination scenario. We compete these vaccination strategies with relaxation of non-pharmaceutical interventions. Non-pharmaceutical interventions were supposed to remain enforced and began to be relaxed on 31 January, 31 March or 1 May 2021. Based on projections from the data and long-term extrapolation of scenarios, relaxing the public health measures implemented by re-opening too early would cause any benefits of vaccination to be lost by increasing case numbers, increasing the effective reproduction number above 1 and thus increasing the risk of localized outbreaks. If relaxation is, instead, delayed and 75% of the Ontarian population gets vaccinated by the end of the year, re-opening can occur with very little risk. Relaxing non-pharmaceutical interventions by re-opening and vaccine deployment is a careful balancing act. Our combination of model projections from data and simulation of different strategies and scenarios, can equip local public health decision- and policy-makers with projections concerning the COVID-19 epidemiological trend, helping them in the decision-making process.     

Extraction and fractionation of wheat flour proteins

With the aid of a 1.5% sodium dodecyl sulphate solution (SDS) the proteins of two Dutch wheat flours were separated into an SDS-soluble and an SDS-insoluble fraction. The SDS-soluble fraction was fractionated with the aid of ethanol precipitation and gel filtration chromatography into albumins, globulins, gliadins, glutenins II and III, and glutelins I, II, III and IV. The SDS-insoluble proteinaceous material was separated into glutenins I and glycoproteins. The protein fractions were identified with the aid of SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and amino acid analysis. The glutenins I and II consist of A, B and C subunits. Their molecular weights ranged from about 600 000 to 10 million. The glutenins III consist only of B and C subunits and their molecular weights ranged from 300 000 to 600 000. A hypothesis explains how the glutenins III are the precursors for glutenins I and II and how they contribute to gluten's structure. The glutelins I consist of α β and γ subunits and their molecular weights ranged from about 600 000 to several millions. The glutelins II consist also of α β and γ subunits with a molecular weight of about 300 000 to 600 000, while the molecular weights of the glutelins III and IV ranged from 10 000 to 200 000. All glutelins are insoluble in 70 % aqueous ethanol and 5 M urea, but soluble in SDS and 0.1M NaOH. Only the glutelins III and IV are soluble in 0.1M HAc. The globulins consist of a heterogeneous fraction of components, their molecular weights arranged from 98 000 to 10 000. The gliadins form a heterogeneous but homologous group of polypeptides with an average molecular weight of 35 000. The albumins consist of components with molecular weights lower than 15 000.     

Electronic Properties of SiNTs Under External Electric and Magnetic Fields Using the Tight-Binding Method

We investigated the electronic properties of silicon nanotubes (SiNTs) under external transverse electric fields and axial magnetic fields using the tight-binding approximation. It was found that, after switching on the electric and magnetic fields, band modifications such as distortion of degeneracy, change in energy dispersion and subband spacing, and bandgap size reduction occur. The bandgap of silicon gear-like nanotubes (Si g-NTs) decreases linearly with increasing electric field strength, but the bandgap for silicon hexagonal nanotubes (Si h-NTs) first increases and then decreases (metallic) or first remains constant and then decreases (semiconducting). Our results show that the bandgap of Si h-NTs is very sensitive to both electric and magnetic fields, unlike Si g-NTs, which are more sensitive to electric than magnetic fields.     

Use of adjunctive treatment with interferon-gamma in an immunocompromised patient who had refractory multidrug-resistant tuberculosis of the brain

We describe a patient with acute lymphocytic leukemia and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis of the brain and spinal cord. Despite treatment with six antituberculous drugs and a steroid medication for 11 months, there was no appreciable clinical or radiological improvement in the patient's condition. Within 5 months of initiating adjunctive therapy with IFN-gamma and granulocyte colony stimulating factors, substantial neurological and radiological improvement was noted. Therapy with IFN-gamma was continued for 12 months, resulting in complete resolution of the lesions in the brain and spinal cord.     

Steady state multiplicity in surface reactions with coverage dependent parameters

Surface reaction rates may not be unique even when gas pressure and composition above an isothermal catalytic surface are constant. In this paper we examine general ways of obtaining necessary and sufficient conditions for multiple reaction rates for mechanisms that include coverage dependent rate parameters, surface heterogeneity or formation of a complex compound between two reactants or between a reactant and a product. It is shown that variations of the reaction activation energy or heat of adsorption with coverage can enlarge regions of rate multiplicity. Several numerical examples are studied in detail.     

A GENERAL THEORY OF ANISOTROPIC MEMBRANES†

The theory of composite membranes with one “active” layer whose permeability varies with solute concentration is developed. The case of exponential dependence of permeability on concentration is treated in detail, but the case of a general dependence follows the same pattern and leads to the treatment of multi-layered membranes.